Mehmet Ali Koseoglu

Competitive intelligence: evidence from Turkish SMEs

This study investigates competitive intelligence (CI) applications of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Turkey. Specific areas of interest include the information gathering process, CI resources, measurement of efficiency, areas where CI-related activities are conducted, contentment throughout the CI process, factors preventing CI activities from being performed, benefits of CI, and perceptions of how CI-related activities are carried out by rivals. Data was collected from SMEs located in the Afyonkarahisar province in Turkey. Results suggest that satisfaction with CI applications does not vary according to sector and employee size. Moreover, whether the CI activities are performed from strategic or tactical viewpoints does not appear to be a function of sector. Suggestions for future research are proposed.

A comparison of competitive strategy and organisational performance in Turkey and the USA

The literature is replete with tests of the competitive strategy-performance relationship. However, most published work has been in the developed world, most notably the USA. This paper compares and contrasts the nature of competitive strategy and its link to firm performance in Turkey and the USA. Turkish respondents reported higher levels of both innovation and cost-oriented strategies than did their US counterparts, but both strategies were positively associated with performance satisfaction in both nations, reinforcing previous research in both Turkey and the USA.

Customer relationship management research in tourism and hospitality: a state-of-the-art

Purpose This study aimed to provide a critical review of the evolution of customer relationship management (CRM) research in the hospitality and tourism (H&T) field. Design/methodology/approach The study conducted a thorough systematical literature review by collecting papers from 14 leading tourism and hospitality journals. The examination of the literature is first based on the evolution of CRM notion and its definitions. Next, CRM studies in the literature that are related to H&T were assessed based on their timelines and themes. Third, the studies were classified based on CRM components and its impacts on firms’ performances. Findings The literature review provided an in-depth understanding on the progress of CRM based on the selected topics and suggests a redesigned research agenda for scholars, graduate students and practitioners. Implications This study provides new and meaningful avenues for further research in CRM in H&T area. Originality value CRM has a key role in business performance and increased customer satisfaction and retention, specifically in the context of the service industry. To date, scholars have produced an abundant number of CRM-related studies in tourism and hospitality journals. In this study, the progress of CRM research conducted in the tourism and hospitality sector is critically reviewed.

Market Orientation, Strategy and Revenue Growth in the Turkish Hotel Industry

ABSTRACT This empirical analysis of hotel properties in south-western Turkey draws on the market orientation, strategy, and capabilities literature to highlight the benefits of a differentiation strategy and customer-value focus for competitors in this industry. Relationship management and organizational resource management are key drivers of sales growth in this industry, and hotel operators facing high competitive intensity are particularly encouraged to develop these capabilities and to adopt a differentiation strategy instead of resorting to price cutting and other pricing and promotional tactics to grow revenues. Notable opportunities for future research include examining relationships between market orientation, customer satisfaction, and employee satisfaction in the Turkish hotel industry.

Propensity for Participative Decision Making (PPDM) In Turkey and the USA

Increased subordinate participation in management decisions has been a recognised trend in both private and public organisations in many western nations. Less is known about such practices in other parts of the world, however, especially in emerging countries. This study assesses similarities and differences between US and Turkish managers with regard to propensity for participative decision making (PPDM). The first hypothesis tests the validity of the PPDM scale among a sample of Turkish managers, and was supported. The second hypothesis examines whether US managers report higher levels of participation with respect to the four dimensions of organisational effectiveness, power, culture, and commitment. Surprisingly, the Turkish managers reported higher levels of participation in the first three dimensions, with no statistical difference with the US managers on commitment. Other findings are discussed and directions for future research are also presented.

Knowledge management, organisational communication and job satisfaction: an empirical test of a five-star hotel in Turkey

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships among knowledge management, organisational communication, and job satisfaction in Turkeys hospitality industry. A survey was administered to 154 employees of a five-star hotel in the Antalya Region in Turkey. Structural equation modelling was used to test the hypotheses. Although, the literature supports relationships among knowledge management, job satisfaction, and organisational communication, empirical linkages among these constructs were not found. The lack of support for hypotheses suggests that relationships among knowledge management, job satisfaction, and organisational communication may not be as strong as expected.

