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Identify the reasons people study
hospitality management, and list the advantages these academic programs
offer.
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Identify the two key components of the
job-benefit mix that allow one to profit from work experience.
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Name three general career goals frequently
cited by graduates seeking employment.
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Identify key trends driving change in
employment opportunities in the hospitality industry.
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Describe your career plan in
terms of a life’s work and not just as an economic means of survival.
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Explain how the changing demographics of the
North American population impact the demand for hospitality services, and
give examples of demographics that affect both foodservice and lodging
operations.
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Describe the current and expected future
impact of baby boomers on the demand for hospitality services.
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List
examples of the kinds of businesses that make up the hospitality industry.
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Explain how changes in the female workforce
and alterations in family structure affect consumer behavior and the
markets for hospitality services.
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Identify and describe the key supply factors
important to hospitality organizations.
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Identify and describe the trends that are
changing the relative cost of supplies.
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Give examples of ways in which hospitality
service companies are responding to changes in the labor force.
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List by size the major components of the
foodservice industry, and describe the economic impact that the
foodservice industry has on the economy.
-
Define the terms dining market and
eating market, and describe and contrast the major kinds of restaurant
operations in each.
-
Identify the foodservice segments that are
currently growing or declining, and explain the reasons for these trends.
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Name three principal categories of casual
restaurants, and describe their special characteristics and appeals.
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Name the three types of off-premise
operations, and explain why this market continues to be significant.
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Describe the three
principal business environments in which foodservice operations
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Identify the three main divisions of
activity found in restaurant operations, and summarize their respective
roles.
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Explain the best way to become familiar with
operations in a restaurant or other foodservice organization.
-
Describe
the main responsibilities and jobs associated with each of the following:
front of the house, back of the house, and office.
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Identify the two basic approaches to
increasing profits and the primary tools used to measure financial results
in foodservice operations.
-
List the relative advantages and
disadvantage of chains and independents in the following key areas:
marketing and brand recognition; site selection; access to capital;
purchasing economies; control and information systems; and human
resources.
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Identify
the independent’s imperative for success; provide an example of this
imperative; and identify the independent’s unique market advantage.
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Explain the difference between product
franchising and business format franchising, and identify which is most
commonly used in the hospitality industry.
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List the services the franchisor offers the
new franchisee and those offered the established franchisee.
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List the advantages and disadvantages of
franchising to both the franchisor and the franchisee.
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Describe the competitive changes that have
taken place in the foodservice environment since the 1950s.
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Describe current competitive conditions in
the foodservice industry.
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Identify the four “Ps” that make up the
foodservice marketing mix.
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Define the foodservice product, and describe
the role of new products in foodservice competition.
-
List the
advantages and disadvantages of competing on price, and describe the
conditions under which it is most appropriate.
-
Define PODs, and describe how the concept of
distribution led to their development.
-
List three common consumer concerns about
health and nutrition that have an impact on planning foodservice
operations.
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Describe the consumerism movement, and
identify four hospitality issues it has raised.
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List the six techniques available to deal
with the waste stream.
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Describe the
foodservice industry’s evolving use of technology in the following areas:
guest ordering and payment, food production and refrigeration, marketing,
managing banquet and catering departments, and management control and
communication
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Describe the four major segments of on-site
foodservice operations and the employment opportunities each offers.
-
List the differences between self-operated
foodservice facilities and those operated by managed services companies.
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Explain the distinction between client
and guest in the on-site foodservice environment.
-
Describe the four basic models under which
many retirement housing communities operate.
-
Describe the recreation and transportation
segments of the on-site market.
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Explain the role private clubs play in the
industry, and identify the types of career opportunities they provide.
-
List the advantages vending offers in
meeting guest and client needs.
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Identify elements common to the different
lines of business in the on-site sector.
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Describe the evolution of lodging, and
relate it to changing patterns of transportation, destinations, and guest
needs.
-
Identify
the five criteria for classifying hotels, and name the types of hotels in
each classification.
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Describe the principal customer types served
by the hotel industry.
-
Name the
two categories of business travelers.
