The aim of this research is to explore the contextual characteristics of a particular group of Dutch restaurant owner’s (SSUSCROs) and practitioners, to examine how these contextual characteristics might be used in a professional hospitality education programme. This very small segment of the Dutch restaurant business (0,2-0,5% of the total restaurants) is known for its strong commitment to competitiveness, in delivering quality service and products. No previous research in The Netherlands had embarked on a search for connecting this specific category of practitioners to education. As owners of their restaurants, the SSUSCROs were aware of the potential contribution that participating in this research would make. The research was designed from a constructionist epistemological point of view. This means that the data supplied by the respondents, and the background and vision of the researcher provided an interplay. By using grounded theory methodology, theory is constructed from the empirical data. The main instrument for the primary research was in-depth, interviewing. Six retired and four practising restaurant owners, and a connoisseur of the business were interviewed in one to three hour depth interviews that were digitally recorded. The transcripts of the recorded interviews were analysed, applying the specific constructivist version of grounded theory methodology as described by Charmaz’s (2006). The research generated a grounded theory in the form of a narrative about the SSUSCRO social construct and its central theme ‘Living the business’. The narrative informs future practitioners i.e. students, about how they can prepare for possible future business ventures in the culinary restaurant business. Furthermore, it confronts future practitioners with the notion of particular contextual characteristics and value systems that need to be incorporated in order to successfully engage in and sustain a career in the culinary restaurant sector. Elements of the narrative, connected to Covey’s 7-Habits of Highly Effective People framework for personal leadership. The findings from this research confirmed the importance of providing students in hospitality management education with a approach towards professional development that is grounded in the social construct of a remarkable group of entrepreneurs such as the SSUSCROs. The conclusions suggested that faculty and academic management of hospitality management programmes need to become more knowledgeable about the particular nature of the discipline, and the specific category of practitioners researched here.

This is what experts are saying: African American students need a "dynamic curriculum" in order to gain the competitive edge over their peers (Marshall, 1992). Top educators and industry executives at the 1993 Annual CHRIE Conference stated that "hospitality schools need to overhaul their curricula if they are to be more relevant in today’s market place" (Walkup, 1993). The purpose of the research project was to obtain information on how the curricula of HPBCUs with hospitality administration programs compared to ACPHA standards. The study sought information from those institutions of higher education and made comparisons based on ACPHA standards and expert reviewers. The study was aimed primarily at identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the HPBCUs’ curricula using the ACPHA standards as the foundation. A total of 11 HPBCUS were evaluated by 18 ACPHA reviewers. The reviewers compared the HPBCUs’ curricula to ACPHA standards using a Likert-type scale (4=Superior, 3=Satisfactory, 2=Unsatisfactory, 1=Poor). Each HPBCU curriculum was evaluated by two reviewers. Forty percent of the institutions received an approval rating for accreditation and 40% were deferred accreditation. The remaining 20% were denied the accreditation status. All accrediting decisions reflected curriculum only. It was recommended that the 11 HPBCUs follow ACPHA standards to ensure the quality of education being offered. It was also recommended that the HPBCUs’ curricula be revised to reflect areas of hospitality administration deemed necessary by ACPHA. / Master of Science

Several researchers have attempted to understand the destination selection criteria that are important to event planners (Crouch & Ritchie, 1998; Getz, 2003; Oppermann, 1996). However, an examination of the previous studies indicated that only limited understanding of the destination selection criteria has been provided. There is little research that compares event planners belonging to different professional associations and their rating of destination selection criteria. This study examined the differences that exist between three groups of event planners in rating thirteen destination selection variables. The study provides more understanding in the search of an optimal combination of destination selection mix based on multiple dependent variables. This study found significant differences in ratings of five out of thirteen destination selection variables by event planners who were the members of three different associations. Therefore it is providing a valuable contribution to the existing body of literature. From a practical standpoint, this study can help by providing information about how planners of different events feel about certain destination criteria at the time a destination selection is made. All parties with a vested interest in the event industry may use this information to appropriately position their services in the market and tailor their products to better compete for the limited number of events in an environment where the space to host such events continues to grow.

Graduate employability skills have become one of the most important topics on the higher education agenda in the first decade of the 21st century. In the United States, and throughout the world, global competition, growth of a knowledge-based economy, technological advances, and the multigenerational workforce have combined to substantially alter the contemporary workplace (Gedye & Chalkey, 2006). Whether by choice or circumstance, the expectation of a secure lifelong position with one employer and the opportunity for linear career progression are no longer typical nor practical in the contemporary workplace (Harvey, Locke, & Morey, 2002). Employability skills are those skills, attributes, and behaviors, e.g., communication skills, problem-solving, organization, and planning, that bridge most disciplines, industries, and employing organizations. They have the greatest impact on the sustained, productive, successful employment of graduates (Cranmer, 2006; Gedye, Fender, & Chalkey, 2004). The purpose of this study was to (a) identify the employability skills employers perceive to be important for entry-level management/management-in-training positions in the hospitality industry, (b) to establish employability skills competency levels employers expect for these positions, and (c) to garner employer perceptions of Rosen College of Hospitality Management (RCHM) interns’ and new graduates’ employability skills competence for entry-level management/management-in-training positions in the hospitality industry. The findings add to the body of literature and provide insight into the need for further employability skills development of students prior to graduation and entrance into iv the workforce. Additionally, the study provides information and insight for faculty, career services, and experiential learning professionals regarding the skills students currently possess, the need for further skills development, and those skills employers deem most important

