Does national culture affect hotel managers' approach to business strategy?

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the potential impact of the cultural dimension of power distance on hotel managers' approach to business strategy development.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey was administered to hotel top managers in four countries, namely, the USA, Thailand, Malaysia, and Turkey. The questionnaire measured several aspects of strategy‐making process that are subject to differences in culture. Four research questions were answered using analysis of variance.

Findings

The results were less supportive to the proposed relationships in each of the research questions, which predicted that managers from varied power distance cultures would exhibit varied degrees of participative style, openness to strategic change, formality of strategic control, and people‐focused orientation when setting strategic goals.

Research limitations/implications

Generalizability of the findings is limited due to the non‐response bias that could not be assessed in the present study, and the reliance on self‐report data.

Practical implications

Hotel managers engaging in international alliances, affiliations, joint ventures, and other forms of collaboration with other managers in other countries should be less concerned about their counterparts' differences in strategic behavior and philosophy.

Originality/value

This study began to fill in the gap in the literature identified by previous researchers by providing empirical support for propositions about the relationship between culture and strategic management. The study provided insights into the process, as well as directions for the progression of the research stream dealing with the behavioral aspects of the strategic management of hotel organizations.

Citation

Ayoun, B. and Moreo, P.J. (2008), "Does national culture affect hotel managers' approach to business strategy?", International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 20 No. 1, pp. 7-18. https://doi.org/10.1108/09596110810848532