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From reservation to checkout, technology aids communication and streamlines the entire guest experience. It not only expands revenue options but also helps maintain operational efficiencies for the industry.

With the global economic recovery and growing profile of domestic as well as international travelers, innovative technology is a must for the hospitality industry. The sector needs to take a proactive stance in implementing technological advances, while continually striving to build levels of service quality and guest loyalty to the boot.

With the global economic recovery and growing profile of domestic as well as international travelers, innovative technology is a must for the hospitality industry. The sector needs to take a proactive stance in implementing technological advances, while continually striving to build levels of service quality and guest loyalty to the boot.

With the global economic recovery and growing profile of domestic as well as international travelers, innovative technology is a must for the hospitality industry. The sector needs to take a proactive stance in implementing technological advances, while continually striving to build levels of service quality and guest loyalty to the boot.

The growing concern over sustainability in the business sector led to developments in innovative environment friendly processes and tools collectively called green technology

Green technology enables the eco-friendly practices of business firms.

The concept of sustainability emerged in the field of natural sciences in recognition of the scarcity of natural resources and the need to rationalize usage to secure sufficient resources for future generations (Kirk, 1995).

The concern of sustainability is ensuring the continuation of the well-being of people and protection of the environment from wasteful use or destructive activities.

The implementation of sustainability plans involves innovative methods and tools accessible to hotels and responsive to the multi-dimensional issues including impact of operations on the environment experienced by hotels. Green technology understood as eco-friendly tools and processes or environment friendly products support the successful implementation of sustainability plans in the hospitality industry.

1.      Minimized pollution and rational energy and water consumption. 2.      Respect for culture and tradition. 3.      Community involvement in the hospitality economy. 4.     Consideration of quality instead of quantity in terms of the visitors to tourist destinations. 5.      Economic benefits redound to the community. (Robertson, 2007)

In relation to environmental sustainability, there are also considerations for inclusion into the sustainability plan of hotels to ensure that they meet environmental compliance (Butler, 2008)

However, even if sustainability planning is a tedious task, the expected outcomes are long-term and compelling because this determines the continuity or viability of hotels, firms whose future survival depends on sustainability (Butler, 2008).

1.      Scale and distribution of operations in a given area. 2.      Hotel demand and means of alleviating the negative effects. 3.      Protection of key assets historic buildings, townscape or coastline. 4.     Contribution to other related areas such as economic development and cultural preservation. (Sharma, 2004)

Since the sustainability of hotels spans multidimensional aspects, the contribution of hotels to other areas such as employment or job creation also supports its sustainability.

Green technology received recognition as an aspect of human society and therefore part of sustainability. In a sustainability panel of representatives from the hospitality industry, sustainability as a strategy meant addressing today’s needs without adversely affecting tomorrow’s needs (Knowles, 2008).

Examples of product enhancement are energy saving appliances and fixtures such as fluorescent instead of incandescent lights or intelligent air conditioning systems that regulate room temperature depending on the presence of its occupant

The extent of reduction of waste varies since this could range from minimal to significant decrease in the volume of waste generated, capacity of landfills, and transportation needs. By benefiting the environment, economic benefits also accrue. (Billatos & Basaly, 1997)

dopting waste management processes and tools accrues financial, economic, and environmental benefits for hotels.

Key to these activities is the ability to harness the full functional value of materials and product components at the least possible additional processing cost for recovery and reuse. (Billatos & Basaly, 1997)

First is design of recycling or the cost-effective manner of recovering and reusing materials. The design provides support during the disposal stage to ensure low added cost for recovery. Second is design for disassembly encompassing the methods enabling the minimization of cost in segregating reusable materials. This leads to savings that accumulate when design interventions are made during the stages of material selection and assembly that already separates reusable materials

Third is toxics management comprised of the activities of controlling and eliminating toxic materials that are innate components of products such as cadmium or lead. Excessive levels of these toxic materials are hazards to health and the environment. (Billatos & Basaly, 1997)

Environmental benefits include reduced accumulation of waste and lesser risk of soil, water and air contamination of toxic production. (Billatos & Basaly, 1997)

Pollution prevention involves the elimination of processes in manufacturing that cause pollution. This requires change by redesigning the production process in a manner that prevents the accumulation of harmful by-products or the redesign of the finished products so there would be no use for processes that result in hazardous by-products. The prevention of pollution in production design exacts capital investments but the cost of redesign is deemed less when compared to the cumulative cost of controlling pollution, which would likely increase with new regulations imposing more active methods of pollution control. (Billatos & Basaly, 1997)

Green technology as a process and a collection of tools addresses four objectives, which are a) waste reduction, b) materials management, c) pollution prevention, and d) product enhancement (Billatos & Basaly, 1997). There are processes and tools specifically targeting any one, some or all of these objectives so that the appropriate choice depends on the priority of hotels.

The technological development of product enhancement innovations is escalating and promise greater functions for business establishments. (Billatos & Basaly, 1997)

Utilizing product enhancement technologies influence the sustainability of hotels in terms of savings on operating cost, lesser pollution and waste in the built environment, and value creation for environmental conscious customers (Yaw, 2005).

Overall, green technology supports the sustainability of hotels by decreasing a wide range of economic and non-economic costs to support the financial viability of hotels in the long-term and conserving the natural environment on which the hospitality industry depends for the continuity of business. By adopting green technology, hotels gain processes and tools it can use to secure its sustainability.

A range of energy saving technologies is available to the hotel industry. These technologies could make hotels green buildings by targeting various areas for energy saving.

One is electric heating pumps as alternatives to conventional electric boilers or condensing/non-condensing boilers requiring gas to run. The use of this green technology by a hotel in Hong Kong with a rooftop swimming pool showed a reduction in energy consumption by 26.5-32.5 MWh and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 12,000 kg. When computed over a ten-year period, using this technology would save the hotel HK$226,400 in energy cost savings. The hotel can earn back the cost of adopting this technology in two years. (Chan & Lam, 2003)

Building designs able to harness alternative sources of energy comprise green technologies that support the sustainability of hotels. Solar panels continue to gain function in energy saving for hotels (“Building in a green edge,” 2008) although the payback period is longer than expected, the energy saving potential extends to the long-term. The use of building designs that harness natural light such as skylight atriums that do not use artificial lighting during the day are also green alternatives for hotels (Kirby, 2009).

