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ICHARM - projects and publications

About ICHARM

Find out more about ICHARM projects below. 

Vertical disintegration in the corporate hotel industry

A professor sits at a table surrounded by books

ICHARM has launched an ambitious project examining the drivers, as well as the necessary conditions and enabling processes, which have facilitated industrial change in the corporate hotel industry. During interviews spanning over 60 hours, CEOs and other executives and experienced industry insiders have told their own story about how the industry has developed and provided views on what the industry landscape will resemble in the future.  

Professor Angela Roper disseminated initial findings from the project in the 2016 Carnegie Research Seminar Series in a presentation entitled ‘Change through vertical disintegration: How and why markets have emerged in the corporate hotel industry’ at Leeds Beckett University.

The book, published by Routledge was officially launched in 2018. Read more about the book launch

COMBAT trafficking in human beings (THB)

Trafficking in Human Beings (THB) is considered a form of modern day slavery as it involves the movement of people by force or coercion for the purpose of sexual or labour exploitation.  The ILO (2012) estimates there are approximately 21 million victims of trafficking globally, although a recent study suggests this figure may be as high as 35 million (Walk Free Foundation, 2014). As a criminal activity, THB has a global annual trade value of $32 billion, second in value only to the drugs trade. 

A large banner that says 'human trafficking' repeatedly

A significant proportion of trafficking is done, often unwittingly, through hospitality and tourism businesses (travel agencies, airlines, hotels, etc.) which, by their nature, facilitate the movement and accommodation of traffickers and their victims. Evidence suggests that these businesses are used for both sexual and labour exploitation of trafficking victims (ITP, 2013). Although there are significantly important and successful industry-wide initiatives against THB, these are focusing predominantly on the sexual exploitation of children and on raising awareness of this crime. 

 

A stack of papers

A consortium consisting of researchers from three universities - Oxford Brookes University (OBU) and, the University of West London (UWL) in the UK and Lapland University of Applied Sciences (LUAS) in Finland and a NGO (Ratiu Foundation for Democracy in Romania) led by ICHARM’s Professor Alexandros Paraskevas as PI and Professor Angela Roper as lead researcher was awarded funding from the EC’s Directorate of Home Affairs to research the European hotel business environment and develop a training toolkit that goes beyond simple awareness and proposes specific action and measures to combat THB in the sector. 

Several Hospitality lecturers

The researchers conducted a situational analysis which showed that, due to the different legal frameworks in the EU, THB is significantly under-reported. They compiled an assessment of the EU THB landscape by bringing together reports from the Council of Europe's Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) and other sources (Interpol, Europol, Frontex, UNDOC) and developed a Google Earth map of the routes that traffickers are normally using to traffic their victims throughout Europe, to be used by hotel groups in order to identify their proximity and possible vulnerability. 

 

two people playing cards and drinking water

Based on a number of disparate secondary resources they estimated that in the EU, on an annual basis, 93,480 sex slaves and 4,560 labour slaves are exploited in hotels while 12,540 labour slaves are exploited in restaurants. Following primary research with a mix of in-depth interviews and surveys of over 140 hotel executives and managers in more than eight European countries, the research identified 28 hotel industry vulnerabilities to THB. In the next stage of the project, the researchers developed a ‘Barriers Model’ in the journeys of trafficked victims through the ‘front-’ and ‘back-of-the-house’ of a hotel. Critical intervention points in these ‘journeys’ have been identified where the hotel employees can spot THB signals / red flags and, by implementing specific anti-THB policies and standards, can deter the ‘journey’ and possibly rescue the victim.

A stack of papers

The final outcome of the project was a training toolkit that consists of: three reference guides (one for boards/owners, one for senior managers and one for hotel staff) with corresponding sets of PowerPoint slides; several case studies with victims describing their experience - covering several forms of THB (child sexual exploitation, domestic servitude, forced criminality, forced prostitution and bonded labour); seven 30-minute trainers with Q&A PPT slides on each case study with embedded voice-files where actors recite the victim’s narrative; seven 10-minute trainers with THB ‘red flags’ to be spotted to be delivered at the beginning of the shift in different hotel departments; sample awareness posters; trainer’s manual and sample ‘aide memoire’ pocket cards with ‘red flags’ and reporting guidelines. 

