Abstract: Due to a high unemployment rate among local people
and a high reliance on expatriate workers, the governments in the
Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries have been implementing
programmes of localisation (replacing foreign workers with GCC
nationals). These programmes have been successful in the public
sector but much less so in the private sector. However, there are now
insufficient jobs for locals in the public sector and the onus to provide
employment has fallen on the private sector. This paper is concerned
with a study, which is a work in progress (certain elements are
complete but not the whole study), investigating the effective
implementation of localisation policies in four- and five-star hotels in
the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the United Arab Emirates
(UAE). The purpose of the paper is to identify the research gap, and
to present the need for the research. Further, it will explain how this
research was conducted.
Studies of localisation in the GCC countries are under-represented
in scholarly literature. Currently, the hotel sectors in KSA and UAE
play an important part in the countries’ economies. However, the
total proportion of Saudis working in the hotel sector in KSA is
slightly under 8%, and in the UAE, the hotel sector remains highly
reliant on expatriates. There is therefore a need for research on
strategies to enhance the implementation of the localisation policies
in general and in the hotel sector in particular.
Further, despite the importance of the hotel sector to their
economies, there remains a dearth of research into the
implementation of localisation policies in this sector. Indeed, as far as
the researchers are aware, there is no study examining localisation in
the hotel sector in KSA, and few in the UAE. This represents a
considerable research gap.
Regarding how the research was carried out, a multiple case study
strategy was used. The four- and five-star hotel sector in KSA is one
of the cases, while the four- and five-star hotel sector in the UAE is
the other case. Four- and five-star hotels in KSA and the UAE were
chosen as these countries have the longest established localisation
policies of all the GCC states and there are more hotels of these
classifications in these countries than in any of the other Gulf
countries. A literature review was carried out to underpin the
research. The empirical data were gathered in three phases. In order
to gain a pre-understanding of the issues pertaining to the research
context, Phase I involved eight unstructured interviews with officials
from the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (three
interviewees); the Saudi Human Resources Development Fund (one);
the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (three); and the Abu
Dhabi Development Fund (one).
In Phase II, a questionnaire was administered to 24 managers and
24 employees in four- and five-star hotels in each country to obtain
their beliefs, attitudes, opinions, preferences and practices concerning
localisation.
Unstructured interviews were carried out in Phase III with six
managers in each country in order to allow them to express opinions
that may not have been explored in sufficient depth in the
questionnaire. The interviews in Phases I and III were analysed using
thematic analysis and SPSS will be used to analyse the questionnaire
data.
It is recommended that future research be undertaken on a larger
scale, with a larger sample taken from all over KSA and the UAE
rather than from only four cities (i.e., Riyadh and Jeddah in KSA and
Abu Dhabi and Sharjah in the UAE), as was the case in this research.
Abstract: A hotel mainly uses its energy on water heating, space
heating, refrigeration, space cooling, cooking, lighting and other
building services. A number of 4-5 stars hotels in Auckland city are
selected for this study. Comparing with the energy used for others,
the energy used for the internal space thermal control (e.g. internal
space heating) is more closely related to the hotel building itself.
This study not only investigates relationship between annual energy
(and winter energy) consumptions and building design data but also
relationships between winter extra energy consumption and building
design data. This study is to identify the major design factors that
significantly impact hotel energy consumption for improving the
future hotel design for energy efficient.
Abstract: The theatre-auditorium under investigation following
the highly reflective characteristics of materials used in it (marble,
painted wood, smooth plaster, etc), architectural and structural
features of the Protocol and its intended use (very multifunctional:
Auditorium, theatre, cinema, musicals, conference room) from the
analysis of the statement of fact made by the acoustic simulation
software Ramsete and supported by data obtained through a
campaign of acoustic measurements of the state of fact made on the
spot by a Fonomet Svantek model SVAN 957, appears to be
acoustically inadequate. After the completion of the 3D model
according to the specifications necessary software used forecast in
order to be recognized by him, have made three simulations, acoustic
simulation of the state of and acoustic simulation of two design
solutions.
