Causes of Unemployment

Causes of Unemployment The current unemployment rate is 7. 4 percent it has continuously rising, the unemployment rate has increased 0. 1 percent over the past year. Unemployment is the level of joblessness among people actively looking for work in the economic system. This seems to be a constant problem in Canada. There are always people struggling for an occupation. Unemployment has many factors leading to this cause. A common cause of unemployment is many of the unemployed have gotten fired or laid off. The company may have been sold or it might be that some positions are no longer needed.It’s hard to find work right after being laid off or being fired. In general it depends on the economy if it’s down then it will difficult to find work and vice versa. Another factor of unemployment is there are too many people but not enough jobs. Furthermore, unemployment is the outcome because of overpopulation is â€Å"defined as a condition where a countrys human population ex ceeds the carrying capacity of its environment â€Å"(dictionary. Reference . com). In this case the population is more than the amount of available jobs.Lastly, those who are inborn disabled or deficiencies stay partly employed or are fully unemployed throughout their life. Illness ‘caused by industrial conditions or fatal accidents that often in the workplace. Due to the accidents it has caused them to be disabled. Some who are born with disability for example like Down syndrome or dyslexia. Disabled people are not physically or mentally capable to be in the workforce leading them to be unemployed. Therefore , the causes of unemployment are due to being aid off or fired , overpopulation or disabilities .

Comparison of Parent-Child Relationship in Two Novels

The Parent-Child relationship in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been, written by Joyce Carol Oates and in In the Gloaming, written by Alice Elliott Dark are two different demonstrations of relationships that parents and children have with one another. In Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been the Parent-Child Relationship was strained and distant in In the Gloaming, the Parent-Child Relationship was close and open. In Where Have You Been, Where Are You Going? Connie and her mother were always having conflicts with each other.Connie was a very beautiful girl and Connie thought her mother was jealous of her beauty. Her mother was probably not jealous of Connie but concerned and thought she would attract the wrong attention. Connie’s mom constantly made remarks about Connie’s makeup and how her hairspray smelt. Connie’s mother often ridiculed Connie when Connie looked in the mirror by saying, â€Å"Stop gawking at yourself. , who do you think you are? You th ink you are so pretty. † Connie would become so angry with her mother, she even wished her mother dead.Connie never liked to speak to her mother and did not want to be around her mother. In the presence of her mother Connie could not be herself so when she was away from her mother she would act and dress inappropriate for a 15 year old girl. Connie’s motivation for dressing provocatively was to attract attention from boys. Unbeknownst to Connie her mother was right, looking and dressing inappropriate would eventually cause Connie extreme danger. In the story In the Gloaming the Parent-Child Relationship was very different.Instead of being strained and distant the relationship are strong and loving. Laird’s mother was a compassionate mother who was so determined to make her son happy that it became an obsession. The only thing Laird’s mother cared about and thought about was making Laird happy. Laird and his mother often talked at enormous length about life , love and happiness. Laird’s mother was extremely open with Laird about her life. Laird also enjoyed talking to his mother about life, love and dreams. The dialogue between Laird and his mother would often become very personal.Laird was always thinking about his mother. Laird always wanted to know what she cared about and always wanted his mother’s opinion. Every night at sunset Laird, his mother and his father would eat dinner together. After dinner Laird’s father would go to his study work while Laird and his mother talked about everything. Laird and his mother would look out of the window and watch the sunset, the sky would turn a heather color, they would refer to this time of night as the â€Å"gloaming†. The gloaming became more than a sunset it became a symbol to Laird and his mother.Laird and his mother looked forward to their special time when nothing else mattered but themselves and their conversation. Laird’s mother treasured this speci al time because Laird was very ill and would soon die. Laird needed to know everything about his mother before he died and Laird’s mother needed to know everything about Laird before he died. So, every night they would sit and talk for hours. Laird was the love of his mother’s life, he and his mother were inseparable until the day he died. The relationship between Connie and her mother may have been different if one of them was ill.Furthermore, the relationship between Laird and his mother may have been more strained if Laird had not been ill and needed his mother so much. The Parent-Child relationship can be very different and at times very difficult. Some children see their parent’s in a different point of view than their siblings. The relationship can be a positive experience or a negative experience. Laird and his mother’s conversations became something to look forward to. Connie’s conversations with her mother became something she resented and dreaded.

Popular resistance SC3037C Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Popular resistance SC3037C - Essay Example Knowing and understanding the relationship between the narratives and the perceptions which some Muslims may hold can certainly help policing protest movements and help in controlling a situation that could spiral out of control. A Muslim empire was more or less firmly established during the lifetime of the founder of the religion, i.e. Muhammad, but the golden age of the empire came a few centuries later when the Muslims had expanded their region and spread their religion from India to Africa and even into Europe as a Spanish Muslim region was formed. In this manner, the Muslims are perhaps unique amongst the major religions of the world since their empire was founded in the name of religion but divided on national lines overtime (Petersen, 2005). Even then, religion remained important and still continues to be so. While many of the narratives today focus on the battles which the Muslims have had with ‘non-believers’ in the past, the historic narratives also focus on discovery, learning and being objective in scientific experiments (Rochberg, 1992). Sardar (2004) discusses this very topic and reports that: â€Å"The Koran devotes almost one-third of its contents to singing the praises of scientific knowledge. The first Koranic word revealed to the Prophet Muhammad is: "Read." It is a basic tenet of Muslim belief that the material world is full of signs of God; and these signs can be deciphered only through rational and objective inquiry. ‘Acquire the knowledge of all things’ the Koran advises its readers; ‘Say: O my Lord! Increase me in knowledge’ (Sardar, 2004, p. 28)†. From a religion which devotes itself to peace and the search of knowledge, the narratives about Islam today are clearly more focused on the militant aspect of the religion in which victory means the blessings of god while martyrdom means seventy virgins in paradise (Turner, 1999). This changing narrative means that if the story of Islam can be retold and given to the Muslims

Take Our Responsibility in Groups Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Take Our Responsibility in Groups - Essay Example In most cases, when people are in a group they think and do things differently than as they would when they are alone. For instance, in cases where there is a dangerous incidence, it can be observed that most people particularly women will respond by running away in order to seek help. In so doing this, they might be at a risk of landing in problems but at the end they could be safe. However, if people are in a group and such a dangerous incident happens, it can be noted that most of them will respond by holding back. In the essay, Carol Tavris noted that such response is not because â€Å"people are lazy, cowardly or have 50 other personality deficiencies; it has more to do with the nature of groups than the nature of individuals.† In relation to this, there are several examples given in the essay to illustrate and justify such a response and show what people did in reality. In one experiment, the experiment settings was set in such a way that students sat in a room, either alone or in groups. They were then exposed to an emergence incidence that included a smoke. Later, the student’s response was monitored. In this case, it was observed that Students, who were alone responded first by hesitating for a minute, then later got up, and checked where the smoke was coming from. Afterwards, they responded by reporting the incidence/emergency to the authority. On the other hand, the students who were sitting in groups never made any move. They were seen to sit for about six minutes in the smoke until the level where they could barely see properly. They responded by rubbing their eyes as well as coughing. Basing on this given example in the essay, it can be noted that when people are in a group and an emergence happens or a dangerous incident which is risky to their lives. They will respond by taking no action at that point in time. This could be because they might assume that nothing should be done since the situation has

The Effectiveness of Smoking Ban at the American University of Sharjah Research Paper - 1

The Effectiveness of Smoking Ban at the American University of Sharjah - Research Paper Example Smoking ban refers to measures which are likely to protect people who do not smoke from the dangers of tobacco smoke (passive smoking). Tobacco smoke is harmful, not only to persons who actively smoke tobacco but also for all who breathe the smoke of others. The threats of passive smoking are well known and need to be addressed. This is why this ban had been established. This paper focuses on the implementation of this ban, and the extent of its success. The research aims to assess the perspectives of the students of AUS about this ban and wants to investigate their responses. Smoking ban refers to measures which are likely to protect people who do not smoke, from the dangers of tobacco smoke (passive smoking) (Guerriero, 2010). Tobacco smoke is harmful, not only to persons who actively smoke tobacco but also for all who breathe the smoke of others (Kincaid, 2010). Even the smoke of a single cigarette causes damage to the health of all in the same room. Therefore, the harm of passive smoking is a broad consensus of the professional associations of physicians on the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations and the Cancer Research Centers of different countries. There are 161 States which acceded to the Framework Convention of the World Health Organizations Tobacco Control, including Austria and Germany (Kolodner & Barbarino, 2011). The tobacco industry has been trying for decades to negate the effects of passive smoking on health through specially funded research. In the "Social Report 2006/07 - Responsibility in Dialogue" by British American Tob acco Institute, it is shown that it is in support of catering to the establishment of Smoking and Non Smoking areas as well as to improve the indoor air quality to take an ethically and morally sound action through the mode of corporate social responsibility (Johnson, 2011).

