The Hotel and Catering Industry Development - Dissertation Example

?Hospitality Research Proposal An investigation into whether low paid work is endemic in the hotels and catering sector of the hospitality industry. Introduction and Background The hotel and catering industry sees hundreds of young people seeking a career in it every year. Yet, quite often the impression on wages structure bandied about in general and in some official circles is that the hotel and catering sector of the tourism industry is one of the lowest paid industrial arenas. There appears a paradox in that in case the wage structure in the hotel and catering industry was oriented towards low paid work, then how could it attract so many young people year after year? The hotel and catering industry is an extremely competitive sector of industry. Understanding its working and the manner in which pay and career paths are defined in this competitive business environment becomes extremely useful in providing information to young people taking their first steps towards gaining the necessary skills and knowledge for a successful ad productive life ahead. Such an understanding will also enable the hotel and catering industry to take steps in reducing employee turnover loss that could be arising from low pay structures. This should not be based on hearsay, but rather on hard facts. This research is proposed to be undertaken to provide evidence on the actual pay situation in the hotel and catering industry and the satisfaction of the employees on their rewards package. Literature Review The hotel and catering industry is a very important constituent of the hospitality industry. Large luxury hotels to small cafes are the range of the hotel and catering industry. The hotel and catering industry is among the largest employers in the developed world. In the United Kingdom (UK) it employs almost ten percent of the workforce, which numbers close to 2.5 million people (Yadav, 2002). Yet, the House of Commons North East Regional Committee Third Report of Session 2009 -2010: Tourism in the North East, lays claim to the hotel and catering industry being a sector where low paid work is a common occurrence. In the opinion of Wood 1992, the hotel and catering sector is one with low entry barriers and therefore a fertile ground for the entry of small time entrepreneurs. The low barriers to entry allow small and family businesses to be present in large numbers in the hotel and catering sector and their presence contributes to the low pay image in this sector (Getz, Carlesen & Morrison, 2004). Even in the large hotels competition and the drive to keep costs low reflects on the low wages paid in these hotels (Vanselow, 2008). The low wages and low education and skill level requirements in the hotel and catering sector of the hospitality industry has seen the influx of a large number of immigrants as workers in this sector of industry (Williams & Hall, 2002). Guegnard and Meriot 2008 point out that one of the reasons for low per person average wage in the hotel and catering sector is that the number of managers is low with a very high percentage of blue collar workers and temporary workers. Besides low wages the hotel and catering industry also carries the stigma of high turnover, reflecting either lack of job security or worker satisfaction (Boella & Goss-Turner, 2005). Voss-Dahm 2008 opines that people can be attracted and remain committed to different sectors of industry for reasons other than pay, citing the example of sales people in the retail sales sector. From Malhotra 1997, we understand that people with problems are attracted to the hotel and catering sector for the additional advantage of stay-in facilities, for it allows them to escape from their background or their problems at home. Job choice is influenced by two factors namely the money in it and the convenience it offers. In the hotel and catering industry it is not the money that attracts workers, but the convenience. Convenience needs to be read in several ways (Riley, 1996). The convenience elements are convenient, easy to learn, have variety, gives autonomy, not the stifling environment of a factory and meeting different people (Riley, 2000). No two days are the same in the hotel and catering sector and there are a wide variety of job functions to choose from and it is possible to move across job functions if one has the ability and the desire for it (Trotman Publishing, 2008). The work characteristics involved in a career in the hotel and catering industry are long and antisocial working hours, low salaries, instability and low status in society. Improving the working conditions in the hotel and catering industry thus remains a challenge and requires the combined effort of the employees and the employers. Better skills in employees to enhance productivity and margins from the employee side and the willingness to invest in the development of employees and their well-being are needed to overcome this challenge (European Monitoring Centre on Change, 2005). Levels of employment requiring higher skills and giving better remuneration are influenced by customer demand on which better prices are received, increasing margins and the ability to give higher payments to the employees. In essence, it is the environment in which the hotel and catering industry functions that decides on the skill requirements level and the ability to pay higher wages (Wong, 2004). Research Objectives and Research Questions The study aims to explore the wages structure in the hotel and catering industry to confirm that in the hotel and catering industry is low. It seeks to explore why so many people still choose to work in the hotel and catering industry. The following are the specific objectives of the study: To find out the wages structure in the hotel and catering sector. To find out the hindrances for paying higher wages in the hotel and catering sector. To find out the attraction for work in the hotel and catering sector. To find out the work satisfaction level among workers in the hotel and catering sector. The study will seek answers for the following questions: Are wages really low in the hotel and catering industry? What prevents workers from being paid better in the hotel and catering industry? Why are workers attracted to the hotel and catering industry? What is the work satisfaction level among workers in the hotel and catering industry? Research Design The research design involves the use of inductive and deductive approaches. The reason for the combination of inductive and deductive frameworks lies in making use of the advantages of both. Investigations by research activities to find solutions for management problems have been found to be more efficient through the combination of inductive and deductive approaches. This efficiency is derived from the inductive approach being more suitable for collection and interpretation of qualitative data, while the deductive approach based