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EMPLOYEES, IN JAMAICA.
RESTAURANT DEPARTMENT
February, 2010
MwTHM Jamaica BLOCK
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of the relationships between job
This study also focuses on revealing demographic characteristics these employees exhibit
that affect their satisfaction level. Research was conducted through a survey instrument
adopted from the validated Minnesota Job Satisfaction and Organisational Commitment
Questionnaires. The study generated a 74 percent response rate from 144 employees who
had worked at this foodservice operation for more than one month.
The use of the triangulation approach has lead to findings that relates to other researches that
were conducted on job satisfaction and organisational commitment. Results of the study
indicate that factors such as pay; promotion; working conditions; use of skills; work
satisfaction with policies, compensation, work conditions, and advancement were found to
visitors to Jamaica, positioning itself as Jamaica- Once You Go, You Know found in the
Caribbean. Studies have confirmed that satisfied employees will be more committed to their
organisations and offer high quality service to the customers. This study should help
foodservice managers understand the relationship job satisfaction has with commitment.
Table of Contents
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Abstract......... .i
Table of Contents....... iv
Charts..............v
Tables........................................................................................................vii
Appendices .........vii
Introduction........1
Aim.4
Objectives......................4
Rationale............5
Literature Matrix...........9
Literature Review........13
Summary.........34
Methodology..............37
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Secondary Research.........39
Theoretical Framework................42
Primary Research............42
Research design.........44
Questionnaires.............................48
Un-Structured Interviews............54
Charts
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Tables
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Appendices
Spa...........................................................................................................99
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INTRODUCTION
Jamaica. The Tourism Minister, Edmund Bartlett revealed that there was 1, 831,000 stop
over visitors in the year 2009, the largest number in the country's history, 74,000, more than
the previous year. A report by Dublin, Ireland-based R&M notes that "Tourism is by far the
country's largest foreign exchange earner, contributing US$870 million to the economy
annually or 11.8% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Moreover, the government of
Jamaica plans to increase tourisms contribution to the GDP to 15% by 2010 Mintel Report
(2005). Jamaica performed surprisingly strongly, with growth of 3.9%, despite ongoing
concerns about rising levels of crime. International tourist arrivals for business, leisure and
other purposes are said to have declined worldwide by four per cent in 2009. With
experience showing that tourism earnings generally follow the trend in arrivals, earnings for
2009 are believed to have declined by six per cent to an estimated US$886 billion. Edmund
Bartlett, tourism minister, said Jamaica's tourism sector has managed to hold its own and
even enjoy modest growth in the worst recession the world has seen in recent time.
While recognising the challenges being faced by the industry worldwide, The Jamaica
Observer (2010) featured Edmund Bartlett in a recent article where he maintains that growth
"For us here in Jamaica even though our key responders US and UK are having great
challenges ...Jamaica was still able to achieve at the end of 2009, 3.6 per cent increase.
At the same time, Bartlett said Jamaica still struggles to communicate effectively the impact
of tourism on the economy and its overall contribution to Gross Domestic Product.
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According to Jamaicas statistical report; hotels, rooming houses and lodging places had an
in September 2005. Ocho Rios accounted for 8,794 persons with direct jobs. The massive
people, whereas, the number of persons employed directly in the hotels and restaurant sub-
Hence, highly satisfied and committed employees in the tourism industry, delivering high
quality service to tourists, are of paramount importance as they are often seen as an integral
only one of the reasons for such a concern evolving because the concept of job satisfaction
is fairly related to the cost efficiency for businesses, such as non-attendance and labour
turnover (Meyer et al., 2002). Managers of hotels who identify their employees job
satisfaction levels would enable to arrange necessary preparations in order to make working
Aim
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To critically evaluate the extent to which job satisfaction contributes to the organisational
Objectives
commitment.
2. To assess current job satisfaction and the factors that impact on them; employees
perspective.
3. To assess current organisational commitment level and the factors that affect employees.
4. To evaluate the strategies (use by the organisation) that significantly affects their job
and Spa.
RATIONALE
With reference to the service industry such as that of the tourism, the link between job
satisfaction of employees and organisation commitment has also been well demonstrated by
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the service profit chain which showed an explicit link between satisfied employees and
loyalty to their employers and degree of productivity. In short, employee satisfaction can
contribute to customer loyalty through a series of links referred to as the service profit
For long, the impact that individuals, groups and social structure have on behaviours and
attitudes within organisations have interested researchers. This is because work attitude
affects an organisations performance and the belief that satisfied employees are more
productive than dissatisfied ones Ostroff (1992). Job satisfaction is the second most
However, the search for an understanding of the causes of job satisfaction or dissatisfaction
is an ongoing area of interest for social scientists and managers; the premise being that
satisfied workers will be more productive remain with the organisation longer, whereas
dissatisfied workers will be less productive and more inclined to quit, Sarker, et al (2003).
Ostoff (1992) shows that organisations with highly satisfied, committed, adjusted and
organisations with less satisfied, less committed, less adjusted and more stressed members.
He, therefore, recommends that enhanced job satisfaction should be an organisations goal.
Other authors such as Nasurdin (2003) commented that there were very few studies that
Moreover, there are very few studies about job satisfaction among hotel employees in
Caribbean, primarily Jamaica, reported in literature, examples being Simons and Enz (1995)
and Sui et al. (1997) on what motivates hotel employees in the United States and Canada as
well as Hong Kong respectively. However, these studies did not examine the relationship
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between job satisfaction and organisational commitment. Hence the second objective of this
proposal is to assess certain factors to see the impact they have on job satisfaction. In
addition, Meyer (1984) in earlier studies suggested that older workers tend to be more
committed to an organisation since they are likely to experience greater satisfaction with
their jobs. Therefore, the third objective of this research paper is to assess the demographic
commitment.
many foodservice managers have little understanding of how to satisfy their employees and
how these employees satisfaction levels influence their intent to leave their position. In fact,
because of this limited understanding, managers efforts towards employee satisfaction can
sometimes create more discord than cohesion between employees and management, leading
One significant reason that the cost of turnover in the food and beverage industry remains
high is due to the high cost of training new employees. This problem is compounded with
the fact the food and beverage outlets are labour-intensive, National Restaurant Association
(2000).
One way to address the issue of turnover is to understand the levels of job satisfaction
employees have to their operation and to determine what affects these levels of satisfaction.
To do this, we must have a clear definition of job satisfaction and identify variables that
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Robbins (1994) opines that managers should be concerned with the level of job satisfaction
in their organisations for at least three reasons: there is clear evidence that dissatisfied
employees skip work more often and are more likely to resign; it has been demonstrated that
satisfied employees have better health and live longer; and satisfaction on the job carries
The researchers concern with hotels restaurant employees job satisfaction stemmed from
mounting evidence and hypotheses that most restaurant employees in Jamaica are not
With the inadequacy of findings and suggestions about the topic many Jamaican restaurant
employers do not have many facts to work with, instead would appear to work with what
suit everyone.
It is with this in mind that the researcher intends to fill this gap regarding the levels of job
Literature Matrix
Source
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Meyer organisation
commitment
Spector Job satisfaction B 1997
survey
commitment
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al chain
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B- Book
A- Article
LITERATURE REVIEW
Locke (1976) defined job satisfaction as ... a pleasurable or positive emotional state
resulting from the appraisal of ones job or job experience. That is, it is the discrepancy
between what an employee values and what the situation provides. Smith et al. (1969, p. 6)
suggested that ... job satisfaction are feelings or affective responses to facets of the
situation. (Dawis and Lofquist 1984) defined job satisfaction as the result of the workers
appraisal of the degree to which the work environment fulfils the individuals needs. These
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definitions, as (Lease 1998) pointed out, are similar to other definitions where job
satisfaction is viewed as the degree of an employees affective orientation toward the work
role occupied in the organisation. Employee satisfaction has always been important issues
for organisations. Few organisations have made job satisfaction a top priority, perhaps
because they have failed to understand the significant opportunity that lies in front of them.