Improved noise characteristics found in the first design solution,
compared to the state in fact consists therefore in lowering
Reverberation Time that you turn most desirable value, while the
Indicators of Clarity, the Baricentric Time, the Lateral Efficiency,
Ratio of Low Tmedia BR and defined the Speech Intelligibility
improved significantly. Improved noise characteristics found instead
in the second design solution, as compared to first design solution, is
finally mostly in a more uniform distribution of Leq and in lowering
Reverberation Time that you turn the optimum values. Indicators of
Clarity, and the Lateral Efficiency improve further but at the expense
of a value slightly worse than the BR. Slightly vary the remaining
indices.
Abstract: Ambiguities in effects of earthquake on various
structures in all earthquake codes would necessitate more study and
research concerning influential factors on dynamic behavior.
Previous studies which were done on different features in different
buildings play a major role in the type of response a structure makes
to lateral vibrations. Diagnosing each of these irregularities can help
structure designers in choosing appropriate setbacks for decreasing
possible damages. Therefore vertical setback is one of the irregularity
factors in the height of the building where can be seen in skyscrapers
and hotels. Previous researches reveal notable changes in the place of
these setbacks showing dynamic response of the structure.
Consequently analyzing 48 models of concrete frames for 3, 6 and 9
stories heights with three different bays in general shape of a surface
decline by height have been constructed in ETABS2000 software,
and then the shape effect of each and every one of these frames in
period scale has been discussed. The result of this study reveals that
not only mass, stiffness and height but also shape of the frame is
influential.
Abstract: Heat pipes are two-phase heat transfer devices with
high effective thermal conductivity. Due to the high heat transport
capacity, heat exchanger with heat pipes has become much smaller
than traditional heat exchangers in handling high heat fluxes. With
the working fluid in a heat pipe, heat can be absorbed on the
evaporator region and transported to the condenser region where the
vapour condenses releasing the heat to the cooling media. Heat pipe
technology has found increasing applications in enhancing the
thermal performance of heat exchangers in microelectranics, energy
saving in HVAC systems for operating rooms,surgery centers, hotels,
cleanrooms etc, temperature regulation systems for the human body
and other industrial sectors. Development activity in heat pipe and
thermosyphon technology in asia in recent years is surveyed. Some
new results obtained in Australia and other countries are also
included.
Abstract: This paper attempts to investigate the factors that influence hotel managers- attitudes towards sustainable tourism practices (STP) in Kuala Lumpur and the state of Selangor in Malaysia. The study distributes 104 questionnaires to hotels ranging from one star to five-star categories including budget hotels. Out of this figure, 60 copies of the questionnaires were returned and analyzed. The finding revealed that of all the seven factors investigated, only the variables measuring incentives and knowledge have significantly influenced sustainable tourism practices in the country. Therefore, government and other green bodies within the country should continue to provide hotels with incentives for sound technologies. Moreover, the government agencies should continue to educate hoteliers on the relevance of environmental protection for the successful implementation of sustainable tourism practices.
Abstract: Application of Information Technology (IT) has
revolutionized the functioning of business all over the world. Its
impact has been felt mostly among the information of dependent
industries. Tourism is one of such industry. The conceptual
framework in this study represents an innovation of travel
information searching system on mobile devices which is used as
tools to deliver travel information (such as hotels, restaurants, tourist
attractions and souvenir shops) for each user by travelers
segmentation based on data mining technique to segment the tourists-
behavior patterns then match them with tourism products and
services. This system innovation is designed to be a knowledge
incremental learning. It is a marketing strategy to support business to
respond traveler-s demand effectively.
Abstract: The authors have been developing several models
based on artificial neural networks, linear regression models, Box-
Jenkins methodology and ARIMA models to predict the time series
of tourism. The time series consist in the “Monthly Number of Guest
Nights in the Hotels" of one region. Several comparisons between the
different type models have been experimented as well as the features
used at the entrance of the models. The Artificial Neural Network
(ANN) models have always had their performance at the top of the
best models. Usually the feed-forward architecture was used due to
their huge application and results. In this paper the author made a
comparison between different architectures of the ANNs using
simply the same input. Therefore, the traditional feed-forward
architecture, the cascade forwards, a recurrent Elman architecture and
a radial based architecture were discussed and compared based on the
task of predicting the mentioned time series.
Abstract: This paper deals with the application of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and the Hotelling-s T2 Chart, using data collected from a drinking water treatment process. PCA is applied primarily for the dimensional reduction of the collected data. The Hotelling-s T2 control chart was used for the fault detection of the process. The data was taken from a United Utilities Multistage Water Treatment Works downloaded from an Integrated Program Management (IPM) dashboard system. The analysis of the results show that Multivariate Statistical Process Control (MSPC) techniques such as PCA, and control charts such as Hotelling-s T2, can be effectively applied for the early fault detection of continuous multivariable processes such as Drinking Water Treatment. The software package SIMCA-P was used to develop the MSPC models and Hotelling-s T2 Chart from the collected data.
