Development and validation of an aesthetic capital scale for hospitality industry front-line employees

Workers' aesthetic capital is a highly beneficial resource for individuals and organizations. In this study, we developed a credible and reliable Aesthetic Capital Scale (ACS) for frontline service workers in the hospitality industry. In the first study, we conducted in-depth interviews and collected data from 13 service workers in the airline, international hospitality, and catering industries. In the second study, we carried out a pre-test comprising 212 foodservice workers to purify the ACS. In the third study, we re-purified the ACS and established a first-order five-factor scale by administering 257 questionnaires in a formal survey. In the fourth study, we cross-validated 238 validation samples for scale stability. First, we carried out a literature review and analyzed the interview data to produce a preliminary question bank of 45 items. The items were reviewed by a panel of 14 experts, and 29 items were retained. In the second study, 18 of the 29 items were retained and grouped into five dimensions: personal attire, social exchange, outward investment, education investment, and multicultural capital. In the third study, we validated the scale structure and then performed confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to verify scale reliability and construct validity. In the fourth study, we verified the stability of the proposed scale. Hospitality industries generally train frontline workers in aesthetics, which can enhance their aesthetic capital. This research addresses the gap in applying aesthetic capital to human resource management in hospitality. The proposed five-dimensional ACS offers a progressive perspective on aesthetic capital and can serve as a valid scale for the industry. This study expands on existing aesthetic capital measurement scales to include learning about aesthetics and multicultural perspectives alongside personal appearance and social interaction.