HR Development in the Omani Tourism Industry - Essay Example

Omani Tourism HR Improvement: Research Design of Background Oman is an oil-rich nation in the Persian Gulf Region (Oxford Business Group, 2010). Omans economic boom began in the 1970s when oil was discovered in large quantities and it became a major exporter. The country became one of the leading nations in the region and the economy was transformed significantly. The country set onto a path of modernization and the integration of new and advanced systems in all the areas and sectors of the economy. Eventually, Oman became a major sprawling economy and different sectors of the economy became transformed and modernised. One of the main elements and aspects of Omans economy was the quest to diversify the economy and enhance and promote different sectors, which included tourism as a means of generating foreign exchange (Daher, 2007). In order to enhance the nations tourism potential, there is the need for Omans human resource base to be improved significantly. To this end, there is the need for a structured and critical study to be conducted into the countrys human resource base in the tourism sector, identify issues and analyse the options available for improvement. Aim and Objectives The aim of this paper is to present a research-design on how "tourism education can be enhanced in order to promote human resource management in the tourism industry of Oman". In order to attain this end, the following objectives will be explored: 1. A critical review and audit of the current state of human resource in the Omani tourism industry; 2. An evaluation of the current human resource issues in the Omani tourism industry; 3. An analysis of the causes and possible approaches in dealing with the human resource gaps in the Omani tourism industry and 4. An identification of the methods and processes for improving tourism education and human resource development in the Omani tourism industry. Literature Review In order to conduct a qualitative research, there is the need for the researcher to utilise various research methods and research processes. This will enable the researcher to undertake a critical review of the facts and circumstances and come up with a theory or explanation to a social matter or situation. The essence of qualitative research methods lie in the fact that researchers need to find ways and means of universally analysing issues in order to come up with generally accepted conclusions. Banks identifies that there can be differing way of looking at the same issues and that several viewers may have different opinions on the same thing in the social sciences (2013). Therefore there is the need for some kind of consensus and conceptual frameworks that will enable researchers to conduct research and study issues in order to come up with acceptable conclusions. Banks (2013) goes on to identify five sociological modalities through which qualitative research is conducted. They include compositional interpretation, content analysis, semitoic analysis, psychoanalytical analysis and discourse analysis (Banks, 2013). This paper will investigate elements and aspects of qualitative research as it occurs in the Omani society and community. To this end, the paper will analyse elements and aspects of the wider society and its implications to the wider community and society. Therefore the qualitative research approaches that will be chosen are: Ethnography/Observation, Document/Text Analysis and Interviews Ethnography/Observation Ethnographic research is a research that is design to study a given cultural situation or circumstance. It involves spending long periods of time trying to understand a social situation in order to document it and interprete it in a form that people can conceptualise and deduce meaning from. Murchison (2012) studied the main components and compositions of ethnographic research and identified four main aspects of this approach to qualitative research. First of all, he identified that ethnography requires long periods of studying a given culture or people. Secondly, ethnography required the importance of analysing and evaluating some local trends and patterns that can be used to understand and diagnose local conditions and circumstances. Thirdly, ethnographic research focuses on the linkages between different parts and aspects of a communal whole and this brought about interrelation of social structures and dynamics. Finally, it seeks to study a given group in order to attain an insiders perspective of a given situation or issues. Ethnography aims at deducing a theory on a given social situation and matter based on the observation of practice (Fetterman, 2008). Due to the fact that it aims at building theory from practice, Ethnography is based on analysing existing theories and using the existing theory to build new theories based on empirical findings and studies conducted by the researcher after a long period of observation and analysis of a given cultural system or situation. Cameron on the other hand views ethnography as a form of fieldwork that is conducted in anthropology (2001). She identifies that ethnography is often used for two types of studies, to study the ritualised or the exotic. This is because in most cases, a researcher might want to conduct fieldwork to study something that is not in sync with what most people consider to be normal. Hence, they tend to study unusual materials and processes as a means of analysing the system in order to come up with a procedure that helps them to evaluate and understand this unusual circumstance. Thus, the main aim of ethnographic studies is to deduce what makes a given process or system ritualised or exotic by studying it through an organised fieldwork or procedure. There are many ways through which a researcher can gather information relating to ethnography and this could include amongst other things the gathering of information and discourse analysis to understand the sociocultural context within which something occurs ir is carried out (Cameron, 2001). This may involve observing the community whilst participating as much as possible in the activities to produce a description of its ethnography (Cameron, 2001). This leads to the formulation of theories which adds up to the philosophy and knowledge that is available on the community or society in question. The normal format of ethnographic research and