Hospitality Resources: Home

Visit the home page of the Hospitality Management Program for information about programs and course offerings at Atlantic Cape.

Welcome to the Spangler Library subject guide for research in the field of hospitality. This guide is intended to provide an introduction to research on topics relating to the hospitality industry and professions, and to provide easy access to resources for students of hospitality.

The field of professional hospitality encompasses a wide variety of different businesses and occupations. Most research in this field falls into one of six broad categories:

Industry/Sector Research

Look for information about the current state of the hospitality industry or a specific sector within the industry. Some of the best information on the hospitality industry comes from trade and professional organizations. Government sources are also important. Articles from magazines and news sources can also be helpful. For specific resources, check out the "Industry" tab, above.

Theories, practices and issues relating to the overall field of business and management can be applied to the field of hospitality. You can find information about business and management using reference tools, books and articles, and reputable web sites.

Company Research

Find information about a specific company in the hospitality field. Reports, articles from business magazines and news sources, and sometimes books are good places to look for information about a company. For specific resources, check out the "Companies" tab, above.

Management

Theories, practices and issues relating to the overall field of business and management can be applied to the field of hospitality. You can find information about business and management using reference tools, books and articles, and reputable web sites.

Some management issues are specific to the hospitality industry or to an industry sector. Managers can find Information about standard practices, experiments, solutions to problems, and other questions pertaining to hospitality business operations. This sort of information can frequently be found in trade publications. Books can also be useful, and trade/professional organizations frequently include practical advice and links to resources on their web sites.

Marketing

Marketing is an essential activity for any business. Research for marketing supports overall plans for the orgainzation's ongoing success, while focused market research connects information about actual and potential customers to products and services. Many types of information, incuding data from primary research, may be required to support marketing decisions.

Business Start-up

When preparing to start a business, it's important to gather a lot of information. You will need a combination of industry information, legal information, and marketing information if you are considering starting a business of your own. For an extensive collection of resources on starting a business, check out our guide to Resources for Entrepreneurs. Check the Business Start-up tab of this guide for some resources that are specific to the hospitality industry.

Social Aspects

Research into the social context of different aspects of the hospitality industry can provide insights into the behavior of customers, employees, and other interested groups. Research of this type is most commonly published in scholarly journal articles, but may also be published in book form. Sociology and Psychology are the fields that are most likely to conduct research on these types of topics. Research into consumer behavior also appears in business magazines and journals.

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