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

LITERATURE REVIEW 
One of the first studies, if not the first study questioning undergraduate hospitality education programs and 
curriculum was Lewis’ (1982) seminal study. Findings from this study indicated that hospitality education programs 
need to change to meet the needs of both the industry and students. Since that study, some hospitality educators and 
administrators were prompted to find out if their programs were preparing society-ready hospitality graduates. Some 
studies showed that hospitality recruiters preferred to hire business school graduates rather than hospitality program 
graduates for managerial positions (Goodman & Sprague, 1991; Lefever, 1989). A study by Rowe (1993) regarding 
hospitality education program planning indicated that hospitality education programs are not meeting the demands 
of the industry. Lewis’ 1993 study of hospitality management programs found that few changes had been made in 
the decade since his earlier study on the subject. This finding was another clear indication that hospitality education 
programs need continuing curriculum changes to meet the demands of the industry. 
Breiter and Clements (1996) and Pavesic (1991) emphasized the importance of upper-level leadership skills 
such as human resources skills, conceptual skills, communication skills, analytical skills, problem solving skills and 
planning skills as the key focus of future hospitality curricula. They contended that these skills are more important 
than technical skills, which are usually acquired through specific organizational training at various places of 
employment. Similarly, literatures that encouraged the development of employability skills indicated that leadership 
skills, critical thinking skills, communication skills, problem solving skills, creative and flexible-thinking, and 

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