Undergraduate Tourism and Hospitality Students Attitudes Toward a Career in the Industry: A Preliminary Investigation

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to examine the attitudes and perceptions of current undergraduate tourism and hospitality students in Australia toward careers in the industry. The study is exploratory and based on a quantitative approach. Areas that students have concerns over include respondent's relationship with their managers, promotion opportunities, career paths, and the pay and conditions offered within the industry. Possibly the most alarming finding to come out of this study is that more than 50% of respondents are already contemplating careers outside the industry. Of those with work experience in the industry, 43.6% claim that they will not work in the tourism and hospitality industry after graduation, with 96.3% of these respondents' citing working experience in the industry as the main reason for this decision.

KEYWORDS:

• Tourism and hospitality
• undergraduate students
• attitudes
• perceptions
• work
• careers

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this study is to examine the attitudes and perceptions of current undergraduate tourism and hospitality students toward a career in the industry. The tourism and hospitality industry worldwide, and in Australia in particular, has been confronted with the problem of attracting and retaining quality employees. This has lead to a shortage of skilled personnel to staff the ever-growing number of tourism and hospitality businesses (Andorka, 1996; Bonn & Forbringer, 1992; Breiter, 1991; Deery & Shaw, 1999; Dermady & Holloway, 1998; Emenheiser, Clay, & Palakurthi, 1998; Ferris, Berkson, & Harris, 2002; Heraty & Morley, 1998; Hinkin & Tracey, 2000; McDermid, 1996; Powell, 1999; Australian Government, Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources, 2002). This situation is a complex one with many different factors contributing to the problem. The problem the industry is confronting is that a number of characteristics have been commonly found in the tourism and hospitality industry in Australia impacting on the shortage of skills in the industry. These factors include a young transient workforce; low pay; low levels of formal qualifications; high levels of female, students, part-time, and casual workers; a high proportion of low-skilled jobs; a large proportion of hours worked outside normal business hours; a negative industry image in the eyes of potential employees; poor utilization of student labor and high levels of staff turnover (Baum, 2006; Brien, 2004; Deery & Shaw, 1999; Freeland, 2000; Service Skills Victoria, 2005; Australian Government, Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources, 2002). Figure 1 is a graphical representation of the factors influencing skills shortages in the Australian tourism and hospitality industry. These characteristics all add to the complex problems associated with recruitment and retention in the industry.

FIGURE 1. Factors Influencing Skills Shortages in the Australian Tourism and Hospitality Industry.

The National Tourism Investment Strategy Consultative Group (2006) has estimated that the current skills shortage within the Australian tourism industry is up to 7,000 positions with a further year-on-year deficit of up to 15,000 positions. Over the next decade, more than 130,000 new employees will be needed for the tourism and hospitality workforce. However, if current trends continue, only 45,000 workers are expected to join the industry, increasing the fears that skills shortages will dramatically increase in the coming years. It has been suggested that due to the fragmented nature of the industry in Australia, the industry is not well equipped to respond to the future challenges presented by shortages and gaps in needed skills (Service Skills Victoria, 2005).

LITERATURE REVIEW

There are studies indicating that the proportion of workers in the tourism and hospitality industry who have tertiary qualifications is much lower than most other industry sectors (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2006; Purcell & Quinn, 1996). Reports also indicate that many hospitality and tourism management graduates fail to enter the industry upon graduation due to low job satisfaction, poor employment conditions, and absence of motivating factors. This results in high staff turnover and waste of trained and experienced personnel (Doherty, Guerrier, Jamieson, Lashley, & Lockwood, 2001; Jenkins, 2001; Pavesic & Brymer, 1990; Zacerelli, 1985).

According to Domonte and Vaden (1987) the factor that had the greatest influence on career decisions of potential hospitality employees was work experience. For this reason work-based learning, either structured or unstructured, will play a significant role in tourism and hospitality students' attitudes toward pursuing a career in the industry upon graduation. Indeed many tertiary programs in tourism and hospitality require students to undertake a certain number of hours working in the industry. However, one of the concerns relating to students' undertaking casual work or work placements is that if students are given menial, boring tasks instead of exciting and worthwhile projects the experience will not be beneficial. Rather than encouraging the students to gain skills that they will use in their future careers, the experience may actually lead to the students not pursuing a career in the industry at all (Boud, Solomon, & Symes, 2001; Busby, 2003). Therefore an emphasis should be placed on ensuring that the student is given meaningful tasks and an opportunity to train in various departments or sectors of the business (Richardson, 2004).

