The conflict between industry hosts and master’s degree students’ expectations on students entering the hospitality industry

This paper reports on a qualitative study that sought to determine Australian industry hosts’ expectations and perceptions of hotel management master’s degree students on their placement in the industry, and the expectations of students when entering industry placement. The empirical dataset for this qualitative study was collected through student and industry focus groups and individual semi-structured interviews with master’s students and managers of hotels in Sydney, Australia. The technique used for analysing the data was progressive comparative analysis, after which a constant comparative methodology was applied. The conclusions outline common themes and issues identified by students and their hosts and highlight a need for educators to better prepare both students and hosts.Keywords: work integrated learning, industry placements, master’s programmes, hospitality, education, hote

Incorporating Sustainability in Meetings and Event Management Education

Events and other meetings are an important component of the tourism industry. The activities around events and other meetings bring people together and offer communities an opportunity to celebrate and showcase their traditions, culture and way of life. As the major stakeholders in such activities realise the significant economic benefits of holding events and meetings, governments and operators are making significant capital investment in developing the necessary facilities and infrastructure to accommodate this sector of the tourism industry

Impediments to improvements in service quality in luxury hotels

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to identify the key factors that impede service quality delivery in the context of luxury hotels (four- and five-star properties) in Sydney, Australia. Design/methodology/approach – The empirical dataset for this qualitative study was collected through 22 individual semi-structured interviews with senior hotel managers of ten luxury hotels in Sydney, Australia. The technique used for analysing the data was progressive comparative analysis, after which constant comparative methodology was applied. The key themes emerging from these techniques have been categorised to form conclusions. Findings – Analysis of the data revealed a number of impediments to developing and maintaining distinguishable, superior service. These impediments fell into four broad areas: Budget constraints, Staff attitude, Lack of mentoring and High customer expectations. Research limitations/implications – The limitations with the current study are primarily related to the scope of the research in terms of the number of hotel properties participating, and the fact that it incorporates the views of managers only. Furthermore, the focus of this study was on the hotel sector, and thus the findings cannot be accepted as being necessarily relevant and applicable to services across the tourism/hospitality industry as a whole. Future research needs to be conducted to incorporate the views of all stakeholders in service quality, including non-management staff and customers. Originality/value – The findings of this research can inform hotel sector researchers and practitioners of identified impediments to service quality, whether current strategies are addressing these impediments and, if not, how strategies may be modified to address to achieve this

Motivation as a predictor of outcomes in school-based humanistic counselling

Recent years have seen a growth in the provision of counselling within UK secondary schools, and research indicates that it is associated with significant reductions in psychological distress. However, little is known about the moderators and mediators of positive therapeutic benefit. In the field of adult mental health, motivation has been found to be one of the strongest predictors of therapeutic outcomes, and it was hypothesised that this may also be a predictor of outcomes for young people in school-based counselling services. To assess the relationship between young people’s motivation for counselling and its effectiveness within a secondary school setting. Eighty-one young people (12 - 17 years old) who attended school-based humanistic counselling services in Scotland. Clients completed a measure of motivation for counselling at the commencement of their therapeutic work and a measure of psychological wellbeing at the commencement and termination of counselling. Motivation for counselling was not found to be significantly related to outcomes. The results indicate that the association between motivation and outcomes may be weaker in young people as compared with adults. However, a number of design factors may also account for the non-significant findings: insufficient participants, marginal reliability of the motivation measure and social desirability effects

Chronic fatigue syndrome

Objective. To acknowledge the dinical syndrome chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and outline the diagnostic criteria and reasonable management.Outcomes. Attempt at containment of treatment cost and improvement of the quality of care of patients with CFS.Evidence. Delphi-type commentary from 20 expert clinicians and appropriate organisations. Limited literature survey.Values. To clarify the reasonable management of CFS amid conflicting clinical opinion on a condition qf concern to patients, funders and doctors, An adaptation:of an existing guideline was sent to organisations and individuals for comment. Comments received were included in this guideline where possible.Benefits, harms and costs. To acknowledge a clinical syndrome with a reasonable approach to management considering the cost implications. No cost analysis was done.Recommendations. To recommend the following: (I) diagnostic criteria for CFS; (il) potential differential diagnoses and possible investigations; and (iil) management protocol.Validation. The draft guidelines were subjected to external review by individual doctors who are acknowledged CFS treaters, doctor groups and the patient support group. There were major disputes about the content, with the responses falling into two groups: thosewho do not believe CFS is a distinguishable illness, and those who do.Developer and funding. The Committee for Science and Education, Medical Association of South Africa, Endorsements. Medical Association of South Africa and national health care organisations (see list at the end of the document)

Randomised controlled trial of school-based humanistic counselling for emotional distress in young people: Feasibility study and preliminary indications of efficacy

The purpose of this study was to test the feasibility of a randomised controlled trial comparing six weeks of humanistic school-based counselling versus waiting list in the reduction of emotional distress in young people, and to obtain initial indications of efficacy. Following a screening procedure, young people (13 - 15 years old) who experienced emotional distress were randomised to either humanistic counselling or waiting list in this multi-site study. Outcomes were assessed using a range of self-report mental health measures, with the emotional symptoms subscale of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) acting as the primary outcome indicator. Recruitment procedures were successful, with 32 young people consenting to participate in the trial and 27 completing endpoint measures. Trial procedures were acceptable to all involved in the research. No significant differences were found between the counselling and waiting list groups in reductions in levels of emotional symptoms (Hedges' g = 0.03), but clients allocated to counselling showed significantly greater improvement in prosocial behaviour (g = 0.89) with an average effect size (g) across the nine outcome measures of 0.25. Participants with higher levels of depressive symptoms showed significantly greater change. This study suggested that a randomised controlled trial of counselling in schools is acceptable and feasible, although initial indications of efficacy are mixed

