Dissertation: HRM of Multicultural Workforce in Cyprus Luxury Hotels

This dissertation explores the Human Resource Management (HRM) practices within the luxury hospitality sector of Cyprus, focusing on the management of a multicultural workforce. The study begins with an introduction to the hospitality industry in Cyprus, highlighting its growth and importance to the country's economy. It then presents the research aims, objectives, and research questions, laying the groundwork for the literature review, which examines the perspectives of the hospitality sector, luxury hotel management, and the management of diverse workforces. The methodology chapter details the research design, philosophy, and data collection methods, including the use of surveys and statistical analysis. The data analysis chapter presents the findings through charts and graphs, followed by a discussion of the results. The dissertation concludes with conclusions, recommendations for improving HRM practices, and identifies gaps in the research. The study emphasizes the challenges and opportunities associated with managing a diverse workforce in the luxury hospitality sector, providing insights into how hotels can improve their HRM strategies to achieve success.

Running head: DISSERTATION
HRM of Multicultural Workforce in the Luxury Hospitality Industry in Cyprus
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author Note:

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Acknowledgement
I want to thank all the people who have helped me from the beginning to complete this
research. My thanks goes to all those people who have listened to me and have always
encouraged me. I will specially thank my supervisor whose guidance, effort, advice and most
importantly patience has helped me to complete the research in the most appropriate manner.
I also thank all the members of my college and my fellow researchers. My thanks also goes to
all of the students, local teachers and the authorities of the education. Apart from this I also
thank my faculty members. The research will have been left incomplete without their
participation. I must thank to the authors and researchers whose work have been taken by me
to complete the secondary research. Lastly I must thank all the research participants who
helped me by providing with their responses which were of great value to the research.
Finally I thank my family and friends who were of great support during my total research.

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Abstract
The following research has been based on the study of the Human resource Management of
the luxury hospitality sector of Cyprus. The changes in the hospitality sector and the
involvement of new and innovative ideas have led to the transformation of the hospitality
sector. The study here has focused on the discussion of the luxury hospitality sector of
Cyprus. There has been a rise in the tourist footfall in the Mediterranean country for the last
few years which has helped in the development of the Cyprus hospitality industry. The
diverse workforce in the industry has helped in the attraction of a large number of foreign
nationals. The first chapter introduces the readers with the research and provides a brief yet
compact overview of the various perspectives related to the subject. The introductory chapter
provides a number of aims and objectives of the research and also provides the different types
of the research questions. The research questions are formulated in such a manner that it acts
as the base for the development of the literary review. The introductory chapter also provides
a clear structure of the dissertation which helps the readers to get an idea of the arrangement
structure of the work. The second chapter is the literature review where the different
perspectives based on the hospitality sector, luxury hotel management of Cyprus and the
management of the diverse workforce in the luxury hotels of the Mediterranean country has
been provided. The literature review has cited the works of different works and has critically
discussed different terms in the most appropriate manner. The third chapter has dealt with the
different process and methods that has been used to conduct the research. The design,
philosophy and the sampling structure used in the study has been highlighted in the research.
The methodology chapter is followed by the data analysis and results chapter where the
responses collected from the live samples have been analysed through survey statistics using
charts and graphs and then discussed in a systematic manner to find out the different results.

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The last chapter provides a conclusion and different recommendation to the hotel industry in
order to provide a better HRM.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgement......................................................................................................................2
Abstract......................................................................................................................................3
Chapter 1....................................................................................................................................8
1.1 Background of the study..................................................................................................8
1.2 Research Aims...............................................................................................................10
1.3 Objectives of the Research.............................................................................................10
1.4 Research Questions........................................................................................................11
1.5 Problem Statement.........................................................................................................11
1.6 Structure of the Dissertation...........................................................................................12
1.7 Summary........................................................................................................................13
Chapter 2..................................................................................................................................14
2.0 Literature Review...............................................................................................................14
2.1 Introduction....................................................................................................................14
2.2 Major Perspectives of the Hospitality Sector.................................................................14
2.3 Major Perspectives of the Luxury hospitality Sector.....................................................16
2.4 Perspectives of Hospitality Sector in Cyprus.................................................................18
2.5 Perspectives of Luxury Hospitality Sector in Cyprus....................................................20
2.6 Cultural Workforce Management in Hospitality Industry.............................................21

