Technology

Abstract

The presence of technology in the hospitality industry is increasing at a rapid rate. Technology has had an effect on the efficiency of many facets of the hospitality industry. Despite the growing number of meetings, conventions, and conferences, there has not been a published needs assessment study of training needs-especially technology needs-of hospitality sales managers. This paper presents the results of the first part of a study that examined technology training needs for hospitality sales managers and meeting planners. The top three technology skills training needs that surfaced in the 1996 study included advertising/marketing on the Internet, developing request for proposals, and meeting planning/sales management systems.     

Innovation activity in the hotel industry: Evidence from Balearic Islands

The paper provides empirical evidence on technological activity in the Spanish service sector, in particular for the tourist accommodation in the Balearics. The study wants to fulfil the lack of analyses in the field of tourism. Commonly, the study of innovation activity has been carried out from a manufacture perspective, for that reason the paper discusses the precise definition of innovation in accommodation services. The data refer to a large representative sample of hotels in Balearic Islands (Spain), providing a homogeneous set of information. The results show as higher-categories hotels are more innovative than lower-categories hotels; an aggregated measure of technological innovation presents a rate over the average for hotels that belong to a chain, and that for hotels under management contract. Half of innovative companies adjust the human capital skills and abilities. The hotel industry is a supplier-driven sector that innovates introducing R&D embodied technology rather than undertaking internal R&D activities.     

A Review of Web-Based Job Advertisements for Australian Event Management Positions

Abstract

Strong growths in the Australian event management industry, ongoing technological changes and the internationalization of the market place has spurred the need for appropriately educated and trained event managers and for a re-evaluation of educational and job training curriculum to meet these new challenges. In order for Australia to position itself as a world leader in event management, it is important to provide consistent high professional standards and event managers that not only meet, but exceed the demands of the industry. While there is some literature that focuses on the tourism and leisure job market (Crossley, 1992; Keung & Pine, 2000), and a small but developing literature base that focuses on event management training (Harris & Jago, 1999; Hawkins & Goldbatt, 1995) relatively little consideration has been given to a national agenda for event management skilling.

To provide an indication of current employer requirements, a nationwide study of job advertisements in event management has commenced. The aims of the study are to further the understanding of the educational needs and training requirements of the industry; to ascertain the learned skills and personal attributes sought from event managers; to determine the compatibility of industry demands with current educational and vocational provisions; and to suggest post-secondary institutional avenues through which event management education and training needs can be pursued. This is an ongoing study and it is hoped that it will contribute towards a broad scale understanding of the event management job market. More importantly, however, it can be used as the basis for curriculum evaluation and training needs, and create a better understanding and compatibility between event management education and industry practice.

This paper reports the preliminary results from a content analysis of approximately 100 web-based job advertisements. E-mail alert accounts were established with several search engines to gather a sample of event management related job advertisements from around Australia. An analytical framework was devised for the analysis of the advertisements themselves. The results reveal several interesting trends including the geographical concentration of the event management job market, the range of industries that require event management specialists or event management skills, and a series of required skills and key attributes of event managers. The results of this study establish a platform from which to develop a classification of event management skills required by the industry.     

Learning Provision,the Labour Market and Skills Needs of the Tourism and Related Sectors in Wales

Abstract

This paper reports results of a project commissioned by the Tourism Training Forum for Wales to assess the labour market, learning provision and skills needs of the tourism and related sectors in Wales, in light of the establishment of People 1st, one of 22 employer-led Sector Skills Councils under the umbrella of the Sector Skills Development Agency, which represents a new approach to skills development in the United Kingdom. Standard industrial classification codes do not map well onto the sector footprint and are insufficiently fine grained which makes it impossible to construct a complete picture from official statistics. Employers report skills gaps amongst a range of staff and a lack of “soft” skills amongst job applicants. Learning provision across Wales was deemed to be sufficient, but it does not necessarily reflect the needs of industry. The paper concludes that despite a consensus on the need to upgrade skills, improve professionalism and to nurture a training culture, there is an absence of an integrated approach to delivering learning and training that is designed to ensure the quality standards which will ensure destination competitiveness.     

Improving hotel budgetary practice—A positive theory model

Budgeting is the most widely used management accounting technique. This research considered contemporary hotel sector practice and theory concerning budgeting. The rationale for existing practice was further explored through qualitative research. This led to the development of recommendations concerning budgetary processes within the hotel sector.The results identified some aspects of practice that can be improved, particularly participation in the budgeting process at lower management levels in organizations and the financial training needs of non-financial managers. These findings have implications for management in the industry and recommendations for how current budgeting practice in hotels can be enhanced are given.     

The contribution of personality to graduate managerial training

It is postulated that personality assessment can contribute significantly to the design of first-line management training and development programmes. Based on a comparative exploratory study of 70 hospitality students and 94 service sector managers in Hungary, the contribution of their relative personality profiles, as measured by Cattell's 16PF5, to managerial personal and interpersonal competencies is examined The findings reveal a mismatch between the personality profiles of the students and the managers. It is concluded that objectively assessed prospective trainee personality profiles can generate appropriate topics for both company and individual management development and training programmes.     

