The employment of people with special needs within hotels in Dubai

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 327-336
Author(s):  
Alia Al Fardan ◽  
Stephanie Morris
Keyword(s):  
Special Needs ◽  
Hospitality Industry ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
High Turnover ◽  
Employment Practices ◽  
Individuals With Disabilities ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Laws And Policies ◽  
Turnover Costs ◽  
Disabled Tourists

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the challenges and benefits of hiring individuals with special needs in the hospitality industry in Dubai; understand management, colleague and customer perspectives concerning the integration of individuals with special needs in the workforce; emphasize the need for awareness, communication and training when introducing special needs employees to hotel properties in Dubai; recognize laws and policies in respect to introducing the special needs workforce in hotels in Dubai; and classify the requirements needed to facilitate accessibility and integration of special needs employees in the workforce. Design/methodology/approach Qualitative research was conducted to better comprehend the benefits, challenges, policies/legalities and perceptions developed when considering employment practices of individuals with disabilities. Interviews with HR directors/managers in hotels in Dubai were conducted using a snowball sampling approach. Findings This study suggests that hotels in Dubai must increase their efforts to accommodate the special needs market through the provision of accessible areas, changes in perceptions and enactment of coherent laws and policies to prepare for the inflow of disabled tourists during Expo 2020. Further, that these efforts can be better accomplished by employment of individuals with special needs. Originality/value High turnover costs and shortages of labor in the hospitality industry have led to the need for the non-traditional labor force to fill the demand created by the upcoming Expo 2020. As the UAE won the bid for Expo 2020, there has been early construction of hotels to adapt to the increased demand in jobs by and influx of tourists including individuals with disabilities.

scholarly journals Employers' perceptions of the Labour Contract Law: regulatory responses in the small and medium-sized enterprise sector in China

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaoheng Li ◽  
Christopher J. Rees
Keyword(s):  
Human Resource ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Contract Law ◽  
Qualitative Approach ◽  
Western China ◽  
Human Resource Managers ◽  
High Turnover ◽  
Employment Practices ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Resource Managers

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore employers' perceptions of China's Labour Contract Law (LCL) and its influence on employment relations and human resource management practices in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).Design/methodology/approachThis paper adopts a qualitative approach based on 24 interviews with owners and human resource managers of 23 privately owned SMEs in eastern and western China.FindingsMixed levels of reported compliance with the provisions of the LCL legislation indicate that the regulatory adoptive behaviours of SME employers are partially explained by the coercive mechanism. Various strategies adopted by employers suggest that when under the pressure of law, SMEs are formalising their employment practices while simultaneously seeking to maintain a degree of informality in respect these practices.Research limitations/implicationsThe adopted qualitative approach may limit the findings to be explorative within broader national contexts.Practical implicationsThe move towards more formalised practices helps to address issues such as high turnover and widespread labour shortage in SMEs. The paper is likely to be of interest to policymakers seeking to gain insights into employers' perceptions as a means to develop more effective labour regulations.Originality/valueUnlike most of existing literature examining the general compliance to the LCL and workers' perspectives, this paper reports the views of SME employers; as such, it offers an original contribution to understanding of the role and behaviours of SME employers in regulatory responses in the studied context.

Factors used by Ghanaian students in determining career options in the tourism and hospitality industry

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 166-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate Neequaye ◽  
A. Kobina Armoo
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Hospitality Industry ◽  
Primary Study ◽  
Multivariate Techniques ◽  
High Turnover ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Eigen Analysis ◽  
Tourism And Hospitality Industry ◽  
Tourism And Hospitality ◽  
Career Options