Another direction of green technology for the kitchen is the reuse of exhaust heat from the kitchen by harnessing the heat from the exhaust or condensing hot air to produce steam for use in cooking. This is a means of recycling energy. However, this involves the integration of the design in the structure of the kitchen or the building itself, which means greater investment. (Higgins, 2008) Nevertheless, further innovations in this technology could enhance practical value for hotels.

In other areas of hotels such as rooms and bathrooms, e-sensor systems and LED lights comprise green technology options. E-sensor systems apply to different systems such as lighting and air conditioning. The e-sensors have the capability to change automatically the lighting or air conditioning settings depending on the area of the room where there are people or temperature changes in the room. LED lights offer greater energy savings than fluorescent lights so this represents the third generation in lighting technology. (Kirby, 2008) Systems thinking in energy management comprise a promising green technology in saving on energy costs (Sobieski, 2008).These technologies are widely available and accessible to different hotels. The energy saving is experienced in the short term and the payback period is shorted. The problem with this is hotel guests tampering with the system leading to added cost for repairs. This means that awareness and information dissemination are important for the effectiveness of these technologies.

Another green technology for rooms is the biodegradable key cards. These have the same life span as the conventional key cards except that these are biodegradable or recyclable. (Gale, 2009) These require little cost with high environmental impact.

This involves the placement of water treatment plants that recycle water used in baths for flushing in toilets. (Edwards, 2004) These comprise viable and accessible water conservation practices that would contribute savings on the cost of water to rationalize the consumption of water as a scarce resource.

One is the conscious involvement of hotels in the protection of the environment since the nature of the business of the hospitality industry and the closely connected industries such as tourism heavily rely on the soundness of the natural and socio-cultural environment for business

The other is the investment in environment protection in a manner that secures economic and financial as well as a range of non-monetary benefits for hotels in the long-term (Vermillion, 2008).

Energy consumption is also a benchmark of the eco-friendliness of hotels

The water conserving technologies provide the process and tools for hotels to achieve this benchmark.

Waste and pollution management are also benchmarks of the ecological involvement of hotels.

Green technology takes the role as an enabling process and tool for hotels to become sustainable.

With hotels competing to maintain its customer base and pull customers to shift to the hotel’s services, green technology could become an enabler for hotels to become competitive.

Investing in green technology enables hotels to significantly cutback on operating cost. This enables hotels a wider profitability margin and room to offer promotional prices to attract more customers (Jones, 2002).

Green technology has taken a central role in the sustainability of hotels. The concept of sustainability of hotels involves the aspects of environmental protection and business viability.

The use of green technology also contributes to the viability of business firms in terms of financial standing and non-financial competencies in the long-term. Going green attracts the niche market of environment enthusiasts that contribute to sales. Using the range of green technologies available would also result in savings from operating costs in the long-term, which increases the profit of hotels and gives them flexibility to invest in marketing activities.

It is a sound strategy for hotels to consider green technology as a process and a collection of tools in support of sustainability goals.

Nevertheless, these well-accepted attributes of HR have been challenged in the past few years, as several indicators reflect fundamental changes within the HR function,

although little has changed in this function over the past decades, there are growing expectations that HR will improve corporate competitive advantages by adding real measurable value to the organization.

The apparent difficulties in upgrading HR to a strategic position in organizations result in missed opportunities especially in hospitality and tourism, where the human capital has substantive potential to improve the competitive advantage of enterprises, particularly due to the growing competitiveness of the industry, as well as the centrality of the human element in the delivery of hospitality products and services

The second change in contemporary HR which, interestingly, is closely related to the previous one, is the growing trend of incorporating advanced information technology (IT) in HR practices.

There is extensive evidence to the growing transfer of HR functions to digital formats, as can be seen in the growing popularity of human resource information systems (HRIS) among organizations. HRIS is currently perceived as one of the important factors influencing the role of the HR function, as well as the workplace as a whole. Although in many aspects, technology remains under-utilized in HR functions (Jones and Hoell, 2005), recently its effects have begun to be evident in many organizational aspects,

Furthermore, it is widely argued that the adoption of HRIS is likely to promote HR to the awaited position of strategic partner in the organization. The main reason for this is that by using HRIS, HR professionals can improve their performance by gaining better knowledge of the organization and its employees, thus facilitate participation in strategic planning and implementation. In addition, by improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the HR day-to-day administrative tasks, HRIS allows the HR staff to dedicate more time to strategic decision making and planning, which consequently provides more value to the organization to enhance its position within it

modern HRIS make optimal use of internet and web capabilities for performing their tasks

successful HRIS support the planning and implementation of managerial key processes in the organization, such as executive decision making, technology selection, interdepartmental integration, and organizational reporting structures.

Intranet-based employee self-service (ESS) provides employees direct access, mainly through a web browser but also through a centralized kiosk, to personal HR-related information. Thus, the employees can individually handle transactions that used to be carried out by HR personnel,

Both MSS and ESS create a trend of delegation of responsibilities and activities that were once considered to be the domain of HR professionals and administrative personnel, directly to employees and managers

HRIS was seen mostly as a special form of office automation systems, the emphasis being on reducing costs and staff while making the standard HR tasks more efficient

In addition, in today's workplace the HR tasks have become more complex, along with organizational trends such as globalization, consolidations, strategic partnerships, and greater than ever governmental and regulatory reporting requirements for employees.

Therefore, from the administrative perspective, by providing powerful computing capabilities, HRIS are changing and improving procedures and processes that were carried out less efficiently before,

the automation of routine transactions provides HR professionals with time to perform strategic functions related to the human capital

HRIS allow the firm to be proactive in HR planning, by giving managers a constant flow of employee information

since HRIS can significantly improve the way employees and managers communicate with each other through various communication channels, this improves the flow of information and expertise throughout the organization, thereby enhancing the firms' strategic capabilities

Another prominent perceived characteristic of the HR function has been its reliance on relatively low-tech methods in implementing its tasks

Although HRIS can provide both administrative and strategic advantages, it should be noted from the onset that they are usually expensive systems to purchase and implement. Designing and implementing customized HRIS, adapted to the specific needs of the organization, will significantly enhance its functionality, but will result in increased software and hardware costs, as well as time-to-deployment

the initial costs of developing such HRIS are high,

In order to reduce the costs of HRIS, an organization can purchase off-the-shelf applications composed of HR database programs, aimed at meeting the general needs of HR functions

These findings point to the vital need of the HR function to provide evidence of the effectiveness of HRIS, for the purpose of attaining the executive management support for the change.

for a successful implementation of HRIS, it is no less important to obtain the support of managers and employees in the organization. Although modern HRIS offer clear advantages to managers, through the use of MSS, for better management of their staff, the implementation of such systems is likely to be followed by a certain level of resentment on the part of the managers. Since MSS transfer the responsibility of performing employee HR-related transactions from the HR staff to the direct managers, many of them are frustrated since they feel that additional administrative tasks are being imposed on them

Another relatively common problem, concerning both the implementation and the flowing management of HRIS, is the question of who is in charge of the system. Since the successful development of HRIS requires the input of both the IT and the HR departments, it is not uncommon for disputes over areas of responsibility to break out between these departments.

