Hiring with Heart: A Multiple Case Study on Talent Acquisition and Cultural Fit in Boracay Island’s Hospitality Industry

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63931/ijchr.v7iSI2.142

Keywords:

hospitality sector, talent acquisition, Boracay island, Cultural fit, case study

Abstract

One of the assets of any company is the competitive workforce. Boracay Island hinges its economy in tourism, a service-oriented industry. This industry is dynamic and constantly evolving that demands agile workforce to remain competitive. This study explored the recruitment practices of fifteen (15) human resource officers in selected lodging establishments on Boracay Island.  This research utilized multiple case study design. Yin’s six steps for data analysis were employed to analyze the descriptions of the key informants. The results revealed the following themes:  Theme (1) strategic talent acquisition, theme (2) Streamlining hiring for efficiency, theme (3) Adapting to dynamic talent environments, theme (4) Structured agility as the foundation for resilient growth, and theme (5) Perceptions and purpose directly fuel employee drive and organizational triumph. While the results of talent acquisition in hotels revealed that: theme (1) Talent acquisition, precision and impact, theme (2) Efficient selection, unified decision, theme (3) Tourism, global shifts, local adapts, theme (4) Empowered HR, centralized vision, local impact, theme (5) Thriving workforce, satisfaction, image, engagement, and theme (6) HRM, people, process, performance. and the results of talent acquisition practices in mabuhay accommodations revealed that: theme (1) Modernizing talent: potential over tradition, theme (2) Traditional foundations, future-proofed workforce, theme (3) Traditional tourism's local resilience, theme (4) Agile hiring: empowering local decisions, and theme (5) The drive to be happy. The study will be beneficial to the individuals, hospitality industry, and the human resource practitioners to broaden their understanding in the recruitment of local manpower planning and development.

References

[1] Abed, M. A., Salim, A. A., Fayyad, S., & El-Sayed, S. F. (2024). Employment stability, guest satisfaction, and guest loyalty in tourism and hospitality establishments: The role of the customer-oriented boundary spanning behaviors and deep-acting. The International Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Studies, 7(2), 110–135.

[2] Alamu, A. P. (2016). Human capital development strategies for the tourism, hospitality, and leisure industry [Doctoral dissertation, Walden University].

[3] Alves, T. S., & Wada, E. K. (2014). Hospitality domains and stakeholder management in recruitment and selection: multiple case studies: Esta Nplaza, Travel Inn and Transamérica. Iberoamerican Journal of Strategic Management, 13, 99–116.

[4] Aynalem, S., Birhanu, K., & Tesefay, S. (2016). Employment opportunities and challenges in the tourism and hospitality sectors. Journal of Tourism and Hospitality, 5(5), 257. https://doi.org/10.4172/2167-0269.1000257

[5] Bagheri, M., Baum, T., Ebrahimi, A., & Abbasi, A. (2020). Talent management in the tourism and hospitality industry: Evidence from Iran. Anatolia: An International Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Research, 31(1), 88–98.

[6] Basri, H., Tamrin, M., & Alfatwari, D. (2020). Shifting society in response to the tourism industry: A case study of new challenges in Lombok Utara. Jurnal Pariwisata Terapan, 4(2), 183–194.

[7] Baum, T. (2019). Does the hospitality industry need or deserve talent? International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 31(10), 3823–3837.

[8] Borazon, E. Q., De Los Santos, M. D., Lee, M., Yang, C., & Eleazar, R. N. (2023). Resilience-building in the small island family-owned accommodation sector. Island Studies Journal, 18(2).

[9] Buhalis, D. (2019). Technology in tourism—from information communication technologies to etourism and smart tourism towards ambient intelligence tourism: A perspective article. Tourism Review, 75(1), 267–272.

[10] Chandani, A., Mehta, M., Mall, A., & Khokar, V. (2016). Employee engagement: A review paper on factors affecting employee engagement. Indian Journal of Science and Technology, 9(15), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.17485/ijst/2016/v9i15/92145

[11] Chung, K. L., & D’Annunzio-Green, N. (2018). Talent management practices in small-and medium-sized enterprises in the hospitality sector. Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, 10(1), 101–116.

