Suggestions for Hospitality Educators

A recent article in the Hospitality and Tourism Educator (Van Hoof, 1991) reported that recruiters for lodging and foodservice organizations consider human resource management (HRM) to be of primary importance when educating hospitality graduate students. The criticality and impact of HRM in the lodging and foodservice industries has been confirmed time and again by recruiters and leaders in the field. And yet, while HRM professionals and corporate leaders publicly acknowledge the importance of HRM, how do operational managers and employees view HRM's role in addressing critical success factors such as increased profitability and enhanced service delivery? Is HRM narrowly confined to the traditional activities of hiring and firing, or is it perceived as having an impact on important strategic issues? This article reports on a study that examined whether HRM is viewed as having an impact on success factors outside of those traditionally associated with it. Data garnered from a restaurant chain is summarized; however the primary purpose is not to discuss the details of the research, but to consider the implications o