Degree Type

Dissertation

Date of Award

2015

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Apparel, Events and Hospitality Management

First Advisor

Robert Bosselman

Abstract

An evolving area of technology application in restaurants includes the use of computer-based training (CBT). Restaurant organizations have the ability to train staff on any topic through electronic formats delivered on-demand through computers connected to the Internet. This study used a mixed methods approach to better understand factors that influence a quick service restaurant (QSR) owner’s intent to use an available platform for training supervisory and non-supervisory employees.

Three focus groups consisting of four QSR owners each (n=12) took place over a two-month time period in June of 2010. Open-ended questions were asked during each focus group seeking information about owners’ perceptions of an existing training platform and factors that influence the decision to use the platform for training employees. Using the constant comparative method of analysis, trust was determined to be a common theme owners identified as important.

An online survey using constructs of the technology acceptance model (TAM) was developed with questions addressing perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and intent to use along with questions designed to assess owners’ trust in system, content, and employee behavior. Questions incorporated a 7-point Likert-type scale ranging from 1 = Completely Disagree to 7 = Completely Agree.

Invitations were emailed to owners representing approximately 400 restaurants of a QSR chain in a southwestern U.S. market in June of 2015. Thirty-one of the invitations were opened and 21 surveys were completed. Three of twenty-one (14.3%) either disagreed or neither agreed nor disagreed (rating 4 or less on the 7-point scale) with the statement I will use or continue to use the training platform for training managers and supervisory staff in my restaurant(s) and five of twenty-one (23.8%) disagreed or neither agreed nor disagreed with the statement I will use or continue to use the training platform for training non-supervisory staff in my restaurant(s).

Owners who do not intend or are not sure of their intent to continue using the system were more likely to distrust that employees accurately report training hours or pay attention to the content provided in the training modules than owners who indicated the intent to use the system.

Copyright Owner

Richard E. Hall II

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

File Size

123 pages

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