Find a specific topic in the hospitality industry Dissertation

Find a specific topic in the hospitality industry - Dissertation Example The hotel and catering industry is an extremely competitive sector of industry. Understanding its working and the manner in which pay and career paths are defined in this competitive business environment becomes extremely useful in providing information to young people taking their first steps towards gaining the necessary skills and knowledge for a successful ad productive life ahead. Such an understanding will also enable the hotel and catering industry to take steps in reducing employee turnover loss that could be arising from low pay structures. This should not be based on hearsay, but rather on hard facts. This research is proposed to be undertaken to provide evidence on the actual pay situation in the hotel and catering industry and the satisfaction of the employees on their rewards package. Literature Review The hotel and catering industry is a very important constituent of the hospitality industry. Large luxury hotels to small cafes are the range of the hotel and catering ind ustry. The hotel and catering industry is among the largest employers in the developed world. In the United Kingdom (UK) it employs almost ten percent of the workforce, which numbers close to 2.5 million people (Yadav, 2002). Yet, the House of Commons North East Regional Committee Third Report of Session 2009 -2010: Tourism in the North East, lays claim to the hotel and catering industry being a sector where low paid work is a common occurrence. In the opinion of Wood 1992, the hotel and catering sector is one with low entry barriers and therefore a fertile ground for the entry of small time entrepreneurs. The low barriers to entry allow small and family businesses to be present in large numbers in the hotel and catering sector and their presence contributes to the low pay image in this sector (Getz, Carlesen & Morrison, 2004). Even in the large hotels competition and the drive to keep costs low reflects on the low wages paid in these hotels (Vanselow, 2008). The low wages and low e ducation and skill level requirements in the hotel and catering sector of the hospitality industry has seen the influx of a large number of immigrants as workers in this sector of industry (Williams & Hall, 2002). Guegnard and Meriot 2008 point out that one of the reasons for low per person average wage in the hotel and catering sector is that the number of managers is low with a very high percentage of blue collar workers and temporary workers. Besides low wages the hotel and catering industry also carries the stigma of high turnover, reflecting either lack of job security or worker satisfaction (Boella & Goss-Turner, 2005). Voss-Dahm 2008 opines that people can be attracted and remain committed to different sectors of industry for reasons other than pay, citing the example of sales people in the retail sales sector. From Malhotra 1997, we understand that people with problems are attracted to the hotel and catering sector for the additional advantage of stay-in facilities, for it a llows them to escape from their background or their problems at home. Job choice is influenced by two factors namely the money in it and the convenience it offers. In the hotel and catering industry it is not the money that attracts workers, but the convenience. Convenience needs to be read in several ways (Riley, 1996). The convenience elements are convenient, easy to learn, have variety, gives