The purpose of this study is to examine hospitality and tourism students' attitudinal process shaping their intentions to work in the sustainable industry. The cognitive-affective-conative-attitude framework is used to examine students' intentions to work in the sustainable industry. This study proposes that intentions to work in the sustainable industry is as a result of students' satisfaction of and affective engagement with programs teaching sustainability courses. Sustainability knowledge, program perceptions and perceived value on sustainability education are identified as the factors impacting satisfaction and affective engagement. Four hundred sixty responses were collected from 14 institutions in the U.S. and Asia. A total of 342 responses were used to test the hypotheses. Factor analysis is used to identify the independent variables of the study, and multiple regression analysis is used to test the hypotheses. The results reveal that students´ satisfaction of programs teaching sustainability courses is as a result of their perceptions the program. Affective engagement with the programs teaching sustainability courses is as a result of their perceptions of the program and perceived value on sustainability education. The findings also provide evidence that affective engagement and program satisfaction are directly associated with intentions to work in the sustainable industry. Finally, the findings provide important implications to ensure sustainability is increasingly integrated into the hospitality and tourism curricula.

The aim for this study was to explore how small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the Swedish tourism and hospitality industry have managed their brand during the covid-19- pandemic. To fulfill the aim the following research questions were asked; “How have SMEs in the tourism- and hospitality industry managed their brand equity during the covid-19 pandemic?” and “How have SMEs in the tourism- and hospitality industry worked with branding in social media to cope with the pandemic?”. The study was limited to SMEs in the area of Swedish Lapland, since the tourism- and hospitality industry in this area was relatively harmed by the pandemic in comparison to several other industries. A qualitative approach was chosen with an exploratory nature by having semi-structured interviews with SMEs in Swedish Lapland. Findings show that SMEs in this study have been forced to change their work with brand equity due to the pandemic. To strengthen their brand equity the companies have started to collaborate to attract each other's customers. Branding in social media has become more important, and how companies use social media have changed. Activities such as entertainment, interaction and advertising on social media have increased in order to cope with the pandemic.

Denna studie handlar om att undersöka hur olika aktörer i Region Värmland, som jobbar inom både den offentliga sektorn och det privata näringslivet, arbetar med att utveckla regionens plats varumärke. Fallstudiens syfte undersöks i relation till hållbar utveckling, typiska utmaningar som uppstår i det arbetet och hur de jobbar med varumärket i relation till platsutveckling och besöksnäring. För att få en djup och analytisk förståelse av aktörernas perspektiv och arbetssätt så har denna fallstudie genomfört nio stycken intervjuer. Åtta med aktörer från hälften av alla kommuner i Värmland och en med organisationen Visit Värmland. Akademisk litteratur och avhandlingar har använts som teoretiskt underlag för att stödja den kvalitativa informationen. Kommunernas information står som utgångspunkt för hur offentliga aktörer i Värmland jobbar. Medan intervjun med Visit Värmland fungerar som en större utgångspunkt för hur privata aktörer jobbar. Aktörerna redovisar intressanta punkter i undersökningen, några jobbar olika med att utveckla Värmlands varumärke  i relation till efterfrågan, engagemang och potential. De flesta jobbar tillsammans eller likadant när det kommer till hållbar utveckling. Typiska större typiska utmaningar i deras arbeten är likadana för både offentliga och privata.  Studiens resultat redovisar hur offentliga och privata aktörer jobbar i Värmland med att utveckla regionens plats varumärke, samt vad som skiljer kommunernas arbeten åt och vad för delar av arbetet de prioriterar i jämförelse med andra. Studien har också kommit fram till hur arbetet och typiska utmaningar skiljer sig mellan privata och offentliga aktörer som en intressant jämförelse i arbetssätt. Aktörerna samarbetar också aktivt med varandra inom olika projekt och arbeten för att uppnå bästa möjliga resultat. Tillsammans med att ett starkt kommunikationsnät finns etablerat mellan aktörerna i näringslivet runt om i Värmland. / This study is about investigating how different actors in Region Värmland, who work in both the public sector and private business, work to develop the region's place brand. The purpose of the case study is examined in relation to sustainable development, typical challenges that arise in that work and how they work with the brand in relation to place development and the hospitality industry. In order to gain a deep and analytical understanding of the actors' perspectives and working methods, this case study has conducted nine interviews. Eight with actors from half of all municipalities in Värmland and one with the organization Visit Värmland. Academic literature and dissertations have been used as a theoretical basis to support qualitative information. The municipalities' information is the starting point for how public actors in Värmland work. While the interview with Visit Värmland serves as a larger starting point for how private actors work. The actors report interesting points in the survey, some work differently to develop Värmland's brand in relation to demand, commitment and potential. Most people work together or in the same way when it comes to sustainable development. Typical major challenges in their works are the same for both public and private. The results of the study have helped to report how public and private actors work in Värmland to develop the region's place brand, as well as what distinguishes the municipalities' work and what parts of the work they prioritize in comparison to others. The study has also concluded how the work and typical challenges differ between private and public actors as an interesting comparison in working methods. The actors also actively collaborate with each other within various projects and works to achieve the best possible results. Together with the fact that a strong communication network has been established between the actors in the business world around Värmland.

