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Hospitality and Tourism Management Theses and Dissertations

Theses/dissertations from 2023 2023.

Platform of Growth: An Analysis of Earnings and Social Media Engagement Among Esports Athletes , Colleen Marie Dibble

Capturing Visuals in Hospitality: A Multi-Dimensional Exploration of Photographs in Interdisciplinary Research , Ningqiao Li

Employee Experience in the U.S. Casual Dining Restaurant Industry: Conceptualization, Scale Development, and Effects on Employees’ Retention , Xiao Ma

Effects of AI Voice Assistants’ Messages on Pro-environmnetal Consumer Behavior: Message Content and Voice Attributes , Somang Min

An Examination of Celebrity Product Involvement and Endorsement Effectiveness , Eric Nichols

Southeastern Conference (SEC) International Student-Athlete (ISA) Career Transitions - A Cultural Intelligence (CQ) Perspective , Tsu-Lin Yeh

The Impact of Interactivity on Information Processing for Virtual Tourist Destinations , Hongxiao Yu

Decoding Trustworthiness and Helpfulness of Online Reviews In Hospitality: A Reader-Centric Perspective , Xiaonan Zhang

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Customer Touchpoint: Conceptualization, Index Development, and Nomological Validation , Hyunsu Kim

“No Tits in the Pits!”: An Exploratory Analysis of the Experiences of Female Decision Makers in Motorsports in the United States , Alexia Pedo Lopes

Affective Risk Perceptions Toward Travel in a COVID Era: Policy and State Political Influences , Chloe Riley

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

“The Lifeblood of College Sports”: The NCAA’s Dominant Institutional Logic and the Byproducts of an (Over)emphasis on Recruiting , Chris Corr

Customers’ Acceptance of Automated Hotel , Jianhong Feng

Effects of Information Exposure, Emotions, and Self-Efficacy On Risk Perception and Travel Intention During the COVID-19 Pandemic , Chunsheng Jin

Positioning Customer Service Through Customer Journey Mapping in Service Consumption and Recovery , Dan Jin

Does the Tendency of Loss Aversion Depend On The Level of Competition? Evidence From Multilevel Esports Tournaments , Zeqing Mao

The Impact of Social Media Account Types on Travel Intention , Nuri Seo

Technology Experience: Measurement Development and Validation , Hyejo Hailey Shin

Why Do Tourists Accept Lodging Through Accommodation Sharing Platforms? Model Development and Model Comparison , Ge Zhu

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

The Downside of National Team Identity: A Model to Measure Negative Outcomes of Team Identity , Fei Gao

Newcomer Student-Athlete Perceptions of Coaches’ Socialization Strategies: Scale Development , Evelyn Su Jara-Pazmino

Comparing the Success of Official Sponsors and Ambush Marketers: An Event Study Analysis of Brazil Following the 2014 Fifa World Cup and 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympic Games , Timothy Koba

The Impact of Hotel Service Robot Appearance and Service Attributes on Customer Experience , Chuhan Thomsen

The Economic Impact of Tennis in South Carolina , Xue Zhang

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

The Importance of Twitter to Destination Marketing Organizations , Tatiana Allgeyer

Finding the Perfect Match: Dimension Analysis and Development of the External Sponsorship Congruence Scale , Kelly Evans

Premium Seating in College Athletics: Trends of Today and the Future , Kendra Holaday

“WE NEED DAWGS!”: Narrative Construction of Athletic Identity Among Black High School Football Players , Victor Dion Kidd

Measuring Long-Term Advertising Effects in the Tourism and Hospitality Industry , Rui Qi

Selling Rooms and Making Money in the Lodging Industry: Analyzing the Effects of RevPAR and GOPPAR Together , Thomas Rogers

Investigating Managerial Priority of Environmental Inputs and Outputs in Public Assembly Venues , Walker Ross

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

College Students and Corporate Social Responsibility: An Examination of Corporate-Social Responsible Behavior in College Athletics From the Students’ Perspective , R. Jacob Gilbert

An Analysis Of Perceptions Of Restaurant Authenticity At Food Tourism Destinations In The Southeastern U.S , Jamie A. Levitt