MARKETING CASE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

MARKETING CASE - Essay Example Further, the CRM deployment team did not try and have different software for different countries or product lines. Essentially, the CRM team ensured that the sales force wherever they are use the same system because they believe that the customer experience is â€Å"universal†. This motto of standardization of point of contact experience and integration with the larger business drivers and objectives meant that the CRM system has been developed to address tomorrow’s problems as well and as the team puts it, they are in the business of offering â€Å"solutions†. What could have been done differently is that the software could have been customized for certain product lines which have different customer experiences. Though the case explicitly mentions why this was not done, I do believe that top tier integration can go hand in hand with bottom tier customization which is essential in a globalized world economy where the ability to think global and act local is often the differentiating factor between global

Brand community Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Brand community - Essay Example Brand community is a set of individuals who relate to each other for their interest in some brand or product (Flavià ¡n & Guinalà ­u, 2005). Such brand communities have become the focus of attention for marketers of all products and services. Sports and particularly football has become big business, drawing the attention to brand communities. The brands communities, according to Seo et al., are not bound by personal relations but are based on looser, more impersonal links. The strength of the community and the members’ identification with the community are associated with consumers’ consumption of the core product or product augmentations or brand extensions. The members of the community feel an intrinsic connection with one another which Muniz, Albert and O’Guinn describe as ‘consciousness of kind’ – a shared consciousness, a way of thinking about things that is more than shared attitudes. Such communities also share rituals and traditions and they have a sense of moral responsibility to the community as a whole and to the individual members. This sense of morality can in times of threat, protect the community and produce collective action. A community forms because of certain shared traditions, rituals, behavior patterns or values. According to Muniz and Schau (2005) religious a ffiliation are vital to brand communities. Consumer behavior thus depends on the individual society and its characteristics. The character and structure of the communities are further affected by the commercial and mass-mediated ethos. Brand communities are different from subcultures although they may have some commonalities. The meaning that sub-cultures create stand in opposition or indifference to the meanings that is generally accepted. Brand communities are united by their commonalities and they are communities of limited liability (Muniz, Albert and O’Guinn). They are legitimate forms of community

Asset allocation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Asset allocation - Assignment Example High yield corporate bond- BofA Merrill Lynch US High Yield Master II Total Return Index Value has the second highest standard deviation after the US treasury. But it is attractive to household investors since corporates like banks and insurance firms will invest in the US treasury fixed income securities. This particular allocation receives the second best return and steady coupon rate over the term of the bond. The standard deviation of 5 year term is 8.63% while for 20 years is 8.86%, given that the minimum age of investor presented begins at 39 years old, this is the best option of getting a good coupon rate and yield in the short term if he/she chooses the 5year bond or in the long term if he /she choose the 20 year bond. This investment is however volatile due to the relatively high standard deviation. Assuming the investor bought $1000 par value bond which had maturity of 5 years, he will get 15 bond certificate each $1000(total of $15000), and the eventual return in the short term will be $2556.75, which is greater than the 20 year term. However the investor will get fewer half year coupon payments in the 5year term relative to the 20 year term. Correlation (High yield, Large Cap) = (0.115), Correlation (High yield, mid cap) = 0.715, Correlation (High yield, Total bond) = 0.692. On the other it is negative correlated with the small equities market and the treasury bonds, that is; correlation (high yield, treasury) = -0.467 and correlation (high yield, small cap) =-0.074. This implies that the as much as the client may be constrained with expense of mortgage payment and other household payment, the investor can still get a good return on the 5 year high yield bond and at the same time investing in the treasury bonds and shares in the medium and large stock markets. The price rises for both rises positively, if the yield on

Newspaper should not be produced in U.S Research Paper

Newspaper should not be produced in U.S - Research Paper Example introduction of internet and television have greatly affected business of newspaper. People can easily find information in relation to a business proposal or advertising by browsing through internet. In this situation why one will prefer to buy newspaper. Therefore, newspaper profits are declining very rapidly. Present condition of economy proposes that newspaper should not be produced mainly in US because many audit reports have shown negative financial condition of the industry and its popularity is fading day by day. Therefore, it will be suitable to stop producing newspaper and promoting this phenomena more on the basis of internet or other electronic devices (Abbott Jez, 2010). 1.2 Reasons There are many reasons which support this idea that newspaper should not be produced in US. Some of which are described below: Affect of internet and television By 1990s till present news are made available 24 hours on television channels. Introduction of internet have opened new challenges fo r the business world. News is updated on daily basis through internet. These two mediums have reduced the usage of newspaper in many parts of the world including US. Payment circulation of newspaper has been declined as compared to the revenue collected through advertisement on internet. There has been a major shift from print media to new media. This has lead to decline in the profits of newspaper. Most of its revenue goes to electronic media (Plambeck Joseph, 2010). Global warming Reading newspaper has less affect on global warming as compared to reading news online. Creating newspaper is more overweight as compared to powering computers. If one is reading newspaper for 30 minutes, it will have less impact on global warming as compared to reading news online. Newspaper circulation falls Newspapers in US are continuously at stark, its circulation is declining very rapidly, and as compared to last year, circulation of newspaper has reduced more by 9%. In accordance to Audit Bureau o f Circulation sales of newspaper in US have dropped by 6.5% in the last six months in 2010 and weekly sales have been reduced by 8.7%. These results were generated by combining all the individual newspapers in US. Newspaper circulation was in decline since many years, but majorly it was affected by recession after 2008. The main reason for this decline is internet. Many publishers have also limited their services in relation to the delivery. In past, publishers only had to cope up with cost incurred in printing, but considering the present scenario they have to manage losses related to circulation (Liedtke Michael, 2009). Some of the details in relation to the fall of circulation are: New York Times circulation dropped to 5.2% in last year and 8.2% on weekday basis. While Los Angeles Times declined by 7.6% and 9% on weekly basis. Changes in individuals behavior People taste and preferences keeps on changing. Presently, individuals are adopting technological innovations very rapidly. Even businesses are operating through electronic media rather than considering the traditional ways. In all developed countries mainly in US people are getting addicted to internet and mobile phones. They prefer to buy online rather than visiting shopping malls. Similar to that, news on daily basis is generated either through cell phone or computer devices. In this modern world every house have internet facility, if one have facility to see the news at home, why will they prefer to

Freshwater fishing is more difficult than saltwater fishing Essay

Freshwater fishing is more difficult than saltwater fishing - Essay Example This body constitutes just three percent of the earth's water while the rest ninety seven percent constitutes saltwater and includes water in the oceans. Only about one-fifth of the world's total fish catch comes from fresh-water fisheries, while the rest comes from saltwater. Going by simple arithmetic, freshwater fishing has a lower input to the fishing industry than saltwater fishing. Commercial freshwater fisheries have never been as economically important as commercial saltwater fisheries, with exception in certain local areas like the Mekong River Basin. Furthermore, the economic importance of fresh-water fisheries worldwide is diminishing because depleted fish populations and various other threats continue to make the harvesting of wild stocks uneconomical. In view of the above, along side other information, one would be able to make a line of argument on which kind of fishing is more difficult than the other. The line of argument taken for this paper is based on the assumptio n that both kind of fishing are being carried out for commercial purposes, and as such the degree of difficulty/ease would depend on the following: avenues for expansion and growth, availability of fish, regulations governing the practice of each method, as well as other. My interview and information search revealed that freshwater sources have limited species diversity compared to saltwater sources. With this limitation in species, it becomes difficult for business engaging in freshwater fishing to provide the market with a wide range of fish choices. This means that a rival company engaging in saltwater fishing would be able to thrive in the business with its diverse fish species availability, hence making business difficult for the freshwater fishing company. Secondly, over-fishing has always been seen to hamper continuous freshwater fishing compared to saltwater fishing. Overfishing rapidly depletes the resources in freshwaters than in saltwater. In this regard, expansion of freshwater fishing is limited by the availability of, and access to, wild resources. But this is not the case in saltwater fishing where the vast nature of the ocean waters means over-fishing appears to be a less worrying problem. Added to this dilemma is the reality that rudimentary netting techniques in freshwaters leads to by-catch of non-target species, including other native fish and mammals, some of which may be vulnerable to local extinction. Accurate recording of catch and equipment is not always undertaken by commercial fishers in freshwaters. This, combined with changes to data-recording systems and turnover of staff of the regulator, reduces the accuracy and value of the industry monitoring. One of the most obvious consequences of the above for freshwater fishers would be the implementation of control procedures for temporary fishing bans, catch limits, size limits. Such would be the case too when authorities want to stem over-fishing. This therefore partly explains why freshwater fishing is difficult than saltwater fishing. Apart from the above, most freshwater fishing activities use net and line methods rather than trawls and are therefore lighter in construction than their seagoing counterparts. The smaller nature of these freshwaters dictate that the nets and lines used would be generally small such