Satisfied employees tend to be more productive, creative and committed to their employers.
More recent literature, Wikipedia (2007) notes that job satisfaction describes how content an
individual is with his or her job. Job satisfaction has also been defined as a pleasurable
emotional state resulting from the appraisal of ones job, an affective reaction to ones job
and an attitude towards ones job (Brief, 1998). (Weiss, 2002) argued that it is an attitude but
pointed out that researchers should differentiate between the objects of cognitive evaluation
which affect (emotion), beliefs and behaviours. Other authors argue that job satisfaction may
include factors such as workload, physical conditions, and career aspirations of individuals.
Job satisfaction is often described as the quality of life at work as experienced by the
employee and the condition that could be promoted by social responsibility programs
The job satisfaction research literature has been thoroughly reviewed at intervals of about a
decade in the past half century by authors such as, (Brayfield and Crockett, 1955; Vroom,
1964; and Locke, 1976) each summarized the field extensively and observed the limited
decade revisits to the subject, (Iaffaldano and Muchinsky, 1985) confirmed the limited
causal relationship between worker satisfaction and work output, lamenting that "empirical
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support for the satisfaction-performance relation does not approximate the degree to which
this relation has been espoused in theories of organisational design." With so much
disconfirmation, it would seem that the presumed relation of job satisfaction and
organisational commitment should long ago have been left behind as a dead-end issue.
liking ones job in general and a constellation of attitudes about various facets of the job
where individuals indicate their satisfaction with parts of their job, such as pay, promotion,
work, supervisors and co-workers, ( Ironson, Smith, Brannick, Gibson & Paul, 1989; Lease,
1998).
Considering job satisfaction as an attitude is also shared by (Mester, 2003) who viewed, job
satisfaction as an attitude, which has been extensively researched, and has in many studies
been considered a dependent and an independent variable. (Mester, 2003) cited researchers
such as (Agho and Price 1992, p. 185) who defined job satisfaction as the extent to which
Locke, (1976) Spector, (1997) view job satisfaction from two perspectives. One is the
employees assessment of what the job and work environment are currently providing; the
second is what the employee wants the job to provide or believe the job should provide,
Heneman (1981). Belasco and Alutto (1972, p.4) perceive it as the; willingness to remain in
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These definitions, as Lease (1998) pointed out, are similar to other definitions where job
satisfaction is viewed as the degree of an employees affective orientation toward the work
Spector (1997, p.2) also considers job satisfaction as a related constellation of attitudes
about various aspects or facets of the job. He believes that employees can feel very
differently about the various aspects of their jobs; therefore, he is a proponent of the facet
approach for determining job satisfaction. Spector argues that it provides a more complete
In exploring Edwin Lockes work on job satisfaction, specifically the definition stated
above, it reflects three important aspects of job satisfaction. Firstly, job satisfaction as a
obtain. For example, some hotel culture might value hiring people and helping them
develop, rather than firing them and leaving them jobless. Secondly, this definition
emphasizes that different employees have different views of which values are important,
which is critical in determining the nature and degree of their job satisfaction. The third
important aspect of job satisfaction is perception. The researcher views this perception as not
a completely accurate reflection of reality, as different people may view the same situation
differently. In a more tangible form job satisfaction is often considered in terms of intrinsic
and extrinsic factors, as proposed by (Herzberg 1966). Intrinsic factors (e.g., opportunities
satisfaction, whereas extrinsic factors (e.g., supervision, pay, policies, working conditions,
interpersonal relations, security) prevent job dissatisfaction (Szymanski & Parker, 1996,
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p.24). In order to prevent job dissatisfaction and retain employees in their current jobs,
employers need to keep up with changing values related toward work. (Kremer, et al, 2003)
Causes of job satisfaction were usually located in the level of interest in the work,
autonomy, responsibility, achievement, recognition or professional advancement. Causes of
dissatisfaction were usually to do with job insecurity, poor working relationships with
colleagues and supervisors and inadequate pay. Job satisfaction lay in the intrinsic factors
and the causes of dissatisfaction lay in extrinsic factors and the opportunities for workers to
exercise discretion should be reintroduced to jobs., Herzberg coined the term job
enrichment to refer to an approach that emphasized the enhancement of job content as a
means to increasing satisfaction, commitment and motivation and thereby productivity (p.
144).
Job satisfaction pioneer researcher (Locke 1975), pointed out in regard to Herzbergs theory
that there is a tendency forthose who choose to work in large firms to be more likely to
report hygienes and less likely to report motivators as sources of satisfaction (p. 469).
Overall Herzbergs theory provided a great deal of information on what motivates people in
general. However, it seems logical to the researcher the theory lacks the distinction between
Nevertheless, the researcher opine that Herzbergs theory is worth utilizing in this study in
order to further understand those factors that can lead to dissatisfaction and satisfaction in
employees.
Numerous studies have shown that dissatisfied employees are more likely to quit their jobs
or be absent than satisfied employees (Crow et al. 2006; Kacel et al. 2005; Saari and Judge
2004; Wild et al. 2006). Numerous job satisfaction studies since have utilized Herzberg's
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model of job satisfaction (Kacel et al. 2005; Koelbel et al. 1991; Moreno 1998; Owings
1999; Quizon-Guatno 2006; Schiestel 2007; Smith Randolf and Johnson 2005), providing
the understanding that overall satisfaction level is an indicator of the balance of motivating
Job satisfaction in organisations has been receiving increasing attention because it reduces
employee turnover, absenteeism, tardiness, and health setbacks due to stress. Workers who
are satisfied at their workplaces show positive attitudes in their homes and make a
psychologically healthy society. Many of the studies on job satisfaction have been done
variables such as age, gender, race, and education have an effect on job satisfaction. It has
been shown, for instance, that older workers are more likely to be satisfied than younger
workers and also that non-white employees are less satisfied than white employees. Work
related variables such as whether the job is interesting, good relations with management, job
security (permanent or contract jobs), higher pay, a sense of control over ones work were
identified as important factors underlying job satisfaction (Miller, 1980; Souza-Poza, 2000).
Onu et al., (2005) examined the factors affecting job satisfaction of field extension workers
two extension staff randomly selected across three agricultural zones. The field extension
workers indicated low level of satisfaction with their job content, conditions of service and
working environment, which were subsequently identified as key factors that could enhance
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Tutuncu and Kozak (2006) measured job satisfaction in the Turkish Hotel industry using a
job satisfaction index. Attributes such as the work itself, supervision, and promotion were
noted as the determinants of the level of overall job satisfaction among Turkish hotel
Employee satisfaction with the organisation, their supervisor, and work environment has
been found to contribute to the employee's appraisal of the work situation and work related
behaviours (Testa et al., 1998). The extensive literature available contains potentially
workers who are most dissatisfied also exhibit a higher frequency of absence. The
explanation most frequently offered for this correlation is the likelihood that people escape,
even if only temporarily, from unpleasant work circumstances. Many other factors are also
influential here. Absences, for instance, often increase around holidays. Absences may also
be the result of dissatisfactions outside the workplace that have nothing to do with one's job.
