| Author: | Wu, Shu-fen Monica |
| Title: | The change of hotel female GM's inter- and intra-personal life in the process of career pursuits |
| Advisors: | Li, Mimi (SHTM) |
| Degree: | DHTM |
| Year: | 2017 |
| Subject: | Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations Women -- Employment -- Taiwan Hotelkeepers -- Taiwan Hotels -- Employees -- Taiwan |
| Department: | School of Hotel and Tourism Management |
| Pages: | xi, 254 pages : color illustrations |
| Language: | English |
| Abstract: | Women comprise a large percent of the overall labor force in the hospitality industry, and in recent years they have made major inroads into the upper echelons. This trend has drawn the attention of researchers in the hospitality discipline. Many studies have emphasized the professional achievements of successful women, but have ignored the personal challenges they have overcome, especially the challenges facing live-in female General Managers (GMs). Indeed, changes in the psychological and emotional lives of female leaders have not yet been explored in detail. There has been some research into how, why, and where women at every level have valued and focused on themselves, but the changes in their psychological and emotional lives have not been explicitly addressed. This study explores changes in the lives of female hotel GMs in Taiwan as they climbed to the top of the career ladder. The objectives are to examine (1) the changes in career women's interpersonal and intrapersonal lives at different stages of their careers, i.e., from entry level to middle management and to the top; (2) the difficulties career women face at different stages of their lives and careers; and (3) the conflicts experienced by high-achieving women. Using qualitative methods, the study considers in detail the lives of three female GMs, with data collected not only from them but also from people, friends, family members, and employees who are parts of their lives. Many research approaches are used, such as in-depth interviews, close observations, shadowing the GMs, and even unofficial daily communication and conservation. The study focuses on the participants' views of changes in five aspects of their lives: attitude to life, attitude to work, personal life, family life and personality, and career. More specifically, the study examines issues such as whether early education had a great influence on the female GMs' career choices and decision making or whether family support played a critical role in their lives. The study also considers whether their personalities may have shaped their work attitudes and their leadership styles at work. The findings show that a lack of personal time and loneliness (few friendships) are problems for women in top management positions. This study has implications for hotel investors and owners in Taiwan, as the workforce is becoming more diverse and there is a national trend of actively upholding equal gender rights. Accordingly, there is increasing concern that the family, life and work of female's workers should be respected by all members of society. Few studies have specifically explored the changes in women's inter- and intrapersonal lives at different stages of their careers or tried to explore changes in their leadership styles along their career paths. This study may inspire researchers to pay more attention to women's careers. |
| Rights: | All rights reserved |
| Access: | restricted access |
Files in This Item:
| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 991022043447703411.pdf | For All Users (off-campus access for PolyU Staff & Students only) | 2.2 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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