Perceptions of corporate recruiters, alumni and educators toward critical factors of hotel/restaurant management programs: A comparative study

This study compares the perceptions of recruiters, alumni and faculty of the School of Hotel and Restaurant Management at Northern Arizona University towards hospitality programs and career factors: specifically, (a) the study investigates whether curricula designed by educators meet the needs of the industry and of graduates; (b) it identifies the qualities recruiters, alumni and educators consider as predictors of career success; (c) it determines the perceptions of recruiters, alumni and educators about the quality components of hospitality faculty; (d) and it identifies the elements of hospitality program quality in the view of recruiters, alumni and educators.;The population consisted of industry recruiters and school graduates and faculty. The sample groups of recruiters, N = 55, alumni, N = 55, and faculty, N = 16, answered survey questionnaires consisting of Semantic Differential Scales. The data were analyzed using Analysis of Variance, and, when appropriate, a posteriori Scheffe tests; both at the.05 probability alpha level.;The results showed the preferences of the three groups towards the four areas of concern of this research. The tests provided evidence of the courses that recruiters, alumni and faculty consider of critical importance and of the courses viewed as not so important. The tests also showed significant differences among the three groups in some of the career and program factors analyzed.;Recommendations were formulated about: (1) subject emphasis in professional and general education courses; (2) on providing industry internship experiences to hospitality students prior to graduation; (3) on the proportion of professional, general and business education backgrounds for hotel and restaurant management graduates; (4) on the components of the quality of faculty; and (5) on the factors of quality hospitality programs.