ESHT - DHR - Comunicações em eventos científicos
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- Education and competencies for hospitality management: the case of polytechnic higher education graduatesPublication . Melo, António; Gonçalves, M.With the growth of tourism in recent years, the demand for higher education in Hospitality Management has increased, having contributed to the integration of a greater number of graduates in the labour market. In this research, the (dis)articulation between polytechnic higher education and the hospitality management labour market is analysed, focusing on the competencies and career paths of graduates in this area. The general objective of this research is to analyse the process of developing professional skills of graduates in Hotel Management, through the perspectives of the various actors, seeking to understand how they perceive the role of training, in such a process, on the one hand, and the role of practice and professional experience, on the other. Based on the interpretative paradigm, authors adopted a mixed approach, combining semi-structured interviews to courses directors of Higher Education Institutions and representatives from the labour market, and a questionnaire applied to Hospitality Management graduates. The ensuing data was analysed through content and statistical analysis. The results demonstrate the relevance of internships as contexts of training and professional integration, as well as the technical and transversal competencies in which graduates feel more confident, not always concurring with what employers require or those that are developed by the educational/training system. Research shows that the articulation between the education/training system and the labour market has gaps at various levels, demonstrating that a dialogue between these scopes is a pressing need.
- Human resources management and the impact of the restaurant opening hours: an exploratory studyPublication . Azevedo, Daniel; Silva, SusanaThe hospitality sector is struggling with a generalized shortage of manpower to cope with the post-pandemic economic recovery. Furthermore, the work-life balance has become a very important issue when it comes to choose a place to work. This has been creating huge constraints in the hospitality industry in running and/or developing new businesses due to lack of qualified human resources. Considering the importance of this sector in the Portuguese economy, it is of paramount importance to better understand the origin of such constraints and how businesses can adapt to a new labour market reality. An exploratory study was conducted to understand how restaurant opening hours, as a top-level management decision, affects the work-life balance in the industry thus contributing to enrich the attractiveness of the jobs offered. To develop the study two groups of restaurants were studied. The first group is comprised of limited opening-hours restaurants, and the second group (as a control group), a non-limited opening hours restaurant. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with proprietors and/or top-level managers to ascertain how the decision on opening hours was weighed in the work-life balance concerns and what are the most important managerial implications, business profitability impacts, and staff retention indicators. Preliminary results seem to indicate that restaurant opening hours are one important top-level management decisions and the work-life balance has played a crucial role in the definition of the business model of the studied restaurants. By choosing limited opening hours, managers are able to schedule staff much easier and respect, as much as possible their work-life balance which then contributes to a more stable and motivated workforce. The results also show that this is only possible because restaurants manage to be profitable within the limited opening hours period. Further studies should be conducted to better understand how these new business model approaches could be used in larger-scale restaurants with non-limited opening hours.
- Improving environmental sustainability in Hospitality and Tourism: the key strategiesPublication . Oliveira, Mónica; Silva, Susana; Silva, CândidaThe Hotel and Tourism Industry has experienced profound changes in recent years and has been one of the sectors most affected by COVID-19. With the return of tourist activity, many companies went back to their normal routines, but the sector has changed dramatically. Tourists have new expectations, needs, and priorities, and sustainability is the one that is most emphasised, particularly when it comes to excessive water consumption, misuse of energy, and poorly utilised waste. The industry has a unique opportunity to recognise the importance of sustainability and define strategies to guarantee customer satisfaction, in symbiosis with environmental concerns and the preservation of the planet for future generations. This study aims to characterise the good strategies and practices for environmental sustainability in Hospitality and Tourism, namely in terms of energy, water, and waste. The purpose is to present the procedures and processes that lead to greater sustainability performance and to accomplish this a focus group was organised, with 2 hospitality stakeholders, 2 environmental groups stakeholders, and 2 VET (Vocational Education and Training) stakeholders, to discuss and identify the main factors directly related to the excessive use of water and energy and the poor treatment of waste and ranked by the participants. The meeting was done face-to-face, lasted 3 hours, and was based on their expertise and good practices. The Hospitality and Tourism Industry is conscious of its ecological footprint, namely in terms of energy efficiency, water conservation, and waste management. Considering energy, some examples were given such as electricity-saving practices, using LED bulbs, occupancy sensors, and automatic light controls. With respect to water, it is mandatory to install low-slip faucets and shower heads, reduce laundry and cleaning, and recycle water that can be reused for irrigation or toilet flushing, reducing the use of fresh water. The research presented contributions to the growing Knowledge on this topic, and the findings propose a straightforward guide for managers in the Hospitality and Tourism industry. Further research is endorsed to reinforce the value of environmental sustainability and to involve a greater range of stakeholders with different profiles in the sector.