In the tourism and hospitality industry, having a skilled, enthusiastic, and committed workforce is seen as vital to the success of firms in the industry (Kusluvan & Kusluvan, 2000). As most of the interactions between customers and clients in the industry are in the form of face-to-face exchange with the service being purchased and consumed at the same time, the standard of service provided is of paramount concern. Employee attitudes, performance, and behavior are key determinants of service quality, which has a direct linkage to customer satisfaction and loyalty (Heskett, Jones, Loveman, Sasser Jr., & Schlesinger, 1994). Bettencourt and Brown (1997) agree, declaring that

contact employees contribute to service excellence by delivering on the promises of the firm, by creating a favorable image for the firm, by going beyond the call of duty for customers, by promoting the firm's products and services and, in general, by providing better service than the competition. (p. 39)

In fact it has been argued that without employees having a positive attitude toward their work, there is minimal chance for the organization to achieve customer satisfaction and loyalty (Rosentbluth, 1991; Zeithaml & Bitner, 1996). This is becoming even more evident as the increasing international competition between firms and between destinations has led to organizations' using employees as a means of gaining competitive advantage over rivals (Pfeffer, 2005). The education, training, skills, and motivation of staff play a key role in an organization gaining a competitive advantage, while their commitment to the industry or firm will determine if the company can sustain this competitive edge (Kusluvan & Kusluvan, 2000). An employee's commitment to any industry will be determined by his or her perceptions and attitudes toward working in the industry and the types of jobs available in the industry. Kusluvan and Kusluvan (2000) argue that this is particularly pertinent to the tourism and hospitality industry as it has been reported that working in the industry has a negative image in the eyes of potential recruits (Aksu & Koksal, 2005; Brien, 2004; Getz, 1994; Kusluvan & Kusluvan, 2000). By using staff as the mechanism to gain an advantage over competitors, it is therefore argued that it is essential for tourism and hospitality management graduates to have a positive attitude toward working in the industry (Kusluvan & Kusluvan, 2000).

The aforementioned factors raise the issue of finding out and explaining the attitudes of students who are likely to enter the tourism and hospitality industry workforce, to explore what impact work experience plays in shaping these attitudes. Airey and Frontistis (1997) comment that perhaps the most important reason for undertaking this type of study is that

there are so many questions which still need to be answered about the attitudes of young people to tourism careers. At a time when tourism is held out as one of the world's major industries and sources of employment it would be timely to know more about what potential recruits think about it, in order to provide a basis for attracting the best possible work force. (p. 157)

Similar to Kusluvan and Kusluvan (2000) and Ross (1994), the author of this study has found little evidence of research being conducted in this area. Fazio (1986) also states that many authors have argued that perceptions and attitudes based on direct experience will leave people with a stronger and more realistic view of the industry and will therefore be more predictive of future behavior. This leaves us with the problem of trying to understand how undergraduate tourism and hospitality students' attitudes and perceptions of the industry are affected by their work experience and how this experience affects their intentions of pursuing a career in the industry.

METHODS

To measure the perceptions and attitudes of students who are currently studying tourism or hospitality management at tertiary level in Australia, an online questionnaire derived from two different questionnaires was used (Kusluvan & Kusluvan, 2000; Kyriacou & Coulthard, 2000). This survey has three sections: demographics; career aspirations; and a multidimensional and multi-item attitude scale that was developed and used by Kusluvan and Kusluvan (2000). The construction of the scale used by Kusluvan and Kusluvan (2000) was largely influenced by procedures suggested by Churchill (1979), Tull and Hawkins (1987), and Echtner and Ritchie (1993). Kusluvan and Kusluvan (2000) ran a number of statistical tests to ensure reliability and validity of the scale used. Cronbach's alpha was used to test the reliability of the scale, while an item analysis was carried out on each of the items to assess the convergent and discriminant validity of the scale. This scale has also been successfully tested and used by Aksu and Koksal (2005) in a study of tourism students' attitudes and perceptions.

For this study it was decided that an online survey would be the best method in which to conduct this research. Bradley (1999) states that, in terms of the Internet, the sampling frame could be envisaged in two ways. The first is internal, whereby respondents are found on the Internet itself either as visitors to Web sites or among listings of e-mail addresses. The second is external whereby respondents are invited to the Internet via panels or paper directories (mail-outs), with the Internet being used as a vehicle to collect the required data. The research conducted for this study employed the internal method whereby potential respondents were contacted via e-mail and asked to visit a Web site to undertake the survey. Bradley (1999) points out that using e-mail lists to contact potential respondents may be hazardous as many users change their Internet Service Provider (ISP) and e-mail address on a semi-regular basis. This turnover of addresses can have consequences for response rates. In addition to changing ISP's, potential respondents may have multiple e-mail addresses, some of which may no longer be used (but not closed) or checked sporadically (Bradley, 1999). Although these concerns do exist, it is argued that, for populations that use the Internet as a part of their daily routine, this form of research has been shown to be a viable source of achieving meaningful results (Schaefer & Dillman, 1998; Sills & Song, 2002).

