Purpose: This paper aims to present the findings from a European study on the digital skills gaps in tourism and hospitality companies. Design/methodology/approach: Mixed methods research was adopted. The sample includes 1,668 respondents (1,404 survey respondents and 264 interviewees) in 5 tourism sectors (accommodation establishments, tour operators and travel agents, food and beverage, visitor attractions and destination management organisations) in 8 European countries (UK, Italy, Ireland, Spain, Hungary, Germany, the Netherlands and Bulgaria). Findings: The most important future digital skills include online marketing and communication skills, social media skills, MS Office skills, operating systems use skills and skills to monitor online reviews. The largest gaps between the current and the future skill levels were identified for artificial intelligence and robotics skills and augmented reality and virtual reality skills, but these skills, together with computer programming skills, were considered also as the least important digital skills. Three clusters were identified on the basis of their reported gaps between the current level and the future needs of digital skills. The country of registration, sector and size shape respondents’ answers regarding the current and future skills levels and the skills gap between them. Originality/value: The paper discusses the digital skills gap of tourism and hospitality employees and identifies the most important digital skills they would need in the future.
MULTIFILE
Despite the importance of sustainable fashion consumption, sustainable fashion retailers capture only a small segment of the overall fashion market. While existing research has thoroughly examined consumer drivers of purchasing sustainable fashion, little is known about how retailers perceive these drivers and whether their marketing tactics reflect these perceptions. This study investigates the alignment between retailers’ presumed drivers of sustainable fashion purchases and the marketing tactics they deploy. Based on interviews with 25 sustainable fashion retailers, analyzed through deductive thematic analysis, the results reveal a disconnect: while retailers identify personal benefits such as style and price as key drivers, their marketing tactics predominantly emphasize relaying generic information about sustainable fashion. Furthermore, the analysis reveals a persistent theoretical misalignment between presumed drivers and the tactics deployed, alongside narrow use of available marketing tactics. These findings have important theoretical and practical implications, highlighting the need for stronger collaboration between academia and practice to test and implement consumer-informed marketing tactics. Such alignment may help expand the reach of sustainable fashion within the broader fashion market.
MULTIFILE
HRM-vraagstukken zijn complex en het oplossen ervan stelt hoge eisen aan de professionele HRM’er. Deze moet zowel kennis nemen van de steeds groter wordende wetenschappelijke body of knowledge over het vakgebied als de eigen werkpraktijk kunnen begrijpen, zoals personele vraagstukken kunnen signaleren en doorgronden, de werkcultuur begrijpen en HR-interventies beoordelen. Als staffunctionaris moet de professional daarbij structureel en actief belangrijke stakeholders betrekken bij het ontwerp en de evaluatie van personeelsbeleid. Onderzoek doen kan een manier zijn om met deze eisen om te gaan.
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