Student's intention to join the hotel industry in Malaysia: the role of physical working conditions, pay and benefits, and promotion opportunities

        In Malaysia, little research has been published investigating hospitality graduates’ justification for not joining the hotel industry. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to investigate the influence of physical working conditions, pay and benefits and promotion opportunities on students’ intentions. A self-administered questionnaire was used to gather data and measure respondents’ perceptions, and a total of 102 hospitality students at University Utara Malaysia completed the survey. The study employed correlation and regression analyses to test the hypotheses. It was found that physical working conditions, pay and benefits, and especially promotion opportunities positively influence students’ intention to join the hotel industry. Considering the positive impact of these factors, it is suggested that hoteliers should take initiatives to attract and motivate students to join their industry.