Other territorial conflicts around HRIS may arise when departments feel that the system expropriates some of its authorities; for example, the payroll department might resist HRIS that combines payroll functions. A possible solution to such a problem can be the establishment of cross-functional teams that run HRIS projects

the implementation of HRIS raises both ethical and legal issues that need to be addressed by the organization. First, the use of relational database technology provides access to more detailed employee information than ever before.

Second, HRIS usually contain private information on the employees, while the access to this information is often allowed to employees outside HR, as well. As a result, some employees feel that their private lives are not protected adequately.

The hospitality industry is characterized by a higher turnover rate than other sectors of the economy

Traditionally, HR in organizations has utilized low-tech methods in recruitment.

Internet recruiting benefits both the organization and the job seeker's perspectives (Pearce and Tuten, 2001; Singh and Finn, 2003). The benefits to the recruiters include: Cost savings, as it is significantly cheaper to advertise on the internet than in a newspaper. Compared to the use of professional search firms (also known as headhunters) the amounts saved are even higher. Recruiters generally receive more applications, which results in a greater pool of candidates from which to choose. Recruiters may receive applications faster, often even on the same day a position is announced. Improved ability to target a specific audience, thereby decreasing future turnover. Time saving, as more unqualified or unfit applicants can be eliminated, through online contact, in the initial phases of the recruitment process.

On the other hand, internet recruitment is not without limitations.

Once the recruitment process has ensured a large pool of applicants to choose from, the next phase is to select the most suitable candidates.

Traditionally, these selection methods involve the visit of the candidate to the organization or, to a lesser degree, to an assessment center, for interviewing, pen-and-paper testing, or situational testing, including group dynamics.

The use of advanced technology allows the selection process to complete the widespread online recruitment methods.

Nevertheless, the main impact of technology in selection procedures is in relation to employee interviewing and testing.

Anderson (2003) broadly described the prominent technology-based selection procedures, along with an assessment of their acceptance and effectiveness.

Adequate training is essential in providing quality services, yet traditionally hospitality organizations have not invested adequate resources in training their employees (Conrade et al., 1994). Most of the knowledge and skills of hospitality employees is transferred through on-the-job training,

However, as noted by Collins (2004), delivery of organized and structured training programs in the hospitality industry is a constant challenge, mainly because of the size and geographical dispersion of the workforce, as well as the extensive resources – financial, work, and time – needed to establish in-house training programs.

Although technology-based training methods have been available for a long time, the hospitality industry has usually lagged behind other sectors in adopting them.

Web-based training (WBT) can deliver courses nationwide or worldwide at all time zones to any connected computer, and is easy to update and monitor.

Effective performance evaluation plays a critical role in the successful implementation of organizational strategy and in gaining a competitive advantage. Therefore, in addition to important HR decisions that greatly rely on performance evaluation, such as promotions, outplacements, dismissals, many organizations link performance to compensations and rewards. As noted by Bowley and Link (2005), a performance-based compensation plan, often known as “pay-per-performance,” should reflect the organization's goals.

the traditional methods, based on a disconnected blend of discrete applications, spreadsheet programs and paper-based systems, to communicate goals, track employee performance and manage compensation, are insufficient in the contemporary challenges of linking performance evaluation to organizational strategy (Bowley and Link, 2005). Yet, although sophisticated HRIS were developed to meet these contemporary challenges, Ensher et al. (2002) found little effect of HRIS on the process of performance management among HR executives, who still rely on paper-and-pencil administration and hard copy documentation of employee evaluation.

Nevertheless, CPM has drawbacks that are highly relevant to a service industry such as the hospitality industry (Miller, 2003). The main concern that CPM raises is that reliance only on quantitative criteria is likely to lead to the neglect of more qualitative aspects of performance.

Consequently, an effective CPM must be followed by the establishment of an employee development plan, designed in collaboration with his/her supervisor. The second application of technology in appraisal management is online evaluation and appraisal software (Miller, 2003). In contrast to the aforementioned CPM, in these cases technology facilitates delivering performance feedback, rather than generating the actual evaluation outcome.

360° feedback,

In addition, evaluation software packages can be used as stand-alone applications or as an integral part of the organization's HRIS, which offers computerized standard evaluation forms. The use of user-friendly software in evaluating employees allows managers to focus more on the contents of the evaluation, rather than on the forms.

Therefore, the use of computer software programs allows better coping with these challenges, while saving time and money.

While the organization enjoys the reduced need for complex bureaucracy, the employees enjoy better control and enhanced anonymity, as there is no need for dealing directly with HR staff on personal financial matters.

The use of HRIS has significant impact on the current affairs between the management and the employees, as well as the characteristics and the environment of the contemporary workplace. From the administrative perspective, through the HRIS the managers and the employees have access to relevant information on employee work rules, policies, and regulations on issues like privacy, illegal discrimination, and work diversity. In addition, the HRIS can assist discharged or displaced employees in finding alternative employment, by providing links to career counselors, training programs, and information, all of which are required for a successful and effective job search

technology has changed the nature of the workplace and employer-employee relations more fundamentally than just providing more accessible information.

Traditional e-commerce technology provides product/service, promotion, placement, and pricing strategic initiatives to external constituents through the use of extranet platforms merged with intranets (for instance, customer relationship management). HRIS technology provides the same initiatives through the use of intranets merged with extranet platforms (for example, recruitment). Thus, HRIS technology may be considered to represent internal e-commerce systems, which are crucial to the alignment of HR functions within strategic initiatives aimed at sustainable competitive advantages.

The evolution of HRIS platforms provides a range of tools for use by enhancing employee-employer relationships. The full service range of HRIS functions brings human capital closer to the strategic direction of the organization.

However, the technology is merely a tool that may enhance strategic alignment.

There is also evidence from the literature that a disengagement of the HR function from strategic initiatives exist in many hospitality enterprises.

It is common knowledge that the hospitality industry is labor intensive with many points of intimate service interactions of long duration. HR will produce sustainable competitive advantages for those firms that include the HR function in a united strategic direction.

