Impact of Students’ Satisfaction with their Internship Experience on their Career Decision Intention to Stay in the Chinese Hospitality Industry: Moderating Role of Organizational Climate and Organizational Culture

Authors

Lan LuFollow

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Major/Program

Adult Education and Human Resource Development

First Advisor's Name

Thomas Reio

First Advisor's Committee Title

Committee chair

Second Advisor's Name

Emily Anderson

Second Advisor's Committee Title

Committee member

Third Advisor's Name

Haiying Long

Third Advisor's Committee Title

Committee member

Fourth Advisor's Name

Jinlin Zhao

Fourth Advisor's Committee Title

Committee member

Fifth Advisor's Name

Rebekah Schulze

Fifth Advisor's Committee Title

Committee member

Keywords

Internship, Organizational climate, Organizational culture, Career decision intention, Satisfaction, Hotel industry

Date of Defense

3-28-2022

Abstract

This nonexperimental, quantitative study (N = 318) examined the hypothesized model of the relationship between Chinese interns' level of satisfaction, perceptions of organizational climate, perceptions of organizational culture, and career decision intention to stay in the hospitality industry when they graduate. An internet-based self-report battery of four scales was administered to students with an internship experience from the Marriott Tianjin China Program, a branch of the School of Hospitality & Tourism Management at Florida International University (FIU). Hypotheses were tested through correlational analyses and hierarchical regression analytic procedures.

The results show that the variables interns' satisfaction, perceived organizational climate, perceived organizational culture were all significantly and positively associated with career decision intention to stay. Furthermore, the results confirmed that the relationship between interns' level of satisfaction and their career decision intention to stay was moderated by organizational climate and organizational culture.

The findings of this study confirm the applicability of concepts behind Herzberg’s (1959) two-factor theory, Parsons’ (1909) theory of career decision, organizational climate, and organizational culture in a Chinese cultural context. Implications for theory, research, and HRD practice are highlighted as possible strategic leverage points for developing a better organizational climate and organizational culture that increase interns’ level of satisfaction as a means for improving their career decision intention to stay in the hospitality industry when they graduate.

Identifier

FIDC010525

ORCID

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5364-9207

Recommended Citation

Lu, Lan, "Impact of Students’ Satisfaction with their Internship Experience on their Career Decision Intention to Stay in the Chinese Hospitality Industry: Moderating Role of Organizational Climate and Organizational Culture" (2022). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 4945.
https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/4945