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Barbados has been driven by agricultural pursuits for most of its existence and successive decision makers have failed to create a tradition or culture with a focus on service. In a move to change this focus in support of a service culture, the National Initiative for Service Excellence (NISE) was launched on November 30, 2004. A highlight of the event was the tripartite commitment made by the leaders of the social partnership (government, labour and the private sector). The purpose of this article is to examine the topic of service leadership – and the role the three leaders must play in achieving service excellence.

This article is as a result of observations and experiences while the author served as Lead Champion for NISE. It is also informed by research on the subject. “Achieving service excellence – customer service strategies for the hospitality/tourism industry in Barbados”.

Barbadians must determine the factors for a foundation that the country needs if it is to have a service excellence culture. The foundation for Barbados might be found in the people of Barbados and in the church which is an influential institution in Barbados.

Behavioural change must start with three leaders of the social partnership. This message is valuable to these service leaders in the journey towards achieving service excellence in Barbados.

Employing a case study of Barbados, the purpose of this paper is to highlight key stakeholders involved in the construction sector, discusses the roles of construction stakeholders in disaster risk reduction (DRR) and the key stages of the construction process where proactive DRR inputs could be made, The following objectives are addressed: to describe the main natural hazards in Barbados; to reveal key stakeholders involved in the decision making during the design, construction and operation process (DCOP) and DRR process; to discuss the roles of construction stakeholders in DRR and the key stages of the DCOP where proactive DRR inputs could be made; to emphasise the main barriers to the implementation of DRR in the Barbados’ construction sector.

A qualitative case study methodology, that includes semi-structured interviews with construction stakeholders in Barbados, a critical review of relevant literature and media coverage of natural hazards, and construction site visits.

The key construction stakeholders that should be responsible for DRR integration in construction process are identified. The main barriers to the implementation of DRR in the Barbados’ construction sector are also discussed; these include the absence of an enforced building code and complacency towards natural hazards from the general population as well as construction stakeholders.

Whilst some attempts have been made in mainstreaming DRR into construction projects in Barbados, many of the measures are not effectively implemented due to various constraints. In addition, little research has been done on the state of the construction sector and its use of DRR in the Caribbean. This paper aims to fill this research gap.

The purpose of this paper is to measure the extent of the adoption of human resource management (HRM), the existence of a formal HR strategy, and the development of the HR function in the Barbados hotel industry compared with Hoque's sample of hotels in the UK.

A quantitative survey, covering 46 hotels out of a population of 75 hotels was conducted with the respondents being the hotel's management: a general manager, HR manager or line manager.

It was found that the adoption of human resource (HR) practices was more prevalent in Barbados hotels than in the UK sample. With respect to the existence of a formal HR strategy, the results were mixed. The results also show that in many respects the Barbados hotels are ahead of their UK counterparts in the development of the HR function.

The research focused on a small sample in a developing country. In addition, responses were obtained from top management rather than all levels of staff.

The findings about HR practices were based on management assertions. There is need for a follow‐up with more tangible evidence.

The paper highlights the importance of HR practices in a developing country. These findings were unexpected, given that the UK is a mature western economy, where Barbados is classified as a developing country. They may be explained by the better‐developed formal systems for the management of employment relations at an industry‐level in Barbados.

Whistleblowing has been receiving increased attention and support in recent times as a means of detecting and correcting wrongdoing in organizations. This study aims to examine perceptions, attitudes and consequences (actions and reactions) of whistleblowing, as well as the predictors of internal and external whistleblowing intentions, by using Graham’s (1986) model of principled organizational dissent in a small emerging and collectivist culture like Barbados.

The study utilized a self-administered survey of 282 accounting employees working in organizations in Barbados.

Results reveal that there is little awareness of whistleblowing legislation. Most respondents perceive whistleblowing as ethical and favor internal over external whistleblowing. Findings show that personal responsibility and personal costs significantly influence internal whistleblowing intentions, while personal costs influence external whistleblowing. Using qualitative data, several themes emerged as influencing whistleblowing: perceived benefits of whistleblowing, actual whistleblowing experiences (handling of reports), personal costs (climate of fear and hostility), perceived lack of anonymity and cultural norms.

Future research should control for social desirability bias and use more rigorous qualitative approaches such as face-to-face interviews and focus groups to gain in-depth opinions and feelings on the topic.

Whistleblowing can be achieved through such mechanisms as perceived organizational support, strong ethical codes of conduct, rewarding ethical behavior and promoting sound work ethics in organizations.

This paper explores whistleblowing in an emerging economy where there has been little research on the topic. Thus, this study supplements the existing research in emerging economies by examining the applicability of Graham’s (1986) model of principled organizational dissent.

Considers the inclusion of environmental policy dimensions into strategic development planning for the coastal environment of Barbados. Coastal zone management forms one aspect of development planning in Barbados, focusing on strategic development planning within the coastal environment. The environment and development are closely linked in a complex cause and effect relationship. Almost all types of development tend to erode a country’s resource base and this can undermine a country’s development strategies. Development continues to be seen and practised in the narrow context of growth; and little substantive progress has been made over time in explicitly integrating the environmental dimension into the regular programmes and activities of public and private sector organizations. One of the recurring features is that, in contemporary Barbados, environmental policies tend to muddle through and evolve incrementally as the need arises. Concludes that a durable development lesson for all lower income countries around the world is that development cannot be sustained for long if the environment continues to be undermined.