on measurements is more suitable for collection and interpretation of quantitative data. It is believed that drawing on these benefits of the deductive and inductive approaches will provide better answers for the questions of the study (Lancaster, 2005). In the design of this study a literature review will be used for the inductive approach. This is to ascertain the body of knowledge on the topic of the research and the gaps that exist in it. By using the literature review it makes for developing themes on the problems in the study (Nunes & Al-Mamari, 2008). The literature review will form the secondary research. Based on the themes thrown up by the literature review with regard to the objectives of the study, the deductive approach through primary research will be conducted to give quantitative data. Advantages derived by the use of the quantitative approach include limiting the sample size, which is a major benefit given the scope of the study and the time and resources available for the study (Holton & Burnett, 2005). Data Collection and Analysis The secondary data collection exercise will be conducted by the means of a literature review, which will provide what is known and what is not known on the topic. The primary data collection exercise will be based on the themes of investigation that the secondary research points to. The site of the primary data collection exercise will be one of the big cities in UK. The first data collection tool will be an open questionnaire. The preference for the open questionnaire over the closed questionnaire lies in the open questionnaire offering greater structure, which allows in depth investigation for better data, in place of the superficial data likely to be obtained from a closed questionnaire. The questionnaire will be based on the five point Likert Scale. The five options present in the Likert Scale make it an efficient means for developing an open questionnaire (Easterby-Smith, Thorpe & Lowe, 2004). The sample size for applying the questionnaire will be fifty workers over ten hotels or catering facilities. In addition, face-to-face interviews with one manager from each of the participant hotels or catering facilities, using a structured format for one hour to provide the data on the management perceptions to the investigations. Data will be received from both of these data collection exercises. Analysis of the data will be done using the SPSS data mining software. Ethical Consideration Permission from the participating hotels and catering facilities will be taken after explaining the nature and purpose of the study, prior to commencing of the data collection exercises. All participants will be informed of the nature and purpose of their study and their willingness received in writing prior to the nature. Since human subjects are involved, anonymity and confidentiality are significant ethical issues. Coding of data sheets will be used for anonymity and data will be kept securely for the purpose of confidentiality. Only the research team will have access to the data. GANTT chart Activity Wk 1 Wk 2 Wk 3 Wk 4 Wk 5 Wk 6 Wk 7 Wk 8 Wk 9 Wk 10 Wk 11 Wk 12 Wk 13 Submission of proposal and receiving approval ---- Identification and receipt of permission from participating organizations and employees and managers ---- ---- Literature review and questionnaire preparation ---- ---- ---- Primary data collection ---- ---- ---- ---- Writing of the dissertation report ---- ---- Scrutiny and submission of the dissertation report ---- Literary References Boella, M. & Goss-Turner, S. 2005, Human Resource Management in the Hospitality Industry: An Introductory Guide, Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann. Easterby-Smith, M., Thorpe, R. & Lowe, A. 2004, Management Research: An Introduction, Sage, California. European Monitoring Centre on Change. 2005, ‘Hotels and catering: policies, issues and the future [Online] Available at: http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/emcc/content/source/eu05027a.htm?p1=ef_publication&p2=null (Accessed March 2, 2011). Getz, D., Carlesen, J. & Morrison, A. 2004, Family Business in Tourism and Hospitality, CABI Publishing, Oxfordshire, UK. Guegnard, C. & Meriot, S. 2008, ‘Housekeepers in French Hotels: Cinderella in the Shadows’, in Low-wage Work in France, eds. Eve Caroli & Jerome Gautie, Russell Sage Foundation, New York, pp.168-208. House of Commons North East Regional Committee. 2010. Third Report of Session 2009 -2010: Tourism in the North East, The Stationery Office, London. Holton, E. F. & Burnett, M. F. 2005, ‘The Basics of Quantitative Research’ in Research in Organizations: Foundations and Methods of Enquiry, eds. Richard A. Swanson & Elwood F. Holton, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, California. Lancaster, G. 2005, Research Methods in Management: A Concise Introduction to Research in Management and Business Consultancy, Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford. Malhotra, R. K. 1997, Encyclopedia of Hotel Management and Tourism, Anmol Publications Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi. Nunes, M. B. & Al-Mamari, S. H. 2008, ‘Inductive Approaches Using a Priori Coding in Information Systems Research: A Discussion’, in Seventh European Conference on Research Methodology for Business and Management Studies, Regent’s College, London, UK, 19-20 June 2008, ed. Ann Brown, Academic Publishing Limited, Reading. Riley, M.1996, Human Resource Management in the Hospital and Tourism Industry, Volume 10, Second Edition, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford. Riley, M. 2000, Managing People: A Guide for Managers in the Hotel and Catering Industry, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford. Trotman Publishing, 2008. Careers in Hotels and Catering, Trotman Publishing, Surrey, UK. Vanselow, A. 2008, ‘Still Lost and Forgotten? The Work of Hotel Room Attendants in Germany’, in Low Wage Work in Germany, eds. Gerhard Bosch & Claudia Weinkopf, Russell Sage Foundation, New York, pp.214-252. Williams, A. M. & Hall, C. M. 2002, ‘Tourism, migration, circulation and mobility: The contingencies of time and place’, in Tourism and Migration: New Relationship between Production and Consumption, eds. C. Michael Hall & Allan, M. Williams, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordecht, The Netherlands, pp.1-52. Voss-Dahm, D. 2008, ‘Low-Paid but Committed to the Industry: Sales People in the Retail Sector, in Low Wage Work in Germany, eds. Gerhard Bosch & Claudia Weinkopf, Russell Sage Foundation, New York, pp.253-287. Wong, K. K. F. 2004, ‘Industry-specific and general environmental factors impacting on hotel employment’, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol.16, no.5, pp.287-293. Wood, R. C. 1992, Working in Hotels and Catering, Routledge, London. Yadav, C. P. 2002, Management of Hotel and Catering Industry, Anmol Publications Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi. Read More