The literature identifies the advantages of aligned human capital as a means to accomplishing sustainable competitive advantage for enterprises.

To meet targets, it is typical for companies to put additional stresses on their internal control structures by reducing head counts, requiring employees to perform more than one job, and rearranging risk profiles

The deceptive and corrupt business practicesofthesecompaniesandothersresulted largely from a failure of corporate governance and lack of ethical business practices, in which internal control mechanisms were circumvented by conflicts of interest that enriched executives and damaged shareholders

Deficiencies are often observed through review of the main business cycles: revenue and receivables, purchasing and payables, treasury and stock, and financial reporting

Internal controls are often the first avenue of protection in safeguarding assets and thwarting and discovering errors and fraud

Some research has been conducted in this area, and findings suggest that companies in the telecommunications, technology, financial, and services industries experience the most difficulty with SarbanesOxley compliance efforts because of increased risk of fraud from industry and company risk factors

Therefore, pressure resulting from expectations of financial performance, opportunity to circumvent internal controls, and rationalization coupled with certain inherent industry factors may contribute to increased risk of fraud

opportunity to engage in unethical behavior may stem from the macro environment, the operational features, and the specific nature of the business cycles

Because of this potential for fraud on the company, shareholders, and the public, examining the conditions that may prompt fraud is necessary for the efficiency of the restaurant industry, and namely, for those passive and active investors that are relying on the financial statements to be true and accurate

the restaurant industry is often susceptible to deficiencies because of its inherent characteristics and high control risk

Corporate scandals, misappropriation of assets and financial statement misstatement are all very real threats to the restaurant industry.

the central focus of this study is to understand the factors that contribute to increased risk of fraud to determine why fraud may occur despite the imposed regulation of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

numerous researchers have found indication that executive stock option compensation provides encouragements for behavior that is fraudulent or corrupt

the study seeks to identify the factors that may provide the optimal criteria to engage in fraudulent or opportunistic behavior, using the incidence of a reported control deficiency as the measurable dependent variable.

The fraud triangle is the model that explains the factors that may cause an individual or a company to commit occupational fraud.

The differing classifications and definitions of pressure provide evidence that the construct is not directly observable; therefore, researchers in this field have measured the construct of pressure through proxy variables

consists of three constructs: pressure/motivation, opportunity, and rationalization. The three constructs offer an explanation as to why management commits fraud, and the dynamic relationship that underlies the acts of occupational fraud.

pressure may best be classified into four general types that may lead to fraud: financial stability, external pressure, manager’s personal financial situations, and meeting financial targets (

when considering measurements of external pressures relating to debt financing, the financial leverage ratio is the most common measurement of the amount of debt.

Both pressures and opportunities are often determined by factors that occur at both the individual and company level (

ROA, or asset composition, is an appropriate proxy measurement for the pressure of meeting financial targets.

according to the fraud triangle, it can be said that opportunity does not exist unless a pressure exists.

nonshareable problems could also motivate groups of individuals, representative of a company’s culture, to commit fraud.

Opportunity is described as an atmosphere or temporary environment that enables fraud to be committed, usually with a small perceived probability of being caught or reprimanded

In a study of Swedish restaurant companies, it is noted that competition is very high, often resulting in price wars among different companies that reduce prices and then try to compensate through increased sales

Some risk factors include the susceptibility of the industry to market changes as well as the nature of the industry, coupled with the specific operations of the company such as whether there are significant or complex international operations; how effective management is at monitoring activities within the organization; and the level of complexity that exists in the organization

This environment is therefore dependent on the discretionary income of consumers, and this increased pressure may lead to earnings mismanagement through overstatement.

Public companies in the restaurant industry are susceptible to opportunities for fraud on the basis of the aforementioned opportunities

The ability to commit fraud in the restaurant industry results from inside knowledge of processes and procedures, and the ability to circumvent controls through weaknesses (

strong evidence has also linked the CEO position to fraud when the CEO is also the Chairman of the Board. In incidences like this, the CEO is the dominate decision maker for an organization that may provide an increased opportunity for fraud.

The underlying reason for these three categories of increased opportunities for fraud is the state of the internal controls structure, and management’s commitment to strong corporate governance

Rationalization is essentially an attitude, belief, or position of the mind or ethical personality that enables an employee or group of employees of a company to intentionally misappropriate assets and then defend their dishonest activities

Weak corporate governance structures are often presented through ineffective monitoring of management.

A quantifiable means of capturing this could be through review of executive stock compensation measures.

excessive use of discretionary accruals may lead to poor audit opinions, providing a rationalized thought for business activities.

the nature of the restaurant industry is often described as a periodic, seasonal, and cyclic trade

Defining parameters for financial reporting can also have an effect on reducing the rationalized behavior and the opportunity to commit fraud

Because these conditions have an obvious effect on earnings and measures of success, this seasonal variability and volatility should be considered when analyzing pressures in the restaurant industry

For restaurant companies, this means that rationalizations and attitudes can be managed by assessing the internal control environment and understanding the pressures and opportunities that exist for employees.

Some restaurant industry pressures that may impact profitable sales growth include a lack of understanding of the consumer’s perception, including the relevance of existing brands, and delays in opening new restaurants. Likewise, an inability to consider cost pressures, including increasing fees for supplies, utilities, and health care providers contracted by restaurants, as well as an incapability of obtaining economies of scale in procurement, could compress margins and negatively impact sales and operations profit margin.

The value in the application of the fraud triangle to the restaurant industry provides an opportunity to extend theoretical contributions that originated from mainstream accounting to hospitality literature, which is severely lacking in the current literature

Likewise, restaurant companies that are smaller (and therefore may not have strong internal controls) with increasingly complex transactions create additional opportunities for fraud to be committed

competitiveness is a condition that makes meeting financial targets difficult and provides opportunity for fraudulent behavior. External pressure from analysts and investors may create an incentive to misappropriate assets, which, in turn, distorts common financial measures of success such as return on assets.

when debt financing exists, in order to address past and future obligations, and remain competitive, restaurant companies are at an increased risk of fraud especially when disruptions in financial and credit markets exist.

Studies have revealed that restaurant company victory and demise is eventually correlated to restaurant leadership abilities and intentions; therefore, it can be stated that executives and managers’ intentions are of utmost concern in understanding risk of fraud

firms with increasingly complex operations coupled with changes in organizational structure have less resources to put into internal controls and are therefore at an increased risk for accounting errors.

