TY - JOUR
T1 - Understanding the Initial Career Decisions of Hospitality Graduates in Hong Kong
T2 - Quantitative and Qualitative Evidence
AU - Chang, Song
AU - Tse, Eliza Ching Yick
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2012 International Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education.
PY - 2015/2/8
Y1 - 2015/2/8
N2 - This study aimed to understand the initial career decisions of graduates from a hospitality and tourism management (HTM) program in Hong Kong. In Study 1, we used longitudinal data from graduate exit surveys undertaken between 2002 and 2010 to explore the nature of their initial career choices and how the program had influenced them. We found that more than half the graduates’ first jobs were in HTM and that hospitality electives and industry-specific programs (such as an executive-in-residence program and distinguished speaker series) contributed to their choice of such employment. Compared with jobs in other sectors, HTM jobs pay significantly less. In Study 2, we interviewed industry executives and alumni to supplement the findings of Study 1. Recommendations are provided for designing better HTM programs that will inspire more students to join the industry on graduation.
AB - This study aimed to understand the initial career decisions of graduates from a hospitality and tourism management (HTM) program in Hong Kong. In Study 1, we used longitudinal data from graduate exit surveys undertaken between 2002 and 2010 to explore the nature of their initial career choices and how the program had influenced them. We found that more than half the graduates’ first jobs were in HTM and that hospitality electives and industry-specific programs (such as an executive-in-residence program and distinguished speaker series) contributed to their choice of such employment. Compared with jobs in other sectors, HTM jobs pay significantly less. In Study 2, we interviewed industry executives and alumni to supplement the findings of Study 1. Recommendations are provided for designing better HTM programs that will inspire more students to join the industry on graduation.
KW - exit survey
KW - hospitality and tourism industry
KW - hospitality and tourism program
KW - initial career decisions
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84920522809&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/1096348012461544
DO - 10.1177/1096348012461544
M3 - Journal article
SN - 1096-3480
VL - 39
SP - 57
EP - 74
JO - Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research
JF - Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research
IS - 1
ER -
