The purpose of this study was to develop the indicator for manpower forecasting in the Hotel MICE industry and then to test its reliability and validity. The dominant approach of manpower planning has long been based on heuristic experience in the field of Hotel and MICE. There is little research on the manpower planning and forecasting in the Hotel and MICE studies. However, it is significant important to ensure that the right number of employees are performing tasks to meet the goals of the company as well as the expectation of their customers. Human resource is one of the most important components of the Hotel MICE industry. In this context, this study attempted to explore the critical factors of manpower forecasting in the Hotel MICE field for meeting the business goals of hotel company as well as providing desired service to clients.
A focus group interview and two rounds of delphi technique were used to collect data through a series of surveys from June 27th to Sep. 13rd, 2016. The delphi method by 34 professionals in the Hotel MICE industry was applied to develop the index. The delphi survey for the development of a questionnaire resulted in the first questionaries of 55 items and the second one of 36 items. The validity of the questionnaire items was tested with content validity ratios (CVR). The items whose CVR value was 0.31 or lower were eliminated or revised, since the minium CVR value needed to test validity was 0.31. In addition to the CVR, the coefficient of variation (CV), Cronbach’s α, and descriptive analysis were implemented.
To verify validity of the results form the delphi research, empirical analysis was also conducted in this study. A total of 289 samples were collected from Sep. 19th to 24th, 2016 to test validity of finalized indicators for manpower forecasting in Hotel MICE industry. To examine the reliability of the final questionnaire items, Cronbach’s α was used in 289 hotel MICE employees; the coefficient was in the reliability scope. As a result of the exploratory factor analysis for the validity test of the delphi research, 7 factors were identified: (1) intangible environment, (2) internal environment, (3) physical environment, (4) MICE operation, (5) general environment, (6) profitability, and (7) human resource. Additionally, the samples were divided in three groups based on the business strategy of their company, including ‘service-oriented’, ‘stability-oriented’, and ‘profitability-oriented’ hotel company. The MANOVA showed that there was a significant difference among the three groups. For example, the intangible value such as hotel brand, brand image and reputation, and hotel ratings considered to be the most important factor in the service-oriented company. On the other hand, the profitability-oriented company focused more on the indicators related to business performance and profitability (e.g., serving F&B, sales, profit ratio, the scale of MICE).
Forecasting manpower in the Hotel MICE field is the most difficult but essential task for hotel company. The main concern should be to have the right number and appropriate mix and distribution of Hotel MICE employees to provide a higher quality service and achieve positive business outcomes. Hence, future research is needed for elaborating the indicators and assessing optimum human resource in the Hotel MICE by considering quantitative and qualitative indicators.