Key Questions, Think Points and Case Study Tasks

Part 1                     The hospitality industry HRM context

Key Questions (KQ) and Think Points (!!)

Chapter 1      The hospitality industry HRM context

KQ:                 What are the key concerns and recommendations of the Workforce Commission 2030 report as published by the UK Hospitality organization?
!!:                     Think about the demographic profile and characteristics of the hospitality workforce, and the implications for HRM approaches in the hospitality industry.

Chapter 2      The human resource management (HRM) concept

KQ:                 What are the key elements and practices in the meaning and interpretation of the contemporary concept of HRM?
!!:                     Consider how a hospitality business might tackle the challenges of improving its profitability through high performance work systems (HPWS) and increasing the commitment of its employees.

Chapter 3      Organizational culture

KQ:                 How can an organization’s culture affect the behaviour of individual employees and groups or teams of employees?
!!:                     Think about a past or current job or work experience role you have undertaken and how the manner in which you carried out the work was affected by the organization’s culture.

Case Study Tasks

Case Study A            Consider the current management and staffing structures within Lux Hotels (LH): analyse the key characteristics and profile of the organization.
Case Study B             How does GastroPubs , Restaurants & Bars plc (GPRB) attempt to influence its employees to behave in ways compatible with the espoused cultural values of the firm?
Case Study C            Indicate the policies and practices of the Red Carnation Hotels Collection (RCH) that appear to reflect the contemporary concept, practices and meanings of HRM.
Case Study D            Considering the Pan Pacific Hotels and Resorts (PPH) case study, what evidence is there of the company developing an organizational culture that also reflects the multi-national. multi-cultural nature of its locations and workforce?

 

Part 2                     Effectively resourcing the hospitality organization

Key Questions (KQ) and Think Points (!!)

Chapter 4      Modern labour markets

KQ:                 What HRM measures can be taken to increase the supply of appropriately skilled labour in order to meet increasing demand?
!!:                     Consider the process and actions you would need to undertake in order to acquire local labour market data.

Chapter 5      Job design

KQ:                 How might the brand specification or blueprint of a new high street pub / restaurant operation impact on the design of jobs within the unit?
!!:                     Think about the future influence of 21st century technology (e.g. digital processes and artificial intelligence) on hospitality job design.

Chapter 6      Recruitment

KQ:                 In what way could an HR manager utilise the brand specification of a hospitality operation to develop an employer brand that would aid a recruitment campaign?
!!:                     Consider a role in hospitality management that you currently aspire to: if you were an employer, what recruitment methods would you adopt to attract an appropriately qualified set of candidates?

Chapter 7      Employer branding

KQ:                 What opportunities and / or processes (within HR and the wider marketing channels) in the operation of a large hotel might be used to establish and to reinforce the hotel’s employer brand?
!!:                     Think about your reaction to employer branding initiatives and the resultant website pages promoted by major hospitality companies: consider whether or not you are impressed, suspicious of fine words, or downright disbelieving of the veracity of the message.

Chapter 8      Selection

KQ:                 How can social media platforms be utilised effectively by organizations as part of employee selection procedures, to improve the accuracy of the predictability that the best candidate has been employed?
!!:                     Consider your own potential for bias and prejudice when interviewing a job candidate and the means you might adopt to avoid the danger of ‘first impressions’ and other selection interviewing pitfalls.

Chapter 9      Appointment and induction

KQ:                 Should all newly appointed employees experience a full and comprehensive induction programme: why not have one for management and one for other staff?
!!:                     Think about how you would feel on the first day in a new job: write down your possible fears, anxieties and concerns, and the approach that might best put those fears to rest.