- Motivation as a lever for service excellencePublication . Silva, Ana Isabel; Oliveira, Mónica; Silva, SusanaIn recent years, we have seen a change in mentalities in the way organisations are managed. Day by day, we realize that an organization's human resources are the key to success. In this sense, human resources management assumes an essential position that will allow to achieve levels of motivation and satisfaction of employees central to the performance of the organization. In the hotel sector, we still observe organizations with little focus on human resources management. However, it is from the sectors where this management becomes vital. The satisfaction and motivation of employees are directly reflected in customer satisfaction, compromising the future of the hotel unit. This work aims to understand the impact of the employee's motivation on their performance, according to their perspective. Thus, the method used was the questionnaire survey, addressed to all employees of the InterContinental Porto — Palácio das Cardosas hotel. Data analysis was performed through descriptive and statistical analysis, with resources to the SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) program. The results obtained did not allow us to observe any direct relationship between employee motivation and performance, according to their perspective.
- Online teaching during COVID 19: how to get the best out of itPublication . Oliveira, Mónica; Pataco, TeresaThe aim of this study is to examine and present good strategies and practices for remote learning, during COVID-19. Given that this was the only safe and secure way to keep teaching, professors had to adapt the resources in the best way possible, so that students could keep learning. Schools had to set up environments for the students to understand, practice, and apply the skills learned. Online classes were delivered, and it was difficult to control if the students achieved the knowledge needed and if the correct message was sent. In our research, we present the methods used in our online classes (asynchronous or synchronous), the main worries and doubts of the instructors, as well as the solutions proposed to frame the learning process of the students. The objective is to present the procedures and processes developed during that period, the solutions found, and the results achieved. Data were collected from the results/grades of the students and a survey was submitted to acknowledge the main concerns of the students, the positive and negative aspects of this type of learning, the main difficulties, and social issues stemming from it.
- "Rota dos Sabores" – simulation-based learning in Tourism, Hospitality and Catering education and trainingPublication . Melo, António; Melo, Carla; Vasconcelos, SandraCurrent society and the labour market value and demand that people have the ability to work in teams and be creative, innovative and adaptable to new situations. Having become increasingly important in education, these skills are particularly relevant within the tourism, hospitality and catering fields, which traditionally rely heavily on practical teaching and learning approaches, focusing on real-world issues and skills that reflect the professional scenarios and challenges of future graduates. Drawing from these premises, this paper will describe ‘Rota dos Sabores’, a student-organized gastronomic event taking place in the last semester of the degree in Catering and Restaurant Management. Aiming to enhance students’ creativity, teamwork, collaborative skills, and their ability to adapt to new situations, this event combines both soft and technical skills (e.g., event organisation and management), at the same time it helps students broaden their international gastronomic culture, being leveraged by structured practical training and work simulation approaches. Based on desk research, observation and content analysis (resulting from questionnaires applied to the students and event participants), this paper aims to frame the activities carried out, crosscutting different perspectives as to establish the importance of collaboration and teamwork in shaping the future careers of hospitality graduates. In addition to describing the different event stages and its implementation, the authors will reflect on students’ overall performance and feedback as crucial components of teaching and learning experiences. As a result, this paper is expected to contribute to the development of new training and inform future simulation-based activities in this area.
- Shaping the new normal: Portuguese hotel and event managers’ reactions to COVID-19Publication . Melo, Carla; Melo, António; Vasconcelos, Sandra; Meneses, DanielaThe COVID-19 pandemic has created a worldwide crisis, which has had an impact on all economic sectors, having transformed social and consumption patterns. This crisis has been particularly difficult for the tourism industry, with uncertainty and the emergence of new consumer profiles and demands prompting swift reactions from policymakers and stakeholders. Focussing on two sub-sectors of the Portuguese tourism industry – hospitality and events – this paper aims to identify the most relevant concerns and Crisis Management Strategies adopted in each of these sectors in the early stages of the pandemic, putting forward a multi-layered analysis, juxtaposing the different challenges faced by managers and how they were approached. Based on previous studies and on 14 semi-structured interviews with hotel and event managers, the authors adopted an exploratory qualitative approach as to record and categorize the interviewees’ perceptions, having established the transversal importance of resilience, flexibility, and technology for each sector’s recovery. Moreover, taking into account the singularity of each setting, the authors were also able to identify more specific sectorial categories, which have had an effect on both the decision-making and future outlooks for both the hospitality and events industries. Overall, despite being hopeful, hotel and event managers anticipate different recovery challenges, with the first highlighting the importance of soft skills, and the latter emphasizing the need to regain the public’s confidence, at the same time they will have to rethink their offer as to better address current needs and concerns.