Resume Cover Letter samples Essay Example for Free

Resume Cover Letter samples Essay Dear Mr. or Ms. Last Name: Your opening paragraph should briefly introduce you and your interest in the company. If you are aware of a specific position or opening, refer to it now. This paragraph should also be used to mention the names of individuals you have met from the company (e.g., at the EIS, company event or other networking event), or the individual who directed you to this person. Cite other research that prompted you to write, such as a recent article on the company or a positive networking interaction. The last line in this paragraph should give a summary statement of who you are and why you are a strong fit for the position. Your middle paragraph (or two) should consist of specific examples from your background that would be of greatest interest to the company and consequently create the â€Å"notion of fit.† Do not just make broad generalizations about your skill set – any assertions about your skills have to be backed up with specific examples of how/why you have developed those skills. Focus on your skills and accomplishments and how they could contribute to the company, but do not simply restate what is on your resume. Demonstrate that you know about the organization and the industry. If you are a career changer, it is essential to clearly state your transferable skills from previous experience that directly relates to the skills required in the position you are interested in. Your closing paragraph represents your summation and should outline the key next steps. For example, state  that you would like to discuss employment opportunities or other information with the person and that you plan on contacting them on a specific date. If the company has a specific position available, ask for an opportunity to interview. Thank the addressee for his or her time and consideration. Include your telephone and email address in case the cover letter gets separated from your resume. Sincerely, (signature) Your Name Enclosure(s) (If you send resume or other materials.) Student Name 123 Riverside Drive Philadelphia, PA 19103 [emailprotected] Date Ms. Recruit Mint Best Company 123 Recruiting Lane New York, NY 10027 Dear Ms. Mint: As a first year student at the Wharton School, I would like to be considered for your product development summer internship program. After attending your on campus presentation in October, I became very excited about the exciting career opportunities and dynamic culture at Best Company. I was particularly impressed with Best Company’s ability to maintain a small company culture while offering the resources and professional development opportunities of a large conglomerate. Additionally, my conversations with Joe Smith and Susie Queue served only to strengthen my belief that Best Company would be the ideal place for me to leverage my strong analytical and marketing abilities to make a substantial impact in the consumer goods industry. I believe my strong finance and marketing background, along with my prior consumer goods experience will enable me to be an effective part of Best Company’s team. Prior to Wharton, I worked in the consumer goods industry for 5 years,  handling export sales and marketing products for a leading beverage firm. As the leader of a 15 person cross functional team tasked with launching the company’s first new product in 5 years, I learned a great deal about the importance of creating buy in at all levels of the organization and understanding consumers’ needs and preferences. Despite aggressive deadlines and budget constraints, I led the team to successfully launch a $10 million new product which continues to be one of the top 3 selling beverages in its segment. In addition, during my MBA training, I have focused on developing my strategic analysis and financial planning competencies, two areas which I know are critical success factors for product managers in Best Company. These skills, along with my prior work experience and passion for new product development, will enable me to significantly contribute to your business. I would welcome the opportunity to interview with your company when you are on campus on February 4. Please find my resume attached. I look forward to meeting with you soon and want to thank you in advance for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Wharton Student Enclosure: Resume Student Name 123 Uris Street, Apt 3 New York, NY, 10025 Date Ms. Recruit Mint Recruiting Coordinator Unilever 123 Any Street Anytown, State, 12345 Dear Ms. Mint: I am a first-year student at the Wharton School of Business planning on  pursuing a career in brand management. While attending your company’s presentation on October 4, I was particularly impressed with the entrepreneurial mindset of Unilever brand managers and their emphasis on both the qualitative side of marketing, creativity, and the quantitative side, market research. I believe that my background in consulting and strategic planning, combined with my exposure to marketing and consumer insight would be a strong fit for Unilever. Therefore, I am writing to request an interview for the Brand Management Summer Intern position in the Home and Personal Care business. Prior to attending Wharton, I acquired a diverse set of marketing, analytical and project management skills. My experience working directly for the Vice President of Market Research and Consumer Insight at Seagram’s Spirits and Wine on an ethnic marketing strategy will enable me to immediately grasp consumer marketing and demographic issues facing your products. My role as Manager in Strategic Planning for Seagram’s gave me the opportunity to interact with senior management, to work with marketing directors in foreign affiliates and to gain marketing experience with a global perspective. Specifically, I led cross-functional teams in Costa Rica, Venezuela and Mexico to refine marketing strategies for presentation to senior management. In addition, I managed several external agencies in public relations, advertising and events planning for a Captain Morgan awareness campaign which resulted in a 20% increase in brand awareness. I believe that my exposure to senior management and to the tactical side of marketing, combined with the skills I gained as a management consultant – analytical thinking, team leadership and client relationship management- will allow me to make an immediate impact at Unilever. I believe I possess the essential marketing and management skills to be a successful brand manager at Unilever and would appreciate the opportunity to interview on your closed list on February 8. Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to speaking with you soon. Regards, Student Name Enclosure: Resume Student Name 123 Arch Street Philadelphia, PA, 19111 Date Ms. Jane Doe Senior Recruiter Bank 123 456 Wall Street New York, NY 11111 Dear Ms. Doe: As a second year MBA student at The Wharton School of Business, I would like to be considered for your XXX position. Through discussions with current employees, including Victor Jones from your XYZ group, I am convinced that Goldman Sachs offers the best platform for a successful career. I have long been interested in the various financial innovations employing fixed income securities. This passion, combined with my strong banking experience this past summer and my very strong analytical and quantitative abilities, makes me a strong fit for your fixed income group. Over the past summer, I worked as a summer associate at Bank ABC in both equity research and corporate finance. I learned a tremendous amount about the operation of securities business and how to communicate and market one’s idea; however, it also made me realize fixed income securities and derivatives are a better fit with my quantitative and analytical approach than equities. Before business school I was trained and worked as a scientist in genetic research, during which I led teams in successful completion of two projects and further developed my communication and leadership skills. I would very much appreciate the opportunity to interview with your company when you are on campus on February 4th. I look forward to hearing from you. If you have any additional questions, I can be contacted at 215-XXX-XXXX or [emailprotected] Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, John M. Carter 123 Arch Street Philadelphia, PA, 19111 XXX-XXX-XXXX [emailprotected] Date Ms. Jane Doe Senior Recruiter Bank 123 456 Wall Street New York, NY 11111 Dear Ms. Doe, I just graduated from The Wharton School of Business and am extremely interested in pursuing a full time position in Sales and Trading with your firm. I am a highly motivated and outgoing individual, as evidenced by my previous work experience in the investment banking industry, and I am convinced that an opportunity in Sales and Trading would allow me to combine these traits with my analytical, computer and quantitative problem solving skills. Spending the summer rotating through the trading floor at Bear Stearns allowed me to realize that a trading environment with excitement, challenges and learning opportunities is where I need to be. While an analyst for Electronic Data Systems, I worked with Credit Suisse First Boston and Deutsche Bank traders and their systems. Prior to that, at Donaldson, Lufkin Jenrette I worked for the debt-trading desk, capital markets group and investment banking group. Through these positions, I gained substantial knowledge of the securities industry and experience in project management and business development. In addition, the demanding time constraints taught me to work well within a team. In addition, prior to starting at Wharton, I spent four months trading full time for my personal account. With these experiences, I feel that I have  substantial exposure to the markets and their trends and will continue to learn how to use them to my advantage. I have the educational background, academic achievement, practical experience, and passion to be an outstanding member of your team. I hope that you will find me well qualified for this position and I would like to reiterate my strong interest to discuss this opportunity and my qualifications with you further. I will contact you early next week to discuss a mutually convenient time for us to talk and look forward to meeting you soon. Thank you for your time and consideration; I hope to hear from you soon. Sincerely, Your Name goes here Student Name 1111 Ben Franklin Street Philadelphia, PA 19XXX XXX-XXX-XXXX [emailprotected] Date Ms. Tina Brown Assistant Vice President Bank XYZ 999 Wall Street 12th Floor New York, NY 11111 Dear Ms. Brown: As a second year MBA student at Wharton School of Business, I am writing to express my interest in the full-time associate position at Bank XYZ in the London office. I am impressed with the opportunities the firm gives its employees to work in diverse teams and to advise clients on cross-border strategic decisions. Over the summer I served as a Summer Associate in the Real Estate Industry Group of JP Morgan’s corporate finance division. On the third week of my internship I was assigned to work on a French acquisition for a major client and was thrust into a field in which I had no prior experience. My rapid  understanding of this new area and my solid transaction management, people management and strong analytical skills enabled me to make valuable contributions to the project. The subject matter was fascinating and convinced me to further develop my real estate expertise by attending relevant classes, such as Real Estate Finance and Real Estate Transactions. I am interested in building on my summer experience and building a career in investment banking, particularly in the real estate field. Should you require additional information, please contact me by phone or via e-mail. I look forward to meeting with you when you are interviewing on campus in October. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, XXXXXXXXX Enclosure Student Name 123 West 21st Street Philadelphia, PA 19XXX Date Ms. Jane Johnson Strategic Planning Company ABC 101 JFK Parkway 5th Floor Any city, PA 19XXX Dear Ms. Johnson: I would like to express my interest in the XXX internship position with the Company ABC’s Strategic Planning Group. I have followed closely the movement of your company, and I have been very impressed. I believe that Company ABC has done a fantastic job leveraging its unique brand and assets into a relationship with the consumer that generates multiple streams of revenue from a single customer, and that it has done extremely well in creating new and profitable business segments for the company. Much of that success I attribute to the Strategic Planning  Group, and I would be very excited to use my skills in the development of the next set of strategies that will further strengthen that bond with the customer and that will produce consistent and profitable growth over the coming years. Prior to Wharton, I honed my team leadership, strategy development, and analysis skills while working at XXX Bank. I managed a project to boost net profits by $70 million per year by identifying dissatisfied customers and designing solutions to address their concerns. To succeed my team conducted focus groups to understand the reasons for card member complaints, brainstormed on programs to address these issues, created detailed cost-benefit analyses of proposed solutions, and ultimately coordinated the various groups necessary to implement our recommendations. The project required a comprehensive strategic vision, tremendous attention to detail, strong analytical skills, the ability to clearly communicate ideas, and the ability to mobilize groups with different agendas towards a common objective. I believe these skills would allow me to contribute to Company ABC by developing, analyzing, and implementing the next generation of business strategies. With my penchant for producing tangible results and my enthusiasm for tackling tough issues, I am confident that I can make significant contributions to Company ABC. I hope that you find my background and experience a good fit for your company, and I ask that you include me in your upcoming full-time interview schedule. