“Bridging the gap” between hospitality management programmes and the private club industry

Abstract

The private club industry is undergoing major change as it forges new links with academia in the areas of research, teaching and management development. This bodes well for hospitality management programmes. Indeed, the primary mission of most hospitality programmes in North America includes the dissemination of information in ways that will translate into tangible benefits for the greater hospitality industry. This article examines the context within which changes are taking place in the relationship between private clubs and hospitality education in North America, discusses the current research agenda on club management and reports the results of a survey of club managers about the nature and importance of industry/education linkages. It concludes by proposing a framework for continued collaboration that would strengthen both academic and industry partners while emphasizing a renewed and refocused research agenda.

Developing a competency model for private club managers

“…They found that hospitality educators were not reaching out to the private club industry, indicating that educators were not doing a good job of trying to understand this segment of the industry. This lack of knowledge of the private club industry was also reflective of the lack of research publications addressing current issues in the private club industry (Barrows and Walsh, 2002). Perdue et al (2000Perdue et al ( , 2001Perdue et al ( , 2002 examined competencies required for club managers.…”

“…Management competencies have historically served as the basis for professional development programs conducted by the CMAA (Kent and Perdue, 1989). Barrows and Walsh (2002) conducted a study to investigate bridging the gap between hospitality management programs and the private club industry, using a sample of Canadian clubs. They found that hospitality educators were not reaching out to the private club industry, indicating that educators were not doing a good job of trying to understand this segment of the industry.…”

“…Despite the important economic impacts and unique characteristics of the private club industry, several researchers (Barrows and Walsh, 2002;Cichy et al, 2009) have noted that relatively little academic research has been conducted about the private club industry, as opposed to other segments of the hospitality industry (Cichy et al, 2009;Cha et al, 2011). Barrows and Walsh (2002), for example, observed that the lack of knowledge of the private club industry, in general, was also reflective of the lack of research publications addressing current issues in the private club industry. Perdue et al (2000Perdue et al ( , 2001Perdue et al ( , 2002 were the first group of researchers who identified important competencies applied to private club managers.…”

The Impacts of Perceived Environmental Uncertainty, Outlook, and Size on Strategic Planning in Private Clubs

“…While there was significant increase in the number of published research articles, we conclude that there is great potential to improve club research, both in frequency and type. Until more is done, club research fails to achieve the depth found in research regarding the lodging, gaming, and foodservice industries (C. W. Barrows & Walsh, 2002). Barrows and Ridout (2010) classified the 1994-2005 articles into nine topical areas: "Club Managers and Their role as Leaders, Education and Professional Development,Finance/Revenue Management in Clubs,Food and Beverage,Human Resources,International,Members and Membership,Strategic Management and Performance,and General Club Topics" (p. 423).…”

Emerging trends and influences in Ghanaian hospitality industry education and employability

“…Hospitality degree courses have increased rapidly due to the growth of the industry (Wilks and Hemsworth 2011). Barrows and Walsh (2002) emphasise the strong relationship between a professional career in the hospitality industry and hospitality education courses. Therefore, as noted earlier, in order to respond to the needs of the hospitality industry, it is important to have a clear understanding of the industry and employer expectations regarding hospitality degree courses, and the competencies that graduates should possess.…”