.Internationalgrowthissubjecttorisks such as international political and economic conditions, foreign currency fluctuations, and divergent cultures and consumer inclinations

This study will focus on the variables most pertinent to the restaurant industry on the basis of the inherent characteristics of U.S. publicly traded restaurant companies, as previously described in this section.

a s a result of workforce diversity and the presence of many perceived low-skilled workers. In addition, as companies within the industry respond to declining performance, publicly traded restaurant companies may be subject to activist investors who wish to see a change in the executive management team. If a shake-up such as this would occur, the organizational structure of the company may become unstable, resulting in much greater opportunities for fraud to occur at all levels.

this study looks to assess the relation between the amount of debt a company has occurred and the incidence of reported internal control deficiencies.

Variables relating to rationalization are present in the restaurant industry when considering the motivations and attitudes of management. It is noted that in difficult times, such as the Recession, aggressive financial reporting tactics may be used

this study seeks to understand the effect of substantial stock compensation on increased fraud risk.

this study also hypothesizes that poor ROA could increase the risk of fraud, as the pressure provides executive management with the motivation to manipulate earnings.

this study suggests that the organizational structure of the company may provide opportunity for increased fraud risk through a unitary tone at the top.

this study analysed the disclosures of publicly traded restaurant companies to determine whether a company has a higher probability of increased fraud risk on the basis of the presented variables.

The results of the applied probit model reveal for the entire population set of publicly traded restaurant companies that the macroeconomic factors of the Recession, interest rate, inflation rate and unemployment rate all have a significant impact on the increased risk of fraud, as evidenced through a reported internal control deficiency.

As noted in the overall model, the results reveal that the model as a whole is a significant fit to the data. Although the company-level variables were not significant in the overall model, external factors were each significant.

Therefore, it can be said that the results of this study empirically support the intuition that changes in macroeconomic conditions may impact increased risk of fraud for companies in the restaurant industry.

It can be said that there is a significant relation between increased risk of fraud and the macroeconomic factors of interest, inflation, and unemployment rates.

from a managerial perspective, the study provides evidence that macroeconomic conditions that might affect consumer demand may increase the risk of fraud for publicly traded restaurant companies.

In addition to the high costs of compliance, it is also important to recognize additional managerial characteristics that may heighten the effects of the macroeconomic conditions on increased fraud risk.

As indicated by the results of the study, however, many times executive management does not recognize the problems associated with the macroeconomic conditions because of systematic perceptual filters that play the crucial role in the functioning of the company.

By focusing on the changing macroeconomic conditions that may have an empirical effect on demand, executive leadership will be able to streamline processes to avoid incidences of reporting internal control deficiencies when exposed to the macroeconomic conditions.

In the restaurant industry in particular, information is also not readily quantifiable, which makes it even more difficult to transform into meaningful and timely information for executive management. Particular examples include consumer insights and how well new promotions are received and moved throughout the market.

it should be noted that reported internal control deficiencies are indicative of increased fraud risk, but not necessarily conclusive that fraud has occurred. Therefore, just because a company has reported a deficiency, it does not indicate fraud, necessarily.

According to the model, the managerial factors are only exacerbated by the presence of macroeconomic factors.

the identified conditions could help managers to improve internal control when a high risk factor is realized. The contribution of this study may allow restaurant companies to deter activities that may result in increased risk of fraud.

Because the study revealed that the macroeconomic conditions were significant for the entire population of restaurant companies, an area of future research might explore the relevance of the co alignment model (Olsen &R o p e r , 1998) to strategic management decisions to reduce the risk of fraud.

for purposes of this study, privately traded companies are excluded. This is a limitation of the study because the results may indicate a problem that is more or less pervasive since the sample is representative of a small number of companies in the United States.

the model is limited in application because it does not take into account fluctuations among the variables over time.

We found that engagement with technology at events and delegate knowledge satisfactorily coexists for and across a number of different experiential levels. However, relative to I4.0, event research and the events industry appear to be digitally immature.

Events are in the midst of rapid social and technological change. With a growing variety of technological means, the industry is fast-paced and increasingly delivered to a discerning consumer market while finding ways to connect with consumers through technology

Digital technology is the thread of the fabric of organisations (Li et al., 2018). It is an increasingly important part of how they engage with their customers.

Moreover, engagement with events as fans, spectators, delegates or organisers can be augmented with digital technology by improving access and sociability capabilities, refining the personalisation of events, and thereby creating enhanced experiences.

As we advance into what many in business and academia consider to be a fourth industrial revolution, the capacity to control and exchange data electronically has extended our ability to create, edit, maintain, transmit and retrieve information.

I4.0 can be described as the digitisation and automation of the manufacturing environment. It also creates digital value chains to enable the communication between products, their environment and business partners. Digital applications have impacted the tourism sector too giving rise to ‘Tourism 4.0’

The events industry is an ideal environment to benefit from the implementation of a widespread digitised approach with numerous organisations empowering managers and improving the overall event experience with the integration of extensive ICT practices and systems.

With the more widespread adoption of digitalization in event delivery and as the supply chains of all events become intertwined with technology, we can learn how the digital maturity of events in the 21st century is shaping event management and event control.

The team set out to answer the following research questions: RQ1. Can digital maturity in events be defined? If so, RQ2. How should the levels of digital maturity of events be classified with regard to the digital maturity of the events industry and the development of event management theory?

Successful events are no longer measured by simply achieving a respectable attendance, a great deal more engagement is manifest through digital technologies

Successful events require organisers to create something that is considered by those who attend as a valuable and memorable experience (Pizam, 2010; Tung, 2011). Creating memorable event experiences can be described as being dependent on a number of factors including creating regular attendee engagement, providing appropriate activities, relevant subject matter, topical and contemporary focus and targeted to a sizable receptive audience.

technological factors being one of the most important areas of demand for companies along with the implementation of I4.0. SMEs (Small to medium enterprises) are [lagging] behind in developing strategies to implement new solutions.

The development of digital maturity in events can be compared to smart tourism, which Gretzel et al. (2015) expressed as a logical progression from traditional activities. Smart tourism is characterised by an ability to transform large amounts of data into enhanced tourist experiences and increased destination competitiveness thanks to the interconnection of the different stakeholders through latest ICT advancements

As the components of I4.0 become more prevalent in the events industry, much value can be obtained from understanding how businesses are adopting new levels of digital engagement in order to engage their audiences

it is prudent to suggest that the survival, and future success of events can depend upon digital maturity and transformation

owever, dealing with digital maturity requires careful attention as Neuhofer (2016) urges caution advising that applied technology solutions have proven to have the ability to create or destruct the value of the experience.

