Benefits of university - industry collaboration for the hospitality industry

MBA. NGUYEN THI THU HOA (Vice Dean - Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Ho Chi Minh University of Technology)

ABSTRACT:

This research is to identify the benefits of university - industry collaborations for hospitality industry. Furthermore, this research presents some types of university and hospitality industry collaboration which could be applied in fields of hospitality industry and entire this industry. This research was conducted to assist both faculties of universities and personnel of hospitality enterprises to foster their university - industry collaborations in the future. 

Keyword: Types of training collaboration, hospitality industry, university, collaboration, benefits.

1. INTRODUCTION

Nowadays, the hospitality industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the world (Langvinniene & Daunoraviciute 2015). Hospitality industry has great potential for encouraging growth of the economy, enhance in the number of new careers, and improvement of the social environment. According to the estimation of the World Tourism Organization in 2009, the world wide international tourist arrivals would increase to 1.6 billion by 2020 (UNWTO 2009; Mohammed & Rashid 2016), with the best prospects in 2015 being Asia Pacific and the Americas (UNWTO 2015; Mohammed & Rashid 2016).

 In the context of Vietnam, tourism has been a great contributor to the economic value of Gross Domestic of Product (GDP) (WTTC 2019). Vietnam has experienced a boom in both in inbound and domestic tourism over the past decade. The number of international tourism arrivals to Vietnam has nearly quadrupled during this period, from 4.2 million in 2008 to 15.5 million in 2018. Moreover, there has been a marked acceleration in international visitor growth in the last 3 years, from an average of around 9 percent per annum during the period from 2008 to 2015 to an average of 25 percent during the period from 2016 to 2018. Domestic tourism in Vietnam, which is significantly greater in volume than inbound tourism from abroad, has experienced a similar surge a four-fold increase in the number of domestic traveler-trips, from 20.5 million in 2008 to 80 million in 2018, underpinned by Vietnam’s rapidly-growing middle class, who have a strong appetite for travel, and improving affordability of air transport amidst the growth of low-cost domestic air carriers (WB 2019).

A successful firm in the hospitality industry requires skilled and committed employees. However, in the current hospitality industry, the top challenge lies in the attraction and retention of qualified and skilled employees and a great proportion of the graduates fail to enter the industry (Mohammed & Rashid 2016).

 In the universities, teaching serves an important vehicle for achieving institution goals of enhanced effectiveness, efficiency, and the increased of student learning (Hsu 1999; Green & Erdem 2016). Hospitality education is an ever-merging field in universities in terms of both the increase in number of programs and in student enrollment (Bosselman 1999; Green & Erdem 2016). Nemerous studies in hospitality education explore and provide suggestions for impassive teaching via the use of a kind of instructional methods in the classroom and workplace (Harris 1997; Green & Erdem 2016).

According to (Ogeide 2006; Green & Erdem 2016) in the hospitality industry, industry professionals expect students to be prepared for not only skills and competencies at the front line level, but to also have critical thinking skills, emotional intelligence as an outcome of a four year degree, etc. The enhancing importance of the tourism sector calls for countries to make use of an organized method to facilitate talent planning and development with the collaboration of the industry and university to make sure that the industry’s potential in the coming years are fulfilled (WTTC 2015; Mohammed & Rashid 2016).

In order to help lessen the gap between university and hospitality industry by immersing the hospitality's student in real life case that have the underpinnings of experiential learning, instructional technology, metacognition, and communication skills need in the business industry. Up to now, there are many programs, universities across the globe and Vietnam that are now teaching under the umbrella of hospitality and tourism industry (Green & Erdem 2016). These programs focus on preparing students for a career in the industry after graduation. Moreover, it is the combination of theory and practice in the hospitality programs that makes the student a success, and that is why the program mandates internship in the field before graduation. Finally, the target is to produce students that fit the industry, graduates who can apply critical thinking, and emotional intelligence to the career they choose to pursue in the hospitality and tourism industry.

2. UNIVERSITY AND HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY COLLABORATION IN EDUCATION

  • Definitions of key terms

Many ways to understand collaboration from different partnerships such as company leaders, government and university (Deloitte Access Economics, 2018). Collaboration is an activity that is widely spread across the economy. It is not only limited to a workplace, or between universities, but also occurs between universities and industry (Deloitte Access Economics, 2018).

Cooperative education is a strategic program of practical learning designed by an education institution in partnership with an industry organization, which offers relevant work experiences (Wang 2015). To be more precise, the alliance education program provides work integrated learning experiences (Martin et al. 2010; Wang 2015) that would help students to bridge the gap between their academic and professional career. For this study, the collaboration education specifically focuses on the hospitality program, where university and industry partners share resources and cooperative together (Wang 2015).

Collaboration in education: it either covers the training of business employees by academics, either the situation where the firm members influence curriculum of university programs or give lectures at universities (Perkmann & Walsh 2007; Bekkers & Freitas 2008; Mathieu 2011).

Academic courses or program: a student’s academic courses (or entire program) completed while working toward a baccalaureate degree in hospitality management or related field (Schoffstall 2013).

Career expectations: a student’s career identity, appropriate career planning and realistic goals developed via practical knowledge or experience (Lu & Adler 2009; Schoffstall 2013).

Internship: the integration of education and work by providing students with real-world job experience and skill development, the most widely used active learning application in hospitality management education (Solnet, Kralj, Kay & DeVeau 2009; Schoffstall 2013).

