Pimtong Tavitiyaman & Hin Cheung Annie Ko
Abstract:
This study aims to explore employee perception of legal and ethical issues in Hong Kong’s hospitality industry and examine the legal and ethical emphases of different hospitality sectors. Frontline employees perceive the importance of most of the legal and ethical issues. However, they perceive that hospitality companies do not perform well on legal and ethical implications especially in terms of employment law, working with lawyers, and insurance laws. Furthermore, different hospitality sectors emphasise different legal and ethical issues in various aspects. Hotels focus on the protection of their guests; restaurants and theme parks aim for hygiene and safety; and private clubs concentrate on protecting the properties of their guests. Hospitality practitioners should provide all-around legal and ethical knowledge and training to employees to optimise performance proficiency and to reduce litigations and disputes. Meanwhile, hospitality students are encouraged to equip themselves with legal and ethical knowledge before entering the hospitality industry.
Keywords: Legal, ethical, importance–performance analysis, hospitality, Hong Kong