I4.0 therefore acknowledges the impact of connected computers with the key constituents being cyber-physical systems, the Internet of Things, cloud computing and cognitive computing

highlighted that the use of communication networks globally has risen dramatically and become ubiquitous due to the rise of smartphone ownership. This has been fuelled by social media, apps and faster broadband speeds to create a networked society

By combining the Internet of Things data and big data (extremely large data sets that may be analysed computationally to reveal patterns, trends and associations, especially relating to human behaviour and interactions), event managers are able to create a competitive advantage.

As event companies develop new and innovative ways to connect, the events themselves are absorbing aspects of I4.0 at every stage of the process; pushing the boundaries of event experiences far beyond the physical world

They are used to promote events before, during and after delivery and are used to gather data and inform decision-making. Generating responses from an event can be achieved using a number of methods and through both qualitative and quantitative data.

With the advent of big data and analytics, new sources of valuable data are available to guide decision-making processes in a more informed manner. Businesses were once looking at historical data, but advances in database technology and system processes have led to near real-time data collection and analytics

Failure to adopt aspects of digital technology does not necessarily suggest a poor experience or the end for those businesses less digitally mature; not every event business relies on this kind of data support to survive. Instead, this research provides an opportunity to better understand where event businesses do engage and more importantly, how communication between non-digital and fully integrated individuals/businesses can be improved.

Digital maturity and transformation today differs from previous periods as it not only provides the change in the main business processes but also reveals the concepts of smart and connected products through service-driven business models

Our analysis begins with an attempt to uncover the potential challenges, on-going developments and various strategies that will provide the events industry and academics with a forward-facing approach to the growth of technology within events. By including industry professionals and academics, the research contributes to bridging the gap between practise and academia.

Because the research and empirical data collection includes industry perspectives, we believe this research will provide value to event managers, marketers and practitioners around the world who wish to understand more about the digital maturity of events.

After conducting the social media analysis (1), it became evident that the discussions appeared to be around topics that utilise digital technology rather than the technology itself. Furthermore, and probably a reflection on the value of the group, a lot of the data included questions about understanding the topics rather than providing usable information to our research.

We did not have detailed information about the precise characteristics of the individuals who contributed to the dataset of posts. However, to an extent, their roles listed in LinkedIn were informative. These included events consultants, social media managers, marketing professionals, EventTech managers, CEOs at tech companies and events students.

Although this response rate of 52 academics may be considered low, this did allow for the creation of the initial insights into the E4.0 concept and crucially it provides a starting point to better understand the levels of the developing digital maturity model.

The most referenced themes were social media, marketing, apps, GDPR and mobile. The top 14 themes are shown in Figure 1 below.

The results of the thematic analysis reveal the most pertinent events and technology topics in this group in the time period specified. The most common topics were social media and marketing. Marketing appeared alongside other topics as a verb, a noun and an adjective. This certainly influenced its prominence.

This statement reinforces the knowledge and general use of social media during events. Mobile and event apps were recognised as presenting opportunities to enhance events and were considered to be a permanent part of events.

Carefully managed and fully integrated data and digital systems including social media, apps and CRM create digital value chains to enable the communication between events, their environment, and business partners.

Event organisers invest heavily on social media engagement and expect a great deal in return through social media retweets, tagging and sharing of images. However, it is just as important to understand if delegates consider technology at events that important.

Our expert respondents were asked if they considered the events industry to be at the cutting edge of technology. Responses were largely supportive of the suggestion that it is. 64% agree, 22% neither agree nor disagree and 14% disagree.

Online registration/digital booking was very familiar with 65% ‘extremely familiar’ with the technology.

The survey also collected a selection of qualitative data as respondents were asked to if there were any specific examples of connected/digital technology considered to be essential to the delivery of an event that had not been discussed in the survey. Significantly, 23% answered no to this question.

With regard to the digital maturity of the events industry affecting the development of event management theory, the literature review indicates that academics are making contributions to theory and a broad understanding of digital technology exists.

industry appears not to be digitally mature. Also, our findings suggest that relative to I4.0 not all events are digitally mature. Therefore, the ‘digital immaturity’ of the events industry may be having some effect on event management theory

It became evident from the survey that many respondents suggested they were not familiar with technology that they would all have experienced.

The results from the survey suggest that widespread academic understanding of technology at events is extensive. Some digital technology is considered routine, while other comprehensively used technology appears to be unfamiliar to the end user.

The growing digital maturity levels form the foundation for E4.0 and will contribute to what Gerbert (2015) described as greater efficiencies and changing traditional relationships among suppliers, producers, and customers.

Therefore, satisfaction from the event comes down to providing delegates with the right communication levels they need to complete their individual objectives. This can range from the most basic social engagement to the gathering or observation of big data. Events are evidently a melting pot of experiences and goals and not all of them demand the highest levels of technology to complete.

Artificial intelligence has the ability to provide events with endless systems that sense, learn and decide throughout the delivery process though many gaps exist.

The data also indicates that there is good knowledge across all types of digital technology. This is reassuring for the development of education as the events industry embraces digitalisation

However, as more value is placed on the use of digital technology and events mature through greater access to technology, we see the emergence of an E4.0 era.

Thus, this model anticipates that events will grow in their digital maturity to level E3 and E4. Thus, digital technologies may become sufficiently embedded so that data related to one element of an event will be used to inform other elements of an event in real time

Online registration and wearable technologies such as delegate smart badges are superficial digital experiences and only considered as a process rather than as a fully perceived digital experience.

Our findings indicate that digital communications have enabled a shift in the content of events, marketing and the use of social media as a communication tool before, during and after the event.

On the limitations of our research, one might argue that engagement with technology, or indeed lack of it, does not provide evidence of the immaturity of digital technology in events. However, the digital maturity model that we propose is principally informed by the literature on digital technology and events.

This research has provided a revealing perspective on the use of digital technology in events. It has built on theory that has been previously developed in this and similar subjects of research, such as business and tourism. From this, the research can claim a number of contributions. It (i) provides an empirical investigation into how event businesses and individuals engage with digitally technology at events, and (ii) it provides a definition of E4.0 and other preceding levels that contribute to digital maturity.

Our research has shown that event delegates are aware of the ability to communicate in a reciprocal process with technology rather than through a linear/top down process. This in itself is evidence of E4.0. Furthermore, this research highlights how industry is continually striving to optimise the delegate/event relationship through apps and other technology. The industry’s on-going mission to create deeply flexible communication opportunities is eliminating the possibility of gaps in the communication process in order to optimise delegate engagement at events.