how it is presented in various dissertations include the conventional format that is often presented amongst most researchers and it include: 1. Formulation of research questions 2. Literature review 3. An outline of the research methodology 4. Presentation of results or key findings 5. Discussions and 6. Conclusion (Cameron, 2001). From Camerons point of view, the main essence of ethnographic research is an attempt to analyse and present a given phenomenon in a way and manner that makes sense. Thus, the researcher will have to present the fundemental aim and main social questions that gives him or her the impetus to conduct the research. Kothari identifies that a research is a structured enquiry into a given phenomenon (2010). Thus, in order to conduct a meaningful research, the researcher must come up with the main aim and objectives of the research and describe how the research will be conducted. This creates a rapport between the researcher and the reader of the research report. Secondly, ethnographic research must involve the analysis of existing theories and concepts. This is done through the literature review where the researcher analyses and evaluates the existing concepts and theories and link it to the research questions. This provides a framework within which the ethnographic study can be presented and respected in the community of academics and researchers. Thirdly, the research approach and what was done to conduct the study ought to be presented. Then the findings and results of whatever ethnographic fieldwork was conducted must be brought out. This provides the impetus for discussions as related to the literature review and theories therein and from there, conclusions and inferences can be drawn in the research. In the actual field work, a researcher will need to analyse and evaluate things that occur in the normal or "natural" environment that is studied in the research population (Fairclough, 2003). This will involve a summary of the best description of the situation or circumstances and how they work together to define the aspect of the population that is of interest (Emerson et al, 2011). Therefore the text is used to analyse and evaluate social events and social practices and provide a relationship between the phenomenon and language in order to deduce a relationship and a linkage between the reality and a theory that will eventually be formulated (Fairclough, 2003). This will include the presentation of the structure, vocabulary and phonology to best explain or describe a given social situation on the basis of the core findings of an ethnographic research or study. Interviews Interviews are important approaches to gathering information and presenting a point of view on a given study or research. This is a system of conducting empirical studies and analysis by takign the perspectives and the point of view of other people through an organised and standardised interchange of information between the researcher and the participants in the study (Gubrium and Holstein, 2008). Valenzuela (2013) identifies that interviews have the unique advantage of enabling a research to analyse and evaluate an issue in-depth. In other words, the researcher is able to discover how individuals feel about a given topic and provide their opinions on the subject or situation. This enables the researcher to understand sensitive topics from a humanistic perspective and also explain and give an insight into statistical data or information. This implies that interviews provide a realistic view of a given research and provide an independent assessment or overview of what people think about a given situation. Interviews in qualitative research work are often informal or semistructured (Lindlof and Taylor, 2010). In most cases, the interview is conducted after the researcher has done a plan of the questions that are going to be asked in the study. This enables the researcher to link the questioning with the fundamental aims of the research. Cassell and Symon (2004) identify two types of interviews: a realist interview and a phenomenological interview. A realist interview is one that is conducted to identify what is going on at a given point in time in an organisation or social system. On the other hand, a phenomenological interview is designed to assess and ascertain the reflective content of what a person believes or understands about a situation based on historical points of view. Document/Text Analysis Document or text analysis is often done in the literature review section of field works that are conducted. This is done through the process of analysing and critically reviewing authoritative sources and concepts that are presented by other authorities in the field of study (Carmen, 2001). The fundamental duty of a researcher is to analyse and sumamrise various elements and aspects of a given concept, theory or philosophy through the critical reading and sifting of information from various sources in a study (Prior, 2003). This involves the analysis of the relationship between an phenomenon and language and the presentation of critical discussions that will provide an analysis of the critical views and perspectives on a given phenomenon. This must be interlinked and connected to the fundamental idea or concept being discussed in the research at hand (Prior, 2003). When linkages and connections are discovered, the researcher needs to summarise the core findings and information and provide the best description about the linkages between the theories and findings (Emerson et al, 2011). Fairclough identifies that there is the need for the intertextuality of differing views and opinions to be presented in document or text analysis (2003). This will present the fundamental concepts, assumptions, clarify semantics and grammatical moods (Fairclough, 2003). Through this, the researcher will contrast and compare different ideas and views in order to come up with a critical perspective on the matter (Prior, 2003). Normally, a researcher needs to conduct somee degree of reflective analysis and evaluations before presenting concepts and ideas (Gubriun and Holstein, 2008). This enables the researcher to find the linkages and common grounds in two theories and concepts. Research Methodology In order to conduct the research at hand, there is the need for some degree of organisation in order to present the research in a reasonable manner and