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Karthik Namasivayam

Email: namasiv2@msu.edu
Director
Department: The School of Hospitality Business
Office:
 Eppley Center
667 N Shaw Ln Rm E424
East Lansing, MI 48824
Phone: (517) 355-5089
John and Becky Duffey Professor of Hospitality Business
Department: The School of Hospitality Business
Areas of Expertise
  • Biography
    Karthik Namasivayam was Professor and Chair of the Department of Hospitality Management at the Rochester Institute of Technology and Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs at the Ecole hoteliere de Lausanne, Switzerland, prior to joining RIT.  

    Karthik has worked in the hospitality industry for over 40 years. He has held various positions including as consultant, entrepreneur, faculty, academic administration, and hospitality management jobs across three continents – Europe, Asia, and North America.  His experiences include economy and luxury full service hospitality operations.  

    He has taught in the US, Switzerland, India and China at the undergraduate and graduate levels and has delivered tailored Executive Education programs for national corporates.   Karthik is widely published in leading hospitality and marketing journals and is well cited.  His research explores the intersection between service provider and consumer. Consistent with the evolution of the hospitality industry, he researches the impact of various new technologies on consumer experience and consumer centric organizational design.  He received the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education Bradford Wiley Best Published Paper award.  

    Karthik obtained his Master’s and PhD in Hospitality Administration from Cornell University.  He has undergraduate degrees in Economics from Madras University and Hospitality Management from Institute of Catering Technology, Chennai, India. He speaks Tamil, Hindi, German, and a bit of French and Italian.  He is a keen high altitude hiker, mountaineer, and an amateur photographer.    

