UNDERSTANDING THE INITIAL CAREER DECISIONS OF HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT GRADUATES IN SRI LANKA

UNDERSTANDING THE INITIAL CAREER DECISIONS OF HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT GRADUATES IN SRI LANKA Karunarathne, A.C.I.D. Faculty of Management, Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, Badulla, Sri Lanka chandikarunarathne@yahoo.com/ chandi@uwu.ac.lk ABSTRACT Hospitality and tourism encounters a thriving protagonist in the Sri Lankan economy for last few years and human resource development has been identified as a foremost prerequisite in the momentous expansion of the sector. There is currently a severe dearth of employees in the hotel sector in relation to catering the authorities targets. Tertiary academic stakeholders are currently crossing the threshold to fulfil the essentials fabricating graduates in Hospitality and Tourism Management. Yet, very less number of bachelor holders are working in the hotel industry as a paradigm. Initial career decision is a deciding factor in order to recruit and retain desirable and devoted employee in today s competitive labor market. The study investigates the initial career decisions of hospitality management graduates of Sri Lanka. Sample was undertaken with most recent graduating cluster who are ready to start their career after the four years special bachelor degree in the field of Hospitality Management from the national universities of Sri Lanka. Graduates career prospects were identified by means of variouse dimensions utilizing a structured questionnaire and graduates were asked to rate each. Many hospitality management graduates have inadequate knowledge and unrealistic perceptions of the working conditions in the industry upon the commencement. By discovering interests and prospects of the recruitment pool, employers will be able to gain competitive advantages and develop successful human resource strategies knowing what graduates looking for. Meantime, Territory academic stakeholders would cultivate sustaining protocols to produce graduates who are physically and mentally fit with the industry careers. Key words: hospitality industry, hotel, graduates, career decision

1. INTRODUCTION The rise in visitor numbers in Sri Lanka would appear to indicate that more employees will be needed in the hospitality and tourism industry. As per the Tourism Development Strategy 2011-1016, it is expected to increase tourist arrivals to 2.5 Mn by 2016 and increase the tourism related employment from 125,000 in 2010 to 500,000 by 2016. It seems logical to assume that there will be a need for qualified employees. The growth of hospitality and tourism in higher education has been well documented and demonstrated by number of scholars (O Leary, and Deegan, 2005). The hospitality industry thus appears to value employees with experience in the field more than those with a bachelor of hospitality. Consequently, graduates who have studied for these qualifications are often at a disadvantage when competing for employment with peers who have more experience in the field, but hold few, if any, form of tertiary qualifications (e.g. certificate or diploma or bachelor) (Connor & Pollard, 1996; Harkison, 2004; Jameson & Holden, 2000; Li & Kivela, 1989; Mason, 1995; Petrova & Mason, 2004: cited by Kim, 2008). This appears to contrast with the expectation of most people that a degree will always give a graduate an advantage in his or her chosen field of area (Kim, 2008). Conversely, there are disputes that selecting and retaining the right employee is one of the greatest challenges faced by most hospitality and tourism organizations. The reputation for high staff turnover and wastage of trained and experienced personnel within the tourism/hospitality industry is widely acknowledged (O Leary and Deegan, 2005). In order to recruit and retain desirable personnel in today s competitive labor market, it is important for employers to understand needs and demands of the workforce (Lu & Adler, 2009). Career goals and expectations of undergraduates comprehend the career perceptions with a clear picture of the preferences and demands that future employees will hold (Lu & Adler, 2009). Through discovering interests, abilities, career values, and needs of the recruitment pool, employers will be able to gain competitive advantages and develop successful human resource strategies (Baum, 2007) and the issue has been highlighted by substantial researches (Evans, 1993; King et al., 2003; Kelley Patterson & George, 2001; Mc Kercher et al., 1995; O Leary & Deegan, 2005: cited by Lu & Adler, 2009). Hence, this study focuses on understanding the initial career decisions of hospitality management graduates. The results would be expedient in order to initiate prospective strategies to generate a more desirable and quality workforce in the sector. 2. HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT GRADUATES CAREER DECISIONS There has been an increasing interest in examining career decision-making among university students and graduates. It is anticipated that these findings may lead to the development of strategies that allow young people to make rational career decisions and good career choices (Ghuangpeng, 2011;