[12] Clark, H., Dimanche, F., Cotter, R., & Lee-Rosen, D. (2017). Human capital challenges in the events industry of Canada: Finding innovative solutions. Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, 9(4), 424–432.

[13] Collins, D. J., & Montgomery, C. A. (1995, July-August). Competing on resources: Strategy in the 1990s. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/1995/07/competing-on-resources-strategy-in-the-1990s

[14] Djajasinga, N. D., Sulastri, L., Sudirman, A., Sari, A. L., & Rihardi, E. L. (2021). Practice in human resources and employee turnover in the hospitality industry. In Proceedings of the 2nd Annual Conference on Blended Learning, Educational Technology and Innovation (ACBLETI 2020).

[15] Entekhabi, M. (2024). Enhancing recruitment strategies in developing nations: A sustainability-focused approach. Cross-Cultural Management Journal, 26(2), 127–137.

[16] Escarilla, C. C., Canoy, O. M., & Maming, J. B. (2024). Hiring practices of human resource practitioners in selected Mabuhay Accommodations in Top Tourist Destinations in the Philippines. International Journal of Multidisciplinary: Applied Business and Education Research, 5(3), 957–971. https://doi.org/10.11594/ijmaber.05.03.19

[17] Fernandez, S., & Pougnet, S. (2018). Is there structure in the selection interview? Evidence from hotels in Switzerland. Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality & Tourism, 17(1), 80–97.

[18] Friedman, B. A. (2019). Hospitality, tourism, and events industry competency model: Human resource management implications. In Strategic Innovative Marketing and Tourism: 7th ICSIMAT, Athenian Riviera, Greece, 2018 (pp. 49–56). Springer International Publishing.

[19] Ghani, B., Zada, M., Memon, K. R., Ullah, R., Khattak, A., Han, H., Ariza-Montes, A., & Araya-Castillo, L. (2022). Challenges and strategies for employee retention in the hospitality industry: A review. Sustainability, 14(5), 2885. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14052885

[20] Halkias, D., Neubert, M., Thurman, P. W., & Harkiolakis, N. (2022). The multiple case study design. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003244936

[21] International Labour Organization. (2010). Development and challenges in the hospitality and tourism sector. ILO.

[22] Kandampully, J., Zhang, T. C., & Bilgihan, A. (2015). Customer loyalty: A review and future directions focusing on the hospitality industry. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 27(3), 379–414. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-03-2014-0151

[23] Kataria, P. (2021). Transforming human resource functions with automation. In Technology applications in managing talents. IGI Global Scientific Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-4180-7.ch009

[24] Khan, A., Bibi, S., Lyu, J., & Ahmad, N. (2022). Tourism development and well-being: The role of population and political stability. Fudan Journal of Human and Social Sciences, 15, 89–115. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40647-021-00316-8

[25] Marinakou, E. (2019). Talent management and retention in events companies: Evidence from four countries. Event Management, 23(4–5), 511–526.

[26] Martin, R. L. (2015, April 27). Strategy is about both resources and positioning. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2015/04/strategy-is-about-both-resources-and-positioning

[27] Najeeb, A. (2014). How do institutional forces shape HRM practices? A study of tourist resorts in the Maldives [Doctoral thesis, University of Wollongong]. http://ro.uow.edu.au/theses/4097

[28] Nieves, J., & Quintana, A. (2018). Human resource practices and innovation in the hotel industry: The mediating role of human capital. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 18(1), 72–83.

[29] Nzonzo, J. C., & Chipfuva, T. (2013). Managing talent in the tourism and hospitality sector: A conceptual viewpoint. International Journal of Academic Research in Accounting, Finance and Management Sciences, 3(1), 92–97.

[30] Opada, T., Kisa, A., & Wanyana, H. (2024). Data analytics and AI: Connecting with candidates and hiring the right people. Asian Journal of Education and Social Studies, 50(8), 108–120.

[31] Parthasarathy, S., & Pingle, S. (2014). The ability pipelining, company image, and recommendations are all ways to get elite people. Journal of Human Resource Management, 10(2), 45–58.

