Abstract
The top executives of the Brunt Hotels, PLC are weighing between hiring host country nationals and parent country nationals. Parent country employees will bring immense experience and get the opportunity to acquire skills in managing across cultures. However, they will face cultural and language barriers in France. On the contrary, the local employees will have a better understanding of the French culture, thus enhancing customer service. Moreover, it will be cheaper to hire the host country nationals. However, hiring the locals will limit the chances of the home country employees getting international experience. Therefore, the Brunt Hotels subsidiary in France should mix both host country and parent country employees to maximize the benefits.
Advantages of Hiring Internal Candidates who are Parent Country Nationals (PNCs)
First, hiring local talent will give the managers of the company in the parent country a chance to get international experience because the hotel is international. Some of the managers will be brought into the new chain in France. The managers of the hotel will also be moving between countries in case any problems arise (Root III, 2015).
Secondly, the parent country nationals (PNCs) have previous knowledge of the organization. They understand the hotel’s practices and operations. The prior experience will be beneficial because the workers will help the host managers understand the hotel’s culture faster to achieve smooth continuity.
The parent country nationals can liaise with the headquarters more efficiently, as they are more familiar with the hotel’s operations at the headquarters in the UK. Moreover, the workers are more conversant with any procedures and hierarchies that may need to be followed (Jackson, Schuler, & Werner, 2011).
Finally, the company will gain more control of the subsidiary by hiring the parent country nationals. Much of the hotel’s control is from the headquarters; therefore, hiring managers from the parent country will place the hotel in a better position to control the subsidiary in France.
Disadvantages
Adapting to the host country may take a longer time for the parent country nationals (PNCs). Most of the managers and employees of the hotel have not worked at the international level before. In addition, most of them do not understand French. The difficulty in language and the difference in culture may make it difficult to adapt quickly (Jackson et al., 2011).
Once the parent country employees are brought in the France subsidiary, there will be limited working opportunities for the host country nationals (HCNs). This may lead to the host country nationals not supporting the new subsidiary.
The work culture of the home country may have a negative impact on the host country organization. The work style in the UK is different from that of France. The parent country nationals are likely to bring the UK work culture, which may not be in rhythm with that of France.
Salaries and benefits are different between PCNs and HCNs, which may cause a feeling of inferiority among the employees who will be paid less or enjoy fewer benefits. The employees’ productivity may be lowered due to a lack of enough motivation.
Advantages of Hiring Host Country Nationals
Hiring host country nationals will ease communication between the French citizens, who will be the bulk of the customers in the France subsidiary, and the employees because both understand French. Consequently, there will be increased understanding between the organization and the customers, leading to increased customer satisfaction (Jackson et al., 2011). Secondly, the host country nationals understand the culture of France better than the UK citizens. The French nationals will help the management of Brunt Hotels, PLC in developing strategies that will be in line with the French culture.
Thirdly, it will be cheaper to hire host country nationals. Their proximity to the organization and the fact that they understand the language and culture of the country mean that there will be no need for training in language and culture. Finally, there will be no changes in the management for a long period because the host country nationals are known to stay longer in their positions (Dowling, Festing, & Engle, 2008). It will reduce the costs of hiring new managers.
Disadvantages
Hiring HCNs in the new subsidiary will limit the chance of PCNs gaining international work experience. Most of Brunt Hotels, PLC workers have not worked outside the UK, but they are keen on getting international experience. However, there will be limited chances for the PCNs to get this experience if the HCNs are hired (Jackson et al., 2011). Consequently, Brunt may not have enough managers who have experience in international management. Secondly, the work culture of the home country is different from that of the host country. Therefore, the HCNs may be required to learn the home country work style because the hotel’s control is in the home country.
Thirdly, the employees will be loyal to the country, but not to the company. Consequently, they may not be fully committed to the success of Brunt Hotels, thereby affecting the performance of the subsidiary. Finally, the HCNs have limited chances to work abroad. Therefore, they are not likely to get the international experience they desire, while their counterparts from the parent country will have the international expertise.
Conclusion
Having a mix of PCNs and HCNs will be of advantage to Brunt Hotels, PLC in managing the new subsidiary. However, Brunt Hotels, PLC should hire employees who have excellent knowledge of the host country to have better chances of success. That kind of a manager will help the hotel’s management in developing successful strategies and understanding the customer behaviors and needs. Moreover, Brunt Hotels will be in a position to offer satisfactory services to the clients and improve its performance, as a result.
Recommended Selection Criteria
Technical ability: The employee who should be selected for the position is one who has excellent technical knowledge. This is an employee who understands the core values of the hotels, the sections of the hotel, and can produce quality work.
Cross culture suitability: The employee should have cross-cultural skills. The candidate should be in a position to understand the French and the English cultures. This will assist in communication, better understanding of the organization, and enhance working in the multinational environment.
The employee should also have the minimum requirements for the position. It means that the candidate should have knowledge of the hospitality industry. Experience will also be necessary, as it will give the hotel the confidence that the candidate has practical knowledge in the industry.
Announcing the Vacant Position
Posters: Posters can be used to announce the vacant position in the home country organization. Posters will be effective in attracting most of the Brunt Hotels, PLC workers in the UK. Moreover, posters will reach many employees in the home country organization. It should also be noted that posters will cost a relatively small amount of money, yet they will get an active response (Tolliday, 2015).
Regional Emails: Emails will be useful in reaching many people at a low cost. Regional emails will help the employees of Brunt Hotels get the opportunity to develop their careers at the international level. It is important to note that every employee wants to grow career-wise; thus, an opportunity like this will motivate the employees and increase their productivity (Tolliday, 2015).
Selection Process
The qualified applicants will be invited for an interview. In the interview, the employer will be seeking to understand the competence of the candidates in the hospitality industry (Hotel Manager Job Description, 2015). The interview questions will be designed to help the employer to know how well each candidate fits the job. The company will also seek to understand whether the candidate has international knowledge because they will be hired for an international position. The candidate will also be tested for their ability to communicate verbally and through writing. The ability to communicate in French and English will be paramount in this case because the candidate will be required to operate in both France and the UK.
On the second day, the employer will seek to know whether the employee understands the working environment they will join. An understanding of the international culture or other cross-cultural suitability factors will mean that the candidate has an understanding of the international working environment (Hamm, n.d.). Cross-cultural experience will help the employee to adapt to the new environment in a shorter time. The candidate will also be required to understand the roles associated with the job position. This will help them in working with the various groups of people in the organization, as well as the clients. Interaction adjustment will be vital in bettering interactions between the candidate and the other people in the organization.
References
Dowling, P. J., Festing, M., & Engle, A. (2008). International human resource management (5th ed.). South Melbourne, Victoria Australia: Thomson. Web.
Hamm, L. (n.d.). E-employment testing. Web.
Hotel Manager Job Description. (2015). Web.
Jackson, S., Schuler, R., & Werner, S. (2011). Managing human resources (11th ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning. Web.
Root III, G. N. (2015). Advantages & disadvantages of internal recruitment. Web.
Tolliday, D. (2015). The advantages of posters. Web.