Author Identifier
Franklin Akosa: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6347-2783
Date of Award
2025
Document Type
Thesis
Publisher
Edith Cowan University
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
School
School of Business and Law
First Supervisor
Sam Huang
Second Supervisor
Hossein Ali Abadi
Third Supervisor
Jun Wen
Abstract
The Ghanaian hotel industry faces persistent challenges in attracting, retaining, and reducing turnover among frontline employees. This thesis investigates these challenges by developing and testing an integrated career intention model that explains the career behaviours of hotel employees. Guided by social cognitive career theory (SCCT), social identity theory (SIT), and the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), the study aims to examine how individual-level factors (career beliefs and career identity), an organisational-level factor (transformational leadership), and a sociocultural factor (subjective norms) influence frontline hotel employees’ career attitudes and intentions. A sequential mixed method approach was employed. Qualitatively, semi-structured interviews were conducted to identify and explain hotel career beliefs in the hotel employment context. Quantitatively, partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyse the structural relationships among hotel career beliefs, career identity, transformational leadership, career attitude, subjective norms and career intentions. Qualitative data was collected from 24 hotel frontline employees, while quantitative data was collected from a sample of 769 hotel frontline employees across five cities in Ghana. Findings revealed that customer service skills, professionalism, and a strong commitment to customer satisfaction were significant hotel career beliefs. Three core dimensions of hotel career beliefs emerged: customer service, workplace experiences, and work expectations. The quantitative results indicated that hotel career beliefs positively predicted career identity, which in turn significantly predicted career intentions. Career intentions negatively affect turnover intentions. The quantitative research results further revealed that subjective norms significantly and positively influence career attitudes. Transformational leadership not only strengthens employees’ career attitudes and intentions but also moderates the relationship between subjective norms and career attitudes, amplifying their positive effect. Favourable career attitudes strongly predict employees’ career intentions, underscoring the importance of cultivating positive perceptions to enhance employee commitment. This research addressed significant gaps in hospitality career studies and offers practical implications for improving employee attraction, retention and career development in the hotel industry. The findings offer practical implications for the hospitality and tourism (H&T) industry, particularly across collectivist (Africa and Asia) and individualist (U.S., Australia, Canada, and Europe) contexts.
Access Note
Access to this thesis is embargoed until 7th November 2028
DOI
10.25958/qnyt-yn46
Recommended Citation
Akosa, F. (2025). Understanding hotel employee career behaviour: Developing and testing an integrative model in the context of Ghanaian hotel industry. Edith Cowan University. https://doi.org/10.25958/qnyt-yn46