EHL Hospitality Business School

The magnitude of food waste is currently a matter of public concern, particularly in the food service sector. This research seeks to examine the influence of employee training policies on food waste and its management, with a focus on restaurant practices. A total of 300 questionnaires were collected from restaurant managers and owners in three coastal cities of Ecuador, and the CHAID segmentation algorithm was applied to categorize restaurants based on their investments in employee training. Differences in food waste and sustainable practices among these restaurant segments were then compared. Three segments were identified: restaurants with low employee training and higher food waste in dish preparation; restaurants with high and medium employee training, exhibiting low and medium/low food waste in premium food products. In terms of implications, in view of the significant disparities in food waste levels and sustainable practices across the segments resulting from this study, we conclude the importance of restaurants' investment in employee training to promote sustainability. These findings are relevant in shaping environmental regulations and in facilitating stakeholders' decision-making.

Social values are key to the sustainability of organizations. Drawing on value-based research, stakeholder theory, and corporate social responsibility research, this paper builds a case study of the interplay between social values, innovation, and economic growth. The craft beer industry is a fast-growing industry with a potential emphasis on social values built on small-scale production and localism. We examine how craft breweries attempt to resolve tensions derived from pursuing economic and social values simultaneously. As breweries continue to grow, owners face decisions of scale and growth, which may undermine a value-driven industry with close ties to the local community. Findings from six craft breweries, operating in Northern New England, USA, suggest a complex managerial dilemma involving (a) small-batch innovation for niche and mass production for growth, (b) responsible innovation for balancing local authenticity and geographical expansion, and (c) independent and business partnering. We further unpacked the tensions that operated at local and non-local levels.

True umbilical knot (TUK), although not a commonly encountered pathology, hasan important psychological burden on the mother and obstetrician. It has an extremely low prenatal ultrasound diagnosis rate, despite its adverse perinatal outcomes when unknown. We conducted a retrospective observational analytical study on a 7-year period (2015-2021), including all pregnancies overseen by a single fetal-maternal medicine specialist for monitoring and delivery. We analyzed the prenatal detection rate and correlations between prenatal diagnosis of TUK and pregnancy outcome in terms of associated maternal and fetal factors, time and mode of delivery, fetal weight at birth, maternal level of stress, and iatrogenic prematurity. We compared our results with an electronic search of the literature to study the relationship between TUK and prematurity. We prenatally diagnosed 16 TUKs, and there were two false positives and two undiagnosed knots. All of those women had birth at term. The main finding of the review was a small number of studies that included enough cases for analysis. The prematurity rate due to TUK is 14.2%, significantly increased compared to the general population. An umbilical artery flow velocimetry notch in twin pregnancies complicated by TUK was an important ultrasonographic finding. We consider intrauterine fetal death exceptional, and the main adverse neonatal outcome is due to iatrogenic prematurity caused by maternal anxiety of knowing the prenatal diagnosis and mode of delivery. The elective method for diagnosis should be the second-trimester ultrasound scan using three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction and cesarean delivery for a good neonatal outcome. Pregnant women should be counseled to understand the implications of iatrogenic prematurity, especially respiratory distress syndrome, to ensure these infants are delivered at term.

Extant research finds that environmental identity is an important motivational factor for proenvironmental behavior. However, studies typically focus on investigating the effects of the strength of this identity. Based on insights from identity research, we theorize that the influence of individuals' environmental identity on their proenvironmental behavior may depend on other identity dimensions as well. We argue that the frequency of activation of environmental identity in relevant life domains-environmental identity salience-may predict proenvironmental behavior beyond what environmental identity strength can explain. To test our theorizing, we propose a parsimonious measure of environmental identity salience. In four empirical studies, we establish that the new measure has sound psychometric properties in terms of internal consistency and discriminant validity with regard to measures of environmental identity strength. Importantly, our measure of environmental identity salience reliably predicts a range of self-reported and actual proenvironmental behaviors beyond the effects of environmental identity strength. In line with theoretical predictions, our data suggests that environmental identity salience and strength are related but distinct constructs. We conclude that investigating the nature and effects of environmental identity salience leads to a fruitful path to a more comprehensive understanding of proenvironmental behavior. The proposed new measure may serve as a helpful tool in this endeavor.