[32] Philippine Information Agency Region VI. (2017). Boracay tourists earn P56B in 2017. http://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1003886

[33] Prasad, S. C., & Kumar, M. (2020). A case study on the effectiveness of recruitment and selection practices in the hospitality industry with special reference to star category hotels of Udaipur, Rajasthan. UGC Care Journal, 40(23).

[34] Presbitero, A. (2017). How do changes in human resource management practices influence employee engagement? A longitudinal study in a hotel chain in the Philippines. Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality & Tourism, 16(1), 56–70.

[35] Quer, D. (2021). Location decisions of Chinese firms in the global tourism industry: The role of prior international experience and diplomatic relations. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 46, 62–72.

[36] Ramesh, S. (2022). Community engagement in tourism: A win-win for businesses and locals. Journal of Social Responsibility, Tourism and Hospitality, 2(22), 23–28. https://doi.org/10.55529/jsrth.22.23.28

[37] Risqiani, A., Suprapto, D., & Purwanti, F. (2020). Analisis kesesuaian permintaan wisata dan penawaran objek wisata di Taman Nasional Kepulauan Seribu (Kasus di Pulau Pramuka), Jakarta. SAINTEK PERIKANAN: Indonesian Journal of Fisheries Science and Technology, 16, 72–78.

[38] Sabal, B. R. (2020, January 10). Boracay drew 2 million tourists in 2019. Panay News. https://www.panaynews.net/boracay-draws-2-million-tourists-in-2019/

[39] Santos, J. D., Sucgang, R., Sarabia, T. J., & Solano, B. R. S. (2024). Formulating Boracay Blue Economy Framework: Integrating Sustainable Development and Laudato Si Principles for a Thriving Future. International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation, 11(9), 55–67.

[40] Shulga, L. V., & Busser, J. A. (2019). Talent management meta review: A validity network schema approach. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 31(10), 3943–3969.

[41] Singh, R., & Sainy, S. (2024). Satisfied workers stay longer when they can communicate and get started quickly. Journal of Business & Management Studies, 8(3), 78–90.

[42] Tien, K. T., & Tu, H. B. (2020). Human resource challenges in the Vietnamese hospitality industry. In HUFLIT International Conference on Ensuring a High-Quality Human Resource in The Modern Age (pp. 56–65). Publishing House for Science and Technology. https://doi.org/10.15625/vap.2020.0092

[43] Tileaga, C. V. (2023). Global tourism—A quick rebound after the pandemic. Revista Economică, 75(1).

[44] UNWTO. (2018). UNWTO World Tourism Barometer and Statistical Annex, June 2018. https://www.unwto.org/global/publication/unwto-world-tourism-barometer-and-statistical-annex-june-2018

[45] Valk, R., & Yousif, L. (2023). Going beyond to deliver hip hospitality: Exploring motivation and job satisfaction of hospitality workers in Dubai. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 31(2), 293–316. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOA-12-2020-2517

[46] Vonberg, T., Dmytruk, S., & Lavrukhina, I. (2023). Study of factors influencing the formation of the employer brand. Market Infrastructure. https://doi.org/10.32782/infrastruct73-2

[47] Walmsley, A., Partington, S., Armstrong, R., & Goodwin, H. (2018). Reactions to the national living wage in hospitality. Employee Relations, 41(1), 253–268.

[48] WTTC. (2020a). Economic impact reports. https://wttc.org/Research/EconomicImpact

[49] WTTC. (2020b). Recovery scenarios for 2020 and economic impact from COVID-19. https://wttc.org/Research/Economic-Impact/Recovery-Scenarios

Downloads

Published

2025-07-18 — Updated on 2025-07-18

Versions

How to Cite

Maming, J., Delantar, A. F., & Payao, R. (2025). Hiring with Heart: A Multiple Case Study on Talent Acquisition and Cultural Fit in Boracay Island’s Hospitality Industry. International Journal on Culture, History, and Religion, 7(SI2), 313–339. https://doi.org/10.63931/ijchr.v7iSI2.142

Similar Articles

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.