Thus, while absences and dissatisfaction are sometimes statistically correlated, costly and
extensive redesign of work to increase satisfaction with the purpose of reducing absenteeism
would be difficult to justify in many if not most instances. (Salazar, 2006) points out that
employee satisfaction with the organisation, their supervisor, and work environment have
been found to contribute to the employee's appraisal of the work situation and work related
behaviours. These work related behaviour according to (Testa et al., 1998) can be a leading
employees tend to lead to satisfied guests. Another benefit of job satisfaction is reduced
turnover. Research has shown that satisfied employees are more likely to stay in the
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organisation than those who are dissatisfied (Mobley et al., 1979; and Salazar and Hubbard,
reduce turnover. Numerous studies have shown that dissatisfied employees are more likely
to quit their jobs or be absent than satisfied employees (Crow et al. 2006; Kacel et al. 2005;
A recent study of Auckland hospitality workers (Poulston, 2006) indicated short lengths of
employment are common (87% have been in their current job fewer than five years), and
that the majority work part-time. The latest survey conducted by the Restaurant Association
(March 2006) indicates an average annual staff turnover of 29%, up from 26% in 2005. A
New Zealand study of productivity found that high-involvement work practices and
employee retention were strongly associated with strong enterprise performance (Guthrie,
2001). While turnover increases exposure to disruptions associated with the loss of
employees in high involvement work practices this damage is greater than in settings where
processes are more automated, for example the preparation areas of fast food establishments
(Krackhardt & Porter, 1986). Since staff turnover is costly and time consuming and involves
extra training, large hotels are the most pro-active in developing strategies to cope with
turnover and to increase retention. Such strategies include succession planning, valuing
internal communication to develop teams, and offering incentives for staff to stay. Training
with a particular organisation and its goals, and wishes to maintain membership in the
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organisation. So, high job involvement means identifying with one's specific job, while high
and continuance (Allen & Meyer, 1990). As defined by (Mowday, Porter, and Steers, 1982,
organisations goals and values; a willingness to exert considerable effort on behalf of the
commitment, which considers the idea that individuals do not leave a company for fear of
losing their benefits, taking a pay cut, and not being able to find another job (Murray,
(Mowday, et al., 1982). Since commitment is a more global response to an organisation and
job satisfaction is more of a response to a specific job or various facets of the job author
such as (Wiener, 1982), relates job satisfaction to an attitude toward work-related conditions,
facets, or aspects of the job. Therefore, commitment suggests more of an attachment to the
employing organisation as opposed to specific tasks, environmental factors, and the location
where the duties are performed (Mowday, et al., 1982). When discussed on these terms,
commitment should be more consistent than job satisfaction over time. (Mowday et al.,
1982, p.28) argues that, Although day-to-day events in the work place may affect an
employees level of job satisfaction, such transitory events should not cause an employee to
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In a study by Andrew Hale Feinstein Assistant Professor of University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Restaurant Employees (1998), he proved that the several scores for Job satisfaction; store
location had a significant effect on the level of satisfaction with policies; and the level of
policies, compensation, work conditions, and advancement were found to have a significant
far more frequently used job satisfaction predictor. Organisational commitment is probably a
better predictor because it is a more global and enduring response to the organisation as a
whole than is job satisfaction. An employee may be dissatisfied with his or her particular job
and consider it a temporary condition, yet not be dissatisfied with the organisation as a
whole. But when dissatisfaction spreads to the organisation itself, individuals are more likely
to consider resigning. Researchers have found that job satisfaction is correlated with
turnover but not to the extent that a predictive model can be created (Kraut, 1975).
Other author such as, (Lilly, 1997) believes that organisational commitment is also a result
of job satisfaction. The positive indicators of commitment are productivity and health and
the more satisfied an employee is with their job, the more they will produce and the healthier
However, studies have also shown that in some cases, high production itself causes high job
sabotage, and violence. These factors obviously indicate low commitment towards the
organisation and low job satisfaction. Surprisingly enough, turnover (another indicator) is
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neither positively nor negatively related to organisational commitment nor job satisfaction,
(Lilly, 1997).
employee job dissatisfaction and poor dedication to hospitality organisations have been
them. This paper takes the position that job satisfaction is a contributor factor to
Restaurant managers should be interested in their employees' attitudes because attitudes give
warnings of potential problems and because they influence behavior. Satisfied and
committed employees, for instance, have lower rates of turnover and absenteeism. Given
that managers want to keep resignations and absences down, especially among their more
productive employees, they will want to do those things that will generate positive job
attitudes.
Hence, managers in todays organisations have to place great importance on the issue of job
satisfaction of their employees. One of the hypotheses of this study is that employees who
are satisfied are more likely to be committed to their organisations. Another hypothesise is
that, these workers, in return, are more likely to take pride in organisational membership,
believe in the goals and values of the organisation and, therefore, exhibit higher levels of
performance and productivity ( Steinhaus and Perry 1996). Various authors (Heskett;
Sasser, & Schlesinger, 1997) and (Weaver, 1994) agree with the view that satisfied
employees are also more productive. Productivity results from how hard employees work
plus how smart they work (Reichheld, 1996). According to Reichheld, three criteria drive
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how hard employees work. They work the hardest when: (1) they have job pride, (2) when
they find their jobs interesting and meaningful, and (3) when they are recognized for their
work and benefit from the work they have accomplished. He states that employees work
smart when they are adequately trained and have been on the job long enough to reap the
Satisfied employees provide a higher level of external service quality, the service experience
that customers receive and evaluate, which leads to increased customer satisfaction, (Arnett,
Laverie & McLane 2002), (Griffith, 2001), (Heskett;, Sasser, & Schlesinger, 1997) .
(Arnett, Laverie and McLane, 2002) found that employee satisfaction is linked to positive
(Kovach, 1977). Further, since restaurant employees deal with very specific tasks on a daily
basis, there may be a link between individuals demographic characteristics and their job
Employee satisfaction has always been important issues for organisations. Few practices (in
fact, few organisations) have made job satisfaction a top priority, perhaps because they have
failed to understand the significant opportunity that lies in front of them. Satisfied
employees tend to be more productive, creative and committed to their organisations. For
generations, employers and labour unions focused on salaries and fringe benefits as the
rewards that would keep workers producing at top efficiency. However, research done by
(Spector, 1997) has shown that money is not always the primary ingredient of satisfying job
or the sole motivator for working and achieving. Employers fail to realize that
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Job satisfaction traditionally has followed a single underlying continuum. On the end of the
continuum is supposed to represent a high level of satisfaction with the job while the other
end is purported to reflect a high level of dissatisfaction with the job (Young, 1983).
However, studies on job satisfaction have been premised on a wide range of theoretical
(Herzberg, 1966), discrepancy and equity theories (Lawler, 1973), expectancy theory
(Vroom, 1964), facet satisfaction theory (Lawler, 1973), and value theory (Locke, 1976).
These studies have shown that human behaviours in organisations are influenced by both
organisational (extrinsic) and personal (intrinsic) factors. For many years behavioural
scientists believed that satisfaction led to job performance. In later years, (Porter and Lawler,
1968) turned this position around and contend that job performance leads to job satisfaction.
Hence, if employees do a good job and are rewarded for doing so, job satisfaction will
result. While some researchers continue to rely on Maslows need-fulfilment approach, its
limited utility for satisfaction has been underlined by several critics, (Miskel, 1992). The
theory but it has attracted widespread criticisms. Vrooms expectancy theory has been
criticised mostly for the short-lived usefulness of the detailed information that it generates,
(Scott et.al, 1972). Some studies, for example, (Johnson and Holdaway, 1991) used the
Lawler facet satisfaction approach to inform their work. Regardless of the theoretical
framework they use, many researchers have shown keen interest in the study of job
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satisfaction. Many of these studies use different facets of satisfaction to predict employee
1993; Oshagbemi, 2000; Yousef, 1998). Whereas extrinsic factors (e.g., supervision, pay,
(Szymanski & Parker, 1996, p.24). In order to prevent job dissatisfaction and retain
employees in their current jobs, employers need to keep up with changing values related
toward work. (Kremer, et. al, 2003) mentioned in reference to Herzbergs theory that:
(Nasurdin and Ramayah, 2003), citing the work of (OReilly and Caldwell, 1980), indicated
that both task and organisational rewards contribute to job satisfaction. Task rewards are
intrinsic rewards directly associated with the job such as interesting and challenging work,
variety and opportunities to use ones skills. Organisational rewards are the tangible rewards
that are visible to others such as pay, promotion and comfortable working conditions.
