| Author: | Sun, Hongli |
| Title: | The relationships between individual modernity, parental influence, perceived hotel job image and career intentions : a study of hospitality students in China |
| Advisors: | Wong, Simon (SHTM) Cheung, Catherine (SHTM) |
| Degree: | Ph.D. |
| Year: | 2015 |
| Subject: | College students -- China -- Attitudes. Hotel management -- China. Career development -- China. Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations |
| Department: | School of Hotel and Tourism Management |
| Pages: | xiii, 286 pages ; 30 cm |
| Language: | English |
| Abstract: | This study investigated the general perceptions of hotel job image among hospitality students in mainland China and developed measurement scales to test the empirical relationships between individual modernity, parental influence, perceived hotel job image and career intentions. Churchill's (1979) paradigm for developing norms was adopted to facilitate the development of valid scales, and a mixed methodology was designed to achieve the study's objectives. In the first part of the sequential mixed methods, qualitative data-gathering strategies involving focus group discussions and in-depth interviews were adopted. Content analysis was applied to gain an understanding of how hospitality students perceive hotel job image.The results of the qualitative data analysis provided inputs into the design of the quantitative survey instrument, which was subsequently tested for validity and reliability via two pilot studies involving hospitality students. The first pilot study was conducted to refine the initial items and identify the underlying dimensions. The second was conducted to collect another sample to test the validity and reliability of the purified instruments. After the validity and reliability of the instrument were confirmed, the main survey was conducted. The 736 valid samples obtained were analysed via exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling. Three dimensions of perceived hotel job image were generated and validated from the analyses: (1) staff integrity, (2) non-routine job nature and (3)the characteristics and uniqueness of hotel careers.Structural equation modelling was carried out to clarify and test the hypothesised causal relationships among the study{174}s four constructs, i.e., perceived hotel job image, individual modernity, parental influence and students' career intentions. The statistical results indicated that the model fit the data, and the results provided evidence to support or reject some of the hypotheses. The direct positive effect of perceived hotel job image on students' career intentions was found to be significant. Furthermore, perceived hotel job image was found to completely mediate the relationship between individual modernity and students' career intentions. However, the direct effect of individual modernity on career intentions was not supported. The direct relationship between parental influence and students' career intentions was also insignificant, and the indirect effect proved to be significant. This indicates that perceived hotel job image mediates the relationship between parental influence and students' career intentions. Finally, hospitality students in mainland China were found to have low intentions to pursue careers in the hotel industry after graduation.The findings of this study make theoretical and empirical contributions to the current body of knowledge. First, this study developed and validated a measurement scale of perceived hotel job image in mainland China that could serve as a solid foundation for future research. Second, it provided evidence that perceived hotel job image is a significant predictor of career intentions, offering a new approach to investigating students' career intentions in the hotel industry. Finally, it empirically proved the mediating effect of perceived hotel job image. Perceived hotel job image was found to be a complete mediator, which may explain how individual modernity and parental influence affect students' career intentions.In addition to the theoretical contributions, the findings have managerial implications for both hotel-related educational institutes and the hotel industry at large. Given that perceived hotel job image was found to be an important factor influencing students' career intentions, strategies to improve perceptions of a hotel job image may go a long way in attracting hospitality graduates to choose careers in the hotel industry. |
| Rights: | All rights reserved |
| Access: | open access |
Files in This Item:
| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| b28163862.pdf | For All Users | 4.85 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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