Karen R. Johnson

The role of tourism in national human resource development: a Jamaican perspective

Research in the national human resource development (NHRD) field is increasingly considering unique cultural and economic conditions and the influence this may have on a number of employment-related indicators. To date, the NHRD literature has largely ignored issues related to skills training and workforce development in the tourism industry, despite the expanding nature of this dynamic service sector in many nations. This literature review study of NHRD in Jamaica examined ongoing national-level human resource development (HRD) initiatives with specific attention to the current and future impact of NHRD on the tourism industry. The results showed that governmental development plans clearly identified tourism as a key sector for economic growth to support larger economic and social development goals. Furthermore, the development of human resources in the tourism sector was seen as being of vital importance for tourism organizations and for the continued development of Jamaica. The existing NHRD literature has largely overlooked the potential influence and future role of the tourism industry to assist in education, training and development goals at the national level. Recommendations are made for additional research exploring connections between NHRD and tourism employment.

Comparing strategic human resource development approaches for tourism and hospitality workforce planning

ABSTRACT This study compared two approaches for strategic human resource development planning at a macro-level. This was done to develop an understanding of the impact of external change on current and future human resource needs in tourism and hospitality organizations. Using strategic human resource development planning theory, this article examined the application of a qualitative environmental scanning approach compared against quantitative labor market projections for the future workforce for tourism and hospitality occupations in one U.S. state. Interview data collected from a sample of tourism industry leaders in Minnesota identified changes in the economic, demographic, political and legislative, and technology sectors and the possible impact to current and future human resources employed. Data from labor market analysis highlighted future changes in the size and characteristics of the workforce and needed educational levels for workers in tourism and hospitality. Comparing results from both approaches showed each workforce planning method produced different types of data to assist human resource managers with future staffing decisions. Recommendations for practice include using a combined approach to make projections on the size, composition, and human resource development needs of the tourism and hospitality workforce.

Narrow Bore Ion Chromatography with Commercially Available Ion Chromatographic Equipment

Abstract The use of narrow bore separator columns (inner diameter less than 1 μM) in high performance liquid chromatography has become a well established technique which has obvious advantages in specific situations over the use of traditional size separator columns. The work reported here investigates the use of traditional ion chromatographic equipment (essentially unmodified) for use in narrow bore ion chromatography. The only adjustments made to the equipment were some arrangements in the placement of valves and tubing in order to minimize extra-column dead volume. The columns used in this work were glass capillary columns of 1.0 mm inner diameter. A selected group of ion exchange resins were slurry packed into the column and the retention and separation characteristics of the narrow bore column were determined. The results of this investigation indicate that in certain cases the commercially available equipment is adequate for performing narrow bore ion chromatography. The distinct advantage of the u...

Implementing new technologies in a middle school curriculum: a rural perspective

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a new school technology on teachers and students in rural middle schools. The study involved teachers and seventh grade students in two Title I rural Texas school districts and was framed through a constructivist lens using a project-based approach. Pre- and post-intervention surveys assessed learning and perceptions, and data were analyzed using one-way Analysis of Variance. Findings suggested that new school technology does not ensure teacher understanding or student learning. For new school technologies to be successful, significant planning, teacher training, and resources must be in place.

Perceptions of customer service orientation, training, and employee engagement in Jamaica’s hospitality sector

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between service orientation, customer service training and employee engagement of firms in the hospitality sector of the tourism industry.,A total of 231 responses from 13 large all-inclusive hotels in Jamaica are analyzed by using structural equation modeling.,Overall, service orientation positively affected customer service training and employee engagement. In addition, customer service training positively affected employee engagement. Furthermore, the results indicate that customer service training mediates the relationship between service orientation and employee engagement.,This study builds on the conceptual literature of engagement and adds to the limited empirical studies to date to highlight the importance of service-oriented culture and training activities on employee engagement.,The findings of the study generate an increased understanding of the importance of an engaged workforce and of specific customer service training practices that can foster engagement. This study also highlights that managers should be supportive of training and development activities within a broader context that considers specific desired workplace performance from employees.,The knowledge gap related to many frequently used organizational practices reported as having an impact on engagement is addressed. Addressing this problem extends existing literature and provides an evidence base for human resource managers and professionals in service organizations, specifically in hospitality firms.

Leadership development techniques: Mapping leadership development techniques with leadership capacities using a typology of development

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the different leadership development techniques used to develop leaders from the human resource development (HRD) and performance improvement (PI) literature, and to categorize the development techniques using Garavan et al.’s (2015) multifaceted typology of development where development has recently emerged in the literature as a “central and important process” (p. 360). Design/methodology/approach This literature review followed the guidelines for an integrative literature review presented by Torraco (2005) and Imel (2011). This literature review was a freestanding literature review designed to provide directions for future research and development within the HRD discipline. Findings This literature review categorized over 500 leadership development techniques and mapped them with previously identified leadership capacities into Garavan et al.’s (2015) development typology. Once mapped, the authors were able to identify the most common leadership capacities and related development techniques for each development domain in the typology. Practical implications This research provides a tool for identifying required leadership capacities and development techniques that could be used by scholars and scholar-practitioners to conduct further research, as an aid in designing future leadership development programs and as instructional materials in the classroom. Social implications Leadership is becoming a shared construct in today’s literature. Leadership as a shared construct has multiple shareholders, both internal and external of the agent. To better meet the needs of these shareholders, this research provides tools for the scholar and scholar-practitioner for leadership development that can be catered to one’s needs – as opposed to a one-size fits all strategy. Originality/value This paper highlights the HRD and PI literature, and provides a pragmatic tool for leadership development. This tool can be used by scholars for future research and for testing, as well as by scholar-practitioners for designing future leadership development programs.