Information about the doctoral dissertation of PhD candidate Doan Thi Tham: Research on factors affecting the development of human resources in tourism in Hanoi.

1. Full name of doctoral candidate: Doan Thi Tham            2. Gender: Female

3. Date of birth: June 2, 1978 4. Place of birth: Thai Binh

5. Decision on admitting doctoral students: Decision No. 4416/QD-XHNV dated November 26, 2019, of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

6. Changes to the training process (if any): Extending the training period from November 26, 2023 to November 26, 2025.

7. Thesis title: Research on factors affecting the development of human resources in tourism in Hanoi

8. Major: Tourism 9. Code: 9810101.01

10. Scientific supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Pham Hung

11. Summary of the new findings of the thesis:

Research objectives of the thesis: To study the factors influencingDeveloping human resources for tourism (HRM)This study examines accommodation establishments in Hanoi to determine the extent and mechanisms of influence of various factors on the development of human resources in the tourism sector. Based on this, it proposes policy implications to improve the quality of human resources, meet the increasing demands of tourists, and achieve Hanoi's tourism development goals from now until 2030 with a vision to 2050.

The research subjects of this thesis include:

- Developing human resources for tourism in accommodation establishments in Hanoi;

- Factors affecting the development of human resources in tourist accommodation establishments in Hanoi.

The research methods used included both qualitative and quantitative research methods.

            Main results of the thesis

The research model of this dissertation is based on Barnard's (1938) theory of organizational cooperation systems, Pfeffer and Salancik's (1978) theory of resource dependence, and references the research model of Atthakorn (2013). To incorporate individual employee factors into the study, with the aim of more comprehensively examining the extent to which internal, external, and individual employee factors influence the development of human resources in the tourism sector. The model was empirically studied at accommodation establishments in Hanoi.

The thesis showed that the overall level of human resource development in Hanoi's accommodation establishments is quite high, but there are differences between aspects. Training and self-development of employees are highly developed, while support for employees to learn through on-the-job experience and advanced education for career development are at a low level. The thesis clarified the important factors affecting the development of human resources in Hanoi's tourism accommodation establishments. The results emphasize that the individual motivation of employees is the most powerful and positive factor. This motivation not only directly influences but also acts as an intermediary in transmitting the impact of other factors on human resource development. When individual motivation is enhanced, employees will not only proactively and voluntarily develop themselves, but also make the most effective use of the organization's human resource training and development policies, take advantage of external support, grasp tourism development trends and technological changes to develop their careers, develop the organization, and contribute to improving the quality of human resources in the tourism industry. Therefore, to effectively develop human resources in the tourism sector, policies that create motivation for learning and self-development for employees are necessary.

Furthermore, the organization's training and development policy is also identified as a crucial factor, impacting both directly and indirectly through individual motivation. However, this policy has not received high praise from employees, indicating the need for improvement to enhance its effectiveness. The business environment, leadership support, and technological advancements also have a positive influence, but mainly through indirect mechanisms. In particular, technology, despite its crucial role, is not yet fully understood by employees in terms of its impact on human resource development.

On the other hand, organizational culture was found to have no significant impact, either direct or indirect, on the development of human resources in tourism. This result differs from previous studies and can be explained by the specifics of the tourism industry, where employees must maintain professionalism in a high-pressure and demanding work environment, prioritizing serving tourists and paying less attention to human resource development, one of the crucial factors determining service quality, organizational competitiveness, and the sustainable development of the tourism industry.

Based on the above results, the study suggests that accommodation establishments should prioritize improving employee motivation by encouraging voluntary learning and development, refining training and human resource development policies, and enhancing awareness of the role of technology. Simultaneously, creating a favorable work environment, improving the business environment, and increasing leadership support will indirectly boost motivation, thereby improving the effectiveness of human resource development in tourism within accommodation establishments.

            New contributions of the dissertation

+ Theoretical contributions

(1) The thesis has chosen an approach to determine the level of development of tourism human resources through evaluation and analysis from individual workers, which is suitable for the research objectives and meaningful in the research context of the topic. From here, the analysis results have shown interesting discoveries about the level of development of tourism human resources in accommodation establishments in Hanoi, determining the importance of factors that directly influence and indirectly influence through the mediating variable of individual motivation of workers on the development of tourism human resources. The addition and adjustment of factors as concluded above can be considered a new contribution of the thesis because this has not been mentioned in previous studies. However, to be able to definitively confirm this discovery, further research at a deeper level, a wider scope, or in the context of other localities outside Hanoi may be needed.

