Strategic management decisions in power positions to achieve business excellence in small service businesses: does gender matter?

Abstract

The paper presents the results of a 2009 survey of 136 Spanish small service businesses.Male and female owners of travel agencies were interviewed to indicate their crisis readiness and measures taken to confront the crisis. Gender based differences in strategic decision-making were detected. Whereas men and women were equally successful to overcome the crisis, their strategies differed. Women were on average significantly younger, employed measures focusing on price, kept social measures intact and employed to a lesser extent drastic measures to reduce costs (layoffs, dismissals). Men used drastic measures most. The differences in strategic choice can be attributed to a gender specific leadership style.

Sustainability in small tourist businesses: the link between initiatives and performance

“…The findings in the present study are similar to those of previous studies (Garay & Font, 2012;Nicolau, 2008;Sharma, 2000). Through socially responsible practices, SMPs positively affect factors such as image differentiation and customer satisfaction (Alonso-Almeida & Bremser, 2014). SMP adoption can contribute to the development of a differentiation strategy, which is beneficial in economic downturns, as suggested by Lee et al (2012).…”

Women managers and corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Spain: Perceptions and drivers

“…Previous research indicated that women managers had a particular sensitivity regarding environmental issues (see Freedman & Bartholomew, 1990;Hudson & Miller, 2005;Lämsä et al, 2008.). In our case, we did not find any difference between the dimension of environmental issues and the dimension of legal compliance, which some authors noted was rated lower (Alonso-Almeida & Bremser, 2014, Aspen Institute, 2002, 2008, Lämsä et al, 2008. This lack of differentiation between the dimensions could be explained by the context of the recent global crisis.…”

Leadership styles and corporate social responsibility management: Analysis from a gender perspective

“…However, Alonso‐Almeida and Bremser () noted that female managers prioritized internal stakeholder orientation as a strategy to achieve better customer service in times of financial crisis. In this sense, Farooq et al (2014) determined that CSR activities that focused on internal stakeholders resulted in higher employee engagement and company identification.…”

“…Therefore, transformational leaders tend to value all the CSR dimensions. However, given that this leadership style promotes good employee relationships and teambuilding to achieve company success, the internal stakeholders dimension of CSR could be prioritized over the other dimensions (Alonso‐Almeida & Bremser, ).…”