(Hoppock, 1935) forwarded a traditional approach to job satisfaction. Here, job satisfaction
is a result of various factors in the working environment and if these factors are present, job
satisfaction will arise, otherwise job dissatisfaction will emerge. The same factors will
influence job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction. In contrast, (Herzberg et al., 1959)
distinguished the factors like work environment, pay and company policies that eliminate
job dissatisfaction as the hygiene factors while the factors creating job satisfaction like
challenging work, responsibility, recognition and achievement as motivators. Hence, the job
Such widespread empirical investigation has led to increasingly complex interpretations and
uncertainty about theoretical meanings (Hodson, 1991). Researchers, therefore, must specify
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relationship with what she or he does, many related to the tasks being performed.
Dissatisfiers, on the other hand, have to do with a person' relationship to the context or
environment in which she or he performs the job. The satisfiers relate to what a person does
while the dissatisfiers relate to the situation in which the person does what he or she does.
in the Caribbean or specifically Jamaica was futile. However, since this study perception is
based on Herzberg motivator-hygiene theory the author review other information related to
differences on these preferences, Charles and Marshall conducted a survey in seven hotels in
the Bahamas. Hotel workers were motivated most by higher wages but differences in age,
organisational level and number of years in the same job position also influenced workers
motivational preferences in their study of job satisfaction and motivation, Herzberg et al.
(1959) identified a number of attitudinal factors concerning job satisfaction and motivation.
The motivators relate to the work itself and represent sources of satisfaction at work, such as
achievement, recognition, work itself, responsibility, advancement and growth, whereas the
hygiene factors relate to the work environment as potential sources of dissatisfaction, such
conditions, status and security. These general job satisfaction factors if are positive will lead
1.
Satisfaction with
Hygiene Factors
Satisfa
Job
ction
Satisfaction with
Organisational
Motivator Factors
Commitment
Demographic Variables
Age
Marital Status
Education
Tenure
Position
Yrs. Food
Service
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Commitment.
Job satisfaction and employee commitment receive considerable attention from industrial
commitment. First, (OReilly and Chatman 1986) used (Kelmans 1958) typology to
distinguish three forms of organisational commitment, including (a) identification with the
organisation, (b) internalization of the organisations values, and (c) compliance. Affective
involvement in the organisation, which is the type of commitment in their taxonomy that is
theoretically most aligned with autonomous motivation. (Gagne, Boies, Koestner, and
Martens, 2004) thus predicted that affective commitment would be facilitated by employees
autonomous motivation. The researcher found this literature relevant as it shows the same
commitment that (Gagne and Koestner ,2002) had found when they related the types of
the type of organisational commitment that encompasses accepting the organisational goals,
being committed to the organisation, and feeling engaged with and attached to the
Although there is certainly a chicken-and-egg debate over issues regarding the relationship
between job satisfaction and organisational commitment, several researchers have made the
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was found to exist, (Yousef, 1998). Also, in a later study by (Yousef, 2000); it was revealed
that leadership behaviour was affected by commitment, which was affected by job
When discussed on these terms, organisational commitment should have some relationship
with job satisfaction over time. Although day-to-day events in the work place may affect an
employees level of job satisfaction, such transitory events should not cause an employee to
re-evaluate seriously his or her attachment to the overall organisation (Mowday et al.,
1982p.28).
Further, since restaurant employees deal with very specific tasks on a daily basis, there may
be considered. Perhaps a better understanding of these issues and their relationships can aid
further research, pinpoint better strategies for recruiting, promotion, and training of future
restaurant employees, and for reducing the amount of turnover. The scope of this study
focuses upon job satisfaction and its relationship with organisational commitment. Similar
studies were sought in reviewing the literature with few found by the researchers. However,
the researcher hopes to fill the gap in the Caribbean and Jamaica regarding the level of job
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Summary
Job satisfaction has numerous definitions. One common theme that pervades most of them is
the affective character of satisfaction and dissatisfaction. In the broadest sense, job
satisfaction refers to a persons personal general attitude towards the job or towards specific
facets of the job, Hodson (1991) Employee satisfaction has always been important issues for
organisations. Few practices (in fact, few organisations) have made job satisfaction a top
priority, perhaps because they have failed to understand the significant opportunity that lies
in front of them.
with a particular organisation and its goals, and wishes to maintain membership in the
organisation. So, high job involvement means identifying with one's specific job, while high
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Restaurant managers should be interested in their employees' attitudes because attitudes give
warnings of potential problems and because they influence behavior. Satisfied and
committed employees, for instance, have lower rates of turnover and absenteeism. Given
that managers want to keep resignations and absences down-especially among their more
productive employees - they will want to do those things that will generate positive job
attitudes.
Hence, managers in todays organisations have to place great importance on the issue of job
satisfaction of their employees. This is because employees who are satisfied are more likely
to be committed to their organisations. These workers, in return, are more likely to take
pride in organisational membership, believe in the goals and values of the organisation and,
therefore, exhibit higher levels of performance and productivity Steinhaus and Perry (1996).
Theorists and practitioners seem to accept the assumption that nearly everybody seeks
satisfaction in his or her work. Satisfaction and success are considered as the two summary
Theorists and practitioners seem to accept the assumption that nearly everybody seeks
satisfaction in his or her work. Satisfaction and success are considered as the two summary
theory, Vrooms expectancy theory and Lawler facet satisfaction approach to inform their
work.
Regardless of the theoretical framework they use, many researchers have shown keen
foodservice workers. Factors such as work conditions, compensation, and recognition are
some of the main ones that this study explored and seek to justify the literature presented.
METHODOLOGY
The prime focus of this study is to establish whether or not there are any significant
variables) among restaurants employees of Sunset Jamaica Grande. This was based on
theoretical and philosophical assumptions that the research had made. In sum, their overall
level of job satisfaction constituted the main independent variable. According to Wiersma
(1991), this is an ex post factor research design because the independent variables have
already occurred. The observation was made on the dependent variables followed by a
According to Rowley (2002, p. 18 a research design is defined as ...the logic that links the
data to be collected and the conclusions to be drawn to the initial questions of the study; it
ensures coherence.
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The main study sample was consisting of a number of employees from a total of five
restaurants. This provided an ample amount of data which contributed to the research
Reliability and validity are sometimes used interchangeable; however, they mean different
things. Reliability according to (Moskowitz et al 2005, p. 161) is the degree to which the
same result occurs when the experiment is repeated. While validity refers to whether a
particular indicator measures what it is intended to measure rather than some other
Moskowitz et al (2005) stipulated that reliability is not investigated nor established, rather,
most researcher simply choose a method that they believe to be reliable as well as valid (
162).
The researcher used the mixed methods designs, also known as triangulation; in other words,
both qualitative and quantitative research was used to investigate the relationship between
job satisfaction and organisational commitment. The use of a mixed method facilitates the
procedures for collecting, analyzing, and relating both quantitative and qualitative data in a
Through the use of the triangulation approach the researcher was able to study the issues in
its entirety and provide conclusions. According to (Creswell, 2006) the reason for using this
mixed-method approach is to provide strength to offset the weakness of the other form.
Author such as (Saunders, 2006) agrees that triangulation, enhances reliability and validity.
Frechling et al, (1992) also agree that the use of triangulation approach for an evaluation can
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increase both validity and reliability of evaluation data. Reliability is increased if results are
consistent, as it demonstrates that the same data collection method yields the same results
even from different participants or sources. Also, validity is increased when there is a
Quantitative methodology was used to assess the demographic variables, while qualitative
Secondary Research
Job satisfaction and organisational commitment have been well documented in numerous
studies discussing how each variable affects the other, (Porter et al., 1974; Mottaz, 1987;
Williams and Anderson, 1991; Vanderberg and Lance, 1992; Knoop, 1995; Young, Worchel
Job satisfaction and organisational commitment often lead itself to the development of
various ideologies. Secondary data, as being defined by Saunders et al (2007, p. 611) means:
data used for a research project that were originally collected for some other purpose.
