Hotel Management Students Research Articles

Students' perceptions of quality and satisfaction with virtual field trips of hotels

Abstract This paper examines hotel management students' perceptions of the quality aspects of a Virtual Field Trip (VFT) technology based learning and teaching tool, and its effect on their satisfaction. With the help of an online VFT tool, students were familiarized with the theoretical concepts of hotel operations, and then exposed to the insights of the actual operations of two hotels. To assess satisfaction, 182 undergraduate students in a large public university in Australia responded to a self-administered questionnaire. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, principle component factor analysis and multiple regression techniques. The results suggest that there are three factors of quality promoting students' satisfaction, however, the factor of ‘system quality’ was found to be the most important predictor for satisfaction when using the technology based learning and teaching tool. Further analysis revealed that international students' satisfaction with the factor of ‘content quality’ was higher than domestic students.

A study on teachers’ perception on the effect of AICTE recommended curriculum on the development of competencies of hotel management Students

There has been a drastic change in the economic environment specially when tourism activity has increased and countries have started focusing on hotel & catering activity along with hotel management learning. Most hoteliers feel there is shortage of trained man-power and there should be revision in the curriculum for hotel management education. Identifying competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and attitudes) sets have assisted recruiting managers in the selecting the right candidate, it has helped in training and developing programs for future personnel, It has helped to retain employees and motivate them, and in helping hotel employees in their career. The teachers play an important role in developing the competencies required among the students. This article is on their perception on the effect of the curriculum recommended by the Government who certifies whether the students have completed the course satisfactorily.

Enhancing hospitality student learning through the use of a business simulation

This study examines hotel management students’ expectations of and satisfaction with the use of the Hotel Operations Tactics and Strategy (HOTS) simulation as a learning tool. Hospitality courses must be relevant to industry, and relevance is increasingly achieved through innovative learning methods. Computer-based simulations have been found to bridge the gap between didactically presented information and experiential learning. Two online surveys were conducted with a final sample of 104 paired responses analyzed using importance–performance analysis (IPA). Results showed that students have high expectations with regard to learning from the simulation and that IPA identifies areas on which educators should focus to develop student learning.

Measuring and monitoring conceptions of research

This study assessed the validity and reliability of the Meyer, Shanahan, and Laugksch’s Conceptions of Research Inventory using data collected from 227 undergraduate hotel management students in the Netherlands. The results of a series of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses showed substantial empirical support for the five-factor structure of the scale and for the majority of items used to measure each of the five conceptions. Furthermore, analyses of variances and K-means cluster analyses revealed significant differences among students of three study years in two of the five research conceptions (i.e. Misconceptions and Problem-Solving), suggesting that undergraduates’ research conceptions evolve as they progress through the curriculum. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

Oral Communicative Competence of Second Year Hotel and Restaurant Management Students in the University of the Immaculate Conception

<p>Communication is a prime function of language. Oral communicative competence in the English language is an advantage particularly in service industries requiring people interactions, such as in hotel and restaurant trade. This study was conducted to determine the level of oral communicative competence in terms of voice production, pronunciation, mechanics and content of the University of the Immaculate Conception (UIC) Hotel and Restaurant Management (HRM) students, as a basis for intervention program. This study employed descriptive design with a validated researcher-made questionnaire to measure oral communicative competence of the 45 students purposively chosen. The results revealed that the respondents’ level of oral communicative competence is average for all specified parameters. ANOVA revealed no significant difference (p>0.05) between all communicative competency parameters among the respondents when grouped according to their first language, economic status and average grades in English subjects. The study recommends the revision of English 4 (Speech and Oral Communication) syllabus as an intervention program.</p><p><strong>Keywords:</strong> Oral communicative competence, Hotel and Restaurant Management, syllabus, Descriptive-correlation, Davao City, Philippines</p>

