chan (2012) career development programme - htmi

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An analysis of how the career development programme motivatesemployees in Four Seasons Hotel, Hong Kong

Wei Hao ChanHTMi, Hotel & Tourism Management Institute, Srenberg, 6174 Luzern, Switzerland

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Abstract

Career development of hotel employees is important to be considered by the hotel in creating motivational force. However, there are only limited and scarce sources of research studies conducted to analyse the effectiveness of the career development motivating hotel employees.Because of the internship experience, it has stimulated the author in doing research on this particular field. This research has explored a widerange of extensive literature in analysing different books, theories, models and contemporary issues from academic articles. The author hasattempted to define the relationship between career development and motivation of employees. After the investigation, the career developmentprogramme has been compared with other rewards policies as an effective motivator. At the end, the critical evaluation on the effectiveness andlimitations are discussed. Based on the secondary research done, it can partially show the motivational function of the Career DevelopmentProgramme on employees and the potentiality of career satisfaction and employees competencies. The author does urge that the primary research and further in-depth study should be carried out in analysing and evaluating the effectiveness and limitations of the career developmentprogramme in providing employees motivation.

Keywords: Career development programme; Employee motivation; Career satisfaction; Reward policy; Four Seasons; Hong Kong

2010 International Hospitality Research Centre. All rights reserved.

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1. Introduction

The hospitality industry plays an important role in Hong Kongs economy, which contributes to the GDP and totalemployment rate (Tourism Commission 2010). Theunemployment rate for the hospitality industry came downsuccessfully after the financial downturn since 2008 (Hotel,Catering and Tourism Training Board 2010). Hong Kong

Tourism Board (2010b) and Hong Kong Hotels Association(2010) reported that 59 new hotels will be established from2009 to 2013 which will generate approximately 5,800 new

job openings in the next three years. This forecast may bring challenges to the human resources management of theexisting hotels because of the potential increase in turnoverrate. How will hotels react in order to minimize the influenceby the challenges? This paper focuses on the analysis of thecase of Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong.

In the limited and competitive labour market, employeessatisfaction and motivation is vital in human resourcesmanagement (Wong et al. 1999). The Career DevelopmentProgramme of Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong seems to besignificant in motivating employees to achieve their careersuccess. However, the effectiveness and limitations inmotivating employees are still not yet well defined.

Human resource is an essential element in successfully attaining the organizational goals (Armstrong 2007b).Concurrently, hospitality companies in developed countries orcities are facing challenges in attracting, motivating andretaining employees in the competitive labour market (Barnettand Bradley 2007). People would now manage their careerdevelopment by themselves instead of depending oncompanys direction (Arthur et al. 2005; Kossek et al. 1998).Organizations motivate employees by supporting their careerdevelopment with different programmes that their careersuccess can be achieved (Baruch 2006).

In the 21st

century, different academicians continue tofocus on the studies in motivation as they aim to establish anew and highly valid theory which could be applied to realsituations with fewer constraints and provide usefulexplanation for an appropriate model (Miner 2003). In the1980s, the output of ability and motivation, with properresources provided was defined as performance, thusmotivation was essential in organizational management skills(Torrington et al. 2008). Motivation can be described as alevel of eagerness of individual to put effort in satisfying needs and wants, and hence it is about how individuals directtheir behaviours to achieve their goals, which are motives andneeds (Beardwell and Claydon 2007). Different dynamicforces from both within and beyond individual can affect

International Hospitality and Tourism Student Journal 4 (1) 2012 2-13

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working behaviour and lead to the change of direction inindividuals motivation (Pinder 1998). Therefore, work motivation can be identified as the psychological interplay between the individuals and the environment which means itis mostly different between individuals and over time becausemotives and needs change according to environmental

variances and based on different period of time (Armstrong 2009; Beardwell and Claydon 2007).

Because of the tense competition in the labour market,the fulfilment of management needs and expectations, fewerpromotion opportunities within flatter organizationalstructure and the shortage of young new-join, it is importantfor employers to motivate, develop and retain employees forthe success of the organization in this challenging situation(Boella and Goss-Turner 2005). Career developmentprogramme becomes one of the effective management toolsto motivate employees. It can motivate employees in generalbut it can also possibly cause negative results indisappointment, discontent, high labour turnover rate and

low morale among employees (Armstrong 2009; Boella andGoss-Turner 2005). At this point, a gap has been identified inthe relationship between career development programme andemployees motivation, which the author will focus on in thisresearch study. This research projects aim is to assess thedegree of Career Development Programmes impacts on themotivations of employees in Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong. In order to achieve the main aim of the study, thethree following objectives are set: to investigate therelationship between the Career Development Programmeand the employees; to compare the programme with otherreward activities in the hotel based on employees motivation;

and to examine the effectiveness and limitations of motivating employees through the programme.

