International Journal of Hospitality Management 27 (2008) 414–425
Conceptual model for analysing management development in the
hospitality industry: A UK perspective
Sandra Watson
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Management and Law, Napier University, Craiglockhart Campus, Edinburgh EH14 1 DJ, UK
Abstract
This paper presents a conceptual, contingent model of hospitality management development (MD). Having explored the dimensions
and relationships in the model, it is then applied to the UK hospitality industry through analysing the nature of the hospitality industry
for potential influences on MD and evaluating research into its practice. The embryonic model is presented as a vehicle to enhance
understanding of the complex influences and contexts of hospitality MD and to distinguish distinctive characteristics of MD in the
hospitality industry.
r 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Conceptual contingent model: Hospitality management development
1. Introduction
The aim of this paper is to present an embryonic,
contingent conceptual model for researching and analysing
management development (MD) in the hospitality indus-
try. While the topic of MD appears to be well researched,
analysis of scholarly papers and texts reveals a lack of
agreement on what academically or practically constitutes
MD. There is little agreement on the boundary and scope
of MD (Cullen and Turnbull, 2005; Doyle, 2004; Garavan
et al., 1999), divergent views on its purpose and goals
(Clarke, 1999; Woodall and Winstanley, 1998), disagree-
ment over who owns MD (Mabey, 2002; Marsick and
Watkins, 1997), and the role of managers in the process
(Sadler-Smith, 2006). In addition, there has been much
criticism of MD research literature regarding its limited
scope and focus on discrete activities, and a lack of
attention paid to the underlying issues influencing MD
(Mumford, 1993; Storey et al., 1997). Garavan et al. (1999)
contend that conventional views on what constitutes MD
have taken too narrow a perspective, hindering the
development of both theory and practice. They call for
investigations of the underlying issues of MD, including
the role of managers, their development needs, and
organisational culture and contexts.
Although some attempts have been made in the generic
MD literature to synthesise work (see Cullen and Turnbull,
2005; Mabey, 2002), within hospitality literatures little
integration of works on MD scope and content can be
located (Brotherton and Watson, 2000). There is some
evidence of research into aspects of MD such as managerial
roles (Baum, 1990; Watson and McCraken, 2002),
education (Litteljohn and Watson, 2004; Morrison and
O’Mahony, 2003), practices (Teare and O’Hern, 2000),
careers (Jameson and Holden, 2000; Ladkin, 2000) and
hospitality contexts (Jones, 2004; Slattery, 2002), but there
has been no attempt to amalgamate the various facets of
MD to enhance understanding of what constitutes and
influences hospitality MD (HMD) practice. The literature
on HMD is diverse in scope and dispersed, being derived
from different disciplinary roots and spread across hospi-
tality, tourism and business publications, resulting in a lack
of clear theoretical or conceptual understanding of HMD.
The combined service characteristics of intangibility, perish-
ability, heterogeneity and inseparability of production and
consumption (Zeithaml et al., 1985) are cited as distinguishing
features of the hospitality industry, resulting in greater contact
with both staff and guests in managing the delivery and
consumption of hospitality services (Jones, 2004). There are
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doi:10.1016/j.ijhm.2008.01.002
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Tel.: +44 131 455 4309; fax: +44 131 455 4369.
E-mail address: s.watson@napier.ac.uk