Hotel Personnel Tension in China’s Luxury Hotel Sector

Hotel Personnel Tension in China’s Luxury Hotel Sector

Proposed topic: Hotel Personnel Tension in China’s Luxury Hotel Sector

  1. Research question and objectives

The research questions to be answered in the detailed contents of this research project are:

  1. What causes the hotel personnel tension in China’s luxury hotel sector at the moment?
  1. What can be done to make improvements to the problem of hotel personnel tension facing luxury hotels in China?

There are three main research objectives in this research project:

  1. To find out the major reasons leading to the personnel tension in the luxury hotels in the contemporary Chinese market;
  2. To find out the differences between the HRM conditions in the Langham Shanghai and Langham London;
  3. To find out possible solutions to the problem of personnel tension facing Langham Shanghai.

 

  1. Rationale

Such a research topic is proposed for this research project because human resources have been viewed as a most important type of resources available to managers in the hospitality market. Human resources management efficiency is playing a key role in the competitive abilities and business performance of a specific luxury hotel in the current Chinese market. Great changes have occurred to the labor market for the hospitality industry in the contemporary Chinese market. In the 1980s, job positions offered by businesses in the hospitality industry were taken as ideal options of job applicants in China; however, in recent years, various sorts of luxury hotel business players find it more and more difficult to recruit and retain a group of capable and dedicated staffs to help achieve their business goals.

As a luxury hotel in Shanghai, Langham Shanghai is faced with the problem of personnel tension as well. Compared with Langham London, Langham Shanghai is faced with more difficulties and problems in improving its human resources management. It can be taken as a representative of the numerous luxury hotels operated in the contemporary Chinese market. Is meaningful and of significant importance for the major reasons causing the personnel tension in the luxury hotels China today. It is even more important for some practical solutions to be provided to help deal with the personnel tension facing those organizations.

 

  1. Overview of literature

Personnel tension refers to the condition that there is a shortage of job applicants or qualified talents needed in organizations for realizing business goals in the target market. Personnel tension in the luxury hotels in the contemporary Chinese market is found to be evidenced from three main types of problems with human resources management processes of relevant businesses, namely difficulties in retaining existing talents, barriers in attracting job applicants and high staff turnover. To make improvements on the human resources management efficiency in terms of the issue of personnel tension, business operators in the contemporary luxury hotels need to take those three types of problems into enough attention. They can then expect to work out more reliable solutions to deal with the challenges facing them in the future stages of building a group of capable and loyal employees.

Human resources are of great importance to the business performance of hospitality businesses because business players need to deliver various sorts of services and products needed by the target customers through employees undertaking different job positions included in their work teams. Personnel tension suggests there are important problems in the hospitality businesses concerned, as lack of enough qualified and dedicated employees can lead to negative impacts on the abilities for hotels to provide sufficiently satisfactory services and products to target customers. That can lead to barriers to hotels when trying to achieve sustainable competitive advantage over competitors in the marketplace.

Motivation system is a critical aspect of human resources management practices involving business players in our times. Motivation refers to the activities and process of inspiring employees to make due contribution to the organization they work for via using a series of effective and practical strategies and plans that cater for the desires and expectations of employees and help encourage employees to improve their abilities needed in work. Effective and practical motivation system proves a key solution to the problems of low efficiency in human resources management. By applying more effective motivation system, luxury hotels in China may expect to get more successes while retaining existing employees and win more talents to deal with the problem of personnel tension that makes a great challenge for them while competing with other business players in the target market.

 

  1. Research methods

Both qualitative and quantitative research methods can be used in this research project. The qualitative research methods may be used to analyze some influential theories and research findings reached by other theorists and researchers that conducted researches into topics or issues relating to personnel tension in the hospitality industry sector. A comparative analysis is to be done to evaluate the points of view brought by researchers and theorists introduced in this research project. The quantitative research methods are to be used in gathering and analyzing some statistical data about the changing trends relating to the personnel tension in the luxury hotels. In addition to that, a case study on a specific luxury hotel – Langham Shanghai is to be conducted to find out some important facts about the problem of personnel tension facing it. An interview of the manager of the human resources management department of the hotel is to be done to get useful information about facts relating to their human resources management problems, especially those concerning the problem of personnel tension facing the hotel in recent years of its operation in the Chinese market. The qualitative approach of content analysis to be applied in analyzing the results of the interview thus conducted, so as to find out important facts and information about the causes and trends about the personnel tension facing it. The theoretical concepts and statements mentioned in the literature review are to be applied in the analysis and discussion to improve the validity and credibility of the findings to the reached.

 

List of references

Enz, C. A. (2009). Human resource management: A troubling issue for the global hotel industry. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly.

Farrell, K. (2001). Human resource issues as barriers to staff retention and development in the tourism industry. Irish Journal of Management, 22(2), 121.

Ferreira, T., & Alon, I. (2008). Human resources challenges and opportunities in China: a case from the hospitality industry. International Journal of Business and Emerging Markets, 1(2), 141-150.

Hoque, K. (2013). Human resource management in the hotel industry: Strategy, innovation and performance. Routledge.

Kim, K., & Jogaratnam, G. (2010). Effects of individual and organizational factors on job satisfaction and intent to stay in the hotel and restaurant industry. Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality & Tourism, 9(3), 318-339.

Martin, A., Mactaggart, D., & Bowden, J. (2006). The barriers to the recruitment and retention of supervisors/managers in the Scottish tourism industry. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management,18(5), 380-397.

McEllister, R. (2008). 8 Recruitment and retention of managerial staff in China. International management in China: cross-cultural issues, 98.

Nadiri, H., & Tanova, C. (2010). An investigation of the role of justice in turnover intentions, job satisfaction, and organizational citizenship behavior in hospitality industry. International journal of hospitality management, 29(1), 33-41.

 

 

Simons, T. (1995). Motivating hotel employees. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly,36(1), 20.