Am I Choosing the Right Career? The Implications of COVID-19 on the Occupational Attitudes of Hospitality Management Students

The hospitality industry is under threat from COVID-19 To improve understanding of how such a crisis is impacting the attractiveness of pursuing a career in the hospitality industry, this study examines how and under what circumstances the negative emotions invoked by COVID-19 influence hospitality management students’ occupational attitudes We find that in addition to diminishing their occupational identification and in turn, job choice intention, that the effects of these negative emotions are channeled through three salient motivational pathways, namely self-efficacy, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and passion Thus, in addition to advancing theory by providing a more nuanced conceptualization of the effects of negative emotions on occupational attitudes, this study identifies important leverage points that can be harnessed to help mitigate the harmful emotional effects of a crisis, such as COVID-19, an important and timely contribution that the authors hope will help restore the attractiveness of pursuing a career in hospitality management and be of benefit to aspiring hospitality management talent Future research directions and implications to theory and practice are discussed