Analyzing Training and Development's Effect on Marriott UK Employees

This research project investigates the impact of training and development programs on employee performance within Marriott International UK. The project begins with a research proposal, outlining the background, rationale, literature review, research methodologies, and timeline. The study employs an inductive research approach with a descriptive research design and interpretivism philosophy. Data collection relies on primary sources, utilizing questionnaires to gather information from employees. The findings reveal that employees are generally satisfied with the training policies, with mentoring being the most used training method. The research also indicates a positive correlation between training and improved employee performance. Recommendations include changing training methods to further enhance the program's effectiveness. The project includes data analysis techniques, interpretation of findings, and recommendations for future consideration. The project utilizes both qualitative and quantitative techniques for data analysis. The research concludes that training and development programs significantly contribute to employee performance and organizational success within the hospitality sector.

Research project

TABLE OF CONTENTS
TASK 1- RESEARCH Proposal......................................................................................................3
1.1 Background............................................................................................................................3
1.2 Rationale................................................................................................................................3
1.3 Literature Review...................................................................................................................4
1.4 Research methodologies........................................................................................................5
1.5 Timeline.................................................................................................................................6
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................7
2.1 Research questions and resource used for conducting research............................................7
2.2 Research methodologies........................................................................................................7
2.3 Data Collection......................................................................................................................8
TASK 3..........................................................................................................................................12
3.1 Data analysis techniques......................................................................................................12
3.2 Interpretation........................................................................................................................12
3.3 Recommendations and further consideration.......................................................................13
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................14
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Title: To analyse the impact of training and development program on performance of employees
in hospitality sector: A case study on Marriott International UK.
TASK 1- RESEARCH PROPOSAL
1.1 Background
In order to enhance the performance of organization as well as employees business unit
focuses on designing effective training and development programs (Clark, 2010). In the present
era of continuous learning training and development plays significant role for the existing
employees as it assists in developing and amending their skills that results in attaining business
goals in effective manner. In the hospitality industry training and development program plays
pivotal role as it enhances skills and abilities of staff that assists them in attracting their guest and
customers towards their hotel and using their services (Pike, 2003). Presently the study will
examine the impact of designing training and development program on the overall execution of
employees.
1.2 Rationale
The key rationale for conducting this research will be to measure the effect of training
and development of the performance of hospitality organization. Through conducting the
research it will also benefit the existing employees in enhancing their abilities and skills so that
they can render quality services to their customers or guests (Willis, 2011). Along with this, it
will also help the researcher in gaining insight knowledge so that they may properly develop the
result to attain overall growth in the hospitality organization. Furthermore, this will also support
in carrying out proper research to achieve the stated research aims and objectives.
Research aims and Objectives
Aim: To analyse the impact of training and development sessions on the performance of
employees rendering service in the hospitality industry: A case study on Marriott International
UK.
Objectives:
 To measure the concept of training and development within the workplace.
 To understand the influence of training programs on job performance of employees.
 To identify the key training methods being employed by Marriott for its workforce.
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 To recommend the effective ways through which Marriott can enhance performance of its
employees.
1.3 Literature Review
As per view of Amagada (2006) training and development plays most significant role in
the modern era where it supports in enhancing knowledge level along with skills of employees
present within the workplace. Further, in the modern era the market where businesses operate is
full of challenges and to deal with the same it is required to have skilled workforce. According to
Bunnell and et.al (2000) training and development strongly focuses on development of skills of
employees working in company. Further, it is well known fact that to carry out business
operations appropriate knowledge is needed and this is only possible when proper training within
the workforce is being delivered to employees. Apart from this, it acts as development tool for
the entire organization where all the major operations can be carried out smoothly and this in
turn allows company to deal with the challenges being present in the business environment.
Without effective training program it is impossible for business to work in favor of enhancing its
efficiency and sometime leads to negative results. Moreover, different type of training programs
are being carried out by companies such as on the job, off the job etc with the help of which
knowledge level of employees easily enhances and in turn it becomes easy to carry out business
operations.
