Hospitality and tourism management education thrives at the University of Strathclyde. As Susan Hart, Kevin O’Gorman and Matthew Alexander explain, following the recent reorganisation, integrating the degree into the Strathclyde Business School has strengthened the university’s presentation of the subject’s distinctiveness. This is how future leaders of the industry will be developed

Alexander, Matthew

Hart, Susan

O'Gorman, Kevin

English

Name not available

Centrality of hospitality and tourism education : the case of Strathclyde business school

University of Strathclyde Institutional Repository

Strathprints Institutional RepositoryHart, Susan and O’Gorman, Kevin and Alexander, Matthew (2010) Centrality of hospitality andtourism education : the case of Strathclyde business school. Hospitality Review, 12 (1). pp. 21-25.ISSN 1464-9101Strathprints is designed to allow users to access the research output of the University of Strathclyde.Copyright c© and Moral Rights for the papers on this site are retained by the individual authorsand/or other copyright owners. You may not engage in further distribution of the material for anyprofitmaking activities or any commercial gain. You may freely distribute both the url (http://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/) and the content of this paper for research or study, educational, ornot-for-profit purposes without prior permission or charge.Any correspondence concerning this service should be sent to Strathprints administrator:mailto:strathprints@strath.ac.ukhttp://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/	t h e ho spi ta l i t y r ev i ew 	21	 ja n ua ry 2 010In early 2008, as part of a major strate-gic review aimed at re-focussing the university, Strathclyde Business School’s provision in hospi-tality and tourism management education came under scrutiny, with the major driver being to ascertain the developments necessary to turn the area into one of real excellence. The University of Strathclyde’s legacy in hospitality and tourism education stems from 1944 with the setting up of the Scottish Hotel School. As an entity it has evolved considerably, joining the uni-versity in 1963 and latterly becoming the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management, offering a range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.Refocus the visionThe University of Strathclyde’s vision is to become a leading international technological university. At the heart of this vision is the university’s world-lead-ing research across all faculties and particularly in its areas of strategic importance—business, engineer-ing, science, and social sciences. As a research-led university, the strategy is focused on enhancing further its high-quality research profile, ensuring that research informs the education programmes and fuels a range of industry engagements, as part of its knowledge exchange. Developing the highest levels of knowledge exchange with industry and policy mak-ers is critical to the university achieving a competitive edge. The strategy is also concerned with embedding internationalisation across the university: seeking to develop higher quality programmes which deliver in the international arena, and build relationships and partnerships working with leading, internationally focused organisations and institutions.Strathclyde Business School has its roots in the Glasgow Commercial College founded in 1845. In 2008 the School was rated top in Scotland and in the uk’s top 10, in the latest comprehensive rating of universi-ties’ research—the Research Assessment Exercise. It is one of only 40 business schools worldwide, and the only business school in Scotland, to have achieved triple accreditation from the European Foundation for Management Education, the Association of mbas and the American Association for the Advancement of Collegiate Schools of Business. In November 2008 and 2009 the Financial Times European Business School Rankings ranked the School in the top five in the uk and top 20 in Europe.The University of Strathclyde’s strategic review panel met on various occasions with the depart-Education focusCentrality of hospitality and tourism educationThe	case	of	Strathclyde	Business	SchoolHospitality and tourism management education thrives at the University of Strathclyde. As Susan Hart, Kevin O’Gorman and Matthew Alexander explain, following the recent reorganisation, integrating the degree into the Strathclyde Business School has strengthened the university’s presentation of the subject’s distinctiveness. This is how future leaders of the industry will be developed.The	University	of	Strathclyde’s	legacy	in	hospitality	and	tourism	education	stems	from	1944	with	the	setting	up	of	the	Scottish	Hotel	SchoolHR12iFINAL_3.indd   21 15/2/10   11:23:27	t h e ho spi ta l i t y r ev i ew 	22	 ja n ua ry 2 010mental management team; undergraduate and post-graduate students; academic, teaching and research staff; administrative and technical support staff, and doctoral research students. Specifically, the review was to address the following: Education To review the undergraduate and postgraduate teaching within the department to ascertain the quality and suitability of activity, specifically in relation to low under-graduate retention rates, the perceived overly vocational nature of programmes, low entry qualification standards in relation to the rest of the business school, and the potential of further development of post-graduate instructional courses. Additionally the review was asked to consider the viabil-ity and effectiveness of overseas partners and internationally based teaching activities and whether they also dem-onstrate the sought lev-els of excellence. Research To review research activity within the department, taking into consideration the current research ethos both of the department and the university, and explore whether it was possible