ESHT - DHR - Comunicações em eventos científicos
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- The impact of tourism in the restaurant business: a case study in the city of OportoPublication . Rocha, Ana; Azevedo, Daniel; Silva, SusanaThe evolution of the restaurant business has always been strongly associated with the evolution of the tourism sector. In fact, several authors have identified and described the relationship between these two sectors. Restaurants and gastronomy are a significant part of the local culture and can work as a major touristic attraction. At the same time, restaurants profit from the increase in tourists in a particular market. However, there is few information on how the tourism sector impacts the restaurant business. This study aims to shed some light on how restaurants are influenced by the growth of tourism and how they adapt themselves to this ”new” customers. For that, a quantitative study was conducted in the city of Oporto which has been considered for the past years on of the best destinations in Europe and in the world, and that recognition has led to a steady increase in tourism, making it an excellent case study. A sample of 69 restaurants located in the city answered an online questionnaire with questions about restaurant location and characteristics, business growth and response to the increase in tourists at three specific periods in time — 2012, 2015 and 2018. Statistical analyses were performed with IBM SPSS 25.0. The preliminary results showed that most (n=53, 78,1%) of the restaurants were small or medium enterprises, 82,4% were located nearby touristic enterprises, 89,7% were nearby public transport stop and nearby touristic monuments. Regarding the number of foreign clients, there is a significant increase between 2012 and 2015, and a slight increase for 2018. There is also an increase in average selling price of a meal for 2012 and 2018. Regarding seasonality, results showed a higher distribution of customers across the year. The results valued the changes made in the restaurants namely hiring new collaborators with foreign languages abilities. Regarding the differences between historical and non- historical city centre restaurants there were statistical differences in the number of tourists in 2015, the number of tourists and the selling price of a meal in 2018. The restaurants in historical city centre had more tourists and a higher price. Thus, we can conclude that the characteristics of the restaurants customers has changed overtime and there is a decrease of seasonality associated to this business. The increase in the average selling price of a meal suggest that there is room for restaurants to upgrade their value proposition. Therefore, it is important the business sector follow this evolution and the specific needs of the customers related to this changes.
- Motivation as a lever for service excellencePublication . Silva, Ana Isabel; Oliveira, Mónica; Silva, SusanaIn recent years, we have seen a change in mentalities in the way organisations are managed. Day by day, we realize that an organization's human resources are the key to success. In this sense, human resources management assumes an essential position that will allow to achieve levels of motivation and satisfaction of employees central to the performance of the organization. In the hotel sector, we still observe organizations with little focus on human resources management. However, it is from the sectors where this management becomes vital. The satisfaction and motivation of employees are directly reflected in customer satisfaction, compromising the future of the hotel unit. This work aims to understand the impact of the employee's motivation on their performance, according to their perspective. Thus, the method used was the questionnaire survey, addressed to all employees of the InterContinental Porto — Palácio das Cardosas hotel. Data analysis was performed through descriptive and statistical analysis, with resources to the SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) program. The results obtained did not allow us to observe any direct relationship between employee motivation and performance, according to their perspective.
- Wine tourism and digital marketing strategies in the Vinho Verde RegionPublication . Costa, Ana Margarida; Monteiro, Bebiana; Silva, SusanaWine tourism has assumed an important role in the increase of the tourism sector and in the development of wine regions in Portugal and around the world, becoming a strategic segment to reach a target motivated by the wine and gastronomy in a rural environment. This exploratory study aims at defining wine tourism and digital marketing strategies, for the elaboration of a proposal of actions to manage the development of the wine tourism segment in a rural tourism accommodation, in the category of agritourism, located in the Demarcated Region of Vinho Verde, in the north of Portugal. In a first moment, a characterization of the rural tourism accommodation was made. Through the application of semi- structured interviews, a qualitative and exploratory study was carried out on 12 companies adhering to the Vinho Verde route with activities similar to the rural tourism accommodation in study. This study enabled the knowledge of demand and supply, before and after the pandemic declaration by COVID-19, as well as the current and future challenges ofthe sector in the Vinho Verde Region. The results show us that there is still a long work to be developed in the Vinho Verde Region, with half of the interviewees only providing wine tasting activities and visits to the vineyards and winery, showing that there is a big lack in differentiating activities. According to the results, the importance of the contribution ofthe wine tourism segment is emphasized as a strategy to reduce seasonality and consecutively it is becoming an important source of revenue. This study resulted in the elaboration of a strategic plan, composed by a set of wine tourism activities, creation and adherence to new sales channels, communication and dissemination channels (offline and online), with the objective of decreasing the tourism seasonality all over the year and as a consequence increase the revenues and the reputation of the rural tourism accommodation in the region where it operates, also making a positive contribution to the development of wine tourism in the Region of Vinho Verde.