Purpose – While colleges have perceived the importance and growth within the tourism and hospitality industry, students in the industry have mixed feelings about career options that are available to them. The purpose of this paper is to discuss factors that underpin students ' perception of career options in the tourism and hospitality industry and to make recommendations for other developing countries. Design/methodology/approach – A 21-variable structured questionnaire was used to solicit response from 260 Ghanaian tourism and hospitality students. The data was coded and keyed into MINITAB and SPSS statistical processing software. Various multivariate techniques such as Eigen-analysis, correlation analysis and factor analysis were used to analyze the data. Secondary data was also obtained for student records. Findings – The study revealed that, industry-person congeniality, social benefit factors, opportunity for professional development, and job competitiveness, were crucial in determining students ' choice of career options. Other factors include, career opportunities in tourism and hospitality industry were more easily attainable than in many other sectors of the economy; remuneration in the industry is grossly inadequate. Research limitations/implications – A limitation of the study is the use of HTM students of one university. Therefore, replication of this study in other tourism and hospitality institutions of higher in other developing countries is strongly recommended to harmonize the findings of this study. Practical implications – Several implications were found including: getting students to be made aware of the career and career development opportunities available in each sector; educational institutions should partner with industry to provide internship and employment opportunities, that would encourage students to have a better perception of the industry; curb the escalating trend of “brain drain” away for the industry, while the industry should reorganize itself to correct the negative perception of low wages and high turnover. Originality/value – The study was an original primary study that surveyed students at two tertiary level institutions to determine their perception of the career options available to them. The lessons are of value to stakeholders of Ghana ' s tourism and hospitality industry and relevance to those in other developing countries.

scholarly journals Happiness at Work and Motivation for a Sustainable Workforce: Evidence from Female Hotel Employees

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 7778
Author(s):  
Arzu Atan ◽  
Hale Ozgit ◽  
Fatos Silman
Keyword(s):  
Hospitality Industry ◽  
Employment Practices ◽  
Hotel Employees ◽  
North Cyprus ◽  
Challenging Environment ◽  
Female Employees ◽  
Employee Happiness

Employment practices that support happiness at work are critical tools for developing a sustainable workforce. In today’s challenging environment, both economically and environmentally, the contribution of a sustainable workforce, which is the most critical asset for hospitality businesses to survive and succeed, cannot be ignored. This study explores the effects of motivational dimensions on happiness at work. These relationships were evaluated using the SPSS for Windows 25.0 and AMOS 23.0 programs. For this purpose, data were collected from 271 female employees in various four- and five-star hotels in North Cyprus. As predicted, the results revealed that motivational dimensions affect the dimensions of happiness at work. This study confirmed that a better understanding of employees’ needs and demands would encourage motivation and result in happier employees. The findings offer important implications for hospitality industry organizations seeking to maximize employee happiness in the workplace and strive for the sustainability of their workforce.

Integrated quality environmental management implementation in food processing SMEs

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 740-757 ◽  
Author(s):  
Syed Ali Raza Shah ◽  
Khairur Rijal Jamaludin ◽  
Hayati Habibah Abdul Talib ◽  
Sha’ri Mohd Yusof
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Food Processing ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Process Management ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Operational Performance ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the critical success factors (CSFs) of integrated quality environmental management (IQEM) and analyze their impact on operational performance (OP) and environmental performance (EP) in food processing Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on collecting data using a survey questionnaire through snowball sampling technique. A total of 302 food processing SMEs operating in Punjab, Pakistan, responded to the survey. SPSS version-23 and SmartPLS-3 were used for data analysis. Findings The literature review identified leadership (LS), employee management (EM), strategic planning (SP), information management (IM), process management (PM), supplier management (SM) and customer focus (CF) as CSFs of IQEM. The results of this study found a significant relationship of all identified CSFs with operational performance in food processing SMEs whereas EM, IM, PM and SM were insignificant with the EP in the food processing SMEs. Research limitations/implications Although this study has collected data from one province, the Punjab province, it still relevant in identifying the CSFs for IQEM implementation within food processing SMEs to improve performance. Originality/value Despite the wide spread of integrated systems practices in the developed countries, little attention has been placed to implement and assess the IQEM initiatives by organizations in the developing countries. Thus, this study identified CSFs of IQEM based on empirical studies and analyzed their impact on OP and EP of food processing SMEs.

