What motivates senior students to work in hospitality and tourism industry: a case study of senior students in Hospitality and Tourism Program at UW-Stout

Abstract

Hospitality and Tourism industry is a big industry that employs large numbers of people. A part of these people is the senior students who graduated in Hospitality and Tourism Program from Colleges. The managers should understand the motivational constructs of the senior students who will become the employees in the hospitality and tourism industry to motivate them to work in their properties and encourage them to perform their jobs efficiently, as well as keep them with the properties for long last. The purpose of this study was to survey the senior students in Hospitality and Tourism Program at University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, WI for determining their perceptions toward motivational factors. The main factors were considered included communication, training, incentive programs, wages, benefits, work hours, and good working conditions. There were four objectives in this research: (1) To identify the factors that motivated senior students in Hospitality and Tourism Program to work in the hospitality and tourism industry, (2) To identify the perceptions of senior students toward the motivational technique that is the most effective in improving personal motivation, (3) To identify the perceptions of senior students toward the rewards for good job performance/productivity, and (4) To provide information that will assist the hospitality and tourism managers to better understand the motivational constructs of the senior students who want to work in the hospitality and tourism industry. The sample for this study consisted of 77 senior students in Hospitality and Tourism Program at University of Wisconsin-Stout, during Spring 2002. The 77 senior students in Hospitality and Tourism Program were requested for volunteer to complete the questionnaires in the courses, which were taken by the senior students. The frequency counts, percentages, mean scores, and standard deviations were calculated to describe the respondents’ reports of factors influencing them to work in hospitality and tourism industry. Frequency counts and percentages were also calculated to describe the respondents’ background and their demographic information.