NEWS

The 2021 Inter-university Joint Student Symposium on Tourism, Hospitality and Leisure Research was held online on January 22 with participation of more than 100 undergraduate and graduate students and faculty members from nine universities in Japan. The symposium has been held since the academic year of 2018 to encourage research exchange among seminar students across universities. Though the 2018 and 2019 events were held on the APU campus, this is the second year the event has been held online, successfully welcoming the largest numbers of participants and presentations thus far. This symposium featured 41 research presentations from undergraduate and graduate students from seven universities (APU, Wakayama University, Kansai Gaidai University, Yamaguchi University, the University of the Ryukyus, Tamagawa University, and Hitotsubashi University), an organiser from Kanagawa University, and an observer from Hokusei Gakuen University. The symposium was co-chaired by the College of International Management’s Associate Professor Hiroaki Saito. Additionally, Professors Thomas Jones and Bui Thanh Huong of the College of Asia Pacific Studies served on the organizing committee.

APU students successfully secured four awards in various categories, including Group Presentation Awards, Undergraduate presentation Awards, and Two Awards for Creative Presentations.

Associate Professor Saito, who co-hosted the symposium, said, “The quality of the student presentations is rising at a tremendous speed year by year. I hope through this event, which is a milestone for seminar students, their research and presentation skills will continue to improve.”

Award Winners

Group Presentation Award

Post COVID-19 Job Outlook for Migrant Workers in Japan: A Micro Analysis
Trong Khoi Luu (Collage of Asia Pacific Studies 3rd year, Vietnam), Md Mahmuduzzaman (Collage of International Management 3rd year, Bangladesh), The Quang Pham (Collage of Asia Pacific Studies 3rd year, Vietnam), Nhat Mai Nguyen (Collage of Asia Pacific Studies 3rd year, Vietnam), Xuan Truc Lam (Collage of Asia Pacific Studies 3rd year, Vietnam) & Moeka Kanemaru (Collage of Asia Pacific Studies 3rd year, Japan)

Undergraduate Student Presentation Award

How COVID-19 Pandemic Affected Hotel Employees’ Satisfaction: Employee Perception on the Organization’s COVID-19 Responses Affecting Motivation and Job Performance
Aurelia Larissa (College of International Management 4th year, Indonesia)

Creative Oral Presentation Award

Strategic Responses of the Hotel Sector to COVID-19: Comparison Between International Hotel Chains and Local/Small Hotels in Japan
Van Ha Le (College of International Management 4th year, Vietnam)
The Relationship Between Managerial Control and Occupational Stress as Traditional Workspaces Transition Into Telework
Natashia Tabattanon (College of International Management 4th year, Kingdom of Thailand)