Recreational Foodservice management: A Delphi study of needed competencies

The purpose of this study was to identify the needed competencies of a Recreational Foodservice manager. A three round Delphi method of iteration was used. Delphi is a research method that utilizes iterating rounds to elicit the opinion of a panel of experts regarding a specific subject.^ A nominating committee of 22 industry leaders was consulted to establish a panel of 40 management experts, of which 35 (87.5%) completed all three rounds of the Delphi study.^ Round One of the study identified 17 specific job functions of a Recreational Foodservice manager. The researcher prepared an instrument detailing 60 competencies derived from an analysis of Round One results and distributed it as a Round Two instrument requesting the panel opinion regarding the relative importance of each listed competency on a five point Likert scale.^ The results of Round Two were tabulated and analyzed to ascertain areas of consensus. A Round Three instrument was prepared advising panelists of all areas of consensus, their dissenting opinions, if any, and a request for a revised opinion.^ A final report was prepared listing the 60 competencies and the panel opinion that eight were of highest priority, 29 of above average priority, and 23 of average priority. No item received two other available ratings, below average priority and lowest priority.^ The implications of these findings suggest necessary areas of curriculum development and industry management development to implement professionalism for Recreational Foodservice managers. ^

Exploratory Study of the Download Speed of Leading University Hospitality and Tourism Department Websites Worldwide

Increased broadband penetration (BP) rates around the world have encouraged web designers to include more web content and additional functions on their web sites, thereby enhancing the richness and playfulness of the information. However, it is often very difficult for web surfers who are still using narrowband connections to access such web sites. Many university web sites target international audiences; therefore their download performance should be considered, as it may directly influence the user experience. This exploratory study examined 331 university hospitality and tourism department web sites in 37 countries. The empirical results showed that entry web pages of universities in Asia, with a medium BP rate (mid-BP), have the slowest download speeds, and those in Australia and New Zealand perform the best. The adoption rate of the Cascade Style Sheet (CSS) in Asia is relatively lower than that of other regions.

A study of the implementation of junior college *evaluation system in Taiwan

Since the establishment of the evaluation system in 1975, the junior colleges in the Republic of China (Taiwan), have gone through six formal evaluations. We know that evaluation in schooling, like quality control in businesses, should be a systematic, formal, and a continual process. It can doubtless serve as a strategy to refine the quality of education. The purpose of this research is to explore the current practice of junior college evaluation in Taiwan. This provides insight into the development of and quality of the current evaluation system. Moreover, this study also identified the source of problems with the current evaluation system and provided suggestion for improvements.^ In order to attain the above purposes, this research was undertaken in both theoretical and practical ways. First, theoretically, on the basis of a literature review, the theories of educational evaluation and, according to the course and principles of development, a view of the current practice in Taiwan. Secondly, in practice, by means of questionnaires, an analysis of the views of evaluation committeemen, junior college presidents, and administrators were obtained on evaluation models, methods, contents, organization, functions, criteria, grades reports, and others with suggestions for improvement. The summary of findings concludes that most evaluators and evaluatees think the purpose of evaluation can help the colleges explore their difficulties and problems. In addition, it was found that there is significant difference between the two groups regarding the evaluation methods, contents, organization, functions, criteria, grades reports and others, while analyzing these objective data forms the basis for an improved method of evaluation for Junior Colleges in Taiwan. ^