By Brenda Tan
On the 23rd of February 2021, RWC’s Partner, Marlysa Razak was invited by Beacon International College, Singapore to give a lecture on the impact of company, employment and contract law on business decision making in the hospitality industry. As this lecture was conducted for students who were pursuing a hospitality degree at an entry level, it aimed to provide them the basics of legal knowledge on laws, regulations and applicability of those laws in the hospitality sector in both the UK and Singapore.
Marlysa spoke about how hospitality law encompasses a wide array of laws which includes contracts, ani-trusts, torts, employment and company. Hospitality laws are of great importance because they ensure that both tourists and industry operators come within a fair and equitable environment and they aid industry operators in understanding their legal obligations. With this, it would avoid any unnecessary and costly litigation.
Apart from that, Marlysa discussed company law, it’s importance for those who intend to start up a new business in the hospitality sector. Their knowledge in company law would enable them as potential business owners to determine the appropriate business structure for their business depending on the amount of liability risk they are willing to absorb, the taxes they are willing to pay on business operation, and the degree of control they want.
Moving on, she then spoke about employment law, it’s importance as the hospitality industry is a manpower-intensive sector that has heavy reliance on foreign manpower for hospitality staff. She gave an overview on the important terms in employment contracts for both the employer and employee such as minimum wage, working hours, annual leave and notice of termination, in comparison between laws and requirements in the UK and Singapore.
Lastly, Marlysa, quite extensively, explained and discussed contract law, how it governs agreements made between businesses and also between the businesses and their customers. She also addressed force majeure clauses, whether businesses are entitled to terminate or hold off their contract for a while under certain unforeseen circumstances. She emphasised that understanding parties’ legal rights in contracts is a pertinent component in conducting a business with some ease of mind.
Marlysa concluded the talk by emphasising that business owners should try their best to settle any dispute with their customers and minimise going to the tribunal as this will affect their reputation, business management and open up floodgates. In summary, the lecture has given students a detailed insight on how company, employment and contract law is in fact very important and affects every aspect of decision making in the hospitality industry.
Published on 12 March 2021