Skills and the Hospitality Sector in a Transition Economy: The Case of Front Office Employment in Kyrgyzstan

Notwithstanding the globalization of services and the migration of some service providers (call centres, financial processing) to regions of low-cost labour coupled with high levels of educational attainment, there are arguments that the skills which employees bring to the workplace in executing common tasks are substantially influenced by the economic, political and cultural context of the location where they are used. This paper is concerned with the skills set and training background of one set of hospitality workers, those in the front office, located within the transition economy of Kyrgyzstan, a former Soviet republic.

This paper reports the findings of a survey of front office workers working in the only three international standard hotels in Kyrgyzstan, all located in the capital city of Bishkek. The findings point to relatively high levels of educational attainment among respondents and a level of commitment to a long-term career in the hotel sector, both of which contrast sharply with the situation to be found in Western Europe. The study also notes the virtual absence of in-service training opportunities for service workers in this area away from the workplace.     

Key Managerial Accounting Skills for Lodging Industry Managers: The Third Phase of a Repeated Cross-Sectional Study

This study is the third phase of a repeated cross-sectional study that explores the current rankings of important accounting skills to lodging managers and the changes in the importance of accounting skills to lodging managers over time. In this study, as with two prior studies, financial executives were asked to rate the importance of a list of managerial accounting skills used by hotel general managers. The top three managerial accounting skills were the operating budget, the income statement, and analysis of variances. This study can provide a better sense of the perception of importance of accounting skills utilized by lodging managers. It will be useful for hospitality educators in designing the curriculum for managerial accounting courses to meet the expectations of the current hospitality industry.     

Knowledge-based resources and innovation in the hotel industry

Although the study of innovation in the hotel industry is a key issue, little is known about the determinants of innovation in this sector, as most innovation research has focused on manufacturing firms or knowledge-intensive services. Furthermore, although research suggests that knowledge is a critical asset for achieving innovation performance, few studies have explored how knowledge operates in the hotel industry. This paper aims to provide empirical evidence about the role played by a set of knowledge-based resources in determining innovation activity in tourist accommodation firms. Data from 109 companies operating hotels in Spain suggest that intangible assets should be considered in this sector when attempting to explain the innovation capacity of firms.     

Towards Strategic Intent: Perceptions of disability service provision amongst hotel accommodation managers

The tourism sector globally has become increasingly mindful of how an ageing population is reshaping service provision forms and offerings. This being particularly true of accommodation operations where there is a now a growing recognition of the commercial value for providing market groups with exceptional service. With this in mind, this study sought to ascertain the perceptions of managers in the accommodation sector towards disability service provision with a view to identifying any current service gaps or failings. An inductive, qualitative approach was used with the data collection phase incorporating a series of one on one interviews and a focus group. The in-depth interviews were conducted with 10 managers of hotels deemed to have accessible rooms that complied with the relevant building codes and standards. A focus group comprised 22 managers of hotels located in the Sydney central business district, Australia. Study findings revealed five key themes that had not been previously discussed in the literature. They were: inclusive attitudinal approach; safety; the responsibility of people with a disability to communicate their needs to the hotel; perceptions of accessible rooms by the general public; and operational processes. Related themes that emerged from the data analysis that had previously been aligned with the literature included: legislative responsibility, policy and building codes; disability as a market segment; staff awareness/training; and language, marketing, and promotion information. Implications with respect to management of accessible rooms in the accommodation sector are outlined and further areas of research are proposed.     

From innovation to sustainability: Sustainability innovations of eco-friendly hotels in Taiwan

Sustainable innovation is a critical attribute in modern hotel management, as is widely recognized by experts and hotel managers alike. This paper develops and tests a new integrated theoretical model of associations among innovation diffusion, environmental marketing strategy, sustainability innovations, and the organizational environment. This research also considers the mediating effect of environmental marketing strategy and the moderating role of the organizational environment. The results of a study that included 367 managers of eco-friendly hotels in Taiwan provide support for this model across various dimensions of hotels’ sustainable innovation. The present study found relationships among innovation diffusion, environmental marketing strategy and sustainability innovations, and a mediating effect of environmental marketing strategy. The results also confirmed that the organizational environment moderates the relationship between innovation diffusion and environmental marketing strategy. That is, a supportive organizational environment will enhance the effect of innovation diffusion on environmental marketing strategy.     

