Thesis on "Martin Luther King/The Hospitality Industry Diversity"

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Martin Luther King/The Hospitality Industry

Diversity in the Hospitality Industry:

Applying the Philosophy of Diversity-Blindness Offered by Martin Luther King

Martin Luther King is not remembered as a great hospitality manager, but instead as a Civil Rights leader, but his leadership style can be applied to the hospitality industry when it comes to facing the challenges that diversity brings to the industry. While globalization allows the hospitality industry to increase throughout the world, it also creates an industry made up of employees and customers of all different types. Hotels, restaurants, and other establishments in the industry of hospitality now have employees and clients with different backgrounds, of different religious affiliations, and ethnic identities. While this is a positive change, allowing different perspectives to come to the hospitality industry, it also presents challenges, especially when it comes to diversity sensitivity. This paper will undertake the task of examining diversity in the hospitality industry, as well as finding solutions to challenges presented by diversity in the hospitality industry. By introducing King's philosophy, the benefits of diversity in the hospitality industry, and challenges presented by diversity in the hospitality industry, once can determine possible solutions to these challenges.

An Introduction to King's Philosophy

Many have studied Martin Luther King Junior's philosophy, but much of what he had to say came from his "I Have a Dream Speech," which was delivered August 28, 1963 in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. In 1963, the United

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States' journey to understanding diversity had just begun as African-Americans campaigned for equal rights under the law and the abolition of an unequal separate but equal policy. In fact, during the period in which King spoke, it was common for the hospitality industry to behave in a discriminatory manner. King (1963) even noted this in his "I Have a Dream Speech" when he stated that he and other African-Americans were weary from their journeys after being denied access to hotels and motels. Furthermore, African-Americans were often refused service at restaurants during the Civil Rights era, although they were able to work in many of these restaurants. Thus, while King's words specifically targeted the situation regarding African-Americans and whites, they can be applied to diversity issues as a whole.

Indeed, King (1963) stated that he had a dream "that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." By stating this, King noted that it was important for people to be judged on "the content of their character" rather than the facets of their ethnicity, color, or religion that distinguish them from others. Furthermore, King draws heavily upon the Constitution of the United States in making his argument. He argues that the founders of the United States assured that every person be given opportunity and freedom, and that opportunity and freedom should be granted universally. While his use of the United States' constitution was certainly a strong support to his argument that roused so many in Washington, D.C., some who live in other parts of the world might not find it convincing. For those, it is important to note that Kings' words make a fundamental argument that all people should be treated equally. This is a universal right that should be guaranteed in every culture and part of the world.

Although King's words are in reaction to the struggle between blacks and whites, they can be applied to diversity in general. That is, the spirit of Martin Luther King's philosophy suggests that the public should be not only color blind, but also blind to the characteristics that make people different, allowing each person to be received with equal treatment. Once can understand that this was the true meaning of King's words by the conclusion of his speech, which states that "...black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands...(King 1963).

Unfortunately, King's vision has yet to be realized, even in the United States' school system, one of the forums at which King's Civil Rights endeavors was directly targeted. In fact, Shields (2003) noted that Henrico, a suburb of Richmond, Virginia, faced a fight for Martin Luther King Day school holidays, as the white community, and school administration fought to keep children in school and the black community urged school to observe the holiday. In order to apply King's philosophy, then, it seems that all arenas must consciously make an attempt to honor it.

King's philosophy, then, was to apply a policy of blindness to diversity. He advocated valuing others by their character rather than their skin color, religious beliefs, ethnicity, abilities, and other features of their backgrounds. He suggested that having people of all backgrounds work together in harmony was the best course of action. His policy for this harmony has a foundation in equality. Thus, King's most prominent belief was that each person should be treated equally, given the same respect, and afforded the same opportunities.

Benefits of Diversity in the Field of Hospitality

Applying King to the field of hospitality is easy when one realizes the benefits that the hospitality industry receives from having diverse employees and customers. First, if a company hires a diverse group of employees, then it is more likely to cater to the needs of customers or clients. Today's global society ensures that diverse populations fill many places on the globe. If a hospitality company wants to best cater to its diverse customers, there is no better way then by hiring a diverse team of employees. Head of EBay's human resources department Beth Axelrod echoes this, arguing that diversity in the work place is important for every organization. She states that "It's important for a company's workforce to not only reflect the diversity of talent available in the world today but also to mirror the diversity of its customer base" (McPherson and Mendoca, 2008, para. 6). In addition, hospitality industries must allow for diversity in their search for talented executives because the pool from which they choose is a diverse one (McPherson and Mendoca, 2008, para. 6). Thus, King's philosophy of being color blind, or blind to diversity, exists here. If a company hires only those persons who meet a certain criteria based on age, religious affiliation, ethnicity, culture, and the like, then that company will probably not have hired the best talent available. Being diversity-blind in this sense allows organizations within the hospitality industry to reap the benefits of the most capable workers. In addition, diverse workplaces can even help foster good relations between ethnic groups. For instance, Khruschevand, Henthorne, and LaTour (2007) suggest that the time is ripe for the United States to enter Cuba as part of its tourism industry. By fostering this commercial relationship between ethnic groups that have had political difficulties in the past, the two argue that Americans and Cubans may begin to mend their rift (pg. 403).

