**5. Concluding remarks**

Given the results of this qualitative analysis, we propose the following five-stage knowledge management process model (see **Table 1**) for the emerging Chinese hotel industry. This process model illustrates Marriott's experience in assessing its knowledge management deficiencies in its Chinese operations, and the human resource/strategic management practices used to address them.


**Table 1.** A knowledge management process model for the Chinese hotel industry.

In terms of assessing the organisation's cross-cultural knowledge base, Marriott utilised its human resource inventory systems not only to audit the store of human resources it controlled in its Chinese hotel operations but also to gauge the extent to which the organisation had the capacity to access the tacit knowledge it possessed. Strategically, therefore, the initial stage of the knowledge management process required not only an understanding of what information/ knowledge deficiencies the organisation possessed, but also what data-gathering deficiencies it had in this regard. In terms of accessing domestic labour-market knowledge, Marriott recognised the importance of its recruitment and selection processes; in particular, it recognised that it had to adapt its recruitment and selection processes (that had been effective in the Western context) to account for the idiosyncrasies of the Chinese labour market. Strategically, Marriott recognised the need to establish itself as an "employer of choice" within the Chinese hotel industry to attract, motivate and retain the highest quality employees. In terms of developing its domestic labour-market/domestic employee knowledge, Marriott sought to develop strong employee-employer relationships with its domestic Chinese employees via its training and development programs. In addition to the organisation's standard programs (which focused on improving operational performance), the company also sought to improve the levels of trust in the organisation through training and development programs focused on indoctrination into the organisation's culture. In terms of developing domestic supply-chain knowledge, Marriott ensured that it maintained dynamic and mutually beneficial relationships with domestic suppliers, educational institutions and government departments. Lastly, Marriott found that one of the most effective ways of protecting the store of knowledge they had generated in the Chinese hotel industry was to take measures to ensure that their domestic employees were satisfied with their employment relationship and reported high levels of organisational commitment. Indeed, in the face of intense competition from within China's expanding hotel industry (and from employers in other industry sectors), the raising of the 'exit barriers' for their domestic employees represented a strategic priority.

Given these findings and the potential implications for Western organisations' knowledge management practices within the Chinese hospitality industry, we suggest the following avenues for future cross-cultural knowledge management research within the Chinese context (and emerging Asian economies generally): firstly, we believe that there needs to be further in-depth analysis of the link between knowledge management practices and 'employer-of-choice' and 'industry-of-choice' concepts within the Chinese hospitality/ emerging market context. A finer-grained understanding of knowledge management practices within China may enable Western organisations to become employers-of-choice and foster a strong organisational culture. For example, at an organisational level such investigation could inform the design of superior human resource and employer-marketing strategies that communicate the expected international standards of skill and behaviour to both existing and potential domestic employees. At an industry level, this research suggests the need for industry-wide marketing efforts formulated to promote hospitality as an industry of choice providing valuable long-term career options. The absence of such industry-based marketing efforts may result in the hospitality industry being seen as nothing more than a training ground for any alternate industry better able to market their career opportunities. It is anticipated that outputs from this research agenda would not only benefit both domestic operators looking to improve their competitive stance within this highly dynamic market and international hospitality operators engaged in (or considering) investment in the Chinese market, but importantly, it would contribute valuable insights and extend the current store of knowledge management theory.