The rising elderly population around the globe together with an improved life expectancy is driving demand for effective healthcare. As healthcare technologies become increasingly innovative, various types of connected devices have been developed in order to provide high-quality healthcare services. The research question of this study is whether the presence of such devices and perceived assurance affect the satisfaction of the health service recipient. This study focuses on homecare services for elderly people and explores the effect of social presence by machines vs. humans and service assurance by machines vs. humans on customer satisfaction. This study found that using connected devices does not significantly impact customer satisfaction with the healthcare service provider. The findings of this study highlight the importance of perceived service assurance levels as well as social presence delivered by humans for homecare services.

Abstract Research Summary External representations, particularly visuals, are important in strategic decision‐making. However, their pervasiveness and impact are not well understood in the strategy literature. Based on cognitive science research, we identify four cognitive functions crucial to strategic decision‐making that benefit from using external representations. We also propose a conceptual model and propositions that explain how the quality of strategic decision‐making depends on the interactions among task environment, external representations, and managers. We show that external representations influence in predictable ways the boundedly rational process of searching for new strategies. Key determinants include the manager's representational capability and the usability and malleability of the external representation. We discuss implications for users, designers, and teachers of external representations in strategy, as well as suggest avenues for future research. Managerial Summary This research points to the pivotal role of external representations, especially visuals, in strategic decision‐making. Drawing from cognitive science, this study identifies four critical cognitive functions that benefit from these external representations—working memory, long‐term memory, pattern recognition, and knowledge transfer. Further, the study highlights that external representations significantly influence the process of strategic decision‐making in predictable ways. Finally, we show that not all external representations are alike in their ease of use and a managers' ability to operate on an external representation, referred to as representational capability, greatly affects the decision‐making quality. The implications extend to users, designers, and educators of external representations, urging attention to the design and use of external representations for improved decision outcomes.

Sustainability is essential for the longevity and competitiveness of small businesses in the foodservice sector. This article explores how innovation drives the transformation of business models and practices in small, entrepreneurial foodservice firms, with a focus on independent restaurants. By integrating insights from sustainability transitions theory and sustainability innovation, the study develops a practical framework for operational and business model innovations aimed at enhancing sustainability. The findings provide actionable strategies for practitioners and policy makers to address sustainability challenges, offering guidance on how to implement these innovations effectively within the unique context of small foodservice businesses.

We investigate whether female lead auditors are associated with higher audit fees and audit quality. We expect female lead auditors to have a significant influence on these audit outcomes for two reasons. First, female auditors are more risk averse and less tolerant of opportunistic behaviours than their male counterparts. Second, lead auditors perform more numerous and varied tasks and spend more time on the audit of a given client than concurring auditors. Our results show that female lead auditors are associated with higher audit quality but not with higher audit fees. However, these results only hold for female lead auditors with low client-specific experience (i.e., in a riskier context). Finally, additional analyses suggest that female lead auditors and female concurring auditors have a different influence on audit fees and audit quality.

This study analyzed the impact of the interplay between fee-oriented strategies and ownership structure on analyst forecast accuracy using a sample of international publicly-listed hospitality firms. Based on 29,019 earnings forecasts made by financial analysts, using Ordinary Least Squares regression (OLS), entropy balancing, and Heckman two-stage models, we documented that, on average, forecasts were more accurate for firms pursuing a fee-oriented strategy. Moreover, the positive effect of fee-oriented strategies on forecast accuracy was stronger for companies with concentrated ownership. We explain our results by the fact that fee-oriented firms enjoyed more stable cash flows and revenue, reducing information asymmetries between a firm’s outsiders and insiders, thus enabling analysts to make more accurate forecasts. This effect was more important for firms with concentrated ownership in particular, as they generally disclosed less information to the capital markets. Our findings should be of great interest to hospitality firms’ owners, managers, and boards of directors.