While these diversity issues note how all businesses can be benefited by diversity, the hospitality industry can reap specialized benefits through having a diverse employee and customer/client-base. As the name suggests, the goal of the hospitality industry is to provide services that make a customer or client feel comfortable, whether that it is a meal or an overnight stay at a hotel or motel. Organizations within the hospitality industry that best understand diversity and incorporate King's diversity-blind attitude will be those businesses that are most frequented and who will obtain the best employees. Those from diverse backgrounds who know that they will received equal, personalized, and comfortable service from an organization are likely to return to that organization or refer their friends and family. In addition, a diverse customer base makes for a diverse suggestions base. Those who have diverse customers will be more in the know about trends and opportunities to cater to more customers because they are receiving suggestions not just from one group, but also from many. In much the same way, having a diverse employee-base will allow for a diverse amount of abilities and perspectives. Employees from different backgrounds may be able to give unique ideas about improvements, as well as ways in which the organization can expand its customer base. Sandra Dawson, a U.K. businesswoman, agrees, suggesting that in board meetings, when more than one woman is present, the dynamics of the meeting change (Meaney 2008).

Thus, diversity can benefit the hospitality industry in many ways, including improving the customer base, allowing for suggestions for improvements, and increasing the perspectives that an organization can utilize to make decisions.

Challenges Posed by Diversity in the Hospitality Industry

Despite the fact that diversity can be so beneficial to the hospitality industry, they can also pose significant challenges. From the hiring process through policy changes through the assessment of individuals and data, challenges posed by diversity infiltrate every area of the hospitality industry. For the purpose of this paper, though, we will look at three main areas… READ MORE

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Quoted Instructions for "Martin Luther King/The Hospitality Industry Diversity" Assignment:

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The purpose of this paper is to assist the student research, investigate and report on a historical leader. This is to be a research report *****“ you must draw heavily on resources outside of your personal experiences and framework of the courses taken in your educational background. As a future hospitality manager, it is important that you are familiar with the published resources available, other than trade magazines. A research paper is a thorough investigation of the leader that you selected. The length and depth is only limited by your time, effort and ambition. You will find more than enough resources to research your leader.

1. Once your topic has been selected, plan on spending time familiarizing yourself with materials dealing with it;

2. Make an outline of the aspects of the issue you are investigating and you plan to writing about. This outline will become the *****Table of Contents***** of your written report. The Table of Contents must include page numbers;

3. Select a minimum of 10 publications/articles as references in writing the report. You may not use textbooks as your resource material. A minimum of 3 of the 10 publications must be refereed journal articles from research journals that are a minimum of at 5 pages in length. If you are in doubt that you are using refereed research journals please ask. These resources will be included on the *****Reference***** page; a separate page to be included at the end of your written report. Research journal articles must be dated after January, 1999. No publications should be dated prior to January, 2001; One book may be substituted in lieu of a research journal;

4. Prepare the written report. You must include an *****Introduction***** (Page 1) and *****Conclusion/Summary***** that follow the requirements indicated on the Research Paper Rubric. The body of the report should be written in a way that works for your topic. Each topic will lend itself to a different format. The paper must be narrative; do not use lengthy quotations or numerous bullet points in the body of the paper;

5. The body of the report must include a section that discusses your leader applied to/in the hospitality industry in a logical, cogent manner. This section must be your work supported by citations from published sources. If more than 30% of this section is taken from other works, your grade will suffer greatly;

6. The paper is to be a Minimum of 10 pages (not including title page, table of contents, lengthy quotes, tables, or case examples which should be placed in an appendix) in typed, doubled spaced with 1" margins, top, bottom, left and right. Use only 12 point type with either *****Times***** or *****New Roman***** font; others will not be accepted. It is critical that the paper conform to the length requirements or your grade will be impacted. See Research Paper Rubric for specifics;

7. Pages must be numbered; the page starting with the Introduction is page 1. The introduction is preceded by the Table of Contents (see guideline 2 above). Reports should include a Title Page with title of report, your name, and the date. Following the title page you should place your Table of Contents and then the Introduction;

8. This is a research paper, citations are a necessity. Unless the work is your own, failure to credit the source is plagiarism. If you plagiarize a work you will receive a failing (F) grade for the paper. If in doubt - ask. The Writing Center is a resource available to you. TurnItIn.com will be used to check for plagiarism. Papers with more than a 20% use of cited material, or papers using material not cited, will receive a zero for the paper;

9. A proper bibliographical citation must include author, name of book or journal, title of article, volume and issue number, page numbers of article, publisher, and year of publication; Do NOT use internet webpages as sources and do NOT use Wikipedia as a source; Do not use textbooks as sources;

10. Please do not submit the paper in any type of folder, binder or envelope. Staple pages together in upper left hand corner;

11. Please proof your paper for typographical and spelling errors as this severely detracts from the content of your paper.

12. You are required to submit your paper online to www.turnitin.com by the deadline. Specific Instructions for submission will be provided to you in class; see enrollment information below. Please carefully review the Research Paper Rubric for specific evaluation criteria;

13. Grading criteria will be indicated on evaluation form. NO REPORTS WILL BE ACCEPTED BEYOND THE DEADLINE WITHOUT PRIOR PERMISSION. Reports may be submitted any time prior to deadline;

14. Deadline = feb 21 2009;

15. Papers submitted that are less than 10 pages in length following guidelines as indicated above will not receive higher than 70% on the paper and are likely to score much lower;

16. The purpose of this paper is to have you investigate a historical leader and present an opinion, applied to the hospitality industry, and then applying *****lessons from your leader***** to your own leadership style/behaviors. Therefore, the paper logically progresses from an introduction of the leader and why he/she is important to a review of the current literature to a discussion section to a conclusion/summary section to the references utilized and any additional information pertinent to the topic in an appendix.

17. PLEASE PAY MAKE A NOTE OF #3 & #5

I WILL MAKE AN ATTEMPT AT GETTING RESOURCES BY THE 14TH OF FEB, IF NOT THEN JUST CONTINUE

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