NHM Faculty Brings Home ICHIRIE Award

Dr. Cindy Choi (right) and co-author Imma Inna Soifer (center) were presented with the 2nd place award for their case study at the 2017 Annual ICHRIE Conference held in Baltimore, Maryland.

The International Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education (ICHRIE) recently recognized Dr. Eun-Kyong (Cindy) Choi, UM Assistant Professor of Nutrition and Hospitality Management, for her 2nd place win in the Johnson & Wales Hospitality & Tourism Case Study Competition for her case study, “Is Social Media Marketing a Necessary Evil?”

The three most highly evaluated and commented case studies submitted to the competition will appear in the Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Cases, published annually since 2012. These case studies provide innovative ideas, business best practices, professional dilemmas, and lessons learned from the tourism and hospitality reality.

In their case study, Choi and co-author, Inna Soifer of the University of Memphis, presented an analysis of the proliferation and popularity of Social Networking Sites (SNSs) and how they’ve changed the way companies communicate with their customers and promote their businesses.   Many companies, especially small businesses, find managing their SNSs to be challenging due to a lack of time and poor managerial skills.  Their case study illustrates problems faced by an independently owned and operated restaurant with regard to managing its SNSs.  Specifically, it addresses the issues from the perspectives of the manager, the front-of-the-house employees, and the back-of-the-house employees.  It also generates discussion on who should manage a business’s SNSs, and how to manage them effectively.