to: guide the operationalisation and measurement of the latent variables; identify
additional relevant variables; and further inform the development of hypotheses
for the survey research.
The work undertaken in pursuit of Objectives 1 to 3 (a) contributes to the
selection of the variables of interest and the methods for measuring these, and
(b) underpins the development of the theoretical framework that is used to guide
the specification of the causal relationships between variables i.e. the formulation
of the research hypotheses.
Ambrose and Kulik (1999: 232) describe how work motivation can be measured
using both attitudinal (e.g. job satisfaction) and behavioural (e.g. job
performance) measures. This research employs both attitudinal (job satisfaction,
affective organisational commitment and work meaning) and behavioural
measures of work motivation.
Two principal job performance measures are employed, the first - Job
Performance (JP) - is a respondent self-assessment measure of extra effort and
the second - Discretionary Service Behaviour (DSB) - is a peer-assessment of
extra effort based on earlier work by Blancero and Johnson (1997, 2001) and by
Simons and Roberson (2003). An exploratory third measure of job performance
is included that utilises a specially-developed scale which attempts to measure
performance based on service quality.
Aside from motivational leadership, the research assess the role of employee
work orientations and employee perceptions of empowerment as predictors of
employee attitudes. Social support (peer support) is also assessed as a predictor
of job performance.
Objectives 4 and 5 are achieved through the use of data collected using a
respondent-completed postal questionnaire distributed to a range of UK hotels
that agreed to assist with the research. The population of interest is non-
supervisory foodservice employees (waiting staff) working in hotels with table
service restaurants. Hotel businesses were chosen as a focus for this research
owing to the opportunities hotels provide for access to: (i) large numbers of
foodservice employees in relatively few sites; (ii) businesses with existing
connections to Bournemouth University’s School of Tourism; and (iii) a population