ABSTRACT. This paper explores the readiness of hospitality management students for the workplace in the context of graduates' ability to adapt to fast-paced changes and quickly acquire new skills, abandoning obsolete ones, applying for example the learn, unlearn, and relearn concept. Focus is placed on the importance of developing soft skills during college studies in hospitality management, highlighting the importance of adaptability and creativity as modern management capabilities. The authors introduce “The Purple Zone” model to identify where and how students’ soft skills could be further developed. The paper recommends areas in The Purple Zone where soft and hard skills are complementary and not viewed as separate entities. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from Human Resource professionals on student readiness for entering the workforce. Findings suggest most graduating students lack sufficient soft skills for effective management roles. Suggestions for how extracurricular activities contribute to developing soft skills are discussed. The Purple Zone model emerges as a compelling intersection where soft and hard skills interconnect in the student learning experience.

ABSTRACT. The aim of this paper is to contribute to the academic debate on leadership, by understanding the simultaneous and complex relationship that exists between flexibility, autonomy, innovative behavior, and performance and engagement, or conversely on arousing stress. By understanding the mechanisms behind the relationship that exists between performance, flexibility and work passion, as well as the relationship that exists between innovative behavior and the previously mentioned factors, leaders and HR managers could make better decisions for better employee results and more innovative behaviors leveraging flexibility at workplace to boost work passion and performance/innovative behavior.

ABSTRACT. Issue-selling involves lower-level actors attempting to convince others of an issue's relevance, potentially leading to developing business solutions and organizations to respond better to internal and external demands. Therefore, it is worth reviewing and determining if analyzing the drivers and understanding the underlying motivational factors when employing issue-selling tactics would also benefit the organization. The proposed research methodology for this study is the narrative systematic literature review. This method will extract the most relevant data from 25 peer-reviewed empirical papers, academic textbooks, or secondary data related to my construct and research problem. Next, the data will be synthesized to draw rational conclusions and produce strong evidence that supports the importance of evaluating the drivers for issue-selling and its impact on the organization. The expected findings will be that understanding the drivers would guide management in developing strategies to create a culture that uses issue- selling to foster employee engagement, motivation, job satisfaction, and business solutions.

ABSTRACT. Human resource practices are crucial for organizations’ success and we need to pay attention to its impact on organization structure. This research explores how management develops and perceives human resources practices within organizations. Previously, a lot of researchers focuses on employees’ point of view and there is a limited understanding from managerial perspective upon these HR practices. The study will use a qualitative narrative methodology by conducting semi-structured interviews with HR professionals and managers from different industries in Myanmar. Analyzing from managerial point of view can guidance of how managers implement the HR practices and understand the insights of managers perceptions and rationales. This study bridges the gap of understanding the managerial perceptive on HR practices which creates more effective HR strategies aligned with desire outcomes.

ABSTRACT. Despite extensive research on stigma as one of prominent social evaluations, its nature across specific contexts and industries remains unclear. For addressing some of these challenges in the context of frontline work in hospitality industry, this review aims to answer the research question: 'What do we know about stigma?'. The study adopts a narrative systematic literature review methodology to study the mechanisms of stigma, including its outcomes, antecedents, consequences, and processes. This study aims to make two contributions to our knowledge about stigma. First, it aims to synthesize what is known about the mechanisms of stigma so far. Second, it aims to derive practical recommendations to the frontline employees and managers in hospitality organizations.

ABSTRACT. The concept of accessibility in tourism has been studied over the past few decades as a consequence of the fact that tourists with disabilities have been denied the right to experience tourism like their counterparts. Among the people that were often discriminated there are the older individuals. Older individuals rapresent a growing market due to the demographic changes. Tourism should now pay more attention to older individuals to avoid discrimination and to be able to take advantage of this market opportunity. Being able to design services capable to satisfy older individuals is very important and this should be an imperative for every tourism facilities, including agritourism farms. The goal of this proposal is to present a current embrional research that aims to develop a framework for accessible agritourism farms for the older individuals on the basis of a deeper understanding of the accessibility expectations of the older individuals, and the current accessibility of agritourism farms to the aged. A mix method approach would be used to address the aim and the objectives presented.

ABSTRACT. The world population is aging. With aging more and more people started to be more interested in the concept of healthy aging. As a consequence they look for tourism oppurtunities capable to fit with their healthier lifestyle and that promote wellbeing. Wellbeing-enhancing tourism is a form of tourism that meet the needs of older individuals interested in their wellbeing and their quality of life for a healthier aging. Although wellbeing-enhancing tourism could be considered as an attractive form of tourism for older individuals, not much is actually known in terms of how older individuals' make decisions about this form of tourism. The aim of this reasearch, that uses the Q Method Apporach, is to explore the older individuals’ decision-making process with regard to wellbeing-enhancing tourism, focusing on a holistic approach.