As this research is aimed at investigating the attitudes and perceptions of undergraduate tourism and hospitality students, a sample was selected from students studying at Griffith University on the Gold Coast. Using this institution to contact respondents helped remove the danger of low response rates due to change of ISP's or change of e-mail address. This was due to the fact that all currently enrolled students were expected to check their student e-mail accounts on a regular basis. To ensure the anonymity of these respondents and to remove any significant legal and privacy issues, the university was asked to send the e-mail requesting respondents take part in this research, and at no time were contact details given to the researcher undertaking the study.

Purposive sampling, a form of nonprobability sampling, was chosen as the preferred method of finding respondents to the online survey for this research question. The Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (n.d.) states that this form of sampling is used when the frequency of the behavior or characteristic of interest is so low in the population that a more targeted strategy is needed to find sufficient numbers of participants for the research. The power of this type of sampling lies in selecting information-rich cases for in-depth analysis related to the central issues being studied. The type of purposive sampling used in this study is homogeneous sampling, as this survey was interested in exploring the attitudes and perceptions of one particular group that has similar characteristics to describe that particular group in depth (i.e., undergraduate tourism and hospitality students; Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia, n.d.).

When the goal of a study is to generalize from a sample to the wider group from which the sample is drawn, some form of probability sampling is essential for the robustness of such generalizations (Tansey, 2006). While this is the case, Kerlinger (1986) explains that purposive sampling is a type of sampling that is characterized by the use of judgment and a deliberate effort to obtain representative samples by including typical areas or groups in the sample. In other words, the researcher attempts to do what proportional clustering with randomization accomplishes by using human judgment and logic, allowing this study to generalize from the sample to the wider population of interest.

There were 240 e-mails sent to students asking them to complete the survey. A total of 94 surveys were returned and 86 of these were found to be complete and useable, giving a response rate of 35.8%. The data were collected by the online survey program and downloaded in a Microsoft Excel file. This data were then imported into Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 15.0, where descriptive analyses and a two-sample t tests were undertaken. Hair, Anderson, Tatham, and Black (1995) describe a two-sample t test as a test to assess the statistical significance of the difference between two sample means for a single dependant variable. In this study it was used to test whether there were a statistical difference between the dependent variable—in this case students' attitudes to the different dimensions being tested—and the independent groups, that is, those who have work experience and those who do n'ot. The null hypothesis (H0) in this study is that respondents' perceptions are identical between those who have work experience and those that do not', while the alternate hypothesis (H1) is that there is a difference between the groups. An alpha level of .05 was used for these tests, where a significance level (p) < 0.05 shows that there is a significant difference at 95% confidence level and a significance level (p) > 0.05 suggests there is no significant difference between groups.

RESEARCH FINDINGS

The primary objective of this article is to illustrate the attitudes and perceptions of undergraduate tourism and hospitality students toward careers in the industry. The following description is an overview of the attitudes of the students who took part in this research toward a career in the industry.

Characteristics of the Survey Sample

Demographics

This study surveyed 86 tourism and hospitality undergraduate students at Griffith University on the Gold Coast, Australia. As can be seen in Table 1, respondents tended to be female (53.5%), enrolled full-time (94.2%), domestic students (60.5%), and in their first year of study (60.5%), that is, had completed 80 or less credit points (8 or less courses) of 240 credit points (24 courses) for a 3-year bachelor's degree. Seventy-seven percent of the respondents were tourism or hotel management majors, with the remaining 23% of respondents majoring in event management, hospitality management, or travel management. Respondents indicated that their primary motivators for choosing these majors were the growth in the industry or personal interest in travel.

TABLE 1. Characteristics of the Survey Sample

	Percent (%) ^a
Gender
Male	46.5
Female	53.5
Credit Points
0–80	60.5
90–160	27.9
170–240	11.6
Current Enrollment
Full-time	94.2
Part-time	5.8
Student Type
Domestic	60.5
International	39.5
Was tourism management your first choice?
Yes	76.7
No	23.3
Have you ever worked in T&H?
Yes	73.3
No	26.7
Note: N = 63. Only those respondents with work experience are included.
^aAdjusted (Valid) percentages excluding missing observations.