(Kamins and Stewart 1993, p.1) defines secondary research as secondary information
consisting of sources of data and information collected by others and archived in some
form. The acquisition of these data has been beneficial to studies that require national or
international comparison that will provide the main source to answer research questions and
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Therefore, the secondary research is presented in the form of a literature review which
utilizes detailed review and assessment of prior research concerning job satisfaction and
organisational commitment.
Various literatures were sourced in an effort to compile the literature review. The research
project requires some combination of primary and secondary data sources. Primary source
literature, according to (Wiersma, 2000, pg. 221) is first-hand accounts of the event or
experience under study. The researcher reviewed primary source literatures that include:
government statistics and reports, Jamaica master plan for tourism report, and geographical
data.
primary sources. Secondary sources were taken from international journals, articles and
reports, these provided information that were common to Jamaica and the area of study.
Anne P. Crick, for instance, faculty in the Department of Management Studies at the
University of West Indies, Jamaica, writes several reports on the issue hotel workers
behaviour towards their organisation and factors which might influence their level of job
satisfaction. (Crick, 2007) reports show commonalities between Jamaica and other regions.
A vast amount of journals were used throughout the study to develop the theoretical
framework and to make comparison between studies that were already done in the area of
study. The journals provided both up-to-date and outdated information on job satisfaction
and organisational commitment to choose from. The researcher was able critically evaluated
the literature and made comparison, similarities and develop conclusions from materials
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selected. (Saunders, et al, 2007 and Creswell 2006); all suggest that books may contain
information that is not current and could be useful to clarify the research questions.
Therefore, books also formed as part of the secondary sources. The researcher adopted the
deductive approach because of the widely used theoretical literature. The deductive
Deductive reasoning is from general principle and narrows to specific situations, (Wiersma
2000).By using this approach the researcher was able to use analyzed data and test them
against the information carried out from the secondary and primary research, thus
In addition, the use of the deductive approach has aid the researcher in testing the adequacy
of the framework by explaining the findings base on theoretical information gathered in the
literature review.
Theoretical framework
distinctive but simultaneously contributory theories. (Kumar, 2005) also suggests that it
includes all the theories that have been put forward in the literature review. The theories that
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theory.
Primary Research
Primary research involves the collection of data that does not already exist
including questionnaires and telephone interviews amongst others. The data collected could
lead to new findings and theories. Primary research can speak to unanswered questions from
secondary research and can also be used to complement and to enhance the findings from
In order to achieve reliability and validity in the study; the researcher facilitates objectivity
and subjectivity in the nature of the research, in an effort to avoid personal biases and
opinions.
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Research Design
A survey research design was used in this study to investigate job satisfaction and
out at Sunset Jamaica Grande and Spa. The hotel is located in one of Jamaicas main resort
area, Ocho Rios. Sunset Jamaica Grande and Spa is one Jamaicas largest hotel with 730
rooms.
Sunset Jamaica Grande was selected as an appropriate organisation to conduct the research
because; firstly, the hotel has a number of five different restaurants. This has increased the
amount of data that were collected, thus increasing its validity and reliability. Secondly, the
hotel has a number of restaurant employees who have been with the organisation from the
commitment refers to some form of attachment and loyalty to the organisation. ( Meyer &
Allen 1997) define a committed employee as being one who stays with an organisation.
Finally, Sunset Jamaica Grande was very accommodating and had no problem allowing the
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Participants were 80 employees and their direct supervisors working in the Restaurant
division of the Food and Beverage department, as well as the Human Resources Manager.
The participants held a variety of job positions within this department at various
Restaurant Supervisors
Captain
Second-Level Headwaiter
Positions Host/Hostess
Waiter/waitress
Positions Runner
Barback
Table 1. Job Level Positions in the Restaurant Department
The researcher gathered data from most of the different positions identified. These positions
can be grouped according to first-level (entry, unskilled and semi-skilled), second level
(skilled) and third level (executive and supervisory), as being represented in Table 1. This
wide category of employees allows the researcher to produce a bias free, complete and
decisive research.
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Case study was the research strategy used. A case studies according to (Yin, 1994, p.9) cited
Is the how or why question about contemporary set of events over which the investigator
This statement emphasises that a case study is good for contemporary event when the
A case study investigates contemporary phenomena within its real life context...when the
boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident.
Case study research can be based on any mix of quantitative and qualitative approaches,
(Rowley, 2002). Therefore these multiple data sources of evidence were gathered through
the use of descriptive and explanatory case study methods, which include interviews and
documents. Typically, the descriptive aspect described the current practices, while the
explanatory aspect seeks to use theories as means of understanding and explaining these
current practices.
There as been numerous scepticism about case studies, (Rowley, 2002; Easton, 1982) have
declared that case studies were viewed as lacking scientific feel and objectivity.
This is a somewhat narrow conception of the application of case study research, (Rowley,
2002). As discussed above case studies according to (Rowley, 2002) are useful in providing
In addition, (Saunders, 2007) points out that a well-constructed case study strategy can
enable one to challenge an existing theory. In order to challenge existing theories, data must
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be collected and analyzed. Consequently, because the case study strategy was employed the
collection of the data was done through the use of quantitative and qualitative method.
population, such as the number of years employed, and employees level of satisfaction. The
qualitative methodology has sought to explain the findings from the quantitative research.
The researcher was therefore enabled to study the issues in depth and provide conclusions.
Therefore, the triangulation approach was used; the results were used to understand the
(Creswell, 2006) the reason for using this multi-method approach is to provide strength to
offset the weakness of the other form. Multi method an example of the concept
The data was collected through the use of questionnaires and semi-structured interviews.
INSTRUMENT
Questionnaires
The questionnaire was administered in the form of an analytical survey. Analytical surveys
attempt to describe and explain why certain situations exist. In this approach two or more
variables are usually examined to test research hypotheses Wimmer and Dominick (2005).
The results according to Wimmer and Dominick (2005) allow researchers to examine the
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this survey the researcher was able to analyze the relationship between the different facets of
The questionnaires were delivered and collected by the researcher. Adequate time was given
the participants to answer the questions, which were partly open-ended and closed-ended. A
clear and concise explanation about the intentions and confidentiality of the research was
The questionnaire instrument was structured using the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire
(MSQ). This scale was modified to include questions on, age, education level, tenure,
designed to measure an employee's satisfaction with his or her job. The MSQ short form
employee attitude were adapted for use in this study. This is because, it has been shown that
the long form is too long to acquire information on subject that is already stressed Sarkar
(1997). This form can be scored on three scales: intrinsic satisfaction, extrinsic satisfaction
and general satisfaction Weiss, et al., (1967) as shown in Table 2. The MSQ short form
utilizes a Likert-type scale with five response alternatives ranging from "Very Dissatisfied"
(weighted 1) to "Very Satisfied" (weighted 5) for each of the 20 factors. The researcher also
adapted the Organisational Commitment Questionnaire (OCQ). Porter and Smith (1970)
created the OCQ by identifying certain factors that could be correlated with their definition
of organisational commitment:
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These factors were rated by participants on a 7-point Likert-type scale ranging from
The distribution and collection of the questionnaires were administered through a two day
visit.
Between the five restaurants, there were 144 employees as of January 1, 2010; Table 1 gives
a breakdown of all the employees found in this department. Out of the 144 employees, seven
were in their first week of employment and were excluded from the study. The
strategy.