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

Motivation To Play Esports: Case of League of Legends , Yaoyao Sun

Theme Park Demand, Theme Park Attractiveness, and Visitors’ Theme Park Choices , Yingsha Zhang

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

An Examination Of Destination Choice Behavior Using Meme Maps, Images and Decision Making Styles , Hilmi Atahan Atadil

Memorable Dining Experiences: Formative Index And Model Development , Yang Cao

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

The Influence of Warmth and Competence Perceptions on Employees’ Attitudinal and Behavioral Responses in Casual Dining Restaurants , Diego Riva Humbert Bufquin

Media Effect on Resident Attitude Toward Hosting the Olympic Games: A Cross-National Study Between China and the USA , Qiulin Lu

Self-Determination Theory and Wellness Tourism: How Do Wellness Facilities Contribute to Wellbeing? , Karen I. Thal

Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014

Understanding Destination Choice from a Cultural Distance Perspective , Hongbo Liu

Revisiting Gender Constraints and Benefits in Leisure Tourism: Man-Up, It’s Time to Travel Like a Woman , Holly L. Rabin

Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013

Responding to Tripadvisor: How Hotel Responses to Negative Online Reviews Effect Hotel Image, Intent to Stay, and Intent to Return , Tiffany Avant

An Analysis of The Possibilities of Applying The North American Management Model to Most Large-Scale Sports Facilities in China , XI LI

Examining Long-Haul Chinese Outbound Tourists' Shopping Intentions , Pei Zhang

Theses/Dissertations from 2012 2012

Is the Current United States Tennis Association's Adult League System Restrictive? , Edward Horne

Manager Training In the Hotel Environment and Its Effect On Employee Turnover Intentions , Kristin Marie Malek

Theses/Dissertations from 2011 2011

Examining Japanese tourists' U.S.-Bound Travel Constraints , Lin He

Theses/Dissertations from 2010 2010

Hotel Guests' Intentions to Choose Green Hotels , Amy Elizabeth Jackson

Green Inside and Out: Case Study On Green Events In Large Public Assembly Facilities , Peyton Jeter

Theses/Dissertations from 2009 2009

Motivations and Constraints of Chinese Outbound tourists: A Case Study , Chengting Lai

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Theses and Dissertations, Hospitality and Tourism Management (HTM)

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PhD in Hospitality & Tourism Management

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Students in Isenberg’s PhD program in hospitality and tourism management engage in research that furthers society’s understanding of the unique industry.

From uncovering the environmental, social and economic impacts of tourism to investigating theories and models of services marketing and management, students use their time at Isenberg to make powerful connections between ideas, introduce thoughtful and provoking analysis, and contribute scholarly research.

Message from the Coordinator

The hospitality and tourism industry lends itself to fascinating and revealing research about society, the economy and the marketplace. Our PhD program in Hotel and Tourism Management (HTM) gives students the time and resources to delve into the industry, to engage in rigorous research, and to publish their findings.

Our PhD graduates become top scholars, professors and researchers at the leading hospitality and tourism programs in the US and abroad. Our graduates are successful because our program offers:

• One-on-one mentoring and advising by renowned faculty.  Students will work closely with faculty on multiple research projects. 
• The opportunity to specialize in one focus area.  Our concentrations include marketing/consumer behavior, leadership, information technology and social media, operational research and finance.
• Real-world preparation   for careers in academia.  All candidates teach graduate-level classes at Isenberg and have 100% responsibility in their classrooms.

Additionally, students in our program also graduate with a PhD in Management, making them more marketable in the job field and more knowledgeable in the classroom.

While our program is rigorous and highly selective, our learning environment is collaborative and supportive. We welcome applicants who are self-motivated, committed, and independent initiators and team players.

Irem Onder Neuhofer Associate Professor and PhD Coordinator

Isenberg’s PhD in hospitality and tourism management is a full-time, residential program that prepares candidates for academic careers in hospitality and tourism. The program develops strong research skills that enable graduates to conduct and publish scholarly research with competence and confidence.

Students can study any area of interest that applies to hospitality and tourism and gain real-world teaching experience that allows them to excel in university teaching in their areas of interest.

