Securing graduate commitment: an exploration of the comparative expectations of placement students, graduate recruits and Human Resource Managers within the Hospitality, Leisure and Tourism industries

Abstract This research begins the process of mapping out human resource (HR) strategies appropriate to the needs of actual and potential graduate employees. The perceptions and attitudes of placement students, recent graduates working in the sector and managers with responsibility for graduate development were surveyed, looking at the elements that make up the initial psychological contract of students on first encounter with the sector; the types of organisational HR practice that are seen as meeting the needs of employees; the role that universities can play in constructing expectations and bridging gaps between the graduate and the employer. It was found that the nature of the contract shifts from relational to transactional between placement and employment.