2. Literature review

2.1.1. Relationship between employees needs and motivation

There are several theories and models of motivationestablished to help management to predict how employeesbehave under different situations and how to motivate them(Griffin and Moorehead 2010). Maslow (1954) introduced thehierarchy of needs model (Figure 1) to understand humanmotivation and personal development. He categoriseddifferent individuals needs into five main levels thatindividuals are motivated to achieve the higher level of need

when the lower level is fulfilled (Beardwell and Claydon2007).

The fundamental needs include the survival needs and theneed for safety and security. The social need for love andbelonging is positioned on the third level which self-esteemneeds for feeling respected and social status follow by. Thehighest level aims to achieve self-actualization or personalgrowth. Human beings are defined as animals having unlimited needs and wants, and what they want are

determined by what they already have that one satisfied need

leads to the emergence of the next one (Jackson et al. 2009;Maslow 1943). Therefore, satisfied needs are no longerhaving motivational effect on the individuals because they aremotivated to achieve the next level of need (Mathis and

Jackson 2008). The need for self-actualization is the ultimategoal of employee motivation and individuals would seek forhigher degree of satisfaction at this level continuously (Armstrong 2007a).

Figure 1: Maslows Hierarchy of Needs Model (Maslow 1954) However, there are some limitations of the model in

modern management practice. The theory helps managers toindicate what components are needed that employees can bemotivated at each level of needs and create a corresponding programme for them, but it is not able to foresee thedifferent positions of needs among individuals because therelationship between needs and behaviour is unclear(Beardwell and Claydon 2007). Maslow (1954) already claimedthat the order in the hierarchy was not fixed, which made itmore difficult for the management to make any predictionand expectation (Bateman and Bateman n.d.), and the easy applicability of the theory to management and workforcecould only be proved through a few research studies whichsupported its usefulness in practice (Armstrong and Murlis2007; Arnold et al. 1991). Furthermore, according to Mullins(2007), it is not a must for people to satisfy all their needs at

work but also in other parts of their life, thus it would benecessary for managers to pay attention on both employees

social life and working behaviour. There is no clear indicationthat a higher need appears after satisfying a lower need, insome cases, more than one need in the hierarchy may besatisfied at one time (Nickson 2007). Maslow (1943) claimedthat the main motivational result in behaviour is satisfactionbut employees performance does not have to be improvedbecause of job satisfaction (Armstrong 2009). Differentemployees can have completely different motivational needsat different time in their lives, hence it is important forhuman resources management to have effectivecommunications with employees in order to understand theirindividual needs and respond accordingly (Koontz and

Weihrich 2007; Kubo and Saka 2002; Mullins 2001).


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Under Maslows hierarchy of needs model, humans aredefined as a kind of animal pursuing satisfactions whichbasically be motivated by the biological needs (Armstrong 2007b). Yet, human resources management should not only focus on this but also be sensitive to the situations in reality (Hayes and Ninemeier 2009). Nowadays, most of theadvanced countries understand the importance of satisfying the basic physiological and safety needs of individuals and of society, and make sure that everyone has adequate food, safeshelter and comprehensive health and life protection (Boellaand Goss-Turner 2005). Thus, people are no longer satisfied

with a job only fulfilling the needs of food, shelter andsecurity but searching for satisfaction of social nature needs(ibid). Individuals now focus more on the satisfaction inrelationships with others, social respect and status and highintrinsic job satisfaction, which the management need to pay attention to motivate them (DuBrin 2009).

Alderfer (1972) modified Maslows hierarchy of needsmodel and presented the ERG theory which concludes three

core needs: existence needs concerning about thesustainability of human survival and existence which involvesremunerations and working conditions, relatedness needsfocusing on the social and interpersonal relationships whichinvolves engagement and commitment with the organization,and growth needs concerning the personal development of individuals potential which involves career or workplaceopportunities. This theory not only covers all the needs inMaslows model, but also increases its flexibility andapplicability in real situations as the priority of satisfying needs is not fixed and individual may accomplish more thanone need at one time (Daft and Lane 2008; Griffin andMoorehead 2010). This theory has been tested by a numberof studies that people should be motivated to meet one ormore needs at different levels when one particular level of need is blocked (Torrington et al. 2008). For instance,management should put the attention on providing employees more opportunities for existence and relatednessneeds satisfaction when employees cannot have enoughopportunities for personal development that their growthneeds cannot be achieved (Mullins 2007; Walker and Miller2010). The management can effectively motivate employeesby satisfying other needs at the same time, in turn to improvethe efficiency and enthusiasm of employees (Oslen and Zhao2008).

