Dori A. Finley

An Exploratory Study Identifying Soft Skill Competencies in Entry-Level Managers

The identification of competencies needed by hospitality managers has been investigated since the 1980s. In all of the competency research related to hospitality management, essential competencies include skills that can be classified as soft skills, yet a comprehensive list of these soft skills has not been identified. The purpose of this project is to have industry professionals rate the importance of soft skill competencies found in literature, and then reduce this list of competencies by completing a factor analysis. This study serves as the beginning for a comprehensive study of soft skills needed in entry-level hospitality management positions.

Strategic Human Resource Management in U.S. Luxury Resorts—A Case Study

A labor shortage has been experienced in the hospitality industry and is predicted to continue into the future with a greater impact on luxury resorts. Resort managers typically look to human resource (HR) directors to develop strategies to solve this problem. The co-alignment model can give managers a competitive advantage in the marketplace. This study presents the results of a case study of five luxury resorts in North Carolina. HR directors identified forces driving change in the environment, strategy choices, firm structure, and outcomes reflected in firm performance. There was little evidence that co-alignment was being used as a basis for planning.

Evaluating Teaching Effectiveness in a Quantity Food Laboratory Setting

Abstract This research project developed a student evaluation tool (SET) to evaluate teaching effectiveness in a quantity food laboratory taught at four-year institutions. The project consisted of four phases. In phase one, the researchers sought assistance from experts to conduct a Delphi panel study to develop the instrument. In phase two, the researchers solicited feedback from a national sample of hospitality educators regarding the importance of the SET items. Phase three involved gathering feedback from students who had completed a quantity food course. Phase four tested the instrument among students enrolled in a quantity food course at four-year institutions nationwide.

Assessing Teaching Effectiveness in a Basic Food Laboratory Setting: Pilot Testing the Instrument

This is the fourth phase of a research project to develop a student evaluation tool (SET) to evaluate teaching effectiveness in a basic food laboratory. This phase tested the instrument among students enrolled in basic food laboratories at 4-year universities. Students were asked to evaluate the effectiveness of their instructor using the SET that had been developed in the three previous phases of this research project. The goal was to ensure the SET was valid and reliable. A factor analysis was completed to determine the major areas of the SET. The factor analysis yielded three factors comparable to those identified by the Delphi Panel (from Phase 1). Results also indicate the SET was preferred by the students over the one currently used by their universities.

Assessing Teaching Effectiveness in a Basic Food Laboratory Setting: Phase One – Delphi Panel Study

ABSTRACT To ensure a high standard of teaching effectiveness in the delivery of instruction, universities employ various methods. The student evaluation tool (SET) has become the most commonly used measure of teaching effectiveness in a classroom environment. However, the majority of food laboratory instructors insist that these same criteria are not appropriate or applicable to measuring teaching effectiveness in a basic food laboratory setting. The purpose of this project was to develop a SET for assessing teaching effectiveness in a basic food laboratory setting at senior level institutions. Given the exploratory nature of the research, the authors convened a Delphi panel of leading academicians to identify the most desirable competencies and to develop the criteria for measuring each competency.

Assessing Teaching Effectiveness in a Basic Food Laboratory Setting: Phases 2 and 3, Educator and Student Responses

To ensure a consistently high standard of teaching effectiveness in the delivery of instruction, universities employ various evaluation methods. The student evaluation tool (SET) has become the most commonly used measure of teaching effectiveness in a classroom environment. Most food laboratory instructors insist that these criteria are not appropriate when measuring teaching effectiveness in food laboratory settings. A SET previously developed for a basic foods laboratory was used to collect feedback from hospitality educators and students. Also, the researchers wanted to examine the data for significant differences between these two groups. The two groups did view many items of the SET differently, and the factor analysis showed the student section of the SET to be the difference. The study findings can assist educators with improving performance by incorporating student feedback to enhance teaching methods and delivery in a basic food laboratory.

Evaluating teaching effectiveness in a quantity food laboratory setting: phase Three-Student Feedback

The findings described in this manuscript represent the third phase in an ongoing project that began in 2003. In phase one of the project, the researchers developed a student evaluation tool (SET) for evaluating teaching effectiveness in a quantity foods laboratory taught at four-year institutions through a Delphi panel. In the second phase of the project, the researchers solicited feedback from a national sample of hospitality educators regarding the relative importance and appropriateness of the 27 items that were developed by the Delphi panel. The purpose of the third phase of the research project was to solicit feedback from hospitality management students who have completed a quantity foods class at four-year institutions nationwide. The results yielded means ranging between 4.1 and 4.6 on a 5-point Likert scale for each of the 27 criteria items. The findings from the student survey validated the work of the Delphi panel. Furthermore, these findings are similar to the opinions of CHRIE educators, as previously reported.