Purdue News
Purdue News
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January 8, 2003 Purdue prof: Chinese studying up on hospitality for OlympicsWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A Purdue University professor whose textbook has been translated into Chinese says the Chinese government is ramping up their hospitality expertise in preparation for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
Raphael "Ray" Kavanaugh, professor and head of Purdue's hospitality and tourism management department, went to China in December to conduct seminars on the book's content and do book signings of the Chinese translation of his "Supervision in the Hospitality Industry" (third edition). The China Travel and Tourism Press published the book in Chinese. Kavanaugh's co-author is Jack D. Ninemeier, a professor in the School of Hospitality Business at Michigan State University's Broad College of Business. The book's publication and Kavanaugh's trip are part of the China National Tourism Association's work to put into place education and training programs to raise the knowledge base of hospitality and tourism managers. While in China, Kavanaugh also conducted hospitality management seminars for Chinese tourism professionals. "This effort is being given increased impetus by the 2008 Olympics being hosted by China," Kavanaugh says. "They have a real incentive to improve the quality of hospitality and tourism management because of the visibility the Olympics bring." Two other Purdue faculty were in China between fall and spring semesters offering training seminars in hospitality and tourism management. They are Carl G. Braunlich and Liping Cai, both associate professors of hospitality and tourism management. Alastair Morrison, associate dean of the School of Consumer and Family Sciences, also has conducted seminars in tourism marketing in China during the holiday break. "Our department has also hosted Chinese managers here on our West Lafayette campus in the summer," Kavanaugh says. "And we have an established internship program in Beijing in which our undergraduates spend five months at one of China's finest hotels." Purdue University's hospitality and tourism management undergraduate program has been ranked No. 1 nationally by a 2002 survey published in the Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Education. The study surveyed 121 four-year hospitality institutions in order to rank programs quantitatively based on five criteria: curriculum, faculty, student body, resources and fund raising. Writer: Mike Lillich, (765) 494-2077, mlillich@purdue.edu Source: Raphael Kavanaugh, (765) 494-4643, kavanaur@cfs.purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu Related Web site:
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