Hodkinson 1998). These studies also, appear to suggest that students make career decisions based on job opportunities, workforce demand, their own economic background, family or family support and the desire to pursue higher education, rather than as a result of their specific career interests (Ghuangpeng, 2011). Career intentions in hospitality were significantly associated with students gender, work experience, transfer status, and outcome expectations in the industry. Rewards most frequently reported by students focused on intrinsic outcomes of the industry (opportunities for career accomplishment and self-fulfillment) (Chuang, and Jenkins, 2010). Hospitality and tourism graduates may find it difficult to develop positive psychological contracts in that many are likely to work for organisations which require employees to work relatively long hours, at times which make it difficult to find a good balance between home and work life and where pay may be lower than in other sectors (O Leary, and Deegan, 2005). They do not have expectations for a high starting salary, but expected to have high earnings over the length of their career (Richardson, 2009; Brown, Arendt, & Bosselman, 2014). Conversely, Kim, Hallab, and Lee (2009) suggested that, interesting work, work with benefits, and good working conditions to be the most valued factors where the least valued factors included location, training, and supervisor. Further, they mentioned as graduates move up professionally, salary becomes the top valued item. According to Kim (2008), many student respondents preferred work in the back of house rather than the front of house. However this may represent a challenge for the hotel industry. If highly qualified employees prefer to work in the back of house, the front of house may have difficulty with qualified employment. Furthermore, their working life will differ from what they learnt on their academic programmes (Waryszak, 1999). These differences may cause confusion, which can be stressful to students and may have a negative effect on their work career. Therefore, the hospitality industry and students would benefit from education that provides a realistic appraisal of the environment of the industry and hospitality work places. Students need the ability to cope with the obstacles associated with starting work in the hospitality industry. Little research empirically explored the possible role of social experiences that may affect the students perception of careers in the industry. There are studies indicating that the proportion of managers or employees with a university degree in tourism/ hospitality management or any other higher educational institution is low in the tourism/hospitality industry compared with all the other industries (Purcell & Quinn, 1996). Still, other studies report that a substantial number of hospitality and tourism management graduates are leaving the industry due to low job satisfaction, poor employment conditions and absence of motivating factors resulting in high staff turnover, wastage of trained and experienced personnel (Raybould & Wilkins, 2006). The issues are negatively increasing with the absence of empirical exploration on the definite perceptions and attitudes of the

graduates who are ready to enter to the job market. Apparently, many tourism and hospitality students have inadequate knowledge and unrealistic perceptions of the working conditions in the industry upon the commencement of their courses and with the working experience during the undergraduate period (internship and other exposure), they often discover incongruence between their perceptions/ expectations and realities, and, as a result, they develop negative attitude toward a career in the industry (Kusluvan & Kusluvan, 2000; Kusluvan, Kusluvan & Eren, 2003). The desirable social experiences during students internship periods can ultimately lead to a change in students perceptions, thereby decreasing negative perceptions regarding various factors relating to a career in the hospitality and tourism industry (Kim & Park, 2012). This would ultimately make influences on the initial career decisions of graduates just after their graduation. 3. METHODOLOGY This contemporary study was to understand the real initial career decision of hospitality management graduates in Sri Lanka. Decisions of the graduates are determined by employment conditions in the industry. The results of this are based on a questionnaire which was developed based on literature. 3.1 Sampling and Data collection Hospitality Management graduates from the state universities of Sri Lanka were considered as the population of this study. In order to examine the initial career decisions of hospitality management graduates in Sri Lanka, two state universities which has already produced graduates offering a fouryear Special Degree Programme incorporated Hospitality Management; Uva Wellassa University and Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, were surveyed. The most recent graduating cluster who completed their four years academics and ready to start their career were studied to achieve research objective. A modified questionnaire after the literature survey (Kusluvan & Kusluvan, 2000; Roney & Öztin, 2007; Kim, 2008) was used in a pilot test involving 10 hospitality graduates to iron out problems regarding comprehensibility and wording of the questions. This study employed a self-completed, anonymous questionnaire survey on a set of pre-determined variables, as well as some open-ended responses. Questionnaires were distributed among sampling frame of 64 graduates (Rajarata University= 18, and Uva Wellassa University= 46) and 56 of usable responses (88%) were used for the analysis. 4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The results of statistical analysis addresses the objectives of the study. Frequency and percentages were used to understand the nature of sample. Graduates expectations of the job selection and perception on scheduled variables was tested with mean and standard deviation. Chi-square test was occupied to check the statistical relationship between the nominal variables and t-test was used to examine the statistical difference of the means on gender.

