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Abstract
Purpose - The paper is a reflection on the changes that have taken place in the area of food and beverage and serves as a reminder that it is still one of the most complex activities within the area of hospitality.
Design/methodology/approach - The paper highlights major changes, with particular emphasis on marketing and the rising influence of design. However, the basic argument is that the changes that have taken place during the last two decades are essentially add-ons to the basic activities of the function: very little has fallen away. In other words, although technological advances, particularly in the kitchen, and the invasion of modern business techniques, such as branding and business process engineering, have brought new activities, the need for the traditional knowledge and skills remains. This makes modern food and beverage management an even more complex activity but an exciting one.
Findings - The paper acknowledges the changing career patterns of those with food and beverage backgrounds but suspects that it is skill the bedrock of hotel management.
Practical implications - The paper defends the case for food and beverage training within hospitality management courses but acknowledges the problems associated with this.
Originality/value - The conclusion drawn is that educational decisions need a full appraisal of the functions of modern food and beverage management: which is the purpose of this paper.
Keywords Food industry, Hotel and catering industry, Vocational training, Hospitality management
Paper type Viewpoint
The past few decades have wrought great changes on the functions of management and the way in which business is conducted. No generic function has been left untouched and it would be surprising if a specialist vocation role such as food and beverage management had escaped the march of progress - it has not. The changes in generic management that have been brought about by information technology and globalisation have created whole new ways of marketing, financing distributing and organising work. Although it is almost automatic to assume the influence of progress, in this changing milieu, it is still worth asking the question: how different is change? In other words, to assess the extent of change it is necessary to understand what change actually implies. Often, in changing situations there is a tension between the...