The COMBAT project received the ABTA (Association of British Travel Agents) award for tourism and globalisation research in the ATHE conference held in Cardiff (December 2016) and the STR Global (global hospitality data benchmarking, analytics and marketplace company) SHARE award for industry impact research in the CHME conference held in Aalborg, Denmark (May 2017). 

COMBAT Toolkit

The COMBAT Toolkit is designed specifically to help hotels tackle the problem of human trafficking by helping staff to identify specific signs of trafficking. It comprises reference guides with accompanying PowerPoints, case studies with accompanying powerpoint for training sessions, a trainer’s manual, a series of 10-minute trainers, aide memoires and example awareness-raising posters.

  • Case Studies: Bonded Labour

    These three case case studies about bonded labour are written in the first person, so that trainees are better able to identify with victims. These case studies are intended to provide discussion point for trainees to identify whether or not the case is an example of human trafficking, what signals there are if so, and what barriers could be erected to prevent this example from happening in their hotel.

    Case Study: Osama

    Case Study: Matus

    Case Study: Cabdi

  • Case studies: Sexual Exploitation

    These three case studies about sexual exploitation are written in the first person, so that trainees are better able to identify with victims. These case studies are intended to provide discussion point for trainees to identify whether or not the case is an example of human trafficking, what signals there are if so, and what barriers could be erected to prevent this example from happening in their hotel.

    Georgia's Story: Sexual Exploitation

    Abigail’s Story: Child Sexual Exploitation

    Estella and Angelica’s Story: Domestic and Sexual Exploitation

  • Case Study: Forced Criminality

    COMBAT’s seven case studies are written in the first person, so that trainees are better able to identify with victims. These case studies are intended to provide discussion point for trainees to identify whether or not the case is an example of human trafficking, what signals there are if so, and what barriers could be erected to prevent this example from happening in their hotel.

    Forced criminality

  • Aide Memoire

    The aide memoire is a physical prompt that can be distributed to all hotel staff and employees, to remind them of the signs of trafficking and how to report it. 

  • Example Posters (multi-language)

    These example posters can be reproduced and distributed around hotels to raise awareness of human trafficking and encourage reporting via appropriate channels. They come from a range of campaigns (some non-English) and are intended for back-of-house display to hotel employees.

  • Reference Guide and Slides

    The following links to reference guides accompanied by slides consist of what different staff members should know about trafficking; it provides the background to human trafficking, and offers practical advice on the development of policies and procedures to counteract and disrupt trafficking and support victims. It offers trainers a ‘pick and mix’ approach so that they can tailor the contents to meet the needs of their training audience.

    For hotel management

    For corporate boards

    For hotel staff

  • Trainer’s Manual

    This training manual provides an overview of the Toolkit, and is a supporting document providing guidance on setting training objectives according to participants’ level of knowledge, and the time available to participants. With that in mind it emphasises the necessity to tailor your training plan accordingly with guidance on delivery (presentations and materials), questions and answers, group interaction and activities.

    Trainer's manual

  • 10 Minute Trainers

    These 10-minute long trainers are designed and tailored as training materials both for those working outside the industry, and for staff working in hotels. Some are department specific such as food and beverage or management, others are more generic. There is also a trainer to educate more generally on how to spot the signs of trafficking in hotels. These are intended for managers and shift leaders to offer as short training at the beginning of shifts, for the trainer to offer as a refresher or as entry into deeper discussion on specific issues.

    Spotting the Signs

    For Public Authorities

    For Corporates

    For Employees

    For Management

    For Food & Beverage

    For Front Office

    For Housekeeping

KEF project: Sustainable behaviour changes among employees

A group of people resting after picking up litter

The "Sustainable Behaviour Changes Among Employees" guide is a comprehensive resource for businesses in the tourism, hospitality and events industries. Developed by University of West London academics Dr Cristina Maxim, Dr Gergina Pavlova and Jayanti Jayanti, this Knowledge Exchange initiative aims to foster a culture of sustainability among employees. 