  • Publications
    Article
    Namasivayam, K., Guchait, P., & Lei, P. (2014). The influence of leader empowering behavior and employee psychological empowerment on customer satisfaction.  International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 26 (1).  
    Article
    Namasivayam, K., & Guchait, P. (2013). The role of contingent self-esteem and trust in consumer satisfaction: Examining perceived control and fairness as predictors. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 33, 184-195.
    Article
    Guchait, P., & Namasivayam, K. (2012). Customer creation of service products: The role of frustration in customer evaluations. Journal of Services Marketing, 26 (3) 216-224.
    Article
    Zhao, X., Namasivayam, K. (2012).The Relationship of Chronic Regulatory Focus to Work-Family Conflict and Job Satisfaction. International Journal of Hospitality Management 31 (2), 458-467.
    Article
    Lin, I.Y., & Namasivayam, K. (2011). Understanding restaurant tipping systems: A human resources perspective. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management 23 (7), 923-940.
    Article
    Guchait, P., Kim, M.G., & Namasivayam, K. (2011). Error management at different organizational levels – Frontline, manager, and company. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 31, 12-22.
    Article
    Guchait, P., Namasivayam, K., & Pui-Wa, L. (2011). Knowledge management in
    service encounters: Impact on customers’ satisfaction evaluations. Journal of Knowledge Management, 15(3), 513-527.
    Article
    Zhao, X., Namasivayam, K., Beutell, N.J., Liu, J., & Wang, F. (2020). Chronic regulatory focus and work-family conflict among Chinese workers. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Special Issue: Occupational Health Psychology. Accepted June 17, 2020.
  • Media Mentions
    • ARTICLE
      Robot servers being tested in restaurants worldwide
      May 23, 2023
      Outlet: San Jose Sun
      The Associated Press article quoting Karthik Namasivayam, John and Becky Duffey Professor of Hospitality Business and director of the School of Hospitality Business, on robot restaurant servers was cited in an article published in the San Jose Sun and 225 other Mainstream Media network outlets.
    • ARTICLE
      The Z: Guiding Gen Z From the Classroom Into Meetings Industry Careers
      April 26, 2023
      Outlet: Meetings Today
      Karthik Namasivayam, John and Becky Duffey Professor of Hospitality Business and director of the School of Hospitality Business, was featured in an article in Meetings Today on guiding Gen Z into meetings industry careers.
    • ARTICLE
      Robots – the waiters of the future
      April 19, 2023
      Outlet: European Times
      The Reuters article quoting Namasivayam on robot servers in restaurants was published in an additional five outlets.
    • ARTICLE
      Facing a shortage of staff, this restaurant turned to robots
      April 12, 2023
      Outlet: CBC News
      The Associated Press article quoting Karthik Namasivayam, director of The School of Hospitality Business, on the widening use of robot servers in U.S. restaurants was published in an additional 68 outlets.
    • ARTICLE
      Are robot waiters the future? Some restaurants think so
      April 6, 2023
      Outlet: Associated Press
      Karthik Namasivayam, director of The School of Hospitality Business, spoke to the Associated Press on the widening use of robot servers in U.S. restaurants. The article was also published in Fortune and at the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Baltimore Sun, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, New York Post, ABC News, CBS News, Crain’s Detroit Business and more than 500 other outlets.
    • ARTICLE
      2022's Best Foodie Cities in America
      October 3, 2022
      Outlet: WalletHub
      Karthik Namasivayam, John and Becky Duffey Professor of Hospitality Business and director of the School of Hospitality Business, was featured in a WalletHub article about the best foodie cities in America.
    • ARTICLE
      How Industry Can Help Bolster Hospitality Programs… A Call to Action
      August 19, 2022
      Outlet: HSMAI
      Karthik Namasivayam, John and Becky Duffey Professor of Hospitality Business and director of the School of Hospitality Business, and Jeff Beck, associate professor of hospitality business, were quoted in an article at HSMAI on how industry can help bolster hospitality programs.
    • ARTICLE
      How Industry Can Help Bolster Hospitality Programs… A Call to Action
      August 19, 2022
      Outlet: HSMAI
      Karthik Namasivayam, John and Becky Duffey Professor of Hospitality Business and director of the School of Hospitality Business, and Jeff Beck, associate professor of hospitality business, were quoted in an article at HSMAI on how industry can help bolster hospitality programs.
    • ARTICLE
      Forget 2022: Travel isn’t expected to improve until next year
      August 19, 2022
      Outlet: Points Guy
      Namasivayam spoke to the Points Guy on when travel is expected to improve — and that it might not be in 2022. The article was also published at MSN Travel and two other outlets.
    • ARTICLE
      Research your hotel abroad: If your room has A/C, it may come with a fee
      August 15, 2022
      Outlet: Points Guy
      Karthik Namasivayam, John and Becky Duffey Professor of Hospitality Business and director of the School of Hospitality Business, spoke to the Points Guy on why hotels in Europe may charge extra for air conditioning. The article was also published at MSN Travel and two other outlets.
    • ARTICLE
      2022 Meetings Trendsetters
      August 2, 2022
      Outlet: Meetings Today
      Karthik Namasivayam, John and Becky Duffey Professor of Hospitality Business and director of the School of Hospitality Business, was named on the 2022 Meetings Trendsetters list for the meetings and events industry by Meetings Today.
    • ARTICLE
      International Hospitality Institute’s Post
      July 29, 2022
      Outlet: International Hospitality Institute
      Karthik Namasivayam, John and Becky Duffey Professor of Hospitality Business and director of the School of Hospitality Business, was named to the International Hospitality Institute’s USA Top 100 in Hospitality.
    • ARTICLE
      A Hospitality School Leader’s Take on the Industry Pipeline Problem
      June 8, 2022
      Outlet: Meetings Today
      Karthik Namasivayam, John and Becky Duffey Professor of Hospitality Business and director of the School of Hospitality Business, was featured at Meetings Today discussing hospitality industry pipeline trends.  
    • ARTICLE
      Hospitality Human Resources and the Fourth Industrial Revolution
      March 11, 2022
      Outlet: HospitalityNet

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In The News
Are robot waiters the future? Some restaurants think so 

From Associated Press

Featuring Karthik Namasivayam

Faculty & staff stories
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Honoring Broad faculty for exceptional scholarship, service and teaching 
This year’s Faculty Recognition Dinner and Investiture Ceremony highlighted faculty endowments from 2020, 2021 and 2022.
Audio
Broad Matters podcast hosted by the MSU Broad College of Business, available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts
Broad Matters Season 5 Episode 5 - The Next Evolution of Hospitality Business 
Karthik Namasivayam, director of the School of Hospitality Business, explores the future of this industry.
Giving stories
Pedestrian's view of the Eugene C. Eppley Center on a sunny fall day
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School of Hospitality Business names new director 
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