Hospitality Management Literature Review

This assignment requires a comprehensive literature review on current trends in hospitality management. It focuses on analyzing various scholarly articles published between 2015 and 2016, spanning topics like graduate studies in hospitality, tourist behavior, human resource development in sustainable tourism, leadership in the Asia-Pacific region, and the influence of social media on travel experiences. The review aims to identify key themes, research gaps, and emerging trends within the field.

Human Resources Management for
service industries

Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
Task 1.........................................................................................................................................3
1.1 Importance of Human Resource Management................................................................3
1.2 Developing a HRM plan on the analysis of demand and supply.....................................4
Task 2.........................................................................................................................................5
2.1 Assessing the present state of employment relations within service sector....................5
2.2 Impact of various employment laws on HR in the UK...................................................6
Task 3.........................................................................................................................................7
3.1 Specification of job description for service industry.......................................................7
3.2 Comparison of selection process of different service industry businesses....................10
Task 4.......................................................................................................................................10
4.1 Training and development function for Thomas Cook.................................................10
Conclusion................................................................................................................................11
References................................................................................................................................12

INTRODUCTION
In the realm of competition and dominance of service industry, human resources are
ensuring the great commercial success at higher extent. Many researches have been
conducted to acquire an understanding of human resources management and
transformation of business environment into more competitive world. So, it is necessary to
have an adequate Human Resource Management (HRM) within the organisation. The
present module explores the role and purpose of HRM within the context of Thomas Cook, a
travel and tourism company industry. Moreover, the present state of employment relations
within the organisation will also be discussed with the impact of various employment laws
and legislations. Along with this, an adequate and appropriate recruitment and selection
process will also be determined in this report.
TASK 1
1.1 Importance of Human Resource Management
Human Resource Management is a formal structure which consist of several policies
which manage and control the activities of employees within the organisation. In present
scenario of competitive market, it is the core business function which is required for growth
and development of organisations in an effective manner (Brandon-Jones, 2016). There is
vital role of HRM in the organisation which consists of some main functions, like Recruiting
employees, training and development sessions, performance appraisals, workplace
communication as well as motivating employees. In the service sector industry, human
resources management plays a significant role, some of them are mentioned below:
 Human resources helps the company to improve its bottom line by having knowledge
of how human assets affect the growth and success of the organisation in an
effective manner.
 They participate in the decision-making process of corporates in order to forecast the
current and future needs of workforce on the basis of demand (Capaldi, 2016).
 HR also manage entire recruitment and selection process, starting from screening
the resumes of applicants, scheduling interviews and end with final process of
selection by choosing right employees.
 It is the responsibility of HR to increase the morale of workforce, to motivate them
and to reach their satisfaction level, by strengthening the relationship of employees
and employers. They need to conduct several appraisal programmes, reward
systems and provide them benefits in different ways.

 HR personnels are also responsible to maintain good working atmosphere, better
working conditions, health and safety work environment. So, that productivity of
employees can increase (Chang and Katrichis, 2016).
 Human resource manager is also responsible to manage several issues which many
arise from disputes and grievances of employee and employers. These people come
out with suitable solution of the problems that are faced.
With the perspective of service sector industries, there is great role human resource
management. Thomas Cook is world's largest leisure travel and tourism company, which is
operating in 17 countries from the UK (Daskin and Surucu, 2016). The HR manager of the
company has responsibility to analyse the current market trend in the travel and tourism
industry. With the increased demand for international travel and tourism services across the
world, the need of efficient human capital increases. In service industry, HR manger is
responsible to hire new workers who posses then knowledge of tourism sector. Human
capital in travel and tourism industry are the first person to directly interact with the clients
and customers. HRM system is important for controlling and managing the activities of the
company. It is the role of HR manager to decide the payrolls for their employees according
to the overall sales. Moreover, whenever a new employee is hired, then it is the
responsibility of the HR department of Thomas Cook to deliver them good training about the
work-style while rendering services to customers (Dusek, G.A. And et. al., 2016). Training
should be given for different cultures and customs of different different countries. The HR
manager is responsible to align all its business with certain HR activities.
1.2 Developing a HRM plan on the analysis of demand and supply
A successful plan has to be developed by the Thomas Cook by analysing the
demand and supply of human resources within the organisation. The following plan will help
the company to analyse the need of human resources:
Objective: The main objective of this plan is to forecast the current and future needs of
human resources within the Thomas Cook. With the help of this plan, various strategies and
policies will be analysed in order to implement within the organisation.
Assessing the demand of HR: Thomas Cook need to analyse the requirement of human
resources at right time, so that right candidate can be chosen in an effective manner (Grant,
2016). There are various techniques and tools have been developed in order to forecast the
need of human capital within the organisation.
Assessing the supply of HR: It is very necessary to analyse the supply of potential human
resources within the market. If there is availability of potential, talented and skilled
candidates then it become easy to access them.

