Linda L. Lowry

No Student Left Behind: A Longitudinal Assessment of the Competency-Based Framework Used to Facilitate Learning in a Capstone Tourism Course

The purpose of this longitudinal study was to evaluate the effectiveness of using a competency-based framework for mastering a core body of discipline-specific knowledge and fostering competency skills for successful managers, lifelong learners, and responsible citizens. Over a five-year period from 2000 to 2005, students who were enrolled in the capstone tourism course were asked to complete a comprehensive survey to assess their perceived ability to answer core competency questions addressed by the course materials and demonstrate their ability to think critically; engage in effective communication practices; use technology; conduct research; responsibly engage in team based activities; and practice self reflection.

Female Managers: Perspectives on Sexual Harassment and Career Development:

Seventy-eight female managers in the tourism industry were administered a questionnaire containing selected scales of the Personality Research Form (PRF) as well as questions concerning their perceptions of sexual harassment on the job. Our purpose was to investigate the validity of the managerial stereotype while assessing perceptions of harassment in order to aid management in understanding the issue. Results suggest that the managerial stereotype of an achievement-oriented, aggressive, and dominant personality may be changing. Implications for management are discussed. In addition, respondents indicated that sexual harassment is a problem in the tourism industry. Implications for management policy are assessed with a framework for strategically addressing the harassment issue presented.

Leapfrogging to empowerment and inclusivity: A South African hospitality and tourism business perspective

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to illuminate an example of current practices and processes that enable transformation in the workplace in a South African multi-unit hospitality and tourism business, affording previously disadvantaged people the opportunity to advance in the organization and participate in the management and ownership of that organization. Design/methodology/approach A constructivist grounded theory methodological framework is used for the collection of data, analysis and theoretical development, utilizing Charmaz’s (2006, 2011, 2014) approach in both the collection and analysis of data as well as the theoretical perspective that emerged from the research process. Intensive semi-structured recorded interviews were conducted with the owner and managers of the company. Following transcription of the interviews, multi-level data coding allowed the move from an inductive to an abductive process with theoretical sampling allowing the shift toward conceptual and theoretical development. Findings Study findings provide insight about the processes and practices that enabled previously disadvantaged people to move into management and ownership of a multi-unit South African hospitality and tourism business. Leapfrogging emerged as a theoretical perspective that provides interpretive understanding of atypical upward employment mobility, i.e. “human leapfrogging.” Research limitations/implications While this study is limited to a single hospitality and tourism company in South Africa that is not necessarily typical of other South African businesses, it provides a vivid illustration of the impact that visionary leadership and a genuine desire to “level the playing field” can have on individuals, both personally and professionally, and their wider communities. Practical implications Leapfrogging theory in the context of “human leapfrogging” suggests innovative business practices for fast-tracking marginalized individuals out of poverty and provides an urgently needed theoretical perspective for this process. Originality/value To the authors’ knowledge, the leapfrogging concept has not previously been applied in the context of atypical employment progression within the corporation, nor has its impact on the corporation and the lives of the affected individuals and their communities been examined.