Professional Development Programs for Hospitality Leaders

The Cornell Nanyang Institute of Hospitality Management (CNI) is currently accepting applications for specially designed and sharply focused three day courses in January 2008 for different career specializations in the hospitality industry.

Participants can choose from over forty intensive Professional Development Program (PDP) workshops in one of the following areas: food, beverage and restaurant management; general and strategic management; human-resource management; marketing; operations management; and property asset management and real estate. The PDP teaches prevailing management techniques and is presented by internationally recognized faculty members and industry leaders.

Cornell has conducted PDP for the past forty years in Ithaca, and two years ago launched the courses in Singapore, making it affordable for Asian hospitality professionals to attend. Since the program started in Singapore in 2006, over four hundred participants from thirty countries have come to Singapore to attend the PDP. The PDP typically has hospitality professionals from diverse areas and regions and fully integrates the expertise of the participants in the classroom learning.

“The PDP offers participants a unique opportunity to engage with peers from around the world in an academic setting. Participants gain knowledge and a comprehensive skill set for their area of specialization within the hospitality industry, which provides a useful platform for future career growth. An excellent career pause in which to think, learn, and grow,” said Dr. Judy Siguaw, Dean of the Cornell-Nanyang Institute of Hospitality Management.

John Patrick Chan, General Manager of The Bellevue Manila urges people contemplating the course to sign up, “PDP 2007 was great! My January stint in Singapore was my second time to attend the PDP and once again I have gained invaluable knowledge and insights from fellow members of the global hospitality industry.”

Popular courses include the “Managing People: Essential Skills for Leadership” programme run by J. Bruce Tracey, Associate Professor, School of Hotel Administration, Cornell University and “Fundamentals of Hotel Investment and Financing Decision”, led by Jan deRoos, HVS International Professor of Hotel Finance and Real Estate, School of Hotel Administration, Cornell University.

Tracey, who will fly out from New York to run the course in Singapore, has taught courses on human resources management and organizational behavior for undergraduate, graduate, and executive audiences. His primary research interests include training, leadership, employment law, and turnover costs and recent sponsors for research and consulting include Four Seasons, Le Parker Meridien, and ClubCorp.

Professor de Roos has been on the faculty of the Hotel School since 1988, and has devoted his career to hospitality real estate; with a focus on the development, financing, and operation of lodging assets. He holds B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees from Cornell University, all with majors in Hotel Administration. de Roos' current research is focused on two themes - investment returns to lodging properties and supply/demand dynamics of lodging markets. He is one of the primary researchers responsible for producing the Lodging Property Index, a quarterly publication that reports the total returns to lodging property. The Lodging Property Index is a collaborative effort between the American Hotel and Motel Association (AH&MA), Cornell University, and the lodging industry.

The PDP program will run from January 7-19 in 2008. Course fees are US$1,931 per person inclusive of prevailing Singapore GST. Early payment discounts apply for those who pay their fees in full by November 9, 2007.

See other recent news regarding: Travel News Asia, Hotels, Cornell, Singapore