Cornell Hospitality Quarterly

Not too long ago the test for product liability in cases where a foodservice consumer was injured by an undesirable object in his or her food was whether the object was naturally associated with the food consumed (e.g., a pit in a cherry pie). Recently, however, many states (e.g., California) have adopted a "reasonable-expectations" test that allows customers to argue that there is a reasonable expectation that even naturally occurring objects should be removed during preparation of a food item.

State and federal regulations covering employees under age 18 are specific, and state labor-department officials have tightened enforcement. Ironically, many hospitality-industry operators remain unfamiliar with labor-law provisions and risk large fines. No one under the age of 18 may be hired for a hazardous position, defined primarily as work that involves operation of machinery, including motor vehicles. Children aged 14 and 15 may not work more than 18 hours per week during the school year and may not work past 7:00 PM on school nights. Time regulations are slightly less stringent during summer vacation and school recesses. While the National Restaurant Association is encouraging the government to ease child-labor restrictions, child-labor groups are trying to tighten the law.

The first day of work appears to be critical for a new employee's attitude about his or her new company, and about the messages it conveys on this day. A sample of hospitality-industry newcomers remembered mostly negative first-day incidents involving supportiveness (or its lack), appreciation (or blame), being made to feel welcome (or unwelcome), and being made to feel part of the family or team (or experiencing conflict and separation). Organizations need to focus on job aspects that are most critical to the newcomers and provide newcomers with the information most useful to them for alleviating the uncertainty and anxiety surrounding the entry process. Structured activities held on the first day should make newcomers feel welcome and provide emotional support. The process of socialization can affect a newcomer's performance, satisfaction, and commitment to (or intention to leave) the organization.

Effective management at the senior level requires high-quality strategic decisions and reliable implementation of those decisions. In this study of 151 strategic decisions reported by executives at 78 hotel-operating companies, debate, trust, and collaboration in the top-management group all enhanced decision quality, while avoiding confrontation impeded it. Of the four, debate was the most important single factor for high-quality strategic decisions. Trust and collaboration both enhance implementation, and an unwillingness to bring up dissenting views impedes effective implementation. The open expression of difference in an executive group is key to making high-quality strategic decisions, and the resolution of any differences in a way that fully addresses all concerns is key to implementing those decisions.

An effort by New York City-based Medallion Hotels to develop a company-wide culture of service excellence has meant a commitment to staff development. Medallion has established five core principles: developing employees for long-term careers; involving leaders in employees' development; integrating training and development into company communications; basing programs on guidelines, not rules; and investing heavily in training programs. The lessons learned along the way included ensuring that programs are assimilated into the culture, learning to assess management candidates' abilities before training, avoiding the inefficiencies of too much decentralization, keeping programs simple, and assessing training needs and priorities before committing money. Contrary to popular stereotype, the generation of people born in the late 1960s and 1970s are hard workers (not slackers) who strongly desire to make their mark in their jobs. A product of their times, the so-called Xers are accustomed to rapidly changing situations. Far from having a short attention span, Xers are able to absorb large, often jumbled volumes of information at high speed. They believe they can rely only on themselves and expect to do so in their jobs. Their loyalty is earned by managers who set the task, provide necessary information and guidance as requested, and stand back.

Contrary to popular stereotype, the generation of people born in the late 1960s and 1970s are hard workers (not slackers) who strongly desire to make their mark in their jobs. A product of their times, the so-called Xers are accustomed to rapidly changing situations. Far from having a short attention span, Xers are able to absorb large, often jumbled volumes of information at high speed. They believe they can rely only on themselves and expect to do so in their jobs. Their loyalty is earned by managers who set the task, provide necessary information and guidance as requested, and stand back.

The consensus of a panel of 20 marketing and sales managers with major hotel chains based in North Carolina is that most companies are not ready to implement a 100-percent service guarantee. To date, a handful of national chains offer such a guarantee: Comfort Inn, Howard Johnson, Promus's brands (e.g., Embassy Suites, Hampton Inns), and Sleep Inns. On further questioning, the panel members suggested that the core lodging elements and practices needed to ensure the success of the guarantee policy are service standards and employee training. In addition, properties must maintain strong housekeeping and maintenance practices and make continual quality inspections. On the other hand, the panel discounted the age of the property and its FF&E as a critical factor in the successful implementation of a satisfaction guarantee.

The modern English "pub" is quite different from the traditional pub in that today's establishment is likely to be a comprehensive food-service, catering, and family-entertainment operation. In recent years pubs have diversified heavily into food (about two-thirds now offer food), have become increasingly retail-oriented, and constitute a large part of the leisure industry, offering entertainment such as music, games, indoor sports, separate restaurant areas, supervised children's playgrounds, and leisure facilities such as bowling and video games. As a result, modern English pubs have become places that women and families can patronize comfortably, and are attractive to the over-55 age group that seeks quality service and value.

Hotel managers in the U.S., international hotel managers, and hotelmanagement students were asked their extent of agreement with eight propositions regarding the lodging industry's relationship to environmental stewardship. International managers agreed more strongly than domestic managers that the lodging industry would be forced by public opinion, the market, or government to take more environmental actions. The international managers also considered it better for business to take environmental actions than did the domestic managers. Students in a Cornell University hotel course agreed more with the international managers than with domestic managers on the importance of environmental activities. Separating the students' responses by gender, however, revealed that women students were far more environmentally conscious than the men students.

This two-page environmental-procedures inventory can be incorporated into a hotel's self-inspection program. The inventory comprises checklists divided into three major categories (energy, solid waste, water) in nine areas of a hotel: guest rooms, public areas, housekeeping, administration, general maintenance, appliance purchases, laundry, grounds maintenance, and vehicle maintenance. The lists are seemingly over-specific in many cases because it is frequently possible to overlook the obvious.

A comparative study of technology perceptions among lodging manag-ers from the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada foundgeneral agreement. Automation was least common in the United King-dom (where managers expressed the highest need for more technologyuse). Managers in all three countries were happy with technology as atool to increase operational effectiveness and to improve guest satisfac-tion, although guest-operated devices received mixed reviews. Per-ceived technology needs of small properties were significantly lowerthan those of large properties and managers of small properties ratedguest-operated devices significantly lower in usefulness than did man-agers of large properties.

Experiments with digital-cash cards continue, although their use has not yet become common. Digital cash involves cards having memory chips that store currency balances, as distinct from debit cards, which require access to balance information stored in banks' computers. Perhaps the greatest challenge posed by the use of digital cards involves the expense of setting up digital-cash systems. In addition, much of the world operates on a paper-cash basis, meaning that many people must be educated regarding digital cash. The cards may permit faster service to guests and present the prospect of reduced fraud and pp. 92-96 theft losses compared to cash.