The management of a business has to be more consciousof the differences in employees individual needs, wants,objectives and goals (Millmore 2007). Developing humanresources strategies based on the consideration of thesefactors help motivating employees more effectively whichsupports in achieving the organizational goals and enhancing companys competitiveness (Armstrong 2007b; Deery 2008).

2.1.2. Career development and motivation

With the identification of employees needs, companiesmay still not be able to find out what the underlying

motivations of employees within their careers are (Koontzand Weihrich 2007). The working attitude of employees may

not be motivated even certain needs are satisfied (Mkono2010; Pinder 1998). Therefore, it is essential for companies tounderstand the relationship between employees career andtheir motivational needs.

Career development is defined as a management strategy in providing opportunities for employees to advance theirpotential and ability in the career in order to secure the poolof talents the company needs and to fulfil employeesambitions in which they are motivated (Andrews 2009; Baughand Sulivan 2005). This strategy integrates both needs of individuals and of the organization (Jakcson et al. 2009).From the employees point of view, career developmentprogramme should provide them guidance, support andencouragement to fully utilize their potential and abilities andattain a successful career path within the company based ontheir ambitions and goals (Armstrong 2009). Yet, the linkagebetween career development programme and motivation isnot clearly identified.

As the career development affects both motivations and

basic needs of employees under a psychological process,employees perceptions and expectations are essential to beunderstood (Zastrow and Kirst-Ashman 2010). Vroom (1964)developed the Valency-Instrumentality-Expectancy theory in

which valency means the expected satisfaction derived froman outcome, instrumentality is the linkage between differentlevel outcomes, and expectancy is the degree of probability that the outcome will be achieved. This theory states thatemployees will put effort leading to a high level of performance in order to seek for a reward (Randhawa 2007).

Thus, employees are motivated to work harder only whenthey can expect that benefits, which are worthwhile to putmore effort on, are following afterwards (Ivancevich 2007).

When the theory is applied to the career developmentprogramme, the result seems quite obvious. Employees willbe motivated to put more effort into work when they canexpect the advancement in their career paths which theiranticipated satisfactions are met (Yarnall 2008). Yet, it is notas simple like this.

As Vroom (1964) stated that individual will lose his/hermotivation when he/she does not have any valence orexpectancy in the job, it indicates that motivation can bedirectly affected by the two factors (Noe 2010). The source of expectancy may be mainly based on individuals pastexperience, but employees are always situated in differentcircumstances such as changes in job responsibilities,payment or workplace conditions and environment whichmeans that past experience may not be valid in developing expectations (Mello 2011; Sims 2007). In this sense, it may negatively affect motivation. Career development programmecannot be simply established to all employees as eachindividual has different values and expectations from theirjobs which are directly related to the effective motivationalimpact on them (Greenhaus et al. 2010). Moreover,organization should ensure both performance-outcomerelationship and linkage between effort and reward clear

when developing the programme because employees

motivation mostly rely on their perception of to what extenttheir personal needs, growth and goals can be achieved as the


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result of their effort put into work (Collings and Wood 2009; Thornton 2007). Developing employees career path,therefore, has a close relationship with employeesmotivational force and their work performance (Kuruuzum etal. 2009; Madura 2007). The success of a career developmentprogramme depends not only on motivating employees by increasing their effort but also the expectations of what they can get in return (Haslam 2004; Baugh and Sulivan 2005).

Figure 2: The Porter and Lawlers Expectancy Theory (Porter andLawler 1968, p. 165)

According to another expectancy theory based on Vrooms theory which is developed by Porter and Lawler(1968) (Figure 2), employees motivation levels start up withtheir perceptions of the rewarding outcome and its value inorder to generate their effort. Career developmentprogramme can motivate employees to perform not only by

clarifying the effort-reward relationship, but also supportthem in developing their ability and knowledge andenhancing their role perceptions which is needed for effectiveperformance (Armstong 2007b; Lussier 2008). However,organizations have to be careful when connecting theperceptions of employees to the viewpoint of theorganization as failure may happen if both of them are notbalanced and consistent (DuBrin 2010; Sharma 2009). Careerdevelopment can be claimed as a motivational source of employees to enhance their performance through differentopportunities in their career path (Amos et al. 2008). Aneffective career development programme can improveemployees efficiency, morale and quality of work performance (Harrington and Hall 2008). This helpsorganizations to maintain, motivate and develop their talentpool, in turn to sustain and enhance their competitiveadvantages to achieve the organizational goals (Deb 2006).