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you for your time and consideration. Best regards, Student Name Steve Stevenson 222 Western Street, Apartment A Philadelphia, PA 19995 [emailprotected] 215-999-9999 mobile Date Mr. Jeff Jefferson Associate, Investment Banking ABC Bank 123 Wall Street. New York, NY 10004 Dear Mr. Jefferson: I am a first year MBA student at Wharton and am interested in interviewing with ABC Bank for a summer associate position in investment banking. After conducting informational interviews with Eric Erikson, Daniel Danielson, and David Davidson, I am very interested in becoming a part of the successful team at ABC Bank. Before attending business school, I worked for over four years in acquisitions at Company ABC, the nation’s largest health care REIT. My major accomplishments at Company ABC included: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Closing over 50 transactions totaling $425 million; Analyzing the acquisition of a $1.5 billion competing health care REIT; Preparing and presenting investment committee packages to the board of directors for transaction approvals; Leading multiple deal teams simultaneously on numerous transactions; and Ascending from analyst to assistant vice president through two promotions. I am confident that my skills and experience in the real estate industry will enable me to positively contribute to Company ABC. I appreciate your consideration for an on-campus interview with your firm in February. Should you require additional information please contact me at 215-999-9999. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Steve Stevenson Steve Stevenson 222 Western Street, Apartment A Philadelphia, PA 19995 [emailprotected] 215-999-9999 mobile Date Mr. Jeff Jefferson Recruiter ABC Company 123 Main Street. New York, NY 10004 Dear Mr. Jefferson: I am a first-year MBA student at Wharton with a concentration in marketing and prior experience in market development. I recently read about the joint venture ABC Company is doing with XYZ Communications to expand its broadcast presence in the young adult market. I would be very excited to speak with you about how I could contribute to the success of this exciting new partnership. I believe my background and prior experience will enable me to be an effective part of ABC Company’s team. Prior to Wharton, I worked in the European consumer good industry for four years, handling export sales and marketing for a leading Italian beverage firm. My experience working with the primary European and North American markets gave me a range of essential skills, including insight into consumer purchasing behavior, distribution channels, and advertising and media planning. I successfully managed new product launches and campaigns throughout Europe, helping the company expand into new markets. During my MBA training, I focused on developing my strategic analysis and financial/investment planning competencies. I believe that these skills coupled with my passion for media would enable me to significantly contribute to your business. I would like the opportunity to discuss how my talents could be utilized at Company ABC. I will contact you during the week of February 18 to set up a mutually convenient time for us to talk. Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to speaking with you. Sincerely, Steve Stevenson David Green P.O. Box 5555 New York, NY 10010 215-XXX-XXXX Date Ms. Mary Davison Vice President Company XYZ 100 5th Avenue New York, NY 10101 Dear Ms. Davison: I am a first-year student at the Wharton School of Business pursuing a career in investment management and I am writing to express my interest in the XYZ position with Company XYZ. Your long-term investment perspective and multiple portfolio counselor system bring a richer perspective to your investments. In addition, your unique research portfolio allows your Research Analysts to directly contribute to your friends’ success. During four years in the management consulting industry, I concentrated on improving distribution and manufacturing activities in my clients’ supply chains. The projects I completed taught me the many factors that influence the performance of publicly traded companies and allowed me to hone my client relations skills. Both competencies would serve me well at Company XYZ. My current part-time equity research position at ABC Asset Management is also developing my equity analysis and valuation skill sets. The detailed  research I am performing is furthering my knowledge of how to best analyze a company’s future prospects. I am very interested in speaking with you about how I would contribute to the success of Company XYZ. I hope to have the opportunity to meet with you during you on campus interviews on February XX. Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to speaking with you. Sincerely, David Green Enclosure John Talksalot 155 East 45th Street New York, NY 10001 [emailprotected] 917-201-6716 Date Ms. Natalie Andrews Human Resources Associate Consumer Products Company ABC 555 Amsterdam Avenue Tarrytown, NY 10591 Dear Ms. Andrews: I am a first-year student at the Wharton School concentrating in marketing. I am writing to request an interview on March 3, 2003, for the Summer Associate Global Brand Management position. After attending your MBA Open House on October 21, 2003, and speaking with your colleagues, John Harvey and Jay Fisher, I believe Consumer Products Company ABC would be an excellent match for my future career in global brand management. My passion for the food sector stems from the early exposure I had by working in my family’s food business. I am also excited about contributing my four years of strategic planning and consumer insight to your company. As Manager of Strategic Planning at MasterCard, I led cross-functional teams that developed and implemented integrated marketing plans and successfully communicated our platinum card’s benefits to consumers with maximum impact  and efficiency. This role also afforded me the opportunity to interact with senior management from other divisions, work with marketing directors in foreign affiliates and gain marketing experience with a global perspective. I believe that my tactical success in expanding MasterCard’s brand name by targeting new consumer segments as well as my success in refining its core market strategies would enable me to make a fine contribution to your team. Thank you for your consideration, and I look forward to speaking with you soon. Best regards, Michael Talksalot Enclosure Jacob Jacobson 100 South 22nd Street Philadelphia, PA 19100 [emailprotected] Tel: (215) 999-9999 Date Ms. Karen Smith Campus Recruiting Manager ABC Consulting 150 Broadway New York, NY 10101 Dear Ms. Smith: I am a first year MBA student at the Wharton School writing to apply for a consulting position in your summer associate program. I am particularly interested in working in the Health Care practice of your New York office. After attending your company presentation and speaking with several consultants from your firm, including John Johnson of the Philadelphia office, I was excited by the opportunity to contribute to ABC Consulting’s innovative work in the health care field. Furthermore, I was impressed by the excellent structure of the summer program, and ABC Consulting’s strong reputation for focusing on both strategy and implementation. As a faculty  member at University of Pennsylvania Medical School, I led a number of basic science projects in diverse disease areas enjoying the opportunity to create and confirm hypothesis. (EXAMPLE) I also had the opportunity to gain managerial experience by collaborating closely with teams of biomedical researchers and ensuring the team thrived in environments of uncertainty. (EXAMPLE include sentence here about quant skills and an example of how you used them). My biomedical science training coupled with my strong leadership experiences and extensive quantitative skills will enable me to provide value to ABC Consulting and its clients. I look forward to speaking with you or your representative when you visit campus in February. In case you require additional information, please feel free to contact me at 215-XXX-XXXX. Thank you very much for your consideration Sincerely, Jacob Jacobson Ms. Susie Stephenson 1955 Sansom Street Philadelphia, PA 19101 Mr. John Johnson Company ABC Corporate Finance Date Dear Mr. Johnson: I am writing to apply for a position as a Summer Financial Associate with Company ABC. As a first-year MBA at the Wharton School, where I am majoring in finance and health care management, I have come to appreciate the unique opportunities provided by Company ABC. After attending your on-campus presentation, I am excited about the finance opportunities at Company ABC. I have been particularly impressed by Company ABC’s ability to maintain a  small-company culture while building a large conglomerate of consumer products, medical device and pharmaceutical companies. With over four years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, I have not only developed sophisticated analytical skills, but also the leadership capabilities necessary to address the growing financial and strategic concerns facing companies today. Most recently as a Financial Analyst at XYZ Pharmaceuticals, where I provided financial support for two therapeutic areas as well as business development activities, I mobilized my colleagues to offer a struggling business unit better financial support. I implemented more insightful ways to look at value options through financial analyses as well as provided deal support on several out-licensing and codevelopment opportunities. In addition, my previous work advising biopharmaceutical clients at ABC Consulting enabled me to fine-tune my communication skills. With my drive, skills, and experience, I am confident that I can make an immediate contribution towards the growth of Company ABC. I look forward to the opportunity to interview with you or your representative when you are on campus in February. Attached please find a copy of my resume. If you have any questions, I can be reached at XXX-XXX-XXXX. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Susie Stephenson Date Mx. XXX XXX Company X Address City, State, Zip Dear XXXX, I am writing to apply for an XXX position with Company X’s ABC Division. After gaining additional perspective on ABC through my attendance at Company X’s information session and conversations with Benjamin Lim and David Kasper, I am convinced that ABC Division would be an ideal environment to  further my marketing career pursuits. I am impressed with Company X’s marketing training, cutting-edge drug research and ethics-driven culture. The pharmaceutical sales and marketing strategy insights I gained from health care consulting will enable me to make immediate and lasting contributions to ABC Division’s brand management teams. During my tenure at Consulting Firm Y, I assisted executives at Fortune 500 pharmaceutical companies in devising innovative, multi-channel sales and marketing strategies. By leveraging my creativity and analytical skills, I enabled my clients to differentiate themselves from their competition and enhance physician penetration and reach. My strong communication skills will also be valuable in crafting physician messaging and internally sharing information with my Company X teammates. This skill was recognized by upper management at Consulting Firm Y, as I was selected to lead firm-wide training on presentation crafting and storyboarding. Lastly, my initiative in developing a corporate knowledge sharing system at Consulting Firm Y reshaping ABC Pharmaceutical’s training and vendor qualification system, and serving on the Wharton MBA Curriculum Advisory Board demonstrate my leadership and involvement in continued enhancement of the environments where I have worked and studied. I look forward to the opportunity to interview and to continue to learn more about marketing career opportunities at Company X. Should you have any questions regarding my interests or qualifications, please do not hesitate to contact me via e-mail [emailprotected] or at XXX-XXX-XXXX. Sincerely, Student Name

