Purpose -This paper aims to explore the opportunities and challenges faced by hospitality employers in accommodating a culturally diverse workforce in Northern Ireland. Design/methodology/approach -This is an exploratory paper based on interviews with hospitality employers in Northern Ireland. It seeks to answer the question "What opportunities and challenges does a culturally diverse workforce create for hoteliers in Northern Ireland?". Findings -This research highlights the potential of international workers as an invaluable new source of labour for the hospitality industry, provided that they are properly looked after and managed.Research limitations/implications -Future research could analyse the role of multicultural management in assuring business benefits associated with cultural diversity. Practical implications -The research suggests the importance of a positive proactive management system and solutions for training that could be incorporated into the workplace that celebrates its employee's cultures, that values and explores differences and that actively seeks to learn from other cultures, demonstrates tolerance, respects differences, identifies similarities and strives for inclusiveness. Training solutions are provided. Originality/value -This study suggests the removal of barriers to the successful integration of international staff into the workplace and society, while benefiting all staff, their organisations and the Irish tourism product.
International workers are a growing category of employees in the hospitality industry of Northern Ireland (NI). The retention and skills shortages of the industry are significant factors in facilitating this increase. Thus, international workers could be an invaluable new source of labour for the hospitality industry, provided that they are properly looked after and managed. However, little is known about the number of people moving to Northern Ireland to take up work in the hospitality industry. This paper sets out to answer some of the 'unknowns' -including nationality, demographic characteristics, educational, employment and economic background. The paper draws on data collected through a survey of migrant workers in nine hotels in Northern Ireland and focus groups with migrant employees in all of the survey establishments. Issues of social integration within the workforce and the wider community as well as the future that migrant workers see for themselves are discussed from a human resource perspective.
The purpose of this paper is to address the growing importance of migrant workers to the hospitality industry of peripheral locations in the UK. The paper draws on data collected through in-depth surveys of and focus group discussions with migrant workers in hotels in three peripheral locations in the UK. Findings point to varied experiences for international workers in terms of recruitment and selection of international workers; their work-related and social integration within the workforce and the wider community; aspirations for training and development among international employees; insights into the futures that migrant workers see for themselves; and their overall experience of living and working in the UK. The study is located in three regions of the UK and each study is of relatively small scale. This is a potential limitation but compensation is afforded by the depth of information collected in each location. The study suggests that employers are unwilling to invest in the development of international staff who have high levels of general education and training that is not sector specific. Promotion opportunities are seen to be limited. The paper points to the need for hospitality management to make more effective use of this source of labour. This paper is the first to undertake a study of the migrant worker experience in peripheral areas of the UK and to focus on a diverse skills sector such as hospitality
PurposeThis viewpoint paper aims to assess a curriculum response within a specific vocational sector, hospitality, driven by the recent surge in intra EU labour migration and the ensuing increase in workplace cultural diversity.Design/methodology/approachThe paper identifies an appropriate curriculum response by assessing the industry implications and proffering a conceptual model of curriculum response.FindingsThe experience across business sectors, such as hospitality, emphasises the need for training that is geared to meet the needs of both international and indigenous employees and that, critically, intercultural issues represent a significant training gap. It is posited that the curriculum response is multifaceted embracing the need to address course content, learning outcomes, assessment methods and the training needs of educators.Originality/valueThe paper is targeted at academics within applied business education, specifically in those areas of the services sector that have experienced significant labour migration in recent years. It is also of wider value to those involved in curricula design in a vocational context.
This paper addresses the contribution of tourism's workforce to destination image and branding and considers the role that employees play in visitors' interpretation of their experience of place. The focus of this paper is on the contribution of working people to the image of place and the potential for contradiction in imagery as the people who inhabit and work within a place change over time. At the same time, those consuming the place as visitors may well have expectations that are fixed in traditional and outdated imagery. The location of this paper is Ireland where the traditional marketing of the tourism brand has given core roles to images of people and the friendliness of Irish hospitality, represented by traditional and homogeneous images. Interpretation of Ireland as a destination, in the tourist literature, by tour guides and within the cultural heritage sector generally, has widely perpetuated these traditional and, arguably, cliched images. Recent growth in the "Celtic tiger" economy has induced unprecedented and large scale migration from countries across the globe to Ireland, particularly into the tourism sector. This paper raises questions with regard to interpretation and branding of a country as a tourist destination in the light of major changes within the demography and ethnicity of its tourism workforce.
