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Regulation is the tool preferred by policy-makers to manage the quality of residential care for older people. However, it remains unclear which form of regulation is most effective. The residential care sector for older people in Europe offers a unique opportunity to explore this issue as countries vary in how they control quality in the sector. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

The study used a comparative approach, collating secondary data from various sources and conducting qualitative comparative analysis on the data.

Three regulatory approaches were in operation – many Northern European countries operate on a self-regulatory basis, and are associated with the highest quality. Many continental countries, the UK and Ireland operate a command-and-control regulatory approach, with a moderate standard of care. Mediterranean and Eastern European countries have limited regulation, with care of a lower standard. However, the type of regulation appears to be a product of the prevailing culture and philosophy of care within each country. Thus, quality outcomes are a measure of financial investment in care.

Consistent calls for command-and-control style regulation may be misguided; high-quality care requires high-public investment and a professional workforce with the freedom to focus on quality improvement mechanisms.

The paper provides a framework for analysing outcomes associated with different types of regulation. While a self-regulatory model is linked with the best outcomes, financial investment and the philosophy of care may be more important factors influencing the quality of care.

Presents an examination of human resource development (HRD) in the Irish hotel industry and focuses primarily on the case of the small firm as part of a larger study examining best practice HRD within the Irish hotel sector. HR utilisation has clearly become a critical feature for those firms where HRs are potential assets in the search for competitive advantage; this is particularly pertinent for the hotel industry. Almost every hotel firm claims to be people‐oriented and to believe in HRD. In practice, however, a much smaller number follow through on these claims. All in all, it is clear that many employers in the hotel industry still have to be convinced of the benefits to be derived from HRD. Current research suggests that small hotel firms tend to favour informal training methods and usually value training which is specific to the job in question. In addition, HRD activity is almost exclusively directed at the solution of immediate work problems rather than the long‐term development of people. Where a more strategic HRD approach is adopted, the most significant driving force is the importance placed on training and learning by owner‐managers. Their positive attitude and belief in staff development is a key feature. Concludes that until the connection between sound HR practices and organisational success is firmly rooted in the mindset of the hotel industry, HRD will not gain the status it deserves.