High Staff Turnover in Hotel Industry

High Staff Turnover in Hotel Industry Hotels, catering and leisure industry in the UK remains the sector with the highest level of staff turnover, with all leavers in this category hitting 41%, according to a survey carried out by the CIPD (2008). Many organisations are badly affected by high levels of staff turnover and the survey identified that 74% of organisations in the UK, reported a negative impact on their business performance. This report also identified four main reasons that cause labour turnover. They are, change of career (55%), promotions outside of the company (45%), level of pay (41%) and lack of career development (33%). Employee dissatisfaction caused by poor relationships with supervisors and line managers, undesirable working conditions and lack of career development and training opportunities are also seen as major factors that cause high staff turnover ( Griffeth, Hom and Gaertner 2000). As mentioned in an article published by the Adecco Institute (2008) skills shortage in the jobs market is seen as a major human resources challenge for the future and this is particularly true of the hospitality and leisure industry in the UK, as it has suffered from constant recruitment difficulties over the past so many years. Age positive carried out a survey in the year 2005 and according to the results of the survey nearly 40% of all vacancies in the hospitality industry were hard to fill and much of the problem has been caused by poor retention strategies implemented by organisations. Another factor identified by the survey with regard to why so many vacancies were hard to fill is the lack of necessary ski lls and abilities by potential applicants who apply for jobs in the hotel and hospitality industry. A similar percentage of employers who participated in the survey stated that applicants lack excellent communication skills required, and this is particularly true of receptionists, managers and administrators and this has created immense pressure on HR executives and managers to attract, manage and retain key talent within their organisation which is an essential factor in creating sustainable competitive advantage. The results and information unearthed from these surveys make it crystal clear that high levels of staff turnover is a major problem to all organisations and the HR department of an organisation has a key responsibility of closely monitor labour turnover levels and figures and make right steps in order to bring staff turnover to a manageable level and face the future with resistance. High levels of staff turnover in an organisation may compromise the quality and high standards of customer service, and may impact on the organisation loosing loyal customers, revenue and long term sustainability (Tracy and Hinkin, 2008). Once the well established staff leave a company it may not only increase the workload of the remaining staff members of the company, but would be difficult for the organisation to gain the same highest levels of service from the newly hired staff as they would still be in a period of learning their job, and other key tasks and responsibilities associated with the job. Furthermore when employees leave on a regular basis it creates extra workloads for the remaining staff and as a result they could become depressed with work and not be able to deliver their best performance on the job. This may further exacerbate the problem and may also result in staff getting absent from work regularly and their good health deteriorate. The article of Tracy and Hinkin (2008) also states financial implications for organisations as a result of high levels of staff turnover. The costs associated with replacing staff can be sorted into hard costs, soft costs, and opportunity costs. Hard costs are costs such as money spent on newspaper advertisements, adverts on recruitment agencies etc, and they have a direct impact on the organisation. Other elements such as the time it takes to interview new recruits, and time spent on exit interviews will not be shown in company account statements as they are regarded as soft costs. Opportunity costs such as missed customers and market shares, usually go unmeasured but can still be substantial and may also lower company profitability and competitor advantage of the organisation ( Simons and Hinkin 2001 cited Tracy.J and Hinkin.T, 2008). The following five are identified as major costs categories that contribute towards the total costs of replacing an employee. They are pre-departure, recruitment, selection, orientation and training, and lost productivity (Hinkin and Tracy 2007, 2006, cited Tracy.J and Hinkin.T,2008). The already high staff turnover rates in the hotel industry also reflects high turnover of newly selected staff who leave the company within their first 30 days because the job did not suit them (Woods,1997:141). Does this mean possible issues with the prevailing recruitment and selection methods adopted by the hospitality sector organisations? According to the article by Tracy.J and Hinkin.T, only a few turnover studies have been so far carried out in the hotel and hospitality sector, despite reporting high levels of turnover every year. Therefore my literature review aims to conduct a much broader view of this issue by critically examining the current procedures and practices carried out by the High Beech Hotel UK and some of the other local selected competitor hotels, which may be associated with employee turnover. By doing so this study aims to understand the root causes of high levels of employee turnover of High Beech Hotel and propose solutions and recommendations to overcome those issues. This research benefits High Beech Hotel in terms of minimising the unnecessary costs that may occur due to advertising, interviewing, training of new staff as well as improving the overall standard of the hotel. High Beech Hotel is a three start hotel located in beautiful Hastings area and is faced with stiff competition with many three to four star hotels operating in the area such as, The White Rock Hotel, Travelodge Hastings, The Hotel Undum and the Chatsworth Hotel. The High Beech Hotel is therefore fighting to maintain a sustainable competitive advantage and grow its market share. The opinions of the General Manager, Operations Manager and the HR manager prove that jobs in the industry are difficult in the area and finding the right talent for the right job and the retention of quality staff are major HR challenges currently faced by the hotel. The general manager of the hotel is new to her post and has already expressed concerns about the high staff turnover. Turnover is high among front line staff, waiters and porters and the management has had few discussions to find the reasons why staff left, and find out ways to resolve the problem. I having worked at the hotel as an HR executive (placement student) managed to gain a good understanding of the high turnover and the possible effects the turnover levels have had on the existing staff. Literature review Labour turnover is the rate at which staff leaves an organisation and are replaced by new employees. Too high a labour turnover rate may mean that there is something unsatisfactory about working for the organisation and that action therefore would need to be taken (Adams et al, 1993) Denver and McMahon (1992:143) defined labour turnover as the movement of people into and out of employment within an organisation and can both be voluntary and involuntary. Eade (1993) further categorises turnover into management controllable and unavoidable turnover. Labour turnover index is used to measure staff turnover and according to Armstrong (2001) labour turnover rates provide a valuable means to benchmarking the effectiveness of HR policies and practices in organisations. The hotel industry is essentially comprised of both a production and a service aspect and the creation and rendering of services from the hotel to the customer are mainly achieved through employees. Therefore the industry is essentially represented by people (Lewis 1989; Thompson and Abbott, 1990; Schneider , 1993) and is considered as one of the most labour intensive industries. Turnover in the hotel industry in the UK has been shown to be unacceptably high (Kennedy and Berger, 1994), averaging as much as 200% to 300% per year. Statistically this means that the entire workforce of the industry turns over two to three times per year. The main factors identified, that could impact on turnover are, orientation and good socialisation procedures (Kennedy and Berger 1994, Woods, 1992), ad-hoc recruitment and selection (Benn and Farbringer, 1992, Woods and Macaulay, 1989; Wagner, 1991; Wheelhouse, 1989), discrimination at the workplace (Antolik,1993), lack of training and development oppor tunities (Hogan, 1992; rowden,1995), organisation culture (Woods and Macaulay, 1998) shortage of skills in the labour market (Debrah, 1994; Woods, 1992), high levels of work related stress ( Vallen,1993;Woods, 1992; Ham and Griffeth, 1995), seasonal nature of the industry ( Boella, 1998) and job dissatisfaction ( Bonn and Frbringer, 1992). All of these factors have contributed towards high levels of staff turnover in the hotel industry and it is clear that the success of the industry depends upon taking necessary steps to reduce the above mentioned issues, and problems, and the calibre of employees, and how well they are managed (Nankervis and Debroh, 1995; Berger and Ghel, 1995). Deery and Iverson, (1996) commented that high degree of staff turnover levels consist of recruitment and replacement costs, and regular and loyal customers switching to other competitor hotels as they expect to see their favourite staff members. It is clear labour costs play a major part in the industry and high staff turnover is seen as a prime issue hampering the smooth functioning of hotel and organisations within the hospitality industry (Obrien and McDonnell 2003). Deery and Iverson (1996) examined the employee turnover phenomenal and found that high turnover resulted in organisations loosing revenue and profits. They also argued that high turnover, especially when skilled staff leave, contributes to lowering the employee morale and the overall ability of teams within the organisations to get quality work done. Therefore the retention of skilled and well trained staff in any hospitality organisation is important to save unnecessary tangible and intangible costs as well as retaining regular and loyal customers and to provide them with a quality service. It is clear from the arguments put forward by the above mentioned authors and scholars but Despite an array of academic evidence and research on labour turnover the question to be asked is do management of hospitality sector organisations understand the gravity of the issue of staff turnover, and its negative effects on the performance of the organisation and how far they are willing to go to retain the valuable staff. At a time of difficult economic times it is imperative and organisation takes measures to outperform its competitors and any hospitality sector organisation that understands the value of human capital and adopt good HRM policies and management practices in pursuit of employee retention will inevitably outperform the competition (Cho et al., 2006, Hinkin and Tracy, 2000). Staff leaving on a regular basis involves heavy administration costs and a loss of productivity through the breaking up of teams who are used to working together (Denvir and McMohan, 1992:144). Therefore the critical importance of employees staying with an organisation is evident (Brayfield and Crockett, 1995; Cho et al, 2006). It is clear that satisfied and highly motivated employees stay with the organisation which in turn helps the company to reduce unnecessary recruitment and selection costs which could amount to a substantial amount of money, but also produce high quality work which helps the organisation to achieve competitive advantage and increase its profits (Cho et al., 2006; Hinkin and Tracey, 2000). Exit interviews are a great method of collecting information as to why employees leave an organisation. Employees leave for various reasons ranging from lack of employee oriented organisational measures such as succession planning, pay , non-financial rewards, work life balance and undesirable working conditions as well as more personal reasons such as inability to look after their children, other child welfare issues and transport problems. This can also vary depending on how long they have worked for the company and it is a common factor as evident from the High Beech Hotel, and that staff leaves because they soon found out that the job did not suit them. Some other staff members leave after serving the organisation after serving a considerable amount of time and their issues could very well be different to people leaving early. According to the CIPD (2007) costs an organisation approximately  £3500 pounds every time an employee leaves and as stated earlier these costs include bo th tangible costs and intangible costs such as time spent on interviewing new recruits and these often go unreported in company accounts. Denver and McMahon (1992:146) also found out that individual hotel organisations experience different levels of turnover, which helps to confirm that staff turnover is partly within the control of the hotel management. This also contradicts with the common acceptance that staff turnover is high and uniform throughout the industry and uncontrollable. Therefore it is evident that high levels of staff turnover is harmful to the smooth functioning of any organisation, may it be in the hospitality sector or some other sector and hinders the efficient operation of the business resulting in the hotel gradually losing its market share. Therefore it is important that the hospitality sector organisations develop effective and vibrant HRM policies that enable them to successfully recruit, select and retain skilled and efficient employees, who would contribute towards the achievement of the corporate objectives of the business. Factors influence on high Labour Turnover. The hotel industry in the UK is constantly troubled with high staff turnover resulting in increased personnel costs arise from recruitment and selection of new staff, training them (Ham and Griffeth, 1995). There is a strong negative relationship between turnover and organisational commitment which indicates that staff with low levels of commitment and loyalty are more likely to withdraw from the organisation than more committed staff (Johnston et, 1993). He also identified a positive relationship between organisational commitment and career progression opportunities given to employees through internal promotions and succession planning. These employees who are given opportunities to progress up the ladder, exhibit higher levels of organisational commitment, and loyalty and results in skilled staff retention and a gradual decline of low performing employees. This makes it much easier for HR managers to successfully identify low performing employees and eliminate them from the work fo rce which is important and a good for the success of the company as this turnover is considered healthy. Another key factor which may influence staff turnover is the gender difference and certain problems it creates within the organisation. Female workers have different responsibilities to their male counterparts and may value work life balance more as a result. The pressures of work and life, has resulted in more female workers leaving their jobs than male workers (Doherty and Manfredi, 2006:62). In most hotels it can be seen female workers working in the bottom of the organisation hierarchy and the pay gap between males and female workers has been a much talked about issue in the UK. Iverson (2000) conducted a study in the USA involving hotel establishments and found that female managers earn much less than the male managers doing the