Human resource management in tourism: a small island perspective
PurposeThe purpose of this conceptual paper is to consider the nexus that is created when the challenging characteristics of the workplace environment within the tourism sector intersect with the contextual influences of small islands in terms of their economic, social and labour market attributes.B...
| Published in: | International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research |
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| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | unknown |
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2012
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| Online Access: | https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/34798/ https://doi.org/10.1108/17506181211233054 |
| Summary: | PurposeThe purpose of this conceptual paper is to consider the nexus that is created when the challenging characteristics of the workplace environment within the tourism sector intersect with the contextual influences of small islands in terms of their economic, social and labour market attributes.BackgroundDiscussion of issues relating to human resource management and development in the small island tourism context in the literature is limited. Indeed the majority of contributions to what is a growing body of knowledge in the field of small island tourism make little more than passing reference to the employment and skills environment within such destinations. There are some exceptions. Baum and Conlin (1994) and Conlin and Baum (2003) explore some of the practical issues faced by tourism organisations in small island locations in terms of the impact of seasonality, limited skills within the local labour market and issues of access to formal education and training for the tourism sector. These general points about human resource challenges within tourism are demonstrated specifically in the context of one small island environment, that of the Aland Islands in the Baltic, by Baum (1996). Baum and Lundtorp (2000) address the impact of seasonality on the sustainability of employment in tourism and the challenges which attendant problems present for service and product quality in more remote and highly seasonal destinations of which islands provide some of the best examples. The impact of seasonality on employment in small islands in the North Atlantic is explored by Baum and Hagen (1999). Finally, Baum (2006) elaborates on these themes in the context of extreme, cold water island destinations. Issues addressedThe purpose of this paper is to address the gaps in the literature with respect to a considered reflection of human resource issues within the tourism economies of small island destinations. As Zimmermann (2006) rightly points out, sustainable tourism requires the involvement of local communities and in order ... |
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