The making of hospitality managers: understanding Individual Differences, Learning Culture and Workplace influences

This thesis aims to establish the main factors which determine successful performance in hospitality management professions. It shows that knowledge is more important than personality as a factor for success in this industry. It also shows that emotional intelligence and learning style determines whether one succeeds or fails. There is also support that learning opportunities in the workplace do have an impact on how managers perform and maintain employability in this industry. Two broad implications from this research are that: - Education for the industry needs to find innovative ways to develop a strong knowledge base while in school. - The hospitality industry must play a pivotal role in creating an environment in which its workforce can continuously learn in order to remain ‘sharp’ and therefore always employable