Hospitality Employment Perceptions among Non-Hospitality Management Students and their Implications for Subsequent Job Hire in the Industry

Abstract

This paper analyses the implications for hiring non-hospitality students in the hospitality industry. Specifically, it focuses on their perceptions and intentions. It also examines the role industry exposure plays in shaping the students’ perceptions and intentions towards hospitality employment. The data was collected from final year students studying business management programmes at the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. Results show that in general, business management students negatively perceive the tourism industry and associated career prospects. On the other hand, the nature of work, pay and benefits and physical work conditions were found to be insignificant and powerful predictors of students’ intentions take up hospitality employment. Results also provide evidence of differences in students’ intentions to embrace the hospitality employment based on their industry exposure as students having high industry exposure had more favorable intentions towards hospitality employment than those with low industry exposures. The study findings have major implications for managers of hospitality organizations in terms of gaining knowledge on the applicants’ perceptions and attitudes towards the industry during the hiring process, which might help to control employee turnover. The study findings also contribute to our understanding of students’ perceptions of hospitality employment by detailing the implications they have for hiring practices of hospitality organizations.