Strategies: There are various strategies can be implemented for forecasting the demand
and supply of human resources. With the help of analytical tools, the availability of the
human resources will be predicted (Holicza and Pasztor, 2016).
Implementations: Once the plan has been made, then it is necessary to implement this
plan. Then, it should be evaluated so that further better results can be attained.
TASK 2
2.1 Assessing the present state of employment relations within service sector
The employment relations within the service sector is adversely affecting in the
present scenario of competitive business world. Employment relationship can de defined as
the legal relationship between employee ans employer, this relationship exist when an
employee performs some services and duties under some conditions. In travelling and
tourism industry, many employees are facing issues regarding work conditions, pay structure
and working hours. In this industry job has becoming vulnerable due to many factors.
Employees are not getting desirable salaries or wages (Kelly, Lawlor and Mulvey, 2016).
The market relations is concerned with the price of labours, including working hours, basic
wages, pension schemes and holidays (Paul, ed). The employment relations consists of two
parts; managerial relations and market relations. The employment relations create the
market, whereby operation of each people can be differ. The legal structure which is
designed in the employment relations is concerned with the labour markets and their pay-
scale, it is also concerns with the rights of employees in order to protect them with unfair
practices.
In travel and tourism industry, employees are not satisfied with their job and pay
structure, therefore the turnover rate is increasing rapidly. It is the responsibility of the HR
manger to set certain policies for the right of employees (Lee, Dopson and Ko, 2016).
Moreover, it is necessary to know the needs and wants of employees within the workplace
so that employer can build strong relationship. Employees who work in tourism industries
company get minimum salary which, better working conditions and flexible working hours
then they will be more satisfied. As a result of which, productivity and profitability of the
organisation will also increase (Martin and Trang, 2016). Therefore, it is necessary to have a
legal employment structure within the service industry company, which can be done by
analysing the nature and wants of employees within the labour market. In addition to this, a
good rapport is required in between employee and employers, both need to cooperate each
other for the sake of organisation's goals and objectives. Furthermore. Employers can invest
on their employees to develop extra efficiency and increase their potentials wit the help of

training and development process. As, it is the employee who will deliver organisational and
commercial goals, with their support it is impossible for employer to increase the productivity
of the company. Many a times, it may happen that interests and nature of employees and
employers may clash, but it need to be sort out for the sake of the company. So, every
service sector organisation need to focus to improve the employee-employer relationship,
which can be done by with the assistance of several theories and practices.
2.2 Impact of various employment laws on HR in the UK
Employment laws immensely affect the management of human resources within the
service sector company (Mir, and Iqbal, 2016). Many employment legislations has been
designed to protect to protect the rights of employees. In order to execute successful HR
plan, it is necessary to comply with various regulatory frameworks (A GUIDE TO UK
EMPLOYMENT LAW. ed.). An employment law is concerned with employment contracts,
working hours, equal pay, disciplinary, wages, grievance procedures and discrimination at
unfair dismissal, work, maternity leaves. The regulatory frameworks which can affect the
human resources management system are mentioned below:
 The Equal Employment Opportunity Act protects the workforce of the service sector
industry against discrimination regarding age, race, sex and religion. The National
minimum wage rate Act 1998 will provide equal opportunity to employees to get
minimum wages according to working hours.
 The Equality Act 2010 consists of provisions that will ban the discrimination between
employees on the basis of their age within the workplace. This act supports
employees for getting equal opportunities (Qoura and Khalifa, 2016).
 Moreover, it is the responsibility of the company to provide healthy and secure
environment to their employee, then only they can concentrate on their work
effectively.
 In addition to this, the Race Relations Act 1976 provide protection to employees from
being discriminated on the basis of their race and colour. As there are different kind
of people, seeks opportunities for better job and career in different countries
worldwide. So, they should not be discriminated on the grounds of their nationality or
any other factors.
 Furthermore, employee's values and beliefs will also be protected form any kind of
discrimination within the workplace. The Employment right act 1996 depicts provide
legislations to protect the obligations and rights of employees.