Preface

<p>The UIC Research Journal Volume 20 Number 2 features 14 articles written by faculty and student researchers from the University of the Immaculate Conception and other Higher Educational Institutions in Davao City. The journal contains five sections of the publication format of research papers, theses and dissertations from various disciplines and fields of study that have been completed in the college and graduate level.</p><p>The first section comprised studies from the field Education. This issue features a variety of studies that look at a diverse array of topics in the educational spectrum. The work of Sagarino, Baucan & Habla sheds light on the various perspectives on artistry and art appreciation of paintings of Dabawenyo Artists from the view of artists and viewers. The study of Palarca, Victorino, España & Velez, examines the dynamism and richness of the female archetypes in “The Woman with Two Novels” which is the work of National Artist for Literature, Nick Joaquin. The section also features the study of Aguisando, Arguilla & Parba which examines the connection between reading proficiency and the writing skills of college students. The section finishes with the study of Musni- Tagaytay, Geonzon, Gerasmio, Lanos & Salvan which examines institutional culture as reflected in the popular Facebook trend known as university “confession” pages.</p><p> </p><p>The Engineering & Technology section showcases two studies into improving the quality of life through applications of engineering concepts and various developmental technology. The work of Ozoa, Limjuco & Pacabis inquires into the utilization of matrix controls in response to the growing traffic problems in various urban areas while the work of Limjuco, Quinamot, Guy-ab Jr., Cabañero, Tarongoy III, Bruno & Ybañez, Jr. investigate and compare tap water vis a vis rainwater on the quality of plant growth. The third study, which is the work of Relacion & Naval address the continuous need for the development of better learning materials and techniques by revisiting the proving of the derivative formula involving trigonometric function.</p><p> </p><p>The third section features Higher Education Research featuring the works of Sagayno and Limjuco which delves into The Motivational Drives and School Effectiveness Efforts of Secondary School Academicians and their Attitudinal Level towards K to 12 Implementation. The study of Laya on Modeling Turnover Intention of Faculty Members among Higher Educational institutions in Davao City, tackles human resource and educational management.</p><p> </p><p>The fourth section of this issue features scholarly works in the field of Health and Wellness. Babiera and Almanzor take a closer look at perceptions on Masculinity and the Acceptability of Male Dancers; newly emerging sports are given focus by Limjuco, Canono, Ramos, & Manapol in their study The Popularity and Acceptability of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) among Aficionados and Sports Enthusiasts. Lastly, Determinants of Music Type Preference of University Students in Davao City is investigated by Limjuco, Pregua and Ticudo.</p><p> </p><p>The fifth and last section, Institutional/Action Researches, presents the study of Pia, Matunding & Salvador which is a tracer study of Bachelor of Science in Nursing Students in Davao Doctors College. The section also presents the study of Baradillo on the Oral Communicative Competence of Second Year Hotel and Restaurant Management Students in the University of the Immaculate Conception.</p>

Analyzing the Effectiveness of Simulation in Promoting Learner Autonomy: Perceptions of ESP Hotel Management Students

Simulation-based teaching with its life-long efficacy has led many researchers and educationists to probe deeply into the promotion of learner autonomy in the teaching and learning nexus. This newly emerging trend is an indication of accelerating concern in the area of global ESP perspective which has a pivotal significance regarding experimentation with interactive learning situations, eventually resulting in a broader understanding of learner autonomy along with refinement of problem-solving, decision making and critical thinking skills. The ultimate goal of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of simulation in nurturing learner autonomy. It further scrutinized the perceptions and beliefs of 40 ESP Hotel Management students (L2 learners) enrolled in University of Gujrat (UOG), purposively selected, whose responses regarding simulation as a dynamic teaching tool, contributing actively in enhancing learner autonomy or not, were eventually examined. In this perspective the researchers designed a closed-ended questionnaire. Findings of the study revealed that simulation integrated in innovative and interactive learning scenarios stimulates the learning and enhances learner autonomy by increasing learner motivation, encouraging team work, developing communication, interpersonal and project management skills while boosting up learners’ confidence in task-based ventures and collaborative learning along with enrichment of workplace skills in multidimensional situations and in a tension free environment.

Perception of Final Year Hotel Management Students towards Working in Hotel Industry

Although the development of hotel industry can create new job opportunities it is often criticized that the hotel industry provides low skilled and less paid jobs. If todays students are going to be the hotel managers of tomorrow its important to understand their perceptions about hotel jobs. This paper focuses on final year students who have completed their industrial trainings and are ready for placement in hotels. The study finds that the students respondent neither favorable nor unfavorable towards the hotel jobs. The findings also show that there is willingness to work in hotel related jobs or study further about hospitality industry. Though the impact is debatable, a students negative work experience during the industrial training can influence their image of hotel industry.

Assessing Quality of Educational Service by the Servqual Model: Viewpoints of Hotel Management Undergraduate Students at Manipal University in India

