P4H 2013 the motion: In the current economic climate, vocational
experience is more
relevant than traditional academia for a
management career in hospitality.
 | |
| Wonderful UoB debaters Jeff, Sarah and George. |
Yet the two finalist teams
from London Metropolitan University and Hotel School the Hague gave it their
best with arguments that could sway the audience either way. However the spirit of the competition can be
captured in a single quote from the Hague… the cost of failing in business
is more expensive than the cost of your degree…
Of course in
the UK unlike the Netherlands the costs for a degree have escalated to dizy heights
yet the quote stands true whether we are talking about a 20k debt or a 60k debt
. So many small businesses have found
themselves in debts exceeding the 100k mark that having the right knowledge in
management is key to their survival.
I guess as an
academic and consultant myself I was relieved that in the end The Hague won the
argument, I guess we all like it when our existence is justified.
In essence
though, the undercurrents of all arguments and the resonating message from both teams (and one that I chose to champion) is
that you cant have one without the other and in a world of social media and
technological revolution with increasing education choices, it is increasingly
easier to both have your cake and eat it!
PS. Thank you
to my team from University of Brighton for their hard work and delivering a fantastic presentation in the heats, the organisers at the Instituteof Hospitality and all participating teams and mentors for making yesterday an
exceptional day in London, and my congratulations again to the great team from the Hague for wining it as well as The London Metropolitan University team for reaching the finals.
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