Case Study Tasks

Case Study A            In the light of business plans for LH, analyse the future management needs of the company and consider the potential recruitment sources and methods to acquire the managerial competence required.
Case Study B             GPBR is a large nationwide organization requiring many pub and restaurant managers: for external recruitment of such managers, consider both the recruitment and the selection methods that might be utilised.
Case Study C            The RCH case study outlines some of the company’s  recruitment and selection approaches: compare the RCH selection process with a similar hotel organization or with your own experience as a candidate in such a business.
Case Study D            PPH is a truly multi-national corporation with hotels spread widely across the Asia /Pacific region: consider how the company might organise induction programmes for both managerial and operational employees.

 

Part 3                     Developing the human resource

Key Questions (KQ) and Think Points (!!)

Chapter 10    Performance management and appraisal

KQ:                 What is the organizational purpose of undertaking performance appraisals of employees, and how does it link to the wider corporate strategy of performance management?                       

!!:                     Think about the role of a pub or restaurant manager: identify a range of performance measures and targets against which you would assess the individual’s performance. 

Chapter 11    Training

KQ:                 Why is a thorough understanding of corporate business strategy and the future business plans of an organization a critical element in the formation of a learning and development strategy and resultant programme of activities?   

!!:                     Consider the rationale for launching a company-wide, off-the-job training programme and the HRM justification required for a Finance Director concerned with reducing operating expenses.

Chapter 12    Management development : talent management

KQ:                 To what extent is the concept of talent management radically different to management development, or is it merely a re-packaging, re-branding ‘fad’ in search of more appealing terminology?

!!:                     Think of your own potential career path in the hospitality industry: if considering employment with a major hospitality group, what information and assurances would you want regarding your own training, in-company development and the policies on succession planning across the group?

Chapter 13    Emotions and wellbeing at work

KQ:                 “Car workers are not expected to smile at cars, computer programmers are not expected to behave empathetically towards software, but for many front-line workers expectations related to emotions are central to their job roles.” (Korczynski, 2001: 139)
How does this comment relate to the emotional labour of hospitality employees and to the importance of this topic in contemporary HRM?

!!:                     Consider the situation where, as a hotel receptionist on early shift, you are faced by an angry guest whose sleep was interrupted at 3 am by the hotel fire alarms activating in the corridor near the bedroom. It transpired that the alarm was raised accidentally by another guest.    

Case Study Tasks

Case Study A            If appointed as HR Director at LH, how would you introduce an objective succession planning programme, given the firm’s history as a family-run business where family members may have received favourable treatment in the past?
Case Study B             GPRB employs many part-time staff members, often temporary in their length of service, perhaps transient employees on working holidays: devise an effective but highly efficient training programme for a bar staff member, utilising both human and digital resources.
Case Study C            Given the international nature of the RCH chain, recommend a system of succession planning for hotel manager positions across the company.
Case Study D            From the material within the PPH case study and website, what activities and initiatives are being made by the company in connection with the wellbeing of its workforce?

 

Part 4                     Rewards and remuneration

Key Questions (KQ) / Think Points (!!)

Chapter 14    Reward systems

KQ:                 For what reasons should today’s hospitality company executives review their remuneration packages and total rewards approach, and why is this a challenging issue for the industry?

!!:                     Think about how you, as unit manager or HR manager, would respond to employees in a hospitality organization experiencing strong competition and a squeeze on profit margins, when they demand improved terms and conditions in terms of their reward and remuneration packages.

Chapter 15    Job evaluation

KQ:                 Why should an independently owned and managed hotel of 50 bedrooms size and related food and beverage services undertake the time-consuming task of carrying out a job evaluation exercise across all staff roles?

!!:                     Think about how you would feel if you believed that your work, your diligent effort in the job was under-appreciated and apparently paid less than a colleague who seems to have a less stressful and complex job.

Chapter 16    Incentives

KQ:                 In a high street coffee shop / bakery business, employing 12 staff members front and back of house, what specific incentives could you introduce to increase productivity and to develop  a team-oriented spirit?

