International human resources management 'Hilton Hotel' - Essay Example

International Human Resources Management 'Hilton Hotel' I made a personal visit to one of the Hilton hotels branch located in London. Conrad Hotel London is five kilometres from Central London. It is a 5 star business enterprise that is housed within a very tall building and has customers all through making it a beehive of clients from all corners of the world. Its customer rating is a hundred per cent and at the time of my visit touring was at its peak in London with full booking experienced in this hotel. I met the assistant Human Resource Manager whom we had a talk with about the general operations of this hotel and more importantly its human resource management strategies. I also had meeting with the training manager who briefed me on the various training offered to the employees of this hotel .The two staff members were very supportive and through our discussions I established the following about Conrad Hotel. That it's market is worldwide with most of its customers being tourists who visit the country during the winter season in their home country. It also has some local people as their customers most of whom are successful businessmen and renowned politicians who visit the hotel to meet their various requirements. (Assistant Human Resource Manager, Conrad Hotel) Its new relaxation rooms rewrite the rulebook for room design. They have worked closely with their customers and designers to create an environment in which guests can relax, restore and refresh. One experiences a sense of airy spaciousness, fully adjustable, lightning and fresh fruits and flowers which helps in escaping the demand of busy days. Each room features a unique three - zone design, offering district environments to help one relax. Have specific features such as hydro - spa bath, aromatherapy products, relaxation books, DVD and CD players. Has a deluxe accommodation with complimentary champagne, fee use of hotel's pool, whirlpool and health club. Globally it's rated as a 5 star hotel making it one if the best international hotels. This is partly because of its modern facilities, which include finest health, and fitness facilities with the encouragement of friendly staff and extensive membership benefits. (Assistant Human Resource Manager, Conrad Hotel) Approach of Human Resource Management. They use a number of mixed models in their management, which include: - 1. Harvard model developed by David Guest (1987,1989,1986b, 1991) this model four policies are defined and are applied in this hotel they include; - a) Strategic integration - Hilton hotel integrates human resource management issues into its various strategic plans that are aimed at more developed and improved services. b) High commitment to pursue agreed goals- the hotel demonstrates very high commitment to its effort of achieving set goals this are shown by both the employees and the management itself. c) High quality of goods and services provided which include management of employees and investment in high quality employees. d) Functional flexibility with capacity to manage various innovations. 2. The matching model of Human Resource Management Fiedler (1964) asserted that the human resource systems and the organization structure should be managed in a way that is congruent with organizational Strategy and that the strategic human resource concepts and tools needed are fundamentally different from the stock in the trade of the traditional personnel administrator. This is exactly what Hilton hotel practice; its managers are committed in weighing human resource issues with the same level of attention as they give to other functions, for example, finance marketing and production. The model is highly achieved in this London branch of the Hilton hotels (Fox, 1973) The hotel integrates business and human resource strategies which yield better results, set business targets are thus achieved and the best human resource strategies applied It has adopted a very coherent approach for provision of mutually supporting and integrated human resource policies and practices. There is also a strong corporate culture expressed in mission and value statements which are reinforced by communications training and performance management processes. (Miles and Snow, 1978) There is a unitary employee relation with emphasis on individual contracts rather than collective agreement. A thing that Collard (1992) referred to as success through people. There is market research to identify customer needs though this should extend even to the locals, in order to have a wider customer base in the future. More competitor analysis should be conducted in order to establish what external providers are offering, customer surveys should be conducted to establish the degree to which internal customers are satisfied with the products on offer to them. Staffing Issues. The employees of Conrad hotel undergo training regularly, their own training manager conducts this in their boardroom and at times they attend various seminars and workshops in the neighbouring cities, countries and continents. Besides they invite expatriates to come and train their employees. (Training Manager, Conrad Hotel) To meet the daily recruitment needs at Conrad hotel the personnel and Training manager uses Hcareers a site that offers excellent tool for attracting the right candidates. The website recruitment ensures speed in recruitment. The manager normally uses the external recruitment sources for supervisory and management positions. The approach in customer skills is applied and candidates from reputable sources are recruited. (Thomas & Walker, 1993) These gives a perfect solution to everyday recruitment needs at the Conrad Hotel The mode of recruiting workers at this hotel is purely through merit where applications are invited from any potential applicant in nay corner of the globe. A panel of officials goes through the application letters who later shortlist the successful candidates for the interview. Selection is based on the interview results where the best candidate is picked. He goes through massive training until he becomes well equipped in laying out duties. (Thomas & Walker, 1993) The current staffing trend is not geographically well spread because most of the employees of the senior management level i.e. Accountants, Marketing managers, human resource manager, and personnel manager among others are from a given particular region. (Thomas & Walker, 1993) During training the workers are taught on proper handling of their customers, giving the best services possible and are also enlightened on the importance of human resource management. (Thomas & Walker, 1993) As apart of future decision on global expansion the hotel may require to fill all key position with parent country nationals who will be qualified and very resourceful in transferring the organizations know- how to the overseas company. This will consequently assist the organisation to compete favourably with other hotels of its calibre or even a higher one. (Martin, 1967) They may as well appoint home country nationals to manage subsidiaries so as to counter problems, which may arise from cultural differences, completing loyalties and language barrier. As noted by Scullion (1995) home country managers will have limited scope to gain experience outside their own country, while parent country managers will again little hands-on internal experience thus potentially reducing effectiveness of the organizational as a global competitor (Martin, 1967) . Lastly the organization can appoint the best people regardless of nationality to manage subsidiaries; this will enable the hotel to develop a truly international cadre of managers who will gradually improve the hotel services, human resource management catapulting its international status even to a higher level. (Smart, 1983) References Argyris, C. (1992): On original learning, Cambridge, Blackwell Banney, (1991): firm resources and sustained competitive advantage, journal of management Arthur, Y, Woolcock, P and Sullivan J. (1996); "Identifying and Developing HR Competencies for the Future: Keys to Sustaining the Transformation of HR Functions." Human Resource Planning, 1996, pp. 34-58 Blyton and Torn, P (1992): Re-accessing HRM, London, Sage publications Bourne, M., Franco, M. and Wilkes, J. (2003); Corporate Performance Management; Measuring Business Excellence; 2003; 7, 3; pp. 9-20 Boxall, P. (1996); The Strategic HRM Debate and the Resource-Based View of the Firm', Human Resource Management Journal, 6, 3, 52-75. Collard, R. (1992): Total quality: success through people, London, IPM Fiedler, F. (1967): A theory of leadership effectiveness, New York, MCC Hill. Flecture, S. (1991): The Social Psychology of work, Harmondsworth, Penguin. Fox, A. (1973): Beyond contract, London, Faber and Faber. Hacket, P. (1996); Managing People, Biddle Publishers, London Martin, A. (1967): Welfare at work, London, Baltsford. Michael, M. (1991): Human Resource Mgt practice, London, Bath Press. Miles, R. and Snow, C (1978): original strategy structure and process, New York, Mc Graw Hill. Scullion, H. (1995): international HRM, New Edition, London, Roultedge. Smart, D. (1983): Selection Interviewing, New York, Wilye. Thomas P., and Walker, J.W. (1993); "Aligning Staffing with Business Strategy." Human Resources Planning, 1993, pp. 1- 23. Williams, M.R. (1972); Performance Appraisal in Management, Heinemann Publishers, London. Read More