Review and Assessment of Academic Tourism and Hospitality Programmes in China

Abstract

Over the past 30 years, the Western world has experienced the transition of higher tourism and hospitality education from vocational to a broader social-science orientation. This chapter investigates whether this shift away from a narrow focus on employability towards a personal growth and values orientation has materialised in China as well. A content analysis of undergraduate programmes in Chinese colleges and universities is used to identify the variability and emphasis of curricula within the limited autonomy of higher education institutions in China. It emerged that the transparency of programme designs is low, study programmes lack a clear profile and positioning and teaching volume in classrooms is at least 80% higher than the average of bachelor programmes in Western countries. Personal and social skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking, creativity, teamwork and liberal reflection capacities are neglected components. This supply side perspective is complemented by focus group discussions with the HR managers of internationally branded hotels in China. Participants considered emotional intelligence, an outgoing personality and personal endurance capabilities as more important assets than technical skills. The third empirical study involved the reflections of more than 400 HR managers – mainly from the hospitality industry – on the contribution of broader curricula components to the employability of graduates. These – mainly Chinese – managers most appreciated extended language capabilities and experiences from mindful internships. However, generic personal skills, such as communication, creativity, social responsibility, leadership and reflective, critical thinking, are valued more than specific industry or functional managerial knowledge. Overall, a shift in the perception of the service industry, innovation in new curriculum designs, more transparency and competition as well as higher leadership competencies in the industry will be required to foster a competitive edge for stakeholders, institutions and educational beneficiaries in China.

Appendices

Appendix A: Hospitality and Tourism Undergraduate Programmes at Vocational Colleges and Universities in China in 2017

Provinces	Total	Hospitality Management major				Tourism Management major
		University		College		University		College
		#	Sample	#	Sample	#	Sample	#	Sample
湖北 Hubei	108	8		34	1	23		43	1
河南 Henan	105	6		36		25		48
江苏 Jiangsu	105	10	2	31	2	23	3	41	1
山东 Shandong	96	4		22	1	19		51	1
安徽 Anhui	87	5	1	33		12	2	40
四川 Sichuan	87	4		20		23		40
广东 Guangdong	87	5	2	19		30	1	33	1
湖南 Hunan	83	7		22		29		25
河北 Hebei	80	0		24	1	15		41	1
江西 Jiangxi	68	3		22		13	1	30
广西 Guangxi	62	3		28		13		28
浙江 Zhejiang	61	2		19	1	14		16	1
黑龙江 Heilongjiang	58	2		17		16		23
陕西 Shaanxi	55	1		15		19		20
辽宁 Liaoning	57	4		16		15	1	22
福建 Fujian	56	7	2	11	1	13		25	1
重庆 Chongqing	50	6	1	13		18	1	13
山西 Shanxi	50	3		21	1	13		13	1
贵州Guizhou	45	4		13	1	10		18
北京 Beijing	39	4	1	6		15		14
内蒙古Neimenggu	37	1		15		7		14
吉林 Jilin	36	3		9		15		9
新疆 Xinjiang	31	1		7		11		12
云南 Yunnan	31	2		8	1	10		11	1
海南 Hainan	31	4		11		5		11
甘肃 Gansu	25	4	1	5		7		9
天津 Tianjin	24	5		2		11		6
上海 shanghai	20	6		1		12	1	1	1
青海 Qinghai	6	0		1		3		2
宁夏 Ningxia	6	0		1		2		3
西藏 Xizang	4	0		0		2		2
Total	1703	114	10	482	10	443	10	664	10

1. Source: Beijing Xueersi Training School (2017)

Appendix B: Curricula Components and Optional Characteristics for the Adaptive Conjoint Task

Subject area	Theme; number of options	Options
Business administration	Basic business administration subjects; two options	1. Only max. three subjects: e.g. marketing, accounting, management
		2. Comprehensive, six or more subjects such as HR management, organisational behaviour, accounting, business law, economics, marketing research and e-commerce
Hospitality domaina or tourism domaina	Insights into the tourism industry; three options	1a. Basic knowledge and applied training: e.g. food and beverage management, housekeeping and front office management, hotel sales, cooking
		1b. Basic knowledge and applied training: e.g. destination marketing, travel agency management, attraction management, event management
		2. Interdisciplinary aspects and impacts: Economic, ecological, global, historical, sociocultural and geographical perspectives of the hospitality/tourism industry
		3. Hospitality and tourism policy, planning and development: role, function and responsibilities of governments and other stakeholders
Generic skills	Personal and social skills; three options	1. Individual personal skills: goal setting, presentation skills, problem-solving, effective and intercultural communication, teamwork
		2. Team-oriented personal kills: creativity, reflection and entrepreneurship, creative and critical thinking, problem-solving, ability to reflect on oneself, teamwork
		3. Socially oriented personal skills: ethics, creativity, reflection and entrepreneurship, personal development, creative and critical thinking, ability to reflect on oneself and impact on social environment
Language	Foreign language; three options	1. No foreign language training
		2. English and Chinese language training
		3. English, Chinese and another foreign language training
Internship	Internship training in company or organisation; three options	1. No internship training
		2. Up to 6 months training of technical/operations skills
		3. Up to 6 months training: skills and operations including managerial problem-solving, reflection on internal processes, debriefing and feedback

1. ^aFor hospitality major graduates, the hospitality subject area was chosen; for tourism major graduates, the tourism subject area was chosen