A Critical Evaluation of Perceptions of Bias within the Scottish Central Belt Hospitality Sector Workforce

Abstract

The aim of this research is to critically evaluate perceptions of bias within the Scottish central belt in the hospitality sector workforce. The study investigates the perceptions of five main biases: gender, age, race, sexual orientation and appearance, that are carried through as themes from the literature review and primary research undertaken. The study also helps to gain an understanding of the impact bias has on the overall job satisfaction of employees within the industry. The aim and objectives for the research will be fulfilled through evaluation of the current literature and an online questionnaire. A quantitative research approach was adopted for the primary study through the use of an online questionnaire. The target population for the research is formed of hospitality employees located within the central belt of Scotland and a non-probability sampling technique was used through convenience and snowball sampling. A total of 97 respondents participated in the primary research. There was a lack of diversity within the respondents, however there was still some variation regarding age, gender, sexual orientation and race, allowing for comparative analysis between the demographic groups. The results gathered from the primary research were compared against existing research from the literature review in order to deductively test theory. The key results from the primary research were displayed in a variety of visual graphs in order to demonstrate the results and allow for cross tabulation. It was found that the primary research complimented the literature regarding bias of gender, age, race, appearance and sexual orientation as main themes within the hospitality industry. However, it was noted that age bias had a large impact on younger generations, an area that is lacking in research. Additionally, both primary and secondary research extracted a correlation between bias and job dissatisfaction. The study was concluded by outlining the achievement of the aim and objectives of the research, followed by practical recommendations for the hospitality industry to increase awareness of bias and increase diversity within the workforce by addressing the benefits to the employees and the business. Additionally, theoretical recommendations for future research suggest adopting a mixed methods approach to reduce research limitations, as well as a recommendation for future research regarding the psychological perception of bias amongst younger generations, in order to explore in depth, the age bias results.