Howard Adler

Career Goals and Expectations of Hospitality and Tourism Students in China

The purpose of the study was to better understand what undergraduate students in hospitality and tourism management (HTM) in China expected from their future career. Different types of career goals and expectations were examined. A sample of 503 undergraduate students from HTM programs at four different universities in China was surveyed. Results showed that a majority of the undergraduate students were interested in pursuing a career in the hospitality and tourism industry and expressed a desire for an advanced degree. Students reported a variety of topics learned during their HTM studies that proved valuable for their future careers. The topics most reported were management, marketing, economics, tourism psychology, introduction to tourism, industrial practices, English, service attitude, and communication. No interest in the hospitality and tourism industry was cited by the students as the major reason they did not want to enter the industry. Opportunities for personal development and high salaries were found to be the most important goals for students to pursue after graduation. Implications for hospitality and tourism educators and industry employers are discussed.

An Exploratory Study of the Internationalization of Tourism Higher Education in China

The study examined the internationalization of 29 hospitality and tourism management programs in Guangdong Province, China. The current situation and problems of internationalization of tourism higher education were investigated from various aspects including internationalization of faculty, students, research, and exchange programs.

What drives café customers to spread eWOM?: Examining self-relevant value, quality value, and opinion leadership

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine hidden drivers of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) by modeling attributes of self-relevant and quality-relevant values. This is a meaningful extension of previous consumer behavior research regarding the association of eWOM and self-constructs. Design/methodology/approach – An on-site survey was conducted to collect data. Statistical analyses, including structural equation modeling and multigroup analysis, were used to empirically examine which factors significantly influence cafe customers to engage in eWOM. Findings – The study found significant drivers of eWOM intentions by examining self-relevant values connected with the cafe, such as conveying reflected appraisal of self, conspicuous presentation and self-image congruity beyond the simple evaluation of service quality. The moderating effect of consumer opinion leadership on the relationships between those drivers and eWOM intentions was also investigated. Practical implications – The results demonst...

One experience and multiple reviews: the case of upscale US hotels

Purpose – The present study aimed to understand the relationships between the various kinds of feedback received by hospitality operators. Information from guests, experts, and internal sources are often received, valued, and processed in various ways. The researchers sought to further explore the usage of such feedback and implications for theory and practice.Design/methodology/approach – A survey was sent to hotel general managers of four‐ and five‐diamond properties around the USA using the listing of the American Automobile Association (AAA). A total of 140 responses were received. The researchers utilized correlations and canonical correlation analysis to help understand the relationships among the variables.Findings – The results of the study revealed moderate to strong correlations between improvement in consumer‐generated feedback and customer satisfaction; between improvement in AAA ratings and customer satisfaction and mystery shopping scores. There were also moderate to high correlations among ...

The wedding business: a method to boost food and beverage revenues in hotels.

Abstract The wedding business can be a lucrative market for the hotel food and beverage revenues; however, it often does not get the attention it deserves. Hotels in downtown area charge higher price than suburban hotels. Nevertheless, suburban hotels hold more weddings per year in on average. Consequently, suburban hotels have slightly more food and beverage revenue from weddings. The total benefit from weddings, however, is lower in downtown hotels. The profits of weddings are significant to food and beverage departments and they cannot disregard this segment.

Toward a Resilience Model for the Hospitality & Tourism Industry

The present research examines the impact of natural disasters on hospitality industry jobs and attempts to model job resilience after the industry experiences a disaster. While disasters are increasing at an unparalleled velocity, the hospitality industry has yet to fully appreciate their impact, reach, and consequences. Because the industry is a critical source of domestic economic activity, it is important to understand what happens to industry jobs post disaster and the mechanisms by which industry resilience is achieved. Using systems theory and a capital stock approach, our prior research supports our hypothesis: changes in hospitality industry jobs as a result of experiencing a natural disaster are a function of community resilience. Our regression results suggest characteristics such as creating and maintaining social networks of shared norms and values in a community help explain more changes in industry jobs than does the consequence of anatural disaster. This new model of resilience builds on community characteristics to foster industry jobs sustainability.

Perspectives of International Undergraduate Students in Hospitality and Tourism Management Programs in the United States: Implications for educators and administrators

The study was designed to better understand the international undergraduate students in the hospitality and tourism management (HTM) programs in the United States. Specifically, it explored the study motivations, learning preferences and career aspiration and goals of the students. A survey was conducted at three HTM programs in the U.S. Results provide implications for HTM educators and administrators in offering favorable outcomes in education to this fast growing segment of students.

Hotel Compensation Strategies: Perceptions of Top Industry Executives

One of the key human resource decisions made by any organization is the design of its compensation strategy. When choosing a compensation strategy, hospitality executives must make a variety of complex decisions that will ultimately impact a companys recruitment and retention efforts, as well as the attainment of organizational goals. This exploratory study looks at the decision making patterns of hotel industry executives in terms of compensation.

Expatriate Hotel General Managers in Jamaica: Perceptions of Human Resource, Organizational, and Operational Challenges

International hotel companies employ expatriates all over the world as general managers to help professionalize the hospitality industry. Yet, there is very little research on expatriate management in the Caribbean. The present exploratory study was undertaken to research expatriate managers’ perceptions of managing on the island of Jamaica. Nine expatriate general managers from four and five star hotels were interviewed. Punctuality, educational levels, productivity, and low skill levels were seen as key human resource challenges. Crime, bureaucratic red tape, and shortage of materials were seen as impacting the organizations’ operations. Expatriates adjustment to the Jamaican culture and maintaining standards were seen as key factors for success.

Hospitality career fairs: student perceptions of value and usefulness.

The study examined the experience of students majoring in hospitality and tourism management who attended an annual career fair sponsored by the department. The purpose of this study was to ascertain student attitudes regarding their perception of the value of attending career fairs and the recruiting efforts conducted. Questionnaires were completed by students upon departing the career fair. It was found that most students agreed that participation in the career fair increased student knowledge about their specific areas of interest. It was found that student interest in hospitality and tourism careers increased as a result of attendance at the career fair. Different patterns of career fair attendance were found among different demographic groups.