Breakfast buffet 5 4 9
Lunch buffet 4 4 8
Dinner buffet 5 1 6
Commissary 6 6 12
TOTAL 86 58 144
However, after careful examination of the collected questionnaires it was realized that the
study generated a 74% percent response rate providing a pool of 102 respondents.
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Response rate, according to (Phillips, 1941) is the single most important indicator of how
much confidence can be placed in the results of a survey. (Edwards et al 1996) also defines a
response rate as the percentage of people who complete and return a survey. A low response
rate can be devastating to the reliability of a study (Benson, 1946; Phillips, 1941; Robinson,
1952). Therefore the researcher must do everything possible to maximize response (Berdie,
Anderson, and Neibuhr, 1986, p. 17). However, Jones and Lang (1980) point out that
increasing the response rate does not necessarily improve the precision of the survey results.
Chart 1 shows a breakdown and an account for the total questionnaires that were distributed.
After the collection and examination of the questionnaires 12% were not returned, 5% of the
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questionnaires were out of scope, that is, person outside of the target group answered them
and 9% were partially answered. The remaining 74% were used as the sample population.
With a response rate of 50% and greater it is adequate to conduct a research as agreed by
authors such as (Babbie, 1973) who was cited by (Edwards et al, 1996) in their work.
(Edwards et al 1996) argue that response rate reported in the published research literature
rangefrom 35% to 80%. In other words between the five restaurants, there were
Therefore the researcher is confident that the 74% response rate was adequate to use as the
particular demographic factors (age, education level, tenure, position, marital status, years in
the foodservice, and hours worked per week) of the restaurant employees which may
significantly affect their job satisfaction and organisational commitment. Wiener (1982)
states that job satisfaction is an attitude toward work-related conditions, facets of the job.
Although difference in gender was considered in the total population, it was not a variable
under review. However, the researcher noted that the sample size of the male almost double
that of the female, as shown in table 1. These data were found useful in the analysis and
interpretation of the data and help in building a theory from the findings.
Un-structured Interviews
An interview is a purposeful discussion between two or more people (Kahn and Canneil,
cited in Saunders 2007, p310). The interview is probably the most widely employed method
of qualitative research. The use of the un-structured interview was sought because it allows
flexibility and ensures an understanding of the respondents point of view rather than
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approach. Firstly, the interviewees were asked to give their perspective on the relationship
between job satisfaction and organisational commitment in an effort to make the participant
The interview, although was like a normal conversation, the interviewees were encouraged
to focus on specific points that relate to job satisfaction and organisational commitment of
restaurant workers.
The researcher used a focus group type interview, which according to (Quinn, 1987) take
place with a small group of people on a specific topic. Focus groups can be thought of as an
unstructured interview with several people at the same time. They can contain from 6 to 20
participants and a group leader (usually the researcher). The way in which members of the
focus group related to each other and engaged with what each other are saying will help to
determine the success of the interview. A focus group consisting of the Food and Beverage
Manager, the Human Resource Manager (HR), the Restaurant Manager and three assistance
Restaurant Managers was considered to be useful in exploring values, beliefs, and attitudes
towards the organisations policies. The group fall in the category of the third level of job
position which carries out mostly management, operational and supervisory roles. This has
enabled the researcher to acquire information from a higher stratum of the organisation that
practices the top down operational strategy approach to decision making. (Slack, 2008)
points out that this approach is one which allows the operation to be governed by decisions
taken at the top of the organisation and set the overall strategic direction of the organisation.
Therefore the managers in this department are given authority to make decision that can
affect human resource. These decisions can affect the relationship between individual staff,
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their shared values and understanding of the overall objectives, and an understanding of
who knows what and who can get things done, (Slack et al 2008). The outcome may result
The interviews were carried out after the data from the questionnaire was reviewed. The
interviewees were assured of confidentiality throughout the entire research, and were
reminded that all identity and information will be for the sole purpose of this research.
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This chapter presents an analysis of the research findings from the data collected. The
integration of the findings with the literature to establish similarities and differences with
others research findings is the prime focus of this section of the study. The main aim of this
study is to evaluate the extent to which job satisfaction contributes to the organisational
A twenty four question survey was developed to explore whether there is a relationship
The un-structured interviewed questions were also an important element in the analytical
process, whereby, the researcher was able to make conclusion concerning the level of job
The data was analysed and discussion was done to justify or answer each objective. Hence
objective number one that seeks to find out the factors that impact on current job satisfaction
was done first. This analysis focuses on demographic factors such gender and age group
which provided a possible indicator to the correlation of job satisfaction and further,
organisational commitment.
The findings of the questionnaires show that the restaurant department employees
population surveyed at Sunset Jamaica Grande Resort and Spa consist of sixty seven (68)
males equivalent to 67%, while (34) thirty four or 33% are females. 24% of the
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respondents were between the age group 18-25 years, 60% within the 26-36 age group,
16% between the 36-45 age group and in the 46-55 and over age group only 1%. This is
representative of a young workforce, dominated by male with 68% of the population within
With the hotel in existence for over 10 years, (during which, there has been changes in
ownership), 65.69% of employees surveyed were employed for 2-4 years, another 15.69%
for under 1year, 12.75% employees for 5-7 years , 3.92% employees for 7-10 years, and
only 1.96% of employees have been at the property 10 years and over, Chart 4.
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The demographic data was truly representative of the population when compared with
employee files. A total 124 line staff participated in the research complemented by 7
managers which includes only one restaurant manager who is a male, and 13 supervisors
who are referred to as shift leaders. Of all the 7 managers surveyed only 1 has worked at the
hotel for more than 10 years, the other 6 have worked 2 years and more. This also represents
Of the 68 males respondents 24% were of the 18-25 age group, 60% of the 26-35 age
group, and 16% of the 36-45 age group and 1% of the over 46 years age group. This is also
indicative of a young male dominated population. Martin et al (2007) revealed that the
highest percentage of young workers is situated within the restaurant sector. Some
Herzberg et al., 1957; Clark et al., (1996) suggest that job satisfaction is U-shaped in age,
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with higher levels of morale among young workers but that this declines after the novelty
of employment wears off and boredom with the job sets in.
In terms of years service 1% of males surveyed have been at the property for more than ten
years compared to 0% of the male population, while 75% of the respondents are with the
company for 2-4 years. This shows a low turnover rate for restaurant staff which could be
an indication that there is some amount of job satisfaction. A benefit of job satisfaction is
reduced turnover. Research has shown that satisfied employees are more likely to stay in the
organisation than those who are dissatisfied (Mobley et al., 1979; and Salazar and Hubbard,
2000). Numerous studies have shown that dissatisfied employees are more likely to quit
their jobs or be absent than satisfied employees (Crow et al. 2006; Kacel et al. 2005; Saari
and Judge 2004; Wild et al. 2006). (Chiu et al, 2005) expressed that the tourism and
hospitality sector has historically had a relatively high staff turnover rate.
In relation to the level of qualification of the restaurant employees, it is important that food
service worker have the required skills and competencies to effectively carry out their duties
efficiency, (Bassett, 1994). Jayawardena (1994) in presenting the Model of the hotel school
in Guyana stated that the higher demand is usually for graduates with practical skills in hotel
and catering operations. With the development of various training institutions offering
accredited and unaccredited programmes, the opportunity is there for foodservice worker to
improve on themselves. As reflected in the data collected 47.06% of the respondents have a
certificate in the related field, 35.29% are HEART/LEVEL 1 or 2 trained, 11.76% holds an
Associate Degree and 0.98% holds a Bachelor of Science Degree, 4% have the basic
training, Chart 5.
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As reflected in the data the most qualified persons have the management positions and
were also considered for and given promotion. This the researcher theorises, would have
1966) intrinsic factors (e.g., opportunities for advancement and growth, and achievement)
promote job satisfaction. According to (Reichheld, 1996) employees work smart when they
are adequately trained and have been on the job long enough to reap the benefits from their
training. Ben Henry, (2004) argues that enhancing employee value through training and
development will motivate and empower them and then reward them thereafter.
