Internationalising higher tourism education: the case of curriculum design in the Central Baltic Area

ABSTRACT

The aim of this article is to increase understanding of the process of curriculum design when incorporating an international dimension into a curriculum in higher tourism education. The process of the internationalisation of the curriculum design is investigated against a theoretical basis and described from a practical perspective by presenting a case from the Central Baltic Area. In this case, the purpose of the internationalisation of the curriculum is to provide an aligned skillset and knowledge necessary to support the development of the Central Baltic Area as a common tourism destination. First, a relevant and mutual skillset was identified by reviewing the existing curricula (N = 17) and national tourism strategies and plans (N = 3) as well as by interviewing representatives of tourism organisations (N = 103). Then, the identified skills and knowledge were translated into a joint curriculum and teaching processes.     

A reflexive journey through curriculum space(s)

ABSTRACT

Tourism education has the power to transform how students see and think about tourism and, ultimately, how they act within and for tourism. Yet students are likely to have different outcomes depending on the curriculum space(s) they journey through. In this article, I present a Reflective Topical Autobiography that explores the ways in which my praxis has been shaped and moulded by tourism education. Drawing on my experiences of journeying through three different curriculum spaces, I will illustrate the dynamic relationship that exists between the curriculum, pedagogy and learning. In doing so, I aim to further elucidate the benefits associated with values-based teaching and learning.     

Hospitality Programs in Korean Graduate Schools

ABSTRACT

This study compared student, academy, and industry views of graduate school-level curriculum issues in hospitality programs. Research findings revealed that with regard to reasons for student's entry into graduate programs, the academy placed higher importance on raising the academic background through the obtaining of a master's degree than did students and industry groups while students put higher emphasis on networking with industry people than the other two groups. However, students expressed less interest in the “benefit of promotion in the workplace” variable than did the other two groups. With respect to competencies needed by graduate students, industry placed higher importance on leadership, company loyalty, and service-mindedness than did the other two groups. This study concludes with a discussion of the implications of these findings for graduate curriculum development.     

The integration of nutrition components into culinary programs: perspectives of experts and educators

ABSTRACT

Consumers are increasingly eager for healthier food selections, but not at the expense of taste. As the foodservice industry continues to respond to these trends, graduates from culinary and hospitality programs are expected to be trained to meet these changing needs. The aim of the study was to compare industry experts’ and educators’ perceived importance of nutritional competencies in culinary curriculum, as well as the perceived barriers to integrate nutritional competency in accredited culinary programs. The study analyzed data provided by two U.S.-based groups of participants: (1) culinary and industry experts, and (2) educators in culinary and hospitality management programs. Results indicate that experts view nutritional competency as important to a student’s program of study and that success depends on educators meeting these competencies. However, the analysis reveals that educators significantly undervalue the importance of nutritional competency placement in curriculum and overrate how well they are preparing culinary graduates.     

Designing a Hospitality Ethics Course Content from the Students' Perspective

ABSTRACT

In managing a curriculum, it is important to solicit students' perspective to ensure that it is relevant to their interest and needs. Therefore, in an attempt to develop content for a hospitality ethics course, this study conducts a questionnaire survey with 520 hospitality students to help identify the importance of 39 ethical issues in the hospitality industry. As suggested by Thomas, Clermont, and Maimbolwa-Sinyangwe (1984) and DuFrene, Elliott-Howard, and Daniel (1990), if an ethical issue is judged to be important, it can serve as a topic around which part of the course is to be developed. The top three most important issues are found to be “Disposal of hazardous waste,” “Acceptance of bribes or gifts by employees” and “Sexual harassment on the job.”     

Exploring the Relationships Between Hotel Management Courses and Industry Required Competencies

ABSTRACT

Recently, higher education in Taiwan for the hospitality industry has grown dramatically. However, hospitality education is still considered a relative newborn in comparison with other programs. To develop effective programs, it would be appropriate to investigate competencies that influence career success in the hotel industry and the courses that nurture those important competencies.

