| Author: | Sun, Ning |
| Title: | Exploring the mediating mechanism between idiosyncratic deals and occupational well-being in the Chinese hotel industry |
| Advisors: | Song, Haiyan (SHTM) |
| Degree: | Ph.D. |
| Year: | 2020 |
| Subject: | Hotels -- China -- Employees -- Attitudes Hotel management -- China Psychology, Industrial Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations |
| Department: | School of Hotel and Tourism Management |
| Pages: | x, 178 pages : color illustrations |
| Language: | English |
| Abstract: | This study evaluates the influence of idiosyncratic deals (i-deals) on knowledge workers' occupational well-being (OWB) via organization-based self-esteem (OBSE) and work-life balance (WLB) in the Chinese hotel industry. Although traditional human resource management (HRM) practices in the hotel industry maintain a fair workplace by providing employees with long-term standardized employment arrangements (e.g., fixed schedules or compensation plans), these common standard employment arrangements may not be effective in promoting knowledge workers' well-being in the workplace. In the knowledge economy, knowledge workers have become the core of an enterprise's competitiveness and the key to competition for talent. Their specific characteristics have challenged traditional HRM practices for recruiting, motivating, and retaining knowledge workers. In addition, the labor-intensive Chinese hotel industry is characterized by poor employee well-being, high staff turnover rates, and fierce competition for talent. This phenomenon has inspired researchers to rethink HRM strategies to promote knowledge workers' OWB. I-deals, as new HRM practices, have proven to be effective strategies to improve knowledge workers' work-related attitudes and behaviors and thus to help to recruit, motivate, and retain them in manufacturing and other industries. However, few researchers have discussed the application of i-deals in the hotel industry and the mechanism by which i-deals affect the OWB of knowledge workers. To fill this research gap, this study uses a sample of 675 middle and senior managers from four-and five-star hotels in China to collect data on the characteristics of knowledge workers and the hotel industry. It introduces a measurement scale for i-deals in the hotel industry and tests a new conceptual model based on the job demands-resources (JD-R) model with i-deals as determinants, OBSE and WLB as mediators, and OWB as an outcome. Structural equation modeling is used to identify how i-deals influence OBSE, WLB, and OWB and to examine the mediating effects of OBSE and WLB on the relationship between i-deals and OWB. An independent-samples t-test and one-way analysis of variance are conducted to determine the relations between i-deals, OBSE, WLB, and OWB among various employee groups (e.g., according to age, tenure, gender, position). The findings of Study 1 reveal three types of hospitality i-deals — (1) career and incentives ideals, (2) task i-deals, and (3) flexibility i-deals — and confirm the reliability and validity of the hospitality i-deals scale. The results of Study 2 show that both task i-deals and career and incentives i-deals have positive effects on OBSE and WLB and indirect effects on OWB via OBSE and WLB, whereas flexibility i-deals have negative effects on OBSE and WLB and indirect effects on OWB via OBSE and WLB. In addition, the independent-samples t-test and one-way analysis of variance in Study 2 suggest that an individual's success in negotiation of i-deals, OBSE, WLB, and OWB depend on both individual (e.g., marital status, children, age, education, job nature, tenure, position level) and organizational factors (e.g., hotel management contract). By testing the hypothesized model, this study enriches our theoretical and empirical understanding of i-deals and helps psychology and organizational behavior researchers to understand the types of i-deals knowledge workers can obtain and the role played by i-deals in the formation mechanism of knowledge workers' OWB in the hotel industry. This will help employers in the Chinese hotel industry develop guidelines and recommendations on the issues of job burnout, turnover, and labor conflict. In addition, this study also offers a reference for hotel employers on knowledge workers' self-evaluations of their employment arrangements, value, competence, importance, role balance, and happiness in various hotels. |
| Rights: | All rights reserved |
| Access: | open access |
Copyright Undertaking
As a bona fide Library user, I declare that:
- I will abide by the rules and legal ordinances governing copyright regarding the use of the Database.
- I will use the Database for the purpose of my research or private study only and not for circulation or further reproduction or any other purpose.
- I agree to indemnify and hold the University harmless from and against any loss, damage, cost, liability or expenses arising from copyright infringement or unauthorized usage.
By downloading any item(s) listed above, you acknowledge that you have read and understood the copyright undertaking as stated above, and agree to be bound by all of its terms.
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
https://theses.lib.polyu.edu.hk/handle/200/10656