To m Baumis Professor of Tourism and Hospitality Management in the University of Strathclyde. He has primary and masters degrees from the University of Wales and a PhD in tourism from Strathclyde. He is widely published in the fi eld of tourism and has taught, researched and consulted in a range of countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Caribbean. Niamh Hearnsis a lecturer in Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, Castlebar Campus. Prior to this, Niamh was a lecturer in the University of Ulster and has worked extensively in the tourism industry. She is researching for her PhD in the area of strategic management. Frances Devineis a lecturer in the University of Ulster, Portrush where she teaches human resource management. Her PhD research is on the management of cultural diversity in the hospitality sector.Abstract This paper addresses destination brand image in tourism marketing and assesses the contribution of tourism ' s workforce to such image and branding, considering the role that employees play in visitors ' interpretation of their experience of destination and place. The focus of this paper, therefore, is on the role of people in the image of place and the potential for contradiction in imagery as the people who inhabit and work within a place change over time. At the same time, both those who promote a destination and those consuming the place as visitors may well have expectations that are fi xed in imagery that does not accord with that held within the wider community. The location of this paper is Ireland where the traditional promotion of the tourism brand has given a core role to images of people and the friendliness of the hospitality of Irish people, represented by largely homogeneous images. Recent growth in the ' Celtic tiger ' economy has induced unprecedented and large-scale migration from countries across the globe to Ireland, particularly into the tourism sector. This paper raises questions with regard to the branding of Ireland as a tourist destination in the light of major changes within the demography and ethnicity of its tourism workforce.Place Branding and Public Diplomacy (2007) 0, 000 -000.
PurposeThis paper reflects on the recent introduction of a statutory smoking ban in workplaces in the Republic of Ireland (ROI). The aim of the research is to identify the arguments for and against statutory smoking bans and to explore the impact of such legislation on hospitality organisations.Design/methodology/approachIn addition to the literature review, which examines evidence from other jurisdictions that have introduced smoking bans, the primary research is based on semi‐structured interviews with the managers of licensed premises in both the ROI and Northern Ireland.FindingsQualitative data based on the recent introduction of a smoking ban in the ROI indicate that, although the industry's concerns are understandable, hospitality businesses and their customers are adapting to the statutory smoking ban. The findings indicate that, to date, the smoking ban in the ROI has not adversely affected the licensed premises surveyed. However, the findings do indicate changes in consumer behaviour, which is consistent with press reports in the ROI.Originality/valueThis paper presents insights from both the ROI where a statutory smoking ban is in place and Northern Ireland where no such restrictions are in place. It is believed that this cross border perspective affords greater insight into the issues surrounding statutory smoking bans. Within the UK, the debate on the idea of a statutory smoking ban is ongoing; this paper seeks to provide a concise review of the issues within the context of the hospitality industry.
Academics are facing significant challenges in preparing indigenous students for employment in the multicultural working environment of hospitality and tourism organisations. In dealing with the impact of the new skills and flexibilities demanded by increasing globalisation, the indigenous workforce needs to possess a multicultural perspective and the adaptive skills and mindsets to integrate more inclusively in diverse work settings. This article explores the nature of cultural diversity within the Irish hospitality and tourism workforce (in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland). An attempt is made to identify the challenges that hospitality and tourism educators face in implementing education for cultural diversity within the curriculum in order to prepare indigenous students (and indeed local industry staff) for employment within a multicultural workforce. The main themes analysed include: training requirements; educators' requirements; programme content and learning outcomes; assessment methods; and methods of programme delivery
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