Types of training
As per view of Hurn (2011) different types of training are being carried out within the
workplace which supports organization in gaining competitive advantage. Further, two main
methods of training are being present which involves on the job and off the job. On the job
training method takes into consideration large number of techniques which are job rotation,
coaching, mentoring etc. By considering all these techniques it becomes easy for business to
focus on development of its staff members and provides favorable results in terms of high job
satisfaction etc. According to Thorpe and Clifford (2007) off the job training methods are also
considered to be most effective such as simulation exercise, lectures and conferences, sensitivity
training etc. By undertaking all these tools it becomes easy for any organization to develop the
major areas where performance its staff members lacks and overall improvement is needed.
Sometime it is possible that staff members are not able to carry out overall operations due to lack
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of knowledge and this becomes one of the main reason behind decline in their motivation level.
Apart from this, they are not able to carry out job responsibilities as expected. To develop
employee efficiency at faster pace it is must for business to undergo different training programs
and same leads to fruitful results. However argued that Zviran and et. Al (2011) most effective
methods for rendering training is on the job where formal environment is being built for
imparting training to the workforce. Coaching as a method allows to develop skills of the
employees and they are assigned more responsibilities within the workplace. So, it leads to
higher job satisfaction where staff member takes active participation in the business affairs
(Goldstein, 2004). Apart from this, job rotation is also one of the most effective method which
provides appropriate platform to the employee for learning purpose and supports in personal
development also. Without effective training program it is not at all possible for any business to
operate efficiently in the market. In short, impact of training program on job performance of staff
member is direct where it enhances motivation level of staff members to strictly carry out
business operations as per expectation of management (Bracker and Cohen, 2015). Chances of
business loss decreases and in turn profitability level of the organization rises at faster pace. Due
to this basic reason significance of training and development within the workplace has increased
at faster pace as compared with past in the market.
1.4 Research methodologies Research approach- Research approach is designed as formulation of plan through
which researcher will successfully carry out their study on the selected topic. Basically
there are two research approaches that is inductive and deductive (Saunders, 2003). For
the present research the selected research approach will be inductive approach. Research design- Another methodology is research design, it is termed as an elaborated
abstract that defines the way in which whole study will take place. It basically includes
the different study types that will support the researcher in collecting the data (Research
design, 2016). The different types of research design include descriptive, experimental
etc. for conducting present research the selected research design will be descriptive
design. Research philosophy- Research philosophy is a notion that depicts about the ways in
which investigator will gather the data regarding topic and develop their knowledge
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through analysing the data (Kothari, 2011). In order to conduct the successful research
the selected research philosophy is Interpretivism.
 Methods for collecting data- There are different methods as well as ways through which
researcher may easily acquire the data and information related with the topic (Data
collection sources, 2016). The different methods for collecting data include focusing on
primary sources or secondary sources. In order to collect the data the selected method
will be using primary source for collecting the data.
1.5 Timeline
Activities Week 1 Week
2
Week
3
Week
4
Week
5
Week
6
Week 7 Week
8
Week
9
Week
10
Week
11
Defining
research
proposal
Defining
background
or rationale
for study
Literature
review
Deciding
aims and
objectives
Finalizing
aims and
objectives
Devising
the
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questionnai
re
Gathering
data
Examining
the data
Finding
Recommen
dation and
further
areas to be
consider
Final
Submission
TASK 2
2.1 Research questions and resource used for conducting research
 What is the concept of training and development?
 How training programs influences the job performance of employees?
 What are the key training methods that is being employed by Marriott for its workforce?
 What are the effective ways through which Marriott can enhance performance of its
employees?
2.2 Research methodologies
 Research approach- The research approach is bifurcated into two approaches that is
inductive and deductive approach. The key difference among both the research
approaches is that inductive approach focuses on generating or creating new theory from
the accumulated data. On the other hand, deductive research approach mainly aimed at
measuring framed theory (Saunders and et. al., 2009). For the present report inductive
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approach has been used. This approach is effective for scholar as it mainly analyse the
qualitative data that has been gathered.
