Title: Exploring the importance of using human resource management practices in the hotels sector of Samoa

Authors: Suwastika Naidu; Anand Chand

Addresses: Faculty of Business and Economics, School of Management and Public Administration, University of the South Pacific, Private Mail Bag, Suva, Fiji Islands ' Faculty of Business and Economics, School of Management and Public Administration, University of the South Pacific, Private Mail Bag, Suva, Fiji Islands

Abstract: The tourism industry is one of the most important industries in the Pacific Island countries. It has been the source of employment, foreign exchange earnings, employment and investment in the Pacific Island countries. The competition in the tourism industry is becoming aggressive as countries are trying to increase its tourism numbers. For a small island developing country like Samoa, one of its key competencies is its naturally friendly labour supply. Managing labour in the tourism industry of Samoa is a challenging task as there is lack of supply of skilled human resource managers. Other issues such as lack of finance makes recruiting expatriates from abroad an unfavourable option. The main aim of this research is to examine the types of HRM practices adopted by the hotels sector in Samoa and how the tourism industry of Samoa be improved by efficiently and effectively managing its labour supply.

Keywords: hotels; hotel industry; human resource management; HRM; tourism industry; hospitality industry; performance appraisal; Samoa; small islands; developing countries.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBG.2014.064675

International Journal of Business and Globalisation, 2014 Vol.13 No.3, pp.273 - 286

Published online: 13 Sep 2014 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article