4.1 Background of the sample Sample was consisted with 43% of male respondents and 53% of female respondents. Only 34% of sample have had the willingness to study hospitality management for the territory education and 48% of sample have not had any intention to study hospitality management. Hospitality industry was majoring to start their career only for 23% of the sample were 27% have selected travel and tourism industry, 15% for the events and entertainment and 28% are planning to start their career in other fields not related to the hospitality or tourism. 91% of the sample have not had any prior experiences related to the hospitality or tourism industry before start their degree. The researcher examined the intention of the sample at the undergraduate period to work in the hotel industry after the graduation. 50% have had an intention to join with the hotel sector after the graduation where 29% had not decided about their future career during the undergraduate period. 46 % of the sample did not have any barrier from their family members to be occupied in the hotel industry where 29% had family barriers and 29% were at moderate level. 73% of the sample had not any friend or relative who work in the hotel industry where only 27% have relatives or friends who are linked to the different careers in the hotel industry. Gender Table 4.1: Background of the sample Willingness to study hospitality management for territory education Major field to contribute in future Practical experience in the hospitality and tourism sector before start the degree Intention to work in the hotel sector after the graduation (decided at the undergraduate period) Family barriers to work in the hotel sector Male Female Yes, I was willing No, I was not very willing No, I was not willing at all Hospitality Travel and tourism Events and entertainments Other Yes No Yes No Undecided Yes Moderated No Source: Based on the survey data 4.2 Initial career decision of hospitality management graduates just after graduation Researcher explored the career intention of the hospitality management graduates just after graduation by analyzing means, and statistical difference of gender vs. expectations were examined by utilizing t- test. 43 % 57 % 34% 18% 48% 25% 29% 16% 30% 9% 91% 50% 21% 29% 27% 27% 46%

Table 4.2: Initial career decision of hospitality management graduates just after graduation Indicator Mean SD A job that I will find enjoyable Pleasant working environment A secure job Good promotion prospects A job which gives me responsibility High earnings over length of career A job where I will contribute to society A job where I can use my university degree 4.14.773 4.50.572 4.66.478 3.75.745 3.20.883 2.86.699 2.96.762 4.27.674 Hypothesis were developed to examine the whether there is any significant difference of initial career decisions of male and female hospitality management graduates just after graduation and independent sample t-test was occupied to test the hypothesis. H0: There is no significant different between the initial career decision of male and female hospitality management graduates just after graduation. H1: There is a significant different between the initial career decision of male and female hospitality management graduates just after graduation A job where I gain transferable skills A job that is respected Reasonable workload The opportunity to travel abroad Job mobility-easy to get a job anywhere A job that can easily be combined with parenthood Good starting salary A job that offers opportunities for further training 3.21.909 2.62.558 3.04.914 3.07.499 3.46 1.008 3.11.947 3.79.624 4.23.713 Table 4.3: Gender Vs. Initial career decision of hospitality management graduates just after graduation Indicator Sig. Statistical Significant A job that I will find enjoyable Pleasant working environment 0.887 Not significant 0.159 Not significant A secure job 0.298 Not significant Source: Based on the survey data The results implied that, the graduates have higher expectation level on the job benefits and facilities from their career even just after graduation such as enjoyable job, pleasant working environment, job security, further training opportunities, salary, promotion, etc. Good promotion prospects A job which gives me responsibility High earnings over length of career 0.473 Not significant 0.489 Not significant 0.828 Not significant

A job where I will contribute to society A job where I can use my university degree A job where I gain transferable skills 0.960 Not significant 0.307 Not significant 0.128 Not significant nearly half of the sample have completed the degree since they got selected for the course. In other words, over half of students choose to study tourism and hotel management either with no interest or insufficient information about careers and working conditions in the industry. A job that is respected 0.130 Not significant Reasonable workload 0.739 Not significant The opportunity to travel abroad Job mobility-easy to get a job anywhere A job that can easily be combined with parenthood 0.879 Not significant 0.763 Not significant 0.688 Not significant Good starting salary 0.10 Not Significant A job that offers opportunities for further training N=56, P=0.05 0.363 Not significant Source: Based on the survey data 5. Conclusion and Recommendation This research investigated initial career decisions of hospitality management graduates of state universities of Sri Lanka just after graduation with a new and relatively reliable and valid scale which emerged a number of findings. One important result of the study was that only one third of respondents (34 percent) preferred studying hospitality and tourism management for the territory education and The career plan during the undergraduate period has been changed when they are graduated, the preference to hospitality careers has been reduced by nearly thirty five percent. Female graduates are planning to escape the hospitality and tourism industry and it makes complex with more family barriers. As per the results of hypothesis test, there is no significance difference between initial career decisions of male and female graduates just after their graduation. Accordingly, graduates have higher expectation level on the job benefits and facilities from their career even just after graduation such as enjoyable job, pleasant working environment, job security, further training opportunities, salary, promotion, etc. In that case, they would face multifarious situations during their first job and it will lead to higher turn-over. In order for qualified hospitality management graduates to have a more positive attitudes towards working in the industry, there are several issues that must be addressed. An efficient career guidance and orientation should be made more at the secondary school level. As indicated in this research, most of the graduates have gone through their degree having inadequate knowledge of the employment conditions in the tourism industry. If students were informed