A researcher-developed survey instrument was used to collect data from 200 industry professionals. Instrument reliability and validity were reported. The results revealed the competencies relating to communication and adaptability most influenced career success. Moreover, Finance/Marketing/Personnel Management, Foreign Languages, and Communications & Quality Management curriculum dimensions were significantly related to competencies of “communication skills & adaptation to environmental changes.”     

借用BPR理念改造我国旅游本科专业课程

从流程管理的角度 ,本文用BPR理论对我国旅游院校旅游管理本科专业课程建设的主要问题和原因进行剖析 ,并提出旅游类课程再造流程的发展思路。     

Technology by Degrees

Abstract

This paper examines the implications of teaching a “stand alone” information technology unit to undergraduate students in a Bachelor of Business in Tourism degree program. The subject (unit) is an elective unit and is offered in the students' second and third years of study. While the debate rages as to the perspicacity of teaching technology as an independent unit, rather than incorporating technology theory and practice into other subjects as necessary, we have made the decision to run such a unit in the independent form. The subject has only recently been adopted and 2000 was its second year of offering. Curriculum was created through liaison and discussion between several staff at the School of Tourism and Hospitality Management in an attempt to link topics and themes to other subjects across the degree program. The case study explores issues relating to curriculum, extent to which the Internet is used within the subject, as well as staff and student perceptions of the course. Outcomes from evaluation and feedback suggest that Internet-as-resource rather than Internet-as-core provides the most flexible and student-centered learning approach. Students found the unit useful in terms of prospective employment and in broadening their general knowledge of technology in tourism and hospitality.     

Curriculum Development in International Convention and Conference Management at Meio University,Okinawa, Japan

Abstract

Many factors, political, economical, and environmental, are conducive to the introduction of a specialized convention and conference management curriculum in Okinawa, Japan. Recent changes in the Japanese government's industrial policies to expand and reinforce the Okinawa Free Trade Zone by 2005 is one such factor. To handle this increase, Okinawa will require an infrastructure that will support and maintain this expansion, which includes educating the workforce with a sound convention and conference university curriculum in Okinawa. Therefore, this study documents the process and results of a convention and conference management curriculum development endeavor between Meio University in Nago, Okinawa, Japan, and the University of Houston in the United States.     

Curriculum,Development and Conflict

ABSTRACT

This article is a case study examining the process and products of THEME (Tourism Higher Education for Moldova with the EU), a curriculum development and innovation project. The project is part of the EU's Tempus Tacis plan to stimulate institutional modernisation and economic diversity in the NIS (Newly Independent State) region. A method for curriculum design and development is elaborated based on strategic management techniques. Specifically, three aspects of situational analysis are utilised. These are needs analysis, capability analysis and force field analysis. A curriculum, with supporting measures, is developed and presented based on the findings of this analysis. Finally a critical evaluation of the process and product finds conflict with opposing views providing different stories of success and failure for the project.     

Hospitality and Tourism Curriculum Development

Abstract

This project presents a case study illustration of a qualitative research approach for enhancing an undergraduate curriculum of a hospitality and tourism management program at a large university. Four focus groups consisting of current students, alumni, faculty, and industry practitioners provided extensive information about past and current performance of the travel and tourism program. The data collected indicated areas of concern in three different levels: the university, the hospitality and tourism program, and the university's relationships with external constituencies. Recommendations and suggestions for curriculum enhancement took into consideration the perceptions of the focus groups' participants.     

Curriculum analysis of foods and beverage management of technological and vocational education in Taiwan

The purposes of this study are to analyze developmental trends, hospitality curricula structures and strategies of curriculum development for planning the integrated curriculum of foods and beverage (F&B) management of the vocational and technological educational system in Taiwan. The qualitative and quantitative research methods – theoretical analysis, document analysis, focus group in-depth discussion, and questionnaire investigation – were applied to this study. The vertical curriculum design – from vocational high school level to college and university level – and contents were developed by this study. The major findings of the research provide a basis for curriculum development of F&B management education.     