same job which is commonly seen in the UK and this has resulted in, female workers being reluctant to return to work after their maternity leave. On top of this, most organisations have failed to assist their female workers to arrange necessary child car e arrangements which have aggravated the number of female workers leaving their job. As per above authors the reluctance of female workers to return to work may also be caused by factors such as stress, work dissatisfaction, lack of commitment and low promotion opportunities coupled with a poor organisation culture that does not provide a platform to encourage female workers to move up the career ladder. Therefore the problems and issues female workers face in the workplace is clear and applicable in hospitality sector organisations, and it is very important the HR department address these issues and understand why many female workers leave their jobs early. Organisation culture, average age of the total labour force of the organisation, gender and racial composition and male-female pay gaps are among the reasons why employees leave (Bennett et al, 1993). Prospective employees when joining an organisation look into a number of factors such as career development opportunities, total reward policy and work life balance. Lack of incentives is therefore a main reason why many employees leave their jobs after some time. Incentives include both financial and nonfinancial and employees may simply want praise for their good work and lack of recognition could seriously hamper employee retention. Ritz Carlton hotel in London, has managed to reduce employee turnover to a significant level by focusing on quality recruitment, providing better training and development opportunities and by forming a positive psychological contract with the employees, and also by creating long term incentive and reward systems ( Barky, 1996). Therefore it is fair to assume that to a large extent organisation HRM practices, policies and procedures determine staff turnover. Organisation policies and lack of employee oriented practices and procedures may not only be the sole reason why many organisations particularly in the hospitality industry experience high level of staff turnover. Another factor that affects turnover is the ability of staff to carry out their tasks and responsibilities up to the required standard and the job performance of employees largely affects staff turnover and this is also confirmed by a study conducted by Jewell and Siegal (1990). They found that employees having very high levels of on-the-job performance are highly unlikely to leave their job in contrast with employees with low levels of performance. High performing employees are confident in their job and have better work related knowledge and skills. Low pay, lack of training and career development opportunities, lack of regular and realistic performance appraisals and undesired work environments are among the key reasons that cause low performance which in-turn result in high staff turnover. Therefore it is clear HR professionals in hotel establishments must pay very close attention to developing employee oriented HRM policies and practices that help staff achieve their full potent ial. To name a few these HR policies and practices are training and development opportunities open management communication systems, employee welfare such as child care, flexible working, transport assistant to employees and a comprehensive induction programme that helps new recruits to adopt well to their new roles. When analysing the hospitality and hotel industry in particular it has been found that most organisations have a poor reputation for providing good staff training and development opportunities (Maxwell et al, 2004). High staff turnover in most hospitality sector industries may have also led managers to be reluctant to providing staff with opportunities to further develop their careers fearing they may leave after that ( Davies et al, 2001, Jameson, 2000: Lowey et al, 2002). High staff turnover also causes managers to be occupied with recruitment and selection activity as well as grievance issues, and this may also be a reason for them not to have sufficient time to focus on staff development and talent management. Training and development and staff retention has a close match as poorly trained staff are less satisfied with work and may leave quicker and more than fully trained and highly satisfied staff. Therefore training and development directly affects job satisfaction and organis ational commitment (Lam and Zhang, 2003, Taylor et al, 2001, Lowry et al, 2002). Working hours is another key factor that causes employees to leave and most hospitality sector organisations, because of high staff turnover may require remaining staff to work extra hours on a regular basis. Long working hours without breaks are against the working time regulations as well as current health and safety rules and Female workers are largely affected by this practice because of their family commitments and a research conducted by Erdogan (1996:26) revealed long working hours are among the main reasons for many female workers to quit their jobs. There has also been an increase of single parent families and long hours and unsocial working hours have forced females to leave their jobs. This not only creates staff to leave but unfriendly working hours coupled with a poor corporate and work culture and a hostile working environment of the organisation , may affect the job satisfaction of female workers and even if they remain with the job their work could be highly unproduct ive and suffer from work related stress. Despite the fact that many researchers and academics stressing the importance of a good organisation work environment that provides employees oriented HR measures to achieve these goals and objectives many organisations still suffer from high levels of staff turnover and female staff turnover as evident from research findings. All of the above stated factors and elements contribute to employee dissatisfaction and it is a result of various internal and external factors that were mentioned above. Labour turnover of High Beech Hotel High Beech Hotel had a newly appointed general manager and she has been investigating the reasons for the high staff turnover levels of the hotel over the past three years and has had several discussions with the operations manager and the HR manager of the company. Unfortunately no proper investigation has not been done so far to find out the possible causes of staff turnover but the management in consultation with the company HR records and turnover figures has assumed the reasons as job dissatisfaction, long and unfriendly working hours, pay issues, lack of training and development opportunities for staff, issues with working condition and other personal issues of staff such as work life balance. Importance of HR practices and concepts in relation to staff retention and turnover HRM plays a vital part in creating a sustainable competitive advantage for any organisation, and forward looking organisations adopt good HR policies and practices to ensure the smooth functioning of the organisation (Edvinsson and Malone, 1997; Stewart, 1997; Verma and Dewe, 2008). Research studies have confirmed that well defined organisational goals and corporate objectives directly influence employee retention and productivity. Kim et al, (2005) in their study on corporate orientation found that organisational direction and support had a significant impact on employee job satisfaction and overall commitment. ORGANISATIONAL INITIATIVES The organisational HR initiatives as mentioned above, illustrate how internal factors and forces contribute towards employee retention. The model does not mention about external forces such as local and national competition in the labour market, economic situation, globalisation and international competition which affects attracting skilled employees to various jobs. It can be seen that this model covers the internal factors and reasons that affect staff retention or turnover and it is critically important for an organisation and HR professionals to pay close attention to the factors mentioned under the model to critically assess where they stand as an organisation and take steps to implement those HR practices and policies to retain talented staff ( Horwitz et al, 2003; Steel et al, 2002). These internal HR policies and practices are bundled under the term retention management and it is defined as the ability to hold onto those employees an organisation would want to keep, for longe r than the competitors (Johnson,2000 cited De Vos and Meganck,2007). The external factors should not be neglected at the same time because there may be times employees may leave an organisation due to their influences. The impact of financial and non-financial rewards cannot be undermined and play a critical role in motivating skilled and valued employees and retaining them within the organisation. Financial rewards such as a good basic pay combined with performance related pay and non-financial rewards such as training and development opportunities, initiatives to achieve work life balance for staff and other employee retention initiatives such as a pensions scheme and internal promotions motivate staff and force them to think again before quitting their jobs (Horwitz et al,2003;De Vos and Meganck, 2007). When analysing the theories and ides put forward by the above mentioned academics and scholars it is evident they focused on retaining highly skilled employees and researched to find out the possible reasons why valued employees leave organisations. This is being described as retention management and the word retention embraces with other HR practices such as recruitment and selection, development of employees to achieve their full potential and succession management (Lewis and Heckmanp 2006:140). HR Practices and the importance of Human Psychology HRM involves all management decision and practices that directly affects other people, or human resources, who work for the organisation. The question that arises is that despite the fact that many organisations including the hospitality and hotel industry, implement all accepted HR practices and procedures, why employees still leave and the staff turnover rates are extremely high. A good understanding of the implications of human psychology would help HR managers to find the root causes to this problem. Psychologist Abraham Maslow introduced his concept of hierarchy of needs in 1943 which suggests that people are motivated to fulfil their basic human needs before moving on to other needs. The hierarchy of needs is displayed as a pyramid and the lowest level of the pyramid are made up of the most basic needs, while the more complex needs are at the top. The needs located at the bottom are the most basic human needs and as people progress up the pyramid, needs become increasingly psychological and social. Therefore when it comes to employees staying or leaving a particular organisation which stage the employee is in could play a vital role in his or her decision making process. At the core this theory of Maslow suggests that when an individual satisfies one set of needs they always try to move into the other level. This makes it critically important for HR professionals in the hospitality organisations how this theory of Maslow affects individual employees and how it influences an individuals decision about him staying or leaving the organisation. When an individual joins an organisation the first concern is to organise his life in-terms of food shelter and other essential psychological needs through wages and salary. The next concern would be job security and personal health and safety in the job. Once those needs are satisfied the employee would move in to the other set of needs which are social needs such as friendly colleagues and staff as well as a desirable working environment. After this comes the next stage which is satisfying the esteem needs which is comprised of individual being recognised for his work and valued by the management of the organisation as well as taking full advantage of any courses and exams they could take to get promoted. Once this set of needs are fully satisfied t he employee reaches the stage of self actualisation. Therefore to satisfy the individual employee needs the HR executives working in hospitality sector organisations must understand the needs of employees and aim to provide tailor made HR solutions in line with the corporate strategy of the company. In order to accomplish this, the HR managers must have accurate methods and procedures to understand which stage the employee is in his hierarchy of needs because if this is not done or if the right methods and procedures are not in place there will inevitably be a contradiction. For an example the HR managers may direct their full efforts into satisfying the esteem needs of employees through individual recognition and internal promotions at work when the employees are seeking safety needs. This would result in a waste of company resources and employees considering leaving the organisation. Individuals decision making process An individuals decision making process is comprised of a number of internal and external variables as shown below and the final decision makes by an individual employee is made up of a collection of those internal and external variables. This model is highly useful in understanding an employees decision making in an organisation (Kotler, 2000, p98). As seen the model is comprised of five main stages which an individual may go through before coming into a decision. They are, * Problem recognition * Information search * Evaluation of alternatives * Decision to leave or stay * Post- purchase evaluation Therefore the first stage is problem recognition and that is recognising there is a problem or issue to be answered by the employee. The problem arose can be triggered by internal influences, external influences or both. Once the main problem or problems are recognised by the employee he then moves into the next stage which is information search. For an example if the initial problem recognised by the employee is concerned with training and development opportunities offered by the organisation then through information search he would try to gather as much information as possible through various external and internal sources about what actions and steps he could take in order to gain the desired level of training. The next stage once sufficient information is gathered is the evaluation of alternatives. As per with training and development, the employee in this stage will go through various possible courses to be taken and evaluate the appropriateness of those courses to his job and what help he could get from the organisation in order to take the course. The next stage of the process is the final decision of the employee to stay with the organisation or to leave. This is called the purchase decision and according to Kotler (2000, p 99) two factors can intervene between the purchase intention and purchase decision. The first factor is the attitudes of other people, which is what the others around think of the individuals decision. Influence of other people can become complex and varied when there are more than one persons involved. The second factor Kotler (2000,p 99) mentions is the unanticipated or unexpected situations and as per the above example of training and development, factors such as the recession and cost cutting measures by the organisation could hamper the employees aspiration of embarking on the course. The final stage of the decision making process is the post purchase evaluation which involves the employee evaluating the positives and negatives of the decision taken, and the possible consequences of it. This concept has a high degree of importance to HR even though it is widely used in marketing and regarded more as a marketing related concep