Die aktuelle Führungsliteratur scheint von vielen offenen Fragen und Spannungen geprägt zu sein. Die Kunst und Praxis der Führung besteht darin, erfolgreich zwischen diesen manchmal widersprüchlichen oder gegensätzlichen Polen zu navigieren und das richtige Gleichgewicht zwischen den verschiedenen Interessen zu finden. Ziel dieses Leitartikels ist es daher, diese offenen Fragen und Spannungsfelder mit den Chancen und Herausforderungen der Digitalisierung für Führungskräfte in Beziehung zu setzen und zentrale Erkenntnisse für die digitale Führunsgforschung abgeleitet. Dieser Leitartikel schließt mit einem Vorschlag für eine zukünftige Forschungsagenda im Bereich der digitalen Führungsforschung.

Restaurant segmentation is an effective tool for decision-making when developing business strategies. The objective of this research is to classify restaurant groups according to the level of employee training in sustainable practices and food waste, and to contrast the differences in the degree of sustainability-oriented service innovation and brand equity, as well as in the implementation of various sustainable practices. A cluster analysis was conducted with 300 restaurants in Guayaquil, Manta, and Portoviejo in Ecuador, based on face-to-face interviews with their managers, and then confirmed with discriminant analysis. Two groups were identified: (1) restaurants with less training in green practices, higher level of food waste, lower level of sustainability-oriented service innovation, and higher brand equity; (2) restaurants with more training in green practices, lower level of food waste, higher level of sustainability-oriented service innovation, and lower brand equity. The most sustainable restaurants claim to have less brand equity, which demonstrates that the Ecuadorian consumer does not particularly value sustainability.

Governments strive to allocate limited resources efficiently, particularly during crises, by implementing policies to reduce uncertainty and mitigate negative impacts. The purpose of this study is to analyze the effects of combined policy measures to inform future decisions. The COVID-19 pandemic, with its unprecedented global scope and diverse policy responses, offers a unique opportunity to examine the economic effects of varied government actions during unexpected events. Its worldwide impact and simultaneous adoption of a wide range of measures by multiple countries make it an extraordinary real-world laboratory for understanding the dynamics of crisis management. This study examines the impact of lockdowns, health interventions, and economic support measures on hotel occupancy, using monthly data from 38 countries (2020–2022). Findings show that structural interventions, such as health and economic support, have positive long-term effects, whereas lockdown measures negatively impact occupancy both in the short and long term.

We apply Bakhtin’s architectonic and stylistic dialogism, Goffman’s theaters of staging, sociomateriality and discourse to explain aesthetic innovations’ multilevel creation and influence in haute-cuisine across space and time. Haute cuisine emphasizes and stages meticulous food preparation and presentation of quality ingredients to command high prices for moderate portions. Our research includes 14 Michelin star chefs in Europe and 111 high-net-worth diners in the United States. Chefs’ first-order sensemaking surrounding first-order innovations and their articulations in haute cuisine appear to influence significantly diners’ second-order sensemaking manifested as consumption. We provide empirically-based insights into the limits that end users face in sensemaking aesthetic innovations. Our findings contribute to theories on innovation and dialogics in other creative industries including the arts, technology and communication.

The purpose of this study is to investigate how victims, survivors and external actors make sense of massive layoffs, and on the role of emotions in their sensemaking and sensegiving process. Public posts on LinkedIn were collected and a discourse analysis was conducted to identify which categories of emotions were displayed and how they might impact organizational actors’ sensemaking and sensegiving of massive layoffs. Results show that the sensemaking and sensegiving process that surrounds layoffs differs depending on the category of actors and centers on emotions and people. For some groups of actors, it also includes considerations of time and rational analyses. This study provides novel insights on layoffs’ sensemaking by investigating how several groups of actors deal with major turmoil in an industry. The focus on emotions makes different phenomena visible for each group of actors.