2.1.3. Career development and reward policies

The mentality of human being is complicated anddifferent from each other (DuBrin 2010; Walker and Miller2010). Different human natures and personality characteristics have shown their impacts on peoples jobperformance and behaviour which also link to their work motivations (Mullins 2007). Organizations have to use

different career development strategies and activities tomotivate their employees, including internal promotion,

vertical or lateral career path development, personalmentoring, training and development systems and cross-function developmental opportunities (Salaman et al. 2005;

Armstrong 2009). It is defined as part of the rewardmanagement strategies (Armstrong and Murlis 2007). Totalreward (Figure 3) takes all aspects of rewards intoconsideration integrating with other human resourcesstrategies to fulfil the motivation and development of employees in committing and engaging them to theorganization (Armstrong 2007a). Most of the companies usethis model, which combines financial and non-financialrewards, as a motivator for employees (Mondy and Mondy 2010).

Figure 3: Total Reward Model (Armstrong 2009, p.745)

As the figure shows that career development is in the gridof relational individual rewards, it is connected to andcooperates with other reward factors within the model of total reward. Career development obviously links withindividual intangible rewards such as training and learning inthe process, as well as the tangible rewards like payment andincentives in the outcome (Greenhaus et al. 2010). Bothindividual rewards related to career development can also link

with the tangible benefits and intangible rewards in the working environment. It seems like all rewards are based oncareer development but the truth is that career developmentcannot work alone without the other reward componentssupport (Lussier 2008; Thornton 2007).

As Herzberg et al. (1957) pointed out that organizationsshould focus on both tangible and intangible rewards inmotivating employees. In the Herzbergs two-factor theory (Figure 4), different motivational factors are listed out whichlead to employee job satisfaction and high morale concerning the nature of job, achievement, advancement, recognition,responsibility and promotion opportunities. Herzberg et al.(1959) also stated that the hygiene factors need not tocontribute to the satisfaction level of individuals but

dissatisfaction can be eliminated. Hygiene factors areconcerned with the working environment and extrinsic to the


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work itself which include salary, working conditions,management style, interpersonal relationships and otherbenefits.

Figure 4: Herzbergs Two-factor Theory (Herzberg et al. 1957)

Career development, to a certain extent, can achieve bothfactors as it probably brings an increase in the satisfactory degree of the hygiene factors like a higher salary and betterfringe benefits on one hand, and increase the level of motivational factors such as promotion and self-achievementon the other hand (Baker and Doran 2007; Yarnall 2008). Theindividuals can also gain more respect from their colleaguesand recognition from the management because of the careeradvancement (Perkins and Shortland 2006).

However, monetary incentives such as payment do nothave the same level of importance as the intrinsic jobsatisfaction content like job responsibilities and challenges(Mullins 2007). Although money can solve the problem of dissatisfaction, it cannot cause a long term satisfaction andmotivation (ibid). Herzberg et al. (1959) argued that financialincentives can only motivate employees in short term and themotivational effect may not be able to last long. Researchers,like Jaques (1961), argued that money can be an effectiveemployee motivator. An increase in payment can definitely motivate employees that it can show the value of theemployee within the organization and be treated as a tangiblerecognition (Noe 2010). Money can satisfy individuals needsand wants and also enrich their social status (Torrington et al.

2008). Some employees may perform efficiently and aim toget a promotion simply because they want to have a highersalary, thus human resources management should alsoconsider how to motivate employees by providing morerelational benefits from the career development programmeother than the short-term financial motivators (Baker andDoran 2007; Collings and Wood 2009; Mondy and Mondy 2010).

Career development can activate employees motivation toachieve advancement in their career while reward policies may not be able to provide (Salaman et al. 2005). McClelland(1988) established the achievement motivation theory with

four main motives which are the achievement motives, thepower motives, the affiliative motives and the avoidance

motives. He found out that there were also four typicalfeatures of employees with strong need of achievement(ibid). Firstly, they would like to have a moderately-difficulttask rather than a too difficult one because the probability of successful result and possibility of achieving satisfaction of need are reduced, in turn they may be demotivated to puteffort. On the other hand, if the task is too simple and notchallenging enough, employees are also not motivated asputting effort is not worthwhile. Secondly, employees aremotivated to work when they have their own responsibility toperform by their ability but not necessary with other people.

Thirdly, an explicit and clear feedback on their performance isneeded as it explains how success or failure affects the goalachievement which can lead to a motivational force for themto improve. Lastly, employees are more innovative in seeking new methods to do things. From McClellands theory, itpoints out that career opportunities and challenges foremployees to work hard on achieving their goals havesignificant impacts in their work motivation (Sims 2007).

Career development can provide both financial and non-financial benefits to motivate employees with the aid fromother reward policies (Armstrong 2009). Both of them areclosely linked and work together (ibid). Even though careerdevelopment can generate both intrinsic and extrinsicmotivations, the importance of other rewards and benefitscannot be neglected (Ivancevich 2007; Mullins 2007).

