Faculty & Research
H.G. Parsa
H. G. Parsa is currently an associate professor and chair of graduate studies in hospitality management at the Ohio State University. He holds a PhD in hospitality management, two MS degrees, and a Food Management Professional (FMP) diploma. He is the editor-in-chief of Journal of Foodservice Business Research. In 2005-2006, he received a Fulbright Visiting Scholar Fellowship to evaluate hospitality education in India and to recommend to the Indian government ways to enhance graduate education in hospitality management.
He published numerous research papers in business and hospitality journals. He serves on the editorial boards of several academic journals and serves as a frequent reviewer for national conferences, including the Association for Consumer Research and the American Marketing Association. His research has appeared in refereed journals such as Cornell Hospitality Quarterly; Journal of Business Research; Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research; Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Education; Journal of Restaurant and Foodservice Marketing; Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality and Tourism; Journal of College and University Foodservice; and proceedings of a national conference of the International Society of Franchising. He has presented papers nationally and internationally, in Canada, Australia, India, and China. His research was quoted in the popular press, including the New York Times, NPR, WOSU, Chicago Tribune, USA Today, Fortune, and 35 regional newspapers.
His research interests include pricing strategies in foodservice; analysis of factors that contribute to small-business failure/success; franchising and quick-service restaurant-chain management; strategic marketing in hospitality; and changing American food habits. He is a member of Association for Consumer Research; Council of Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education; and Society for Consumer Psychology. At Ohio State University, he teaches courses in psychology of pricing, case studies in marketing, hospitality marketing, and restaurant management.
In 2006, he received the Best Published Paper award at the International CHRIE and also at the Euro-CHRIE. Dr. Parsa is the first person to receive excellence in teaching and research awards the same year presented by the Council of Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education. He received John Wiley Teaching Innovation Award and Bradford Wiley Excellence in Research Award in 2006 and 2000. Earlier he received the President's Award for Excellence in Research and Creativity presented by the State University of New York - Buffalo. As a graduate student, he received "Outstanding Graduate Researcher of the Year" award. He successfully mentored several graduate students who are highly placed at research, Land Grant universities.
Prior to joining academia, Dr. Parsa spent omore than a decade in the hospitality industry, working with several restaurant chains, private clubs, and institutional foodservice operators. During the past two years, he has undertaken several projects involving OSU students and restaurateurs of central Ohio. He serves on the executive board of the Central Ohio Restaurant Association and the Ohio Restaurant Association. He also serves on the consumer advisory board of the Columbus [Ohio] health department. Finally, he has been a volunteer with the Meals on Wheels program in Columbus since 2004, and a similar program in Buffalo, New York.