An evaluation of the link between subjects studied in hospitality courses in Cyprus and career success: Perceptions of industry professionals

Purpose The purpose of this paper, unprecedented in Cyprus in its scope and approach, is to investigate the importance level of the courses currently taught in hospitality programs of the country, as perceived by industry professionals. Design/methodology/approach The research population included individuals currently holding full-time managerial positions in hotel establishments of Cyprus. In total, 500 questionnaires were administered to individuals working in 158 hotel establishments currently operating in the country. The surveys were personalized and addressed to each hotel’s general manager and two departmental heads. Descriptive and inferential statistics, namely frequencies, one-way analysis of variance with post-hoc multiple comparison test (Tukey honesty significant difference) and multiple regression analysis, were utilized to analyze the data and answer the formulated research questions. Findings For the purposes of the study, modules offered by local tertiary institutions fall into four broad categories: general education, languages, professional modules and business modules. Findings revealed that professional modules were ranked first, followed by business modules, languages and general education modules. The respondents’ gender, age, years of employment and functional area are the demographic characteristics that most significantly influence their perception regarding the importance of required competencies. Moreover, findings suggest that professional modules and languages are perceived by industry professionals as very important elements for career success in the hotel industry. Originality/value Findings of this study may assist industry stakeholders in re-structuring the hospitality management curriculum, in an attempt to provide a more realistic and pedagogically sound learning experience to students which reflects the modern realities of the profession. Moreover, new knowledge created may inspire academic scholars to further investigate this topic from an array of different perspectives