Securing graduate commitment: an exploration of the comparative expectations of placement students, graduate recruits and human resource managers within the hospitality, leisure and tourism industries

This research begins the process of mapping out human resource (HR) strategies appropriate to the needs of actual and potential graduate employees. The perceptions and attitudes of placement students, recent graduates working in the sector and managers with responsibility for graduate development were surveyed, looking at the elements that make up the initial psychological contract of students on first encounter with the sector; the types of organisational HR practice that are seen as meeting the needs of employees; the role that universities can play in constructing expectations and bridging gaps between the graduate and the employer. It was found that the nature of the contract shifts from relational to transactional between placement and employment.     

Transnational tourism education and student approaches to learning: is there a mismatch?

This article employs a novel approach by investigating Chinese students from a transnational tourism management programme in Hong Kong and Chinese students studying on a similar programme at the degree-awarding UK university. This quantitative study investigates whether there are any differences between two groups of students in terms of their approaches to learning, preferred learning and teaching methods and their satisfaction with the programme. The findings demonstrate significant differences between the two cohorts, indicating that a programme cannot be easily exported. The implications of the findings for the transnational curriculum, learning and teaching practice and theories of student approaches to learning are discussed.     

Hospitality management study programme and students’ perceptions: universities in South Africa

This study using a questionnaire survey of 200 hospitality management students in two South African Universities assessed the perceptions of these students towards their study programme, the support they get while studying, and their intention to work in the hospitality sector over the long-term. Results from data analyses indicate that the students are generally satisfied with their study and would recommend hospitality management as a study programme to friends and relatives. Many of them also expressed the desire to work in the hospitality sector over the long-term. Their major concerns towards their study are in the areas of inadequacy of the hospitality management curriculum to address their study needs, the fear that fulfilling jobs will not be available for them after graduation, and their lack of knowledge regarding public and private funding for hospitality entrepreneurship activities. This study therefore calls on hospitality management study programme managers in South Africa to include entrepreneurship courses that address how graduates can source public or private funds to start up their own hospitality businesses, to decrease dependence on employers. Graduates with comprehensive and integrated knowledge of the hospitality sector operations and opportunities will not have fear of getting jobs and performing well in the sector.     

Acculturative Stress and Leisure among Chinese International Graduate Students

ABSTRACT

This study explored the roles of leisure participation in helping Chinese international graduate students cope with acculturative stress. In particular, it examined (a) the expectations and preparations with respect to acculturative stress made by the students prior to their arrival to the United States, (b) the acculturative stressors experienced by the students during the postarrival transition phase, (c) the role of leisure participation in coping with acculturative stress, and (d) the limitations of leisure as a coping strategy and the negative impacts of leisure on acculturative stress. Two rounds of semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 first-year Chinese international graduate students attending a large midwestern university. The findings revealed that due to the unique cultural influence and the status of international students, the participants experienced distinctive acculturative stressors. Although leisure participation was an effective tool in combating acculturative stress, in some circumstances it a led to a plethora of negative outcomes.     

The politics,satisfaction, loyalty,and success of Ph.D. students in hospitality and tourism

The purpose of this study was to explore the roles of organizational politics in educational institutions with regard to graduate students’ satisfaction with supervision and loyalty toward advisors, and thereby success of students in the Ph.D. program, within the hospitality and tourism discipline. The findings demonstrate that satisfaction and loyalty play important roles in doctoral students’ experiences in graduate education. Several implications for students and faculty are discussed.     

Generation Y consumers’ selection attributes and behavioral intentions concerning green restaurants

The objectives of this study are to examine the Generation Y consumer segments’ selection attributes and behavioral intentions toward green restaurants. A survey was administered to college students between the ages of 17 and 30 at a university in a Southeastern United States city. This study identified four different consumer segments of Generation Y college students according to their food-related lifestyles. Across the four segments, there were significant differences in selection attributes. In addition, significant differences were identified between the four segments regarding their behavioral intentions toward green restaurants. Finally, the marketing implications for the target groups are discussed.     

Student Perspectives on the Quality of Hotel Management Internships

ABSTRACT

Internships have been widely used as an educational component for hotel management students. Despite the importance of internships, there has been limited empirical research in the academic literature on the quality of internships for hotel management students. The three stakeholders, academic institutions (educators), students, and organizations (employers) are important elements in the success of internships. From the viewpoint of students, this study examined the ranking of the level of expectation before placement and satisfaction after placement of selected internship issues, the differences between satisfaction and expectations, and the relation between these differences and demographic characteristics. Upon completion of the internships, it was found that the ranking of student issues was relatively higher than of academic institutions or organization issues. In addition, it was found that the differences on all issues before and after placement were significant. Finally, there were also differences concerning a few issues among the demographic groups. This study concludes that programs need to be improved to make internships successful. Although the study is based on research in Korea, it is argued that suggestions and discussions of the selected internship issues may be potentially applicable to hotel management internships in other countries.     

