ABSTRACT

In the past two decades scholars have dedicated a tremendous amount of effort to studying the relationship between a firm's performance and its human resource management (HRM) practices. What has emerged from these studies is empirical evidence that demonstrate a linkage between a firm's HRM practices (core competencies) and performance that can give it a competitive advantage. However, what has also become equally clear is that human resource (HR) practices do not operate independently from each other or from the firm's overall strategy. HR practices operate in a complex system of interrelated parts. This system has become known as high performance work practices (HPWP) in the area of strategic human resource management (SHRM). In the hospitality and tourism management field this system is known as a high performance people system (HPPS), which characterizes the unique nature of the hospitality industry.