 Research design- The research design mainly focuses on three types descriptive,
experimental and exploratory design. For conducting the present research on analysing
the effect of training and development on staff the researcher has used descriptive
research design (Singh, 2010). Using this research design has supported the researcher in
gaining in-depth knowledge regarding the topic.
 Research Philosophy- Basically there are two type of research philosophy that is
interpretivism and positivism (Franklin, 2012). For the present research interpretivism
philosophy has been used that it helps in gaining in-depth and qualitative data that is
beneficial for the present report.
 Sampling- For the present research researcher has applied simple random sampling so
that individual may get equal chance to get selected in the sample (Bruce, 2009). Through
using this sampling method research has selected sample of 20 employees working in the
Marriott International UK.
2.3 Data Collection
Questionnaire
Section- A
Name-
Gender-
Designation-
Section- B
1. How long you have been working within Marriott International UK?
 1-5 years
 5-10 years
 More than 10 years
2. Are you satisfied with the training and development policies of Marriott International UK?
 Highly satisfied
 Satisfied
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 Dissatisfied
 Neutral
3. What are the training methods that are used within the organization?
 Coaching
 Job rotation
 Mentoring
 Seminars
4. Does taking part in training and development has helped you in enhancing your level of
performance?
 Yes
 No
5. Recommendations for improving training and development program of Marriott International
UK?
 Change within the training methods
 Change in the time period
 Change in people involved in training
Are you satisfied with the training and development policies of Marriott International UK?
Criteria responses
Highly satisfied 8
Satisfied 4
Dissatisfied 3
Neutral 5
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What are the training methods that are used within the organization?
Criteria Responses
Coaching 5
Job rotation 3
Mentoring 10
Seminars 2
10
8
4 3
5
Highly satisfied
Satisfied
Dissatisfied
Neutral
Coaching Job rotation Mentoring Seminars
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
5
3
10
2
Column B

Does taking part in training and development has helped you in enhancing your level of
performance?
Criteria Responses
Yes 15
No 5
Recommendations for improving training and development program of Marriott
International UK?
Criteria Responses
Change within the training methods 9
Change in the time period 6
Change in people involved in training 5
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Yes
No
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
Column B

TASK 3
3.1 Data analysis techniques
After collecting the data through framing questionnaire researcher analyse the data
through focusing on effective techniques. Basically there are two types of data analysis
techniques that are used in the research that is qualitative technique and quantitative technique.
For the present study researcher has been used qualitative technique through which they have
formulated different themes and presented the collected information through representing graphs
and tables.
3.2 Interpretation
Theme 1- Employees are satisfied with the training and development policies of Marriott
International UK.
From the above collected information it has been analysed that most of the respondents
are in favour and they are highly satisfied with the training and development policies of
hospitality organization. Along with this, 3 respondents are dissatisfied with the training policies
that is being used by Marriott International UK for their employees. While, the 4 respondents are
in the neutral state they are nor in the favour nor in against the training and development policies.
Theme 2- Mentoring technique is used by Marriott International for training their employees.
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9
6
5
Change within the
training methods
Change in the time
period
Change in people
involved in training

Through the above representation of graphs and acquiring information from the
respondent it has been analysed that there are different training techniques used in the Marriott
International UK that is mentoring, coaching, job rotation as well as seminars. But mainly
respondents has assessed that mentoring technique is best used in the organization for training
their employees. With the help of mentoring technique supervisor or mentor can easily train
existing employees so that they may deliver quality services to their guests and customers who
visits their hotel.
Theme 3- Training and development help the employees in enhancing their level of
performance.
From the above collected information it has been analysed that most of the respondents
are in the favour that training and development plays pivotal role in the hospitality sector as it
supports the employees in enhancing their level of performance through improving their skills
and abilities. On the other hand, 5 respondent are against training and development program that
it may not support the staff in enhancing or promoting their level of performance. With the help
of collected information it has been represented that training and development not only assists in
enhancing the individual performance but ultimately it also supports in enhancing the overall
performance of the organization.
