ABSTRACT

This study aims to explore the construct of Mobile Dependency (MD) by distinguishing its sub-dimensions and to identify and verify hospitality employee clusters with respect to their MD. Investigation of the MD construct through the developed scale and the use of Media System Dependency theory not only shed light on this under-examined construct but also point out to potential paths for future research. The findings lay down the groundwork for workplace policy reforms that could be welcoming to digital natives as they enter the hospitality workforce. Five sub-dimensions (e.g., Emotional Attachment, Social Attachment) of the MD construct were distinguished. Moreover, the identified clusters significantly differed from each other regarding their attitudes toward MD sub-dimensions. The findings validate the utility and efficacy of MD as a segmentation tool in hospitality and tourism research. This study also adds potential implications for workplace policies on employee breaks, employee engagement, and the creation of a welcoming environment by hospitality organizations via taking the technological attachment of younger employees into consideration.

摘要

本研究旨在通过区分其子维度来探索移动依赖 (MD) 的构造，并根据其 MD 识别和验证酒店员工集群。通过发达的规模和媒体系统依赖理论的使用对 MD 结构的研究不仅揭示了这一未充分研究的结构，而且还指出了未来研究的潜在途径。调查结果为工作场所政策改革奠定了基础，这些改革可能会欢迎数字原住民进入酒店业。MD 构造的五个子维度（例如，情感依恋、社会依恋）被区分。此外，已识别的集群在对 MD 子维度的态度方面彼此显着不同。研究结果验证了 MD 作为酒店和旅游研究中的细分工具的实用性和有效性。这项研究还通过考虑年轻员工的技术依恋，增加了工作场所政策对员工休息、员工敬业度以及酒店组织营造温馨环境的潜在影响。