Demand fluctuations, labour flexibility and productivity

Sangwon Park, Natina Yaduma, Andrew J. Lockwood, Allan M. Williams

Research output: Journal article publicationJournal articleAcademic researchpeer-review

32 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

There is a dearth of studies analysing the relationship between demand variations, productivity and flexible working in the face of variable demand challenges confronting the tourism industry. This investigation seeks to inform important firm and industry specific labour management strategies for improving productivity. Using data for 43 medium sized hotels owned by two chains in the UK, this paper analyses productivity in relation to external (demand variations) and internal (labour management) conditions over an 8 year period from 2005 to 2013. The paper's findings show that demand variation is the principal determinant of productivity. Numerical, functional and zero-contract hour flexible labour management also contributes to labour productivity. Significant differences in findings between establishments and departments indicate the importance of disaggregated analyses.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)93-112
Number of pages20
JournalAnnals of Tourism Research
Volume59
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jul 2016
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Demand variations
  • Economic recession
  • Labour productivity
  • Seasonality
  • Work flexibility

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Development
  • Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality Management

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