Perceptions of Hospitality Industry Professionals and Hospitality Faculty on Industry-Academia Collaborations

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the perceptions of hospitality industry professionals and faculty on their involvement in industry--academia collaboration. This quantitative survey sampled 568 International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (ICHRIE) members and 2,366 hospitality industry professionals. A total of 264 participants’ responses were analyzed. A survey was developed to measure perceptions of respondents’ involvement in industry--academia collaboration. The scale was determined to have a high level of reliability, as determined by a Cronbach’s alpha, of 0.857. It was found there were statistically significant differences in perceptions of involvement in industry--academia collaboration between faculty and industry. The findings indicated faculty could benefit from improved communication with the hospitality industry. Faculty should engage industry in different settings, from advisory boards to professional associations.

KEYWORDS:

• Hospitality industry
• hospitality management
• hospitality faculty
• curriculum
• industry-academia collaboration