- The impact of Covid-19 in restaurants – Take away and delivery, the consumer’s perspectivePublication . Azevedo, Daniel; Melo, AntónioTake-away and delivery where already being used by the restaurant business in Portugal prior to Covid-19 as a way to increase sales and profitability. The early days of the pandemic with an almost complete lockdown had a huge impact in the restaurant sector as all restaurants were suddenly forced to close. That lead to a vast majority of restaurants reinforcing their already existing take-away and delivery operations or starting to operate that way. In order to better understand the relationship between consumers and take-away and delivery services provided by restaurants, a research was conducted to assess the degree of use of these services. The research took place between the 9th and the 25th of April by means of an online survey resulting in 448 valid responses. The majority of the responders (69%) already used these services prior to Covid-19 between 1 and 3 times a week. On the other side, 28% said that they had never used take-away or delivery. During the pandemic, 53% claimed not to use take away and delivery services whilst only 45% said they were using it 1 to 3 times a week. When questioned about their future intents after the pandemic, 72% predicted they will use take-away 1 to 3 times a week. Within the consumers that use take-away and delivery, 22.5% spend less than 10€ per order, 54% from 10 to 20€ and 23.5% spend more than 20€. Preliminary results show that despite the fact these services were already being used prior to Covid-19, frequency of usage is on the rise, foreseeing significant growth for take-away and delivery in the near future. Data also seems to indicate that this phenomenon is not specific of big cities and urban population and could become an overall trend. Restaurants should develop/adapt their menus to cater to the specific needs of these services and invest in consolidating their presence in the take away and delivery markets as it can become one of the most important revenue sources.
- The Way of St. James: food consumption patterns of pilgrimsPublication . Monteiro, Rafael; Azevedo, Daniel; Silva, SusanaThe Way of St. James is in full growth in Portugal, and the pilgrimage route along the Portuguese North Coast has aroused the interest of several tourist agents. The city of Porto is the location chosen by most pilgrims to start this route. The aim of this study is to know the pilgrims' eating habits along the Way of St. James and its economic impact on the territory. A quantitative methodology was used and a questionnaire about the pilgrims' eating habits was applied regarding three different moments of the day - Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, in three pilgrim hostels (”albergues") of the Way (Porto, Vila do Conde and Caminha) and in a F&B spot. The convenience sample consists of 225 individuals aged between 18 and 73, 70.2% being female. 36.9% of respondents are German and 86.22% are European. 50% of the respondents have a university degree and 61.8% are Christian. The study shows that pilgrims seek to enrich their gastronomic culture by consuming local products. Despite preferring carbohydrate-rich foods with high protein levels, they also worry about eating healthy and choosing vegetarian food. At the beginning and end of each stage, the pilgrims usually ask the Albergue's host for information about spots close to the accommodation, whenever they need to eat. During each stage, they are guided by a pilgrim guidebook, they ask local people and follow street advertising, rarely distancing themselves from the Way. The results show that, on average, pilgrims spend €4.53 on breakfast, €6.46 on lunch and €9.57 on dinner. The total average daily expenditure is estimated at €31.08, meals included. We can conclude that the average daily expenditure of the pilgrims is low, and that the amount spent on food represents about 2/3 of the total average expenditure, emphasising the importance of this topic. According to the sample collected, the pilgrims' food consumption has little impact on local economies. Considering the growing demand for this route, F&B businesses could take advantage of this study‘s findings to increasing their turnover.
