2007 Annual International CHRIE Conference & Exposition
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CONCLUSION
As industry professionals are recommending more workplace experience for the hospitality
student as a key
to industry success, academicians are continuously assessing the preparation of their graduates in successfully
meeting the demands of this industry. Is there a difference in early work outcomes for the graduate depending upon
the structure and emphasis on the experiential learning component? This research study indicates that there may be
a relationship between the structure of the co-op experience and career preparedness and career satisfaction.
Realistic job preview.
The first research question asked alumni to report on their perception of the degree of
industry preparedness as a result of participating in their co-op or internship program. Gaining
a realistic preview of
the industry was a key point in the literature review for industry retention and for job satisfaction. While there is
significance for only three of the surveyed dimensions, it is clear that there is some strength in the overall
perceptions of job preparedness within Model A, as ten of the thirteen dimension have a higher mean
score than the
other two models. The significance found in the hours required and the salary expectations between Models A and C
may indicate that alumni from Model A had a better understanding of the salary levels and of the hours required in
this industry.
Overall job satisfaction.
It may be most noteworthy to indicate that nearly all satisfaction scores increased
from the first position to the current position. This may indicate that as students learned more about industry and the
demands of
their position, they became more satisfied in their career choice. Additionally, Model A shows the
highest mean scores for satisfaction with the current position in every one of the eleven dimensions. Job satisfaction
in the current position showed statistical significance within three dimensions including satisfaction with salary,
benefits and supervisors. The significance was found between Models A and B for salary and benefits satisfaction.
Perhaps this is due, in part, to the realistic preview that a strong co-op experience can offer.
Alumni from Models B and C believed less strongly than Model A that the field experience
prepared them
with an accurate salary expectation. While significance was found between Models A and C, it is noteworthy that
Model B felt less prepared than Model A for the salary figure they could expect upon graduation. This low job
preview dimension seems to have had a domino effect upon actual satisfaction in industry employment.
One other point of reflection is that the literature also reveals satisfaction with salary to be a point of
contention in the high turnover rate within the industry. Low compensation is one of the
three primary causes of
turnover (Woods, 2002). Therefore, it is a critical point that students have an understanding of the salary norm of
the industry. It is interesting to note that of all 11 dimensions, satisfaction with salary is the lowest rated dimension
from all three schools.
The significance found in the dimension “satisfaction with supervisors” is primarily between Models A and
C, whereby Model A reported greater satisfaction with supervisors than did Model C. Poor supervisory relations
have also been found to be a primary cause of industry turnover (Woods, 2002).
In speculation, there is a greater
percentage of alumni in supervisory and/or management positions in School A than in B or C; with this leverage,
alumni from School A may be working on a more even playing field than those from C, and particularly those from
B, and may, therefore, have greater opportunity for developing relationships with their supervisors
or management
team.
Overall job satisfaction is rated most highly by Model A at 4.92 on a 6- point scale. Models B and C report
an overall satisfaction rating of 4.47 and 4.44, respectively. This overall satisfaction ranking of the three models is
consistent with the degree of structure of each model.
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