Human resource management in hotels: A comparative study

Abstract

This paper explores contemporary management practices in a selection of hotels in Australia and Singapore in an effort to examine common and disparate themes within diverse national, cultural, social and labour market environments. It reports on a comparative study undertaken by survey in both countries between 1991 and 1993. Whilst many similar practices are employed in both countries, some significant differences are observed which reflect different guest markets and national priorities. Thus hotels in Singapore suffer from labour scarcity and have been forced to employ a broad range of HRM strategies to ensure adequate staffing. Conversely, Australian hotels have an available labour market but require sophisticated training and career development programmes to assure service quality and productivity. The implications of this comparative research on hotel management practices in the two countries will undoubtedly apply to hoteliers in any country.