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

 
Goals of Hospitality Management Education 
Powers and Riegel (1993) suggested that the mission of hospitality education programs is to prepare 
students for hospitality operations. Industry and academia have formed a partnership, in order that curricular 
requirements might meet the needs of the industry. Today, many hospitality schools and departments are carefully 
designing curriculum in an effort to effectively compete for student enrollment. Goodman and Sprague (1991) warn 
us that hospitality curricula must focus on the elements of our service industry that make this industry --- and its 
educational requirements ---- unique. To do this, academia must stay current with emerging trends of the industry 
and be proactive with the evolving needs of the industry.
Both industry professionals and academicians must acknowledge one of the greatest challenges of the 
hospitality industry --- management turnover. Findings from the American Hotel Foundation Study on Turnover 
revealed that turnover among managerial hospitality employees, nationally, was revealed to be 20 percent, 23 
percent, and 15 percent in 1995, 1996, and 1997, respectively (Woods, 2002). The causes of turnover in the 
hospitality industry are many. However, researchers agree that there are three primary internal causes of turnover:
1) low compensation, 2) poor hiring practices, and 3) poor management (Woods, 2002). Many researchers believe 
that “the key to solving turnover problems lies in curing the problem of unmet employee expectations….. this is the 
reason realistic job previews are so important” (p.402). Tesone and Ricci (2005) also recommend that secondary and 
post secondary educators provide a more realistic preview of the industry’s needs for its students, as this could be a 
factor influencing the high turnover rates. Additionally, Girard addressed the high number of hours required in 
hospitality management employment, and suggested that this could be a factor contributing to turnover. 
Appropriately, in an effort to more effectively prepare students for hospitality industry leadership, 
experiential learning has become a major component of hospitality education (Kiser & Partlow, 1999). In 1992, 
Zabel reported that 95% of hospitality management programs incorporated experiential learning into their 
curriculums (as cited in Girard, 1999). Petrillose and Montgomery (1997/1998) found that 89% of the hospitality 
programs they surveyed (110 programs, a 50% response rate) required an internship within the curriculum. 
Recruiters viewed the co-op/internship experience as a way for students to preview the industry, gain leadership 
skills, develop judgment, develop customer/employee relations, and provide an avenue for potential recruitment post 
graduation. Therefore, experiential education, whether termed a co-op, an internship, or a practicum, is considered to 
be a significant link between education and the industry. In fact, in their study, Tesone and Ricci (2005) found that 
87% of their industry respondents said they prefer to have larger numbers of hospitality management candidates 

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