The purpose of this article is to explore the under‐representation of women in union leadership in Barbados. The article asks if there are specific conditions faced by women there or if the barriers for Barbadian women are the same or similar to those facing union women in developed countries.

The study was a small qualitative one. In‐depth interviews were carried out in 2007‐2008 with 17 women leaders from the two dominant general unions in Barbados, from two smaller female‐dominated unions and an international union federation.

The findings show that many of the barriers union women in developed countries face are also encountered in Barbados, including family and domestic and workplace/union. However, the paper shows that the local context of Barbados produces a locally specific version of oppressive gender relations that impact on union women and their ability to access leadership. In particular, the “male marginalisation thesis” holds purchase in the public mindset and has created a backlash against one of the major strategies for addressing women's under‐representation in unions – women's separate organising.

This was a small study based on one Caribbean island and the findings do not necessarily apply to the wider region. Nevertheless, it raises sufficient questions about gender relations in union in the Caribbean to warrant further investigation both by unions and academics.

There is little in the international literature on women and unions in the Caribbean region.

Since the decline of export agriculture and the loss of trade preferences, most Caribbean countries have shifted their economies towards the provision of tourism services. Barbados, for example, receives more than two‐thirds of its foreign exchange earnings from tourism. The sustainability of tourism in the Caribbean can potentially be affected by climate change. This paper aims to address this issue.

This paper provides an assessment of the likely effects of climate change in the small state of Barbados and suggests some recommended adaptations. Climate change is expected to impact on temperature, rainfall and severe weather, sea levels and sea surface temperatures, biodiversity loss, and lead to erosion and seasonal shifts on the island.

The paper finds that, in relation to tourism demand, as travellers from source markets become more conscious of their carbon footprint and the implementation of green taxes, there might be some alteration in demand for long‐haul destinations such as Barbados. On the supply‐side, increased operating costs, due to higher insurance premiums (particularly for beachfront properties) and greater cooling costs, to name a few could all impact on the profitability of hotels in the island. As climate change impacts on the water table, there is also likely to be some competition for water resources for residential and tourism purposes.

The paper supplies useful information on sustainability of tourism in the Caribbean and the effects of climate change.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the climate change implications for both rainfall and saline intrusion in ground water, which could directly threaten both the tourism industry and other local livelihoods in the Caribbean. Water shortages will be particularly critical in the locations that are already water‐stressed; at or near the limits of their available supplies.

The paper focuses on Barbados as the island exhibits four critical factors that make it particularly sensitive and potentially vulnerable to water shortages. Barbados is relatively small and flat, and has limited water flow. Second, it is the most densely populated country in the Caribbean. Third, the economy is primarily driven by tourism, and has prospered as a result; Fourth, Barbados is characterized as “absolute water scarce” on the Falkenmark scale because of a per capita availability of freshwater per year of less than 500 cubic meters.

The paper observes that Barbados has a water availability of just 306 cubic metres per capita per year, which makes Barbados the 15th most water‐scarce nation in the world. Thus, Barbados is critically dependent on a water‐intensive industry, has limited options to expand the supply of the key resource, and now finds that the availability of this key resource might decline in future as a result of climate change.

The paper provides data, case studies and analysis to demonstrate the significant threat to tourism from water shortages relating to climate change.

Recently, fraud has been brought to the forefront with the scandals of Enron and Worldcom. Fraudulent financial reporting and misappropriation of assets served to undermine investors’ confidence in audited financial statements. This study investigates how auditors and users perceive the auditors’ responsibility for uncovering fraud, the nature and extent of fraud in Barbados, and audit procedures utilised in Barbados since Enron.

A total of 43 respondents (19 auditors and 24 users) were surveyed regarding their perceptions and experiences on fraud, using qualitative and quantitative approaches.

Indicates that the expectation gap is wide, as auditors felt that the detection of fraud is management's responsibility, while users and management disagreed. Also finds that fraud is not a major issue in Barbados and that companies who have internal auditors, sound internal controls and effective audit committees are better equipped to deal with fraud prevention and detection.

The sample size is relatively small and it is not intended nor claimed that those interviewed comprise a representative sample.

This research fills a void in research in this area in a small country like Barbados. These findings have important implications for users of Barbadian accounts, especially investors, auditors and regulators.

This paper fulfils a resource need for academics and practitioners, and makes an interesting contribution to our understanding of fraud in Barbados.

This paper aims to examine the capital budgeting practices used by firms in Barbados using contingency theory.

The study involves the use of a self-administered questionnaire sent to the individual responsible for capital budgeting decisions (either the accountant, financial controller or senior manager) in each of the firms selected. In total, 41 completed questionnaires are received; 12 follow-up interviews are conducted with respondents to indicate the reasons for use and non-use of capital budgeting practices.

Capital budgeting practices are not widely used by firms in Barbados. The payback method (PBM) is determined to be the preferred method of choice because of its simplicity, agility and cultural practices. Based on contingency theory, organisations in Barbados believe that the PBM is a better fit for them. Top management drives the capital budgeting process with crude and non-traditional methods for the acceptance of capital projects. While there are no statistically significant differences in the capital budgeting practices used in different sectors, professional accountants are more likely to use net present value and sensitivity analysis than non-professional accountants.

The sample is small, and consequently, findings may not be generalisable to the population.

This study makes a significant contribution to the body of literature in emerging countries such as Barbados on the usage of capital budgeting practices and factors that may influence their usage. It further contributes to policymakers, practitioners, organisations and stakeholders of organisations.