 Along with this, equal rights of men and women will also be protected from any kind
of harassment and discrimination on the basis of sex. In the service sector industry,
opportunities should be given to men and women, their work should be appreciated
so that they can render better services to people.
So, it is required for service sector industry to abide by all legislations of employment
in order to improve the work culture and environment within the organisation. All these
lawsuits services will help the company to get the benefits of an HR department. Employees
have to carry legal documents in order to get the support for their rights and obligations in
the organisation. Employees of travel and tourism industry, who are facing issues regarding
working environment, wages, working time and many other will be able to protest against
these with the help of employment laws.
TASK 3
3.1 Specification of job description for service industry
Thomas Cook is required to hire new marketing manager, for that the HR manager of
the company need to determine job description and person specification in its advertisement,
which will consists of roles and responsibilities of the marketing manager. The following job
description and person specification format will assist the HR manager to hire efficient
candidates.
Job description for marketing manager of Thomas Cook
Position- General Marketing Manager in
Thomas Cook Group Plc.
Reports to- Senior Manager of the
company
Department- Human Resource
Department
Location- Thomas Cook Group Plc.,
UK
Job specification:
 Experience in maintaining and controlling all marketing strategies in order to
meet organisational goals.
 Strong understanding of needs, choice and preferences of customers,
market dynamics and current trend.
 Capability to travel the whole world and work with professional marketing
team across the globe.
 Ability to overseas all advertising, promotional and marketing activities and

staff within the organisation.
 Fluency in various languages, especially, English, Spanish, French or
Japanese.
 Excellence in written communication and interpersonal skills.
 High professional skills of managing projects with multi-task abilities.
 Ability to grasp typical marketing concepts with changing trend.
 Flexibility to make decisions and set priorities within the compressed time-
frames.
Performance measurement:
 Performance will be measures and evaluated on the basis of sales target
achieved in a month.
 Performance will be rated on the basis of many techniques.
 Customer satisfaction level will be checked with their responses and
feedbacks.
 Increasing market share and growth will determine the performance of
Thomas Cook.
 Reviews and feedbacks will be taken from other employees, colleagues and
senior authority.
Job duties:
 To conduct marketing activities, including promotional campaigns and
advertisements with the help of many tools and techniques.
 To render satisfactory and adequate services to customers and clients.
 To enhance the marketing skills and knowledge of other employees with the
change in the market trend of travel and tourism industry.
 To maintain pay structure of employees under the supervision of marketing
manager.
Person specification

Person specification: MARKETING MANAGER IN THOMAS COOK
Attainments Requirements Desirable
Experience Certified degree, diploma
or marketing certificate in
marketing in travel and
tourism industry followed
by minimum 3 years
Candidates who have
experience of rendering
marketing services in
other travel and tourism
industry for last 5-7
years.
Qualifications Candidate should be post
graduated in travel and
tourism marketing
Masters degree from
renown high university of
London.
Skills required
Customer service Applicants should be able
to communicate with
customers in an effective
manner. They should have
knowledge of soft skills.
Applicant must be
capable enough to
understand the needs
and preferences of
customers.
Leadership skills They should posses
leadership skills in order to
lead team members
(Rowley and Ulrich, eds.,
2016).
Candidates should have
in-depth knowledge of
various leadership skills,
which can be apply
within the organisation.
Communication and Soft
skills
Candidates should have
excellent verbal and
communication while
treating customers.
Candidates should be
able to deliver message
to their stakeholders,
clients and other