Work experience: full-or part time employment within the hospitality industry; may include a student’s internship experience (Kwan 2005; Morrison & O’Gorman 2008; Schoffstall 2013).

  • Types of University - Hospitality Industry collaboration

University - Industry collaboration (UIC) can be formal or informal. Formal UIC includes formal contracts, collaborative research projects, patent licensing, co-development, and co-authorship, where both parties are expected to contribute to knowledge development. Informal UIC includes, among others, human capital mobility, interaction at conferences, and expert groups (Deloitte Access Economics, 2018).

The key issues relate to university and industry collaboration around hospitality and tourism. Firstly, hospitality and tourism are not perceived as knowledge-based industries and thus there are few knowledge-related issues likely to drive hospitality and tourism organizations to seek university collaboration. Secondly, the relative infancy of tourism and, particularly, hospitality research globally compared to more generic social science research (Jafari & Aaser, 1988).

There are many kinds of university - hospitality industry collaboration depending on the objectives, scope and institutional arrangement. Alliance may be more or less intense and may focus on training or research activities. It could be formal such as equity partnerships, contracts, research projects, patent licensing, etc or informal as interaction in conferences and expert groups (Boahin 2018). There various types and their relationships are shown in table 1.

Table 1: Types of University - Industry collaboration in education

types-of-university---industry-collaboration-in-education

 Source: adapted from Perkmann & Walsh (2007); Boahin (2018)

In developing economies, university-industry collaboration tends to be more informal, focuses on firm’s recruitment of university graduates, for staffing, internship and consulting, curricula development to improve undergraduate and graduate studies, student internship and so on (Boahin 2018). According to Pizam, Okumus & Hutchinson (2014), there are some types of collaboration between university and hospitality industry, which are described below in the table 2.

Table 2: Kinds of Hospitality Industry - University cooperation

kinds-of-hospitality-industry---university-cooperation

 Source: Pizam, Okumus & Hutchinson (2014)

Chan and Coleman (2004) identified hotel industry employees’ necessary skills and competencies so that hospitality programs must provide students with rigorous academic courses while also exposing them to numerous practical learning opportunities; such a balanced educational experience will prepare today’s students to be tomorrow’s managers. Often hospitality programs offer unique course offerings and experiences for students.

Dickerson and Kline (2008) conducted a study to determine the benefits a cooperative experience has on hospitality students’ early career retention by comparing three programs that offer a combination of academic credit and include classroom components.

Education and training and for that matter, recruitment of skilled graduates is the most important link between university and industry. In order to enhance stronger university - industry collaboration requires a consultative process with relevant industry players, professional bodies and business managers to make input in the curriculum development so that university programmers better respond to labor market needs (Boahin 2018).

In building a partnership and collaboration, it is important to include already in the negotiating process persons who have decision-making powers and a wide perspective of the field of studies.

3. BENEFITS OF UNIVERSITY - HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY COOPERATION

*Benefits of Hospitality Industry

In order to sustain university- industry collaboration, the two entities must gain mutual benefits from their interactions. Benefits accrue to university in collaboration with industrial partners include the following (Boahin 2018; AiGroup 2018; Ankrah & Al-Tabbaa 2015):

  • The company can coach the student’s professional expertise to serve the company’s own needs.
  • The licensing of companies that can serve as an apprenticeship certification of companies, job counselors.
  • Building workforce capability and provides career development opportunities for students. Hiring of talent graduates.
  • Such partnerships create a positive image of the business in the university and community.
  • Enhance reputation by becoming more social responsible business.

*Benefits of University

There is evidence to show that university as a whole have much to gain from collaboration with hospitality industry (Acer 2011a&b; PhillipsKPA, 2010a; BSC Roundtable, 2010; IEBE, 2011; Mann et al, 2010; Ankrah & Al-Tabbaa 2015):

  • Improved curriculum design with greater alignment between practical and theoretical work. Links with employers can bring the curriculum to life, ‘showing how knowledge is used in the wider world”. Exposure of students and faculty to practical problems/new ideas and/or to state-of-the-art technology, with positive effects on the curriculum.
  • Training and employment opportunities for students.
  • Service to the community and enhancement of university’s reputation.
  • University report that the programs developed with hospitality industry and community partners have increased the profile and reputation of the university within the community.
  • The firms help teachers keep their subject knowledge up to date.
  • To create a positive image of the business in the school and community.

* Benefits of student

Students benefit from university and hospitality industry relationships are presented below:

  • Practical/vocational skills are highly developed and better integration of theory and practice in subjects.
  • Development of attitude, knowledge and understanding of particular subjects.
  • Students’ control in arranging the workplace and gaining working-life skills.
  • The collaboration allows rapid employment and graduate placement directly in the company.

4. DISCUSSION

This paper summarized the kind of collaboration between university and hospitality industry. Furthermore, the benefit of collaboration is identified by all participants such as university, hospitality industry and students who not only have an enhanced educational background, but their learning skills and personalities are better developed, which are highly anticipated by the industry partners. This research found that hospitality industry partners would like to continue the partnership with the universities because they receive benefits of new energetic employees, to “think out of box” from students, less working experience and more structured knowledge base sometimes inspire them in a different path, which generates new insights and fresh ideas for the hospitality industry (Wang 2015). Students are new to the hospitality industry and they have the ability to provide new views and opinions, for instance their fresh perspectives, endless passion, strong ambition fit the industry culture and so on. Last but not least, universities are able to get access to the newest trend of the hospitality industry and keep their course material updated with the current trend, etc.

 

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