Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Journal of Foodservice Business Research, 2024 (Scopus)
This study aims to explore how artificial intelligence robotic technologies in the restaurant industry are perceived by employees and to identify the antecedents leading to such perceptions. A three-stage analytic process, including word clouds, sentiment analysis, and a qualitative research design based on grounded theory, was carried out. Semi-structured interviews with 30 fine dining restaurant employees provided the data for the study. Findings revealed that both antecedents and sub-components that converged under negative perceptions slightly outnumbered those that converged under positive perceptions. More specifically, eight themes were emerged as antecedents of the three tones of perception (positive, neutral, and negative), and 40 codes were identified as core antecedents of these relevant themes. The study reveals that, among the eight identified antecedents, the following antecedents have a substantial influence on the three tones of perception: the expectation of more effortless work conditions leads to a positive perception, the belief in the inability of robotic technology to substitute employees contributes to a neutral perception, and feelings of insecurity result in a negative perception. In addition to supporting the role of well-established antecedents such as insecurity, threat and fear, this study uncovers additional antecedents, such as ignoring basic human disposition and technology discomfort, which also lead to negative perceptions.