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USC a Partner in a Win-Win Venture in Macau

Dr. E. Sirakaya-Turk: The University's sole Fulbright Scholar for 2006-2007

USC a Partner in a Win-Win Venture in Macau

Dr. Mark P. Becker, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost at the University of South Carolina, met with university officials in Macau recently to cement a student exchange agreement with the Institute for Tourism Macau. In Macau, Becker met with IFT President Fanny Vong, who has already approached the University about expanding the exchange program to include a proposal for a faculty collaborative research venture.

Although Macau (sometimes spelled Macao) is halfway around the world in the South China Sea, USC has partnered with this city in an exchange program for College of Hospitality, Retail, and Sport Management students. This study opportunity will open new vistas to those selected for this venture, giving them great exposure to cultural and social, as well as education opportunities, and to a diversity of experiences that will inform and enrich their personal and professional lives. The exchange of ideas among students, faculty and others in this far-away region of the world will enable students to be successful as they seek hospitality careers in globally shrinking world markets.

Macau’s economy is smaller than Hong Kong’s, but its current rapid growth is led by the tourism and gaming industry, with garment manufacturing not far behind. Macau’s principal export market is the US for textiles, garments, toys, electronics and footwear; imports come primarily from China and Hong Kong.

Tourism is a major driver of Macau’s economy, with gaming being a major draw. The country is “rapidly emerging as the Las Vegas of the Pacific Rim.” Until March 2002, Macau’s 11 casinos were under license to the Sociedade de Turismo e Diversoes de Macau (STDM) syndicate, a concession they had held since 1962. In March of 2006, the government declined to renew that license and, instead, awarded three new casino concessions after a competitive process. One of these was with Las Vegas-based Wynn Resorts, one with Galaxy Casino Company of Hong Kong, which granted a sub-concession to the Venetian Group from Las Vegas; the third company was a STDM subsidiary.

Becker noted that the University o f South Carolina’s “exchange agreement” with the Institute for Tourism Macau “presents an outstanding opportunity to showcase the SC tourism industry to IFT’s top students, and the reciprocal opportunity for our students to witness and experience the development of a major tourism destination.” Becker expressed his hope that this “is the beginning of what will become a steady stream of positive stories highlighting emerging partnerships and projects in the Pacific Rim.”

Dr. Pat Moody, Dean of the College of Hospitality, Retail, and Sport Management, is excited about the experiences this exchange program offers students. “Our majors dovetail perfectly with the many opportunities in the hospitality industry in Macau. As a destination tourism attraction, particularly because of the new Vegas-like complex of casinos—dubbed Dream City—Macau holds many opportunities for both students and faculty for study, research, industry partnerships, and professional collaboration. The potential is almost unimagined to enrich our courses with global real-world experiences which will help put our College in the forefront as a destination attraction for expertise in the tourism industry and for graduates prepared for careers of the future. A win-win for everyone.”

For a visual trip through Macau, visit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thaicarvingteam/
 

Dr. E. Sirakaya-Turk: The University's sole Fulbright Scholar for 2006-2007

The University of South Carolina is academic home to Dr. E. Sirakaya-Turk, the University’s sole Fulbright Scholar for 2006-2007.  Dr. Sirakaya-Turk is a Sloan Foundation Professor of Tourism in the School of Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management, located in the College of Hospitality, Retail, and Sport Management.  He will travel to Russia in February 2007 for a three-month research and teaching tour, primarily with the Saint Petersburg State University of Economics and Finance. 

Dr. Sirakaya-Turk was chosen for this prestigious and distinctive honor by the J. William Fulbright Scholarship Board, composed of twelve educational and public leaders appointed by the President, upon the recommendation of a peer review committee under the administration of the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES).   

The Fulbright Program is the flagship academic exchange program, established in 1946 under legislation introduced by then-Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas.  Since its inception, well over a quarter of a million individuals—“Fulbrighters”—have participated in the program.   

“The Fulbright Program aims to bring a little more knowledge, a little more reason, and a little more compassion into world affairs and thereby to increase the chance that nations will learn at last to live in peace and friendship.”

