6S3H : Hospitality Management : Assessment Answers

For this assessment, you must write an individual report. You should avoid choosing a company similar to another student and your lecturer will prepare an off-company list. A criteria/marking sheet for the RESEARCH REPORT can be found at the end of this outline. In order to bring the course concepts to life, you will be required to apply them to a real organisation. Choose a hospitality company and identify and critically evaluate on how one(s) key element of Hospitality, Cultures and People is enacted in the organisation through thorough research. 

Further, critically assess on any problems or issues the organisation faces in relation to this element. Then, make recommendations on how the organisation can improve on its delivery and management of the elements. You may use secondary data, i.e. you will need to research the organisation on the internet or similar. Students may also use primary sources such as industry personnel interviews. In such a case, interviewees must be properly identified in the paper in terms of organisation, position and name. You need to apply concepts based on academic knowledge gained from this subject. Your literature, however, needs to be academically appropriate, which means that 1) your information sources must be from either academic journal articles and /or government/business reports; 2) 

Answer:

Introduction:

Background

Literature review

From management perspectives, comprehensive texts explore employment and human resource issues within hospitality industry. Issues like job satisfaction, pay, organisational structure, working conditions, skills and service quality are typically focussed by business firms in services industry (Wang, 2015). However, it is to be noted that most of the organisations faces issues from the above-mentioned list in human resource context. Therefore, people and culture in hotel industry are the most researched term while recognising organisational structure of hotels and tourism companies.

The tourism and hospitality industry operate round the clock and due to extended work hours, seasonal fluctuations in work criteria and work intensive jobs, human resource management of Shangri La have to face unique challenges. According to Pearlman & Scaffer (2013), there will be severe changes in demographic shifts and work culture in upcoming years also as the baby boom period is about to retire. The workforce growth is also expected to decline while the labour supply will be more diversified. This force in labour challenges have made many international hotel companies think about future and restructuring of labour force in their employee management strategies.

Report Body

Discussion/Analysis

Cultural struggles in Asian and Australian countries such as language barriers, societal beliefs, difference in business attitudes and pattern of behaviour shows implications in the role human resources for gaining quality service in tourism and hospitality industry. Other Asian countries where Shangri La operates in like China, Sri Lanka and Bhutan also have many cultural barriers due to which the success of the company becomes largely depended on labour force. Consequently, culture and human management have impacted the operations and businesses of hotel industry and since Shangri La rests on its fundamental values, it has to struggle with shortage of desired labour (Debrah, 2016).

In literature, it is found that company structure and hierarchy are responsible to some extent for the development of firm’s internal management and employee retention schemes. Shangri La hospitality management in Asian countries therefore differs that from Australian regions where the change is reflected through new cultural mix encompassing strengths and weaknesses in employee retention (Appendix A). Shangri La although have responded to these challenges while entering new market and has remained flexible, unless its core values are exploited.

Recommendations:

Merely attracting people will not solve quality issue completely for which Shangri La can make arrangement for training and educating its staff through career development programs. Upgradation schemes will also enhance work performance and skills in hospitality line. Shangri La can even approach hospitality management colleges to hire fresh talent who possess advance knowledge as compared to immigrants who have little to no knowledge. Motivational classes for employees can improve standard and morale of internal staff who lacks motivation to work more. There are many motivational theories present in literature like Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Frederick Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene Theory, Vroom’s Expectancy Theory, etc. that can be undertaken by the firm to motivate work force in its internal management (Lam & Ho, 2015).

In countries where professional of special field proves expensive to the firm, Shangri La can outsource its functions to other resources instead of hiring full time staff. Since hotel and tourism business is seasonal based, this recommendation can prove important without hampering service quality ( Brien, Thomas, & Hussei, 2015).

Conclusion:

References:

Khaing, I., & Phongtaveewut, T. (2016). A Study of Customers Satisfaction and Customer Loyalty of Sule Shangri-La, Yangon. International Journal of Thesis Projects and Dissertations (IJTPD), 04(02), 167-175.

Lub, X., Bijvank, M. N., Bal,, P. M., Blomme, R., & Schalk, R. (2012). Emerald Article: Different or alike?: Exploring the psychological contract and commitment of different generations of hospitality workers. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 24(04), 553-573. Retrieved from https://matthijsbal.com/articles/Lub_etal_2012_IJCHM.pdf

Debrah, Y. A. (2016). Management of Operative Staff in a Labour-scarce Economy: The Views of Human Resource Managers in the Hotel Industry in Singapore. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 32(01), 41-60.

Korjala, V. (2012). Cultural Diversity in Hospitality Management. Retrieved from https://www.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/55331/Korjala_Veera.pdf

Turtle Trader. (2012). Shangri La Hotels-Solid Investment but no Rush. Retrieved from https://turtleinvestor888.blogspot.com/2012/01/

Wang, W. (2015). A Content Analysis of Hospitality Reports from the Center of Hospitality Research in Cornell University: 2001-2014. Open Journal of Applied Sciences, 618-633.