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Tom Baum

University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Human resource Management, Faculty Member

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Papers by Tom Baum

Bridging the Gap: Making Research ‘Useful’ in Food, Tourism, Hospitality and Events—The Role of Research Impact

The Study of Food, Tourism, Hospitality and Events, 2018

This chapter addresses the value of academic research in food, tourism, hospitality and events to... more This chapter addresses the value of academic research in food, tourism, hospitality and events to stakeholders, in particular the private sector. This is a well-travelled road in debate between these industry sectors and academia, with frequently cite concerns that academic research is too theoretical and lacks application to the everyday challenges which practitioners face. This chapter critiques approaches to ‘relevant’ research that just seek to address immediate industry ‘problems’. As an alternative, an approach is suggested that advocates research that has impact in a rather wider context, against a wide range of business, economic, social and cultural criteria. These are modified and extended from the UK’s Research Excellence Framework (REF). The application of these criteria are illustrated through a series of fictional mini-cases and conclusions regarding the value of this approach are drawn.

Volunteering flexibility across the tourism sector

Managing Leisure, 2010

... Leonie Lockstone1, Karen Smith2 and Tom Baum3 1School of Hospitality, Tourism and Marketing, ... more

Hospitality employment 2033: A backcasting perspective (invited paper for ‘luminaries’ special issue of International Journal of Hospitality Management)

International Journal of Hospitality Management, 2019

Work in hospitality remain a persistent blemish with respect to one of the world's fast growing e... more Work in hospitality remain a persistent blemish with respect to one of the world's fast growing economic sectors. Issues are represented across a wide spectrum of indicators and have not changed, in substance, since George Orwell's challenging musings about the social value of such work in 1933. In this paper, we assess the extent to which change can be evidenced with respect to hospitality employment. We employ backcasting methodologies to delineate where hospitality employment should be by 2033. Finally, we map the steps that will be required to get there and, to achieve this, attribute responsibility to key players.

Evaluating the quality of undergraduate hospitality, tourism and leisure programmes

Journal of Hospitality Leisure Sport & Tourism Education, May 1, 2009

In this study, an instrument for measuring the quality of undergraduate programmes in hospitality... more In this study, an instrument for measuring the quality of undergraduate programmes in hospitality, tourism and leisure (HTLP) was developed and empirically cross-validated. The study considered how total quality management (TQM) and context-input-process-product (CIPP) perspectives could be integrated to develop the framework, using documentary analysis, focus groups and content validity. Survey responses from 430 full-time teachers were used to verify the instrument for HTLP (IHTLP) via exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, and six standards, 12 dimensions and 63 indicators were identified. The six standards, in terms of relative importance, are curriculum and instruction; faculty; strategic planning; administrative management; student achievements; and resources. The implications for HTLP are also discussed.

Changing employment dynamics within the creative city: Exploring the role of ‘ordinary people’ within the changing city landscape

Economic & Industrial Democracy, Jan 23, 2018

This paper is about creative cities and their largely invisible and largely neglected workforce, ... more This paper is about creative cities and their largely invisible and largely neglected workforce, the 'ordinary people' who provide the work-and life-place services upon which creative workers depend. The paper considers the nature of creative cities, their labour markets and the precarious nature of much employment within them. The ambiguous relationship between different employment groups within the creative city is illustrated. The analysis forms the basis for reaching conclusions and helping to formulate advice for policy makers in developing approaches that are inclusive and accessible. The paper is set against and acknowledges the importance of the rising tide of populism as a real challenge to an elitist mainstream creative city discourse.

Addressing dereliction and devaluation in urban tourism: the case of Cork, Ireland

International journal of tourism cities, Sep 22, 2022

A century after independence, Ireland is recast as a leading small European economy, away from hi... more A century after independence, Ireland is recast as a leading small European economy, away from historical framings of a rural backwater of the British Empire. A model of success based on targeted economic policies and somewhat dubious indicators for growth, Dublin is consistently voted among top European destinations. Yet urban tourism outside the capital is particularly underdeveloped, pointing to a lack of strategic investment in place. This article focuses on the country's second city Cork, where neoliberal strategy has driven uneven spatial development impacting its market potential. Widespread dereliction and neglect, a symptom of speculative models of entrepreneurial urban governance appear to be a barrier to sustainable tourism, cultural growth, and city-marketing. The case study combines themes from extant literature to offer an historical, contemporary and frame for spatial inequity, with new knowledge derived from interviews with key informants in the city in assembling narratives around governance, ownership, and participation. Findings identify a set of concepts which offer a lens for rethinking urban vacancy through regenerative placemaking -in dialogue with tourists and other stakeholders. Post-colonial readings illuminate how uneven power dynamics continue to stifle social innovation in Cork, while nuanced models of insurgent tourism suggest a broader discourse on rights to the city -to be explored in follow-on action research.