2.2. Review of existing empirical research

2.2.1. Hotel career content

The career development issues of individuals are nolonger relied on the paternalistic organizations that they arenow planning and performing their career out of theorganizational boundaries and identifying the career successby themselves instead of the pay and employment level in theorganization (Baugh and Sulivan 2005). As now morehospitality companies are going global and the level of technology is improving in a rapid rate, the breakup in thecareer development relationship between hotels andemployees are stimulated and individuals focus more onmanaging the career development on their own and increasetheir need for mentoring (Andrews 2009; Chen and Choi2008; Baugh and Sulivan 2005). Garavan et al. (2006) arguedthat hospitality organizations are avoiding the provision of higher level of job security, more training and developmentopportunities and better promotion prospect by transferring the responsibility of career development to the employees, orthey are developing new ways and roles in assisting thedevelopment of employees career. Beardwell and Claydon(2007) point out that there is an evolution in the developmentof hospitality career which emphasizes more on continuouslearning, developmental rewards and competency enhancement. However, many hospitality managers are notacting like the general conclusion as they pay most of theirattention on seeking the stability in their career (Garavan et al.

2006). On the other hand, the hospitality career is alsoaffected by the size of the organization which has a positive-


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related relationship with the career opportunities and the levelof total remuneration (Jauhari 2006).

Kim et al. (2009) state that both the hotel managementand employees should understand the importance of educational level and job qualifications required and thecareer development scheme involved in the career path. BothKim et al. (2009) and Ng and Pine (2003) also find out thatfemales working in the hotel industry in the Asian countries

will find it extremely difficult to get a promotion to themanagerial level and the reason can be linked to the socialcultural differences between the western and Asian countriesand the differences in the perceptions of management ingenders. Moreover, it is essential for most of the Asianemployees working for international chain hotels to have aBachelors degree or even reach to the Masters level forbetter career development opportunities, while most foreignemployees are just holding a Diploma or Bachelors degree,because Asians have to increase their competencies by highereducation level in order to gain more recognitions from the

hotel management whereas foreign employees have ancompetitive advantage in this particular aspect, especially those from the headquarters of the hotel chains (Harper et al.2005; Kim et al. 2009; OFallon and Rutherford 2011;

Thornton 2007). The great impact of the international hotelchains has also been identified as it has significantly affectedthe career path development of the locals that the promotionopportunities to senior managerial level may be reduced(Perkins and Shortland 2006). Not all of the careerdevelopment strategies used by hotels in Western countriescan be applied and practised in the Asian countries likeChina, hence each property should develop its careermanagement activities, based on the corporate guidelines if applicable, to satisfy different career needs of its employees(Kong et al. 2010).

2.3.2. Career satisfaction content in the hotel industry

High quality customer service is vital in maintaining thesustainability of the hotel business that needs the support andcontribution from the hotel employees (Mullins 2001; Oslenand Zhao 2007). In order to get the involvement of employees in delivering high quality service standards, hotelmanagement should satisfy the career and motivational needsof its employees (Nickson 2007). Career satisfaction andmotivation can always be linked together as employees aremotivated to work harder in order to fulfil their needs andambitions in career path development (Armstrong 2007a).

In todays competitive hotel industry, particularly in thedeveloping destinations like China and other Asian countries,an all-round hotel career planning management system has tobe created to support the human resources development andto increase the career competencies of employees because ithelps motivating employees to achieve their career needs andexpectations that effective strategies in attracting andretaining high quality talents will be developed (Garavan et al.2006; Kim et al. 2009; Kong et al. 2010). Furthermore, given

an increasing number of international and regional chainhotels opened in many different cities around the world,

hotel human resource management should be aware of thecompetitions in the limited qualified talent resources market(OFallon and Rutherford 2011). Because of this significantawareness and potential risk, hotel management are promptedto put effort in creating career management activities orscheme regarding the career satisfactions and motivations of employees, concerning the avoidance of high turnover rate(Deery 2008; Kong et al. 2011; Walker and Miller 2010). Asmentioned before, hotel management cannot satisfy andmotivate employees only depending on monetary incentives.

A well-structured career development and training programme together with practical total reward system andfriendly working atmosphere and environment can, to a largeextent, motivate and satisfy employees career needs and

wants for the reason that the above human resourcesmanagement components can provide employees with careeropportunities, personal growth, recognitions of their value tothe company, career challenges, social network expansion andspace for creativity and innovative ideas in their jobs (Kong et

al. 2011; Mkono 2010).Most hotel employees with good education background

are usually not satisfied with their career as the level of theirunsatisfied career expectations are comparatively higher thanthe others and they are more ambitious in careeradvancement (Barron 2008). Hotels may possibly usedifferent strategies like job rotation or cross-departmentaltraining to achieve higher degree in their career satisfactionand motivation (Hayes and Ninemeier 2009) but the successof those strategies are subjective to the personal goals and

willingness towards the work changes (Poon 2004). What ismore, the provision of training and development foremployees can help in enhancing their promotability (Poulston 2008) while promotion with the increase in salary and a regular revision of the total reward package cancontribute to satisfaction and motivation (Lam et al. 2001)

which are directly affected by the unpredictable changes ineconomic conditions (Akrivos et al. 2007). Companies shouldalso be aware of the rising importance of empowerment toemployees because the power of making decisions at work and high level of job involvement will also lead to careersatisfaction (Lam et al. 2001).

