Relevance and Quality in Australian Tourism Higher Education

Abstract

Partnerships between educators and industry professionals can facilitate students' tourism career opportunities. Considering this, a mail-out questionnaire was undertaken to assess the attitudes and perceptions of tourism educators (n = 56) and tourism professionals (n = 100) on tourism education issues. Results indicated that one-quarter of professionals believe university tourism majors provide graduates with a competitive advantage and both groups consider tourism/hospitality, marketing and management as important business majors. Competencies in logical thinking, social interaction, tourism knowledge and concepts, and generic skills are also considered important by both groups with specific workplace competencies and professional experience considered relatively less important by educators (p < .05). In conclusion, communication networks jointly facilitatedby academicsand industry are recommended.     

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.     

Educators' Perceptions of Business Ethics in Hospitality

ABSTRACT

Business ethics has become a popular topic in both the academic arena and the business setting within the hospitality industry. This research investigates the perceptions of hospitality educators regarding business ethics in contemporary hospitality programs and the hospitality industry (Damitio & Schmidgall, 1993; Dunfee & Donaldson, 1999). This study provides some pivotal educational findings as to how hospitality educators perceive the preparation of hospitality students relative to business ethics. There are three distinctive findings. Female educators have a significantly higher level of agreement toward statements about business ethics in the hospitality industry than do male educators. Educators whose own level of education was a doctorate degree were significantly less concerned about ethics education than educators whose own level of education was a two-year college degree or a master's degree. And, educators who were employed in institutions offering graduate degrees were significantly less concerned about ethics education than educators who were employed in institutions offering undergraduate degrees. In addition to those three significant findings, this study also showed that educators perceive that organizations should not only practice business ethics with customers but also with employees. Additionally, this study showed that educators are concerned about multinational companies (MNC) and students' ability to understand ethical issues while operating businesses in foreign countries. Educators are also concerned about the strong influence of business organizational leadership and management on business ethical practices.     

The importance of career goal in relation to academic performance: a case study of hospitality management students

ABSTRACT

Hospitality management programs have commonly offered exclusive learning opportunities to talented students in order to keep “brains” in the industry. While academic performance indices are often used to identify “brains” in the education sector, scant research has empirically examined whether “brains” are intended to stay in the industry. This study surveyed 304 hospitality management students and examined the relationships between their career-goal related factors and academic performance. Findings indicate that career goal and positive job valence toward the hospitality industry are significantly related to academic performance. The results of this study contribute to the limited literature on the relationship between career goal and academic performance.     

Tourism and Hospitality Higher Education in Israel

SUMMARY

This paper presents the past and present of higher education in tourism and hospitality management in Israel.

The paper discusses the growth of higher education in hospitality and tourism through local initiatives and by franchising and extensions from foreign institutions. The nature of the higher education system in Israel and the accreditation processes of local academic programs is discussed. The case of Ben-Gurion University is introduced to illustrate the development of an academic programinhospitality and tourism management.

The paper also compares the current state of the available academic programs to the year of 2000, at the eve of the Palestinian uprising. The paper analyses the complex relations between the Israeli hospitality industry and the higher education programs, as well as the challenges of future graduate programs and industry-academe relationships.     

Perceptions of determinants of job selection in the hospitality and tourism industry: The case of Korean university students

ABSTRACT

This study explores the key factors influencing potential employees in the hospitality and tourism industry and examines whether causal relationships between behavioral attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control influence students' job selection. The study suggests that the career decision-making process is related to job selection. A total of 307 responses were analyzed. The results explain individual students' attitudes toward a behavior and perceived behavioral control in the context of their job selection. Attitudes toward a behavior and job selection had significant effects on career decisions. On the other hand, opinions of significant others had no significant effect. Perceived behaviors required to decide on jobs had a significant effect on job selection intentions. Students with internship experience were likely to form positive attitudes toward the hospitality and tourism industry, suggesting internships to be a useful source of a stronger relationship between the industry and job aptitudes of students in hospitality and tourism programs. The results have important implications.     

An Investigation of Professional Development Education for Tourism and Hospitality Employees Through University and Industry Cooperative Education Partnerships

ABSTRACT

Cooperative educational partnerships in Australia are innovative education partnerships where universities join with a business or industry association in a working relationship. The partners share resources to develop and provide undergraduate award-bearing professional development education courses for employees and association members. The aim of this research is to investigate the nature of outcomes that encourages tourism and hospitality organisations to encourage professional development education for their employees and members.

This research used a qualitative approach to understand and analyse five cooperative education partnerships operating in the School of Tourism and Hospitality Management, Southern Cross University, Lismore, Australia. The outcomes emerging for tourism and hospitality organisations include encouraging confidence and loyalty in employees and a strengthening industry commitment to further education. The university saw professional development education provided through cooperative education partnerships as becoming part of their core education activity. Communication difficulties between different organisation cultures appear to be a barrier to overcome.     

