9th Annual National HR in Hospitality Conference & Expo

[Excerpt] As a graduate student at The School of Hotel Administration, I had the pleasure of attending the 9th Annual National HR in Hospitality Conference & Expo. The conference was held at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada from March 16-18 and attracted HR and labor and employment relations professionals from all sectors of the industry. It was a great opportunity to network with and learn from key industry leaders such as Robert Mellwig, EVP of Really Cool People at Destination Hotels, Alan Momeyer, VP of HR at Loews Corporation, and Ellen Dubois du Bellay, SVP of Learning and Talent Management at Four Seasons. In a keynote address, Chris Hunsberger, EVP of Global HR for Four Seasons, discussed the importance of innovation in HR

A study of the relationship between customer service and student satisfaction at a historically black college and university (HBCU), 2016

This study examined the relationship between customer service and student satisfaction at a historically black college and university. Student satisfaction was measured by student engagement, student recruitment, and student retention. Participants of the study were comprised of 485 undergraduate and graduate students from a historically black college and university, and they were selected utilizing non-probability convenience sampling among the target population. The findings of the study indicated that there was a statistically significant relationship between customer service and student satisfaction, customer service and student engagement, and customer service and student retention. There was no statistically significant relationship between customer service and student recruitment. KEY TERMS: Customer service, student satisfaction, HBCU, student engagement, student retention, student recruitment, Higher Education, Hospitality Administration and Management, Social Wor

Enhancing Students\u27 Learning with Word-Games: A Case of Hospitality OB Class

Learning a new subject involves learning and memorizing a new set of vocabulary (Parry, 1995), a challenge for an increasingly international student population (e.g., Barron & Arcodia, 2002; McDowell, 1998; Zimmermann, 2009).https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/btp_expo/1017/thumbnail.jp

People with disabilities: A new model of productive labor

The nation’s largest minority is people with disabilities, comprising more than 50 million individuals (U.S. Census Bureau 2008), who contribute to the diversity that nurtures new ideas and supports businesses become more competitive in a diverse marketplace. Businesses can improve their competitive edge if they take steps to integrate underrepresented groups, such as people with disabilities, into their workforce [Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) 2005]. This untapped pool offers a source of skilled and dedicated employees to counter the effects of the aging and shrinking workforce, especially in the hospitality and tourism industry, which is labor intensive and faces high employee turnover rates (Ball et al. 2005; ODEP 2005). The goal of the study is to examine the benefits and challenges when employing people with disabilities and the best practices in proactively employing and managing workers with disabilities. Walgreens Co was selected as a purposive sample based on its initiative of proactively hiring people with disabilities and aiming to employ 20 percent of employees with disabilities in their distribution centers and 10 percent in their stores. Walgreens Co is the nation’s biggest drugstore chain, is included in the top 500 Fortune companies and is an active member of the US business leadership network that is a national disability organization that supports best practices in the employment and advancement of people with disabilities. The study aims to use Walgreens initiative as a benchmark for the hospitality industry and inform hospitality employers of the best practices of employing and managing this untapped group of workforce. Finally, since baby boomers have already started retiring resulting in an aging and shrinking workforce, the study aims to provide human resources professionals with solutions in improving and expanding their candidates’ pools and ensuring a better workforce. (CNNMoney, 2011; U.S. Business Leadership Network, 2011

Student Perceptions of Engagement in a Mandatory Programatic Service Learning

In the hospitality industry, service-learning opportunities are particularly important for students seeking work in the meeting and event planning industry. Faculty of a hospitality program at a regional university in East Texas decided to investigate the benefits in embedding service learning activities to their hospitality courses. The study investigated student perceptions of their participation in compulsory service learning assignments were created and implemented. Service learning assignment benefited the respondents personally; it benefited the sponsoring organization; it benefited the respondents’ career goals and their own individual awareness of community issues

A Quarter-Century Focus on Improving Service Quality

[Excerpt] The first International Quality in Service Symposium (QUIS) that took place in 1988 in Karlstad, Sweden, represented a particularly important starting point and stimulus for the scientific discussion of service management issues. Since then, service management research has developed significantly, and a specific scientific community has evolved. At several prestigious universities all over the world, service research centers have been established and a growing number of service-related books have been published. Moreover, an increasing number of academic journals with a focus on services are gaining an international reputation

Goodbye, Hello

[Excerpt] If, as Billy Joel once sang, “life is a series of hellos and goodbyes,” then this issue represents nothing more than the next step in a series of expected changes. I do believe, however, that even though hellos and goodbyes are an accepted part of life, they are not always mundane and are often the cause for reflection, sadness, and excitement. That is the case here, as this issue marks the end of Mike Sturman’s term as editor of the Cornell Quarterly and the beginning of Linda Canina’s term

Student-Based Examples: Do They Help or Hinder Instruction?

[Excerpt] Many professors, myself included, have for years operated under the impression that examples from the current experiences of students’ lives are helpful, useful and relevant for illustrating complex ideas or theories. We seek to use examples from the students’ realm of experience. We discuss conflict and perceptions in the context of roommate interactions. The university’s procedures and goals are presented as a foil for discussions of organizational designs, bureaucracy, and goal setting. We rely on the football and basketball teams for discussions of leadership and cooperation. The experiences of job interviews are used to discuss corporate culture and socialization. Finally, we bring home the nuances of performance appraisal, feedback and reward structures by discussing the operation of the very class we teach