Abstract: Knowledge modelling, a main activity for the development of Knowledge Based Systems, have no set standards and are mostly done in an ad hoc way. There is a lack of support for the transition from abstract level to implementation. In this paper, a methodology for the development of the knowledge model, which is inspired by both Software and Knowledge Engineering, is proposed. Use of UML which is the de-facto standard for modelling in the software engineering arena is explored for knowledge modelling. The methodology proposed, is used to develop a knowledge model of a knowledge based system for recommending suitable hotels for tourists visiting Mauritius.
Abstract: The subject of the paper is comparative analysis of the hotel guest-s contractual liability for breaching the obligation for non-payment of hotel services in the hotel-keeper-s contract. The paper is methodologically conceived of six chapters (1. introduction, 2. comparative law sources of the hotel-keeper-s contract, 3. the guest-s obligation for payment of hotel services, 4. hotel guest's liability for non-payment, 5. the hotel-keeper-s rights due to nonpayment and 6. conclusion), which analyzes the guest-s liability for non-payment of hotel services through the international law, European law, euro-continental national laws (France, Germany, Italy, Croatia) and Anglo-American national laws (UK, USA). The paper-s results are the synthesis of answers to the set hypothesis and comparative review of hotel guest-s contractual liability for nonpayment of hotel services provided. In conclusion, it is necessary to adopt an international convention on the hotel-keeper-s contract, which would unify the institute of the hotel guest-s contractual liability for non-payment of hotel services at the international level.
Abstract: The main aim of the current study was to examine the
effect of emotional intelligence on retention. The study also aimed at
analyzing the role of job involvement, as a moderator, in the effect of
emotional intelligence on retention. Using data gathered from 241
employees working with hotels and tourism corporations listed in
Amman Stock Exchange in Jordan, emotional intelligence, job
involvement and retention were measured. Hierarchical regression
analyses were used to test the three main hypotheses. Results
indicated that retention was related to emotional intelligence.
Moreover, the study yielded support for the claim that job
involvement had a moderating effect on the relationship between
emotional intelligence and retention.
Abstract: There is no doubt that Internet technology is widely used by hotels and its demand is constantly booming. Hotels have largely adopted website information services through using different interactive tools, dimensions and attributes to achieve excellence in functionality and usability but these do not necessary equate with website effectiveness. One way to investigate the effectiveness of hotel website is from the perspective ofe-consumers. This exploratory research is to investigate the perceived importance of websites effectiveness of some selected independent small and medium-sized hotels (SMHs) located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from the perspective of Omanie-consumers by using non-random sampling method. From 400 questionnaire addressed to respondents in 27 organizations in Muscat the capital city of Oman, 173 are valid. Findings of this study assist SMHs management in Dubai with the reallocation of their resources and efforts in order to supportebusiness development and to sustain a competitive advantage.
Abstract: This paper proposes a new method for analyzing textual data. The method deals with items of textual data, where each item is described based on various viewpoints. The method acquires 2- class classification models of the viewpoints by applying an inductive learning method to items with multiple viewpoints. The method infers whether the viewpoints are assigned to the new items or not by using the models. The method extracts expressions from the new items classified into the viewpoints and extracts characteristic expressions corresponding to the viewpoints by comparing the frequency of expressions among the viewpoints. This paper also applies the method to questionnaire data given by guests at a hotel and verifies its effect through numerical experiments.
Abstract: The fast technology and economic growth in China has
attracted global attention in its tourism development. This study makes
an effort on investigating China-s online tourism market and the
Chinese online travelers- perceptions of hotel websites. The findings
are expected to better understand Chinese customers- online
preference and identified the differences among online travelers from
different regions in the country. Empirical findings showed online
reservation information is the most important factor to Chinese
customers, and tourists from different regions of China have
perception difference on user-friendly factor. The findings benefit
hoteliers from understanding their websites development and
formulating more appropriate online strategies to meet the
requirements of Chinese travelers.