An examination of the role played by internships in nurturing management competencies in Hospitality and Tourism Management (HTM) students

This article examines how the development of management competencies occurs within Hospitality and Tourism Management education programs at a 4-year higher education institution based in the Midwest. Its purpose is to address concerns raised by industry on how universities can best prepare graduates for success in their careers. As a result, this article examines internships as a vehicle for identifying both the development of management competencies and conversely is used to ascertain potential deficiencies in students’ development and marketability.

The findings suggest that due to the disparate needs of students, educators and employers, discrepancies do exist between stakeholder perspectives concerning the most beneficial way to facilitate programs.     

A Study of Hospitality and Tourism Information Technology Education and Industrial Applications

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to examine the subject relevance of Information Technology [IT] in Hospitality and Tourism Management programs with the skills deployed at workplace. This study aimed at investigating the graduates' transition from education to employment, and to determine how well they appear to be equipped to meet the needs of the hospitality and tourism industry. One hundred and seventeen graduates responded to a mail survey. These graduates rated the importance of IT skills at workplace, the level of IT teaching in hotel and tourism management programs, and the self-competence level in IT. This study concluded that a gap exists between the IT skills required at work and the IT skills acquired from the university.     

An Empirical Approach to Identifying Cross-Cultural Modifications to International Hospitality Industry Sales Training

Abstract

This study uses six of Wilson's (1995) “success” variables in long-term buyer-seller relationship development to analyze whether relationship marketing concepts can be applied globally in hospitality sales training programs. It looks at the cross-cultural differences that exist between various regions of the world (i.e., North America and Asia) in the way buyer-seller relationships are perceived by hotel salespersons. This study found differences in the importance given to the “success” variables do exist across international boundaries. Recognition of the differences can provide assistance to hospitality industry marketers in designing and modifying sales training programs focused on developing long-term buyer-seller relationships.     

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.     

Travel and Tourism Education in Thailand

SUMMARY

The main principles of the tourism policy as established by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports during 2003–2006 is to develop Thailand to be Tourism Capital of Asia within 3 years starting from 2004 to 2006. To achieve the ambitious government target, the success of any tourism development strategy will be determined to a large extent by human resources, which can deliver efficient, high quality services. The travel and tourism education in Thailand at an undergraduate level was offered in the Faculty of Commerce and Accountancy, Chulalongkorn University in 1955 under the Bachelor of Commerce Degree with a major field of study in “Travel Management.” Prince of Songkla University (PSU) brought the concept of community college from the U.S.A. to put into action by setting up Phuket Community College by offering 2-year diploma program in Hotel and Tourism Management to meet the staff requirement of tourism industry in Phuket in 1977. The findings of 'Baccalaureate and Graduate Degrees in Tourism and Hospitality Studies in Thailand: The Current Situations, Problems and Future Development' studied by Chaisawat (1997) and Chaisawat (2000) found that the situation of the universities/institutes that offered programs in hospitality and tourism had changed with a lot of quantity improvement in terms of institutions, number of staff, and number of input/output students as well as research projects. But the very important issues that relate directly to the quality of graduates, problems and constraints running in the hospitality/tourism programs still existed. The National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) (2004) did an in-depth study of the labour force situation among middle- and high-level personnel within the tourism industry in order to increase productivity and capability of the national competitiveness. Chaisawat and Boonchu (2005) did another study on Baccalaureate and Graduate Degrees in tourism and hospitality studies in Thailand in 2003. Both studies also found that the quantity of graduates from the educational institutions was sufficiently to serve the demand of the industry. However, there were problems in terms of quality since graduates' qualifications were not up to the standards required by the employers. Finally the paper recommended that Thailand should be positioned as a centre for hospitality and tourism studies and training, locating at major tourism destinations. In terms of strategic implementation of tourism development, tourism educations and training institutions should play the catalyst and coordinating roles with the stakeholders in each region or destination.     

Oh the places they’ll go. Examining the early career path of hospitality alumni

ABSTRACT

This research adds to the overall literature and academic understanding of early career progression of hospitality professionals. The results of an analysis of the career profiles of graduates of an undergraduate business school majoring in Hospitality and Tourism Management indicate that there are five potential career paths for hospitality professionals graduating from this program. The groups are (1) Traditional Hospitality; (2) Stallers; (3) Nonhospitality; (4) Loyalists; and (5) Entrepreneurs. The findings indicate that there is substantial job movement in the first three years after graduation. Further, if promotion happens within the first 6 months to a year, graduates are more likely to stay with the organization. Finally, those that leave hospitality are likely to go into highly related fields such as health care and real estate.     