A broader discussion on potential issues such as IT & data security, skill-sets, expensive production costs and outages; these are significant problems within internet and cloud-based technology. Furthermore, the emerging topic of E4.0 itself requires both conceptual and empirical development.

This research has shown that there remains a great deal to discover about the use of technology at events and many opportunities exist for further research from academics and practitioners working together to provide mutual benefits for both industry and education.

digitalization of hotels also includes introduction of advanced solutions for analytics and security.

Digital security systems can not only track the slightest disturbance of the public peace, but also provide additional information.

At present day, it is too early to assess the effectiveness of some recent innovations, that are related mostly to the hotel's image and attract customers.

The main trends in the use of modern technologies in hospitality industry in the conditions of digitalization of the economy are presented in figure 1.

The main disadvantages of traditional technologies include the following: local server requires regular maintenance from the system administrator; access to database is restricted by local network facilities; connection speed is limited by the speed of a local provider and divided among all who are drawn to the sever database

Artificial intelligence plays an equally important role in improving the efficiency of public catering enterprises.

Use of artificial intelligence also allows to analyze the work of the restaurant, and to detect violations of rules by the staff via control of bills, number of the discount card uses, as well as the number of cancellations and deletions of checks.

The issue of privacy that characterizes traditional tourism industry is also addressed through blockchain technology, minimizing exposure to sensitive data in the face of existing problems with cyber attacks and fraud in traditional financial services.

if the concept of hospitality industry enterprise changes, it is possible to change the composition of paid licenses.

Almost all companies in hospitality industry have started to think about using chatbots to solve specific business problems [9].

One of the ways to get competitive advantages for accommodation facilities is to invest and use new technologies. In this regard, augmented reality is the most promising technology for the modern tourism industry. its development and application can increase the competitiveness of destinations.

Augmented reality can be used to interact with guests before, during, and after their stay.

Augmented reality technologies can be used to stimulate travel purchases (the effect of being present in a hotel room, as well as demonstrating the environment and local services using a virtual reality headset). Also, virtual and augmented reality, including those with tactile sensations, can be implemented by digital concierges to issue recommendations to the client on various issues and types of recreation

The API allows one hotel technology system to automatically (i.e., without the participation of hotel employees) interact with another technology system and gain access to its functionality.

The largest companies develop APIs for clients or internal use at some stage.

The result of the analysis of cash transactions is a regular analysis and detailing of violations, categorization of violations, development of measures to counter violations, training of personnel [13].

With the help of speech Analytics tools, specialists can work with 100% of requests. To do this, all dialogues are translated into text and analyzed using a special system.

Based on this analysis, you can develop a change program for existing procedures and processes and optimize self-service systems (personal account, website).

The result of the introduction of innovative speech analytics technologies will be an increase in sales efficiency, an increase in loyalty and customer satisfaction, a reduction in service costs without loss of quality, and behavioral analytics.

Currently, biometrics can already be used to identify and confirm the client's identity. Face scanning technologies when registering with the service.

Analysts predict that the international market for biometric solutions for the hotel sector will grow exponentially in the coming years. Biometrics, as the most reliable and accurate authentication system, can provide real-time information about employees and their use of their working time.

The result of using this technology is payment without wallets and Bank cards, increasing the speed of customer service, and a high level of security.

In 2018, Amazon presented a special version of the voice assistant for hotels — Alexa for Hospitality, which is currently being tested in Marriott hotels.

At the same time, the use of Echo speakers in hotels raises concerns about the privacy of personal data. Amazon claims that audio recordings of the guest's voice commands will be deleted every day, and the hotel administration will not have access to both request records and response records.

IT outsourcing is the transfer to a third-party contractor (outsourcer) of all or part of the functions for servicing the organization's information needs. Currently, this technology is becoming increasingly common in the hospitality industry.

The main point of switching to outsourcing is to optimize the company's costs while significantly improving the quality of services provided. The main criteria for outsourcing are the lack of competitive advantages and not the strategic position of this operation or function for the company

The main problems of implementing information technologies in the hospitality and tourism industry include the high cost of these developments, the duration of staff training processes, and the adaptation of the built system of business processes of enterprises.

The problem is also the difficulty of attracting investment in the hotel business

Another problem with the introduction of information technology in the hotel business is the lack of relevance of regulatory documents and legal barriers to the introduction of innovations

In addition, the introduction of modern information technologies in the hospitality industry is complicated by the level of technical and technological complexity of implementation projects.

nformation technologies are improving at a rapid pace

In the leading Russian hotels that are part of the global hotel chains, the work is fully automated, technological, and has its own computer and Internet services. Such hotels already have a successful experience in implementing modern information technologies.

Customers of the hospitality industry already have a lot of experience in using mobile devices.

Digital marketing is becoming a key channel of communication between the hotel and the network. At the same time, only the implementation of continuous data collection, processing, analysis and aggregation tasks will allow the management of hospitality enterprises to achieve one of their main goals - to better understand their customers and interact with them.

The four leading technologies which have showed a high adoption rate from the industry and have received attention from academia are: self-service, wireless, green, and security technologies. The advantages of these technologies for hoteliers include enhanced customer services and operational efficiency (Doyle, 2007), decreased guest wait times, more efficient methods to settle bills (Singh & Kasavana, 2005), reduction of energy costs (Meeroff & Scarlatos, 2007), and protection of sensitive customer data and credit card numbers

In addition, exploring the influential factors of security system usage will provide greater depth of knowledge with respect to why some hotels have adopted more security systems than others.

there is still a lack of understanding of the nature of risk associated with inadequate IT security, especially among operators of hotels that do not have their own IT departments.

Self-service technologies are commonly defined as devices or applications which permit users to produce a service independent from the direct involvement of the service provider (Meuter, Ostrom, Roundtree, & Bitner, 2000). The use of self-service technologies in the hotel industry has grown considerably, especially in the areas of self check-in, in-room check-out, and foodservice kiosks

IT systems refer to general support systems such as mainframe computer, mid-range computer, and local area network.

Some of the most significant wireless technology applications involve the use of mobile handheld devices, such as personal digital assistants (PDA), tablet PCs, and cellular phones, or RFID (radio frequency identification). RFID utilizes computer chips and antennas, allowing the chips to wirelessly communicate with a receiver.

While the major usage of RFID in the hotel industry was for inventory control purposes, it also has the potential to be utilized in ways that can provide more conveniences for the guests.