(2) The thesis has developed factors affecting the development of tourism human resources through the assessment of workers and business managers. Clearly defining the groups of abstract influencing factors on specific activities of human resource development such as training, education, on-the-job learning and self-development will create a more complete understanding of the level and importance of internal and external organizational factors. This result is relevant and necessary to explain in depth the level or, in other words, the level of development of human resources at accommodation establishments in Hanoi.

(3) The thesis has identified the direct and indirect influences on human resource development in accommodation establishments. The analysis results show that the impact of the workers' own learning motivation is the most important factor, having the most positive and strong impact on human resource development in accommodation establishments in Hanoi. Furthermore, other factors also influence the development of human resources in accommodation establishments in Hanoi through both direct and indirect mechanisms via the mediating variable "employee motivation," recognizing the important roles of factors such as "organizational policies on training and development," "organizational business environment," "leadership support," and "technological development." This contribution can serve as a basis for policymakers to consider promoting factors that motivate employee development, improving organizational policies on training and human resource development, and enhancing the business environment to support human resource development. In particular, individual employees can also create their own motivation, or even work and life pressures, if viewed positively, can be factors that drive their career advancement and growth.

(4) The thesis has identified the relationship between internal and external factors of the enterprise and the development of tourism human resources in accommodation establishments as a reciprocal relationship. This result can be the basis for conducting further research, especially in the reverse direction, to better support the theory of human resource development.

+Practical contributions

(1) The thesis has contributed a novel research result to the practical development of tourism human resources in accommodation establishments in Hanoi. This result is a necessary data source to support state management agencies and tourism accommodation businesses in building appropriate policies, plans, and orientations for the development of tourism human resources.

(2) The thesis has synthesized and identified attributes to measure factors affecting human resource development at accommodation establishments, in accordance with the context of Hanoi in particular and Vietnam in general. This result will also be a very significant practical contribution because it is a basis for human resource development researchers to use as a basis for their research tasks.

(3) The thesis has proposed a system of policy implications on motivating employees to voluntarily learn, develop, improve the organization's human resource training and development policies, and improve the business environment. Hopefully, these implications will also be useful for state management agencies, businesses, and employees to refer to in practice.

Conclude:The research results confirm that internal and external factors influence all aspects of human resource development in accommodation establishments in Hanoi. However, depending on whether the impact is direct or indirect through the "individual motivation" of employees, the strength of the impact varies. To effectively develop human resources, it is necessary to create learning motivation for employees, improve the company's human resource development policies, and enhance the business environment.

12. Directions for further research:

+ Conduct a comparative study of the impact of various factors on each type of accommodation facility to identify differences and provide policy suggestions for developing and improving the quality of human resources in the tourism sector for each type of facility.

+ Research the level of development and the impact of factors influencing the development of human resources in tourism in other sub-sectors of the tourism sector, or research in other regions, localities, or destinations.

+ In-depth research and analysis of the impact of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and human resource management software on how human resource management in accommodation establishments is changing, focusing on factors such as recruitment, training, and employee development in hotels and resorts. In particular, the potential for applying technology to optimize workflows, enhance customer experience, and increase employee satisfaction in the accommodation environment requires further study.

+ Research the factors influencing the training and development of human resources in the tourism sector for specific groups such as management personnel, policy planners, and senior management personnel…

            + Research on the relationship between human resource development levels and customer satisfaction and revenue growth in tourism businesses.

13. Publications related to the dissertation:

1- Doan Thi Tham (2022), “Strengthening the implementation of MRA-TP in tourism human resource development in ASEAN countries to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic and prepare for the recovery of the tourism industry”,Times of Uncertainty: National Policies and International Relations under COVID-19 in Southeast Asia and Beyond, pp. 195-218.

2- Doan Thi Tham (2023), “Tourism human resource training and development under the impacts of COVID19 pandemic”,Proceedings of The 1st International Conference on Economics 2023, pp. 889-899.

3- Doan Thi Tham (2024), “Factors affecting the development of tourism human resources: Perspective from tourism accommodation businesses”,Proceedings of  the International Conference on Smart Tourism and Sustainable Development: Potential Opportunities and Challenges, pp. 655-669.