Career paths of hotel general managers in Turkey

This article investigates the career paths of hotel general managers (HGMs) in a developing country, namely Turkey. Based on an in-depth literature review, a questionnaire was developed and data were collected from 168 HGMs in Turkey. Compared to previous studies, this study found a higher percentage of female HGMs working in hotels. According to the research findings, almost half of the respondents received formal education in hospitality and tourism. The participating respondents most frequently reached the HGM position through working in the front office department and the food and beverage department. Honesty, interpersonal skills, and loyalty were found to be the top three characteristics that helped the participants become HGMs. In terms of required skills, communication, human relations, taking initiatives, and the ability to formulate plans were the top four skills for the participants in their career development. Finally, learning a foreign language, having a college degree, and developing long-term career goals were the top three personal development strategies. This is one of the first studies investigating HGMs career paths in a developing country and it offers specific theoretical and practical implications on this important topic.     

Sustaining Tourism Employment

This paper addresses some of the problems that arise out of the special characteristics history and circumstances have given to employment in the tourism sector. Impetus for the paper was provided by field work conducted in Sri Lanka and the Cook Islands as part of a Tourism Master Planning Consultancy, and my own experiences as a working chef during two periods in London. The findings provide a suitable stage for examining the perceived wisdom surrounding the nature of tourism employment. In particular, we emphasise that while tourism jobs provide value-added for both employer and holidaymaker through so-called ‘people skills’, these important skills seem not to be counted when remunerating employees. The role of expatriates in training is looked at, as is the role of government. We conclude with some concrete ideas about ways in which quality of experience at the workplace can be added for tourism employees. Without this, the long-term sustainability of this ‘people industry’ will be vulnerable.     

Promoting innovation in hospitality companies through human resource management practices

In this study, we investigate how hospitality companies can promote incremental and radical innovation through human resource management practices (i.e., selection and training). Data from 196 independent hotels and restaurants operating in the People's Republic of China show that hiring multi-skilled core customer-contact employees and training core customer-contact employees for multiple skills both have significant and positive effects on incremental and radical innovation among hotel and restaurant companies. The two human resource management practices are also found to have a negative joint impact on incremental but not radical innovation. The implications for promoting innovation in hospitality companies are discussed.     

Key managerial and financial accounting skills for private club managers: Comparison to lodging managers

ABSTRACT

This study provides empirical evidence of the comprehensive accounting skills by financial executives across the United States, and Canada believed important to private club general managers. This study’s purview extends to identify any significant differences or similarities in the accounting skills between the private club and lodging managers. Four hundred and one responses (211 from clubs and 190 from hotels) were received. The most critical accounting skills for club and lodging managers are understanding operating budgets, capital budgets, income statements, and analyses of variances. When comparing the accounting skills to managers between clubs and hotels, the ranks of importance are similar. The findings provide theoretical and practical implication for hospitality researchers, managers, and educators.     

Managers from “Hell” in the hospitality industry: How do hospitality employees profile bad managers?

This study aimed to explore the perceived characteristics of “bad” managers working within the hospitality industry. By employing a grounded theory approach, 72 hospitality employees were interviewed and asked to describe the attributes and behaviors of a current or past bad manager. In addition, the respondents were asked about the root cause/s of the undesirable qualities described in the study. The research findings identified six themes relating to the attributes of bad managers: unprofessional, autocratic management style, poor leadership skills, unethical, poor operational and technical skills, and poor decision and delegation skills. In addition, perceptions of the root causes of bad managers were categorized into four themes: company culture and structure, personal characteristics, unqualified, and tenure and comfort zone. This is one of the first studies in the hospitality field to address bad managers’ attributes and why and how managers became bad managers. Specific theoretical and practical implication are provided.     

Benchmarking Best Practice in Hotel Front Office

Abstract

During the past decade there have been significant changes in the hotel sector, the marketplace and its operations. This paper reports a research study across a number of western European countries into the changing functions within front office operations and the role of personnel in a range of hotels and locations. Issues addressed include the flattening of organisations; the increasing expectation of multi-tasking and multi-skilling; and creating a balance between technological solutions and the delivery of quality customer care. These issues are linked to wider findings on the growth in the need for the more generic skill types together with the importance of personal attributes as key selection criteria and the growing emphasis of the employers role in providing training for vocational skills. Work in these areas has seen a decline in routine activities and has become increasingly complex, involving the use of a wide range of software, maintaining in-house systems and the expectations of faster response to more complex methods of communications. Industry has realised the importance of customer care and the subsequent increase in focus by operators on its provision. These issues have led to the setting of procedures and benchmarks for the various functions and services of front office and the empowerment of employees in their implementation. The paper provides an insight into changes in front office and the manner in which technology is acting as an enabling force rather than replacing traditional roles. The paper addresses education and training implications for the hotel sector and education providers by examining current curricula and training provision and questions the relevance of some “sacred cows” that have traditionally been taught. The paper concludes with recommendations for future education and training provision.     

How hospitality managers learn: Are today's education and training programs designed to get the biggest bang for the big buck we're spending?

The greatest constant faced by hospitality managers in the 1980s and 1990s will be change. This challenges education and industry to find the most effective training methods for managers. This paper suggests that serious attention must be paid to research on how adults learn.