Amir Shani, Yaniv Poria receive international award for research excellence and accessibility - Hotel & Tourism Management
Dr. Amir Shani and Prof. Yaniv Poria of the Department of Hotel and Tourism Management at the Guilford Glazer Faculty of Business and Management GGFBM, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, and Jeremy Beal of Virginia Tech won the Outstanding Research Report Award of the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education ICHRIE.
The prizewinning study Understanding the Dining Experience of Obese People deals with the restaurant visit experience among people who are characterized as obese. The study, based on in-depth interviews and a qualitative research approach, presents a wide range of difficulties experienced by obese people during their restaurant visit, including unsuitable chairs and tables, and an unpleasant environment (for example, the feeling that other guests stare at them accusingly for being overweight). The research report details management applications that would easily improve the service provided to these guests.
“This research study is characteristic of the GGFBM Department of Hotel Management and Tourism 
in excellence and wide-reaching influence not only among academics, but among practitioners in private and public sectors," comments Prof. Poria who is the Chair of the GGFBM Department of Hotel and Tourism Management as well as Academic Director of the BGU Eilat Campus.
Prof. Oded Lowengart, Dean of the GGFBM stated, “this is an especially rewarding occasion, having Prof. Poria and Dr. Shani's outstanding, original research recognized in the international arena. This attests once again that the GGFBM Department of Hotel and Tourism Management is unquestionably unparalleled among Israeli academic institutions dealing in the fields of tourism, carrying out prolific, highly-ranked research. While such research is of high academic value, of particular note is its relevance, and how it becomes accessible to other stakeholders, such as business people and government regulators."
ICHRIE is one of the most important and prominent international associations for education and tourism and hotel research. The ICHRIE Research Reports, sponsored by Penn State School of Hospitality Management, produces a series of peer-reviewed research reports that are based on academic research findings. Three or more editorial board members conduct a blind-review of the Research Report submissions. ICHRIE Research Reports make academic research findings accessible and translatable to practical applications, to practitioners and policymakers.
The prize will be awarded to the researchers at the Gala Dinner during the ICHRIE annual conference in Palm Springs, California at the end of July, 2018.
The judges praised the researchers, Dr. Shani and Prof. Poria, for the relevance of their research and the availability of the findings to personnel in the field.
The Department of Hotel and Tourism Management is a core part of the Guilford Glazer Faculty of Business and Management since its establishment at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. The vanguard of hotel and tourism research and studies in Israel, the Department is the only one offering BA, MA and PhD degrees in this field. The unique curriculum imparts relevant acumen for the of leaders in the industries of hotel, tourism, aviation, beverage and catering and more. The studies sharpen analytical-business thinking, providing students with experience that prepare them for management, innovation and entrepreneurship in the industries, underscored with leadership, sustainability and social responsibility. The Department has an international reputation for quality research achievements and is ranked among the top 50 in the world by the Shanghai ARWU Global Ranking.
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