Angela Roper

Research in strategic management in the hospitality industry.

Abstract This article considers research in strategy in four main areas – strategic planning, competition and competitive advantage, internationalization and strategic implementation. In reviewing the literature, it is clear that it is grounded in the classical view of strategy as a highly rational process. In reality, strategy is a highly complex, multi-dimensional construct requiring more interdisciplinary approaches to its research. In the hospitality industry, this is further complicated by the necessity to consider the impact of international operations.

A Review of Disparate Approaches to Strategy Implementation in Hospitality Firms

In the field of strategy, most research has focused on earlier stages of the strategic management process, namely, analysis and formulation. Research to date has failed to recognize that it is at the implementation stage where the process most often breaks down. A number of disparate approaches to strategic management have emerged in the field, and each of them has different and often contrasting implications for how strategies should be developed and executed. The authors compare and contrast the implications of these approaches regarding how companies can best implement their strategies successfully. The authors review previous strategy implementation research in the strategic management and hospitality management fields from the perspective of five different schools of thought. The article ends by summarizing the key findings of the review and also gives further information about the next stages of a research project into strategy implementation in a sample of international hotel groups.

International hotel groups: what makes them successful

Hotel groups have expanded extensively over recent years, with key players now operating on a global basis. Presents a critical evaluation of the literature relating to the internationalization of hotel groups and previous success studies and prescriptive strategic management models in relation to multinational hotel groups. Addresses issues which include the measurement of internationalization, overreliance of profitability as a single measure of success and the dominance of western business cultures. Forwards proposals for a research framework designed specifically to investigate success in international hotel groups and to emphasize the need for “holistic” approach. Recognizes the need to research success using a multidisciplinary framework.

Territories still to find – the business of hotel internationalisation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present directions for researching “new territories” by systematically reviewing contemporary research in the area of hotel internationalization.Design/methodology/approach – Comprehensive analysis drawing on frameworks and debates in the international services management literature of research published over the period 1996‐2005 identifies approaches and results of hotel internationalization research. Work is organized into two broad categories: studies that relate hotel organizations to their external environments and those taking an internal perspective. This analysis is complemented by a short review of relevant demand and policy trends to ensure relevance of the critique.Findings – Modal choice research has now reached a stage where it can provide greater depth of understanding in the relationships between this choice and organizational capabilities. Secondly, there has been a welcome increase in more internalised, qualitative research. Thirdly, while there h...

Marketing standardisation: tour operators in the Nordic region

Purpose – This paper aims to evaluate the marketing decisions made by European tour operators. It seeks to assess the extent of marketing standardisation/adaptation across and within the Nordic region and to identify the centric profiles of the sample firms in terms of marketing decision‐making.Design/methodology/approach – A multiple case study approach was employed and the research design combined a range of empirical data gathered from regional headquarters and one subsidiary.Findings – These indicate that the case study firms manage marketing regionally, at the same time; certain activities are adapted to local market and competitive conditions. It is clear that the “think regional‐act local” philosophy or “cooperative centralisation” is a challenge for tour operators to manage and that the level of international marketing standardisation is affected by situation‐specific factors such as product and industry characteristics.Research limitations/implications – Any bias in the research as a result of ba...

Budget Hotels – A Case of Mistaken Identity?

The term “budget” hotel has become a buzz word in the hotel and catering industry. It is argued that it is a misnomer as it implies a homogeneous product when, in fact, “budget” hotels are highly segmented. The major segments are identified and the implications of “budget” concepts for hotel companies and their customers considered.

International master franchise agreements: An investigation of control from operational, relational and evolutionary perspectives

Purpose – This paper seeks to examine the inter‐organisational processes used to control international master franchise agreements from operational, relational and evolutionary perspectives.Design/methodology/approach – The research is undertaken through a qualitative, in‐depth case study in the international hotel industry. The case comprises an international master franchise agreement between a large US‐based hotel franchisor and its European master franchisee.Findings – The study identifies the inter‐related nature of operational and relational control processes and how these evolve over the life of a master franchise agreement. It reveals how the perceptions of franchise members serve to enhance or inhibit the development of relational norms and how these, in turn, impact on the predominant type of control and the specific inter‐organisational processes employed.Research limitations/implications – The research is based on a single in‐depth case study within one industrial context and the universality ...

The impact of entry modes on the organisational design of international hotel chains

This paper reports on a study of organisation design within the international hotel chains that simultaneously employ multiple market entry modes. A multiple case study reveals the use of different divisional designs for different types of entry mode within individual chains. These are driven by the desire to maintain strong control over hotel brands. The study concludes that current designs may inhibit the international hotel chains from achieving their organisational potential and recommends that managers look to break down these ‘communities of design’ barriers.

The multi-cultural management of international hotel groups.

Abstract This conceptual paper examines the cultural influences that impact on international hotel groups based upon the premise that effective harnessing of cultural diversity should lead to success in the global marketplace. Pizams ‘hierarchy of cultures’ is applied to demonstrate how and where the national, personal, professional and industry backgrounds of founders, key decision-makers, management and employees influence practices in hotel groups. A framework is presented to demonstrate the various levels in organizations where culture has an influence and where a higher degree of cultural awareness is essential. Recognizing that hotel groups are part of an extended value system (including suppliers, buyers or customers, and relationships with other business partners), the paper assesses the cultural impact of these networks on hotel groups.

The emergence of hotel consortia as transorganizational forms

Recent research has queried the capability of hotel consortia organizations to compete in the hotel sector. Discusses the results of this investigation. A working definition was developed and employed to classify a fieldwork sample of 29 organizations. The concepts of generic strategy and organization structure and process were then used as a framework for identifying and isolating distinctive organizational characteristics relating to each consortium in order to construct strategic groups. The subsequent classification of multiple strategic groups indicated the forces of competitive rivalry in the hotel sector and the pertinent linkages between strategy and structure were identifiable in these groupings. An extended analysis of three consortia used a qualitative case approach to address in more detail the characteristics of a smaller set of organizations. Shows that consortia by nature can only partially, if at all, optimize the structure and process characteristics necessary for sustaining effective col...