Other possible uses include placing RFID tags on items of high value as a means of theft prevention or integrating tags into guest loyalty cards for easy identification

IT investment that lowers environmental impact and IT that manages the environmental impact of other systems are commonly referred to as “green technology”

Many hoteliers might think becoming more environmentally friendly will cost more for their hotels. However, it has been demonstrated that “going green” is not only the right thing to do for the environment but also provides tangible bottom-line benefits for hotels by reducing consumption of energy and water, as well as other related costs.

Some of the risk factors involved include reliability, security, and privacy issues

risk associated with a breach of IT systems security (e.g., network break-ins) is very high. Consequently, no sector of the business community is exempt from attacks on their IT systems, with an attack being defined as a technique used to exploit a system’s vulnerabilities.

Many of these attacks involve attempts by thieves to gain access to customer credit card data, and these attempts constitute a major portion of the risk inherent in IT security

if a system is breached and the merchant is not PCI compliant, the merchant then is responsible for all costs associated with improperly used credit card information taken from that system (Kress, 2008). These losses could bankrupt a business if the security breach goes undetected for even a short time.

IT security systems are those measures taken to protect the confidentiality and integrity of proprietary data.

two main paradigms of adoption are believed to occur: bottom-up adoption and top-down adoption.

Thus, it is reasonable to assume that organizational factors (e.g., financial factor, human resource) will influence the implementation stage of security systems at a hotel.

A hotel with sufficient IT budget will install more security systems than those with insufficient IT budget.

That is, if a hotel does not have its own IT department, it will have a negative influence on successfully installing or maintaining necessary security systems.

A hotel with its own IT department will install more security systems than those without.

Overall, the state of IT spending on security continues undiminished because managed security services are required for almost every application (Communications News, 2007).

A hotel with more technologies being utilized will install more security systems than those with fewer technologies.

Given the importance of security and privacy at a luxury hotel, this study expects luxury properties to have installed more security systems than other segments

Most hotel employees use their property management systems for hotel operations and should be able to check their e-mails.

To justify the low response rate, previous studies which have compared response rates of mail and e-mail for surveys were reviewed.

The sample obtained in this study represented the targeted sample: over 80% of the respondents were working in hotel operations. Furthermore, the purpose of this study was to explore hotel operators’ insight of technology usage, IT budget, and security measures rather than to confirm existing theories or to generalize the results.

The respondents were asked to select from a total of fourteen securities related systems

The profile of the respondents revealed that they were experienced hoteliers with more than ten years experience in the industry

Fifty-three percent of the respondents reported that they were with chain hotels that would be considered mid-range properties with an average of 175 rooms (median of 107). Over 80% of the respondents reported working in operations, while fewer than 4% reported working in either IT or engineering (Table 1).

Nearly 70% of the respondents’ properties did not have their own IT department (69.2% did not have, and 30.8% had their own IT departments, n = 234, missing data = 10).

Fifty-three percent of them (n = 244) thought the most important goal for hotel technology would be enhancing the customer’s experience.

second identified goal was utilizing technology to help generate revenue (41%)

differentiate properties from their competition (20%), to lower expenses (16%), and to increase security (6%).

Internet kiosks in the lobby represented the most frequently used self-service technology (36.5%, n = 244), followed by kiosks for airline check-in/board pass

With respect to security systems currently in use, antivirus security systems represented the most frequently used security system (92.2%), followed by hardware firewalls, software firewalls, physical security, and encrypted login security systems.

intrusion detection was the most frequently identified system (15.6%), followed by vulnerability assessment scanning (13.5%), Internet scanning (13.1%), antivirus (11.5%), digital ID server (11.5%), and nonreusable passwords (9.8%; Table 2).

Thus, the hypothesis was supported that there was a linear relationship between the three factors and the adequacy of security systems.

The positive standardized coefficient (β) of .389 indicates that there was a statistically significant (p < .001) linear relationship between IT usage (the number of wireless, self-service, and green technologies a hotel was using) and the adequacy of security systems

The study revealed certain things of interest, the most significant of which is the need for greater emphasis on IT security among hoteliers.

only about 30% of all respondents reported having their own IT departments. Since budget hotel properties are extremely unlikely to have an IT department, it is highly likely that the very large majority of IT decisions throughout the industry are being made by hotel operators for whom IT is not their primary area of concern.

Furthermore, the focus of hoteliers for future IT implementations is enhancing the guest experience (53%) and generating revenue (41%). Very few respondents (6%) identified increasing security as a 5-year IT goal.

While almost all respondents use information systems as part of their jobs, very few are trained in the development, maintenance, and secure use of these systems.

no correlation was found between the respondents’ perceived adequacy of their IT budgets and the adequacy of installed security systems, as adequacy of IT budget did not appear as a significant term in the regression analysis.

Nearly 10% of respondents do not have so much as anti-virus protection for their systems, and nearly half do not even take simple physical precautions to protect their IT systems.

we note that no correlation exists between the respondents’ perceived adequacy of their IT budgets and the number of installed IT security systems, as the number of installed systems was not a significant factor in the regression analysis.

the large majority of respondent properties do not have their own IT departments. Second, the people making IT decisions generally do not have IT backgrounds or training. Third, the large majority of respondent properties have little more than firewalls or antivirus software to protect their proprietary data, and these systems alone are not adequate to meet PCI standards, as they do not take steps to encrypt and protect cardholder data, maintain a vulnerability management program, implement strong access control measures, regularly monitor and test their networks, and maintain an information security policy as required by the Security Standards Council.

it is reasonable to conclude that the respondents did not have an adequate understanding of the nature of the IT security hazards facing them for the average property does not have installed systems adequate to meet PCI standards, yet they reported having adequate budgets.

In order to adequately protect proprietary data, one must have an understanding of network security, which is an understanding apart from software functionality.

Properties with their own IT departments, however, reported that they had a higher number of installed IS security systems than did those properties without their own IT departments.

roperties without their own IT departments, in particular, have a less adequate understanding of their IT security needs than may be necessary.

This study found hoteliers’ lack of attention to security provision, training in IT, and PCI compliance can place hoteliers at great risk. For example, the cost of a single incident at a noncompliant property could result in the loss of the entire business.

It will be useful to examine the reasons why luxury properties are more likely to employ adequate security measures to determine whether this greater use is attributable to better understanding of security issues or some other factor.

The study was limited by the nature of online surveys; the response rate was quite low. Future studies could test the proposed research model via paper-based mail surveys to increase a response rate.