4- Doan Thi Tham (2024), “Sustainable development of human resources for the tourism industry in Vietnam - Roles of stakeholders, Proceedings of  the International Conference onEnhancing Cooperation to Promote Sustainable Tourism in Response to Climate Change, the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and Artificial Intelligence,pp. 279-289.

INFORMATION ON DOCTORAL THESIS

1. Full name: Doan Thi Tham

2. Sex: Female

3. Date of birth: June 2, 1978

4. Place of birth: Thai Binh

5. decision number4416/QD-XHNVflood 26/11/2019 by University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Hanoi National University.

6. Changes in academic process: Minor edits to the thesis title according to the Resolution of the Overall Thesis Evaluation Council dated August 16, 2024

7. Official thesis title: Research on factors affecting the development of tourism human resources in Hanoi

8. Major: Tourism

9. Code:9810101.01

10. Supervisors: Assoc.Prof.Dr. Nguyen Pham Hung

11. Summary of the new findings of the thesis

The purposeof studying the factors affecting the development of tourism human resources (HRD) in hospitals in Hanoi is to find out the level of influence and the impact mechanism of the factors on the development of HRD, on that basis, proposes policy implications to contribute to improving the quality of human resources, meeting the increasing needs of tourists and the goal of developing Hanoi tourism from now to 2030 with a vision to 2050.

The research objectsThe thesis includes:

- Development of tourism human resources in hospitals in Hanoi;

- Factors affecting the development of tourism human resources in hospitals in Hanoi.

Produce methods: Qualitative and quantitative research methods.

Main results:

The thesis has shown that the overall level of development of human resources in accommodation establishments in Hanoi is quite high, but there are differences between aspects, in which training and self-development of employees are aspects with high levels of development, while supporting employees to learn through actual work and advanced education for employees to develop their careers are at a low level. The thesis has clarified the important factors affecting the development of tourism human resources in accommodation establishments in Hanoi. The results emphasize that personal motivation of employees is the factor with the strongest and most positive impact. This motivation not only has a direct impact but also plays an intermediary role in transmitting the impact of other factors on human resource development. When personal motivation is enhanced, employees will not only proactively and voluntarily develop themselves, but also exploit the organization's training and human resource development policies to the fullest and most effective, take advantage of external support, grasp tourism development trends, and technological changes to develop their careers, develop the organization, and contribute to improving the quality of human resources in the tourism industry. Therefore, to effectively develop human resources, it is necessary to have policies that motivate employees to learn and develop themselves.

In addition, the organization's training and development policy was also identified as an important factor, affecting both directly and indirectly through personal motivation. However, this policy has not received high appreciation from employees, indicating that improvements are needed to increase efficiency. The business environment, support from leaders and technological development also have positive effects but mainly through indirect mechanisms. In particular, technology, although important, is not fully recognized by employees for its influence in promoting human resource development.

On the other hand, organizational culture was found to have no significant impact, either directly or indirectly, on tourism human resource development. This result is different from previous studies and can be explained by the characteristics of the tourism industry, where employees must maintain professionalism in a high-pressure and demanding working environment, all priorities focus on serving tourists, not paying much attention to human resource development, one of the important factors contributing to determining service quality, organizational competitiveness and sustainable development of the tourism industry.

From the above results, the study suggests that accommodation establishments should prioritize improving the personal motivation of employees by creating motivation for employees to voluntarily learn and develop, perfecting training policies, developing human resources, and increasing awareness of the role of technology. At the same time, creating a favorable working environment, improving the business environment and enhancing support from leaders will indirectly help promote motivation, thereby improving the effectiveness of tourism human resource development in accommodation establishments.

New contributions of the Thesis

+ Theoretical contributions

(1) The thesis has chosen an approach to determine the level of development of tourism human resources through assessment and analysis from the individual employee unit, which is suitable for the research objectives and meaningful in the research context of the topic. From here, the analysis results have shown interesting discoveries about the level of development of tourism human resources in hospitals in Hanoi, determining the importance of direct and indirect factors through the intermediary variable of individual motivation of employees to the development of tourism human resources. The addition and adjustment of factors as concluded above can be considered a new contribution of the thesis because this has not been mentioned in previous studies. However, to be able to confirm this discovery, further studies may be needed at a deeper level, on a wider scale or in contexts other than Hanoi.