- The COVID-19 aftermath: a multidimensional study on hospitality managers' perceptionsPublication . Silva, Miguel; Melo, António; Melo, Carla; Vasconcelos, SandraThe COVID-19 pandemic has brought many constraints to several industries, including tourism and hospitality. Despite its resilience, the socio-economic implications arising from this sanitary crisis have exposed the vulnerabilities and prompted swift reactions from policymakers, stakeholders and managers. This exploratory study aims to determine which dimensions of the hospitality business were most affected by this pandemic and how they responded to this outbreak. Considering dimensions such as "Decision making" "Health Safety" “Operations” “Marketing & Sales”, "Human Resources" and "Customer Relationship Management", this study is supported by semi-structured interviews with hotel managers, putting forward an analysis based on the perceptions and realities of different hotel categories and operational contexts. Aiming to complement previous and ongoing research concerning the coping mechanisms hotel managers have had to implement when confronted with this unprecedented crisis, it succeeds in identifying key strategic areas and concerns, that are relevant for understanding the current situation, as well as preparing future emergencies and crisis affecting the hospitality business, paving the way for future research within this scope
- Shaping the new normal: Portuguese hotel and event managers’ reactions to COVID-19Publication . Melo, Carla; Melo, António; Vasconcelos, Sandra; Meneses, DanielaThe COVID-19 pandemic has created a worldwide crisis, which has had an impact on all economic sectors, having transformed social and consumption patterns. This crisis has been particularly difficult for the tourism industry, with uncertainty and the emergence of new consumer profiles and demands prompting swift reactions from policymakers and stakeholders. Focussing on two sub-sectors of the Portuguese tourism industry – hospitality and events – this paper aims to identify the most relevant concerns and Crisis Management Strategies adopted in each of these sectors in the early stages of the pandemic, putting forward a multi-layered analysis, juxtaposing the different challenges faced by managers and how they were approached. Based on previous studies and on 14 semi-structured interviews with hotel and event managers, the authors adopted an exploratory qualitative approach as to record and categorize the interviewees’ perceptions, having established the transversal importance of resilience, flexibility, and technology for each sector’s recovery. Moreover, taking into account the singularity of each setting, the authors were also able to identify more specific sectorial categories, which have had an effect on both the decision-making and future outlooks for both the hospitality and events industries. Overall, despite being hopeful, hotel and event managers anticipate different recovery challenges, with the first highlighting the importance of soft skills, and the latter emphasizing the need to regain the public’s confidence, at the same time they will have to rethink their offer as to better address current needs and concerns.
- Education and competencies for hospitality management: the case of polytechnic higher education graduatesPublication . Melo, António; Gonçalves, M.With the growth of tourism in recent years, the demand for higher education in Hospitality Management has increased, having contributed to the integration of a greater number of graduates in the labour market. In this research, the (dis)articulation between polytechnic higher education and the hospitality management labour market is analysed, focusing on the competencies and career paths of graduates in this area. The general objective of this research is to analyse the process of developing professional skills of graduates in Hotel Management, through the perspectives of the various actors, seeking to understand how they perceive the role of training, in such a process, on the one hand, and the role of practice and professional experience, on the other. Based on the interpretative paradigm, authors adopted a mixed approach, combining semi-structured interviews to courses directors of Higher Education Institutions and representatives from the labour market, and a questionnaire applied to Hospitality Management graduates. The ensuing data was analysed through content and statistical analysis. The results demonstrate the relevance of internships as contexts of training and professional integration, as well as the technical and transversal competencies in which graduates feel more confident, not always concurring with what employers require or those that are developed by the educational/training system. Research shows that the articulation between the education/training system and the labour market has gaps at various levels, demonstrating that a dialogue between these scopes is a pressing need.
