Research
Les Roches Research & Innovation Strategy
Research at Les Roches is both at the core of the different educational programs the institution offers and an essential tool for fostering its mission, enhancing its academic reputation, and attracting students worldwide.
Research, critical thinking, analytical skills, developing new information and presenting it to relevant stakeholders are essential learning outcomes for our students.
To foster these skills, as well as to share with the students the most up-to-date knowledge about the hospitality industry, Les Roches faculty and students are actively engaged in research. All scholarly activities focus on six key areas responding to the mission and values of the institution:
• Innovation and Entrepreneurship
• Globalization
• Sustainability and Reporting
• Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)
• Practical Arts / Food & Beverage
• Sports & Events
Areas of Research
The areas of research Les Roches is engaged in are closely linked to its institutional mission and are widely represented as subjects across the programs offered by the institution.
Innovation and Entrepreneurship:
• Entrepreneurship and Intrapreneurship
• Future Trends and Disruptions
• Change and Innovation Management
• Experience Design and Design Thinking
Sustainability and Reporting
• Sustainable Business Practices
• Corporate Social Responsibility
• Sustainable Management
• Ethical Leadership
Practical Arts / Food & Beverage:
• F&B Operation and Trends
• Food Styling
• Food Marketing and Branding
• Food Safety and Quality
• F&B Automatization and AI Integration
Sports & Events:
• Event Planning and Management
• Sports Sponsorship and Branding
• E-sports and Innovation
Globalization:
• Global Outlook and Fluency
• Multiculturalism
• Soft Skills, Competencies, Capabilities
• Global Leadership
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL):
• Higher Education in a Global Context
• Higher Education in a Multicultural Context
• Hospitality Education
Governance of Research and Innovation Activities
• All research activities are coordinated by Les Roches ResearchCommittee (LRRC) which is currently* composed of the Head of Research, two research-led faculty members from LRM, two research-led faculty members from LRCM, one research-led faculty member from LRAD and one visiting faculty.
• The committee ensures that the research strategy and objectives are achieved, manages the research budget, validation of proposals, ethical approval of projects and any other matter related to research and innovation at Les Roches.
• The development of each research area is driven by faculty members and overseen by the LRRC. Faculty members may be engaged in one or more research areas. The aim is to foster research among faculty and students and encourage a wider participation across the institution.
Some of our innovation activities have included:
• Shiftin’. This event is about shifting shifting mindsets in order to create a more sustainable industry. Leaders from around the world shared their knowledge and thoughts on this important topic. Access Shiftin’ website here
• Space and Underwater Tourism Universal Summit (SUTUS): We were delighted to host the fourth edition of the Space and Underwater Tourism Universal Summit (SUTUS) at our Marbella campus in September 2023. More than 500 professionals from 45 countries revealed the most ambitious challenges in this exciting tourism sector, while also sharing knowledge and business opportunities. Access SUTUS website here
Les Roches Research Publications
A selection of our most recent Academic Research & Publications is below. For a full overview of research activity, please see our individual Faculty bios
Les Roches Research Publications: 2024
Journals:
De la Lastra, C. D., De Labeaga, J. L. P., Castro-López, R., & Hernández-López, L. E. (2024). Innovation in the international educational experience for hospitality and luxury industry: Unleashing corporate entrepreneurship at Les Roches in Switzerland and Spain. In Corporate Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Tourism and Hospitality (pp. 275-283). Routledge.
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Puhr, R. (2024, May 6). Leveraging the potential of third space faculty developers to foster individual and collective flourishing faculty professional identities in higher education. London Review of Education.
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Diamantis, D. (2024, May 5). Emerging trends in hospitality for 2024 and beyond.
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Hassan, B. (2024). Embracing neurodiversity in the hospitality industry. Fox Communications.
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Ashaal, A., Bakri, A., AlKhatib, N., Chreif, M., & Zakhem, N. B. (2024). Harvesting sustainability: Navigating green practices and barriers in Lebanon’s hospitality sector. Business Strategy & Development, 7(2), e369.
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Gonet, X. (2024, June 10). Great customer service and its role in successful restaurants. Hotelier & Hospitality Design Magazine.
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Krebs, J. (2024, February 27). Customer service vs. customer support: What’s the difference?
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Aiosi, V. (2024, June). Transformations in the restaurant industry: How restaurateurs anticipate the future. Sommeliers Suisses Magazine, pp.64-69. (In French Language).
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Conferences:
Puhr, R. (2024, June). Leveraging the third space role of faculty developers in higher education ecosystems. ICED 24 Conference: Advancing Higher Education Ecosystems for Competency Development.
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Germanier, R., Darioly, A, Kotluk, N., & Tormey, R. (2024, March). “But of course I’m going to look happy” or “He needed to know I was angry”? Comparing use of emotional labour in teamwork in engineering and hospitality students. In EAPRIL Conference Proceedings 2023 (pp. 131-143). EAPRIL-European Association for Practitioner Research on Improving Learning.
