Health Care : Current Reviews

Retirement villages: Hospitals or hospitality operations-Management attributes and traits

5^th International Congress on Healthcare & Hospital Management

December 03-04, 2018 | Rome, Italy

Zaina Theresa and Erwin Losekoot

Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: Health Care Current Reviews

Abstract:

The authors of this paper noted the rapid growth of large retirement villages in Auckland, New Zealand. Many of these have several hundred units ranging from independent living to care home facilities. A number of large corporate organisations have become major players in this sector. Similarities were noted between how these operate and hotel corporations managing resort properties. The researchers therefore wanted to investigate who the people who are managing these facilities are, what their roles involve, and where they have come from in terms of educational background and industry experience. As there has been very little academic work done in this area from a hospitality management perspective, the researchers conducted an exploratory study gathering qualitative data through five in-depth interviews with the ???village managers??? in charge of these retirement complexes. A range of organisations were included in this purposive sample from large international providers to an independent charity with one site. Findings were that managers were mostly well-qualified with degrees or post-graduate qualifications. Many had hospitality industry experience. None had a medical background although they all acknowledged the importance of the clinical services manager who reported to them. All emphasized the importance of a strong and committed team of staff, and the importance of building long-term professional relationships with residents who are well-educated professionals with high expectations. All of them expressed high levels of satisfaction with their roles and concern about the ability to recruit staff for the future. Further research ??? Interviews with residents of retirement villages on their ???lived experience???(Van Manen, 1990; 2014) ??? A large-scale survey of members of the Retirement Villages Association of New Zealand to identify management competencies and education requirements. ??? An analysis of education provision for this sector. Recent Publications 1. Losekoot, E., and Theresa, Z., (2018). Retirement villages: Hospitals or hospitality operations ??? Management attributes and traits. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 34(March), 75-81. doi:10.1016/j.jhtm.2017.12.003 2. Chen, B., Lawson, A. and Theresa, Z. (2018). Preparing future hospitality stars: An investigation into the soft skills required for the hospitality industry from a student???s perspective. Paper presented at the 8th Biennial CRIE Conference: Online Learning in International Education (15-16 January), Auckland, New Zealand. 3. Losekoot, E., and Theresa, Z. (2017). Rest home managers ??? Where are they all coming from? In C. Lee, S. Filep, J.N. Albrecht & W.J.L. Coetzee (Eds.), Time for big ideas? Re-thinking the field for tomorrow. CAUTHE 2017 Conference Proceedings (7-10 Feb) (pp. 704-706). Dunedin, New Zealand. 4. Kelly, R., Losekoot, E., and Wright-StClair, V.A. (2016). Hospitality in hospitals: The importance of caring about the patient. Hospitality & Society, 6(2), 113-129. doi: 10.1386/hosp.6.2.113_1 5. Crutzen, J., Losekoot, E., and Staal, A. (2016). Facilities management professional development: A New Zealand case study. Open Journal of International Education, 1(1), 45-67.

Biography :

Zaina Theresa has a Masters in International Hospitality Management from Auckland University of Technology and is working towards a PhD from Universiti Teknologi Mara. She has hospitality industry experience in both India and New Zealand. Her research interests are in the education and qualifications of hospitality managers and the value of hospitality qualifications. She focusses on exploring the scope of hospitality and widening the employability of hospitality graduates.

E-mail: zainat@ais.ac.nz