(2) The thesis has developed factors affecting the development of tourism human resources through the assessment of employees and business managers. Clearly defining groups of abstract factors affecting specific activities of human resource development such as training, education, learning through work and self-development will create a more complete understanding of the level and importance of internal and external factors of the organization. This result is appropriate and necessary to deeply explain the level or in other words, the level of development of human resources at hospitals in Hanoi city.

(3) The thesis has identified in detail the direct and indirect impacts on the development of human resources in hospitals. The analysis results show that the impact of the learning motivation of the employees themselves is the most important factor, with the strongest and most positive impact on the development of human resources in hospitals in Hanoi. In addition, other factors also affect the development of human resources in accommodation establishments in Hanoi through both direct and indirect mechanisms through the intermediate variable "Self-motivation" of employees, in which the important role of factors such as "Organizational policies on training and development", "Business environment" of the organization, "Support of leaders", "Technology development" ... This contribution can be the basis for policy makers on human resources development to consider promoting factors that motivate employees, perfecting the organization's policies on training and development of human resources, improving the business environment to support the development of human resources, especially individual employees can also create their own motivation or even work pressure, life pressure if they see it Positive, are also factors that motivate them to rise up and grow in their careers.

(4) The thesis has identified the relationship between internal and external factors of the enterprise relationship and the development of tourism human resources in hospitals as a reciprocal. This result can be the basis for further research, especially in the opposite direction, to better support the theory of human resource development.

+ Practical supplies

(1) The thesis has contributed a new research result to the practical development of tourism human resources in hospitals in Hanoi. This result is a necessary data source to support state management agencies and tourism accommodation businesses in developing appropriate policies, plans, and orientations for tourism human resource development.

(2) The thesis has synthesized and identified attributes to measure factors affecting the development of human resources in hospitals, suitable for the context of Hanoi in particular and Vietnam in general. This result will also be a contribution of great practical significance because this is the basis for researchers to develop human resources to use as a basis for their research tasks.

(3) The thesis has proposed a system of policy implications on motivating employees to volunteer study, develop, improve training policies, develop human resources of the organization and improve the business environment. Hopefully, these implications will also be useful for state management agencies, enterprises and employees to refer to in practice.

Surgery: The research results confirm that internal and external factors of the organization affect all aspects of human resource development in accommodation establishments in Hanoi, however, depending on the direct or indirect impact mechanism through the "Personal motivation" of employees, the level of impact is different. To effectively develop human resources, it is necessary to create learning motivation for employees, improve the enterprise's human resource development policy and the business environment.

1. Further research directions

+ Research to compare the impact level of factors on each type of accommodation facility to find the differences and have policy suggestions for developing and improving the quality of human resources facility for each type of accommodation.

+ Research the level of development and the impact of factors affecting the development of tourism human resources in other sub-sectors of the tourism sector or research in other regions, localities, and destinations.

+ In-depth research and analysis of the impact of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and human resource management software that have been changing the way human resources are managed in accommodation establishments on factors such as recruitment, training, and employee development in hotels and resorts. In particular, the ability to apply technology to optimize work processes, enhance customer experience, and increase employee satisfaction in the accommodation environment needs further research.

+ Research factors affecting the training and development of tourism human resources for specific groups of human resources such as management human resources, policy makers, senior management human resources, etc.

+ Research on the relationship between the level of human resource development with customer satisfaction and revenue growth of tourism businesses.

1. Thesis-related publications

1- Doan Thi Tham (2022), “Strengthening the implementation of MRA-TP in tourism human resource development in ASEAN countries to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic and prepare for the recovery of the tourism industry”,Times of Uncertainty: National Policies and International Relations under COVID-19 in Southeast Asia and Beyond, pp. 195-218.

2- Doan Thi Tham (2023), “Tourism human resource training and development under the impacts of COVID19 pandemic”,Proceedings of The 1st International Conference on Economics 2023, pp. 889-899.

3- Doan Thi Tham (2024), “Factors affecting the development of tourism human resources: Perspective from tourism accommodation businesses”,Proceedings of  the International Conference on Smart Tourism and Sustainable Development: Potential Opportunities and Challenges, pp. 655-669.

4- Doan Thi Tham (2024), “Sustainable development of human resources for the tourism industry in Vietnam - Roles of stakeholders, Proceedings of  the International Conference onEnhancing Cooperation to Promote Sustainable Tourism in Response to Climate Change, the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and Artificial Intelligence,pp. 279-289.