Purpose -This paper seeks to examine common hospitality problems with the aim of identifying relationships between them, and the central issue. Design/methodology/approach -Self-completed questionnaires were used to collect data from hospitality students and employees, and analyses of variance used to identify relationships between the problems, and isolate the central issue. Findings -The paper finds that poor training is associated with workplace problems, and improving training is likely to reduce problems such as under-staffing and theft.Research limitations/implications -The collection of data on exact lengths of employment would have facilitated a more rigorous analysis of the causes and effects of staff turnover and is recommended for future studies of training and turnover. Practical implications -Investment in training is recommended even when turnover is high, as training reduces workplace problems. Originality/value -This study focuses on the relationships between problems, rather than investigating them in isolation, facilitating an holistic approach to solving staff turnover.
Purpose -This paper seeks to report on research investigating students' and industry's expectations and assumptions of the desired attributes of hospitality employees. Design/methodology/approach -Views on a range of questions about the value of a hospitality degree are analysed, based on a survey of 74 hospitality managers and 137 students. Findings -The divergence in views between students and industry was significant. Students thought knowledge and skills were important for new employees, but industry was far more interested in personality. To get promoted, students thought they would have to become good communicators, but industry was more interested in initiative. Industry's views suggest that managers value attitudinal attributes over skills, and are therefore prepared to help employees gain the skills needed for their roles. Research limitations/implications -There were limited responses from hotel general managers (GMs). Their views on what graduates need to accomplish to reach the position of GM would have added value to this study, so further research focusing on GMs' views is recommended. Originality/value -This paper analyses the beliefs of hospitality students and industry regarding the desired attributes of hospitality employees. Their expectations and assumptions are significantly different, and the gap is a cause for concern for educators and industry to address.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.