Date of Conferral

12-5-2025

Date of Award

December 2025

Degree

Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.)

School

Management

Advisor

Bruce Requa

Abstract

Employee attraction and retention remain critical constraints for Caribbean luxury-wellness resorts in the post-pandemic era. Hospitality and tourism leaders are concerned because persistent vacancy, churn, and extended time-to-competence impair service quality and performance of their organizations. Grounded in the Baldrige Excellence Framework and social exchange theory, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore the effective strategies employed by tourism leaders to attract and retain qualified staff within a Caribbean hospitality organization. Data were collected from five Caribbean leaders (HR director, department manager, and supervisors) using semistructured interviews and analyzing organizational documents. Thematic analysis was used to synthesize the data. Key themes included operational success in linking workforce development with financial and process outcomes, and their transformational leadership approach that cultivates an environment encouraging innovation and supports psychological safety. A key recommendation for hospitality business tourism leaders is to implement a digital hiring funnel and establish a dual-pipeline talent strategy to attract and retain staff. The implications for positive social change include the potential for the Caribbean hospitality employers and policymakers to implement fair, skills-based career pathways that improve access to quality employment opportunities. These actions could enable employees to achieve greater job stability and upward mobility, enhance household income security, and foster long-term community well-being within Caribbean economies.

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