Reflections on the theme issue outcomes

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 504-510
Author(s):  
Gunjan M. Sanjeev ◽  
Richard Teare
Keyword(s):  
Customer Service ◽  
Hospitality Industry ◽  
Theme Issue ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Cost Competitiveness ◽  
Hotel Sector ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Selection Of

Purpose The paper aims to profile the theme issue of Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes titled “How is the need for innovation being addressed by the Indian hospitality industry?” with reference to the experiences of the theme editor, contributors from the industry and academia and the theme issue outcomes. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses structured questions to enable the theme editor to reflect on the rationale for their theme issue question, the starting-point, the selection of the writing team and material and the editorial process. Findings It highlights recent innovations that have taken place in the Indian hospitality industry especially in the areas of customer service, cost competitiveness, culinary management, revenue management and technology. Practical implications As hotel sector investment in India intensifies, this theme issue will be of interest to hoteliers, policy makers, analysts and others interested in the role that innovation can play in helping to facilitate differentiation between competing hotel products and services. Originality/value There is limited literature available on industry innovations in the Indian context. All the papers in this theme issue were written after several cycles of interaction between academics and practitioners and so they incorporate real–time, relevant and contemporary data.

How do you warn them if they speak only Spanish? Challenges for organizations in communicating risk to Colonias residents in Texas, USA

2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 533-550 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sudha Arlikatti ◽  
Hassan A. Taibah ◽  
Simon A. Andrew
Keyword(s):  
Nonprofit Organizations ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Linguistically Diverse ◽  
Risk Information ◽  
Culturally And Linguistically Diverse ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Diverse Groups ◽  
Communicating Risk

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the information channels used by public and nonprofit organizations to communicate disaster risk information to Colonias residents in Hidalgo County, Texas. It seeks to find creative and proactive solutions for organizations to improve risk education to these constituents. Design/methodology/approach – Initially a snowball sampling technique was used to conduct six face-to-face interviews. This was followed by an online survey sent to 64 reputational referrals, of which 23 completed the survey, generating a response rate of 34 percent. A comparative analysis between public and nonprofit organizations and the Fischer's exact test were employed to analyze the data. Findings – Channel preferences for providing risk information varied with public organizations using the television (TV) and the nonprofit organizations using bilingual staff for outreach. The television, radio, public events, and bilingual staff were considered to be the most effective while social media (Facebook, Twitter, and city web sites) was not considered at all by both groups. Lack of funding and staffing problems were identified as the primary challenges. Research limitations/implications – One limitation is that the paper focusses on organizations serving Spanish speakers in the Texas Colonias. Future research needs to investigate how other localities at border sites where culturally and linguistically diverse groups might reside, receive and understand risk information. The role of cross-national organizations in creating internationally coordinated plans for disaster communication should also be explored. Originality/value – It highlights the challenges faced by organizations in communicating risk, especially in border communities where culturally and linguistically diverse groups reside.

Reflecting on perceived deinstitutionalization of gender‐biased employment practices in accountancy

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 300-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosalind H. Whiting
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Change ◽  
Cultural Change ◽  
Sample Selection ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Young Female ◽  
Human Resource Managers ◽  
Employment Practices ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Chartered Accountants

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the changes in gender‐biased employment practices that it is perceived have occurred in New Zealand accountancy workplaces over the last 30 years, using Oliver's model of deinstitutionalization.Design/methodology/approachSequential interviewing was carried out with 69 experienced chartered accountants and three human resource managers, and at a later date with nine young female accountants.FindingsEvidence is presented of perceived political, functional and social pressures cumulatively contributing to deinstitutionalization of overt gender‐biased employment practices, with social and legislative changes being the most influential. Deinstitutionalization appears incomplete as some more subtle gender‐biased practices still remain in New Zealand's accountancy workplaces, relating particularly to senior‐level positions.Research limitations/implicationsThis study adds to understanding of how professions evolve. The purposeful bias in the sample selection, the small size of two of the interviewee groups, and the diversity in the interviewees' workplaces are recognized limitations.Practical implicationsIdentification of further cultural change is required to deinstitutionalize the more subtle gender‐biased practices in accountancy organizations. This could help to avoid a serious deficiency of senior chartered accountants in practice in the future.Originality/valueThis paper represents one of a limited number of empirical applications of the deinstitutionalization model to organizational change and is the first to address the issue of gender‐biased practices in a profession. The use of sequential interviewing of different age groups, in order to identify and corroborate perceptions of organizational change is a novel approach.