Work Experience

Table 2 shows that the majority of respondents (73.3%) claimed to have some experience working in the industry, with 58.7% of these currently working in the industry at the time of the study. The majority of respondents (65.8%) currently working were employed as casuals, with most (73.6%) working between 11 and 30 hours per week. The majority of respondents (74%) were working in food and beverage in hotels, restaurants, or bars, and most (88.7%) were working in frontline (customer service) positions. Many (45.2%) of those with work experience claimed that this experience had left them with a negative attitude toward a career in the industry. When asked the likelihood that they would pursue a career in the industry after graduation only 17.7% of respondents claimed that they would definitely pursue a career in the industry. A larger number claimed they would definitely not pursue a career in the industry (21.0%), with a further 22.6% stating they were unlikely to pursue a career. Of the 43.6% of respondents who had work experience and claimed they would not or were unlikely to pursue a career in the industry, 96.3% cited working in the industry as the main reason for this decision. This figure would suggest that working in the industry is turning potential employees away.

TABLE 2. Work Experience

	Percent (%)a
Do you currently work in T&H?
Yes	58.7
No	41.3
How long have you worked in T&H?
< 6 months	21.0
6–12 months	21.0
12 months–2 years	16.1
2–5 years	41.9
Hours worked on average per week?
6–10	7.9
11–15	15.8
16–20	28.9
21–30	28.9
>30	18.5
Department Worked Within
Hotel: Front Office	10.0
Hotel: Food & Beverage	22.0
Hotel: Housekeeping	4.0
Restaurant: Kitchen	6.0
Restaurant: Front of house	34.0
Bar	12.0
Theme Park	2.0
Other	10.0
Type of Position
Frontline	88.7
Supervisor	8.1
Low-level manager	3.2
How has working in the industry influenced your choice of pursuing a career in T&H?
Positively	37.1
Negatively	45.2
Neither	12.9
Uncertain	4.8
Are you likely to work in the T&H industry after graduation?
Definitely	17.7
More than likely	21.0
Unsure	17.7
Unlikely	22.6
Definitely not	21.0
Has your experience working in the industry been the main factor in your decision not pursue a career in T&H?
Yes	96.3
No	3.7
Note: N = 63. Only those respondents with work experience are included.
^aAdjusted (Valid) percentages excluding missing observations.

Expectations of Future Careers

Respondents were asked a number of questions to ascertain what they expected of their first position after graduation. The majority of respondents believed they could secure positions such as supervisor (16.5%), trainee manager (27.1%), department manager (15.3%), and assistant manager (17.6%). While these are the positions respondents expected to be offered upon graduation, many believed they would in fact be qualified to assume an assistant manager position, with only 6% believing they would not be qualified to assume this role.

As Table 3 shows, most respondents believed they would earn between $30,001–$40,000 (36.9%) and $40,001–$50,000 (33.3%), with 41.7% of respondents believing they would secure a position paying them their desired salary in their first position after graduation. The majority of respondents believe that they will work between 31–40 hours per week (51.2%) and 41–50 hours per week (34.5%). Students were also asked what they thought was more important in becoming an effective manager in tourism and hospitality, work experience or academic qualifications. The majority believed that both were important although work experience was more important (42.7%) or that both were equally important (36.6%). It is interesting to note that only two respondents believed that academic qualifications were the most important factor.

TABLE 3. Expectations of Future Careers

	Percent (%)a
What position do you expect to be offered upon graduation?
Frontline	10.6
Supervisor	16.5
Trainee Manager	27.1
Department Manager	15.2
Assistant Manager	17.6
General Manager	5.9
Other	7.1
How qualified do you believe you will be to assume an assistant manager position?
Not qualified	6.0
Somewhat qualified	25.0
Fairly well qualified	40.4
Well qualified	26.2
Very well qualified	2.4
What salary do you expect to be paid upon graduation?
< $30,000	15.5
$30,001–40,000	36.9
$40,001–50,000	33.3
> $50,000	14.3
Do you believe you will secure this pay rate in the T&H industry?
Yes	41.7
No	22.6
Unsure	35.7
How many hours per week do you expect to work upon graduation?
< 30	2.4
31–40	52.4
41–50	34.5
> 50	10.7
Note: N = 86.
^aAdjusted (Valid) percentages excluding missing observations.

Perceptions and Attitudes of Undergraduate Tourism and Hospitality Students Toward a Career in the Industry

The Nature of Work

Most respondents state that working in the industry is interesting (88.4%) and believe that there are always new things to learn each day (77.9%). Table 4 shows that while this is the case, the majority of respondents find working in the industry stressful (60.5%). They also believe the working hours are too long (52.3%), the hours are unsuitable to lead a normal life (49.4%), and that family life is negatively affected by the unusual hours worked (44.7%). Many respondents (37.2%) also feel that finding stable employment in the industry is difficult due to the influence seasonality has on employment.