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Chart 6. Promotion
As shown Chart 7 despite the labour intensiveness of the hotel and tourism sector 73.53%
of restaurant employees have retained their jobs for up to four years and a total of 6%
retained their jobs between 5-10 years. This shows some amount of stability in the
restaurant industry and suggests that employees are appreciation of the industry through
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their commitment to the organisation and hence is able to cope with the demands of the
industry.
The restaurant department of Sunset Jamaica Grande success is dependent on the high
quality of service given to the guests at all times. The main stakeholders responsible for
ensuring that this quality service is maintained are the restaurant employees of this
organisation.
In order to evaluate the level of job satisfaction and its contribution to organisational
commitment of the restaurant employees a number of factors were taken into consideration.
Firstly, the employees level of satisfaction with the aspect of job was analysis, related and
compared to secondary data on the variables. Job satisfaction has been recognized as a
employees deal with very specific tasks on a daily basis, there may be a link between
particular type of work. Spector (1997, p.2) also considers job satisfaction as a related
constellation of attitudes about various aspects or facets of the job. He believes that
employees can feel very differently about the various aspects of their jobs; therefore, he is a
proponent of the facet approach for determining job satisfaction. Spector argues that it
effort to link the outcome of job satisfaction with organisational commitment also explored
the findings with secondary data in order to justify the objectives of this study.
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particular organisation and its goals, and wishes to maintain membership in the organisation,
To better understand the perspective of the employees as it relates to how they view their
environment in an effort to determine the level of satisfaction that exist at the hotel, they
were asked to identify how the best feel about their job. Remarkable 88.24% of the total
sample population expressed that they find it enjoyable, while only 11.76% find it
manageable and amazingly 0.0% respondents found it stressful and boring (see Chart 8).
Herzberg theorized that, job satisfaction contributes to job enrichment an approach that
commitment and motivation and thereby productivity. Herzberg two hygiene factors were
the foundation on which this study builds it theories. According to the data collected, work
conditions one of the hygiene factors was rated satisfied. This is a positive indication
According to Reichheld, who believes that when employees find their jobs interesting and
meaningful they tend to value their job more, hence the organisation. Therefore, the data
from the 88.24% respondents (see Chart 8) can be interpreted as an indication of the
employees level of satisfaction with the job and also an ability to cope with the working
environment.
In order to further examine both job satisfaction and organisation commitment of the
why employees choose to continue enjoying their jobs within the hospitality industry. After
carefully examining the data is was revealed that 41% of the total respondents feel that pay
influence their commitment to the organisation, while 29% feels promotion, 11%
cooperation, 10% good work environment, 7% secured employment and only 2% believe
benefits package does, (As shown in Chart 9). This reveals that extrinsic factor such a pay
has an important role to play in influencing the staff commitment to the organisation and
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In order to prevent job dissatisfaction and retain employees in their current jobs, employers
need to keep up with changing values related toward work. (Kremer, et al, 2003) mentioned
(Nasurdin and Ramayah, 2003), citing the work of (OReilly and Caldwell, 1980), indicated
Task rewards can be intrinsic rewards directly associated with the job such as interesting and
challenging work, variety and opportunities to use ones skills. Organisational rewards are
the tangible rewards that are visible to others such as pay, promotion and comfortable
working conditions. Despite the fact the working environment conditions are found to be
enjoyable, payment for job done is seen as the greatest reason for influencing organisational
commitment.
It can be argued that the responses that were given from all the respondents reflect what is
felt within the industry. Although the pay might not be quite attractive, it was pointed out
during the interview person expressed that it better than nothing and most time ends are
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able to be met. There has also been a great reduction of the employment among Jamaican;
therefore many are willing to remain with a job once there are some rewards.
Therefore, the responses that were given could have been a misconception about the
industry on a whole. However, it is this facet of the job that causes one to feel satisfied or
In relation to the MSQ. the findings from the primary research tool indicated an average
level satisfaction with the jobs within restaurant department of Sunset Jamaica Grande.
Each factor has been individually discussed based on the specific question asked in relation
to that factor and comparisons made between different aspects of the job. Calculating the
findings as a percentage of that level helps to determine the level of satisfaction, by placing
The MSQ short form utilizes a Likert-type scale with five response alternatives ranging from
"Very Dissatisfied" (weighted 1) to "Very Satisfied" (weighted 5) for each of the 14 factors.
58% of the respondents indicated a higher satisfaction with the factor of hours worked each
week than the other general working conditions factors. However, 64% and 34% of the
respondents indicated a high and medium level of dissatisfaction (consecutively), with the
amount of paid vacation time and sick leave offered. Fortunately, that was the only factor
Overall, the level of satisfaction of general working condition could be ranked as marginal,
as on the scale used, 32% of the score indicated satisfied, 28% of the score indicated very
satisfied, 16% of the score reflected only slightly satisfied, while at lowest point on the scale
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19% scored not satisfied at all and on the highest point of the scale 4% indicated extremely
satisfied. This data reveals that there is some amount of satisfaction with the factors related
It is therefore justifiable for the researcher to theorise that there must be some amount of
Qureshi, 2007) points out that satisfaction with, work conditions, were found to have a
Pay and Promotion Not satisfied Only slightly Satisfie very extremely
Potential at all 1 satisfied 2 d3 satisfied 4 satisfied 5
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When employees were asked how they felt about the pay and promotion potential in the
restaurant department, 33% of the population indicated that they were satisfied, compared to
a marginal 41% who indicated that were not satisfied at all. The factor which indicated the
highest percent of satisfaction is that of pay, which indicated 59% of the population. Job
opportunity indicated the factor with the highest level of dissatisfaction, revealing 92%, as
shown in table 4. This information reveals that the employees of the restaurant department
at Sunset Jamaica Grande are somewhat dissatisfied with the pay and promotion strategies
not
satisfied at only slightly Satisfi very extremely
Work relationships all satisfied ed satisfied satisfied
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When employees were asked to rate work relationships within their department, of the
population 95% indicated that they were satisfied, 60% were very satisfied, while 7%
were not satisfied, as shown in table 5. Overall satisfaction was above average with
43% and 27% being the highest, indicating range of satisfied to very satisfy.
not
satisfied at only slightly satis very extremely
Use of skills and abilities all satisfied fied satisfied satisfied
Opportunity to utilize your
skills and talents 95% 5%
Opportunity to learn new skills 49% 44% 7%
Support for additional training
and education 4% 9% 63% 20% 5%
When employees were asked to rank the opportunities available to them to use their skills
and abilities, as much as 95% indicated that they were satisfied and 5% were very satisfied,
2% were undecided. On the other hand 49% expressed that they were not so satisfied at all
with the opportunities available to them to learn new skills. Overall a very high 65% were
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Somewhat Somewhat
Statements Agree agree Disagree Disagree
Interestingly, the data that was represented in the literature review correspond with the
findings from the population. Examinations of the results reveals the extent to which the
population 48% identified with the factors that show a high level of organisational
commitment. There was a marginal level of 22% and 20% of the population you somewhat
disagrees with certain factors which would reveal commitment to the organisation. Table 7
above gives a detail description of the statements asked and the total respondents for each
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To further examine the relationship between job satisfaction and organisational commitment
and by making a linkage between the factors that could consider to impact on job
satisfaction the Human Resource Manager was asked in the interview to rate the restaurant
staff level of commitment to the organisation. Her response was very good, this she said is
because there is a low staff turnover in this department and that they understand the values
of the organisation. When asked if the hotel has specific strategies to deal with job
satisfaction of its staffs. The response was that the operation considers everyone as a
shareholder and whatever they do will affect or impact on the whole operation. This she said
they are reminded of and also there certain incentives and rewards that set out to recognise
and compensate the individual whether through staff of the month or tangible
incentives.
