The Study of Overseas Consumers' Attitudes toward Omotenashi: Focusing on the U.S., China, and Taiwan Regions

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K12589
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 80020:Tourism studies-related
• Research Institution: Rissho University
• Principal Investigator: Urano Hiroko 立正大学, 経営学部, 教授 (40585957)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: おもてなし / ホスピタリティ / サービス / マーケティング / 海外展開 / 国際比較

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The study is about "omotenashi" (hospitality) which has a strong element of gentry. Rapid digitalization may have transformed it into a new form that combines “people and digital”. Increased inbound demand and labor shortages have led to the need for digitization and the use of foreign staff, but educational issues have also emerged due to cultural and language differences.
This study investigated three aspects: (1) changes in the concept of “omotenashi” due to digitization, (2) educational trends for staff with different cultural backgrounds, and (3) how “omotenashi” should be developed overseas. Research methods included interviews and questionnaires with university students, interviews with hotels, and analysis of cultural characteristics of Japan, China, Taiwan, and the U.S. based on a theoretical framework for cross-cultural comparison, which were then summarized in a paper.

Free Research Field

マーケティング

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の成果は、サービス業の効率化と品質向上を促進し、日本のサービス業の効果的な海外展開に貢献するものである。特に、日本特有の「おもてなし」概念を詳細に解析することにより、他国との文化比較が可能となり、国際的なビジネスや観光業の発展にも寄与する。また、地域の魅力向上や観光客満足度の向上という社会的意義も持つため、地域社会への波及効果も期待できる。これにより、日本全体のサービス業の競争力がさらに高まることが見込まれる。