Drawing insights from focus groups with industry professionals and future workforce entrants, the guide addresses factors influencing sustainable behaviours, strategies for encouragement, leadership commitment and effective employee engagement. It offers practical guidance for business owners, managers and HR professionals to enhance sustainability efforts, potentially improving brand reputation, reducing costs and driving environmental performance. 

This collaborative effort responds to the growing emphasis on sustainable practices in these sectors, as highlighted by organisations like UKHospitality. The guide provides actionable strategies tailored to the unique challenges of the tourism, hospitality and events industries.

Selected publications

  • Journal articles

    Paraskevas, A. and Quek, M. (2019). “When Castro seized the Hilton: Risk and crisis management lessons from the past”. Tourism Management. Volume 70, February 2019, pp. 419-429 .

    Zhang, N.X., Paraskevas, A. and Altinay, L (2018). “Factors that shape tourism organisations' risk appetite”, International Journal of Hospitality Management – available online  

    Padhra, A. (2018) “Emissions from auxiliary power units and ground power units during intraday aircraft turnarounds at European airports”, (accepted) Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment

    Paraskevas, A. and Brookes, M. (2018) “Human Trafficking in Hotels: An ‘Invisible’ Threat for a Vulnerable Industry”. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 30(3), 1996-2014  

    Paraskevas, A. and Brookes, M. (2018) "Nodes, Guardians and Signs: Raising Barriers to Human Trafficking in the Tourism Industry". Tourism Management, 67(2), 147–156  

    Van der Rest, J. P., Roper, A., and Wang, X. L. (2018). Why is a change of company pricing policy so hard to implement? International Journal of Hospitality Management, 69, 30-40.

    Czyzewska, B. and Roper, A. (2017). A foreign hotel in London–the history of Hilton’s negotiation of legitimacy in the Swinging Sixties. Hospitality & Society, 7(3), 219-244. ​

    Gannon, J. and Paraskevas, A. (2017). “In the Line of Fire: Towards a Model of Human Resources Protection and Support in International Hostile Environments” International Journal of Human Resources Management - http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2017.1322122

    Akilen, R., Tsiami, A., and Robinson, N. (2014). Individuals at risk of metabolic syndrome are more likely to use a variety of dietary supplements. Advances in integrative medicine, 1(3), 131-137.

    Akilen, R., Pimlott, Z., Tsiami, A., and Robinson, N. (2014). The use of complementary and alternative medicine by individuals with features of metabolic syndrome. Journal of integrative medicine, 12(3), 171-174.

    Larsen, P., Pedersen, P. U., and Tsiami, A. (2014). The effectiveness of reducing dietary sodium intake versus normal dietary sodium intake in patients with heart failure on reducing readmission rate: a systematic review protocol. JBI Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports, 12(2), 125-131.

  • Books

    Roper, A. (2018), Vertical Disintegration in the Corporate Hotel Industry: The End of Business as Usual, London: Routledge, ISBN: 978-1-1386-4108-2.

    Mitleton-Kelly, E., Paraskevas, A. and Day, C. (2018), Handbook of Research Methods in Complexity Science, Edward Elgar Publishing, ISBN: 978-1-78536-441-9.

    Altinay, L., Paraskevas. A. and Jang, S. (2016), Planning Research in Hospitality and Tourism, 2nd edition, London: Routledge, ISBN: 978-0-7506-8110-0.

Find out more

  • Research Centres and Groups

    Find out about our multi-disciplinary areas of expertise, PhD research, and teaching.

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  • Research impact

    Learn how our PhD research has helped communities locally, nationally and internationally.

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  • The Graduate School

    If you are interested in studying for a PhD or Professional Doctorate, the Graduate School is here to support your research.

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