This dataset is a collection of hard skill entities extracted from a corpus of resumes. It is designed to benchmark the differences in skill extraction performance between human annotators and automatic systems.

Cross-border e-commerce is a rapidly growing market segment that means high-quality logistic support for long-term growth. This paper investigates the peculiarities of present cross-border e-commerce logistics conditions, defines existing challenges, and suggests improvement ideas. In this case, the study reviews literature and case studies to examine the issues affecting cross-border logistics, including long transit times, high freight costs, and bureaucratic formalities in accessing various customs. This research is designed to help readers understand the specific forces that affect logistics configuration and suggest methods to improve the performance and quality of the logistics services being delivered to customers. Through the realization of these optimization measures, the study will aim to play a significant role in enhancing the sustainable growth of the cross-border e-commerce sector and preventing it from being out-competed in the world market. The findings of this research highlight the critical strategies and technological innovations necessary to address these challenges and demonstrate their potential to improve logistics efficiency and reduce costs significantly.

The aim of this article is to integrate the decision-making process in the work-family field using an action-based approach. Drawing from the theory of Pérez López, we develop a conceptual framework as a way of understanding the internal decision-making process among managers in the work-family field. We use the core concepts of his theory, motivational structure, and motivation learning, and link them with caregiving ambition and family-supportive supervisor behaviors to build our framework. This iterative model illustrates how motivational factors influence caregiving ambition and family-supportive supervisor behaviors from which motivation learning is derived, and future decisions are constantly shaped.

This study proposes improvements to accrual models. Existing models explain how working capital maps cash flows from operations into earnings and how this mapping reflects accounting conservatism. However, except for fixed asset depreciation, accruals associated with long-term nonfinancial balance sheet accounts (e.g., intangible assets, goodwill, deferred revenues) are not modeled. We show that these unmodeled accruals have grown in importance over time and that a significant portion of them can be explained by utilizing a fundamental property of accrual accounting: most nonfinancial assets and liabilities will eventually be transferred to earnings as accruals, especially during bad times. Using a large U.S. sample for the 1988–2019 period, we document that beginning-of-year long-term nonfinancial assets and liabilities are significantly associated with total accruals and that, consistent with conditional conservatism, a greater proportion of long-term nonfinancial assets is expensed as accruals when current performance is poor. In simulations, compared to traditional models, models that include long-term nonfinancial assets and liabilities as regressors are more likely to detect seeded discretionary accruals between 2% and 20% of total assets, suggesting that these expanded models should be used to decrease the likelihood of making erroneous inferences.

Abstract This short report investigates the stock market behavior of Swiss companies during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Results suggest that family firms performed better during the outbreak and post‐lockdown periods than widely‐held firms. Family firms also displayed a larger abnormal trading volume drop than widely‐held companies. In size‐sorted subsamples, the volume difference appears more pronounced for smaller firms. We explain these findings by family firms, especially smaller ones, predominantly attracting investors with a long‐term horizon. Such investors are less likely to sell during market turmoil, making family firms not only less liquid but also less sensitive to market fluctuations.

This study investigates how essential workers may survive and thrive during the COVID-19 pandemic by unpacking the relationship between worktime interference with family and individual performance. Drawing from Conservation of Resource Theory, we hypothesize and find support for a process model indicating that essential workers experiencing worktime interference with family are more likely to engage in individual proactive behavior, increasing task efficiency, and in turn, individual task proficiency. We find that this relationship is strengthened by the context of accountability, which naturally creates increased opportunities for enhanced resource replenishment and protection. Following our quantitative analysis, we conducted a qualitative analysis of US-based nurses during the height of COVID-19 to add theoretical nuance to our findings. Findings from qualitative analysis illustrate how WTIF and accountability motivate workers to be proactive, what they do to become proactive, how WTIF stress affects them, and what psychological resources are salient in accountable contexts.