- The main strategies of restaurant revenue management and its applicability in the F&B departmentPublication . Maia, Pedro; Melo, António; Oliveira, MónicaOver the past years, Revenue Management has been used in various sectors, starting in the airlines, passing through the hotel and restaurant sectors, with a focus on the creation and maximization of revenue. In this sense, Restaurant Revenue Management becomes a useful tool for incomes, making establishments more competitive and contributing to business growth and sustainability in catering and restaurants context. The main objective of this study is to research the development and application of Restaurant Revenue Management, through the study of its systems and strategies, tounderstand how restaurant and catering establishments can optimize revenue through the creation and implementation of RRM systems. This research begins with a literature review where we aim to understand the principles and characteristics of Restaurant Revenue Management as a whole, to know the RRM strategies and how to apply them in the hospitality and catering sector. The methodology chosen was quantitative, where questionnaires were prepared and distributed to hotels and restaurants in Portugal. The results demonstrate that major part of the respondents is not familiar with the concept of Restaurant Revenue Management. Most respondents believe that the application of the RRM concept is important for the company's results and for those who are familiar with the concept, they consider that it allows the ideal customer to be defined based on their characteristics and enables decisions to be taken based on knowledge, creating a structure of fixed and variable costs. Purpose: Thus, the general and specific research objectives inherent to the study are: To assess how Restaurant Revenue Management is applied in Portugal in the restaurant and hotel contexts. To recognize what are its characteristics and practices. To understand how Restaurant Revenue Management influences revenues. To realize the advantages and disadvantages identified by the application of restaurant revenue management. Methodology: This research focuses on a quantitative methodology, using the questionnaire as a data collection tool. A deductive research approach was used in the scientific research process. The technical procedure used in the investigation phase was bibliographic research, having been collected information in several scientific articles and books on the subject. On a first moment, the collection of relevant documents for the research was made. The script was validated by six academic professionals and five professionals from the sector. After validation, an online questionnaire was conducted using the Google Forms platform. To achieve the maximum possible number of answers, the distribution channel used, to collect the results, was the e- mail. An initial telephone contact was made to confirm availability to answer the questionnaire. After this contact, the questionnaire was sent via e-mail. The questionnaires were conducted in Portuguese, as the study was only intended for entities located in Portugal. During the investigation, 880 questionnaires were sent out and 131 responses were received all completed, in a period between June and August. The instrument used to analyze and process the data collected was Excel. Results: The concept of Restaurant Revenue Management generally is not known among F&B departments, as demonstrated in the answers collected during the distribution of the questionnaire, in which 58.8% do not know the concept and only 41.2% of the respondents are familiar with the subject. Those who know and apply the concept of RRM consider the application of the concept and its respective impact important and crucial for the business. In the answers to the questionnaire about 57.4% consider its application important, while 24.1% considers it very important and 14.8% extremely important. Only 3.7% states that the RRM is not very important. Of the 131 respondents, only 41.2% are familiar with the concept of Restaurant Revenue Management, making a total of 54 responses. Originality: This is original research with the authors perspective constructed based in arguments from other research work to back up the investigation.
- Online teaching during COVID 19: how to get the best out of itPublication . Oliveira, Mónica; Pataco, TeresaThe aim of this study is to examine and present good strategies and practices for remote learning, during COVID-19. Given that this was the only safe and secure way to keep teaching, professors had to adapt the resources in the best way possible, so that students could keep learning. Schools had to set up environments for the students to understand, practice, and apply the skills learned. Online classes were delivered, and it was difficult to control if the students achieved the knowledge needed and if the correct message was sent. In our research, we present the methods used in our online classes (asynchronous or synchronous), the main worries and doubts of the instructors, as well as the solutions proposed to frame the learning process of the students. The objective is to present the procedures and processes developed during that period, the solutions found, and the results achieved. Data were collected from the results/grades of the students and a survey was submitted to acknowledge the main concerns of the students, the positive and negative aspects of this type of learning, the main difficulties, and social issues stemming from it.