to create a vision for the development of sustainable research activity within the department, including consid-eration of interdisciplinary activity and collabora-tive research where relevant and possible; and Knowledge exchange To review the portfolio of knowledge exchange activity to ascertain how knowledge from indus-try, policy and business was utilised within the department and, in turn, the impact of the depart-ment on external stakeholders.On the positive side, the review panel found that students were generally satisfied with the quality and content of the teaching, and the close interaction with academic staff. Research students were enthusias-tic about the research they were doing and the support that they received from their supervisors. However the vision and direction of the depart-ment had become hazy with a rather vague concept of where the department would wish to be in five to ten years time, or what the discipline would look like. The depart-ment lacked critical mass in research capital that might be harnessed to encour-age the production of high quality research outputs. There was little sense of how the different activities being undertaken supported the attainment of a broader stra-tegic vision or developed research capacity. This was compounded by a myriad of teaching activity within the department and little connectivity with the business school and other areas of the univer-sity. Most disappointingly there was no planned approach to stakeholder engagement, and no clear definition of who the key external stakeholders were or how they interacted with the department at a strategic and sustain-able level. This lack of stakeholder engagement was surprising as one in ten jobs in Scotland are in the hospitality and tourism sector and the global industry is worth in the region of us$2.5 trillion. In	2008	and	2009	the	Financial Times	European	Business	School	Rankings	ranked	the	School	in	the	top	five	in	the	UK	and	top	20	in	EuropeHR12iFINAL_3.indd   22 15/2/10   11:23:28	t h e ho spi ta l i t y r ev i ew 	23	 ja n ua ry 2 010Planning for the futureHospitality and tourism is a critically important sector for the global economy and there were evident syner-gistic relationships that could be exploited between research areas both within the department and with other departments within the business school. The review also highlighted the need for partnerships with the global hospital-ity and tourism industry to provide more strategic and development oppor-tunities for students to achieve learning out-comes in a commercial setting. There were clear opportunities for staff to be involved in policy research and develop-ment within the Scottish context that were not cur-rently being exploited. After the review, the university management team and the dean of the Strathclyde Business School agreed to rein-force and reinvigorate their commitment to hospitality and tourism management education within the university. Pockets of expertise existed within the department and it was recognized that this could make a strong and distinc-tive contribution to education, research and knowl-edge exchange within the business school. However, marshalling that expertise to the best effect clearly required a realignment of the depart-ment with cognate areas of strength across the business school. It was also recognized that there was the clear need to seek greater collaboration with industry in the development of student experience and in informing the refreshment of both postgraduate and undergrad-uate degrees. These conclusions presented an excellent opportu-nity to raise performance in the hospitality and tourism management area to the standard appropriate to one of the world’s top business schools. The school believes that education in this area should focus on providing next generation leadership for the global hospitality industry. The place for developing practical hospitality skills is seen as being in the further education sector therefore kitchen based training should be concen-trated there with greater efforts made to articulate students into Strathclyde courses. Discussions are under way with further education colleges and the Greater Glasgow Articulation Partnership to explore potential collaborations. Finally, greater industry involve-ment in course design, placements, research and policy development and influence was necessary.Since the summer of 2009, new degrees in hospitality and tour-ism management have been designed with these programme giving students improved access to research-led teaching in key business disci-plines including accounting and finance, manage-ment, marketing, and human resource management alongside sector-specific learning. These degree programmes have been warmly received by external stakeholders including the Lord Forte Foundation, who have already provided merit scholarships, the Hospitality Industry Trust Scotland with whom excit-ing discussions are also taking place, and The Savoy Educational Trust who have supported hospitality education at Strathclyde for many years.The	school	believes	that	education	in	this	area	should	focus	on	providing	next	generation	leadership	for	the	global	hospitality	industryHR12iFINAL_3.indd   23 15/2/10   11:23:29	t h e ho spi ta l i t y r ev i ew 	24	 ja n ua ry 2 010The business school continues to draw on the expertise of a growing industry advisory group as the fast-moving hospitality tourism sector continues to evolve. The school is committed to working with colleagues in industry to develop tomorrow’s leaders and the new degree programmes have been developed in response to the business community’s demand for highly skilled professionals for this rapidly changing industry.Moving forwardFrom the academic session 2009, hospitality and tour-ism has become an integral part of the ba degree in the business school, allowing all undergraduate stu-dents the opportunity