Theme 4- Management focuses on changing training methods for improving training and
development program
From the above findings and graphical representation it has been analysed that
respondents have given certain recommendations that will support in improving the existing
training and development program of Marriott International UK so that they may easily enhance
the performance of their employees and staff. Most of the respondents are in the favour that
management must engage in changing their training methods so that they may improve training
and development program of Marriott International UK. On the other hand, some respondents
are in the favour of change in time schedule of training program.
3.3 Recommendations and further consideration
From the aforementioned report it has been concluded that training and development
program positively impact the employees in enhancing their performance level within the
organization. On the other hand, it has also concluded that it plays significant role for the
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employees as it support in enhancing their skills as well as abilities that further assists them in
rendering quality services in hospitality organization.
From the above conducted research, there are certain recommendations for the
management of hospitality organization so that they can easily improve their training and
development programs that is manager of Marriott International UK must focuses on taking
proper response from their staff so that they can be aware regarding the areas that need to be
developed through providing training and development. It has been also recommended that
management must also change their training methods so that they can improve their training and
development programs. Along with this, it has been also stated that further in future the study
must also focuses on retail industry so that they can measure the impact of training and
development among the staff. However, in the present study, consequence of training activity has
been analyzed on the staff performance those who are existing in the hospitality organization.
Therefore, in the future it might also focus on examining the impact of training and development
on the overall performance and productivity of the organization.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Amagada, G. O., 2006. Training needs and methods of training in information technology in the
oil industry libraries. Electronic Library. 24(1). pp.11 – 19.
Bracker, J. S. and Cohen, D. J., 2015. The Impact of Training and Development Activities on
Small Technology Oriented Entrepreneurial Firm Performance. Journal of Small Business
Strategy. 3(2). pp.1-14.
Bruce L., B., 2009. Qualitative Research Methods for the Social Sciences. Seventh Edition.
Boston MA: Pearson Education Inc.
Bunnell, J. and et. al., 2000. Training methods and user characteristics in end user computing.
Journal of Systems and Information Technology. 4(2). pp.57 – 70.
Clark, R. C., 2010. Evidence-based Training Methods: A Guide for Training Professionals.
American Society for Training and Development.
Franklin, M. I., 2012. Understanding Research: Coping with the Quantitative-Qualitative
Divide. London and New York: Routledge.
Goldstein, I. L., 2004. Training in organizations: Needs assessment, development, and
evaluation. Thomson Brooks/Cole Publishing Co.
Hurn, B. J., 2011. Simulation training methods to develop cultural awareness. Industrial and
Commercial Training. 43(4). pp.199 – 205.
Kothari, R. C., 2011. Research Methodology: Methods and Techniques. New Age International
Pike, R. W., 2003. Creative Training Techniques Handbook: Tips, Tactics, and How-to's for
Delivering Effective Training. 3rd ed. Human Resource Development.
Saunders, M. and et. al., 2009.Research Methods for Business Students, Harlow: Prentice Hall.
Saunders, M., 2003. Research Methods for Business Students. Pearson Education.
Singh. K. Y., 2010. Research Methodology.APH Publishing.
Thorpe, S. and Clifford, J., 2007. More ways than one … exploring the use of different learning
methods in organizations. Industrial and Commercial Training. 39(5). pp.267 – 271.
Willis, D., 2011. Training: techniques, tools and tips. Spiro Press.
Zviran, M. and et. al., 2011. A comparative analysis of end-user training methods. Journal of
Systems and Information Technology. 13(1). pp.25 – 42.
Online
Data collection sources. 2016. [Online]. Available through:
<http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/x2465e/x2465e09.htm>. [Accessed on 4th October 2016].
Research design. 2016. [Online]. Available through:
<http://www.slideshare.net/gaurav22/research-design>. [Accessed on 4th October 2016].
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