BTEC HND Travel and Tourism: Human Resource Management at STA Travel

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of Human Resource Management (HRM) practices within STA Travel, a prominent travel company. It begins with an introduction to travel and tourism management and the significance of HRM, followed by a detailed discussion of STA Travel's HRM strategies, including its importance and the justification of its HR plan based on supply and demand analysis. The report then investigates the current state of employment relations in the service sector, focusing on HRM activities and relevant employment laws affecting the UK service sector. Furthermore, the report identifies a job title within STA Travel, providing a job description and person specification, and compares the selection processes of STA Travel with another service business. The report is a complete response to an assignment brief on HRM in the service sector, offering a thorough examination of the topic with references to relevant literature and employment laws.

Running head: TRAVEL AND TOURISM MANAGEMENT
Travel and Tourism Management: STA Travel Company
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author’s Note:

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Table of Contents
1. Introduction........................................................................................................................ 2
2. Discussion.......................................................................................................................... 2
2.1 Task 1........................................................................................................................... 2
2.2 Task 2........................................................................................................................... 4
2.3 Task 3........................................................................................................................... 6
2.4 Task 4........................................................................................................................... 8
3. Conclusion......................................................................................................................... 8
References........................................................................................................................... 10

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1. Introduction
Travel and tourism management can be referred to as each and every activity that is
related to the industry of hospitality and tourism. It eventually involves various aspects of
effective management and administration of business and even travel industry (Noe et al.
2017). Moreover, the subsequent details regarding travel motivation, tourism organizations
as well as environmental factors are also considered in this particular industry. The following
report will be outlining a detailed analysis of one of the most popular organizations in the
United Kingdom, STA Travel Company. Major importance of HRM and analysis of tourism
service establishment as well as examination of training and development function will also
be demonstrated in this report.
2. Discussion
2.1 Task 1
2.1.1 Explanation of Importance of HRM and Analyses of the Roles as well as Purpose
of HRM in STA Travel Company
STA Travel Company is the subsequent collection that is being owned by the Swiss
Diethelm Keller Group. It is one of the most popular and significant travel and tourism
companies in the United Kingdom, which has its headquarters in London and Zurich. The
organization eventually claims to the largest travel organization in the world for mainly youth
generation and students. STA Travel was founded in the year of 1971 and are serving areas
like Australia, Central Europe, New Zealand, the United States, South Africa, South America,
Asia, Canada and United Kingdom. Moreover than 2000 people are working in the company
and they have franchises as well as business partners in forty eight countries. The gross
turnover was about CHF 997 million in the year of 2011 and over the years they have grown
their position from the bottom of the list to the top.
One of the most significant and major reasons of such top position alignment is the
importance of human resource management within their business (Cascio 2015). They have

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mainly focused on recruitment, management and directing the individuals, who are
associated with the company. It also deals with several issues that are related to
performance management, wellness, performance management, organizational
development, employee motivation, training and development and many others and hence it
had been much easier for the organization to deal with all types of complexities and issues.
HRM has played a strategic role during management of people as well as workplace
environment and culture. It could also contribute majorly to the entire organizational direction
as well as accomplishment of the business objectives and goals (Bratton and Gold 2017).
The major purpose of HRM in this particular organization of STA Travel was to provide
advantages through the resilience and customer satisfaction so that they are able to get
ideas about changing of direction. Employee motivation is kept on top priority due to this
effectiveness.
2.1.2 Proper Development or Justification of the plan for HR on the basis of Analyses
of Supply or Demand in STA Travel Company
The business of STA Travel Company has always provided with some of the major
and the most significant gods and services to their customers (DeCenzo, Robbins and
Verhulst 2016). Due to this particular advantage, they are capable to understand the need
and requirements of customers and how to fulfil the demands of these customers. They have
discriminated each and every demand of their customers for better analysis of customer
relationship management system. The entire knowledge of customer demands is completely
descriptive in nature and the information related to customer consumption is quite helpful for
knowing customer demands (Cascio 2015). Supply and demand in the tourism industry or
STA Travel Company is extremely important and it helps in keeping a balance between
organizational strategies and output they are gaining. There is a subsequent relationship
within quantity and price that is being demanded. It is termed as the demand relationship.
Supply, on the other hand in STA Travel Company eventually represents the amount of
market that is being offered. This quantity that is being supplied eventually refers to the