Considerations and thoughts on how students perceive or expect quality of educational services, contributes to a great deal in improving the quality of educational and academic services in Universities and Institutions across the world. Defining the probable gaps between the expectations and perceptions of students will enable educational service providers to embark on necessary actions to augment the quality of educational services provided by a university particularly offering a hospitality management degree. The aim of this study is to use the SERVQUAL instrument to measure and identify any actual or perceived gaps between student's expectations and perceptions of the educational services of their University. Particularly aimed at determining the quality gap in educational services provided to the Undergraduate Hotel Management students of the Manipal University - India in December 2013.The students participating in the study are pursuing a 4 year Bachelor Degree in Hotel Management. The study will also provide insights to the University on the improvements needed for future student satisfaction on educational services and quality improvements. The SERVQUAL metric was adapted for the measurement of service quality in the higher education of hotel management course at Manipal University and conducted on an entire population of students. The proposed instrument is tested only in one University in India with an entire population (170 students) of two years of study. This research paper presents an approach to using SERVQUAL for measuring student's expectations and perceptions. The adapted factors concerning student services at a University from the standard SERVQUAL instrument are questioned using the SERVQUAL methodology. The detailed statistical analysis reduced to meaningful statements are usable by the management of university's as an effective easy to apply quality measurement tool. The outcomes of the study resulted in a negative quality gap in all five dimensions of quality educational services: Tangible (physical environments) Reliability (trustworthiness) Responsiveness (Sensitivity) Assurance (guarantee) Empathy (Understanding). The maximum and minimum mean of quality gap observed was -0.48 in the dimension of Tangibles and -0.11 in the dimension of assurance respectively. It is significant to note that the perceptive gap of the female students were higher than the perceptive gap of the male students in all 5 dimensions. Female rated reliability with high mean and the male students rated tangibles with a high mean. It was also observed that the P value of female scores on the dimension off reliability 0.033 and responsive 0.031 and is statistically relevant as it is less than 0.05.

English

Being able to communicate effectively is a much sought after skill by employers in today’s globalised work contexts. This article examines the types of oral communication difficulties faced by Diploma level ESL learners. This study also analysed the types of communication strategies used by the students to cope with speaking and listening problems during English oral communication activities. With these research objectives, a questionnaire known as the Oral Communication Strategies Inventory (OCSI) was distributed to 100 Diploma of Hotel Management students at the UiTM branch campus in Penang. Following that, 16 students from the total population were interviewed and they also took part in a journal writing activity to explain the difficulties they encounter when engaging in English conversation with others. The results revealed that difficulties occurred due to learners’ lack of English language knowledge. It was also found that learners are keen to get involved in English oral communication activities and most of them negotiate meaning with the interlocutors to understand the intended messages. The implications of this study suggest that teachers should be more creative in constructing interactive learning experiences for their students and teach coping strategies as part of students’ repertories of oral communication skills. Keywords: oral communication difficulties; coping strategies; ESL learners; hotel management; interactive learning

Hotel Managers Perspective of Managerial Competency among Graduating Students of Hotel Management Programme

The tourism potential of India, especially in a global context, remains far from being realized. Towards realization of this potential, the Ministry of Tourism envisages a target of 12% growth rate in inbound as well as domestic tourists for the 12th Five Year Plan period. Therefore, in response to the needs of the industry, training providers have established a number of hotel, leisure, travel and tourism degrees. But past references have identified that hotel courses lack the rigor to provide quality manpower. Hotel management students seem to rate the value of their degrees higher than do employees in the. As such there always seem to be a bridge between what the hotel management students and the assumption of the hotel Industry. The Indian hotel Industry is likely to witness only a marginal revenue growth of about 7% in 2012-13 with uncertain economy impacting demand, according to a study by rating agency ICRA. Visibility on the immediate term growth remains clouded with an uncertain economy impacting demand even as lumpy supply additions occur. ICRA revises downwards the revenue growth estimates to 5-7%, with a seasonally stronger second-half partly compensating for the low operating margins in the first half. The hotel Industry hit new lows during the second quarter of 2012-13 with falling revenue per available room (RevPARs) and escalating power costs eroding the operating margins, which coupled with increase in fixed costs (interest and depreciation) resulted in many players posting net losses. World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) projects a moderate 2-4% growth in international tourist volumes this year in view of the continued global uncertainties in Europe. In the present economic scenario, this study will benchmark effective teaching techniques to empower students to be managers in the Hotel Industry on successful graduation in a very competitive but stifled recruitment policy. This study will identify: (1) industry perception; (2) managerial employment competency components; and (3) managerial employability opportunities.

How do Egyptian hotel management students feel about studying alcohol service?

Drinking and handling of alcohol are prohibited by Islam, therefore, hotel management students in Egypt, mostly Muslims, are faced with a controversial issue. Students in three Egyptian schools of tourism and hotels were surveyed to investigate their perceptions of studying alcoholic beverages service, focusing on issues of gender, religious affiliation, religiosity, and drinking history. The findings indicate that service classes were supported by the majority while service laboratories, involving handling of alcohol, were opposed. Moreover, students' preferences in training opportunities were associated with their perceptions of the service laboratory. Religion and culture largely form the students' perceptions of alcohol.