TABLE 4. Nature of Work

	1∗ (%)	2 (%)	3 (%)	4 (%)	5∗ (%)	Mean	SD
Jobs in the industry are interesting.	33.7	54.7	8.1	2.3	1.2	1.83	.770
Jobs in the industry are low skilled.	8.1	18.6	18.6	40.7	14.0	3.34	1.174
Jobs in the industry are stressful.	11.6	48.8	24.4	14.0	1.2	2.44	.915
Working hours are too long.	17.4	34.9	29.1	15.1	3.5	2.52	1.060
Family life is negatively affected.	16.5	28.2	42.3	10.6	2.4	2.54	.970
Always new things to learn each day.	19.8	58.1	15.1	5.8	1.2	2.10	.826
Working hours are unsuitable.	21.2	28.2	31.8	17.6	1.2	2.49	1.054
Seasonality makes it difficult to secure stable employment.	10.5	26.7	38.3	19.8	4.7	2.81	1.023
1∗ = Strongly Agree–5∗ = Strongly Disagree.
Adjusted (Valid) percentages excluding missing observations.

Social Status and Industry-Person Congeniality

Many respondents (72.9%) believe that their personality and character fits well with the types of jobs available in the industry and almost all (89.5%) believe that they will get an opportunity to use their skills and abilities working in the industry. Many respondents (74.4%) also claim that they get pleasure out of seeing satisfied customers. As can be seen in Table 5, one interesting finding in the industry-person congeniality dimension is that 74.4% of respondents find pleasure working in the industry with only 7% claiming not to find pleasure. This seems to contradict the fact that 33.7% of respondents, both with and without working experience, claim they will not work in the industry after graduation. This suggests that while students enjoy working in the industry there are other factors related to this work that is leaving them with a negative perception of a career in the industry.

TABLE 5. Social Status and Industry-Person Congeniality

	1∗ (%)	2 (%)	3 (%)	4 (%)	5∗ (%)	Mean	SD
My family is proud of my job in T&H.	19.8	40.7	32.5	7.0	0	2.27	.860
T&H is a respected vocation.	9.3	32.6	32.5	25.6	0	2.74	.948
T&H graduates will become waiters.	12.8	24.4	18.6	31.4	12.8	3.07	1.263
T&H is a beneficial and important job.	17.4	45.3	23.3	14.0	0	2.34	.928
Workers in T&H are not valued in society.	10.5	17.4	25.6	37.2	9.3	3.17	1.150
I have pride in my career in T&H.	18.6	44.2	24.4	11.6	1.2	2.33	.951
My character fits with the industry.	32.9	40.0	14.2	9.4	3.5	2.11	1.080
I can use my skills and abilities in T&H.	39.5	50.0	10.5	0	0	1.71	.648
I feel like a slave working in T&H.	7.0	24.4	23.3	33.7	11.6	3.19	1.143
I get pleasure working in T&H.	20.9	53.5	18.6	7.0	0	2.12	.818
I like to see satisfied customers.	51.2	25.6	15.0	7.0	1.2	1.81	1.012
1∗ = Strongly Agree; 5∗ = Strongly Disagree.
Adjusted (Valid) percentages excluding missing observations.

Physical Working Conditions, Pay, and Benefits

Working conditions in the industry are seen as generally good, with 62.8% of respondents agreeing with this statement. Many authors (Baum, 2006; Brien, 2004; Deery & Shaw, 1999; Freeland, 2000; Service Skills Victoria, 2005; Australian Government, Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources, 2002) claim that the industry is renowned for paying low levels of wages, when compared to other industries. When analyzing the data relating to pay, it could be argued that the majority of respondents believe that pay is a major issue in deciding whether to continue or pursue a career in the industry. Over half of the respondents (52.4%) claim that pay for most jobs in the industry is low and that the level of fringe benefits offered by employers is also low (50.0%). Considering the unusual hours worked, respondents believe pay levels should be increased (68.6%), while a similar number (67.4%) believe that the level of penalty rates, a higher rate of pay that compensates for work done outside usual hours, such as late at night or on public holidays, should be increased. Table 6 shows that the perception of the level of pay and benefits offered by tourism and hospitality employers is a concern for students.

TABLE 6. Physical Working Conditions and Pay/Benefits

	1∗ (%)	2 (%)	3 (%)	4 (%)	5∗ (%)	Mean	SD
Working conditions are generally good.	5.8	57.0	25.5	10.5	1.2	2.44	.806
The working environment is not very clean.	2.3	19.8	27.9	71.9	8.1	3.34	.965
There is a high risk of work accidents.	5.8	37.2	33.7	22.1	1.2	2.76	.907
Employee dining halls are in good condition.	3.5	34.9	51.1	9.3	1.2	2.70	.737
The working environment is very noisy.	11.6	30.2	32.6	23.3	2.3	2.74	1.020
Pay for most jobs in T&H is low.	14.0	38.4	29.0	18.6	0	2.52	.955
Considering long hours worked pay should be higher.	20.9	47.7	24.4	7.0	0	2.17	.843
The level of fringe benefits is low.	14.0	36.0	37.2	12.8	0	2.49	.891
More penalty rates should be paid.	26.7	40.8	26.7	5.8	0	2.12	.873
Duty meals is an important in the salary package.	32.0	45.3	18.7	4.0	0	1.95	.820
1∗ = Strongly Agree; 5∗ = Strongly Disagree.
Adjusted (Valid) percentages excluding missing observations.