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subsequent amount of good producers, willing in supplying to the company (Noe et al.
2015).
STA Travel Company has considered their human resource plan in such a manner
that they are able to maintain a balance between supplies and demands. There is a
correlation between the price of the current market and cost of goods and services provided
by them. Due to the presence of this supply relationship, STA is able to identify their
loopholes and understand about shortage and surplus in the business (Chelladurai and
Kerwin 2018). Moreover, they have focused on their market price after equalling with all
other companies in the same industry. The HR professional of this organization also helps in
proper development of the organizational culture or climate, by which the staff comprises of
commitment, concern and competency for serving their customers in a well manner. With the
help of proper supply and demand, they are able to apply to the current business
environment.
2.2 Task 2
2.2.1 Investigations as well as Assessment of the Current State of Employment
Relation in Service Sector Perspectives
HR management plays one of the major and vital role in the travel and tourism
industry since it is dealing with customers and tourists. STA Travel has always focused on
the commitment by their employees as well as strategic dimension in the entire procedure to
generate activities of HRM (Budhwar and Debrah 2013). However, if this type of
management is conceptualized as the most significant and important strategy of
management and is limited to few number of companies. HRM in STA is often referred to as
one of the most basic strategic approaches, which is being utilized for managing
employment relations. The main reason of poor employment relation is that the subsequent
formulation of law in UK is both ambiguous and poor in nature that results in scope being
unclear. A major emphasis is provided on the factor that are leveraging capabilities of people

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and commitment is highly critical to achieve the competitive advantages, which are highly
sustainable (Sparrow, Brewster and Chung 2016). For the core purpose of achieving these
competitive advantages, there exist distinct set of practices, employment policies and
programs, which are being embedded within organizational contexts.
There are six major activities of HRM in the perspective of service sectors, which are
as follows:
i) Developing Human Resources: The first activity of HRM is developing the
respective human resources (Brewster 2017). It is a basic requisite, which STA must provide
their employees with proper tools to ensure success.
ii) Benefits and Compensations: Benefits and compensations are two major
functionalities, which are being combined together and then handled by the HR manager in
STA Travel.
iii) Health and Safety: STA has always focused on the health as well as safety
factors of the employees and a proper working environment is being provided, which is both
healthy and safe.
iv) Staffing: The subsequent success of the recruitment specialists and employees is
being measured through a number of job positions that are being filled (Renwick, Redman
and Maguire 2013). Moreover, time taken to fill up these positions is also being considered
here.
v) Labour and Employee Relation: The employee and labour functions could be
either handled by the HR personnel with dual specialization or there could be 2 separate
individuals for the functions. The employee relations could be associated with strengthening
the relation within employers and employees. The labour relation is associated with proper
development of the response to organizational campaigns in STA.

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vi) Compliance: The compliance functionality is being utilized for checking of the
compliance with proper labour and employment functionalities. This HRM within this
organization of STA eventually is performing numerous functions to make their business
successful.
2.2.2 Major Identification or Discussion of Several Employment Laws affecting HRM in
UK Service Sector
It is extremely important for considering the significant factor of HRM getting highly
impacted, influenced as well as shaped by several laws at the state and federal levels by
simply governing total employment area (Aswathappa 2013). There are several regulations
that are needed for governing each and every aspect of HRM like development and
placement, recruitment as well as compensation. One of the major segment of legislation
includes the main impact on every functional area of HRM. STA Travel has always focused
on the major segments of legislations and regulations. Since, they are involved with tourism
industry, it is quite vital for them to ensure compliance in the business with certain acts of
penalties. Civil Rights Act is the first and the foremost employment law that has affected
HRM in the UK service sector. The next important an significant employment law is Equal
Pay Act, which was being established in 1973 and according to this law, there should not be
any type of discrimination based on gender for paying salaries and wages.
Another vital legislation is Occupational Health and Safety Act, 1970. According to
this particular act, the respective employers of the service sector are being forced for
providing a working environment to the people, who are healthy and safe. It was eventually
designed so that the companies are being made liable for workforce safety (Anderson 2013).
Another distinctive legislation present in the UK service sector is Family and Medical Leave
Act, 1993. According to this act, the employees, who subsequently qualify are being
provided with certain amount of time period for family and medical issues. With the presence
of these leaves, the employees do not have to lose their salary and take leaves. The final
legislation or employment law, followed by the service sector of UK is Fair Labour Standards