Abstract: In many industries, control charts is one of the most
frequently used tools for quality management. Hotelling-s T2 is used
widely in multivariate control chart. However, it has little defect when
detecting small or medium process shifts. The use of supplementary
sensitizing rules can improve the performance of detection. This study
applied sensitizing rules for Hotelling-s T2 control chart to improve the
performance of detection. Support vector machines (SVM) classifier
to identify the characteristic or group of characteristics that are
responsible for the signal and to classify the magnitude of the mean
shifts. The experimental results demonstrate that the support vector
machines (SVM) classifier can effectively identify the characteristic
or group of characteristics that caused the process mean shifts and the
magnitude of the shifts.
Abstract: In the present Jordan hotels scenario, service quality is
a vital competitive policy to keep customer support and build great
base. Hotels are trying to win customer loyalty by providing enhanced
quality services. This paper attempts to examine the impact of tourism
service quality dimension in the Jordanian five star hotels. A total of
322 surveys were administrated to tourists who were staying at three
branches Marriott hotel in Jordan. The results show that dimensions of
service quality such as empathy, reliability, responsiveness and
tangibility significantly predict customer loyalty. Specifically, among
the dimension of tourism service quality, the most significant predictor
of customer loyalty is tangibility. This paper implies that five star
hotels in Jordan should also come forward and try their best to present
better tourism service quality to win back their customers- loyalty.
Abstract: Multi-energy systems will enhance the system
reliability and power quality. This paper presents an integrated
approach for the design and operation of distributed energy resources
(DER) systems, based on energy hub modeling. A multi-objective
optimization model is developed by considering an integrated view of
electricity and natural gas network to analyze the optimal design and
operating condition of DER systems, by considering two conflicting
objectives, namely, minimization of total cost and the minimization
of environmental impact which is assessed in terms of CO2
emissions. The mathematical model considers energy demands of the
site, local climate data, and utility tariff structure, as well as technical
and financial characteristics of the candidate DER technologies. To
provide energy demands, energy systems including photovoltaic, and
co-generation systems, boiler, central power grid are considered. As
an illustrative example, a hotel in Iran demonstrates potential
applications of the proposed method. The results prove that
increasing the satisfaction degree of environmental objective leads to
increased total cost.
Abstract: Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) initially introduced
during WW-II, has revolutionized the world with its numerous
benefits and plethora of implementations in diverse areas ranging
from manufacturing to agriculture to healthcare to hotel management.
This work reviews the current research in this area with emphasis
on applications for supply chain management and to develop a
taxonomic framework to classify literature which will enable swift
and easy content analysis and also help identify areas for future
research.
Abstract: This research aimed to study the competency of health
and wellness hotels and resorts in developing use the local natural
resources and wisdom to conform to the national health and wellness
tourism (HWT) strategy by comparing two independent samples,
from Aumpur Muang, Ranong province and Aumpur Muang,
Chiangmai province. And also study in the suggestive direct path to
lead the organization to the sustainable successful.
This research was conduct by using mix methodology; both
quantitative and qualitative data were used. The data of competency
of health and wellness hotels and resorts (HWHR) in developing use
the local natural resources for HWT promoting were collected via
300 set of questionnaires, from 6 hotels and resorts in 2 areas, 3
places from Aumpur Muang, Ranong province and another 3 from
Aumpur Muang, Chiangmai province.
Thestudy of HWHR’s competency in developing use the local
natural resources and wisdom to conform to the national HWT
strategycan be divided into fourmain areas, food and beverages
service, tourism activity, environmental service, and value adding.
The total competency of the Chiangmai sample is importantly
scoredp. value 0.01 higher than the Ranong one while the area of
safety, Chiangmai’s competency is importantly scored 0.05 higher
than the Ranong’scompetency. Others were rated not differently.
Since Chiangmai perform better, then it can be a role model in
developing HTHR or HWT destination.
From the part of qualitative research, content analysis of business
contents and its environments were analyzed. The four stages of
strategic development and plans, from the smallest scale to the largest
scale such a national base were discussed. The HWT: Evolution
model and strategy for lodging Business were suggested. All those
stages must work harmoniously together. The distinctive result
illustrates the need of human resource development as the key point
to create the identity of Thainess on Health and wellness service
providing. This will add-on the value of services and differentiates
ourselves from other competitors. The creative of Thailand’s health
and wellness brand possibly increase loyalty customers which agreed
to be a path of sustainable development.