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Aesthetic labor, rocky horrors, and the 007 Dynamic

Aesthetic labor, rocky horrors, and the 007 Dynamic Purpose – To ascertain if the use of attractive staff is common practice within the hospitality industry in Edinburgh. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative approach by a series of semi‐structured interviews. The researcher took an instinctive humanist approach to this study. A sample of 3, 4 and 5 star hotels, bars and restaurants were included. The focus of the research developed from ascertaining if attractive staff were common place into one that, some organisations use more sophisticated techniques to have customers literally buy‐in to the goods and services on offer. Findings – Open admission from respondents, that they use attractive staff. However, aesthetic labor is strongly supported by the use of emotional labor as the worker needs to have a certain empathy with the customer. Furthermore, the aesthetic worker is supported by the uniform, the environment in which the service encounter takes place and provides a performance in which the customer actively participates. The highly developed manner that the organisation induces the customer to perceive when in this environment lead the researcher to propose a 007 Dynamic that happens, as the customer takes on an almost “James Bond” like persona. Research limitations/implications – A relatively small sample but is perhaps indicative of contemporary hospitality industry common practices. Practical implications – Hospitality management are using less highly “hard” skilled employees and focusing more on the “soft” skills of new workers. Originality/value – Customers are susceptible to subliminal messaging from staff appearance, their empathy and environment. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png International Journal of Culture Tourism and Hospitality Research Emerald Publishing

Aesthetic labor, rocky horrors, and the 007 Dynamic

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References (24)

Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
Copyright © 2008 Emerald Group Publishing Limited. All rights reserved.
ISSN
1750-6182
DOI
10.1108/17506180810856158
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Purpose – To ascertain if the use of attractive staff is common practice within the hospitality industry in Edinburgh. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative approach by a series of semi‐structured interviews. The researcher took an instinctive humanist approach to this study. A sample of 3, 4 and 5 star hotels, bars and restaurants were included. The focus of the research developed from ascertaining if attractive staff were common place into one that, some organisations use more sophisticated techniques to have customers literally buy‐in to the goods and services on offer. Findings – Open admission from respondents, that they use attractive staff. However, aesthetic labor is strongly supported by the use of emotional labor as the worker needs to have a certain empathy with the customer. Furthermore, the aesthetic worker is supported by the uniform, the environment in which the service encounter takes place and provides a performance in which the customer actively participates. The highly developed manner that the organisation induces the customer to perceive when in this environment lead the researcher to propose a 007 Dynamic that happens, as the customer takes on an almost “James Bond” like persona. Research limitations/implications – A relatively small sample but is perhaps indicative of contemporary hospitality industry common practices. Practical implications – Hospitality management are using less highly “hard” skilled employees and focusing more on the “soft” skills of new workers. Originality/value – Customers are susceptible to subliminal messaging from staff appearance, their empathy and environment.

Journal

International Journal of Culture Tourism and Hospitality Research – Emerald Publishing

Published: Mar 28, 2008

Keywords: Hospitality management; Employees; Scotland

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