Bona Fide Occupational Qualification (BFOQ)
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Oklahoma State University Bona Fide Occupational Qualification (BFOQ) – The Secret (Saucy) Ingredient That Enables the Exceptional Employment Status of “Model” Employees and Why Hiring More Aesthetically Attractive Employees in Hospitality Makes For a Good Business Practice David Paster. ABSTRACT LITERATURE REVIEW (CONTINUED) IMPLICATION Successful “breastaurants” rely on one key differentiating In other words, there are elements that comprise a facility’s At the end of the business day, what counts are the top variable, which is the provision of unique work force solely “essence” or core offering that cannot be practically substituted. and bottom lines (preferably for the breastaurant trade comprised of generally accepted to be sensually attractive / To have attractive women serving in the role of essentially in short-shorts and tight tops); actually gross and net aesthetically pleasing women acting as servers in a traditional waitresses cloaked as bunnies was determined reasonable revenues. hospitality environment of a restaurant. Dr. Daniel S. Hamermash’s salient conclusion of his scientific Dr. Daniel S. Hamermash, author of Beauty Pays: Why research published in the book, Beauty Pays: Why Attractive Attractive People Are More Successful, states in an October 27, Since the reality of an establishment receiving greater, People Are More Successful is that better-looking people tend to 2011 Wall Street Journal article by Sue Shellenbarger titled, due to extended duration of visitation, sales and sell more products or attract more new customers. “On the Job, Beauty is More than Skin-Deep,” states, “Research subsequent revenue when more attractive individuals shows that better-looking people tend to sell more products or are employed has been validly and reliably proven by If the business goal a “breastaurant,” as with most revenue seeking attract more new customers” (Shellenbarger, 2011). The same Dr. Hamermesh in his pioneering work, which is endeavors, is to churn more business and maximize profits to the constructs apply for reverse-gender scenarios such as supported but other concurring research such as found firm, then the field of hospitality should recognize the material “Chippendale” style establishments. in the field of behavioral economics, the wise move to value of hiring certain population segments (e.g., attractive maximize return on investment for a “breastaurant” women) for essence based entities as protected under labor law by operator is to only hire as an attractive and thusly the Bona Fide Occupational Qualification (BFOQ) provision(s). METHODOLOGY suitable in terms of revenue generating workforce as According to George Lowenstein’s 1996 theory of a “cold-hot possible. empathy gap”, “In a cold state, we do not appreciate how much LITERATURE REVIEW our desires will be altered when we are ‘under the influence’ of KEY SOURCES The essence of what “breastaurants” are and the value arousal. As a result, our behavior reflects a certain naiveté about added to the innuendo laden respective brands (e.g., the effects the context can have on a choice” (Thaler & • Brown. Dan. Can Gender Discriminate or Hooters, Tilted Kilts, Twin Peaks, Heart Attack Grill, Show Sunstein, 2009). Me’s, etc.), is based on the situational suspension of a Provocative Dress Requirements Ever be concept of egalitarian sexes. Rather, “breastaurants,” like Thus, the behavioral effects, as measured by spend, attributable Appropriate for Your Employees?. 2012. Hotel other commercial hedonic and libertarian enterprises prior, to arousal need to be measured, compared and contrasted to a Business Review / Hotel Executive.com. Retrieved have found a legal means to not hire individuals who do dual index of traditional eat-in restaurants and the more exotic from: not meet the parameters that comprise the essence of the “breastaurants”. http://hotelexecutive.com/business_review/2014/ brand. The labor law caveat is known as the Bona Fide can-gender-discriminate-or-provocative-dress- Occupational Qualification (BFOQ) construct. Thus, using such Key Performance Indicators (KPTs) as requirements-ever-be-appropriate-for-your- duration of visit, spend per party, and gratuity allotment, employees The “breastaurant” constructs are not historically novel. variances might be discovered between traditional (e.g., • Shellenbarger, Sue. (2011, October 27, 2011). On Jurisprudence was established from the very club where Applebee's, Chili’s, et al.) and alluded “breastarurants”. uber-feminist Gloria Steinem went “undercover” to write “I the Job, Beauty is More than Skin-Deep, Wall Street was a Playboy Bunny”. The New York Human Rights The statistical analysis of said spend differentiations should Journal. Appeal Board found that being female was a BFOQ for the suggest, possibly via a construed composite index, whether • Thaler, R., & Sunstein, C. (2009). Nudge: position of Playboy Bunny ™ (“Bevertainers” half a there exists a significant difference between expenditures Improving decisions about health, wealth and century before their time) at the Playboy Club ™; “finding (demanded and voluntary) at each type of dining establishment. happiness. New York: Penguin Books the purpose of the job was to titillate and entice men and that female sexuality was reasonably necessary to achieve that purpose. See St. Cross v. Playboy Club, Appeal No. 773, Case No. CFS22618-70 (New York Human Rights Appeal Board, 1971)” (Brown, 2012). School of Hotel and Restaurant Administration .