realistically and sufficiently about careers and working conditions in the tourism industry they would form more realistic and lower expectations with regard to jobs in the tourism industry. As a result conflicts and disappointments may be less when they got selected for the degree and if they are not interested they would not waste four years for the degree. Also it is very important to enhance the industry exposure and career guidance, to make them aware about their future career ladder in the industry in order to reduce the gap between perceptions, and experiences so that their career decisions would be carefully planned from the beginning of the studies. The selection mechanism for the hospitality management degrees in the state universities should be given more systematic approach where the only interested and needed candidates to be gone through. If not, after four years period, the graduates would end up with unemployment and the money spend by the government for four years would be a waste. Therefore, students can be made aware of working conditions in the tourism industry before they are admitted to the university and even during the university period. REFERENCES 1. Baum, T. (2007). Human resources in tourism: Still waiting for change, Tourism Management, 28, 1383 1399 2. Brown, E.A., Arendt, S.W., & Bosselman, R., (2014), Hospitality Management Graduates Perceptions of Career Factor Importance and Career Factor Experience, Apparel, Events and Hospitality Management at Digital Repository, Iowa State University 3. Chuang, N. K., and Jenkins, M. D., (2010), Career Decision Making and Intention: a Study of Hospitality Undergraduate Students 4. Ghuangpeng, S., (2011), Factors Influencing Career Decision-Making: A Comparative Study of Thai and Australian Tourism and Hospitality Students 5. Hodkinson, F 1998, How young people make career decisions, Education + Training, vol. 40, no. 6/7, pp. 301-306. 6. Johns, N., McKechnie, M., (1995), "Career demands and learning perceptions of hotel and catering graduates ten years on", International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 7 Iss 5 pp. 9 12 7. Jung Hee (Ginny) Kim, (2008), Career Expectations and Requirements of Undergraduate Hospitality Students and the Hospitality Industry: An Analysis of Differences 8. Kim, H.B., &, Park, E.J., (2012), The Role of Social Experience in Undergraduates Career Perceptions through Internships, Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism Education 9. Kim, J.H.G., (2008), Career Expectations and Requirements of Undergraduate

Hospitality Students and the Hospitality Industry: An Analysis of Differences 10. Kim, K., Hallab, Z., & Lee, H. (2009). Career preferences and expectations. Anatolia: An International Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Research 11. Kusluvan, S., Kusluvan, Z., (2000), Perceptions and attitudes of undergraduate tourism students towards working in the tourism industry in Turkey, Tourism Management 12. Kusluvan, S., Kusluvan, Z., & Eren, D., (2003), Undergraduate Tourism Students, Satisfaction with Student Work Experience and its Impact on their Future Career Intentions: a Case Study, Managing Employee Attitudes and Behaviors in the Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Nova Science Publishers, Inc. 13. Lu, T.Y., & Adler, H., (2009), Career Goals and Expectations of Hospitality and Tourism Students in China, Journal of Teaching in Travel & Tourism 14. O Leary, S., and Deegan, J., (2005), Career progression of Irish tourism and hospitality management graduates, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 17 No. 5,, pp. 421-432 15. Purcell, K., and Quinn, J., (1996), Exploring the education-employment equation in hospitality management: a comparison of graduates and HNDs, International Journal of Hospitality Management, Volume 15, Issue 1 16. Raybould, M., & Wilkins, H., (2006), Generic Skills for Hospitality Management: A Comparative Study of Management Expectations and Student Perceptions, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management 17. Richardson, SA 2009, Undergraduates' perceptions of tourism and hospitality as a career choice, International Journal of Hospitality Management, vol. 28, no. 3, pp. 382-388. 18. Roney, S. A., & Öztin, P., (2007), Career Perceptions of Undergraduate Tourism Students: A Case Study in Turkey, Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism Education, Vol. 6, No. 1., ISSN: 1473-8376 19. Tourism Strategic Development Plan: 2010-2016, (2010), Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority 20. Waryszak, R.Z., (1999) "Students expectations from their cooperative education placements in the hospitality industry: an international perspective", Education + Training, Vol. 41 Iss: 1, pp.33 40