Strategic philosophy among future managers and engineers in Turkey

This study tests for differences in strategic philosophy among graduating business and engineering students in Turkey. Students were assessed along the dimensions of strategic philosophy – strategy as an art or a science, strategic emphasis on flexibility or consistency, and a top-down or a bottom-up approach to strategy – via survey. Results suggested that field of study did not significantly influence strategic philosophy proclivities among future managers and engineers. Hence, other factors are suggested as more influential. Implications and future research are discussed.

Scientific progress on strategic management in hospitality and tourism: a state-of-the-art

Purpose The main purpose of this study is to offer a critical review of studies of scientific progress of strategic management (SM) research in the hospitality and tourism field (H&T). Design/methodology/approach This study was conducted through a critical literature review based on three dimensions: intellectual, conceptual and social structures of SM research. Findings The boundaries of SM under the three dimensions (intellectual, conceptual and social structure) are addressed. Based on these three components, SM in hospitality and tourism realm shows a discursive structure. There are few studies assessing the evolution of SM research in the H&T industry. However, all of these studies are review papers that explored the boundaries of SM research in H&T by using limited keywords to find SM papers, and generally considered papers which are published in a few leading H&T journals. Research limitations/implications This study focused on only H&T journals to elaborate the boundaries of SM in H&T. The findings of this study can help researchers (re)design research agendas to contribute to both mainstream and H&T industry SM literature and to enhance the essential elements of theory development in SM research related to H&T industry. Originality/value This is one of the first studies assessing the development of SM research related to hospitality and tourism by considering the boundaries of SM in three issues: intellectual, conceptual and social structure.

Identification of growth factors for small firms: evidence from hotel companies on an island

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to mainly investigate what factors drive growth for independent hotel firms on an island. Design/methodology/approach Two steps were followed. First, to identify hotels demonstrated significant growth; 92 independent hotels in North Cyprus were analyzed via a self-report questionnaire. Second, key growth factors were examined in five hotels showing the growth over years among the independent hotels via in-depth, semi-structured interviews, focus group interviews, and observations. Findings The study findings revealed 16 important growth factors for hotels, including active risk taking, education, family history, networks of contacts, other business interests, family investing friends, key employee partners, customer concentration, autonomy, innovativeness, proactiveness, competitive aggressiveness, location, desire to succeed, age of founders, and state support where are strong, weak, and interrelated relationships among these factors. These findings allow factors to be categorized into new groups, namely, strategic and tactical factors. The research findings unveil new factors referred to as “political conflict – pursuing different strategy and opportunities,” importance of second generations affect and entrepreneur’s metacognitive strategies, “informal networking.” Research limitations/implications More research should also be undertaken for entrepreneurs or managers who formulate and implement strategies to enter new markets or to tackle turbulent and/or unstable environments. Practical implications This study reveals that one factor on its own cannot influence the growth of hotels. Rather, successful growth depends on the entrepreneur’s ability to combine all factors in harmony. Originality/value Given that there is limited empirical evidence on the growth of independent hotels on islands, this study made an important attempt to contribute to the entrepreneurship literature in the hospitality management and family business fields via micro-level approaches concerning the factors influencing hotels’ growth on an island. This is one of the first studies presenting and discussing empirical findings on growth factors for small hotels on an island, and brings a new perspective by grouping factors as strategic and tactical factors.

A bibliometric analysis of strategic management articles in healthcare management literature: Past, present, and future

Abstract This study aims to research the pattern of strategic management literature in healthcare management research using articles published in academic health management journals. To that end, 97 articles were retrieved based on a search undertaken using the keywords, ‘strategy’ and ‘strategic’ in health management journals available in ProQuest, Emerald, Sciencedirect/Elsevier, Ebscohost, Jstore, Medline/Pubmed, Taylor & Francis Online, Sagepub, and Wiley databases. The findings were reached by evaluating these articles based on their journal years, authors, authors’ institutions, research methodology, and strategic management topics. Finally, future potential study areas were identified while also presenting this studys constraints.