Isenberg has a strong focus on research.  Faculty are working in a wide variety of research domains, investigating such areas as:

• Hotel and Destination Branding
• Service Experience Management
• Impact and Performance Studies in Tourism and Hospitality Operations
• Quality-of-Life and Tourism and Hospitality Research
• Sustainability in Tourism and Hospitality
• Strategic Management and Finance
• Revenue Management

HTM PhD Program Overview

Watch our video to hear about the program from the students and professors in this active teaching and research community.

Students generally complete a PhD in HTM within 4-5 years. Students must take core courses in theory and research methods, as well as electives and minor classes. In addition, our doctoral students must pass a qualifying and comprehensive examination. Students also teach at Isenberg. During the final years, students are responsible for creating and defending a dissertation.

Here's a sample of required HTM courses:

• Foundations of Organizational Behavior and Theory
• Research Design
• Multivariate Analysis
• Structural Equation Model
• Seminar in Tourism Theory and Research
• Seminar in Hospitality Research
• Services Marketing/Management Research

YEAR 1: Coursework, including statistics, research methods, and theory courses, and research electives; Qualifying exam

YEAR 2: Coursework, including marketing and management courses, research electives and minor area courses; Comprehensive exam

YEAR 3: Additional coursework as needed; Development of dissertation proposal; Teaching

YEAR 4-5: Dissertation research

HTM Doctoral Students

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Home > ISENBERG > HTM > HTM_THESES

Hospitality & Tourism Management Masters Theses Collection

Theses from 2013 2013.

The Impact of Self-Service Technologies in the Hotel Industry on Employee Job Satisfaction , Erin M. Mosher, Hotel & Tourism Management

Relationships among Source Credibility of Electronic Word of Mouth, Perceived Risk, and Consumer Behavior on Consumer Generated Media , Mei-hsin Wu, Hotel & Tourism Management

Theses from 2012 2012

The Effect of Menu Nutrition Labels on Consumers' Dietary Decision Making , Diane M. Lowe, Hotel & Tourism Management

The Economic Significance Study on the Volleyball Hall of Fame and Its Charitable Impressions , Feng Xu, Hotel & Tourism Management

Theses from 2010 2010

Revenue Management And Perceptions Of Fairness , Choongbeom Choi, Hotel & Tourism Management

Excess Return Estimate and Risk Factors in Hospitality Firms , Genti Lagji, Hotel & Tourism Management

Students’ Perceptions of Effectiveness of Hospitality Curricula and Their Preparedness , Imran Rahman, Hotel & Tourism Management

Theses from 2009 2009

Presenteeism: A Comparative Analysis , James E. O'donnell, Hotel & Tourism Management

Theses from 2008 2008

Senses of Place , Catalin I. Cighi, Hotel & Tourism Management

College Student Gambling: Examining the Effects of Gaming Education Within a College Curriculum , Maryann Conrad, Hotel & Tourism Management

Theses from 2007 2007

Price Bundling in Online Travel Markets: An Exploratory Study , Jinhoo Kim, Hotel & Tourism Management

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Questions? Feel free to contact me via the following channels! I will be happy to answer your enquiries and provide individual consultation sessions.

Katie CHENG Faculty Librarian (Hotel & Tourism Management)

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To search dissertations and theses written by SHTM students, visit the PolyU Electronic Theses database and search with the steps below:

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Sample PHD Tourism & Hospitality Management Dissertation Proposal

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Importance of Sustainable Tourism in the Developing Countries: Analysis of Practices and Challenges in the Case Study of Thailand

Introduction.

Undoubtedly, the tourism industry holds the likelihood of income opportunities and increased employment, particularly for citizens living in developing countries’ urban areas. In this regard, Meyer (2013) stated that tourism is an essential industry that promotes economic development by creating employment that increases people’s income and is hence considered an essential factor in developing economies.

As in a developing country like Thailand, the economy is largely dependent on the tourism industry. Approximately 25 million tourists visited Thailand in 2018 and generated 1.2 trillion revenues in tourism activity across Thailand. It is further stated by Bramwell and Lane (2011) that the tourism industry primarily supports the economy of Thailand.

Thus, the government has taken several effective initiatives to implement sustainability in the tourism industry. However, particular challenges pose a threat to Thailand’s tourism industry concerning its effectiveness and profitability.

