Entrepreneurial approaches to the internationalisation of Portugal’s hotel industry

Abstract

Design/methodology/approach-The epistemological approach that supports the development of this study is based on a deductive strategy. A comprehensive multi-case study was performed in which theoretical propositions were tested prior to further development. Findings-The results of this study reveal that the internationalisation process of Portuguese hotel companies was triggered by managers' entrepreneurial attitudes and international vision, that in themselves embraced a combination of particular resources and competencies. Research limitations/implications-Noteworthy are study's contributions to international entrepreneurship as an individual act within existing social networks established by managers and the management team as a result of previous business experiences. The impact of this overall entrepreneurial profile on firms' behaviour is also of interest. Limitations of the study relate to its cross-sectional nature, and the number of interviewees. Originality/value-The integration of economic paradigms with behaviour theories and the RBV (Resource-Based View) to understand how and why Portuguese hotel companies engage in international endeavours is a major contribution of this study.

Origins and consequences of intrapreneurship with behaviour-based approach among employees in the hospitality industry

“…Organisational architecture, leadership and job design might play as subjective norms or institutional factors, are found to influence intrapreneurial behaviour (Chakrabarty, 2020; Fisher et al , 2020; Karatepe et al , 2020; Moghaddas et al , 2020; Turro et al , 2020). Employee attitude related to intrapreneurship such as job satisfaction, career goals at the company and motivations (income and independence) influences intrapreneurial behaviour (Antoncic and Antoncic, 2011; de Correia et al , 2019; Douglas and Fitzsimmons, 2013; Farrukh et al , 2017; Valsania et al , 2016; ul Haq et al , 2018). Workplace happiness, workplace spirituality and perceived organisation support are found to influence employee innovative behaviour in the hospitality firms (Bani-Melhem et al , 2018).…”

Factors Constraining International Growth in Nautical Tourism Firms

“…Meanwhile, others key differentiating aspects (i.e., competitive prices, high qualified staff, etc.) leading to competitive advantages have not been investigated in relation to international growth [10]. That is, it is expected that successful management strategies of tourism enterprises to promote differentiation, in its various dimensions, lead to a higher international growth, a hypothesis that is investigated in the present research for the case of nautical tourism firms.…”

“…Despite its significance, very scarce research has been conducted to determine the likely influence of factors of a socio-psychological nature (i.e., motivations and attitudes) and some business features, on firms´decisions to expand their business from domestic to outbound markets [9,10]. The next sub-sections summarise the review of literature on the study of factors explaining international growth and success of tourism-based SMEs, with special attention to empirical studies which have been undertaken in nautical destinations.…”

“…In addition, the social networks where the firms are involved, and the proactive behaviour of their owners are recognized as catalysts and facilitators for SME´s international expansion within the tourism industry [10,56]. This is, the interests and personal goals of the business man are crucial to explain why and how the company engages in international activities and, particularly, how the dynamic nature of such activities can be conceptualized [10].…”

“…More specifically, to date, it is still not possible to explain to what extent the possession of marketing and internationalisation plans benefit internationalisation processes of nautical tourism firms. Also, there is limited knowledge on the likely influence of factors of socio-psychological nature (i.e., motivations and attitudes), that have been widely investigated as determinants of business expansion in other tourism segments [5][6][7][8][9][10].…”