Abstract
M.Comm.
The South African hotel industry is a labour intensive industry, with high staff turnover
and a shortage of skilled labour.
The introduction of the national grading system and an increase in tourists, both local
and foreign, placed more pressure on hotels to improve the quality of their services.
Improvement of quality service is linked to well qualified personnel. The question :
"Does the country have the required labour force" thus arises. The answer is obviously
In order to solve the above mentioned labour problem, management training and
management development programmes are of cardinal importance. Top management
in hotels must show more interest in and commitment towards management training and
development.
Training at colleges, technikons and universities is placed under the microscope to
ascertain whether it meets the requirements of the industry. Most students have the
necessary theoretical training, but practical training (in-service training) has to be
improved.
ix
Affirmative action is implemented to satisfy the needs of the majority in the work force.
The necessity of affirmative action and its implementation is investigated with the aim
of affording the majority of the labour force the opportunity to be trained.
The main aim of this study is to highlight the necessity of management training in a
changing environment. It is important that hotel management identify these changes
and take action accordingly in order to remain competitive.