An Empirical Test of Training Outcomes in the Australian Hotel Industry

The purpose of this paper was to empirically test the effective outcomes of a hotel training program. The serviceprofit chain model was used as the theoretical foundation for examining a causal link between the staff performance and the training program conducted in two Hotels. The method involved a regression analysis to test the level of influence of the training and other variables on staff performance. The findings were that there was a statistically significant difference in staff performance due to the training. A suggestion for future research is to examine outcome measures using random samples of hotel guests. The practical implication for HRM practitioners is that the method is easily replicated to provide objective evidence that can validate the outcomes from training programs.

[1]  Andrew Vladimir,et al.  Hospitality Today: An Introduction , 1991 .

[2]  John Saunders,et al.  The Cost of Training Apprentices. Occasional Paper. , 2009 .

[3]  Cheri Ostroff TRAINING EFFECTIVENESS MEASURES AND SCORING SCHEMES: A COMPARISON , 2006 .

[4]  C. Ryan,et al.  Hotel conference managers: skills and training needs in New Zealand , 1995 .

[5]  Peter Jones,et al.  Measuring Guest Satisfaction in UK‐based International Hotel Chains: Principles and Practice , 1993 .

[6]  Jeong Ah Park,et al.  A Causal Relationship Between the Balanced Scorecard Perspectives , 2006 .

[7]  James G. Cullen Cost Effectiveness: A Model for Assessing the Training Investment. , 1978 .

[8]  Ramona Gruescu,et al.  Human resource management in the tourism industry. , 2008 .

[9]  P. Janes The Challenges of Providing Training in Small Sized Lodging Properties , 2005 .

[10]  Gary W. Loveman,et al.  Putting the Service-Profit Chain to Work , 1994 .

[11]  Janet R. Mccoll-Kennedy,et al.  Service provider training programs at odds with customer requirements in five‐star hotels , 1997 .

[12]  Donald L. Kirkpatrick,et al.  Evaluating In-House Training Programs. , 1978 .

[13]  Donovan A. McFarlane,et al.  Evaluating Training Programs: The Four Levels , 2006 .

[14]  K. Andrews,et al.  HRM in the Knowledge Economy: Realising the Potential , 2004 .

[15]  E. Anderson,et al.  Strengthening the Satisfaction-Profit Chain , 2000 .

[16]  T. Baum,et al.  Skills and work in the hospitality sector: The case of hotel front office employees in China , 2006 .

[17]  Donald L. Kirkpatrick,et al.  Evaluating Training Programs : The Four Levels , 2009 .

[18]  R. Woods Managing Hospitality Human Resources , 1992 .

[19]  R. Swanson Demonstrating the financial benefit of human resource development: Status and update on the theory and practice , 1998 .

[20]  B. King,et al.  Customer Satisfaction, Training and TQM , 2006 .

[21]  Duncan Dickson,et al.  A Case Study into the Benefits of Management Training Programs: Impacts on Hotel Employee Turnover and Satisfaction Level , 2009 .