University Tourism Research Articles

Skills and work in the hospitality sector

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop a picture of the skills profiles, work background, educational attainment, attitudes and plans of the employees in front office in hotels in China by means of a survey of employees in four and five star hotels.Design/methodology/approachData was collected by means of a questionnaire survey conducted in major tourist cities in China, including Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Jinan, Qingdao and Weihai. In each selected city, four and five star rated hotels were chosen as those properties most likely to be operating in the international market. The survey focused on staff working in front office in four and five star hotels and all questionnaires were collected onsite. A total of 350 questionnaires were distributed and 276 of these returned were usable which form the basis of this analysis of hotel front office work in China.FindingsResults show that the main workforce strength of front office in Chinese hotels consists of graduates from tourism colleges and professional schools. Front office work is a challenging and demanding area of work and oral communication is identified as the most important skill.Practical implicationsGathering information about this important area of service and work in the hospitality industry provides first‐hand data for improving training and career development. The paper concludes that high‐quality human resources are lacking in the hospitality sector in China and it is essential for hotels to develop professional development and further training in order to improve the skills of staff in front office.Originality/valueThis paper is one of the first to look in detail at employees within the hospitality sector in China.

16th International Research Conference Council for Australian University Tourism and Hospitality Education (CAUTHE) Conference

16th International Research Conference Council for Australian University Tourism and Hospitality Education (CAUTHE) Conference

The Efficacy of an Outdoor Adventure Education Curriculum on Selected Aspects of Positive Psychological Development

To date, little empirical research has been conducted to support the claim that outdoor adventure education (OAE) develops desirable psychological characteristics in participants. This study examined the effects of an OAE foundation degree curriculum on positive psychological development. Fifty-two students (26 OAE students, 26 controls on an unrelated course), aged 16–39 years, completed a battery of positive psychological questionnaires (at the start of their respective courses and 3 months later) measuring hardiness, mental toughness, self-esteem, self-efficacy, dispositional optimism, and positive affectivity. OAE curriculum activities included rock-climbing, navigation training, countryside leadership, gill-scrambling, and open canoeing. Control students were enrolled on a classroom-based travel and tourism college course. Inferential multivariate statistics revealed non-significant (p > .05, partial η2 = .38) improvements by the OAE group across several psychological constructs. Significant effects (p < .05, partial η2 = .15) for the cohort were revealed for total hardiness. No significant gender differences were reported. The non-significant overall effect is interpreted in terms of sample size, OAE activities, and measured personality styles. The implications of these results are discussed relative to previous findings and in terms of psychological theory.

ワークショップ抄録：大学における観光教育技法とは？:日本観光ホスピタリティ教育学会第4回全国大会

ワークショップ抄録：大学における観光教育技法とは？:日本観光ホスピタリティ教育学会第4回全国大会

15th International Research Conference Council for Australian University Tourism and Hospitality Education (CAUTHE) Conference

15th International Research Conference Council for Australian University Tourism and Hospitality Education (CAUTHE) Conference

The Council for Australian University Tourism and Hospitality Education (CAUTHE) Annual Conference, “Riding the Wave of Tourism and Hospitality Research”, Coffs Harbour, February 5–8, 2003

The Council for Australian University Tourism and Hospitality Education (CAUTHE) Annual Conference, “Riding the Wave of Tourism and Hospitality Research”, Coffs Harbour, February 5–8, 2003

Convention tourism: international research & industry perspectives by K. Weber and K. Chon (eds). Haworth Press, Binghampton, 2002. ISBN 0‐7890‐1283‐9.

International Journal of Tourism ResearchVolume 6, Issue 1 p. 56-56 Book Review Convention tourism: international research & industry perspectives by K. Weber and K. Chon (eds). Haworth Press, Binghampton, 2002. ISBN 0-7890-1283-9. Kevin Fields, Kevin Fields Birmingham College of Food, Tourism and Creative StudiesSearch for more papers by this author Kevin Fields, Kevin Fields Birmingham College of Food, Tourism and Creative StudiesSearch for more papers by this author First published: 30 January 2004 https://doi.org/10.1002/jtr.465Citations: 1AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article.Citing Literature Volume6, Issue1January/February 2004Pages 56-56 RelatedInformation

Evaluating the integration of key skills and NVQs into an undergraduate degree programme: a case study from the graduate apprenticeship initiative

This article reports on a pilot graduate apprenticeship in hospitality management, currently delivered at Birmingham College of Food, Tourism and Creative Studies (BCFTCS). The graduate apprenticeship at BCFTCS involves the integration of key skills and level four NVQ units into the established hospitality business management undergraduate degree programme. Key outcomes to emerge from the design, implementation and first year delivery of the graduate apprenticeship are discussed to assess if the integration of key skills and NVQs into an existing programme of study provides added value to the student learning experience. The major benefits and challenges which a programme involving a coalescence of key skills, HE award and NVQs offers HE institutions and employers are discussed.

Do industry collaborative projects enhance students’ learning?

This paper discusses the experiences of three stakeholders involved in live projects (live projects are part of an industry and education partnership to provide level 2 students with an opportunity to work with “real life” business problem situations). In particular the paper examines the expectations and perceptions of industry partners, tutors and students involved in a live project experience at Birmingham College of Food, Tourism and Creative Studies (BCFTCS). From a comparison of these stakeholder perspectives it can be suggested that although a more self‐managed approach to student learning is desirable, it is not always achievable with large student groups and time‐constrained activities. Despite this, the students appeared to have further developed the desired skills of communication, teamwork, problem solving and research, as well as the personal attributes of greater self‐confidence and leadership.

