This study explores the impact of meaning, competence, and self-determination on customer-oriented behavior (COB) among hospitality internship students in Indonesia with a particular emphasis on the mediating roles of deep acting and surface acting. The research investigates the contextual role of the sense of purpose that contributes to the relationship between surface acting and deep acting in customer-oriented behavior using the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) approach. The data was collected from hospitality internship students who were engaged in internship programs at 4- and 5-star hotels in Indonesia through the implementation of an online questionnaire. The findings indicate that the variables of meaning, competence, self-determination, and impact exhibit a positive effect on deep acting, subsequently resulting in the generation of customer-oriented behavior. The study also found that surface-acting and customer-oriented behavior negatively impact these variables, except for competence. The study suggests that implementing empowerment can be used to reduce false-positive workplace attitudes and promote originality and authenticity. This framework can be used by academic institutions and the hospitality industry to prepare internship students who will succeed in their studies and contribute to the hotel where they intern. © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
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