J. William Fulbright 

Under terms of the exchange, Dr. Sirakaya-Turk will teach at least two graduate and/or undergraduate classes, but he will not actually know what he is to teach until he arrives in Russia.  His proposed areas included research methods in social sciences, marketing research, tourism, tourism economics, tourism marketing, strategic marketing, management, and commercial recreation management.  In addition, Dr. Sirakaya-Turk will be “on call” to give seminars, with the idea of exposing as many people as possible to western life and culture. 

Dr. Sirakaya-Turk has had a long-standing interest in Russian culture, and a genuine appreciation of Russian contributions to humanity and science.  He has continued to develop his interests through research initiatives, particularly “branding Russia as a tourism destination, Russian travelers’ shopping behavior, resident’s attitudes toward sustainable tourism and even foreign travelers’ compliance behavior with Russian laws and moral codes of conduct when interacting with local populations.”  He also has expertise in “ethics issues in other cultures.”  While in St. Petersburg, he hopes to conduct collaborative research with a former colleague from Texas A & M. 

Regarding his Fulbright experience, Sirakaya-Turk feels that “Russian culture and behavior of Russian consumers will benefit” his marketing students, particularly, since he can talk “about commonalities and differences in consumer behavior.”  Although Dr. Sirakaya-Turk does not speak Russian, he has already begun studying the language.  Through his previous experience with Korean, Chinese, and Turkish students, whose native language is other than English, he has become sensitive to their needs and issues involving English, learning to interpret body language as clues to listeners’ understanding in his courses.  He has also assisted in placing graduate students in “highly recognizable institutions in Canada, [the] US and Korea.”   

A Turkish-American who was born in Turkey and raised in Germany, Sirakaya-Turk has lived in the US since 1989.  Having traveled extensively himself, Sirakaya-Turk believes that widening students’ “vision, making them understand and accept diversity” is vital and is a prerequisite to “success in today’s global, multi-ethnic environment.”  An enthusiastic classroom “performer,” he enjoys a reputation as “a tough but fair and cool professor,” creating a learning atmosphere that is fun, relaxing and, at the same time, competitive.   

Dr. Sirakaya-Turk is considered one of the leading authorities in tourism, especially in the global scientific tourism community.  His research will contribute to the professional body of knowledge and will bring visibility and academic credibility not only to the host institution in St. Petersburg, but also to Russian tourism industry as a whole.  Research on Russian tourism is rare, and publications arising from Dr. Sirakaya-Turk’s work will put him at the forefront of academic research in this geographic niche.

Already published in journals such as the Annals of Tourism Research, Journal of Travel Research, Tourism Management, and Tourism Analysis, he founded and is currently Editor-in-Chief of e-Review of Tourism Research, an online tourism research bulletin which aims to close the gap between practitioners and the academic world.  This publication showcases timely, short papers free of academic jargon.  Sirikaya-Turk also serves on editorial boards of several major journals (two mentioned above) as well as Anatolia:  International Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Research.

Money for the Midlands: One HRSM Class Gives Back the Oprah Way

By: Jordan W. Scott 

Because of one USC course, 28 Columbia charities will now be sharing the $25,000 profit made from a new kind of school project.

After viewing an Oprah Winfrey show episode entitled, “The Best Money I Ever Spent,” Patricia Moody, dean of the College of Hospitality, Retail, and Sport Management (HRSM), decided to try the same experiment highlighted on the show. The idea originated with guest pastor, Dan Bellusi, who gave $10,000 to his congregation and then encouraged the members to use that money for positive changes in the community. Their money grew into millions.

“I have always wanted the students in our college to be involved in giving back to their community,” Moody said. “The members of the congregation made their money grow significantly and I wanted to see if the minister’s idea would work in our course.”

Using the Oprah show as her inspiration, Moody began constructing a course where students could participate in a similar project. Her idea was a class where students would learn professional development skills. The students would learn everything from how to build a resume to proper corporate etiquette. Other skills such as business ethics and interviewing techniques would also be learned. Moody believed that one of the ways these skills could be strengthened was through what she deemed “the giving-back project.”

With the help of Tina Weaver, director of Alumni Relations, and professor Karen Kemp, the idea became a reality last spring and is now the newest requirement for all HRSM majors. That course is HRSM Professional Development 301.