Promotion Opportunities

When assessing students' views of promotions in the industry, many respondents claimed to be unsure as to the handling of promotions within the industry. Of those respondents who had an opinion on promotions, many seem to have negative views on the issue. As Table 7 illustrates many students do not believe promotions are handled in a fair and equitable manner. More than half (53.5%) the respondents believe promotions are not handled fairly, 45.4% believe the opportunity to get promoted to a management position is limited and 40% claim there is a lack of clear career paths offered by the industry. These findings indicate that there is a certain level of negativity amongst students with regard to their promotion opportunities and the paths they need to take to build a career in the industry. It is clear from these findings that the industry needs to handle the issue of promotions and career paths in a more transparent and equitable way.

TABLE 7. Promotion Opportunities

	1∗ (%)	2 (%)	3 (%)	4 (%)	5∗ (%)	Mean	SD
Promotion is based on merit.	5.8	34.9	26.8	17.4	15.1	3.01	1.173
Promotion opportunities are satisfactory.	5.8	36.0	26.7	20.9	10.5	2.94	1.110
Promotions are not handled fairly.	11.6	41.9	37.2	9.3	0	2.44	.820
The opportunity to get promoted to a management position is limited.	10.5	34.9	44.1	10.5	0	2.55	.821
Number of years worked are considered.	7.1	54.1	31.7	5.9	1.2	2.40	.759
Academic qualifications are considered.	5.8	50.0	30.3	11.6	2.3	2.55	.863
Many promotions are who you know not what you know.	8.1	38.4	37.2	16.3	0	2.62	.856
Promotions are unsystematic.	1.2	36.0	47.6	14.0	1.2	2.78	.742
Lack of clear career paths.	12.0	28.0	44.0	13.3	2.7	2.67	.949
1∗ = Strongly Agree; 5∗ = Strongly Disagree.
Adjusted (Valid) percentages excluding missing observations.

Coworkers and Managers

Respondents' evaluation of coworkers and managers is provided in Table 8. While students seem to be happy with their coworkers, the same can not be said of their relationship with their managers. Respondents tended to agree that the relationship between management and staff was poor and that managers do not put great effort in ensuring their staff is satisfied. The percentage of respondent ratings that reflected negatively on the relationship between staff and managers is an area where industry and educators could work together to improve working conditions.

TABLE 8. Coworkers and Managers

	1∗ (%)	2 (%)	3 (%)	4 (%)	5∗ (%)	Mean	SD
There is no team spirit.	1.2	4.6	25.5	54.7	14.0	3.76	.796
There is cooperation amongst staff.	18.6	57.0	23.2	1.2	0	2.07	.682
Employees are generally uneducated.	1.2	24.7	28.2	34.1	11.8	3.31	1.012
I can make friends easily with others.	15.3	64.7	17.6	2.4	0	3.45	1.124
Most staff are motivated.	7.0	29.1	35.9	23.3	4.7	2.90	.994
Employees without degrees are jealous of graduates.	5.8	16.3	34.8	38.4	4.7	3.20	.968
People with an educational background work in T&H.	7.0	25.6	46.5	19.6	2.3	2.84	.893
Managers delegate authority.	7.0	16.3	26.7	29.1	20.9	3.41	1.192
Most managers have no educational background in T&H.	23.3	30.2	25.6	18.6	2.3	2.47	1.114
Managers do not reward employees.	18.6	39.5	20.9	20.9	0	2.44	1.024
Managers behave respectfully toward employees.	5.8	14.0	27.9	33.7	18.6	3.45	1.124
Managers are jealous of graduates.	27.1	35.3	21.2	12.9	3.5	2.31	1.113
Managers allow staff to make decisions.	5.8	12.8	19.8	26.7	34.9	3.72	1.233
The relationship between managers and staff is poor.	22.1	38.4	24.4	11.6	3.5	2.36	1.062
Managers provide vocational training.	8.1	32.6	45.3	12.8	1.2	2.66	.849
Managers behave fairly.	9.5	10.7	26.2	26.2	27.4	3.51	1.266
Managers do not put great effort into ensuring staff are satisfied.	23.5	31.8	25.9	18.8	0	2.40	1.049
1∗ = Strongly Agree; 5∗ = Strongly Disagree.
Adjusted (Valid) percentages excluding missing observations.