In closing, achieving total job satisfaction is very difficult, because there are individuals
with different intrinsic motivating factors. However, for the organisations benefit, managers
and employers have to find ways to promote and maintain job satisfaction even if it is above
average. If employees are satisfied with their jobs they will become committed to the
organisation, moreover, they will work towards achieving the organisations goal and
objectives.
Job satisfaction and organisational commitment have been a widely researched and an
interesting topic throughout various areas of studies. However, there has been minimum
research on the relationship between job satisfaction and organisational commitment within
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This study was undertaken because of the researchers interest in determine the aspects of
the foodservice employees job satisfaction that affect commitment to that organisation. It
was also believed that foodservice managers need a more in-depth understanding of the
Although this study is limited in its generalizability, it suggests that particular demographic
Further, certain factors of a foodservice employees job satisfaction can predict his or her
participants should be identified that moderate this relationship and that a larger sample of
reevaluated. Seeing that MSQ was created in 1967, many changes that have occurred in
developed for the purposes of determining commitment one that might provide scope of
This study may also suffer from reverse causality and common method variance problems
independent and dependent variables were obtained from respondents and measured with
These findings are especially intriguing since the general satisfaction levels in this operation
However, a number of employees at this foodservice operations cannot decide whether they
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This study has also shown that there is a significant relationship between the education level
of employees and their satisfaction with recognition. These findings suggest that as
employees acquire more education, managements regard to the value of their educational
Accomplishments increases. This should not come as a surprise to many individuals who
have been employed in foodservice. High levels of educational attainment are now
becoming important and necessary for many supervisors and management positions in a
foodservice operation, especially in the hotels. However, for positions at the skilled level
These findings are also consistent with several studies in which education was found to have
reverse relationship with organisational commitment (Angle & Perry, 1981; Morris &
Sherman, 1981; Mathieu & Zajac, 1990; Morris & Steers, 1980; Steers, 1977). However, the
results of these research findings were not completely consistent (Lee, 1971; Steers &
Spencer,
1977).
become more flexible in schedules that work around academic classes or even provide some
level of monetary compensation for courses that enhance their employees job skills.
Courses in customer service, wine service, management, and culinary arts might assist both
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Research findings also identified that employees with less experience in foodservice were
less extrinsically satisfied in promotional potentials at the initial stage of employment than
those in the operation for five (5) or more years. From the findings, pay was shown to have a
security. The findings are consistent with that of the level of satisfaction with pay and
promotional factors, as this area revealed a high level of satisfaction. Therefore, based on the
significant relationship with pay, the researcher can then present pay as a factor that
influence organisational commitment and job satisfaction. These positive linkages between
organisational commitment and job satisfaction may be due to the findings by Hrebiniak and
Alutto (1972) as well as Angle and Perry (1983) that organisational commitment is
attach themselves to the organisation in return for certain valued rewards or payments from
the organisation.
The findings of this study also revealed that although most employees (95%) were satisfied
with their ability to use their skills on the job, some 44% (as shown in table 6) are not
satisfied at all with the opportunities for training and development of these skill. This cause
the satisfaction levels to become less stabilize due to lack of learning or challenges. In this
instance, foodservice operators could try to compensate for this dilemma by cross-training
The findings also suggested that management might be able to increase the level of
policies, and promotional potentials. One way of addressing this could be by increasing the
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interactions with employees in staff meetings and increasing guided discussions of topics
managements ability to address these issues. Overall, they expressed uncertainty about all
the issue, because there was not much being said by management. The employee uncertainty
was also as a result of the decline of stopover tourists in Jamaica and other Caribbean
destinations. This problem has caused hotels such as Ritz Carlton, Sandals Ocho Rios to lie
of a number of their staff, with a high number from the food and beverage department.
Therefore, changes in organisational variables, such as pay scales for leaves, employee input
in policy development, and job security measures could then be made in an effort to increase
To increase satisfaction with compensation, management can teach staff how to increase the
check average through suggestive selling of wine and other services outside of the
foodservice department, for example the use of the spa. Many restaurants use incentive
programs to motivate employees to up-sell. Managers can also help employees learn why
policies are important and identify employees perceptions of current policies through
ownership.
commitment. Perhaps the scale measuring intrinsic satisfaction could be considered as a tool
This study contributes a conceptual model graphically depicting the relationship between job
satisfaction and organisational commitment (Figure 1). It also identifies several variables
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that significantly affect job satisfaction in a small sample of participants and suggested
others that might be found to be significant in other studies. Future studies by the
researchers or others interested in the relationship of these two constructs can use this model
to formulate new research or increase the generalizability of this study in the foodservice
industry.
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Appendices
(876) 974-0990/416-3630
fmuffet2002@yahoo.com
Clifton Reader
General Manager
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St. Ann
I am seeking your assistance in granting me the permission to use Sunset Jamaica Grande Ocho
Rios Resort as the medium in which to conduct my research. I intend to explore the relationship
between job satisfaction and organisational commitment, to understand the factors that contribute
to job satisfaction and organisational commitment, and to explore the strategies used by the hotel
that may have contribute to organisational commitment of employees.
In order to allow for different patterns of information needs and behaviors to emerge, and
see if job satisfaction contributes to organisational commitment, this study employs case
study research design. The target population for this study is workers in the Food and
Beverage Department, specifically the Restaurant division. The research to be conducted
will include the distribution and collection of questionnaires to recruiters and semi-
structured interviews to the supervisors and managers in the Restaurant Division.
Sunset Jamaica Grande is the chosen organisation, because the hotel has a number of
restaurant/dining room employees. In addition, the hotel has a total of five restaurants. This will
increase the amount of data that will be collected, thus increasing its validity and reliability.
This research is being conducted under strict confidentiality. Therefore, the information gathered
will be confidential, whereas, names, places and other distinguished trademarks will remain
anonymous throughout the research process.
Should you have any questions or concerns regarding this letter or research, please contact
me at my email address or telephone number above. You may also contact Beverly
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McMahon, coordinator for the programme and my immediate supervisor for the dissertation,
at b.mcmahon@bcftcs.ac.uk. If these arrangements meet with your approval, please sign this
letter where indicated below.
Anticipating your favourable response.
Yours truly,
_____________
Clifton Reader
Date: ______________________________________________
QUESTIONNAIRE
collected will be used for the partial fulfilment of the MSc. in Hospitality with Tourism
Management.
Instruction: The following information will be used only for the purpose of analysis and will
not be shared with anyone. In order to maintain confidentiality, please do not write your
name on the questionnaire.
Please choose the answer which represents your opinion by placing a tick in the relevant
box.
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1. Gender
Male Female
46-55 over 56
3. Marital status
Other ______________________________
Waiter/waitress Hostess/Host
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Other ______________________________
Yes No
9. Which of the following factors do you think influence your commitment to the
organisation MOSTLY?
Manageable
Stressful
Enjoyable
Boring
For the questions below, please use the following scale to express the extent to
which you agree or disagree with the statement given in the questionnaire. Please
tick:
Agree Disagree
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24. How would you rate your level of satisfaction with the following aspects of
your job? Do you find that any of the following cause problems? Please tick.
1 2 3
4
GENERAL WORKING
CONDITIONS
Hours worked each week
Flexibility in scheduling
Location of work
Amount of paid vacation
time/sick leave offered
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WORK RELATIONSHIPS
(if applicable)
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The researcher used an unstructured interview method. Therefore, questions were asked
based on the flow of the conversation as it relates to the topic. The following are questions
that were asked.
2. What are the strategies used by the organisation to ensure employees are satisfied
with their jobs.
3. How would you rate the level of commitment the restaurant employees are to the
organisation?
6. Are employees encouraged to upgrade themselves? If yes what are the hotels
policies on time needed to do so?
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87