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Act, 1938. It is mandatory that the respective employer is complying with all types of
restrictions that are associated to child labour or workplace safety.
2.3 Task 3
2.3.1 Identification of a Job Title in STA Travel Company and Discussion of Job
Description and Person Specification
The entire job description is being utilized to set the total purpose of the role as well
as the major tasks, which are being required for being carried out. This type of performance
specification, which is eventually related with the details of job description. Moreover, the
respective experiences and skills of the job description are required for effective
performances in the job. Person specification and job description should be well written for
assisting in the entire procedure of attracting the most appropriate candidate for the position
(Alfes et al. 2013). The major reason for such description is that every accountability is being
spelt out and every potential applicant is provided with the chance to apply for the job
position.
The human resources even utilize it for evaluation of the post in respect to complexity
and responsibility against job level descriptors. A job description in STA Travel Company is
desk coordinator, who is responsible to answer every incoming calls and even provide
solutions for sales and services for meeting the requirements of the travel company. The
targets associated to revenue and customer satisfaction are easily fulfilled by this person.
The main job requirements are ability in meeting KPIs, customer service skills, collaboration
and interpersonal skills and maintaining communication skills.
2.3.2 Major Comparison of the Selection Processes of the STA Travel Company with
another Service Business
Different methods are present to use for selection in STA of the most appropriate
candidate for the position.

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i) The first method is CV and application form, so that it becomes easy to tally
qualifications to shortlist candidates based on the criteria.
ii) The second step is short listing and online screening of the shortlisted candidates.
It helps in evaluation of the suitability of any specific job (Storey 2014).
iii) The next step is interview, in which shortlisted candidates are being interviewed
by the panel of STA Travel.
iv) Finally, personality test is completed of the selected candidates and the best
candidate is being selected.
2.4 Task 4
2.4.1 Examining the Training & Development Function in STA Travel Company as well
as Assessing the Contributions of T&D Activities to an Effective Business Operation
Numerous types of tourism, market segmentation, services and products of tourism,
major trends as well as impacts of tourism and even destination awareness. It is the proper
oversight of every possible activity that is solely associated to the entire industry of
hospitality and tourism. Tourism management helps in preparation of people with similar
experience, training and interest for various management positions within the industry of
tourism. It even involves associations, public authorities and enterprises, which could market
the tourism services to every potential customer.
It even involves business administration functionalities like marketing, human
resources and finance as well as management principles and theories (Kramar 2014). T&D
function in STA is the attempt for improving both current and future employee performance
after incrementing the overall ability of the staff. Intensive orientation is required to the
employees so that best productivity is being gained without much complexity. T&D provides
several advantages in the successful assessment of the employees. It helps in job

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satisfaction and employee motivation as well. It even increases the total efficiencies in
procedures and adoption of new methods.
3. Conclusion
Hence, conclusion could be drawn that tourism management is the most significant
requirements in any business. The entire industry of tourism and travel can be referred to as
the total of all types of businesses, which directly give various services and goods for
successful facilitation of business in any of environment. Tourism industry is the most
progressive and significant UK industries and the total turnover in the last year was over 92
billion dollars. Moreover, this specific industry has directly contributed more than 34 billion
dollars in the total GDP of the country. This tourism could either be international or domestic
in nature and there are implications for both incoming and outgoing aspects that help to
understand the overall payment balance of the country. The above provided report has
clearly demonstrated the detailed description on travel and tourism management for the
extremely popular and significant organization in the UK, STA Travel Company. Several
details are being provided in the report for this particular organization.

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