Commitment to the Industry

The dimension dealing with respondents' commitment to the industry is particularly interesting, as it explores the likelihood of students pursuing a career in the industry. From the results gathered in this study, it is difficult to argue that the majority of students are committed to a career in the industry. As can be observed in Table 9, 33.7 % of all respondents, both those with and without working experience, claim they will not work in the industry after graduation, while others claim they are considering working in other industries.

TABLE 9. Commitment to the Industry

	1∗ (%)	2 (%)	3 (%)	4 (%)	5∗ (%)	Mean	SD
Disadvantages of working in T&H outweigh advantages.	9.3	38.4	20.9	30.2	1.2	2.76	1.028
I am happy to have chosen T&H as a career.	10.5	24.4	19.8	26.7	19.6	3.19	1.288
I would not want my child studying or working in T&H.	7.0	37.2	39.6	15.1	8.1	2.87	1.027
I would like to work in T&H after graduation.	17.4	25.6	12.8	30.2	14.0	2.98	1.355
I would do any job in T&H after graduation.	8.2	20.0	34.2	24.7	12.9	3.14	1.202
It is definite I will not work in T&H after graduation.	8.1	25.6	29.1	20.9	16.3	3.12	1.202
I will work in T&H only if I become a manager.	2.3	17.4	26.8	40.7	12.8	3.44	1.001
It was a big mistake to choose T&H as a career path.	15.1	30.2	11.6	23.3	19.8	3.02	1.397
I would recommend T&H jobs to friends and relatives.	11.8	32.9	22.3	16.5	16.5	2.93	1.280
I would only work in highly paid jobs.	5.8	33.7	27.9	29.1	3.5	2.91	1.002
I do not plan to work in any other industry.	3.5	15.1	29.1	37.2	15.1	3.45	1.036
I see my career in T&H.	8.1	17.4	20.9	37.2	16.3	3.36	1.187
1∗ = Strongly Agree; 5∗ = Strongly Disagree.
Adjusted (Valid) percentages excluding missing observations.

Summary of Two-Sample t Test Results

In total, nine of the sixty-seven items were found to be significantly different, therefore we would reject the null hypothesis and accept the alternate hypothesis for these nine items. For the remaining 58 items we would accept the null hypothesis. As can be seen in Table 10, there were six items found to be statistically different, where the respondents with work experience where more likely to agree with the statement. These six items, all of which had p values less than 0.05, are (1) from the Nature of Work dimension, “Working hours are not suitable for a regular life,” t(83) = −3.724, p = .000; (2) from the Social Status dimension, “It is a widespread belief that those that study T&H will be waiters,” t(84) = −2.557, p = .014; (3) from the Industry-person Congeniality dimension, “I can use my abilities and skills in T&H jobs,” t(84) = −2.183, p = .032; (4) from the Promotion Opportunities dimension, “Promotions are not handled fairly in the T&H industry,” t(84) = −2.069, p = .042; (5) from the Co-workers dimension, “I can make friends easily with people working in the T&H industry,” t(83) = −2.971, p = .006; and (6) from the Commitment to the Industry dimension, “I will definitely not work in the T&H industry after graduation,” t(84) = −2.928, p = .005.

TABLE 10. Two-Sample t test Resultsa

Item	Work Exp.	Mean	Std. Deviation	t	Sig.
Nature of Work
Working hours are not suitable for a regular life in the T&H industry	Yes ^b	2.29	1.092	−3.724	.000
	No ^c	3.04	.706
Social Status
It is a widespread belief that those who study T&H will be waiters	Yes ^b	2.89	1.309	−2.557	.014
	No ^c	3.57	.992
Industry-Person Congeniality
I can use my abilities and skills in T&H jobs	Yes ^b	1.62	.633	−2.183	.032
	No ^c	1.96	.638
Promotion Opportunities
Promotions are not handled fairly in the T&H industry	Yes ^b	2.33	.803	−2.069	.042
	No ^c	2.74	.810
Co-Workers
There is no team sprit amongst co-workers in the T&H industry	Yes ^b	3.86	.820	1.987	.049
	No ^c	3.48	.665
I can make friends easily with people working in the T&H industry	Yes ^b	1.94	.569	−2.971	.006
	No ^c	2.43	.728
Commitment to the Industry
I would like to work in the tourism industry after graduation	Yes ^b	3.19	1.424	3.006	.004
	No ^c	2.39	.941
It is definite that I will not work in the tourism industry after graduation	Yes ^b	2.94	1.281	−2.928	.005
	No ^c	3.61	.783
I see my vocational (professional) career in the T&H industry	Yes ^b	3.52	1.229	2.156	.034
	No ^c	2.91	.949
^aShowing those items found to be significantly different.
^bTotal sample size = 63.
^cTotal sample size = 23.