Wong et al. (1999) find out that hotel employees in Hong Kong generally have the following top three work motivations which are career development/advancementopportunities, loyalty to employees and good salaries. Onceagain, it proves that employees are motivated by both intrinsicand extrinsic factors for career satisfaction. Meanwhile, theirresearch also shows that the motivators vary because of thedemographic background differences but they also sharethree common intrinsic motivations which are absorbing jobnature, promotion and development opportunities, and theinvolvement to the hotel. However, hotels should not focustoo much on the importance of the intrinsic motivators andignore the contribution of extrinsic motivators adequately,

which is also an indispensable factor in employeessatisfaction (Armstrong and Murlis 2007).


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2.4. Research company background: Four Seasons Hotel, Hong Kong

Hong Kong has been once again awarded Best BusinessCity in the World and Best Business City in the Northeast

Asia by the Business Traveller Asia-Pacific magazine in 2010because of the comprehensive range of hospitality andbusiness services (Hong Kong Tourism Board 2010a). FourSeasons Hotel Hong Kong (2010b) is located in Central

which is the main hub for most of the economic andbusiness activities in Hong Kong. The hotel operates two of the only three restaurants which are awarded three MichelinStars in the latest MICHELIN Guide Hong Kong Macau(2011). Caprice serving contemporary French cuisine, andLung King Heen, the only Cantonese restaurant in the worldreceived three-Michelin-star, have retained their three-starranking for the second and third year running accordingly (Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong 2010a).

Four Seasons Hotels group is ranked at 58th in the top

100 companies to work for in the latest ranking result of Fortune Magazine (2010). According to Sharp (2009), FourSeasons supports promoting internal staff and every employee is eligible to join in the Career DevelopmentProgramme (CDP). Once the employees can fulfil all therequirements of the vacant position, their applications will beconsidered (Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong 2009). However,there is a constraint for the ineligible employees that they canonly apply for other positions again after three months whichmeans they cannot submit their applications even there arejob openings available (Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong 2009). This can be an obstacle to motivate employees as they failed to attain their goals set and their needs and wants mightnot be satisfied (Armstrong 2007a). In order to eliminate any ill will in the employees, Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong (2009) would explain to all unsuitable applicants personally

why they are not accepted in the promotion and discuss whatthey need to improve in order to be eligible for moving up tothe next career level and provide them three-month time toshow improvements required.

At the meantime, there are other programmes related tomotivate and develop employees career. The Employee of the Month and Employee of the Year programmes aredesigned to recognize excellent performance by any memberof the staff on a regular basis, on the other hand, Certificatesfor Outstanding Performance provides recognition of employees who have gone above and beyond in a specificinstance (ibid).

However, there is no empirical research showing how theemployees of Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong are motivatedbecause of the Career Development Programme provided by the hotel. The relationship between the CDP and otherreward programmes in generating motivational force toemployees has not yet been well-defined.

3. Methodology

3.1. Approach

In this research study, the author will consider to use amixed-methods approach, which consists of quantitative andqualitative research. The literature researched shows acomplicated phenomenon where more in-depth informationis needed. A qualitative method intends to develop practicaltheory in an inductive way (Bryman and Bell 2007). It will beadvantageous in understanding the perceptions of employeesto the CDP related to their work motivations, and will alsohelp identifying the role of the CDP. A quantitative researchis deductive in nature which can be used to express theory inpractice and to test out the operational hypotheses (Goddardand Melville 2001). Thus, it will be used to explain casualrelationships between motivations of different employees

with different needs and wants and the CDP. Qualitativeresearch will be conducted first in order to generate a conceptand framework for the quantitative research which will becarried out afterwards to test the qualitative information on a

wider basis.

3.2. Sampling

The population of people from a group or as an individual who are getting involved and participated in the researchstudy are defined as the samples where data and informationare collected from (Saunders et al. 2009). As the samplesinclude the eligible members from the population, hencethose data and information gathered from the samples willthen represent the population as a whole (Veal 2006).