In particular, Chiang Mai is the largest city in mountainous Northern Thailand and is considered an attractive land of colourful hill tribes and misty mountainous scenery. The attractive places and beautiful scenes attract tourists to visit and generate revenue for this city. However, certain factors or issues affect the sustainability of tourism and reduce the tourists’ attention towards Chiang Mai.

Concerning this, Ishii  (2012) stated that long-term threats and issues that the tourism industry of Chiang Mai is facing include political matters, regional and local management, accidents and traffic, waste management, and healthcare, water management, deterioration of local culture, competition between local firms and international businesses.

All these factors are making Thailand’s tourism less attractive, particularly in Chiang Mai. According to Chartrungruang (2011), the tourism industry of Chiang Mai is determined to make effective changes in the industry about the attitude of tourists towards the place. It could be possible by making a development plan to maintain the attractiveness and sustainability of this city.

This development plan is likely to address the sustainability problem of Chiang Mai’s environmental, political, and social landscapes and the infrastructure development that will eventually increase the standards of services related to the tourism industry in Chiang Mai.

The following research thus intends can analyse the importance of sustainable tourism the Tourism Authority of Thailand is adopting to address the issues related to tourism management in Chiang Mai and what are the challenges and practices director of the Chiang Mai branch of the Tourism Authority of Thailand is adopting for maintaining the sustainability of tourism industry.

Research Question

Based on supporting evidence, the researcher is likely to address the following research question:

What challenges does the tourism industry in Chiang Mai facing to implement sustainable tourism management?

Aim and Objectives

The following research aims can analyse the importance of sustainable tourism in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Following research objectives have been highlighted that will support the researcher to achieve the main aim of the study:

Tananalyse the factors or challenges that are affecting the management of sustainable tourism in Chiang Mai.

To examine the importance of sustainable tourism in Chiang Mai and how the director of the Chiang Mai branch of the Tourism Authority of Thailand manages the tourism industry’s sustainability.

To provide recommendations to the director of the Chiang Mai branch of the Tourism Authority of Thailand on how they can address the issues and promote sustainable tourism management.

Literature Review

It is stated by Choi and Turk (2011) that UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organisation) has put a great emphasis on the sustainability of the tourism industry and remarkably suggested to developing countries that all tourism organisations should implement quality standards to enhance the overall quality of tourism products and services such as restaurants, accommodation, location, infrastructure development.

Mowforth and Munt (2015) stated that sustainable tourism is a great concept that has achieved high prominence in the modern tourism industry. Iememphasises implementing quality standards in the tourism sector to promote competitiveness and provide reliable and valuable tourism services.

In addition to this, Harris, Williams, and Griffin (2012) stated that the concept of sustainable tourism had acquired great attention in developing countries for making their tourism industry competitive and increasing the demand locally and internationally. However, certain challenges affect the tourism sector negatively, such as improper waste management, traffic jams and accidents, taxation, shortage of labour, lack of political and government support for the growth and development of the tourism sector.

For example, Ping (2011) stated that the growing population in Chiang Mai has increased traffic jams and waste management problems due to narrow roads available for the vehicle. These issues affect both local and international tourists, thus; reducing the attractiveness and competitiveness of ChiangMai’ss tourism industry.

It is also stated that the implementation of sustainability in Chiang Mai’s tourism industry is a significant concern as the local government is not taking any action regarding these problems and unintentionally supporting the destruction of natural resources, pollution, traffic jams, etc. Larsen, Calgaro, and Thomalla (2011) helped this statement and stated that double taxation is also a significant problem for tourists as they have to pay taxes to both local and national administrative organisations for visiting Chiang Mai with the purpose of tourism.

To address these issues, the director of the Chiang Mai branch of the Tourism Authority of Thailand needs to plan and implement development plans to make ChianMai’s’sChianMai’s’s tourism industry more stable and competitive.

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Methodology

The methodology that the researcher in this research study will use is described under the sections below:

Research Philosophy

Among different types of research philosophies, the research will adopt interpretivism research philosophy as per the nature of the second qualitative study. Interpretivism will allow the researcher to analyse and interpret sustainable tourism in Chiang Mai, Thailand, based on human preferences and observation.

This philosophy will also make it researchable to collect data regarding sustainable tourism in Chiang Mai, Thailand, emphasising analysis of qualitative data over quantitative data.

