Hyams and Fryer examine the impact of human resource management policies and practices on service quality. The article examines training and career development, communication, performance appraisal, job redesign and empowerment, and describes the improvements in guest satisfaction and company financial performance which can result. Many companies know to their cost, however, that there is no automatic link between more training and improved financial performance. The UK government quality standard Investors in People seeks to focus training more effectively. But an article by Levin warns that training can only be regarded as an investment when it is implemented with care, communicated effectively and given the proper context .
Some firms seek to improve the chances of a satisfactory outcome by using consultants.
But as in every other walk of life, there are bad consultants as well as good. McLachlin explores the views of both clients and consultants as to what constitutes a successful engagement. Meanwhile Russo examines more specifically what to look for in hiring an ISO 9000 consultant to bring insights into the preparation and registration process. Russo suggests that organizations would be better selecting a consultant with strong management experience rather than experience in the area of quality, all other things being equal. The article advises the hiring firm to pay particular attention to the industries that prospective consultants have worked in, their ability to adapt acquired knowledge to new situations, whether the preliminary interview suggests they will be easy to work with, and their availability.