Case study of sustainable service design in the hospitality industry

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi-An Chen ◽  
Chun Liang Chen
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Customer Value ◽  
Hospitality Industry ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Corporate Sustainability ◽  
Service Design ◽  
Cultural Resources ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Holistic Understanding

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore how creative-cultural hotels can achieve sustainable service design through the development of a holistic conceptual framework. Design/methodology/approach The authors created this framework using a qualitative exploratory multi-case study of four creative-cultural hotels in Taiwan. The framework comprises strategic, organizational and interface levels to describe the design process and implementation of service offerings that co-create value within a multifaceted network of actors. Findings The findings of this study show that incorporating local arts and culture into sustainable service design can generate unique value and experiences for customers. From the perspective of sustainable development, these hotels seek to add value by using local creative and cultural resources to ensure that they have a sound commercial base from which to showcase their cultural features. As such, this study recommends that the hotel industry shift its focus to a paradigm that provides a strategic and sustainability-framed vision to create value for society while protecting local natural and cultural resources. Originality/value This multilevel model reframes the development of customer value constellations through a holistic understanding of user experience, eco-design practice, service encounters aligned with user touchpoints and front-line employee capabilities. To integrate the perspectives of both service providers and their customers, the proposed model embeds these stakeholders within a single model through the vehicle of local value co-creation. This holistic framework can assist in designing sustainable service within the hospitality industry to deliver better services and customer experiences. The findings provide an illustration of how the proposed multilevel sustainable-development-oriented service design framework can serve as a useful tool in guiding hotels toward corporate sustainability.

The Role of the Pediatrician in Implementing the Americans With Disabilities Act: Subject Review

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 98 (1) ◽  
pp. 146-148
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
American Academy ◽  
Special Needs ◽  
Americans With Disabilities Act ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Reasonable Accommodation ◽  
Individuals With Disabilities ◽  
American Academy Of Pediatrics ◽  
Counseling Adolescents ◽  
Recreational Programs

In this statement, the American Academy of Pediatrics reaffirms the importance of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), which guarantees people with disabilities certain rights to enable them to participate more fully in their communities. Pediatricians need to know about the ADA provisions to be able to educate and counsel their patients and patients' families appropriately. The ADA mandates changes to our environment, including reasonable accommodation to the needs of individuals with disabilities, which has application to schools, hospitals, physician offices, community businesses, and recreational programs. Pediatricians should be a resource to their community by providing information about the ADA and the special needs of their patients, assisting with devising reasonable accommodation, and counseling adolescents about their expanded opportunities under the ADA.

Multiple jobholders and workplace learning

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anu Järvensivu
Keyword(s):  
Workplace Learning ◽  
Core Competencies ◽  
Core Competency ◽  
Meaningful Work ◽  
University Graduates ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this research is to explore the career development and workplace learning of Finnish multiple jobholders who are university graduates. Design/methodology/approach 45 in-depth interviews were conducted with graduate multiple jobholders in Finland. The transcripts were analyzed by abductive content analysis using the Chaos Theory of Careers. Research participants were recruited via social media, invitations, snowball sampling and through networks. Findings Meaningful work was the attractor, the central factor in the decision to be a multiple jobholder. Interviewees attempted to adjust to future changes through their learning and choice of jobs and reported on their role as creators of future working life. Interviewees regarded organizing of their work and timetable as a core competency with their identity closely linked to their competencies and networks. Research limitations/implications The author acknowledges that the national context of Finland is unusually favorable to those becoming multiple job holders. Practical implications The identification of meaningful work as the key attractor, the intention to adapt to future contexts and the specifying of organization of work and timetabling as core competencies in multiple jobholding have clear practical implications at the national, local, organizational and individual levels. Originality/value Little has previously been known of the role of multiple jobholding as a facilitator in skill development and limited knowledge of how the various jobs combine into one portfolio. Previous studies have focused on individuals who take a second job to earn more money. Elite multiple jobholding has attracted little research attention yet seems to have an important role in achieving changes in society.

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