!!:                     The hospitality industry has a range of apparently less attractive yet hugely important roles in order to operate effectively, e.g. pot-wash, facility cleaning, night porter. Consider how such roles may be incentivised and the importance of these roles firmly established.

Chapter 17    Employee benefits

KQ:                 Which employee benefits do you believe are most valued by hospitality workers and how would you further enhance such benefits to give your firm a competitive edge?

!!:                     Think about the true costs of a range of employee benefits often offered in hospitality businesses, such as free uniforms, discounted meals within the company, live-in accommodation, health insurance and the like.

Case Study Tasks
Case Study A            In common with many family-run businesses, HR systems at LH have evolved over time and in a reactive rather than proactive manner. Devise an outline of a total rewards strategy that would seek to provide certainty and a systematic approach to the issue across the company.
Case Study B             A company like GPRB will always employ many temporary and transient workers across its large estate of brands and businesses. How could employee benefits be tailored to those inevitably shorter-term staff members compared to those who have, and are likely to build up much longer service?
Case Study C            The RCH case study (and also included within Chapter 17) contains a summary of the RCH employment benefits range. If you were the HR Director of RCH, consider proposals for senior management regarding further enhancements to this package of benefits in order to retain your employer brand advantages.
Case Study D            The PPH website makes a point of highlighting team-based benefits and activities, such as teams of employees going to sporting events that are sponsored by the company, and charity runs. Devise a range of other team-based employee benefits that fit with the PPH organization culture and values and are appropriate to its multi-national nature.

Part 5                     The employment relationship

Key Questions (KQ) and Think Points (!!)

Chapter 18    Labour turnover and workforce stability

KQ:                 Why is workforce stability a critical element in the HRM of hospitality businesses and why does a so-called ‘turnover culture’ still persist within the industry?

!!:                     Think about the processes, time and cost of replacing specific members of staff, e.g. a Head Receptionist, a Chef de Partie, a Conference and Banqueting Manager.

Chapter 19    Employee relations

KQ:                 Staff consultative committees may be an appropriate mechanism for the voicing and discussion of employee relations matters in large organizations, but how would you go about improving employee relations within a small to medium enterprise such as an independent restaurant, pub or coffee shop or a small 20 bedroom hotel?

!!:                     Consider the issues that might arise from hospitality employees in the current economic, social and political climate, given the multi-national demographic of such a workforce.

Chapter 20    Employment law

KQ:                 What are the critical differences between the concepts of ‘unfair dismissal’, ‘wrongful dismissal’ and ‘constructive dismissal’?

!!:                     Think about the situation where as manager you are in dispute with an individual, whether a matter of misconduct or potential redundancy. How would you deal with the individual’s colleagues in the team, on whom such a situation is bound to have an impact.

Chapter 21    Digital HRM

KQ:                 Which hospitality and HRM activities are currently affected by the move toward more digital technology, especially the use of social media? What examples of the use of AI in hospitality are currently already in existence?

!!:                     Think about how you would persuade a long-experienced but ‘low-tech’ senior manager in your organization, that social media and the use of digital platforms are the way forward for the business.

Chapter 22    Productivity

KQ:                 If running a fast food operation, what specific productivity norms and measures would you consider to be absolutely essential in the effective and efficient operation of the business and its workforce?

!!:                     Consider why the hospitality industry has often been criticised for being behind the times with regard to accurate measurement of productivity levels, with high performance work systems (HPWS) too often considered to be a characteristic of only the more advanced manufacturing companies.

Case Study Tasks
Case Study A            In your role as HR Director of LH, how would you plan and organise a comprehensive gathering of data regarding labour turnover rates across the company’s properties?

Case Study B             How can a disparate, multi-site organization like GPRB maintain the knowledge of its many unit managers with relevant employment law, and what is the role of central HRM department in this regard?

Case Study C            RCH consider the development of graduate trainee managers to be enriched by undertaking special projects within their training programme. Devise a project for such graduates concerned with assessment and enhancement of productivity levels within the company. Write a briefing document for issue to the participants.  

