Human Resources and Tourism: Skills, Culture and Industry (Aspects of Tourism Texts, 2)

Review This book is a very valuable addition to the range of texts which address the vital area of HRM for the international tourism industry and will be welcomed by students, teachers and practitioners. This is a meticulously researched text, which focuses on contemporary issues as they impact upon work in the sector. The text provides a real sense of the industry's international reach, with examples and varied cases drawn from all corners of the globe. The authors present their material in a reader-friendly style and make excellent use of a range of in-text techniques that will stimulate further research and debate. -- Tom Baum, University of Strathclyde, UK Product Description The tourism industry provides employment for literally millions of individuals. Despite global recessions, terrorist attacks and other catastrophes this is likely to remain unchanged in the long-term. Resilience of this nature helps tourism remain a major global employer in both developed and emerging economies. The important role played by tourism workers cannot be overstated; some argue that they actually define the product on offer. Accordingly, mediocre or poor performance gives rise to an unremarkable service experience or one to which customers would not return willingly. The inextricable link between the calibre and performance of staff and service delivery is a key issue for human resources management. This challenge is further complicated by a number of structural characteristics including: dominance of unaffiliated small to medium-sized organizations; high levels of labour turnover; and a heterogeneous workforce with individuals having a wide variety of cultural differences and employment aspirations. This book accounts for the above factors using an approach which is part prescriptive and part enquiry or research-oriented. In doing so, espoused 'HRM convention' may be understood against 'HRM in practice'. Additionally, by using this method we hope to instil a sense of enquiry in the reader. This is a necessary intellectual asset for the future and will also allow the individual to make a positive contribution in the workplace. About the Author Darren Lee-Ross is an Associate Professor of Management and currently lectures and researches at James Cook University, Australia and has taught business subjects at undergraduate and postgraduate levels across a number of universities internationally. His research interests include human resources management, entrepreneurship and small business management and organizational behaviour. Darren has published refereed business articles in a wide range of academic journals and written eight business-related text books. He is currently an editorial member of three business and tourism/hospitality journals and regularly reviews manuscripts for other leading academic business publications.Josephine Pryce is an Associate Professor at James Cook University, Australia. Her research interests include the nature of work, research approaches and teaching and learning. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Human Resources and TourismSkills, Culture and IndustryBy Darren Lee-Ross, Josephine PryceMultilingual MattersCopyright © 2010 Darren Lee-Ross and Josephine PryceAll rights reserved.ISBN: 978-1-84541-140-4ContentsPreface, 1 The Nature of the Beast: Human Resources Management and the Tourism Context, 2 Change, What Change? Human Resources Planning in a Contemporary Environment, 3 Managing the Process, 4 Performing or Ignoring: Management and Appraisal, 5 Training and Development, 6 Quality of Work Life, 7 Industrial Relations and Legal Aspects, 8 The Same Difference? Diversity Management, 9 To Be or Not To Be? Human Resource Management and the Role of Ethics, 10 The Future of Human Resources, References, Index, CHAPTER 1THE NATURE OF THE BEAST: HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT AND THE TOURISM CONTEXTLEARNING OBJECTIVESAfter working through this chapter you should be