For the remaining three items, found to be statistically different with p values less than 0.05, respondents with no work experience were more likely to agree with the statement. The first of these was from the Co-workers dimension, “There is no team sprit amongst co-workers in the T&H industry,” t(84) = 1.987, p = .049. The next two items were from the Commitment to the Industry dimension. The first of these is, “I would like to work in the T&H industry after graduation,” t(84) = 3.006, p = .004; the final item was, “I see my vocational (professional) career in the T&H industry,” t(84) = 2.156, p = .034.

The results of these tests show that, for the majority of items, there is no significant difference between those with and those without work experience in the tourism and hospitality industry. This could suggest that educators are doing a good job in providing students who have no work experience a clear idea of the working conditions within the industry. It is interesting to note, however, that in the key items relating to respondents' commitment to a future career in the industry, there are differences on a number of items, which could be of concern to both educators and industry. These items show a significant difference between respondents, with respondents with work experience being less likely to want to work in the industry after graduation. They are less likely to see their future careers in the tourism and hospitality industry, and it is more likely that they will definitely not work in the industry after graduation.

LIMITATIONS

The results of this study are useful; however, some limitations of this study should be acknowledged. A weakness is the small sample size, which means that it is difficult to generalize from the data analyzed. Additionally, only students from Griffith University were interviewed. Further research is currently being undertaken and is discussed in more detail later in this article.

CONCLUSIONS, IMPLICATIONS, AND FUTURE RESEARCH

A number of interesting results have been noted in this study. The main findings concur with those of Barron and Maxwell (1993), Getz (1994), Kusluvan and Kusluvan (2000), and Pavesic and Brymer (1990) who all found that having direct experience working in the tourism and hospitality industry may cause students to acquire negative views toward pursuing a career in the industry. Possibly the most alarming finding is that, overall, more than one-third (33.7%) of respondents claim that they will not work in the tourism and hospitality industry after graduation. Even more concerning is the fact that a staggering 46% of respondents who stated they had work experience claimed they would not pursue a career in the industry, with almost all (96.3%) citing the experience of working in the industry as the main reason for this decision. In contrast, none of the respondents who indicated they did not have any work experience in the industry stated they would not work in the industry after graduation. This clearly shows that working in the industry does have a major negative impact on respondents' intentions to pursue careers in the industry.

Over the next decade, the growth of positions in the tourism and hospitality industry in Australia and around the world has been widely reported. If we take the standpoint that students should be encouraged to stay within their trained industry, these findings, albeit from a small sample, suggest that industry and educators must work together to solve employment shortfalls by recruiting and retaining qualified graduates. This highlights the need for the industry to adopt tactics and strategies aimed at ensuring that potential employees, that is, tourism and hospitality students, are not leaving the industry or even failing to enter the industry upon graduation. It is clear that there are a number of areas—particularly pay, promotion opportunities, and the relationship between respondents and their managers—that the industry must work on to ensure students are receiving positive experiences while they work during their degree. Unless the industry can offer higher wages and improve career paths for its graduating students, the industry will continue to lose these highly skilled and trained employees. It is not being argued that resolving the issues related to salary levels, relationships with managers, and career paths are the universal remedies to solve this problem. Working hours and job security are also seen as vital elements in ensuring student and graduate satisfaction with the industry. Davidson and Timo (2006) point out that the dilemma facing the industry is that skilled employees are keen to advance. Traditionally the tourism and hospitality industry has had limited internal career opportunities, which imposes a ceiling on career growth and is one of the major factors affecting staff exit behavior. A further area that needs development is continuing education for managers on how to manage and lead a changing workforce.

It is argued that the changing face of higher education has placed considerable pressure on universities to adopt a more vocational approach to their curricula (Hyland, 2001). With many tourism and hospitality degrees now requiring students to undertake either structured or unstructured work experience as a part of their degree program it is vital that these work placements are productive. The educational institutions and industry must collaborate more effectively to ensure that the experience students are receiving, whether undertaking work placements or simply working as casuals or part-time workers, is of a high quality. This will help to ensure students obtain positive perceptions of a career in the industry and attract more students to seek a career upon graduation.

Further research in the same area is presently in progress, with a follow-up stage of this study surveying students from eight additional Australian universities. Research is also currently being undertaken to add a more in-depth qualitative assessment of how working in the industry affects students' intentions of working in the industry. It is hoped that this follow-up research will provide employers with reasons why students are not entering the tourism and hospitality workforce upon graduation. This will allow employers to design working conditions aimed at ensuring that students who work in the industry while studying have positive work experiences. This will entice a greater number of graduates to pursue a career in the industry, in turn helping to reduce the skills shortage facing the industry.

This research is supported by funding from the Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre, established by the Australian Commonwealth Government.