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.     

What is professional attire today? A conjoint analysis of personal presentation attributes

Personal presentation attributes have long been understood to affect perceptions of competence and capabilities. To that end, this study investigates seven attributes associated with favorable interview presentation, including overall physical attractiveness, neatness and grooming, clothing color, conservative versus trendy attire, professional versus casual attire, and body modification (including tattoos and piercings). Participants (n = 108), including students, faculty, and hospitality industry professionals, sorted an orthogonal array of 16 full-color, laminated cards that contained photos so that respondents could see levels of clothing color, clothing conservativeness, and degree of professional attire. The remaining attributes and their corresponding levels were shown on respective analog indicators. The conjoint analysis results indicate that grooming and professional attire are the most important attributes in shaping favorable perceptions. Furthermore, faculty perceived conservative clothing to be better while students and industry professionals indicated that trendy clothing creates a more favorable presentation on the part of a job candidate.     

Assessment of university campus café service: The students' perceptions

This paper presents the results of a study conducted to examine the important attributes in food service provision on a large Australian university campus. Ten café outlets (A to J to maintain anonymity of the café outlets) positioned across a large university campus located in an urban residential area were surveyed. A total of 410 students participated in the survey. Based on the frequency of patronage to the cafés results showed that five of the ten café outlets were more frequently visited in a given week. These were Café A, Café B, Café H, Café F, and Café I; however, the focus of this paper would be on Café A, which was just recently opened for business. Results indicated that students considered quality, price and service as the most important attributes in patronizing a particular café on campus. Results also indicated that students were most satisfied with important attributes such as convenience, ambience and quality during their visit to the café. Paired samples' t-test results showed statistically significant differences between the perceived importance and level of satisfaction with all attributes except the opening hours attribute. Results are discussed with possible implications and suggestions for further research.     

Transformational learning through study abroad: US students’ reflections on learning about sustainability in the South Pacific

As leisure studies and higher education more generally embrace the themes of sustainability and global citizenship, it is important to investigate educational initiatives that purport to achieve these goals. Using transformational theory of transformative learning, this study examined the experiences of 150 US university students who participated in three interdisciplinary short-term study abroad programmes that focus on sustainability in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. The programmes are highly experiential with the curriculum structured around modules targeted at a particular destination, visited on a specific programme. At the conclusion of the programmes, the students were asked to reflect on their experiences in response to four open-ended questions. The data were coded by the research team, and guided by the tenets of sustainability and transformative learning theory. Four themes were identified: a new sociocultural understanding; a new connection with the natural world; economic considerations; and making changes. The findings provide insights into some ways US students have been introduced to the need for, and importance of, sustainable practices in daily life. In turn, support is provided for the supposition that programmes that are highly experiential and involve critical reflection have the potential to shift students’ worldviews.     

An examination of students’ perceptions for guest speakers in hospitality and tourism programs

The current study aimed to identify students’ perceptions about guest speakers in hospitality and tourism programs. A total of 222 participants were surveyed at a large, public university in southwestern United States. The mean scores of 10 attributes were plotted on an importance-performance analysis grid to illustrate each attribute of one guest speaker’s lecture. The findings showed a discrepancy between the students’ perceived importance and the performance level. The results indicate that students expect that guest speakers not only provide industry-specific knowledge and current issues but also deliver them appropriately. Therefore, guest speakers should realize that students are eager to learn about strategies for career success and current issues in order to stimulate their interest. These findings provide meaningful information for guest speakers on how to improve their effectiveness because students’ reflection and ideas about guest speakers help faculty members better utilize guest speakers and develop curriculums and programs, which ultimately will benefit students in their learning.     

Travel demand and behavior of university students in Hong Kong

University students represent an emerging market for the travel industry. This paper reports the findings of a study on the travel behavior and travel patterns of Hong Kong university students. Using a questionnaire, a survey was conducted to identify student travel motives, their travel planning process and travel preferences. A total of 264 university students in Hong Kong were interviewed and data analyzed. The results indicate that to “Experience new and different styles”, “Take it easy and relax”, “Go to places I haven't been before” and “Outstanding scenery” were perceived as important motives in students' travel decision-making. Four factors with 24 attributes were identified. These factors were “Social relationships”, “Obtain new experience”, “Relax and enjoy” and “Cost of travel”. Based on the findings of the study, it was suggested that modifications to the existing tourism products and services and new product development were necessary in order to meet the demand of this emerging market.     