Background: The great majority of travellers read online reviews before selecting a hotel. Showcasing how big of a role online customer reviews (OCR) play in the consumer decision-making process. Apart from potential financial gains, reviews also help to indicate the areas that performed excellently and those that still need to be improved. However, only a part of hotel visitors actually leave an online review after a hotel stay indicating that there is still room for increasing the amount of OCR left to boost hotel performance and drive sales.   Purpose: The purpose of this research is to explore how hotel managers work with OCR and provide recommendations on how they can incorporate it into their business successfully. Method: This study follows a qualitative research approach by conducting semi-structured interviews with five hotel managers and a CEO from a ratings and review agency.  Conclusion: The study found that although all hotels use OCR to some extent, chain hotels often apply more advanced strategies. This study identified several strategies that could be adopted to increase the amount of online reviews. For instance, by developing omnichannel to make the customer experience seamless, offer them easy feedback tools, and the possibility to give short reviews. This is in addition to offering the option for guests to choose if they want to share longer and deeper feedback afterwards. Also, it is important to research when it is most convenient for hotel guests to leave a review. This would be either straight after the hotel stay or a few days later. Overall, it is important to develop good customer relationship management to improve customer satisfaction, but at the same time have a well-developed service failure system in case something negative is indicated in the review.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for a Masters of Management Sciences: Tourism and Hospitality Management, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2016. / In the hospitality industry, the costs associated with promotions and advertising efforts are greater than those of maintaining relationships with existing customers. However, customer loyalty programmes have been discovered and promoted by different marketing managers and marketing experts in the different industries, as a most prominent and paramount business marketing tool in ensuring customer retention. The purpose of this research study is to assess the effectiveness of a Customer Loyalty Programme as a marketing tool in the Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife (EKZNW) Resorts. This study strategy is quantitative in nature because of its capability to attain a large number of respondents in a short space of time. The target population of this study is the customer loyalty members of EKZNW, in eight different resorts. Descriptive research was found to be relevant and appropriate for this study. A non-probability sampling, with a convenience sampling technique, was adopted for this research study, to recruit members of the EKZNW Rhino Club’s loyalty programme as participants. It was adopted because it allows for quick gathering of data and is also representative of the population. The sample size for data collection was conducted with 376 respondents that are loyalty programme members of EKZNW. A questionnaire was developed as measuring instrument, with the questions designed to be closed-ended. These questionnaires were personally distributed to the respondents in all the selected resorts of EKZNW. The findings of the study indicated that the majority of tourists holding EKZNW loyalty programme membership are happy with being Rhino Club members, however, some are not satisfied with the incentives provided. They recommend that the Rhino Card should be designed to allow them to also use it in other provinces’ game parks. / M

Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / The objective of this specific research report is to analyse the internet marketing function within the South African tourism industry. Furthermore, the hotel industry is analysed to establish how the introduction of the internet changed the playing field in terms of marketing and how customer behaviour has changed over the past 13 years with the introduction of the internet to the already established global distribution systems (GOS) and computer reservation systems (CRS). An in-depth literature review is conducted to analyse the marketing function in general, after which an analysis in terms of production and services organisation is discussed. Here, the focus is on the 4 P and 7 P marketing mix theories of Michael Porter. The influence of the internet on the service marketing mix is discussed with specific reference to the luxury hotel industry. The specific research and interviews conducted in this study are focused on the luxury hotel industry in the Cape Town city area. Focus areas of the interviews with the specialist in the industry are on the following: • Influence of the internet on customer relationship management • Influence of the internet on the relationship between the luxury hotels and intermediaries • Influence of the internet on marketing functions such as cost and service. The findings of the primary research in the interviews are then compared to the findings in the literature review and recommendations and managerial implications are drawn in the final chapter of the research report.