Rewards management : incentives and rewards in work teams

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Managing sustainable festivals, meetings and events

Festivals, meetings and events (FMEs) are an important component of the tourism industry. FMEs provide opportunities for social and cultural exchange, exchange of new and innovative ideas, business contacts, and learning. They play a key role in many destinations in attracting tourists, providing recreational activities for the community and developing and strengthening a destination's image. Each FME provides a specific kind of appeal and experience, which in most cases cannot be repeated. As the appreciation of the benefits of holding festivals, meetings and events grows, governments and operators are continuing to invest in developing the necessary facilities and infrastructure to accommodate this tourism activity

Service quality in Sydney hotels : a perspective from managers, staff and customers

Since the early 1980s there has been a growing interest globally in service quality, driven by the supposition that high service quality will lead to more satisfied customers. Satisfied customers will remain loyal and spread positive word-of-mouth advertising, and therefore improving service quality is linked to competitive advantage. In Australia the recognition that the service industry is a significant economic driver has resulted in an increasing interest in service quality. Sydney, as the most popular tourist destination in Australia, has a large number of hotels that represent a critical component of the local service industry. To respond to the rising attention to impacts of service quality on the hospitality industry this thesis explores service quality within the hotel sector of Sydney, Australia. The research presents and discusses a comprehensive analysis of the expectations and perceptions of key actors, the customers, managers and employees of hotels, along with a service performance analysis, using both qualitative and quantitative data collection. Despite the fact that the concept of service quality in tourism and hospitality has been researched for over two decades, limited understanding exists of the hotel sector of Sydney, Australia. Thus the primary focus of this research is to analyse the needs, expectations and perceptions of three-, four- and five-star hotel customers in Sydney, Australia. This research, which seeks to address the gaps within the tourism and hospitality literature surrounding service quality in Sydney hotels, is guided by two main research questions: First, what are the main factors that customers consider to be important in the evaluation of service quality in three-, four- and five-star hotels? To answer this question it was necessary to: 1) examine what attributes customers use in choosing between three-, four- and five-star hotel accommodation in Sydney; 2) determine management’s perceptions of the attributes they believe are important in patrons’ choice process when deciding between alternative three-, four- and five-star accommodation providers in Sydney; 3) use the SERVQUAL framework to develop measures of service quality in three-, four- and five-star hotels in Sydney; 4) evaluate the validity of the SERVQUAL framework in the context of three-, four and five-star hotels; 5) identify which of the dimensions is the most important in delivering customer satisfaction in three-, four- and five-star hotels. Second, how well are these hotels delivering the required levels of satisfaction to their customers? To answer this question it was necessary to: 1) ascertain from the perspective of both management and staff what impediments exist within the hotel sector to delivery of quality service; 2) compare the perception of performance with customer expectations to identify discrepancies; 3) identify those aspects of hotel service that require attention and modification in terms of teaching and learning; 4) identify the perceptions of performance by customers of Sydney hotels; 5) compare managers’ perceptions of performance with those of customer perception in this area. In order to address the research questions outlined above, a mixed methodology grounded in the pragmatic paradigm was adopted. The pragmatic paradigm allows for mixed methods research and was chosen because it reflects the exploratory nature of the research to be undertaken through multiple methods. The methodological approach in this thesis was undertaken in four phases: Phase 1, the qualitative phase, where individual interviews and fieldwork provided the groundwork for questionnaire development; Phase 2, the quantitative phase, where the questionnaire was developed and extensively tested; Phase 3, the continuation of the quantitative phase, which included employment of the highly structured questionnaire; and Phase 4, the final phase, using the triangulation technique to combine and explain the data collected. The results of this research revealed that respondents hold numerous and differing views about the notion of service quality. In general, respondents provided an overview of the attributes customers use in choosing between three-, four- and five-star hotel accommodation in Sydney, which both confirmed and added to previous research. Managers demonstrated understanding of customers’ expectations, but showed high levels of frustration with the multiple impediments to delivering quality services to customers within the hotel sector. The SERVQUAL framework proved to be useful in measuring service quality in three-, four- and five-star hotels in Sydney; measures needed, however, considerable refinement in terms of context to be useful to hotel managers in Sydney. A number of relationships were established, including correlations between: customer expectations and service quality; customer satisfaction and service quality; customer loyalty/retention and service quality; price/value and service quality. These findings will allow managers of hotels to make better decisions in terms of resources. Additionally, a number of areas were identified as needing modification to improve service quality in three-, four- and five-star hotel accommodation in Sydney. These include paying greater attention to employee and customer contact, and making modifications in the broad area of human resources. Overall this thesis adds to the body of literature concerning service quality, with a specific emphasis on Sydney, Australia. This thesis provides a better understanding of those aspects of service that are considered by customers to be important in their overall experience, and makes suggestions about the changes that can be made to improve customer experience. Further, the identification of impediments to service quality delivery highlights the problems for staff and managers in delivering what the hotel promises. This information can then be used to inform management of the changes that can be made to achieve better performance

The Harlot's Progress

Engraving: sheet 9 x 11.75 inches; image 5.75 x 4.75 inches. Plate 5 from book. G. Presbury; from the original picture by William Hogarth