Improving importance-performance analysis: The role of the zone of tolerance and competitor performance. The case of Taiwan's hot spring hotels

Importance–performance analysis (IPA) is a valuable and popular approach for prioritizing improvements to the quality of services. Despite its simplicity, shortcomings in the analytical framework remain: (a) its application is hindered by measurement bias; (b) it requires a crosshair placement mechanism to enhance the reliability of managerial interpretations; (c) it does not account for differences between the characteristics of quality attributes; (d) it ignores the relative performance of competitors in the competitive marketplace. Since all of these issues have important managerial implications, this work proposes a model for evaluating service quality based on the competitive zone of tolerance by benchmarking against competitors, and then constructs an analytical framework referred to as “CZIPA” (competitive ZOT service quality based IPA) for prioritizing quality improvements of quality attributes to resolve these above issues. The case of a Taiwanese hot springs hotel is presented to demonstrate the implementation of the proposed CZIPA. The results of this case study demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the determination of priorities of attributes for improvement using CZIPA, enabling hotel managers to achieve a competitive advantage.     

Australian Tourism Education

SUMMARY

An appraisal of Australian tourism education is undertaken by pursuing its historical development and the key issues of teaching locations, generic skills and graduate attributes, educator competence, human resource planning and how to assess performance. It is argued that Australia, when considered as a case study in the global context of higher tourism education, occupies a distinctive and relatively successful niche. The distinctiveness derives from both its late entry into the field and the status-oriented context in which it has grown. The success is characterised by a strong research-education nexus and the consolidation rather than loss of the degree offerings over time.     

遗产旅游动机的核心-边缘结构研究--以丽江为例

遗产旅游动机存在着一个核心-边缘结构,核心动机源自遗产属性,而边缘动机与遗产属性关系不大。既有研究虽已认识到这个结构,但对于动机如何从属性而来的过程却关注不多。文章采用方法-目的链研究方法,以丽江为案例地,对该结构进行探讨。方法-目的链主张从属性到结果再到价值这样的层级性建构,可还原游客动机的产生过程。研究发现,游客动机来自丽江多个方面的属性：遗产属性、遗产相关属性和遗产无关属性。这些属性往往被综合起来提到,游客同时被这些属性吸引而不是单单被遗产属性所吸引。逃离和归属感这两个在理论上看应该是核心动机价值,但追溯其属性却发现产生这些价值的也包括非遗产属性。而寻求艳遇、成就感和寻找自我这些在理论上看似与核心动机无关的价值,却与遗产属性和遗产相关属性关系密切。这说明游客对遗产进行了遗产客观价值以外的建构。     

饭店管理研究生课程教学探讨

本文认为,作为研究型综合性大学的饭店管理研究生课程,教学思路应突出强调宽口径、重基础、厚学术前沿、顾实践运用,教材选用应以国际权威杂志发表的原版的学术论文作为基本教学素材,同时编排英文阅读材料,教学方法逐步实施以课题式创新型研究促进研究生学习能力提升的方法,教学手段建设中,积极营造数字化、信息化环境和外语教学环境。     

Packing for the trip: A model of competencies for successful expatriate hospitality assignment

This paper aims to propose a model to assist international hotel companies to prepare expatriate executives for their overseas assignments to minimize expatriate failure. Survey questionnaires measuring competences and skills of expatriation were administered to 66 representatives of the lodging associations and properties who are members in the International Hotel & Restaurant Association. Exploratory factor analysis findings indicate that three categories of attributes are keys for successful overseas assignments: personal competencies, global management skills, and expatriate adjustment. Human resource development professionals should be especially cognizant of identifying personal competencies as the distinguishing elements for selecting high-potential expatriate managers. Educational programs preparing students for work in international hospitality business should strive to expose students to all of the behavioral aspects of international hospitality business identified in this study.     

美国休闲游客对中国作为国际旅游目的地的评价:基于IPA方法

运用IPA分析法对美国休闲游客对中国作为国际旅游目的地的评价进行实证研究,并通过统计分析探讨了到访美国游客与未到访美国游客对中国绩效性评价方面的差异。研究结果明确了中国今后在继续保持、表现过度、毋须优先和改善重点方面应关注的要素,并提出了具体的应对措施。     

The influence of low-fare airlines on vacation choices of students: Results of a stated portfolio choice experiment

This paper reports the results of a portfolio model of vacation choices of students. The portfolio model concerns the combined choice of destination type, transport mode, duration, accommodation, and travel party for vacations. In addition to usual transport modes such as airline, train, bus and car, a distinction was made between low-fare airlines, as these may be especially appealing to students, and regular airlines. Stated choice data were used to estimate the model. The attributes of the transport modes were systematically varied in the experiment, while respondents were faced with free options for the other choice facets. Estimation results indicated that the developed model of portfolio choice performs satisfactory. In substantive terms, it seems that transport mode predominantly influences the portfolio choices. The attributes that are significant tend to amplify the specific role of transport modes in general and low-fare airlines in particular.