Learning and knowledge management mechanisms during internationalisation: a hotel chain development perspective

Hotels chains are amongst the most internationalised service sectors. Knowledge management and learning are acknowledged as central to the process of internationalisation not only for the survival of an organisation, but also for the achievement of a competitive advantage. The aim of this thesis is to provide an understanding of how hotel chains learn and manage knowledge during the internationalisation process. The thesis investigates the mechanisms that hotel chains utilise to capture, store, transfer and re-use knowledge when expanding abroad. It also investigates the types of knowledge that are useful during this process and the role of networks in knowledge transfer. The study draws on critical realism and employs a multiple case study framework to collect data through in-depth semi-structured interviews with senior managers of hotel chain international development teams that were selected using a judgemental non random sampling technique. The resulting data are rich and provide deep insights into the structures and mechanisms that support learning and knowledge management for hotel chains, during internationalisation. The research findings bring together international business, organisational learning and knowledge management literature, providing an outline of the related learning and knowledge management processes involved during the international expansion of hotel chains. A conceptual model is developed, showing how learning mechanisms function and link together, the central role of the individual, and how knowledge is transferred between the headquarters of the hotel chain and the units abroad. The findings identify the types of knowledge that are useful to the internationalising hotel chain and show the importance of social capital and the knowledge that is stored within networks, personal relationships, and people.