- The COVID-19 aftermath: a multidimensional study on hospitality managers' perceptionsPublication . Silva, Miguel; Melo, António; Melo, Carla; Vasconcelos, SandraThe COVID-19 pandemic has brought many constraints to several industries, including tourism and hospitality. Despite its resilience, the socio-economic implications arising from this sanitary crisis have exposed the vulnerabilities and prompted swift reactions from policymakers, stakeholders and managers. This exploratory study aims to determine which dimensions of the hospitality business were most affected by this pandemic and how they responded to this outbreak. Considering dimensions such as "Decision making" "Health Safety" “Operations” “Marketing & Sales”, "Human Resources" and "Customer Relationship Management", this study is supported by semi-structured interviews with hotel managers, putting forward an analysis based on the perceptions and realities of different hotel categories and operational contexts. Aiming to complement previous and ongoing research concerning the coping mechanisms hotel managers have had to implement when confronted with this unprecedented crisis, it succeeds in identifying key strategic areas and concerns, that are relevant for understanding the current situation, as well as preparing future emergencies and crisis affecting the hospitality business, paving the way for future research within this scope
- The impact of Covid-19 in restaurants – Take away and delivery, the consumer’s perspectivePublication . Azevedo, Daniel; Melo, AntónioTake-away and delivery where already being used by the restaurant business in Portugal prior to Covid-19 as a way to increase sales and profitability. The early days of the pandemic with an almost complete lockdown had a huge impact in the restaurant sector as all restaurants were suddenly forced to close. That lead to a vast majority of restaurants reinforcing their already existing take-away and delivery operations or starting to operate that way. In order to better understand the relationship between consumers and take-away and delivery services provided by restaurants, a research was conducted to assess the degree of use of these services. The research took place between the 9th and the 25th of April by means of an online survey resulting in 448 valid responses. The majority of the responders (69%) already used these services prior to Covid-19 between 1 and 3 times a week. On the other side, 28% said that they had never used take-away or delivery. During the pandemic, 53% claimed not to use take away and delivery services whilst only 45% said they were using it 1 to 3 times a week. When questioned about their future intents after the pandemic, 72% predicted they will use take-away 1 to 3 times a week. Within the consumers that use take-away and delivery, 22.5% spend less than 10€ per order, 54% from 10 to 20€ and 23.5% spend more than 20€. Preliminary results show that despite the fact these services were already being used prior to Covid-19, frequency of usage is on the rise, foreseeing significant growth for take-away and delivery in the near future. Data also seems to indicate that this phenomenon is not specific of big cities and urban population and could become an overall trend. Restaurants should develop/adapt their menus to cater to the specific needs of these services and invest in consolidating their presence in the take away and delivery markets as it can become one of the most important revenue sources.
- The impact of tourism in the restaurant business: a case study in the city of OportoPublication . Rocha, Ana; Azevedo, Daniel; Silva, SusanaThe evolution of the restaurant business has always been strongly associated with the evolution of the tourism sector. In fact, several authors have identified and described the relationship between these two sectors. Restaurants and gastronomy are a significant part of the local culture and can work as a major touristic attraction. At the same time, restaurants profit from the increase in tourists in a particular market. However, there is few information on how the tourism sector impacts the restaurant business. This study aims to shed some light on how restaurants are influenced by the growth of tourism and how they adapt themselves to this ”new” customers. For that, a quantitative study was conducted in the city of Oporto which has been considered for the past years on of the best destinations in Europe and in the world, and that recognition has led to a steady increase in tourism, making it an excellent case study. A sample of 69 restaurants located in the city answered an online questionnaire with questions about restaurant location and characteristics, business growth and response to the increase in tourists at three specific periods in time — 2012, 2015 and 2018. Statistical analyses were performed with IBM SPSS 25.0. The preliminary results showed that most (n=53, 78,1%) of the restaurants were small or medium enterprises, 82,4% were located nearby touristic enterprises, 89,7% were nearby public transport stop and nearby touristic monuments. Regarding the number of foreign clients, there is a significant increase between 2012 and 2015, and a slight increase for 2018. There is also an increase in average selling price of a meal for 2012 and 2018. Regarding seasonality, results showed a higher distribution of customers across the year. The results valued the changes made in the restaurants namely hiring new collaborators with foreign languages abilities. Regarding the differences between historical and non- historical city centre restaurants there were statistical differences in the number of tourists in 2015, the number of tourists and the selling price of a meal in 2018. The restaurants in historical city centre had more tourists and a higher price. Thus, we can conclude that the characteristics of the restaurants customers has changed overtime and there is a decrease of seasonality associated to this business. The increase in the average selling price of a meal suggest that there is room for restaurants to upgrade their value proposition. Therefore, it is important the business sector follow this evolution and the specific needs of the customers related to this changes.