In the blog series "EMTM Thesis Diary" students tell us about their fourth semester experience doing research and writing their master's thesis in the destination of their choice.
Mai Phuong Tran from generation 2021-2023 shares her experience working in Amsterdam and doing research about sustainable human resource management in the hotel industry.
The European Master in Tourism Management (EMTM) has given me the chance to study for two years in three amazing European countries. And I finally made it to a fourth country, the Netherlands, where I am having the best journey ever.
I am spending my fourth semester in a cyclist city: Amsterdam. Here, I have the opportunity to work as a sustainability coordinator at Travelife, a certification initiative for tourism companies committed to reaching sustainability objectives. At the same time, I am also writing my Master’s thesis and doing research about sustainable human resource management (HRM) in the Dutch hotel industry. It has been such a great opportunity for me not only to engage with sustainability certifications for tour operators from my internship but also to get more insights about sustainable development practices in the hotel industry from my Master’s thesis.
Since my Bachelor’s degree, I have had a strong passion for organizational behaviour and human resource management in the hospitality and tourism industry and I have some publications in this field. Along with the sustainability framework of the EMTM program, my Master’s thesis explores the sustainable human resource management concept in the hotel industry from the management level's perspective.
Doing research in this field has allowed me to communicate with many management levels in the hotel industry and gain knowledge about the academic understanding of sustainability and HRM approaches. Interestingly enough, one of the things I have learnt so far is related to many aspects of the Dutch economy and the support provided by the Dutch government to the tourism and hospitality industry during the pandemic.
Apart from my academic journey, working as a sustainability coordinator at Travelife I have had the opportunity to get involved in different tasks and projects, ranging from design to marketing and administration to communication and partnerships. Currently, I also participate in the SUSTOUR project, a co-financed initiative by the European COSME program that aims to foster the capacities and skills of European tour operators and travel agents (SMEs) for sustainable tourism.
Written by Mai Phuong Tran (Vietnam), student of EMTM Generation 2021-2023