Title: Ethics for Hospitality Students: food for thought

Biography:

Abstract

Responding to ethical dilemmas within the workplace is a growing issue for both employees and employers. Within the hospitality industry these ethical dilemmas can encompass a myriad of work settings and environments. From the restaurant floor, to serving alcoholic beverages within a club or bar environment, to managing a difficult customer within a hotel environment; hospitality workers facing a multitude of ethical dilemmas and situations.
For hospitality students, the ethics of their chosen profession and resolving possible future ethical dilemmas remain, largely unaddressed within current undergraduate programs or course offerings. These issues are largely addressed by their new employer during employment orientation sessions or staff induction programs.
It is the researcher’s belief that such ethics training be commenced much earlier and be an integral part of any strong, robust hospitality curriculum or syllabus. In this regard, such courses should be reflective and mindful, of current ethical dilemmas and challenges within the hospitality industry.
This research currently in progress, aims to explore hospitality students’ perceptions and awareness of future possible ethical dilemmas that they may possibly encounter within their chosen profession. Ethics and sound ethical business behavior has become in some societies, a growing and emerging concern. Whilst ethics’ courses well be established in the business sector, such targeted programs have been lacking in the hospitality sector and in particular, in hospitality curriculums and syllabi.
The purpose of this study was to highlight possible ethical scenarios and present these to hospitality students. By exploring their perceptions, interpretations and possible resolution of such dilemmas, it is hoped that they will build and strengthen their own personal ethical philosophies and work-place practices and responses.
Keywords: ethics, hospitality, dilemmas, students, education