This semester, more than 150 students were split into groups of six to eight and then each group was given a $100 bill. A total of 21 groups received money from the Marnie Pearce Professional Fund, a department fund established to enhance students’ educational experience. The initial investment of $2100 grew to a total of $25,000 as each group came up with ideas on how to budget their money and create a fundraising project for a charity of their choice.

“Basically, we were given the hands-on experience,” said Jennifer Jones, a senior sport and entertainment major whose group chose to use their money for Children’s Garden, a homeless shelter for young children. “My group was given our $100 bill, and then we were given free reign to use our own leadership skills and professional skills to make that money grow.”

The leadership skills Jones said she developed came from learning how to work with a group. Each group member was given a specific job for the campaign ranging from team leader to financial planner. Immediately, group meetings and business plans began.

“It was very overwhelming at first,” said Ellis McClenaghan, a senior sport and entertainment management major. McClenaghan’s group hosted a benefit concert at the local bar, Headliners, and eventually raised more than $1000 for the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. “We wanted to raise money for our charity, but at first, we didn’t know the best way to do it. I didn’t even know anybody in my group either. There were a lot of barriers to cross before I could even start thinking about making money for our organization.”

From leadership differences to lack of communication, Kemp said the students faced problems throughout the project that gave them practice in handling real world work situations as well as networking skills.  

“You can talk about how difficult it is to communicate. You can talk about how difficult it is to work with different personalities. You can talk about how to not let your emotions get involved,” said Kemp, who was brought to USC specifically to teach and coordinate the course. “But then you get this project, and you have to come up with an innovative idea. You have to learn to work with others. For the first time, you are creating something out of nothing.”

Jones said creating something out of nothing is exactly what she had to do with her group. Each team created a way to put their money to use. Students did everything from collecting used software to be recycled for money to hosting a boxing match to raise proceeds for the Columbia homeless.

“We decided to pass out lunch bags for loose change,” said Will Hayden, a senior retail major who also helped raise money for Children’s Garden. “We set a goal of $10 a bag and passed out 100 bags in the Columbia area. We went to grocery stores, restaurants, apartment buildings and the USC campus trying to get donations. We put a picture of a homeless child who stayed at Children’s Garden on the bag as well as an explanation of what Children’s Garden did for the community. The response was overwhelmingly positive and we got to give a big check to Children’s Garden because of it.”

McClenaghan said the big checks these groups were writing to their charities were the best rewards for the whole project. She said she felt that USC students were leaving a mark on the community around them by doing this type of school work. Oliver Gospel Mission, Habitat for Humanity, His House, and Palmetto Children’s Hospital are only a few of the charities that benefited from the class’s efforts.

“These students took the initiative,” said Kay McCoy, division director of service line support at Palmetto Health Foundation. “Two groups raised money for our hospital. One group held an auction to sell USC sports paraphernalia and the other had hospitalized children draw gift cards to be sold in the community. The groups gave us close to $2000 from those projects. That is no small contribution either. We will use that money to help build the next children’s hospital for Columbia.”

Moody said it’s this type of initiative and experience that will give USC students the edge over other graduates.

“We want them to be successful in their professional lives, but we also want them to be very good community citizens,” Moody said. “I think the giving-back project has a huge impact on our students. In the beginning, they may think this assignment is just something else students have to do, but at the end they realize how good they have it- how lucky they are to be in college.”

After two months of working for their charities, each group came to class with a presentation on what they learned, how much money they raised, and what effect the project has had on their charity. Each group also had their $100 bill ready to give back to the Pearce Fund, money that future students will once again use to raise money for Columbia charities.

“I did learn a lot about myself in the end,” Jones said. “I’ve made friends that I never would have known and I’ve made contacts for after graduation. I know that some people even wrote Oprah to thank her for making this project public.”

Kemp said she’s not surprised. Raising more than $25,000 this semester, these 21 groups made more than eight times what the first spring class did. She said this year’s total shows that students are excited about creating successful projects for their charities.

“It changes them,” Kemp said. “These students never forget it.”

The opportunity to be a part of this class is now going to be available to all USC students. Students can sign up for this course as an elective starting next semester.
 

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