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2.7 Management of the Diverse Cultural Workforce...........................................................22
2.8 Working style of the culturally diverse people..............................................................23
2.9 Challenges faced to manage multicultural people.........................................................25
2.10 Summary of Chapter 2.................................................................................................26
Chapter 3..................................................................................................................................26
3.0 Research Methodology.......................................................................................................26
3.1 Introduction....................................................................................................................26
3.2 Research Philosophy......................................................................................................27
3.2.1 Justification of selecting positivism philosophy.........................................................28
3.3 Research Approach........................................................................................................28
3.3.1 Justification of selecting deductive approach.............................................................29
3.4 Research Design.............................................................................................................29
3.4.1 Justification of selecting descriptive design................................................................30
3.5 Research Strategy...........................................................................................................30
3.5.1 Justification for selecting survey research strategy.....................................................31
3.6 Sampling Technique and Sampling Size........................................................................31
3.6.1 Justification for selecting systematic sampling technique..........................................31
3.7 Data Collection Technique.............................................................................................32
3.7.1 Justification for selecting primary data collection technique......................................32
3.8 Data Analysis Technique...............................................................................................32
3.8.1 Justification for selecting statistical method...............................................................33

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3.9 Ethical Considerations...................................................................................................33
3.10 Conclusion....................................................................................................................34
Chapter 4..................................................................................................................................34
4.0 Data Analysis.....................................................................................................................34
Figure No 1: Pie chart showing Gender...............................................................................35
Figure No 2: Pie chart showing Age Group.........................................................................36
Figure No 3: Pie chart showing Monthly Income................................................................36
Figure No 4: Pie chart showing Extent of promotion..........................................................37
Figure No 5: Positive Values that have an impact on the cultural diversity........................38
Figure No 6: Productive Atmosphere influence cultural diversity......................................39
Figure No 6: Performance of Employee has an influence cultural diversity.......................40
Figure No 7: Promotion of diversity adds to business success............................................41
Figure No 8: Luxury hospitality Sector in Cyprus promotes better cultural diversity.........42
Figure No 9: Treatment of multicultural workforce in Cyprus............................................43
Figure No 10: Management of multicultural workforce in Cyprus.....................................44
Figure No 11: Multicultural Workforce is necessary for success of hotels in Cyprus........45
Figure No 12: Training session important for the multicultural workforce in Cyprus........46
Figure No 14: Proper HRM is required for the cultural diversity........................................48
Chapter 5..................................................................................................................................48
Chapter 6..................................................................................................................................50
6.0 Conclusions and Recommendations..................................................................................50

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6.1 Conclusions....................................................................................................................50
6.2 Linking with the objectives............................................................................................51
6.3 Gaps in Research............................................................................................................53
6.4 Recommendations..........................................................................................................54
References................................................................................................................................57
Appendices...............................................................................................................................63
Appendix 1...............................................................................................................................63
Questionnaire...........................................................................................................................63
Open questions.....................................................................................................................63
Closed Questions..................................................................................................................64

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Chapter 1
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Background of the study
The globalization process in world has changed the way and the perception of how the
people travel and work across the total globe (Assaf, Josiassen and Oh 2016). The change of
the perceptions of the globe has helped the population to meet with new cultures and work in
different kinds of environments. The increasing awareness of the people as well as the
different kinds of the increasing demands of the people has changed the perception of luxury
in the hospitality industry. The majority of the companies have been fighting for a long time
against the different kinds of the discrimination practised in the organization. The target for
the management of the enterprises is to ensure the absence of any kinds of the discrimination
within the workforce. The hospitality companies of the organization do not want to
disappoint the customers with misinformation.
A hotel can be said to be as a commercial organization which generally provides
lodging, food, beverage as well as the different types of the other guest services. The hotels
of the globe are generally classified according to their star ratings. This kind of the star
ratings differentiates the services of the hotels from each other. There are a total of seven
stars and the hotels are classified according to the ratings. According to, Assaf, Josiassen and
Oh (2016) the high ratings of a hotel classify the luxury they provide to their customers. The
word luxury needs to be explained in a proper manner to properly understand the luxury
hospitality services present in the modern day business world. The term luxury can be
defined to be a particular state of mind where people seem to have no worries as such, are
free of any kind of stress, are happy and enjoy themselves in different kinds of situation. Thus
it can be said that a luxury hotel is a particular place which is capable of providing an elegant