Implementation of a Course Management System

ABSTRACT This article describes the implementation of a course management system in a university hotel and tourism management school. The results of a small-scale evaluation are presented. To help teachers consider the pedagogical aspects of using such systems to provide supplementary opportunities to on-campus students, ten techniques based upon the views of students are presented.

Tourism and Hospitality on the Edge: A Report of the 12th International Research Conference of the Council for Australian University Tourism and Hospitality Education (CAUTHE)

Tourism and Hospitality on the Edge: A Report of the 12th International Research Conference of the Council for Australian University Tourism and Hospitality Education (CAUTHE)

Training Tourism and Hospitality Managers in Universities

ABSTRACT The paper examines tourism and hospitality management training with a focus on an undergraduate tourism management programme, introduced in a Malaysian university. It assesses the overall effectiveness of the programme, in satisfying the institution's broad objectives, the needs and expectations of potential employers and that of the student. The paper identifies specific issues such as student admission policies, implementation of the practical industry training, divergent views on the value of the programme and internal course coordination activities as some of the significant difficulties experienced. Recommendations designed to help resolve those difficulties are then suggested.

Hopes, Dreams and Reality

ABSTRACT This paper examines the pre- and post-entry attitudes and expectations of university tourism students. A longitudinal study was conducted over three years to determine the degree of “fit” between employment and employee in the tourism industry, an industry often thought of as providing less than satisfactory working conditions. The study found that students are generally satisfied with their working conditions, but that students tend to have unrealistic expectations about the salary they will attract at graduation. In addition results show a significant increase before and after job entry between the importance given to intellectual challenge and the opportunities for promotion. There was also a significant decrease in the perceived importance of opportunities for travel, combining work and leisure, and outdoor work and an active lifestyle. Students' comments on their employment and educational experiences are included and the implications of this study for educators, researchers, students and industry are discussed.

Relevance and Quality in Australian Tourism Higher Education

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 Development and Positioning of Business Related University Tourism Education

The teaching of tourism at a higher education level has become well established in British universities, but in the UK, as elsewhere in the world, the place of tourism studies within the academic curricula remains uncertain. The paper considers the diversity and complexities of tourism studies through a categorisation of journal articles, and through an investigation of the underlying debates that have influenced the design of academic curricula in the UK. The paper concludes that tourism, at least at present, should not be regarded as discipline but as a field and that the most common approach in the UK has been to emphasise the business studies subjects. The University of Northumbria's established undergraduate travel and tourism management course is presented as a case study of this approach to the subject field.

The Strategic Power of Partnerships for University Hospitality and Tourism Management Programs

The authors present the positive synergistic affect that can result when universities integrate their teaching, research, and public (industry) service with industry and professional associations. Examples of successful partnership programs are discussed. The authors demonstrate how universities, through these partnerships, can leverage their expertise with the needs of external professional associations and industry to enhance the scope of their mission.

Rural tourism in the Heart of England

Although in many respects, the Heart of England region can hardly be called “peripheral”, it nevertheless displays many of the features of out‐of‐the‐way rural destinations. Describes the outcomes of a research project into training provision for the small rural tourism business operator. It has identified that the training and support on offer to the rural operator tend to be parochial, fragmented and unco‐ordinated. The research was instigated by Birmingham College of Food, Tourism and Creative Studies, a specialist in the provision of hospitality and tourism studies and ultimately aims at the development and implementation of a co‐ordinated training programme for this sector. By pointing up the poor quality of such provision in an essentially central location, the paper invites the questions: how much worse the situation must be in truly peripheral locations, and what action can be taken to improve the situation.

Progress in Tourism and Hospitality Research

This report presents highlights of the 1998 Australian Tourism and Hospitality Research Conference, convened under the auspices of the Council for Australian University Tourism and Hospitality Education. Copies of the proceed ings are available from the Bureau of Tourism Research, GPO Box 1545, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia; e-mail: bureau. tourism.research@dist.gov.au.

Progress in Australian tourism research and education

Australia's 1995 National Tourism and Hospitality Research and Education Conference was held in February in Melbourne, hosted by Victoria University. As in previous years, the conference attracted mainly educators and researchers based at Australian universities. The conference consisted of two modules, an education module consisting of 14 papers and workshops presented in a day and a half, and some 53 research papers presented in the two days devoted to the research module. As with most conferences of this nature, the quality of the papers was variable, but there was a noticeable increase in papers of theoretical and methodological merit. Thanks to the work of the conference convenor and proceedings editor, Professor Robin Shaw, and the support of the Council for Australian University Tourism and Hospitality Education (CAUTHE), a collection of 25 refereed papers was available at the conference, and is also available for purchase.

Tourism courses: a new concern for new times?

This paper addresses the issue of a perceived over-production of graduates from university tourism courses. It argues that any debate conducted in terms of a simple student supply-industry demand relationship is only a partial argument — one that fails to recognize the wider changes within education and the changing pattern of the wider work-place. It concludes, therefore, that in a postmodernistic society, there are good reasons for responding to student demands, subject to some caveats.