employees.
3.2 Comparison of selection process of different service industry businesses
Thomas Cook has robust recruitment and selection process, which comprises of
many stages. It starts from advertisement of job vacancy with the help of many advertising
tools and techniques. Thomas Cook is actively utilising the internet, with the help of many
social media like, LinkedIn, Facebook and twitter it is promoting its job vacancies. As,
millions of people are active on these sites, so it becomes easy to attract large base of
people. Thomas Cook has its own job portal, whereby it allows candidates to enter their
resumes and apply for desired job vacancy (Samiha, 2016). Next stage of recruitment
process is to screen the resumes on the basis of required qualifications, skills and abilities.
Selected people will be called for a test in which their analytical, logical and communication
skills will be checked. Then selected people will be called for technical and HR interview, in
which their marketing skills, soft skills and communication skills will be checked. If they found
fit for the provided job designation, further they will be called for physical test and then final
interview will be taken. Thomas Cook follow systematic selection process, so that can get
potential employee who can easily access operations and functions of travel and tourism
industry.
In contrast to this, Cox & Kings leading travel company of London, UK has simplex
recruitment and selection process than the Thomas Cook (Sebata, 2016). It has links with
many travel and tourism agencies, which advertise job vacancy for various designations.
People who are interested to be placed in this company have to submit their resumes there.
Moreover, Cox and Kings also recruit its employees from campus placements. Candidates
who match with the desired qualifications and person specification will be selected for further
aptitude test. Then selected students will be called for interview process, where their all
skills, talents and knowledge will be analysed. Final selected student will be provided job
offer and called for joining the company.
TASK 4
4.1 Training and development function for Thomas Cook
There is greater contribution of training and development activities to the effective
operations of the business such as Thomas Cook. Training and development is regarded as
the function of human resource management that relates with activity of the firm which aims
at enhancing the performance of the individuals as well as group in the business
environment (Silva and Martins, 2016). The training offered to the personnel not only offers
advantages to the personnel but also assist the organization in carrying out its operations in

an effective manner. The major contribution of training and development activities to the
operations of Thomas Cook has been enumerated in the manner as under: Assist in keeping up with the industry changes: There are constant changes bought
within the industry. It is essential for the organization to follow the regulations that are
existing within the industry. Such can be attained by the means of training and
development. As such it demonstrates that skills and knowledge of staff are up-to-
date. With the assistance of such the organization effectiveness towards attainment
of success within the industry can increase to a greater extent. This offers great er
opportunity to Thomas Cook in enhancing its functions by the means of training and
development. Getting an edge over competitors: The role of training and development can be
greatly viewed towards attaining edge over competitors. With the assistance of
training the skills and knowledge of personnel can be enhanced. Thus they would be
able to work with fuller zeal and enthusiasm (Surendran and Sahoo, 2016). This
would assist the firm in attaining the targets within specified duration of time.
Therefore it results in attainment of success by the organization in long run course of
time. Maintenance of the skills and knowledge: Training and development is effective in
contributing towards the maintenance of skills and knowledge of the personnel within
the organization such as Thomas Cook. With this they are able to work in an effective
manner. In order to retain the employees it is significant to ensure maintenance of
skills so that quality work can be performed.
 Attracting new talents: Every organization wants to possess suitable personnel. Thus
with the assistance of training the firm can not only retain better staff but also the
organization can attract better talent from outside as well (Wang and Huang, 2016).
This is because with this Thomas Cook would be able to develop its sound image in
the market which would attract new talents in an effective manner.
CONCLUSION
From the above module, it can be study that there is great impact of human
resources management on travel and tourism industry. With the assistance of various
human resource policies and theories, the performance of Thomas Cook can be improved.
Moreover, by applying several employment laws and legislations, an effective HR
management can be attained. It is also concluded that, to increase the profitability and
growth of the company, several techniques can be applied within the organisation.

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