Courses Offered and Course Description

HFT 3453
Operation Control in Hospitality Industry
The course focuses on the managerial control function in a full-service lodging setting. It applies the principles and guidelines of the uniform accounts for the lodging industry. The course then analyzes revenues and expenses of lodging operations.

HFT 6280
Competitive Methods of Multinational Hospitality Companies
The course is designed to analyze the competitive methods utilized by multinational hospitality companies through qualitative research methodology. The course explores how competitive methods may add value to the wealth of multinational hospitality companies.

HFT 6296
Strategic Management for Hospitality and Tourism
The course is designed to understand the major forces driving change of the hospitality industry, apply the co-alignment principle to analyze the strategy, core competence, implementation and other strategic issues of a hospitality company and develop a strategic business plan.

HFT 6916
Hospitality Industry Research Project
An individualized business research-oriented project dealing with current problems in the hospitality industry.

HFT 6586
Research & Statistical Methods
This course is about how to conduct academic research. The course includes raising research questions, designing a research proposal, conducting literature review, selecting research methodology, systematically collecting data, using analytical techniques to interpret data and drawing appreciate conclusions.

HFT 6996
Contemporary Issues in the Lodging Industry
Explore emerging issues that impact domestic and global lodging. Use content analysis to identify and analyze relevant industry problems.

Biography

Dr. Jinlin Zhao is an Associate Professor & Director of Graduate Program in the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Florida International University , in North Miami , Florida . He earned his bachelor's degree in English at Beijing Second Foreign Language Institute in 1979, and remained to teach at the institute until 1987. After he came to the United States in fall of 1987, he completed his Master degree at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1988, and the Ph.D. degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1994. He was a Coordinator and Associate Professor of Hospitality Management at Western Carolina University in North Carolina for eight years.

Dr. Zhao has been an active research associate for the International Hotel & Restaurant Association (IH&RA) since 1993. He has been a contributing author to three IH&RA White Papers on the Global Hospitality Industry "Into the New Millennium", "Restaurant Revolution" and "Five-Year Review of the Global Hotel Industry". He is a member of the IH&RA Group that underpins the association's "Visioning the Future" program. His area of research lies in competitive methods, the international environment and impact analysis, and multinational corporate strategy. He has co-authored Instructor's Manual to Accompany-Strategic Management in the Hospitality Industry, 2nd edition, by John Wiley & Sons Inc. He contributed a book chapter to the same book. He has also published many refereed articles in several research journals and books, other publications, and gave presentations at international hospitality conferences. He did in-depth interviews with several multinational hotel companies in 1993.

Dr. Zhao has been involved in many consulting actives in China . He is appointed as a special advisor for China Tourist Hotel Association, and an Honorary President of Qingdao Hotel Management Association in Qingdao , China . He has given hotel management seminars and presentations in China since 1995. He also took the opportunity to work as a foodservice manager during the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and a foodservice team leader during the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.

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