Satisfaction with Cultural/Heritage Sites

SUMMARY

This study attempted to investigate the relationship between cultural/heritage destination attributes and overall satisfaction, and to identify the difference in the overall satisfaction of tourists in terms of selected demographic and travel behavior characteristics. The expectancy-disconfirmation theory provided a conceptual framework for this study. This theory holds that consumers first form expectations of products or service performance prior to purchasing or use. The study area for this study was Virginia Historic Triangle (Williamsburg, Jamestown, and York-town). The survey was conducted at five different sites in the Virginia Historic Triangle. The findings indicate that there is a relationship between destination attributes and overall satisfaction with cultural/heritage experience. The study also reveals that overall satisfaction may show variation by gender, length of stay, and decision horizon. The study concludes with appropriate marketing and management implications.     

Pygmalion leadership: Theory and application to the hotel industry

ABSTRACT

This research investigates the role of Pygmalion leadership and the influences of employees’ trust in a leader, trust in an organization, and job engagement on task performance in the hotel industry. Through examining Pygmalion leadership, trust, and engagement in the literature, this research establishes and tests a model to identify the interrelation among four dimensions of Pygmalion leadership (e.g., climate, output, input, and feedback), trust in a leader, trust in an organization, job engagement, and task performance. Using data collected from hotel employees, this study finds that climate, output, and feedback are critical for nurturing two dimensions of trust that enhance job engagement and task performance.     

Modeling Tourism Demand

SUMMARY

Most of the existing studies on tourism demand forecasting apply economic models that use mathematical functions, which require many statistical assumptions and limitations. This paper presents a new approach that applies the rough sets theory to form a forecasting model for tourism demand. The objective of this research is to create patterns which are able to distinguish between the classes of arrivals in terms of volume, based upon differences in the characteristics in each arrival. The information about the arrivals was organized in an Information Table where the number of arrivals corresponds to condition attributes, and the classification was defined by a decision attribute that indicated the forecast categorical value of future arrivals. Utilizing Japanese arrivals data in Hong Kong, empirical results showed the induced decision rules could accurately forecast (86.5%) of the test data.     

Tourism Higher Education in China

SUMMARY

This paper first reviews the origins and development of tourism higher education in China, then elaborates on its present hierarchy of programs, regional distribution and mechanisms for operating schools. Based on an investigation, the paper also discusses the educational objectives, program setup, curriculum design, textbooks and reference materials. It summarizes the problems and challenges China's higher education studies in tourism are facing, and in conclusion, it explores development trends and offers suggestions for its future.     

Creating a Virtual Learning Community

Abstract

Global learning is critical to world-class hospitality and tourism programs. However, involvement in truly global learning communities has not until recently been available to most learners. The Internet has been the vehicle that has supported the creation of global learning communities. UW-Stout has maximized distance technologies to create learning opportunities for students around the world. This article summarizes the evolution of the Master's program, presents key aspects of the curriculum development, discusses technologies utilized to support the learning environment, and shares evaluation information. Lessons learned will also be shared to assist those beginning their journey into on-line learning in a global environment.     

Use of cognitive maps to determine perceived tourism regions

Abstract

Automobile travelers stopping at Travel Information Centers in Michigan were surveyed. In a cognitive mapping task, respondents indicated which parts of Michigan they perceived to be recreation and tourism regions. Data from the mapping task were integrated into a Tourism Location Score which was used to compare tourism locations and counties. The maps of respondents who were familiar and unfamiliar with the state were compared. Nine regions were identified, in coastal counties. In eight of the 9 regions, a single county was identified as the “center”; of the tourism region. Familiar respondents differentiated more regions along the coast; less familiar respondents perceived more regions to be present in the southeastern urban portion of the state. Implications for planning and tourism promotion and development in the coastal zone are discussed.     

Journeys for Experiences: Japanese Independent Travelers in Scotland

Summary

This paper reviews the motives of Japanese independent travelers and offers a conceptualization-Journeys for Experiences. A desegregation of the independent traveler market is broken down into the three effected segments: Careerists, Collectors andMainstreamers. These segments are compared to generic segments of the Japanese market, and the effectiveness of Japanese tourism policy reviewed in terms of this segmentation. Also identified is the need for target marketing and image differentiation in promotion, in order to match the differential importance of motives by each segment toward the product offered both in terms of perceived and consumed experiences.