fashion. This is because in the quest to study about human resource levels in the Omani tourism industry and to improve HR levels, there will be the need to conduct a combination of research works and studies to ascertain the problems and also define the proper and most appropriate solutions to the issues. Research Design Data must be collected through two main phases in order to deal with this problem. This will be as follows: Phase 1: Deducing the HR Issues in Omans Tourism and Phase 2: Identification of Solutions to the Problem to the Tourism HR Problems In order to conduct an empirical analysis and review of information, there is the need for the researcher to evaluate and analyse various matters in relation to the main concepts in order to put together the sum of the parts and come up with an important and vital system for conducting research. Phase 1: Data on HR Issues in Omans Tourism Industry In order to conduct this research, two of the tools identified above will be employed to analyse and evaluate the human resource issues and problems of the Omani tourism industry. First of all, an ethnographic research can be conducted to gather information about how the social life of Oman exists and why there is a limited HR basis in Oman. To this end, the data collection system will need to analyse the current state of Oman. As hinted above, Oman was rapidly modified in the late 1900s and industries like tourism were developed. Although the country has immense oil wealth and there is a lot going on in boosting the HR development capability, it is apparent that the tourism industry has many years to go. There are issues like immigration which has provided adequate support for different industries of the economy. However, the tourism industry has not gained the same level of immigrants as compared to other industries like education, petroleum or construction which has a major influx of foreign migrants who support such industries. Thus, the ethnographic research will seek to deduce a background and understand the countrys tourism industry is limited in terms of human resources. What are the causes and what are the circumstances that leads to that. This can only be done by conducting an in-depth ethnographic study into the situation and this can be done by observation of key patterns in educational institutions, tourism jobs and examining other governmental policies of the country. Through these observations over a sustained period of time, the researcher will be able to deduce the core issues and problems in Omans tourism sector. It will enable the researcher to identify the main causes of issues and why the issues are existing. The researcher will be able to tell what is preventing intelligent and smart Omanis from entering the tourism industry rather than other fields like petroleum. Also, issues like gender dynamics can be analysed as well as the cultural system and the role of tourism as a source of income in an Islamic society. How is it done in other countries like Egypt where tourism is so high? Will it be better to poach talent from Egypt or the UAE where tourism is booming? When these fundamental questions are answered, there will be solutions to problems and there could be an understanding and a concrete presentation of information about how dominant trends may exist. Although ethnographic research is fundamentally steeped in the observation of phenomenon, there could be interviews that will be conducted from selected people in the industry to ascertain information about the countrys tourism industry. Thus, authorities and important figures like educational institutions and employers in the country could be interviewed in order to gather their views and opinions of issues. Phase 2: Identification of Solutions to the HR Problems in Oman When the problems and fundamental issues are deduced in the research, the researcher will be in the position to analyse and prescribe solutions to the problems at hand. In order to do this, the researcher will have to collect information from authoritatie sources. This could include various books and journals about how HR problems in the tourism industry of other countries were handled. This will involve critiquing different secondary sources to provide general routes and frameworks for dealing with issues of the nature found in Oman. After the core and authoritative findings are deduced from text analysis and indepth reviews, there will be the need to check their feasibility and appropriateness for the Omani business environment. Again, the researcher could employ various techniques in interviewing. And this will include asking questions from various authorities in the country like the Omani government, industry leaders and other top employers. This way, the various recommendations identified in the text analysis will be vetted and the aspects that are obviously feasible can be identified. Those aspects that are destined to fail will also be identified. Based on the interviews with the authorities, there will be a deduction of a series of recommendations on how to improve human resource capacity in the Omani tourism industry. Data Collection This section of the research will analyse and evaluate the practical aspects of the fieldwork. One of the fundamental elements that will be necessary for conducting this research will be the use of sampling. Where are researcher cannot test 100% of the population under review, s/he might need to define a section of the total population and test in order to make deductions that can be reasonably applied to the wider population (Kothari, 2010). Data Collection Phase 1 Obviously, the researcher cannot analyse everything in the history of Oman and its tourism industry and its tourism workers. Therefore, there will be the need to identify aspects of the Omani educational system, tourism employment system and the tourism employment law. These sectors can be critiqued and analysed in order to identify the fundamental issues and problems. The study will include the general background of the countrys human resource base, the analysis of the educational system and a sample of the course in tourism taught in the institutions in Oman. Also, a sample of tourism firms in Muscat (capital of Oman) and a few other cities can be selected for a review. The history and trends in these sectors will be observed and documented. A sample of one government figure in the