High Staff Turnover in Hotel Industry High Staff Turnover in Hotel Industry Hotels, catering and leisure industry in the UK remains the sector with the highest level of staff turnover, with all leavers in this category hitting 41%, according to a survey carried out by the CIPD (2008). Many organisations are badly affected by high levels of staff turnover and the survey identified that 74% of organisations in the UK, reported a negative impact on their business performance. This report also identified four main reasons that cause labour turnover. They are, change of career (55%), promotions outside of the company (45%), level of pay (41%) and lack of career development (33%). Employee dissatisfaction caused by poor relationships with supervisors and line managers, undesirable working conditions and lack of career development and training opportunities are also seen as major factors that cause high staff turnover ( Griffeth, Hom and Gaertner 2000). As mentioned in an article published by the Adecco Institute (2008) skills shortage in the jobs market is seen as a major human resources challenge for the future and this is particularly true of the hospitality and leisure industry in the UK, as it has suffered from constant recruitment difficulties over the past so many years. Age positive carried out a survey in the year 2005 and according to the results of the survey nearly 40% of all vacancies in the hospitality industry were hard to fill and much of the problem has been caused by poor retention strategies implemented by organisations. Another factor identified by the survey with regard to why so many vacancies were hard to fill is the lack of necessary ski lls and abilities by potential applicants who apply for jobs in the hotel and hospitality industry. A similar percentage of employers who participated in the survey stated that applicants lack excellent communication skills required, and this is particularly true of receptionists, managers and administrators and this has created immense pressure on HR executives and managers to attract, manage and retain key talent within their organisation which is an essential factor in creating sustainable competitive advantage. The results and information unearthed from these surveys make it crystal clear that high levels of staff turnover is a major problem to all organisations and the HR department of an organisation has a key responsibility of closely monitor labour turnover levels and figures and make right steps in order to bring staff turnover to a manageable level and face the future with resistance. High levels of staff turnover in an organisation may compromise the quality and high standards of customer service, and may impact on the organisation loosing loyal customers, revenue and long term sustainability (Tracy and Hinkin, 2008). Once the well established staff leave a company it may not only increase the workload of the remaining staff members of the company, but would be difficult for the organisation to gain the same highest levels of service from the newly hired staff as they would still be in a period of learning their job, and other key tasks and responsibilities associated with the job. Furthermore when employees leave on a regular basis it creates extra workloads for the remaining staff and as a result they could become depressed with work and not be able to deliver their best performance on the job. This may further exacerbate the problem and may also result in staff getting absent from work regularly and their good health deteriorate. The article of Tracy and Hinkin (2008) also states financial implications for organisations as a result of high levels of staff turnover. The costs associated with replacing staff can be sorted into hard costs, soft costs, and opportunity costs. Hard costs are costs such as money spent on newspaper advertisements, adverts on recruitment agencies etc, and they have a direct impact on the organisation. Other elements such as the time it takes to interview new recruits, and time spent on exit interviews will not be shown in company account statements as they are regarded as soft costs. Opportunity costs such as missed customers and market shares, usually go unmeasured but can still be substantial and may also lower company profitability and competitor advantage of the organisation ( Simons and Hinkin 2001 cited Tracy.J and Hinkin.T, 2008). The following five are identified as major costs categories that contribute towards the total costs of replacing an employee. They are pre-departure, recruitment, selection, orientation and training, and lost productivity (Hinkin and Tracy 2007, 2006, cited Tracy.J and Hinkin.T,2008). The already high staff turnover rates in the hotel industry also reflects high turnover of newly selected staff who leave the company within their first 30 days because the job did not suit them (Woods,1997:141). Does this mean possible issues with the prevailing recruitment and selection methods adopted by the hospitality sector organisations? According to the article by Tracy.J and Hinkin.T, only a few turnover studies have been so far carried out in the hotel and hospitality sector, despite reporting high levels of turnover every year. Therefore my literature review aims to conduct a much broader view of this issue by critically examining the current procedures and practices carried out by the High Beech Hotel UK and some of the other local selected competitor hotels, which may be associated with employee turnover. By doing so this study aims to understand the root causes of high levels of employee turnover of High Beech Hotel and propose solutions and recommendations to overcome those issues. This research benefits High Beech Hotel in terms of minimising the unnecessary costs that may occur due to advertising, interviewing, training of new staff as well as improving the overall standard of the hotel. High Beech Hotel is a three start hotel located in beautiful Hastings area and is faced with stiff competition with many three to four star hotels operating in the area such as, The White Rock Hotel, Travelodge Hastings, The Hotel Undum and the Chatsworth Hotel. The High Beech Hotel is therefore fighting to maintain a sustainable competitive advantage and grow its market share. The opinions of the General Manager, Operations Manager and the HR manager prove that jobs in the industry are difficult in the area and finding the right talent for the right job and the retention of quality staff are major HR challenges currently faced by the hotel. The general manager of the hotel is new to her post and has already expressed concerns about the high staff turnover. Turnover is high among front line staff, waiters and porters and the management has had few discussions to find the reasons why staff left, and find out ways to resolve the problem. I having worked at the hotel as an HR executive (placement student) managed to gain a good understanding of the high turnover and the possible effects the turnover levels have had on the existing staff. Literature review Labour turnover is the rate at which staff leaves an organisation and are replaced by new employees. Too high a labour turnover rate may mean that there is something unsatisfactory about working for the organisation and that action therefore would need to be taken (Adams et al, 1993) Denver and McMahon (1992:143) defined labour turnover as the movement of people into and out of employment within an organisation and can both be voluntary and involuntary. Eade (1993) further categorises turnover into management controllable and unavoidable turnover. Labour turnover index is used to measure staff turnover and according to Armstrong (2001) labour turnover rates provide a valuable means to benchmarking the effectiveness of HR policies and practices in organisations. The hotel industry is essentially comprised of both a production and a service aspect and the creation and rendering of services from the hotel to the customer are mainly achieved through employees. Therefore the industry is essentially represented by people (Lewis 1989; Thompson and Abbott, 1990; Schneider , 1993) and is considered as one of the most labour intensive industries. Turnover in the hotel industry in the UK has been shown to be unacceptably high (Kennedy and Berger, 1994), averaging as much as 200% to 300% per year. Statistically this means that the entire workforce of the industry turns over two to three times per year. The main factors identified, that could impact on turnover are, orientation and good socialisation procedures (Kennedy and Berger 1994, Woods, 1992), ad-hoc recruitment and selection (Benn and Farbringer, 1992, Woods and Macaulay, 1989; Wagner, 1991; Wheelhouse, 1989), discrimination at the workplace (Antolik,1993), lack of training and development oppor tunities (Hogan, 1992; rowden,1995), organisation culture (Woods and Macaulay, 1998) shortage of skills in the labour market (Debrah, 1994; Woods, 1992), high levels of work related stress ( Vallen,1993;Woods, 1992; Ham and Griffeth, 1995), seasonal nature of the industry ( Boella, 1998) and job dissatisfaction ( Bonn and Frbringer, 1992). All of these factors have contributed towards high levels of staff turnover in the hotel industry and it is clear that the success of the industry depends upon taking necessary steps to reduce the above mentioned issues, and problems, and the calibre of employees, and how well they are managed (Nankervis and Debroh, 1995; Berger and Ghel, 1995). Deery and Iverson, (1996) commented that high degree of staff turnover levels consist of recruitment and replacement costs, and regular and loyal customers switching to other competitor hotels as they expect to see their favourite staff members. It is clear labour costs play a major part in the industry and high staff turnover is seen as a prime issue hampering the smooth functioning of hotel and organisations within the hospitality industry (Obrien and McDonnell 2003). Deery and Iverson (1996) examined the employee turnover phenomenal and found that high turnover resulted in organisations loosing revenue and profits. They also argued that high turnover, especially when skilled staff leave, contributes to lowering the employee morale and the overall ability of teams within the organisations to get quality work done. Therefore the retention of skilled and well trained staff in any hospitality organisation is important to save unnecessary tangible and intangible costs as well as retaining regular and loyal customers and to provide them with a quality service. It is clear from the arguments put forward by the above mentioned authors and scholars but Despite an array of academic evidence and research on labour turnover the question to be asked is do management of hospitality sector organisations understand the gravity of the issue of staff turnover, and its negative effects on the performance of the organisation and how far they are willing to go to retain the valuable staff. At a time of difficult economic times it is imperative and organisation takes measures to outperform its competitors and any hospitality sector organisation that understands the value of human capital and adopt good HRM policies and management practices in pursuit of employee retention will inevitably outperform the competition (Cho et al., 2006, Hinkin and Tracy, 2000). Staff leaving on a regular basis involves heavy administration costs and a loss of productivity through the breaking up of teams who are used to working together (Denvir and McMohan, 1992:144). Therefore the critical importance of employees staying with an organisation is evident (Brayfield and Crockett, 1995; Cho et al, 2006). It is clear that satisfied and highly motivated employees stay with the organisation which in turn helps the company to reduce unnecessary recruitment and selection costs which could amount to a substantial amount of money, but also produce high quality work which helps the organisation to achieve competitive advantage and increase its profits (Cho et al., 2006; Hinkin and Tracey, 2000). Exit interviews are a great method of collecting information as to why employees leave an organisation. Employees leave for various reasons ranging from lack of employee oriented organisational measures such as succession planning, pay , non-financial rewards, work life balance and undesirable working conditions as well as more personal reasons such as inability to look after their children, other child welfare issues and transport problems. This can also vary depending on how long they have worked for the company and it is a common factor as evident from the High Beech Hotel, and that staff leaves because they soon found out that the job did not suit them. Some other staff members leave after serving the organisation after serving a considerable amount of time and their issues could very well be different to people leaving early. According to the CIPD (2007) costs an organisation approximately  £3500 pounds every time an employee leaves and as stated earlier these costs include bo th tangible costs and intangible costs such as time spent on interviewing new recruits and these often go unreported in company accounts. Denver and McMahon (1992:146) also found out that individual hotel organisations experience different levels of turnover, which helps to confirm that staff turnover is partly within the control of the hotel management. This also contradicts with the common acceptance that staff turnover is high and uniform throughout the industry and uncontrollable. Therefore it is evident that high levels of staff turnover is harmful to the smooth functioning of any organisation, may it be in the hospitality sector or some other sector and hinders the efficient operation of the business resulting in the hotel gradually losing its market share. Therefore it is important that the hospitality sector organisations develop effective and vibrant HRM policies that enable them to successfully recruit, select and retain skilled and efficient employees, who would contribute towards the achievement of the corporate objectives of the business. Factors influence on high Labour Turnover. The hotel industry in the UK is constantly troubled with high staff turnover resulting in increased personnel costs arise from recruitment and selection of new staff, training them (Ham and Griffeth, 1995). There is a strong negative relationship between turnover and organisational commitment which indicates that staff with low levels of commitment and loyalty are more likely to withdraw from the organisation than more committed staff (Johnston et, 1993). He also identified a positive relationship between organisational commitment and career progression opportunities given to employees through internal promotions and succession planning. These employees who are given opportunities to progress up the ladder, exhibit higher levels of organisational commitment, and loyalty and results in skilled staff retention and a gradual decline of low performing employees. This makes it much easier for HR managers to successfully identify low performing employees and eliminate them from the work fo rce which is important and a good for the success of the company as this turnover is considered healthy. Another key factor which may influence staff turnover is the gender difference and certain problems it creates within the organisation. Female workers have different responsibilities to their male counterparts and may value work life balance more as a result. The pressures of work and life, has resulted in more female workers leaving their jobs than male workers (Doherty and Manfredi, 2006:62). In most hotels it can be seen female workers working in the bottom of the organisation hierarchy and the pay gap between males and female workers has been a much talked about issue in the UK. Iverson (2000) conducted a study in the USA involving hotel establishments and found that female managers earn much less than the male managers doing the