Po-Fen Chen

Abstract

The issues of curriculum relevancy and attitudinal learning outcomes in preparing hospitality management students to meet industry needs are the focuses of this study. This study attempts to assess whether or not attitudes and values offour-year hospitality program students change as a result of the learning processes in their curricula. A 40 item questionnaire was developed and used to survey the three populations in the study; freshmen and seniors of a four-year hospitality management program and hotel general managers who have hired Co-op students and graduates from the program. The survey results were compared between the groups as follows: Freshmen vs. Seniors; Freshmen vs. General Managers; and Seniors vs. General Managers. The results showed that the freshmen rated 75% of the survey items higher than the seniors. The results also showed that, unlike the freshmen, the seniors tended to have similar perspectives as the hotel general managers on the importance of hospitality attributes, qualities, competencies and skills. An examination of hotel general managers' responses to the survey items revealed that female managers rated survey items and factors higher overall than male managers. In addition, male students viewed Appearance (personal) as an important attribute that graduates should possess while female students did not. Attitude was rated as the most significant quality for entry-level positions and Property development and real estate was viewed as the least important competency. The study revealed that there was a difference between what graduates were capable of and what hotel managers were really looking for when hiring new graduates. A number of recommendations are suggested to hospitality management schools and educators to improve their programs and the content of their curriculums in order to make certain that students in four-year hospitality management programs have the requisite attributes, qualities, competencies and skills that hotel general managers are looking for when hiring graduates for entry-level management positions.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Hotel management; Executives|xSelection and appointment; Executives--Rating of

Publication Date

1995

Document Type

Thesis

Department, Program, or Center

School of Food, Hotel and Tourism Management (CAST)

Advisor

Stockham, Edward

Comments

Note: imported from RIT’s Digital Media Library running on DSpace to RIT Scholar Works. Physical copy available through RIT's The Wallace Library at: TX911.3.M27C48 1995

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

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