Underemployment and lived experiences of migrant workers in the hotel industry: policy and industry implications

Journal of Policy Research in Tourism, Leisure and Events, Mar 24, 2020

Although previous research has considered both high-and low-skilled migrant workers' career exper... more Although previous research has considered both high-and low-skilled migrant workers' career experiences in their host countries, this paper makes a unique contribution by presenting unmet career expectations of a cohort of professional migrant hotel workers in the UK. It injects a fresh insight by showing how professional hoteliers are 'allowed' to contribute to the success of the host country's hotel sector, but at the same time and by way of a backdrop, the state's immigration policies restrict their opportunities for career mobility, perhaps a case of robbing Peter to help Paul? Skilled migrant workers in this study encounter underemployment despite their qualifications and skills, resulting in career frustration. However, removal of immigration restrictions would permit them the flexibility to change occupations, often to employment opportunities where they can exploit their transferable skills. Empirical data were generated in the form of modified life histories, based on interviews that were conducted with Kenyan skilled migrant hotel workers. Examining the lived experiences of these workers presents a platform to highlight the role that structural factors play in inhibiting migrant workers' hotel career progression. This paper suggests ways in which hotel employers can tap into the workers' cultural capital in order to improve hotel business performance whilst making meaningful use of their qualifications and skills.

Sustaining precarity: critically examining tourism and employment

Routledge eBooks, Apr 1, 2021

There is consensus that the social, or people, dimension of sustainability including its workforc... more There is consensus that the social, or people, dimension of sustainability including its workforce thematics are neglected in the tourism literature and policy despite its prevalence in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Premised on the understanding that sustainability is inherently set in neo-liberal discourses of progress, development and growth, we set about to investigate tourism's performance principally relative to SDG, no. 8 (UN, 2015), which calls for 'decent work'. Underpinned by precarity, an emerging sociological concept applied in the workforce context, and adopting critical approaches, this paper presents a review of a sample of industry reports from global, regional and national levels. The study provides evidence that tourism sustains precarity vis-à-vis its employment practices. Our findings suggest that, counter to prevailing sustainability discourse, tourism (employment) sustains deep social cleavages and economic inequalities -a triumvirate of precariousness of work, precariousness at work and subsequent precariousness of life.

Seasonal Employment in Tourism

Goodfellow Publishers eBooks, Jun 1, 2023

From the Vital Signs Research Team Grounded in the Nuu-chah-nulth (nuucaanuł) principle of hišukn... more From the Vital Signs Research Team Grounded in the Nuu-chah-nulth (nuucaanuł) principle of hišukniš cawaak, everything is one, Vital Signs 2018 can help us to understand the complex and changing systems in which we live and the necessary pathways we need to navigate in order to support sustainable ecosystems and communities. One of these pathways is nuucaanuł language revitalization. This year, we've worked with a regional committee of elders and language keepers to incorporate nuucaanuł throughout the report. We've collected a range of local data to highlight priority areas for community-wide action and listened closely to community concerns. We've heard that our young people are struggling with mental health issues and that they lack youth programs. Families are challenged with rising housing costs and the inadequate number of licensed infant care spaces. Rising household drug and alcohol use threatens to further disrupt our social fabric. However, we have also heard we are working more as a region and our sense of common ground is growing. At hišinq w iił, the 2017 regional gathering, local leaders from Nuuchah-nulth nations and local municipalities all had the same message: Together, we are stronger. Vital Signs is a result of great collaboration. Dozens of community members who are experts in their respective fields contributed their knowledge, experience, and advice, and local organizations generously shared their research data. To everyone involved, we would like to express our sincere thanks. Together, we can rise to these calls to action and celebrate our successes.

Employing Student Workers in the Hotel Industry on a Part-Time Basis

Using student workers can be seen as a flexible option for many organizations. Drawing data from ... more Using student workers can be seen as a flexible option for many organizations. Drawing data from interviews with hotel managers, this study aims to explore flexible options as a response to labour shortages in the Taiwan hotel industry, specifically to explore the potential of employing full time college/university students as part time workers in the hotel industry and to provide insights into hotel ma n a g e r s ' perceptions in employing full time college/university students to work on a part time basis. The findings suggest that student labour is considered an e f f e c t i v e a n d a f l e x i b l e h u ma n r e s o u r c e t o me e t e mp l o y e r s ' n e eds in solving the labour shortage problem in the hotel industry.

Covid-19 Crisis Management Responses of Small Tourism Firms in South Africa

Tourism Review International, Feb 14, 2022

Sustainable human resource management as a driver in tourism policy and planning: a serious sin of omission?