Studies in Tourism and Hospitality Management

Abstract

Universities around the world are involved in dynamic change as they seek creative solutions in response to a number of educational and structural issues. To be effective, educational methodologies and technologies need to be anchored to the diverse material circumstances characterising different groups of learners. The challenge for universities offering programs of study in tourism and hospitality management is to provide avenues for learning which are reflective of the needs of industry and incorporate the technology now available. One of the more significant responses has centred on the development of educational programs for flexible learning.

This paper is an analytical reflection on the experience of redesigning and developing programs in tourism and hospitality to increase student access to a wide variety of stimulating learning resources and delivery media. In particular, it documents the process of developing, teaching and evaluating a subject entitled, “Asian Cultures in Tourism and Travel” within a three-year Bachelor of Business program that offers concentrations in Tourism, Travel, Hospitality and Leisure Management.     

First-year hospitality students: an exploration into their background and the initial importance of career success aspects

ABSTRACT

Students enter college each year with a variety of different backgrounds and experiences. This study explored first-year hospitality students in an attempt to better understand their background and the initial importance of career success factors. Regardless of entry-level status, students rated themselves positively on key industry useful skills. Students also showed differences in their perceptions of how recruiters may view the usefulness of these skills, though major differences did not occur based on the students’ work experience background.     

Skills and Competencies Needed for the Hong Kong Hotel Industry

ABSTRACT

The tourism industry is one of the main sources of income to Hong Kong. If qualified employees provide better service, Hong Kong can potentially attract even more visitors. The training of new recruits and existing staff is therefore vital, but views on the value and the type of training vary amongst the stakeholders. This study of the views of hotel human resources managers revealed that they considered that people who were interested in developing their career in the hospitality industry must be prepared to start at the bottom. The hotel human resources managers strongly believe that employees must have a positive service-mind and commitment to the industry with a certain degree of working experience. Employers perceived these were important components to success for every member of staff, rather than having a good educational background. Such qualifications will raise the status of the hotel industry in general and enhance the status of the service providers as professionals.     

Factors Influencing Intercultural Sensitivity of Hospitality Employees

ABSTRACT

This study investigates the factors influencing the development of intercultural sensitivity among hospitality employees. The study particularly looks at the relationship between intercultural sensitivity levels of hospitality employees and their previous educational work experiences. Based on a survey (Intercultural Sensitivity Scale) scale with 443 hospitality employees overall means were calculated. Results of the analysis show that exposure to other cultures by participating previously in student exchange programs (e.g. ERASMUS), work and travel programs, and spending long periods of time abroad increased people’s intercultural sensitivity. Interestingly though, the study found that having formal tourism and hospitality education did not have any influence on the level of intercultural sensitivity of hospitality employees.     

Is it art or science? Chef's competencies for success

One of the most challenging professions in the hospitality industry, comprised of both scientific mastery and artistic innovation, is the Chef. It is imperative that these positions are occupied by individuals who possess the appropriate set of skills allowing them to perform with equal success in both culinary, as well as managerial competence. Thus, this research sets out to investigate, from “the Chef's” perspective, competencies required for a successful career in the field as well as the level to which these competencies have been developed (acquired) on-the-job. A self-administered questionnaire consisting of 27 competency items was administered to Chef professionals working in Cyprus. The findings revealed that technical (culinary-specific) competencies were considered as most important, followed by leadership-management competencies. In contrast, conceptual (creative-adaptive) competencies were ranked low by the respondents. In addition, numerous significant differences were revealed based on demographics and other industry-related factors.     

Conceptualization of Quality Indicators for U.S. Based Four-Year Undergraduate Hospitality Management Programs

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this research was to (a) generate a composite list of hospitality management program quality indicators and (b) arrange the quality indicators in dimensional categories under conceptual themes. Three focus group interviews were conducted with twenty-eight hospitality educators and administrators. Sixty-nine quality indicators emerged based on the content analyses of the data under five conceptual themes: students/alumni, curriculum, faculty, industry support, and facilities. Categories under each theme varied in the unidimensional and multidimensional nature of their indicators. Implications for stakeholders and recommendations for future research to determine specific quality measures that would be useful to hospitality faculty and administrators in planning and assessing academic programs are provided.     

Buying a Piece of Paradise- A Case Study

ABSTRACT

The vacation ownership (timeshare) industry is the fastest growing segment in the hospitality industry. With this growth is the need to attain qualified managers and hospitality programs must ascertain the skills that are necessary to meet the demands of this market. The purpose of this study was to discover if there were any significant differences between traditional lodging managers and timeshare managers based upon a manager's knowledge, ability, and attitude related to their job duties. The study did discover some areas that were deemed more important to timeshare managers. These results could be used to help potential employees in the lodging industry discover what type of environment would best match their skill set.