Human resource issues in international hospitality,travel and tourism: a snapshot

Human resource issues in international hospitality,

travel and tourism: a snapshot

N. D'Annunzio-Green

Lecturer, Napier University, Edinburgh, UK

G.A. Maxwell

Senior Lecturer, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, UK

S. Watson

Head of HRM Cognate Area, Napier University, Edinburgh, UK

Globalisation is, increasingly, preoccupying

industry practitioners, academics and

students in interrelated fields of hospitality,

travel and tourism (Gannon and Johnson,

1995). As a result the number of texts focusing

on human resources in the international

context of hospitality, travel and tourism is

steadily growing. While each of these texts

has its merits, few of them concentrate on

cross-sectoral analyses (Costa, 1995; Ingram,

1995). Further, none of the texts published to

date combines mainstream human resource

theory with the international context of

hospitality, travel and tourism. To meet this

market need, the authors of this piece are

developing an edited text on international

hospitality, travel and tourism organisations

(Human Resource Developments and Issues in

International Hospitality, Travel and

Tourism, Cassell) for publication in 2002.

This text will:

. analyse the contemporary theory on the

nature of the management and

development of human resources in these

sectors;

. draw from a worldwide survey,

undertaken for the text, on current human

resource issues and priorities in

international hospitality, travel and

tourism organisations;

. include contributors' chapters which

explore particular issues in relevant case

organisations; and

. critically discuss emergent themes and

exigent issues in contemporary and

prospective human resource management

in the specific context of international

hospitality, travel and tourism.

The survey stage of the development of the

text is now reaching completion. Some 472

international organisations (defined as

operating in two or more countries) in every

continent have been surveyed by the authors.

The survey invited the most senior human

resource specialist in each organisation to

prioritise current and future (defined as the

period 2001-2006) human resource issues.

Inclusion of prospective issues is considered

important as their identification offers some

insight into the extent of forward planning

for human resource issues. The potential

issues ± 35 in total ± were specified in the

questionnaire under the generic headings of

Performance management, Labour markets,

Managing change and Organisational

Culture/Cross-cultural dimensions. In each

category, respondents were asked to identify

any other current/future human resource

issues. Lastly, respondents were asked to

indicate which issues are included in their

organisation's strategic planning. A total of

67 questionnaires have been returned,

representing over 300,000 employees in

countries around the world. These responses

can be considered as indicative of

international hospitality, travel and tourism

organisations in general. Initial analysis of

the questionnaire results reveals that for the

surveyed organisations the issues

highlighted in Table I are priority for the

majority ± taken as 34 or more ± of the

respondent companies.

Evidently, a wide range of human resource

dimensions, spanning employee resourcing,

development and relations, are significant at

present to international hospitality, travel

and tourism organisations. That these

dimensions are significant is also indicated

by their inclusion in the future issues

identified by the respondents, albeit in a

slightly different order of priority. The issues

highlighted as prospectively important also

include further human resource dimensions,

as Table II illustrates, strongly suggesting an

element of strategic planning in HRM.

Thus, in short, human resource issues are

of central importance to international

hospitality, travel and tourism organisations

in terms of the range of issues, the dynamic

nature of the issues and, at least potentially,

their organisational impact.

Research in brief

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[ 215 ]

International Journal of

Contemporary Hospitality

Management

12/3 [2000] 215±216

# MCB University Press

[ISSN 0959-6119]

Keywords

Tourism, Hospitality, Travel,

Human resource development

Abstract

Announces the research done to

support the writing of a new text

on human resources issues in the

international field of tourism and

hospitality. Pinpoints the 34 cur￾rent areas of interest and those

identified as of strategic impor￾tance for the future.

The editors of the text are

inviting expressions of

interest in contributing to

the text on any individual or

combined issues identified

above. Proposed chapter

contributions should be no

longer than 400 words,

proposals should specify:

the topic and objectives of

the proposed chapter; and

the proposed hospitality/

travel/tourism basis of the

chapter, together with a

case organisation which will

be included in the chapter.

In the case of more than

one author, the main

contact should be identified.

Please send chapter

proposals to: Sandra

Watson, Napier University,

Craighouse Campus,

Craighouse Road, Edinburgh

EH10 5LG. E-mail:

[email protected]