Eojina Kim

Biography

Eojina Kim, PhD is an associate professor in the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Pamplin College of Business, Virginia Tech. She holds a Ph.D. from Iowa State University (2016) in Hospitality Management with a minor in Business Administration. She also holds a Ph.D. degree from Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea (2011) in Food and Nutrition. 

The emphases of her research are on (1) consumer behavior, (2) food safety and nutrition policy development, and (3) service management in the foodservice industry. She focuses on understanding how industry practices and policies influence consumer behavior with the goal of advancing new business models, practices, and regulation in the foodservice industry. She has generated multiple extramural grants and has been recognized in top-tier publications. 

She has experience at the government, corporate, and operations levels in the food industry. For ten years Dr. Kim was a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, a national think tank within the Prime Minister Office of South Korea. She worked with top management of large national and multi-national companies in the foodservice industry to develop strategies and to improve the quality of decision-making processes. During this time, she published over 40 technical reports related to both consumer and industry issues. She also has professional experience as an executive researcher for the Korea FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and as a research analyst for Euromonitor International, a global market research company. 

Prior to joining Virginia Tech, she taught several courses at four universities, including Iowa State University and Yonsei University. She is a designated Certified Hospitality Educator through the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute, Certified ServSafe Instructor through the National Restaurant Association and Certified TIPS trainer through the Health Communication. She is a Registered Dietitian by the Korea Ministry of Health and Welfare.  

Research

Research Area

• Foodservice Management 
• Consumer Behavior
• Healthy Eating
• Sustainable Consumption

Research Methods

• Data Collection Method:
  • Experiments / Quasi Experiments
  • Survey
  • Focus Group Interview
  • In-Depth Interview
  • Secondary Data (Big-Data from Social Media) 
• Analysis Method:
  • Advanced Analysis of Variance
  • Advanced Regression Models
  • Covariance-based Structural Equation Modelling & Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling
  • Time Series Analysis
  • Eye-Tracking Technology
  • Content Analysis & Textual Analysis

Publications that best represent my research

• Gruss, R., Quesenberry, J., Kim, E., Abrahams, A., & Ractham, P. (2023). How Customer Satisfaction Drivers in Online Reviews of Food Trucks and Quick Service Restaurants Differ: Proposing the Concept of Anticipation. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 10963480221143042. https://doi.org/10.1177/10963480221143042 *
• Jang, Y. J., & Kim, E. (2022). How Self-Identity and Social Identity Grow Environmentally Sustainable Restaurants’ Brand Communities Via Social Rewards. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 10963480221140019.
  https://doi.org/10.1177/10963480221140019 *
• Kim, E., Nicolau, J. L., & Tang, L. (2021). The Impact of Restaurant Innovativeness on Consumer Loyalty: The Mediating Role of Perceived Quality. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 1096348020985586. https://doi.org/10.1177/1096348020985586 [GOOGLE SCHOLAR]*
• Kim, E., & Nicolau, J. L. (2021). Impact of the Menu Labeling Act Upon the Market Value of Foodservice Firms. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 45(3), 447-473. https://doi.org/10.1177/1096348020971018 [GOOGLE SCHOLAR]*
• Luo, Y., Tang, L., Kim, E., & Wang, X. (2020). Finding the reviews on yelp that actually matter to me: Innovative approach of improving recommender systems. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 91, 102697. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2020.102697 [GOOGLE SCHOLAR]*
• Kim, E., & Tang, L. R. (2020). The role of customer behavior in forming perceived value at restaurants: A multidimensional approach. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 87, 102511. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2020.102511 [GOOGLE SCHOALR]*
• Gruss, R., Kim, E., & Abrahams, A. (2020). Engaging restaurant customers on Facebook: The power of belongingness appeals on social media. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 44(2), 201-228. https://doi.org/10.1177/1096348019892071[GOOGLE SCHOLAR]*

* Pamplin elite list journal

Teaching

Undergraduate

• HTM 4414 Food and Beverage Management

Graduate

• HTM 6414 Service in Hospitality and Tourism Management
• HTM 5944 Graduate Seminar in Hospitality and Tourism Management

PhD Supervision

• Ju Yeon Shin
• Seonwoo Ko

Professional Engagement

• International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (ICHRIE) annual conference
• Asia-Pacific Council of Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (APacCHRIE) annual conference
• Global Marketing Conference
• Editorial Board Member, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research, 2021-Present
• Editorial Board Member, Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture, 2018-2021

Education

• PhD, Hospitality Management with a minor in Business Administration, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 2016   
  
• PhD, Food and Nutrition, Yonsei University, Korea, 2011

Background

Certificates

• Registered Dietitian, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Korea, February 2005
• Certified Hospitality Educator (CHE), American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute, June 2015
• TIPS Certified Trainer, #63463, Health Communications, Inc., January 2017 
• Certified ServSafe Instructor, # 11122014, National Restaurant Association, September 2015
• Registered ServSafe Proctor, # 11122014, National Restaurant Association, September 2015
• ServSafe® Food Protection Manager Certification, #12760158, National Restaurant Association, Sept. 2015

Honors and awards

• Pamplin Certificate of Teaching Excellence, Virginia Tech, 2021
• JHTR Article of the Year Award. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research & International CHRIE, 2020
• Principles of Effective Teaching Certificate, Virginia Tech, 2020
• Finalist for the Best Paper Award, Global Marketing Conference, 2018
  
• Trainer Award, TIPS Health Communications, Inc., 2018
• Best Paper Award, APacCHRIE Conference, 2017
• Research Excellence Award, Iowa State University, 2015  

Previous universities 

• Instructor, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 2015-2016
  
• Instructor, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea, 2012-2013
• Instructor, Baeseok Arts University, Seoul, Korea, 2010-2011
• Instructor, Baeseok Culture University, Cheonan, Chungbuk, Korea, 2005-2006 

Relevant industry

• Tenured Senior Researcher, Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs (National Think-Tank under the National Research Council for Economics, Humanities and Social Sciences), Seoul, Korea, 2006-2016
  
• Executive Researcher, Korea Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Seoul, Korea, 2005-2006
• Market Analyst, Euromonitor International (Asia) Pte. Ltd, 2004-2005