Do hospitality management curricula at public higher education institutions in South Africa comply with the standards suggested by a research-based competence framework?

Published ArticleThe employability demands of hospitality employers, combined with the requirements of the 2013 Higher Education (HE) Qualifications Sub-Framework, necessitated a thorough evaluation of the current hospitality management curricula at public HE institutions in South Africa. The evaluation described in this article was based on a comprehensive competence framework developed in a broader study that was aimed at enhancing the employability of hospitality management graduates in South Africa. The outcomes in existing curricula were compared with 127 essential competences in the framework. Hospitality management curricula at public higher education institutions in South Africa do not comply with all the standards suggested by the mentioned research-based competence framework. The key weaknesses identified relate to 36 competences in the framework, which are either not reflected or wrongly represented in the curricula. Arguments for improvement are substantiated by the results of an extensive Delphi evaluation of the competences in the framework by 38 experts in the field

Expectations and perceptions of customers in mall restaurants in an East London shopping mall using the DINESERV approach

Published ArticleShopping malls have become distressed in South Africa, with statistics showing a decline of 5.3% in tenant mix in 2013 compared to 2012, as retail stores in malls decline due to online shopping and the changing consumer value equation and culture. As such, to reposition and resuscitate shopping malls, restaurants have become an important part of the leasing strategy in malls. However, despite lowering their prices and spending marketing funds on promotions, mall restaurants seem to be finding great difficulty in determining customer expectations. With this as background, the focus in this study was to gain insight into restaurant customers’ expectations and perceptions in Hemmingways shopping mall using the DINESERV model. Customers’ expectations and perceptions were measured on a five point Likert-type scale. The empirical results show that, on a 5 point Likert scale, the overall mean score for expectation items was 4.50 whilst for perception items was 3.46. The overall DINESERV gap was -1.04, implying that mall restaurants did not meet customers’ expectations. The results of this study serve not only to identify customers’ expectations and strengthen customer loyalty in mall restaurants, but also improve the mall’s reputation and increase customer satisfaction

The effect of restaurant attributes on customers’ expectations and experiences in formal full service restaurants in Port Elizabeth, South Africa

Published ArticleThe purpose of this study was to assess the effect of restaurant attributes on customers’ expectations and experiences in formal full service restaurants. The attributes included in this research were food, service and ambience as independent variables and expectations and experiences as dependent variables. The aims were to: (a) assess restaurant attributes that are important for customers’ expectations and experiences, (b) to determine which restaurant attributes had a significant relationship with customers’ expectations and experiences. The questionnaire was based on Markovic, Raspor & Markovic’s (2010) research. In order to meet the surveys’ goals, correlation coefficient and regression analysis were conducted. The results of correlation coefficient reveal that all three restaurant attributes had a significant correlation (p<0.05) with expectations. The strongest correlation with expectations was service (r=0.76). Customers’ experiences showed that all the attributes had a weak to moderate (r≤0.5) positive correlation with customers’ experiences. The strongest correlation with experiences was food (r=0.54). The first regression model showed that all three dining attributes were significantly related (p<0.05) to customers’ expectations. The level of service (t=10.73) was rated as the most important attribute for expectations. The second regression model showed that all three dining attributes were significantly related (p<0.05) to experiences. The second model indicated that respondents rated food (t=7.51) as the most important attribute for experience. The results reveal that although good food is an essential component for customers’ experiences, however, the level of service plays a pivotal role for customers’ expectations in formal full service restaurants