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Kouroupi, N. & Diamantis, D. (Jun 05-07, 2024). Utilizing metaverse technologies to enhance destination sustainability and resilience in response to tourism overcrowding. 6th Advances in Destination Management Conference.
Les Roches Research Publications: 2023
Journals:
Puhr, R., & Germanier, R. (2023). Flourishing or languishing? Exploring the lived experiences of faculty negotiating the challenges of synchronous and asynchronous delivery. In P. Kumar, & J. Eisenberg (Eds.). Synchro-nous and Asynchronous Approaches to Teaching: Higher Education Lessons in Post-Pandemic Times. Springer International Publishing.
Les Roches Research Publications: 2022
Journals:
Tajeddini, K., Gamage, T.C., Hameed, W., Qumsieh-Mussalam, G., Chaijani, M., Rasoolimanesh, S., Kallmuenzer, A. (2022) How self-gratification and social values shape revisit intention and customer loyalty of Airbnb customers, International Journal of Hospitality Management.
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Landrum, N. (2022). Strong sustainability in practice. Pathways to Research in Sustainability. EBSCO
Palabiyik, J.U., Cronin, B., Markham Bagnera, S.D. and Legg, M.P. (2022), “Endings, freezing, and new beginnings: the return of customer comfort to Massachusetts restaurants following the pandemic”, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print
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Diamantis, D., & Puhr, R. (2022). Corporate social responsibility and work–life balance provisions for employee quality of life in hospitality and tourism settings. Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, 14(3), 207–209.
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Diamantis, D., & Puhr, R.(2022). Macro- and micro-level connections between work–life balance, quality of life and circular economic thinking as drivers of sustainability. Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, 312–315.
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Conferences:
Agogue, M., Fiset, J.E., Geller, K.D., Germanier R., Lewis Grant, K., Mailhot, C., Mukherji, S., Phillips, J.C., Puhr, R., Robinson, M.A. & Srinivasan, V. (2022). Synchronous and Asynchronous Teaching: Realigning Teaching Approaches to a VUCA World [Symposium abstract]. Academy of Management (AOM) 82nd Annual Meeting, Seattle, CA, United States.
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Puhr, R. (2022). Shared paths to faculty flourishing: The opportunities hidden among the challenges of HyFlex [Symposium paper]. What’s it even called: Hybrid/hyflex teaching and meetings: reflections, experiences and possible futures. University College London, 6 June 2022.
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Darioly, A & Riggio, R. E. (2022, September). The relationship between social and emotional skills and transformational leadership of future hospitality leaders. Paper presented at the symposium Psychology’s contribution to Hospitality (chair) of the 17th Congress of the Swiss Psychological Society (SPS), Zurich, Switzerland.
Les Roches Research Publications: 2021
Journals:
Albrahimi, A., (2021). How Fintechs are Supporting the Hospitality Industry. The Fintech Times (UK)
Marechal, L. (2021) Do economic variables forecast commodity futures volatility?, Journal of Futures Markets 41(11), 1735– 1774.
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Puhr, R. (2021). The skills debate in the context of a pandemic: Are students prepared for the workplace? Journal for Higher Education Development (ZFHE), 16(3), 99–118.
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Les Roches Research Publications: 2020 and prior
Journals:
Marshall, T., Mottier, E.M., Lewis, R.A. (2019) Motivational factors and the hospitality industry. (harveymaria.com) Cambridge University Press, IELTS Academic 14
Darioly, A., & Gueuning, F. (2018). What type of disruptive leaders will the hotel industry need? Insight, eHotelier
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Aiosi, V. (2018). This is the secret attraction of Swiss wine, Forbes
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Vlad, E. (2015). The application of Six Sigma in the hospitality industry. In J. Feng, S. Stocklin & W. Wang (Eds.) Educational strategies for next generation leaders in hotel management (pp. 73-113)
Vlad, M. (2015). Educational Strategies for Next Generation Leaders in Hotel Management, IGI Global, Hershey, PA, USA(Ch. 8 Exceeding Guest Expectations: An Overview of the Best Practices in the Hospitality Industry)
Conferences
Mottier, E., Marshall, T. (2018) An Investigation into the Importance of Analytical Competencies: a Hospitality Industry Perspective. In: Proceedings of The 11th EuroMed Conference, ISBN: 978-9963-711-67-3
Qumsieh-Mussalam, G. (2011) Conference Moderator `Social Media in Hospitality & Tourism` 20-22 October, Verona, Italy
Chib, S. & Cheong, F. (2010). An Investigation of ICT Adoption Intent in Swiss Small and Medium Sized Tourist Enterprises. Chib, S. & Cheong, F. (2010). In: Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Information Technology and Travel & Tourism (ENTER 2010), Lugano, Switzerland.