Chinese and British Hotels: Cultural Differences and Management

Rapid tourism development in China has led to an influx of hotels invested in and operated by multi-national hotel companies. The authors examine the impact of cultural differences on employee behavior in China and UK hotels and offer recommendations for expatriate hotel managers to effectively develop human resource management styles while operating properties in China.

The effect of bilingual representation in prose reading on explicit and implicit memory

Chinese-English bilingual students were randomly assigned to three reading conditions: In the English-English (E-E) condition (n = 44), a text in English was read twice; in the English-Chinese (E-C) condition (n = 30), the English text was read first and its Chinese translation was read second; in the Chinese-English (C-E) condition (n = 30), the Chinese text was read first and English second. An expected explicit memory test on propositions in the format of sentence verification was given followed by an unexpected implicit memory test on unfamiliar word-forms.^ Analyses of covariance were conducted with explicit and implicit memory scores as the dependent variables, reading condition (bilingual versus monolingual) as the independent variable, and TOEFL reading score as the covariate.^ The results showed that the bilingual reading groups outperformed the monolingual reading group on explicit memory tested by sentence-verification but not on implicit memory tested by forced-choice word-identification, implying that bilingual representation facilitates explicit memory of propositional information but not implicit memory of lexical forms. The findings were interpreted as consistent with separate bilingual memory-storage models and the implications of such models in the study of cognitive structures were discussed in relationship to issues of dual coding theory, multiple memory systems, and the linguistic relativity philosophy. ^

Dietary adequacy in community-dwelling older Chinese adults living in South Florida

A challenge facing nutrition care providers and the Chinese community is how to improve and maintain dietary adequacy (DA) and quality of life (QoL) in older Chinese Americans. Little is known about the factors contributing to DA and the relationships between DA and QoL among community-dwelling older Chinese adults in South Florida. A DA model and a QoL model were hypothesized. ^ Structured interviews with 100 Chinese Floridians, ages ≥60, provided data to test the hypothesized models, using structured equation modeling. Participants (mean age ± SD = 70.9 + 6.8 years) included 59% females, 98% foreign-born, 23% non-English speakers, and 68% residents of Florida for 20 years or more. The findings supported the study hypotheses: an excellent goodness-of-fit of the DA model (χ2/DF (7) = .286; CFI = 1.000; TLI = 1.704; NFI = .934; RMSEA < .001, 90% CI < .0001 to < .001; SRMR = .033; AIC = 30.000; and BIC = 66.472) and an excellent goodness-of-fit of the QoL model (χ2/DF (6) = .811; CFI = 1.000; TLI = 1.013; NFI = .979; RMSEA < .001, 90% CI < .001 to .116; SRMR = .0429; AIC = 34.869; and BIC = 73.946). ^ The DA model consisted of a structure of four indicators (i.e. Body Mass Index, food practices, diet satisfaction, and appetite) and one intervening variable (i.e. combining nutrient adequacy with nutritional risk). BMI was the strongest, most reliable indicator of DA with the highest predictability coefficient (.63) and the ability to differentiate between participants with different DA levels. The QoL model consisted of a two-dimensional construct with one indicator (i.e. physical function) and one intervening variable (i.e. combining loneliness with social resources, depression, social function, and mental health). Physical function had the strongest predictability coefficient (.89), while other indicators contributed to QoL indirectly. When integrating the DA model to the QoL model, DA appears to influence QoL via indirect pathways. ^ It is necessary to include a precise measure of BMI as the basis for assessing DA in this population. Important goals of dietary interventions should be improving physical function and alleviating social and emotional isolation. ^

A Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Approach to Compare and Contrast the Websites of China-based and U.S-based Hotels

The improvement in living standards and the development of telecommunications have led to a large increase in the number of Internet users in China. It has been reported by China National Network Information Center that the number of Internet users in China has reached 33.7 million in 2001, ranting the country third in the world. This figure also shows that more and more Chinese residents have accepted the Internet and use it to obtain information and compete their travel planning. Milne and Ateljevic stated that the integration of computing and telecommunications would create a global information network based mostly on the Internet. The Internet, especially the World Wide Web, has had a great impact on the hospitality and tourism industry in recent years. The WWW plays an important role in mediating between customers and hotel companies as a place to acquire information acquisition and transact business.

The Buddhist Coleridge: Creating Space for The Rime of the Ancient Mariner within Buddhist Romantic Studies

The popularization of academic spaces that combine Buddhist philosophy with the literature of the Romantic period – a discipline I refer to as Buddhist Romantic Studies – have exposed the lack of scholarly attention Samuel Taylor Coleridge and The Rime of the Ancient Mariner have received within such studies. Validating Coleridge’s right to exist within Buddhist Romantic spheres, my thesis argues that Coleridge was cognizant of Buddhism through historical and textual encounters. To create a space for The Rime within Buddhist Romantic Studies, my thesis provides an interpretation of the poem that centers on the concept of prajna, or wisdom, as a vital tool for cultivating the mind. Focusing on prajna, I argue that the Mariner’s didactic story traces his cognitive voyage from ignorance to enlightenment. By examining The Rime within the framework of Buddhism, readers will also be able to grasp the importance of cultivating the mind and transcending ignorance.