A proposed community college two year hospitality program relative to the needs of the Mammoth Lake community

Purpose. It was the purpose of this study to assess the educational, technical, and managerial human resource needs of the primary economic business activity in Mammoth Lakes. Furthermore, the study addressed perceptions and attitudes of managers regarding education within the primary business activity in Mammoth Lakes; Methodology. The methods chosen for the study were informal and formal needs assessment techniques. The informal technique was used to determine the primary business activity in Mammoth Lakes. This was done through a demographic and economic analysis. The formal technique utilized a survey instrument with a descriptive method of reseach for analysis. The population surveyed were the lodging and foodservice (hospitality) managers in Mammoth Lakes. The instrument was developed using modified excerpts from two previous studies; Findings and conclusions. In examining the economic and demographic variables in Mono county and Mammoth Lakes, it was determined that the primary business activity in this area was hospitality. The survey instrument received a 92.42 percent usable response rate from the 64 foodservice and 80 lodging operations. The study found that a large percentage of hospitality management would hire graduates of a proposed Mammoth Lakes community college two year hospitality program over individuals without this degree. Hospitality managers would also be willing to pay these graduates more money relative to individual who did not graduate from this program. Furthermore, the study suggests that hospitality managers have difficulty hiring and training individuals in several functional areas and positions. Moreover, they perceive that there is a significant shortage of hospitality trained labor in Mammoth Lakes. These results conclude that there is a prevalent educational, technical, and managerial human resource need by the primary business activity in Mammoth Lakes; It was therefore concluded by the researcher, that proactive steps should be taken in the area of hospitality education to serve and address these needs. Furthermore, the researcher believes that a program emphasizing hospitality education in the developing Mammoth Lakes community college could address and serve these needs

The Effects of Coupon Promotion on Repeat Visits in Restaurants

Will customers’ intention to return to a restaurant increase with coupon promotion? To answer this question, this study examines the hypothetical effects of coupon promotion on return visits to restaurants. Based on a literature review, three hypotheses were developed to test the effect of a coupon, its face value, and a patron’s prior dining experience on return intention. The authors found that neither coupon use nor coupon face value contributed to explaining respondents’ return intentions. However, repeat customers have a greater likelihood of returning to the restaurant than new customers. The study also showed that the quality of food and service were key indicators of return intention

Electronic Channels of Distribution: Challenges and Solutions for Hotel Operators

This paper addresses the issues of hotel operators identifying effective means of allocating rooms through various electronic channels of distribution. Relying upon the theory of coercive isomorphism, a think tank was constructed to identify and define electronic channels of distribution currently being utilized in the hotel industry. Through two full-day focus groups consisting of key hotel executives and industry practitioners, distribution channels were identified as were challenges and solutions associated with each

A Model for Evaluating Online Instruction

This paper describes a step-by-step procedure for evaluating the effectiveness of online instruction. Instrument development and validation are explained. Discussions on experimental design, statistical models, and interpretation of the data are also provided. This procedure differs from the often utilized comparative assessment methodology and instead relies on the Interservice Procedures for Instructional Systems Development and Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives to develop a model that evaluates cognitive ability increases in learners. Conclusions provide benefits for using this model when evaluating online courses

Internships and Occupational Socialization: What are Students Learning?

Internships provide rich environments where students can learn about their future careers by way of occupational socialization. Entering a career for the first time, however, can be a delicate matter. As active agents in their own socialization, interns have a lot at stake. So too, do the organizations and institutions of higher learning that sponsor them. Because of these interests, pre-placement assessment and periodic monitoring of interns is needed to ensure that internships are structured and beneficial to learning. Self determination theory (SDT) will be used to frame the argument that an intern’s motivation to perform as an agent is increased as the needs for autonomy, relatedness, and competence are attained. Therefore, internships may be most effective when they maximize students’ feelings in these component areas. The presentation to follow describes survey measures of two psychological variables that can serve as process feedback for interns. Depending on the resources available for the internship program, this feedback can be used for information, intervention, or as part of a more comprehensive approach, aimed at clarifying how we can maximize the positive outcomes of internships and the future careers of their participants

Narratology and Ludology: Competing Paradigms or Complementary Theories in Simulation

Technological innovations in simulation practice have increased the speed at which theories underpinning their study evolve. As researchers come forward to accept the task of developing these theories, differences between two philosophical positions – narratology and ludology – are sparking debate which may indicate a future paradigmatic shift. The article to follow compares and contrasts narratology and ludology within the range of simulation and non-pedagogical gaming, respectively. Divergences between the two holistic meanings are noted, overlap and synergies between the issues surrounding these meanings are discussed, and a fusion of the two is proposed for future theoretical and/or paradigmatic progress

Implementation of Effective Experiential Learning Environments

This paper applies the experiential learning theory of Kolb (1984), the sequential case study learning theory of Knoop (1984), the techniques of effective class role play (Gross Davis, 1993; Pike, 1994) and Rausch’s (1999) recommendations for debriefing to a class exercise of graduate Hotel Administration students in teaching the necessity of crisis planning for hotel properties. Starting with the concept of four learning modalities presented by Kolb, we suggest introducing four instructional elements when developing effective experiential learning environments. As judged through qualitative assessment of student participation and the final product produced by the group as a result of its role play, the integration of these theories and techniques produced a dynamic, participative and productive environment. Presented first is a brief explanation of the theories, followed by a rationale for their use in this particular teaching objective, followed by detail of the manner in which the experience was framed, implemented, and discussed. While the role play presented is specifically aimed at demonstrating the critical importance of advance planning in responding to a crisis in a hotel setting, it is believed that the instructional model created herein may be generalized for application in other educational contexts

Fidelity, Verifiability, and Validity of Simulation: Constructs for Evaluation

Although instructional research on simulation has been around for almost 40 years, very little headway has been made on the creation of an academically acceptable methodology for evaluating this type of learning environment. Several comprehensive reviews of simulation assessment literature have all concluded that this problem stems from poorly designed studies, the lack of a generally accepted research taxonomy, and no well defined constructs with which to assess learning outcomes. In an effort to assist in the development of a simulation evaluation taxonomy, this paper focuses on identifying, defining, and explaining key concepts within three of the most important constructs of simulation evaluation – fidelity, verifiability, and validity. KEY WORDS: simulation fidelity, simulation verifiability, simulation validit

Bloom beyond Bloom: Using the Revised Taxonomy to Develop Experiential Learning Strategies

Why does or should experiential learning work? The authors suggest that it provides a highly cost-effective tool for acquiring dynamic knowledge, the knowledge that allows people to manipulate and interact with an object system, representing the key elements of situations they must deal with in actual work situations. The paper anchors this concept in the classic framework of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives (cognitive domain). It then updates the framework in light of Bloom’s recently revised framework, describing how this new taxonomy can be used to develop educational objectives for experiential learning

Simulation Research in the Hospitality Industry

This review of the literature presents in-depth research pertaining to simulation modeling in the hospitality industry. The authors’ intent is to expand the readers’ knowledge about simulation modeling and to provide a more complete discussion of what is known about simulation theory in the hospitality literature. Further, information is provided to assist decision-makers, training professionals, and hospitality educators with theoretical and methodological suggestions specific to evaluating simulation’s effectiveness and to provide a framework for understanding the enormous contributions to the simulation literature that have been made over the past four decades. A chart of simulation, indicating definitions and applications, is provided. Two comprehensive tables describing and categorizing articles in this area are also provided. The research shows substantial use of simulation modeling in both hospitality operations and education. It further shows some major methodological shortcomings. Keywords: simulation; analytical uses; instructional systems assessment