Journal of Sustainable Tourism, Jan 23, 2018

This paper focuses on the neglect of an employment or workforce focus in policy engagement and pl... more This paper focuses on the neglect of an employment or workforce focus in policy engagement and planning for sustainable tourism. Tourism is of interest here because there is an established role for government and the private sector in policy engagement and strategic planning with respect to product development, infrastructure, marketing and human resource capacity and the focus has increasingly emphasized sustainable goals within this process. The discussion addresses the central role of people and work within concepts of sustainability and sustainable communities and questions why this has been, substantially, ignored in tourism. The paper starts by recognising the interconnectedness of employment in tourism and its workforce concerns with a wide range of inter-linked policy and operational considerations. This, in turn, points to the utility of the sustainable HRM model as a means by which to frame tourism work. Thereafter, this paper introduces new approaches through the proposal of sustainability indicators that have both theoretical and practical policy formation value in relation to the workforce. These Sustainable Employment Capacity (SEC), Service Delivery Capacity (SDC) and Service Quality Capacity (SQC) with which policymakers can gauge their readiness for sustainable growth in tourism employment. The research and application implications for this approach are discussed.

Skills, training and development within an insular labour market

Journal of Management Development, Feb 13, 2007

This paper addresses labour market insularity in the context of a specific sub-sector of healthca... more This paper addresses labour market insularity in the context of a specific sub-sector of healthcare management, that of catering and facilities. The paper is set in the context of growing public interest in the non-clinical environment of hospitals and other healthcare facilities has recently been greatly sharpened by political debate and professional concern. The research was based on a survey of members of the Catering Managers Association in order to determine their perceptions of their jobs, their career paths to date and future aspirations and the skills that they require for their work. Useable responses were received from 74 members or 23% of the Association. The findings of this paper addresses the roles that managers within in the UK's National Health Service who are responsible for catering and related facilities management perform and considers the responsibilities, in terms of skills, that these roles impose. The background and training of catering professionals in healthcare is also considered together with their long-term career aspirations. The key finding is that the healthcare environment constitutes a relatively insular labour market within which inward and outward mobility is rare. Managers in the sector are probably under trained for their level of responsibility and are limited in their career aspirations outside of the sector. This study provides a limited insight into a complex work environment and findings are based on a relatively small response rate. Non-members of the Catering Managers Association were not surveyed. The study poses challenges to the healthcare sector in addressing the need for more effective career management and development for managers with a facilities and catering function. The issue of vocational insularity is one that needs to be addressed.

A sustainable hospitality and tourism workforce research agenda: exploring the past to create a vision for the future

Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks, Jul 26, 2019

This chapter addresses the need for a research agenda to achieve the goal of a sustainable hospit... more This chapter addresses the need for a research agenda to achieve the goal of a sustainable hospitality and tourism workforce, globally. Inhospitable working conditions, as well as the exploitation of vulnerable workers, is widespread in the sector across different locations and contexts ). Yet attention paid to these issues is marginal, not only in the sustainable tourism debate Baum et al. 2016a) but in other arenas of tourism development. The neglect may be attributable to the tourism academy's tendency to avoid contentious or unpalatable topics (Mooney et al. 2017; Ram et al. 2016, p. 201). However, it may also result from the 'disconnect' between separate avenues of research in tourism and hospitality institutions, namely studies which focus on the tourist experience; tourism and hospitality management; and critical management research, which explores the employment of individuals in the sector, frequently taking a 'problematizing' view. In the tourism management literature, the extant literature has focused on the ways individuals negotiate their working lives or how particular organizations engage with their workers , and the interactions between levels have been neglected. Consequently, there have been few attempts to link the plethora of employment issues in tourism and hospitality. These troubling issues include, inter alia, low pay, precarious security, poor working conditions, high labour turnover, intersectional disadvantage, occupational ghettoization and employee sexual and physical abuse that can represent modern slavery. They need to be set in a wider social, cultural and economic context as the basis for coherent policy formulation. This chapter seeks to fulfil an ambitious aim by suggesting a new research agenda to bridge such research gaps by adopting a selective, thematized approach. Firstly, the current state of hospitality and tourism workforce research will be outlined. The areas examined in turn will be critical hospitality studies, human resources management, strategic human resources approaches, peripheral tourism workforce studies, labour geographies, and diversity management in tourism and indigenous tourism. In this examination, research into practices that foster a sustainable workforce will be highlighted. Neglected research areas will be identified, drawing attention to the needs of specific groups in the workforce, such as women, younger and older workers, migrants and people with disabilities. Finally, an agenda for change will draw these strands together, indicating future directions for advancing the creation of a sustainable hospitality and tourism workforce (Baum 2018). The approach taken in this review is discursive . The literature overview is not a linear progressive account; our somewhat eclectic focus is on the areas that we consider important when thinking about encouraging a more sustainable attitude to the tourism and hospitality workforce. The orientation of many studies appears to be to promote tourism as a

Work(ing) artefacts: Tools of the trade, totems or trophies?

