She is also the hospitality liaison officer for the Higher Education Academy's HLST network and an executive committee member of the Council for Hospitality Management Education (CHME). Her research interests include the management of affiliated international hotel chains and quality management, and internationalisation within higher education.

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Directorate of Learning Resources Becket, N and Brookes, M (2006) Evaluating quality management in university departments. AbstractPurpose Despite the abundance of research on quality management there is no universal consensus on how best to measure quality in higher education. This paper undertakes a critical evaluation of the different methods used to assess the quality of provision in higher education departments in the UK.Methodology Drawing on relevant literature, the authors develop a quality audit tool that incorporates all key components of effective quality management programmes and apply it to a single UK case study department.Findings The findings suggest that the potential for quality enhancement is determined by the manner in which the evaluation is conducted and subsequent change implemented.Perhaps unsurprisingly there is currently an emphasis on internally derived quantitative data and there is potential to enhance the management of the quality of HE programmes. Research Limitations/ImplicationsThis article has concentrated on the development of the quality audit tool and tested this within one UK department. Work is underway to now test the tool on an international basis.

PurposeThis paper aims to identify the partner selection criteria employed both by franchisors and franchisees in master franchise agreements and evaluate how different selection criteria interact within the selection process and influence the decisions taken.Design/methodology/approachA single embedded case study of an international hotel firm was the focus of the enquiry. Interviews and document analysis were used as the data collection techniques.FindingsThe findings reveal that the establishment of franchise partnership involves a mutual and careful evaluation between franchisors and franchisees to assess whether their partnership criteria are compatible. The partner selection approach determines the extent of importance attached to different task‐ and partner‐related selection criteria. In addition, the study identifies the role that different selection criteria play at different stages of the process.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings are based on a single case study in the international hotel industry and therefore may not be generalisable to other firms or industry sectors. Moreover, the study comprised master franchise agreements, and this contextual variable may impact on the findings determined.Practical implicationsThis paper illuminates the challenges both international franchisors and franchisees face in selecting their partners and proposes that both franchisors and franchisees should employ clearly defined selection criteria, utilise a defined selection process and choose their selection approach carefully in recruiting partners.Originality/valueThis paper cross‐fertilises the strategic alliance and franchise literature to evaluate the interplay of partner selection criteria, process, selection approach and international franchise recruitment. The findings contribute to the understanding of a largely neglected area, franchise partner selection and recruitment, by taking a holistic approach and incorporating the views of both franchisors and franchisees.

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