The Attitude of Hotel School Students Toward Hospitality Finance

This study uses survey research to examine the attitudes of undergraduate hotel management students toward hospitality finance. A sample of 103 students enrolled in a four-year undergraduate hotel management program was surveyed. The questionnaire measured both students' attitudes toward hospitality finance and their knowledge about hospitality finance as a subject. The attitude statements were designed to address cognitive, affective, as well as behavioral components. Results showed a significant positive correlation between students' attitudes and their test results. The statements related to cognition were most strongly related to test results. As such, the perception of undergraduate students with regard to the subject of hospitality finance and its importance in the hospitality education curriculum is better understood.

Perceptions of Tourism and Hotel Management Students on Ethics in the Workplace

Ethics in the workplace has become an increasing concern with the fast development and increasing complexity of the hospitality and tourism industry. However, limited academic credence has been given to the perceptions and reactions of hospitality and tourism students on ethics in relation to their respective workplaces. The current study aims to investigate the perceptions of tourism and hotel management students on ethics. A comparison was conducted among three groups of students, including subdegree, bachelor's degree, and master's degree students. The findings of this study show that the students generally possess a high level of ethical standard and acknowledge the importance of ethics in the workplace. The perceptions and reactions of the students toward unethical behavior in the workplace consistently showed their adherence to ethics. Bachelor's degree students posited a higher acceptance level on unethical behavior compared with subdegree and master's degree students. Recommendations for improving the ethics course for tourism and hotel management programs and for future research are discussed.

An Evaluation of Optimism and Life Satisfaction of Undergraduate Students in the School of Tourism and Hotel Management

In recent years there are numerous institutions providing education in tourism sector which increase its importance,because of the need for qualified staff. School of Tourism and Hotel Managements are one of these institutions which provide the highest level of education. Due to the forefront of human element because of tourism sectors' structural caharcteristics the purpose of this study is to evaluate optimism and life satisfaction of the undergraduate tourism and hotel management students. “Optimism Scale” developed by Balci and Yilmaz (2002) was used to measure students’ optimism, and “Life Satisfaction” developed by Diener, Emmons, Larsen and Griffin (1985), translated into Turkish by Koker (1991) was used to measure students’ life satisfaction. Element sampling method was used. The sample involved the students who enrolled at School of Tourism and Hotel Management, Selcuk University in Turkey, during the spring semester of 2010-2011 academic year (n= 479). Results showed that the students scored moderately on satisfaction and highly on optimism. Female students were more optimistic and satisfied than male students and the higher the level of income students had, the more optimistic and satisfied they were. Another result showed that there was a positive correlation between students’ optimism and life satisfaction.

Developing a Conceptual Framework for Measuring Future Career Intention of Hotel Interns

Many hotel management students show negative attitudes toward entering the hotel industry. Such attitudes are likely the result of a negative internship experience that may cause a young person to quickly turn away from the industry. At present, work–life balance is recognized as one of the top five important challenges in human resource management. Additionally, different hotel job characteristics would lead to different internship experiences. This article aims to establish a conceptual framework by reviewing the extensive literature on the study of the interrelationship of internship core job characteristics and work–life balance toward general job satisfaction and future career intention of hotel interns.

Understanding True Colors Personality Trait Spectrums of Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management Students to Enhance Classroom Instruction

True Colors personality trait spectrums are identified through a self-analysis of personality characteristics pertaining to specific colors: blue, gold, green, and orange. Through a professional development course in a large southeastern university, hotel, restaurant, and tourism management (HRTM) students self-identify their True Colors personality trait spectrums. Once identified, students learn how to more effectively use what they know about their own personalities to improve relationships—both personal and professional. Faculty/instructors learn how to identify the personality trait spectrums of their students to more effectively communicate with students and develop activities/projects to engage all students. Explained in this article are the True Colors personality types, how to identify an individual's personality trait spectrum, a profile of college HRTM students' personality spectrums, and implications for how hospitality faculty may adjust communication and classroom instruction to connect with all students.

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.

Empowerment effects across cultures

Three studies examined cross-cultural variations in empowerment effects. Study 1 investigated whether Hofstede's power distance scores moderated the effect of job autonomy on job satisfaction using World Values Survey data on 33 nations. Study 2 surveyed frontline hotel employees from Canada and PRC to investigate the moderating role of power distance at the individual level. In Study 3, hotel management students from Canada and PRC were asked to play the role of a frontline employee, who had to handle a special customer request, in a scenario experiment. These studies show consistently that the cultural value of power distance moderates the effect of empowerment on job satisfaction. Moreover, willingness to accept and exercise the discretionary power allowed by management and desire to satisfy customer needs and wants are two employee conditions that are essential for the successful implementation of the empowerment approach.

A Gaming Management Course and its Impact on Students' Perceptions

The author shared the content, activities, and resources of a gaming management course designed to help hotel and restaurant management students develop an awareness of career opportunities in the gaming industry and become comfortable to work in the casino environment.