Title: Career perceptions of undergraduate students in hospitality industry: an empirical study

Authors: Girish K. Nair; Nidhi Choudhary; Swati Prasad

Addresses: Department of International Hospitality Management, Stenden University, Qatar ' Faculty of Management Studies, WISDOM, Banasthali University, Rajasthan, India ' Department of International Hospitality Management, Stenden University, Qatar

Abstract: This research focuses on the factors influencing student desire to pursue a career in the hospitality industry, with particular reference to hotels. Based on the literature review, seven dimensions have been chosen which have been theoretically linked to the choice of career by students. The dimensions are nature of work, social status, industry-person congeniality, working conditions, pay scale and benefits, promotion opportunities and commitment to the industry. As there is no evidence to empirically prove their relationships, an empirical investigation has been conducted. Second-generation statistical analysis software Structural Equation Modelling has been adopted to test these hypotheses. Two types of analyses were carried out: descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. The descriptive statistics provided the description of the data in terms of Structural Equation Modelling, etc., and the inferential statistics were used to test hypotheses and draw specific suggestions to guide policy makers as to what measures could be taken to build a positive image of the hospitality industry among the future career seekers. Out of the seven hypotheses posited, five have been accepted, based on which suggestions are made.

Keywords: undergraduates; career perceptions; hospitality industry; student perceptions; hotels; nature of work; social status; industry-person congeniality; working conditions; pay scales; benefits; promotion opportunities; commitment; structural equation modelling; SEM; careers.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMIE.2017.084925

International Journal of Management in Education, 2017 Vol.11 No.3, pp.248 - 265

Received: 21 Dec 2015
Accepted: 17 Jun 2016
Published online: 09 Jul 2017 *

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