Case Study D            Given the work on national cultural traits of researchers such as Hofstede and Trompenaars (see Chapter 25), what particular challenges face a company like PPH, employing many different nationalities across the Asia Pacific region?      

Part 6                     HRM and hospitality: contemporary issues

Key Questions (KQ) and Think Points (!!)

Chapter 23    Organizing human resources

KQ:                 How would you consult with all staff / stakeholders if embarking on the radical restructuring of an existing hospitality organization, needed due to changes in technology and due to new competitors entering your market?

!!:                     Consider the different organizational structures represented in the charts within Chapter 23: based on an organization in which you have worked or one with which you are familiar, devise a new structure for the business with clear rationale for your proposal.

Chapter 24    Managing hospitality people

KQ:                 Why should a contemporary hospitality HR manager be actively reviewing concurrently the diversity and gender pay gap issues within their workforce?

!!:                     Think about your own personality and your own way of working as an individual and within groups. Consider both your strengths and potential areas for development as a future manager and leader.

Chapter 25    Managing in an international context

KQ:                 What should an HRM department / manager consider in terms of tailored and practical training and development when planning the internal transfer of an hotel manager from a Western European nation to a Middle Eastern location?

!!:                     Think about some co-workers or co-students from different nationalities and cultures with whom you have worked or studied in recent years: itemise the specific cultural differences you became aware of, and how their behaviours contributed to your cultural experience and knowledge.

Chapter 26    HRM and multi-site hospitality operations

KQ:                 What do you consider to be the main role and scope of the central HRM department  in a multi-site, multi-national corporation such as Hilton Hotels, Pizza Hut or Accor? How does this role link to the wider company strategy?

!!:                     Consider the potential for frustration of a unit manager in a unique, specific international location, far removed from the epicentre of the organization: e.g. an international group may have many units in the country where it was founded (Accor in France for example), but may have only 1 unit in a developing nation.

Chapter 27    Customer care and service quality

KQ:                 What HRM policies and practices can be adopted in order to recruit and select staff that will be most suited to providing hospitality customers with outstanding service quality?

!!:                     Think about the many online customer service feedback platforms such as TripAdvisor, the content of which are almost always linked to the levels of customer service: how influential do you think such platforms are in determining future bookings by clients?

Chapter 28    Business ethics

KQ:                 Why is a preoccupation with ethics and corporate social responsibility (CSR) in contemporary business considered to be an issue for HRM involvement?

!!:                     Consider your own potential for bias, for prejudice and for innate and unreasonable discrimination: everybody has such characteristics, they are a product of all our life stories. What can an individual do to reduce the impact of such behavioural traits within a people management situation?

Chapter 29    Career paths in hospitality

KQ:                 What do you understand by the ‘leaving process’ as described in this chapter and what are the implications for HR management in terms of how to respond to such a challenge and reduce the level of graduate leaver incidence?

!!:                     Think about your own potential career path in hospitality: devise a set of objectives for yourself, link to a realistic time plan and to the types of hospitality organization that might best meet your aspirations and ambitions.

Case Study Tasks

Case Study A            Devise a 10-point statement of business ethics and corporate social responsibility that would fit with the LH organization in terms of its background, current structure and future strategy.        
Case Study B             You might very well aspire to be an area manager within a major hospitality group; such a position is a common career path for successful unit managers. Create a list of key roles and responsibilities that you believe would form part of the role of  an area manager in an organization such as GPRB.
Case Study C            From the information within the RCH case study (Appendix C in the book), identify the strategies and practices that demonstrate a concern for both the level of customer service and the attention to staff welfare.
Case Study D            Formulate a possible career path for a graduate trainee joining the PPH organization in Singapore: what measures could be taken to minimise the possibility for such an employee leaving the business and also enhance the possibility of a long and rewarding career within the group.