Therefore, the population of this research study is set asemployees from both operation and administration sides

working at the entry level to the managerial level in FourSeasons Hotel Hong Kong. The research will be carried outin the hotel property under both random and non-randomsampling. The author will randomly select any employees toparticipate in the quantitative research which can provide afair opportunity to all the hotel employees. From this,different point of view in perceptions and expectations of employees towards the CDP will generate data andinformation. As the number of employees in Four SeasonsHotel Hong Kong is more than one thousand, it will bepossible for the author to randomly choose as many samplesas possible in order to minimize or even eliminate thepersonal bias involved in the sampling process. At themeantime, the author will also specifically select thoseemployees from different departments or even sections whohave experienced and used the service of CDP to providemore in-depth qualitative information. This is a non-randomstratified sampling approach which categorizes participantsbased on their different positions, employment levels,departments and length of service that helps understanding the topic and increases the validity of the paper (Saunders etal. 2009). Although the size of the samples may not be largecomparing to other social science research, it will be adequatefor the author to achieve the aim of this research study.

3.3. Data collection


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The author will use several data collecting strategies in thisresearch which include survey, focus group and in-depthinterview. The author will distribute a set of standardizedelectronic questionnaires with rating scale to the employees of the hotel. The questionnaires aim to collect informationabout the influences of CDP towards employees motivationbased on their career path advancement, personal growthplanning, training and development, and career opportunitiesand future (Ghauri and Gronhaug 2005). Even though rating scale will not examine the perceptions of employees, it candraw numerical results from the sampling population(Buckingham and Saunders 2004).

Furthermore, the author will conduct focus group whichis a widely used research method in social science aspects(Marshall and Rossman 2006). The focus of the study is theanalysis on the CDP generating motivational force to thehotel employees, thus the use of focus groups is suitable andbeneficial. Four to five hotel employees in differentdepartments will be invited in a group to discuss on the topic

of their opinions and comments on the relationship betweenthe CDP and their work motivation. The duration of thefocus groups discussions will be mainly determined by thetime availability of the participants to the author.

Lastly, in-depth interviews, which are typical in theirstructure, length and depth (Veal 2006), will be carried out

with ten to fifteen employees who have been through theprocess of the CDP. All interviews will be conductedindependently and confidentially because the subject of thediscussion is extremely sensitive which may causeembarrassment to the interviewees (King and Horrocks 2009;Kothari 2005). The questions of the interviews will be aboutthe pros and cons of the use of CDP regarding employeesmotivation from an employees point of view, and thepositive and negative impacts after a successful promotion ora failed application. The managers such as the heads of departments who are involved in the decision-making processof the CDP will be interviewed as well. It is because theauthor will get more detailed information, including thepotential benefits and challenges of using CDP to motivatethe employees, from the managements point of view.

3.4. Reliability and validity

According to Bryman and Bell (2007), reliability is thedegree of consistency of the data collected that uses thesame method on different individuals which is threatened by the subject, participants and researchers error and bias. Forinstance, if the same interview questions are used onparticipants from other five-star luxury hotels in Hong Kong to collect information, the results received are supposed to beconsistent. On the contrary, personal needs and wants, careerdevelopment programmes, and external factors like working conditions can influence the motivation of individuals. Tominimize the negative impacts caused by error and bias,timing and location are the essential factors that decide whenand where the research can be conducted appropriately

(Beins 2008). Hence, focus groups and interviews should beconducted under an objective environment and atmosphere

at the right time of the participants. In addition, the author will first carry out focus group and in-depth interviews toindicate the key motivational issues. Then, questionnaires willbe created based on the qualitative findings and be sent outafterwards in order to make sure the reliability of informationobtained. Therefore, the reliability of this study will beenhanced by adapting mixed-methods approach.

As Veal (2006) points out that validity is the extent to which information collected by the researcher reflects thetruth in practice. If the research relies on quantitative datacompletely in making deductions, the validity of the paper

will be low. Thus, using both quantitative and qualitativeapproaches will help to increase validity of this paper.Nevertheless, in-depth interviews can lead to measurementerror which is caused by human and not able to have validconclusions (Beins 2008). The style of questions and the way the questions being asked can cause bias in the participantsanswers when the interviews are conducting. Moreover, theinterviewer may translate the answers based on his/her own

perception of the topic but not accurately from theperspective of the interviewee (Saunders et al. 2009). Withthe above concerns, the author will be more conscious inconducting the research in order to get high validity in the

valuable information.

3.5. Generalizability

Veal (2006) stated that generalizability can be usually referred to the contingency of the results concluded fromfindings which are applicable to other individuals, groups orsituations. The generalizability of this study is limited by thehotel location and its career development programme along

with different data collection approaches. Different hotelsaround the world have their career development strategies

which are not necessary to be the same as Four Seasons one(Hayes and Ninemeier 2009). Individuals working in thehospitality industry will probably have different motivationalneeds and wants as well (Andrews 2009). However, thequantitative data may be possible to be generalized thefindings to Four Seasons Hotel Macau as both of them sharemany similarities in different aspects. The questionnaires may be also applicable to other Four Seasons properties in Chinaor other Asian destinations after some changes are maderespectively.

