Biography
Robert C. Ford (PhD, Arizona State University) is professor emeritus of management at the University of Central Florida where his focus has been on managing service organizations. Prior to joining UCF he was professor of management at the University of North Florida and Management Department Chair at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Bob came to UCF in 1993 as department chair of hospitality management and later became the College of Business Administration’s Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and External Programs. In 2003, he left administrative roles to join the faculty in the Department of Management.
Across his career, Bob has been an active contributor to the knowledge base of management. He has authored or coauthored nearly 100 publications in both top research journals such as the Academy of Management Journal and Journal of Applied Psychology and leading practitioner journals such as the Academy of Management Executive, California Management Review, Business Horizons, and Organizational Dynamics. He has also presented his work at a number of professional meetings and serves on several editorial boards. He has written several books including Principles of Management: A Decision Making Approach, Organization Theory: An Integrative Approach, The Fun Minute Manager, Achieving Service Excellence: Strategies for Healthcare, Managing Quality Service in Hospitality, and HR at Your Service.
In his professional roles, Bob has served the Academy of Management as editor of The Academy of Management Executive, Chair of both the Management History and the Management Education and Development Divisions, Chair of Placement, Chair of the Ethics Adjudication Committee, Board member of the Human Resource Management Division, and co-founder of the Community of Academy Senior Scholars. He has also been active in the Southern Management Association (SMA) where he held every elected office including president. He is a founding member and past Chair of the Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration and was a member of the Destination Marketing Accreditation Commission.
In his service to the community, Bob has been President of the Rotary Club of Orlando twice, a member of the Central Florida YMCA’s Board of Directors and a trustee for the Leu Gardens. Among other appointed service roles, he is a member of the Florida Board of Realtor’s Education Committee and was on the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation Advisory Board.
In recognition of both his academic field and professional associations, Bob has been honored by several organizations. Besides receiving outstanding contributions to journal awards, Bob has been invited to the University of Queensland as the W. James Whyte Visiting Research Fellow twice, honored by the Management Education and Management Development Division of the Academy of Management for his long time service, and recognized as the Paul Brown Awardee for Distinguished Service to Hospitality Education by the Florida Hotel and Motel Association. For his service to the Southern Management Association, he was awarded SMA’s Distinguished Service Award. He is also a SMA Fellow and a past dean. Most recently he was awarded the “Richard M. Hodgetts Distinguished Career Award,” by the Management History Division of the Academy of Management. He was awarded emeritus status by UCF in 2012 to honor his contributions to the university and to his profession.