Identifying management perceptions towards e-learning for staff training within the 5 star hotel sector

Abstract

The hospitality sector is an important part of the Maltese tourism industry. While registering a 2.1% increase over the previous year Malta also experiences high competition from neighbouring Mediterranean countries and therefore it is important that there is an adequately trained human resource base that can lead to a competitive edge. In a service based economy like Malta technology plays a fundamental role in the different operational areas of accommodation establishments. This study employed a qualitative framework based on Technological Frames (Orlikowski and Gash, 1994) to identify the perceptions attributed by HR or Training managers in relation to e-learning for staff training in 5 star hotels. Interviews were conducted with managers from 6 of these hotels so as to evaluate managerial perceptions on the use of e-learning in the hospitality industry. Results presented show that e-learning was interpreted positively in terms of certain features that it offers, however there were concerns due to the particular skill based training required for the hospitality industry. Highlighting the fact that hospitality is all about human interaction and people with diverse backgrounds, all respondents mentioned this as one of the inhibiting factors of the technology.