Research Approach

As per the study’s nature, the researcher will use inductive reasoning to analyse the importance of sustainable tourism with the case study of Chiang Mai, Thailand. This approach will allow a researcher to investigate factors affecting the sustainability of tourism and narrow down the research focus from the particular case of Chiang Mai to the general principle of the Thailand tourism industry.

Research Design

The researcher will adopt a qualitative research design to analyse the factors posing a threat to sustainable tourism in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The adoption of a qualitative research design will allow researchers to gain insight and data from a case study of Chiang Mai to examine the significance of the tourism industry in the environmental, physical, and social development of Chiang Mai in Thailand.

Research Strategy

The research strategy that the research will adopt in this study is the case study. The researcher will analyse Chiang Mai’s tourism industry’s sustainability based on annual reports and government-published data. The case study is a secondary research strategy that will allow the researcher to gain available data related to Chiang Mai’s tourism industry.

Data Collection Method

As mentioned above, the researcher mainly focuses on analysing Chiang Mai’s tourism industry’s case study thus, the researcher will collect data from secondary sources such as books, articles, journals, annual reports, and websites of organisations. They are engaged in providing tourism and tourism-related services in Chiang Mai. All these secondary sources will allow the researcher to analyse the significance of sustainability in Chiang Mai’s tourism industry.

Data Analysis Technique

After collecting the data from secondary sources, the research will use a content analysis technique to analyse the content obtained from viable and authentic sources regarding sustainable tourism management in the case study of Chiang Mai, Thailand. The researcher will make interpretations based on content published in available sources and existing literature.

Research Limitations

The researcher might encounter several limitations during the execution of the following researcher study. However, inaccessibility to the data available of secondary sources like annual reports, websites, and journals will make the researcher unable to attain the objectives set for this particular study. It will cause a significant restriction for the researcher in the completion of research successfully.

Time Schedule for Research

The schedule that is allocated for the whole research study is based on activities that need to be done on the assigned date or deadline as defined below mentioned table:

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Bramwell, B. and Lane, B., 2011. Critical research on the governance of tourism and sustainability. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 19(4-5), pp.411-421.

Chartrungruang, B.O., 2011. The model of Sufficiency Economy Philosophy: application to the tourism industry in Chiang Mai, Thailand. International Journal of Asian Tourism Management, 2(2), pp.134-44.

Choi, H.C. and Turk, E.S., 2011. Sustainability indicators for managing community tourism. In Quality-of-life community indicators for parks, recreation and tourism management (pp. 115-140). Springer, Dordrecht.

Harris, R., Williams, P. and Griffin, T. eds., 2012. Sustainable tourism. Routledge. Ishii, K., 2012. The impact of ethnic tourism on hill tribes in Thailand. Annals of Tourism Research, 39(1), pp.290-310.

Larsen, R.K., Calgaro, E. and Thomalla, F., 2011. Governing resilience building in Thailand’s tourism-dependent coastal communities: Conceptualising stakeholder agency in social-ecological systems. Global Environmental Change, 21(2), pp.481-491.

Meyer, D., 2013. Pro-poor tourism: From leakages to linkages. A conceptual framework for creating linkages between the accommodation sector and ‘poor neighbouring communities. In Tourism and the Millennium Development Goals (pp. 131-156). Routledge.

Mowforth, M. and Munt, I., 2015. Tourism and sustainability: Development, globalisation and new tourism in the third world. Routledge.

Ping, X., 2011. Environmental Problems and Green Lifestyles in Thailand. Assumption University [pdf] Retrieved from:. http://www. nanzan-u. ac. jp/English/aseaccu/venue/pdf/2011_05. pdf.

Wongtada, N. and Krairit, D., 2017. Survival of a market leader in regional integration of emerging economies: A case study of Thailand’s tourism industry. Journal of the International Academy for Case Studies, 23(1).

Frequently Asked Questions

How to write a phd dissertation proposal.

To write a Ph.D. dissertation proposal:

• Choose a research topic.
• Develop a clear problem statement.
• Outline objectives and methodology.
• Review literature.
• Present a timeline.
• Seek feedback from advisors.
• Revise and finalize the proposal before submission.

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