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room and also provides different kinds of additional features. However the most important
part of the luxury status is the huge price tag of receiving such luxury items. The more is the
ratings, the more is the price tag of the hotel. Though the luxury hotels are priced high, these
hotels play a crucial role in the growth of the hospitality and tourism sector of a country.
These kinds of the hotels present a great economic value to the country.
Cyprus is an island country in the Eastern Mediterranean Island which has a large
history by its side. The presence of the earliest known human habitants and the presence of
large remains of the ancient Roman Empire make it one of the most important countries of
Europe. The country has been famous as because it is one of the very few countries of Europe
where different archaeological sites have been discovered. Apart from this Cyprus has also
been famous for the different structures of Roman Civilization. The earliest known human
activity dates to around 10th century BC which makes Cyprus an important historical place.
Apart from the historical importance of the country, the country is also famous for its
exquisite natural beauty which includes the presence of a large and widespread coastline
along the Mediterranean Sea (Abokhamis Mousavi Hoşkara and Woosnam 2017). The vast
coastline along the Mediterranean Sea provides a great scope for the country to increase their
income by means of enhancing and supporting the hospitality and tourism industry. The
Government of Cyprus along with the involvement of a number of private players have been
trying to develop the hospitality industry in order to boost up the economy of the country.
As mentioned earlier, the hospitality and tourism industry is one of the major
economic boosters of Cyprus. Acccording to, Abokhamis Mousavi Hoşkara and Woosnam
(2017) the hotel industry has been booming since the last decade in Cyprus after the end of
the civil war and the efforts by the government to boost the tourism sector by implementing a
number of different steps. One of the most crucial features of the tourism sector in the
modern world has been the huge growth of tourism activities along the coastlines of the

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Mediterranean Sea. The steps taken in favour of the growth of the tourism industry has
helped in the positive development of the country. The country has been seriously involved in
the development of tourism and has been quite successful in this sector as report has shown
that Cyprus has exceeded the different countries of the Mediterranean region in terms of
tourism. The growth in the tourism sector has been an important cause behind the growth of
the hospitality sector of the country. The growth in the hospitality sector has been one of the
positive developments for the economic set up of the country. The research here has
specifically dealt on the study of the luxury hospitality centre of Cyprus and the different
kinds of the other perspectives related to it. The management of the hotels face different
kinds of challenges to manage the organization with varied cultures. However, the utilization
of the proper resources and the assets of the hotel industry along with the organizational
elements includes the likes of the organizational elements of the hotel business.
1.2 Research Aims
The aim of the following study is to get an idea of the management of the human
resources of the diverse workforce in the luxury hospitality sector. The study has been totally
based on the luxury hospitality sector of Cyprus. The research aims to find out the different
types of the perspectives based on the diverse human resource of the hospitality sector. The
aims of the research have allowed the study to highlight and discuss the different elements
and perspectives of the business.
1.3 Objectives of the Research
The research objectives are as follows;
a. To find out the perspectives of the hospitality sector
b. To find out the perspectives of the luxury hospitality sector of Cyprus

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c. To find out and study the diverse cultural workforce management in the luxury
hospitality sector of Cyprus
d. To determine the ways the human resource department of the luxury hotels in
Cyprus manage the diverse workforce of the organizations
e. To determine the harmonious functioning of the culturally diverse population
f. To determine the challenges of the maintenance of a culturally diverse population
1.4 Research Questions
The research questions are as follows;
A. What can be said to be the major perspectives of the hospitality sector?
B. What are the major perspectives of the luxury hospitality sector of Cyprus?
C. How can the diverse cultural workforce management in the luxury hospitality
sector of Cyprus be described?
D. How does the diverse workforce in the luxury hotels of Cyprus managed by the
Human Resource Department?
E. How are the diverse cultural people able to work together in a harmonious manner
towards a common goal?
F. What are the challenges of Multicultural workforces today and how do they
manage quality?
1.5 Problem Statement
The following study has been conducted in order to study the management of the
diverse workforce present in the luxury hospitality sector of Cyprus. The study has identified
the different kinds of the perspectives related to the diverse multicultural workforce of the
hotel industry in the Mediterranean country. The study will be addressing the different
perspectives related to the management of the diverse workplace in the different kinds of the

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luxury hotels of Cyprus. The most important part of the following study is the focus on the
diverse workplace management which is hardly available in any research conducted until
now.
1.6 Structure of the Dissertation
The dissertation has a compact and systematic structure and has been divided into six
different chapters which starts from the description of the dissertation and ends with the
conclusion chapter. The chapters are described as follows;
a. Chapter 1: Introduction
The first chapter is the introductory chapter where a brief yet detailed background of
the research has been provided in a proper manner. The research starts with a clear
overview of the term hotel and continues with the description of the scope of the tourism
and hospitality in Cyprus. The chapter has provided the aims and objectives of the study
as well as has provided the questions formulated from the research. The introduction part
of the research has also provided the problem statement which had been the basis of the
following study. The introduction chapter provides the main basis for the review chapter.
The first chapter stresses on the common concepts of the study which helps to provide a
picture of the topic of the research. This provides an easy angle to the research topic and
helps them easy to understand for all. Apart from this, the chapter consists of the research
aims along with the objectives of the study.
b. Chapter 2: Literature Review
The literature review has provided a clear understanding and discussion of the
frameworks and perspectives of the subject related to the research. The literature review
chapter constitutes the second chapter of the study. It provides a clear review of the
subject and discusses the perspectives of the study.