tourism industry, two heads of institutions that teach tourism and two employers in major tourism entities will be interviewed. This will include a structured interview that will take data and information about the current human resource gaps that exist in the country. Data Collection Phase 2 The second phases data will be collected from authoritative books and journals. This will include a number of technical books on tourism human resource matters. These books will be critically deduced and national HR gaps sections will be thoroughly screened and scrutinised. This will culminate in the identification of various forms of best practices that will enable the researcher to identify the best ways of dealing with issues and problems relating to HR gaps. From there, a series of options for Oman will be identified. This will be followed by an closed ended interview that will seek to deduce structured questions about how the different options can be employed and used to deal with the issues in Oman. This will be presented to a sample of one head of a tourism-related educational institution, one head of a tourism agency and one industrial leader. These interviews will be presented in such a way that the different possibilities deduced in the field work will be analysed and reviewed for their feasibility. From there the best possible scenarios for developing Omans tourism HR base will be deduced appropriately. Data Analysis The data that is gathered will be analysed and interpreted in a way and manner that reflects the fundamental elements and aspects of the research aims and objectives. The findings for the first phase will be critiqued on the basis of the fundamental trends and patterns in the society. This will culminate in the presentation of the main issues and problems that causes HR shortfalls in the Omani tourism industry. This will be presented in a way and manner that logically explain why there are fewer workers and fewer skilled persons in the countrys HR industry. The interviews will also be interpreted to reinforce or refute various aspects and elements of the Omani tourism industrys HR systems and processes. This will provide a confirmation or rejection of the actual problem that exists. This will be a second view solicited from professionals and persons with appropriate knowledge and understanding of things. The solution phase of the data analysis will involve a critical literature review. And this literature review will involve deducing various aspects and elements of the HR problems and HR shortfalls. This will involve the identification of various solutions that have been applied in other nations. In this analysis, particular emphasis will be placed on how nations like the United Arab Emirates and Egypt bridged their tourism-related human resource gaps. The findings will be outlined and presented for further analysis and evaluations. In the further analysis, there will be interviews that will either confirm or reject the options used by other countries as it was deduced from the secondary research above. This is because Oman is a different country and what worked in one nation might not necessarily work in Oman. Hence, there is the need for the research to find people who are well versed in the country and ask them about what they think will happen if the recommended approaches found in the secondary research were applied to Oman. This will narrow in on the best practices and processes that can be applied to Oman and how this can be connected or linked to the existing situation. Theorisation Based on the findings of the four phases of the research, there could be the generalisation of findings and the formulation of theories of how things work together for the best results. Thus, there will be the identification of the main pattern and procedure for the resolution of the HR shortfall issue in the Omani tourism industry. This will be a generalised statement and a recommendation that will first of all define the problem and cause of the HR shortfall in Omani tourism and how these shortfalls can be dealt with. Conclusion This paper has sought to deduce the best way of dealing with the human resource shortfalls in the Omani tourism industry. The research has identified that the countrys tourism industry can best be understand if an ethnographic research is conducted to understand the dominant trends and patterns that contributes to the the Omani HR issue. This will be followed by interviews with authorities in the countrys HR matters and affairs. The core findings of the HR issues and their causes will form the basis for the identification of the best solution by consulting various books, journals and other secondary sources. The theories from these books will be evaluated in another interview with authorities in the field who will provide an insight into the best solution to the problem at hand. Through this process, a theory can be formulated about the causes of the countrys HR shortfalls. Also, conclusions can be made on how to deal with the problems and this will be presented to academic and professional circles as empirical findings and deductions. References Cameron, D. (2001) Working with Spoken Discourse London: SAGE Cassell, C. and Symon, R. (2004) Essential Guide to Qualitative Methods London: SAGE Daher, R. F. (2007) Tourism in the Middle East London: Multilingual Matters. Emerson, R. B., Fretz, R. J. and Shaw C. L. (2011) Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Fairclough, N. (2003) Analysing Discourse: Tactical Analysis for Social Research London: Routledge Fetterman, D. M. (2008) Ethnography: Step-by-Step London: SAGE Publications. Gubrium, J. F. and Holstein, J. A. (2008) "Narrative Ethnography" Handbook of Emergent Methods London: Guilford Press. Kothari, C. R. (2010) Research Methodology Delhi: New Age Publications. Lindlof, T. R. and Taylor, B. C. (2010) Qualitative Communication Research Methods London: SAGE Murchison, J. (2012). Ethnography Essentials: Designing, Conducting and Presenting your Research Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons Publishing. Oxford Business Group (2010) The Report: Oman Oxford: OBG Prior, L. (2003) Using Documents in Social Research London: Thousand Oaks. Valenzuela, P. (2012) "Interviews as a Method for Qualitative Research" [Online] Available at: http://www.public.asu.edu/~kroel/www500/Interview%20Fri.pdf Retrieved: March 14. 2014 Read More