same job which is commonly seen in the UK and this has resulted in, female workers being reluctant to return to work after their maternity leave. On top of this, most organisations have failed to assist their female workers to arrange necessary child car e arrangements which have aggravated the number of female workers leaving their job. As per above authors the reluctance of female workers to return to work may also be caused by factors such as stress, work dissatisfaction, lack of commitment and low promotion opportunities coupled with a poor organisation culture that does not provide a platform to encourage female workers to move up the career ladder. Therefore the problems and issues female workers face in the workplace is clear and applicable in hospitality sector organisations, and it is very important the HR department address these issues and understand why many female workers leave their jobs early. Organisation culture, average age of the total labour force of the organisation, gender and racial composition and male-female pay gaps are among the reasons why employees leave (Bennett et al, 1993). Prospective employees when joining an organisation look into a number of factors such as career development opportunities, total reward policy and work life balance. Lack of incentives is therefore a main reason why many employees leave their jobs after some time. Incentives include both financial and nonfinancial and employees may simply want praise for their good work and lack of recognition could seriously hamper employee retention. Ritz Carlton hotel in London, has managed to reduce employee turnover to a significant level by focusing on quality recruitment, providing better training and development opportunities and by forming a positive psychological contract with the employees, and also by creating long term incentive and reward systems ( Barky, 1996). Therefore it is fair to assume that to a large extent organisation HRM practices, policies and procedures determine staff turnover. Organisation policies and lack of employee oriented practices and procedures may not only be the sole reason why many organisations particularly in the hospitality industry experience high level of staff turnover. Another factor that affects turnover is the ability of staff to carry out their tasks and responsibilities up to the required standard and the job performance of employees largely affects staff turnover and this is also confirmed by a study conducted by Jewell and Siegal (1990). They found that employees having very high levels of on-the-job performance are highly unlikely to leave their job in contrast with employees with low levels of performance. High performing employees are confident in their job and have better work related knowledge and skills. Low pay, lack of training and career development opportunities, lack of regular and realistic performance appraisals and undesired work environments are among the key reasons that cause low performance which in-turn result in high staff turnover. Therefore it is clear HR professionals in hotel establishments must pay very close attention to developing employee oriented HRM policies and practices that help staff achieve their full potent ial. To name a few these HR policies and practices are training and development opportunities open management communication systems, employee welfare such as child care, flexible working, transport assistant to employees and a comprehensive induction programme that helps new recruits to adopt well to their new roles. When analysing the hospitality and hotel industry in particular it has been found that most organisations have a poor reputation for providing good staff training and development opportunities (Maxwell et al, 2004). High staff turnover in most hospitality sector industries may have also led managers to be reluctant to providing staff with opportunities to further develop their careers fearing they may leave after that ( Davies et al, 2001, Jameson, 2000: Lowey et al, 2002). High staff turnover also causes managers to be occupied with recruitment and selection activity as well as grievance issues, and this may also be a reason for them not to have sufficient time to focus on staff development and talent management. Training and development and staff retention has a close match as poorly trained staff are less satisfied with work and may leave quicker and more than fully trained and highly satisfied staff. Therefore training and development directly affects job satisfaction and organis ational commitment (Lam and Zhang, 2003, Taylor et al, 2001, Lowry et al, 2002). Working hours is another key factor that causes employees to leave and most hospitality sector organisations, because of high staff turnover may require remaining staff to work extra hours on a regular basis. Long working hours without breaks are against the working time regulations as well as current health and safety rules and Female workers are largely affected by this practice because of their family commitments and a research conducted by Erdogan (1996:26) revealed long working hours are among the main reasons for many female workers to quit their jobs. There has also been an increase of single parent families and long hours and unsocial working hours have forced females to leave their jobs. This not only creates staff to leave but unfriendly working hours coupled with a poor corporate and work culture and a hostile working environment of the organisation , may affect the job satisfaction of female workers and even if they remain with the job their work could be highly unproduct ive and suffer from work related stress. Despite the fact that many researchers and academics stressing the importance of a good organisation work environment that provides employees oriented HR measures to achieve these goals and objectives many organisations still suffer from high levels of staff turnover and female staff turnover as evident from research findings. All of the above stated factors and elements contribute to employee dissatisfaction and it is a result of various internal and external factors that were mentioned above. Labour turnover of High Beech Hotel High Beech Hotel had a newly appointed general manager and she has been investigating the reasons for the high staff turnover levels of the hotel over the past three years and has had several discussions with the operations manager and the HR manager of the company. Unfortunately no proper investigation has not been done so far to find out the possible causes of staff turnover but the management in consultation with the company HR records and turnover figures has assumed the reasons as job dissatisfaction, long and unfriendly working hours, pay issues, lack of training and development opportunities for staff, issues with working condition and other personal issues of staff such as work life balance. Importance of HR practices and concepts in relation to staff retention and turnover HRM plays a vital part in creating a sustainable competitive advantage for any organisation, and forward looking organisations adopt good HR policies and practices to ensure the smooth functioning of the organisation (Edvinsson and Malone, 1997; Stewart, 1997; Verma and Dewe, 2008). Research studies have confirmed that well defined organisational goals and corporate objectives directly influence employee retention and productivity. Kim et al, (2005) in their study on corporate orientation found that organisational direction and support had a significant impact on employee job satisfaction and overall commitment. ORGANISATIONAL INITIATIVES The organisational HR initiatives as mentioned above, illustrate how internal factors and forces contribute towards employee retention. The model does not mention about external forces such as local and national competition in the labour market, economic situation, globalisation and international competition which affects attracting skilled employees to various jobs. It can be seen that this model covers the internal factors and reasons that affect staff retention or turnover and it is critically important for an organisation and HR professionals to pay close attention to the factors mentioned under the model to critically assess where they stand as an organisation and take steps to implement those HR practices and policies to retain talented staff ( Horwitz et al, 2003; Steel et al, 2002). These internal HR policies and practices are bundled under the term retention management and it is defined as the ability to hold onto those employees an organisation would want to keep, for longe r than the competitors (Johnson,2000 cited De Vos and Meganck,2007). The external factors should not be neglected at the same time because there may be times employees may leave an organisation due to their influences. The impact of financial and non-financial rewards cannot be undermined and play a critical role in motivating skilled and valued employees and retaining them within the organisation. Financial rewards such as a good basic pay combined with performance related pay and non-financial rewards such as training and development opportunities, initiatives to achieve work life balance for staff and other employee retention initiatives such as a pensions scheme and internal promotions motivate staff and force them to think again before quitting their jobs (Horwitz et al,2003;De Vos and Meganck, 2007). When analysing the theories and ides put forward by the above mentioned academics and scholars it is evident they focused on retaining highly skilled employees and researched to find out the possible reasons why valued employees leave organisations. This is being described as retention management and the word retention embraces with other HR practices such as recruitment and selection, development of employees to achieve their full potential and succession management (Lewis and Heckmanp 2006:140). HR Practices and the importance of Human Psychology HRM involves all management decision and practices that directly affects other people, or human resources, who work for the organisation. The question that arises is that despite the fact that many organisations including the hospitality and hotel industry, implement all accepted HR practices and procedures, why employees still leave and the staff turnover rates are extremely high. A good understanding of the implications of human psychology would help HR managers to find the root causes to this problem. Psychologist Abraham Maslow introduced his concept of hierarchy of needs in 1943 which suggests that people are motivated to fulfil their basic human needs before moving on to other needs. The hierarchy of needs is displayed as a pyramid and the lowest level of the pyramid are made up of the most basic needs, while the more complex needs are at the top. The needs located at the bottom are the most basic human needs and as people progress up the pyramid, needs become increasingly psychological and social. Therefore when it comes to employees staying or leaving a particular organisation which stage the employee is in could play a vital role in his or her decision making process. At the core this theory of Maslow suggests that when an individual satisfies one set of needs they always try to move into the other level. This makes it critically important for HR professionals in the hospitality organisations how this theory of Maslow affects individual employees and how it influences an individuals decision about him staying or leaving the organisation. When an individual joins an organisation the first concern is to organise his life in-terms of food shelter and other essential psychological needs through wages and salary. The next concern would be job security and personal health and safety in the job. Once those needs are satisfied the employee would move in to the other set of needs which are social needs such as friendly colleagues and staff as well as a desirable working environment. After this comes the next stage which is satisfying the esteem needs which is comprised of individual being recognised for his work and valued by the management of the organisation as well as taking full advantage of any courses and exams they could take to get promoted. Once this set of needs are fully satisfied t he employee reaches the stage of self actualisation. Therefore to satisfy the individual employee needs the HR executives working in hospitality sector organisations must understand the needs of employees and aim to provide tailor made HR solutions in line with the corporate strategy of the company. In order to accomplish this, the HR managers must have accurate methods and procedures to understand which stage the employee is in his hierarchy of needs because if this is not done or if the right methods and procedures are not in place there will inevitably be a contradiction. For an example the HR managers may direct their full efforts into satisfying the esteem needs of employees through individual recognition and internal promotions at work when the employees are seeking safety needs. This would result in a waste of company resources and employees considering leaving the organisation. Individuals decision making process An individuals decision making process is comprised of a number of internal and external variables as shown below and the final decision makes by an individual employee is made up of a collection of those internal and external variables. This model is highly useful in understanding an employees decision making in an organisation (Kotler, 2000, p98). As seen the model is comprised of five main stages which an individual may go through before coming into a decision. They are, * Problem recognition * Information search * Evaluation of alternatives * Decision to leave or stay * Post- purchase evaluation Therefore the first stage is problem recognition and that is recognising there is a problem or issue to be answered by the employee. The problem arose can be triggered by internal influences, external influences or both. Once the main problem or problems are recognised by the employee he then moves into the next stage which is information search. For an example if the initial problem recognised by the employee is concerned with training and development opportunities offered by the organisation then through information search he would try to gather as much information as possible through various external and internal sources about what actions and steps he could take in order to gain the desired level of training. The next stage once sufficient information is gathered is the evaluation of alternatives. As per with training and development, the employee in this stage will go through various possible courses to be taken and evaluate the appropriateness of those courses to his job and what help he could get from the organisation in order to take the course. The next stage of the process is the final decision of the employee to stay with the organisation or to leave. This is called the purchase decision and according to Kotler (2000, p 99) two factors can intervene between the purchase intention and purchase decision. The first factor is the attitudes of other people, which is what the others around think of the individuals decision. Influence of other people can become complex and varied when there are more than one persons involved. The second factor Kotler (2000,p 99) mentions is the unanticipated or unexpected situations and as per the above example of training and development, factors such as the recession and cost cutting measures by the organisation could hamper the employees aspiration of embarking on the course. The final stage of the decision making process is the post purchase evaluation which involves the employee evaluating the positives and negatives of the decision taken, and the possible consequences of it. This concept has a high degree of importance to HR even though it is widely used in marketing and regarded more as a marketing related concep