Human Relations, Mar 13, 2019

Do workplace artefacts have utility, for their custodians, beyond the workplace context? A new ma... more Do workplace artefacts have utility, for their custodians, beyond the workplace context? A new materiality perspective allowed the conversation to move beyond the parameters of the organisation and into the private spheres of both practicing and retired para-professionals. In this study of chefs, we discover the deliberate acquisition of occupational artefacts beyond their organisational utility. These artefacts betray a post-occupational identify deeply revelatory of materiality. We ask in what ways are these artefacts symbolic, or totemic? Findings provide fresh insights into how artefacts are mobilised as reverent 'working' objects, as totems, and trophies for nostalgia. This facilitates reflections on how work was or ought to be and so in turn who or 'what I am' or 'who I was'. Theoretically, this enables us to extend the nexus of materiality and work and materiality and everyday life over both time and place.

A changing world of work. What can we learn from the service sector about employing Millennials (and Gen Z)?

Organizational Dynamics, Jul 1, 2020

Tourism employment paradoxes, 1946-2095: a perspective article

Tourism Review, Sep 12, 2019

HR transformation within the hotel industry: building capacity for change

Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, Feb 12, 2018

Purpose -This research aims to identify recent trends in the strategic repositioning of the HR fu... more Purpose -This research aims to identify recent trends in the strategic repositioning of the HR function within the hotel industry, and to explore challenges facing HR professionals as they engage in strategies to develop talent and organisational capability, while also adjusting to the shifting boundaries of the HR function. Design/methodology/approach -A case study investigation based on a qualitative research design. It draws on a series of informal discussions with key informants, indepth round table discussions with members of the HR function, and a rich source of secondary (company specific) data about a recent strategic change initiative. Findings -The study presents a rich picture of the contradictory nature of the strategic repositioning of the HR function, and the role of electronic HR systems in shaping this. It points to the significance of 'higher'-order HR capabilities associated with the functions' capacity to engage in strategies to develop talent and organisational capability. Practical implications -This study points to contradictions and tensions in shifting the focus of the HR function from 'operational' to 'strategic' management of talent. It offers four practice implications in the areas of CPD and building HR and line manager skills in dialogue, project management, and the use of new technology, talent data and analytics. Originality/value -This study illustrates the deployment of talent management practices within a broader OD remit to restructure the business and HR function in pursuit of more efficient and effective People management.

Human resources in tourism: Still waiting for change? – A 2015 reprise

Tourism Management, Oct 1, 2015

Seemingly intransigent human resource issues remain at the forefront of global tourism's challeng... more Seemingly intransigent human resource issues remain at the forefront of global tourism's challenges. Some of the key issues were identified in reflections on this topic. In light of the significant change that has impacted on tourism and employment in the intervening years, this conceptual paper provides an assessment of the current status of the issues that Baum identified in 2007 and identifies a range of emerging concerns that continue to shape the tourism workplace and workforce. The status of tourism work can be seen in terms of both continuity and change and the impact of these contrary forces is considered in reaching conclusions that highlight both the ongoing challenges for tourism and the evident progress that can be identified.

Does the hospitality industry need or deserve talent?

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Oct 14, 2019

Purpose -This paper seeks to confront the most challenging issues that the hospitality industry f... more Purpose -This paper seeks to confront the most challenging issues that the hospitality industry faces. This relates to the recruitment and retention of talented future leaders. This is a long-standing issue but is one that is increasing in importance as industry changes combined with external pressures within the labour market (demographic and competitive) act to restructure the recruitment landscape in many countries. Design/methodology/approach -This paper provides a literature-based analysis that addresses two key questions relating to the hospitality industry and talent -does the sector need talent and, controversially, does it deserve talent? The literature has been addressed on the basis of author indepth knowledge and the use of a wide range of pertinent search terms relating to the core themes of hospitality and talent management. Findings -The paper assesses evidence with respect to both questions, framed as propositions and concludes that the current talent pipelines upon which hospitality substantially depends may not be fit for purpose and that the wider workplace culture within hospitality is not compatible with the attraction of the very best into the industry. Research limitations/implications -The paper challenges established practice both within the hospitality industry, in terms of its workplace environment and in the way its educational partners (hospitality management schools) prepare young people for the industry. The outcomes of the analysis do not provide much by way of succour to either. Practical implications -Implicit in this paper is a call to key stakeholders (industry, education) in the search for future leaders of the hospitality industry to address and review both the industry workplace in order to make it more attractive and rewarding for young graduates and the educational model that still dominates hospitality management programmes in preparing them for careers. Social implications -Careers in hospitality will remain 'Cinderella' options for young graduates until action is taken by stakeholders to reposition the nature of careers on offer and the focus of programmes available in preparation for them. Originality/value -The approach taken is the presentation of widely recognised themes in an original format.