Microsoft Word 2007 ichrie conference Proceedings Final-Final 06-06-07. doc

 
2007 Annual International CHRIE Conference & Exposition 
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average, with higher spans of control for operational directors. Many (58%) respondents reported holding two-year 
college degrees or higher in business or hospitality. 
METHDOLOGY: INSTRUMENT 
The self-administered mail survey instrument was design to gain insight from industry professionals 
regarding the level of competence interns would have upon internship completion. Respondents were asked, as 
well, which competencies students should master, if any, prior to entering into an internship program. The last 
sections of the survey instrument questioned respondents about their property affiliations and professional profile, 
respectively.
As previously mentioned, the Kay and Russette (2000) 18 core essential competency (CECs) items were 
adopted for this study to establish knowledge and skills learned through internship experiences. A five-point rating-
type scale (1=not at all skilled to 5=extremely skilled) was used to measure the degree of skill level upon internship 
completion. One additional assessment point was used to identify competencies viewed by hospitality professionals 
as internship prerequisites.
The instrument was pilot tested for face and content validity by a panel of ten industry professionals and 
educators. Industry subject matter experts consisted of general and human resources managers, and one executive 
assistant. Educators included a hospitality dean and tenured associate professors. Using Cronbach’s alpha, the scale 
was tested for reliability. The coefficient alpha for the study’s four competency constructs was over .70, meeting the 
generally acceptable level of .70, indicating a reliable measure.