-
Identify
the needs and preferences of business travelers, and provide examples of
how the lodging industry accommodates them.
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Provide examples of the ways in which
lodging is responding to the needs of growing market segments, including
senior travelers, female travelers, and family travelers.
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Explain why international travel is
important to the industry, and describe what operators can do to develop
this source of business.
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Give examples of how technology has impacted
lodging in the following areas: sales, marketing, guest amenities, and
services.
-
Describe
how AAA and Mobil Travel Service evaluate lodging properties, and identify
nine criteria used to determine these ratings.
-
Name the major functional departments in a
hotel, and explain the relationships that exist among them.
-
Explain
why the food and beverage department, although not the principal source of
profit, can be very important to a hotel’s success.
-
List the principal sources of income and
expense by department according to the uniform system of accounts for
hotels.
-
Define the term yield management, and
explain why it is used in hotel industry pricing.
-
Provide examples of technical and managerial
responses to security problems in hotels.
-
Explain how accounting statements can be
used to measure the performance of departments and executives.
-
Define the terms occupancy percentage
and average rate, and provide the formula used to compute each;
identify two other key operating ratios used by the hotel industry.
-
Explain the relationship of the financial
structure of a hotel to its cost of operations.
-
Explain the cyclical nature of the hotel
industry.
-
Define the term securitization.
-
Explain the impact of the securitization of
the hotel industry on capital availability.
-
Identify and describe the major means of
raising debt and equity capital used for hotel development.
-
Define REIT and explain how a REIT
functions.
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Identify the drawbacks of being a publicly
owned company.
-
List and define the dimensions of the hotel
investment decision.
-
Define the terms segmentation and
encroachment, and explain their relationship in hotel franchising.
-
Identify the five conditions of competition
in lodging, and explain their effects on the hotel business.
-
Explain how the four “Ps” of the marketing
mix are applied in lodging competition.
-
Describe the upstairs-downstairs
segmentation in the lodging industry and how it meets the differing needs
of customers.
-
Describe and provide examples of how hotels
differentiate themselves through the variety and mix they provide in
foodservice options and other services and amenities.
-
List the strengths and weaknesses of using
yield management in the hotel business.
-
Describe the effects on lodging of travel
intermediaries and distribution channels.
-
Explain how partnerships and frequent-guest
programs operate and why they are important to marketing the lodging
industry.
-
Describe the important impact of tourism on
local and national economies.
-
List the three general factors contributing
to the growth of travel and tourism, and explain their impact on the
industry.
-
Identify current trends in mode of travel
and trip duration.
-
Provide statistics supporting the importance
of tourism in generating employment.
-
Explain why foreign visitors to this country
are an important means of improving the U.S. balance of payments and
receipts, and how tourism affects international trade.
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Identify major businesses outside the
hospitality industry that service travelers, and explain the trends that
are changing the way they do business.
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Equate travelers’ motives with their
destinations by listing five common reasons people travel and a
corresponding site they might select to visit.
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Explain the difference between primary and
secondary tourism attractions, and provide an example of each.
-
Identify and describe four categories of
planned play environments created specifically for tourism, and list
elements they have in common.
-
Describe the activities offered by theme
parks to attract travelers, and explain the difference between regional
and national theme parks.
-
Name the three primary forces currently
driving the growth in casino gambling.
-
Describe the significance of large- and
small-scale urban entertainment centers as part of a community’s tourism
industry, and provide an example of each type of facility.
-
Describe the different types of temporary
fairs and festivals, and list three important contributions they make to
their host communities.
-
Explain the role of natural attractions in
tourism, and describe the overall contribution they make to
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Define service, both in terms of
guest experience and the operation’s performance.
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Describe the principal characteristics of
service, and contrast it to delivery of a physical product.
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Describe what is necessary to successfully
fulfill both the task and interpersonal requirements of Identify and
describe the two basic approaches to managing the service process.
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Explain how market segmentation forms the
basis for a service strategy, and identify the requirements for
establishing a strong service culture.
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Describe the importance of service as a
basis for successful competition in the hospitality industry.