3.6. Ethical issues

Confidentiality is the essential concern within the ethicalissues. The employees and management may be reluctant inproviding comprehensive information because of theuncertain consequences. Furthermore, the willingness of theparticipants to collaborate in the research will be affected by the concern about the disclosure of information to thehotels competitors. A confidential statement signed by theauthor will be sent to the hotel management in order toassure the confidentiality of all data and information

collected in the research.


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3.7. Limitations

This research study can effectively contribute to theunderstanding of the effectiveness of the CDP as a motivatorof the employees. However, it is limited by its finite scopethat is needed to be considered in analysing the results. Thesource of the samples is limited as they are selected only from Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong and not all theemployees experienced the CDP. Moreover, thequestionnaires of the online survey may not show the wholepicture for the author to make precise conclusions. Theauthor may also find that it is difficult to gain the supportfrom the employees and the hotel management, and tomanage time issue regarding the research arrangement.

Therefore, the research quality and finding results may benegatively affected by the above limitations (Ghauri andGronhaug 2005).

4. Discussion

The Career Development Programme in Four SeasonsHotel Hong Kong offers career advancement or developmentopportunities for the hotel employees that motivations may be created. However, there are uncertainties found in themotivational relationship between the CDP and employees. Itis important to acknowledge that the primary research hasnot yet been conducted. This section will discuss based onthe objectives of this study.

4.1. To investigate the relationship between the Career Development Programme and the employees

Career Development Programme has a close relationship with the employees because they are the main elements in theprogramme (Armstrong 2009). It can also be a humanresources management strategy to train, develop, promote,motivate and satisfy the hotel employees (Greenhaus et al.2010). Four Seasons recognizes that the key factor inmotivating and retaining its staff is by providing careeropportunities for personal growth and development (Sharp2009). Through this programme, the hotel encouragespromotions from within which means to fill up most of the

vacant positions in the company by the existing employees. Itcan lead to the enhancement in employees team spirit, staff morale and retention (Amos et al. 2008). However, it may also possibly cause a hidden competition among employees(Collings and Wood 2009). It is because all qualifiedemployees are eligible to apply for any internal job openings.

Although all applications and interview arrangements willbe only handled and completed by the human resourcesdepartment, employees may try to guess the potentialsapplicants of the vacant position. In the cases of thosesupervisory and managerial positions, the competitionbetween the employees at the elementary level will be tenseras it is concerned with career advancement opportunities

(Sims 2007). Distrust among employees may appear whichcan negatively affect their work performance and motivation

(Millmore 2011). On the other hand, the explanation of thereasons why the application failed will benefit the relationship

with the employees as those applicants will understand how they can improve the work performance or qualification andprepare for the next application. Undoubtedly, theprogramme has shown its contribution to employees careergrowth satisfaction and career needs which can contribute tothe motivational relationship with employees, at the sametime, the hotel management has to consider the potentialnegative impacts to the relationship as well.

4.2. To compare the programme with other reward activities in the hotel based on employees motivation

Due to the provision of the career developmentopportunities by the programme, employees can have apersonal growth and promotion prospect. It can lead to aconceivable enhancement of employees work performancebecause employees are motivated to put effort at work (Deb

2006). As they can anticipate the probability of careeradvancement and satisfy with the perceive value in theircareer path, their work motivation will be enhanced (Porterand Lawler 1968). Given the opportunities for personalgrowth and development, employees will have a high degreeof intrinsic motivation which is provided by the job itself (Armstrong 2007a).

Reviewing on other reward schemes, the motivationscaused by them are not definite. Generally speaking, taking the Employee of the Month as an example, the scheme isintended to motivate and recognize employees withoutstanding performance in each month (Noe 2010). Twoawardees will receive a certificate and a prize. Theirprofessional pictures will be posted in the staff common areato acknowledge all employees and increase their recognition.However, this scheme sometimes seems to be a procedurerather than to achieve its goal because department heads may not be motivated to nominate their subordinates. Even theawardees may not understand the reasons why they win theprice that lose the motivational function of the scheme.However, the hotel also provides other reward package, suchas bonus wage and complementary room nights at all FourSeasons Hotels and Resorts around the world, to motivateemployees for their continuous hard work and contribution.

Therefore, it cannot be assumed that the CDP or the otherreward policies have a higher and deeper degree inemployees motivation at this time. The result will be clearafter the completion of primary research.

4.3. To examine the effectiveness and limitations of motivating employees through the programme

The programme can motivate employees by offering different career opportunities and every employee has anequal chance to participate in (Yarnall 2008). It can also show that how the company values and loyal to its employees

which is a strong motivational force (Lussier 2008). If the

career advancement application in the programme issuccessful, both financial and non-financial extrinsic


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