to choose this option. At the same time, the entrance requirements were raised from bbcc at Higher/ccd at A level to aabb at Higher/abb at A level making it one of the most com-petitive courses in the country. The intake increased from 47 (in 2008) to 177 (in 2009). The higher entry grades are seen as a reflection of the quality of the degree which has always been a leader in the field. The hospitality and tourism management degree is now firmly embedded within the Strathclyde Business School, providing graduates with the quality of educa-tion that will benefit the industry and provide exciting and stimulating careers worldwide. Hospitality and tourism, like all other subjects, is underpinned by the school’s ‘management development programme’ where students are introduced to core business and management skills such as leadership, negotiation, decision-making and information technology. Despite significantly increased entrance stand-ards, increasing student numbers and performance, and considerably greater industry involvement, the Council for Hospitality Management Education (chme) considers the greater integration of hospital-ity into business schools as a threat. This is in contrast with the hospitality industry professionals who recog-nize the need for greater cooperation with business schools. chme lists a concern that there is likely to be a reduction in the quantity and quality of research in hospitality management issues, with academics encouraged to write for more mainstream business journals as the movement of hospitality departments into business schools continues. We consider this a somewhat myopic view. It is just as likely when academics from across business schools and beyond engage with hospitality and tourism as a context for research (an approach that is developing within the niche area of critical hospitality and tourism studies) that the quality and depth of research will increase. Finally chme observe that hospitality and tour-ism academics are an ageing population and there is a need for universities to develop a clear succes-sion strategy for hospitality academics to ensure that younger academics are coached and mentored for the senior roles in the future. These younger academics already exist across all the top business schools and need to be encouraged to engage in research and teaching both in the cognate areas that underpin hospitality and tourism and the sector at large. Strathclyde’s strategy reflects its recognition that research into the hospitality and tourism industry has the potential to inform the wider spectrum of business literature, thus reversing the accepted status quo that this is a fringe discipline. As one of the most dynamic industries on the planet, hospitality and tourism as a context for research should be embraced by the wider academic community.At Strathclyde, our students have already been working with Emirates Airlines and the first of many revitalized industry partnerships is developing with Rocco Forte Hotels. These organizations and the global hospitality and tourism industry at large recognize that to be a world-class manager requires graduates to gain generic leadership skills and a sound educational foundation in finance, international business, market-ing, strategic and operations management. The best place for these skills to be learned is within world-class business schools and that is where the hospitality managers of the future should be educated.world-class	business	schools		[are]	where	the	hospitality	managers	of	the	future	should	be	educatedHR12iFINAL_3.indd   24 15/2/10   11:23:30	t h e ho spi ta l i t y r ev i ew 	25	 ja n ua ry 2 010Professor SuSan Hart is the dean of the Strathclyde Business School and professor marketing. Her research areas of interest include innovation and product-service development, marketing and competitive success and marketing performance measurement. She has been awarded research grants by the Leverhulme trust, Economic and Social research Council, Science and Engineering research Council, Design Council Scotland, the Chartered Institute of Management accountants and Scottish Enterprise. Professor Hart has written well over 100 articles and papers, and is a member of the executive committee of the academy of Marketing and the senate of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, as well as a fellow of the Marketing Society and the royal Society of Edinburgh. She has recently become a fellow of the Leadership trust Foundation and is a director of the royal Scottish national Orchestra.Dr KEvIn O’GOrMan is director of undergraduate hospitality and tourism programmes in the Department of Management, Strathclyde Business School. His doctorate is in the history and philosophy of hospitality in the Greco-roman world of classical antiquity. He has published extensively on topics relating to the history, practice and philosophy of hospitality management. He is publishing his first book entitled The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism and is currently editing a special edition of the International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management on the theme of ‘the History of the Commercial Hospitality Industry from Classical antiquity to the 19th Century’.MattHEw J aLExanDEr is a lecturer in hospitality and tourism in the Department of Marketing, Strathclyde Business School, Glasgow. His MPhil research addressed changes in operational education methods within hospitality management higher education programmes and he has published in this area. He is currently engaged in research for a PhD exploring the impact of service-dominant logic on the service-profit chain.HR12iFINAL_3.indd   25 15/2/10   11:23:31

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Centrality of hospitality and tourism education : the case of Strathclyde business school

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