| Author: | Peterkin, Kimberly Yakarah |
| Title: | The impact of perceived enjoyment on employee continuance intention in computer-based training in the hotel industry |
| Advisors: | Gao, Lisa (SHTM) Xiao, Honggen (SHTM) |
| Degree: | Ph.D. |
| Year: | 2022 |
| Subject: | Hospitality industry -- Employees -- Training of Employees -- Training of -- Computer-assisted instruction Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations |
| Department: | School of Hotel and Tourism Management |
| Pages: | 292 pages : illustrations |
| Language: | English |
| Abstract: | Training is a fundamental yet often undervalued exercise in hospitality organisations. Several studies have demonstrated its positive impact on staff morale and performance and it has been found to reduce turnover and enhance organisational competitiveness. These merits notwithstanding, various criticisms have been levelled against training, including complex scheduling requirements, exorbitant recurring costs, and inconsistencies in delivery, among other issues. Computer-based training (CBT) was proposed as a solution and lauded for its ability to offer homogenous training anytime, anywhere, at a lower cost. However, due to the differences associated with the use of information technology, new challenges emerged. There are three important trends regarding computer-based training that form the rationale for this research. They include (a) the issue of perpetually low participation rates; (b) persistent complaints from learners regarding CBT's monotonous and often one-size-fits-all nature; and (c) an increase in the number of organisations utilising CBT despite the aforementioned concerns. Research shows that many companies have authorised the use of CBT, making it an integral part of an employee's job. As CBT becomes more pervasive, its challenges are likely to increase. Given the acceleration in virtualisation owing to the COVID19 pandemic, the present study is timely. Several studies purport that the technological competence of users plays a pivotal role in their perceptions and intention. With the passage of time and the exponential increase in digital literacy and the explosion in the patronage of social media and online games, this viewpoint has been called into question. This has led scholars to explore aspects of digital interactions that can offer insights that may lead to solutions. The ability of e-learning platforms to engender a sense of hedonism, thereby increasing continuance intention, is recognised as the contemporary battlefront and forms the basis of this research. This study addresses certain gaps in the literature. Unlike existing e-learning research, the present study explicates a single determinant of continuance intention, with a focus on perceived enjoyment. It also refrains from accounting for both external and system-related factors simultaneously by highlighting system attributes. Additionally, the study examines e-learning in the context of hospitality, a domain where the topic is under-researched. Moderators that have not been used extensively in e-learning research are furthermore deployed. Drawing on social cognitive theory, the study tests a model which illustrates that system quality, information quality, learner control, and perceived novelty have a positive impact on perceived enjoyment, which subsequently predicts continuance intention. These hypothesised relationships align with the theory's postulation that human functioning is a product of a reciprocal interplay of intrapersonal, behavioural, and environmental determinants. Three constructs were co-opted from two existing information systems models and the others from empirical studies. A quantitative analysis was conducted using an online sample of 475 hotel employees from North America, Europe and Asia. Exploratory factor analysis successfully reproduced the dimensions proposed at the outset of the study. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the suitability of the model within the hotel computer-based training context. Likewise, structural equation modelling demonstrated that all five direct hypotheses are supported. Of the three moderators - industry tenure, job level and department - the former two were found to partially moderate the relationships among the constructs. Six practical contributions are tendered for the benefit of managers, learning and development professionals, and system designers. Five theoretical contributions that extend the existing body of knowledge are also provided. The study concludes that CBT platforms can benefit from improvements aimed at enhancing user perceptions of enjoyment. |
| Rights: | All rights reserved |
| Access: | open access |
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