IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/mth/ber888/v9y2019i2p118-145.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Understanding the Current State and Future Directions of Hotel Sector Knowledge Management: A Literature Review

Author

Listed:
  • Christoph Voegeli

Abstract

This review highlights the huge opportunity provided by leveraging knowledge management principles across the hotel industry. By way of context, the author has over 20 years of international experience in the hotel industry (at executive level, including managing privately-owned and single hotels, some as part of a medium-sized brand, with others as part of a very large [global] hotel brand). When he transitioned from a hotel company of medium size to one of the largest (about 10 years ago), he observed significant differences in business processes, structure, resources, and culture. Wondering about these differences, he examined them more closely and started to read broadly about strategy, competitive advantages, and capabilities. Gaining a deeper understanding, he realized that the observed differences were related to knowledge management. In his research, many organizations were found to have used knowledge management to extract, recycle, harness, share, and leverage knowledge for improved performance and competitive advantage. In some cases, millions of US dollars were saved. Furthermore, from knowledge management practices in consultancy, healthcare, and manufacturing, the expectation was that rich, in-depth research would be found on hotel-(specific) knowledge management. Logically, it was expected that top executives (and other stakeholders holding hotel portfolios, such as real estate/investment funds/investment bankers and hotel operators) would be extremely keen to learn about and use knowledge management to leverage their companies¡¯ performance. Surprisingly, the opposite seems to be the case. This thorough review demonstrates that little research has been conducted on hotel knowledge management, and that even in hotel-(specific) knowledge management, ¡°secrecy¡± (operating in a vacuum) can be experienced. The premise is that top executives (C-level executives) constantly search for the latest insights (knowledge) and best practices to find implementable concepts so their organizations can remain ahead of the competition. This paper reviews and establishes the current state of the existing body of hotel-(specific) knowledge management literature and highlights gaps and possible opportunities for the future. Through adding to the depth of hotel-(specific) knowledge management research, refreshed interest can be generated in this field, possibly stimulating a better understanding of how hotel-(specific) knowledge management can be used to maximize its benefits.

Suggested Citation

  • Christoph Voegeli, 2019. "Understanding the Current State and Future Directions of Hotel Sector Knowledge Management: A Literature Review," Business and Economic Research, Macrothink Institute, vol. 9(2), pages 118-145, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:mth:ber888:v:9:y:2019:i:2:p:118-145
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.macrothink.org/journal/index.php/ber/article/view/14778/11660
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: http://www.macrothink.org/journal/index.php/ber/article/view/14778
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Bengt-Åke Lundvall, 1996. "The Social Dimension of the Learning Economy," DRUID Working Papers 96-1, DRUID, Copenhagen Business School, Department of Industrial Economics and Strategy/Aalborg University, Department of Business Studies.
    2. K. J. Arrow, 1971. "The Economic Implications of Learning by Doing," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: F. H. Hahn (ed.), Readings in the Theory of Growth, chapter 11, pages 131-149, Palgrave Macmillan.
    3. F. C. Gray Southon & Ross J. Todd & Megan Seneque, 2002. "Knowledge management in three organizations: An exploratory study," Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 53(12), pages 1047-1059, October.
    4. David Williams, 2015. "Nuts and Bolts of a Knowledge Management System," Journal of Information & Knowledge Management (JIKM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 14(04), pages 1-10, December.
    5. Arrow, Kenneth J, 1969. "Classificatory Notes on the Production and Transmission of Technological Knowledge," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 59(2), pages 29-35, May.
    6. David Williams, 2014. "Models, Metaphors and Symbols for Information and Knowledge Systems," Journal of Entrepreneurship, Management and Innovation, Fundacja Upowszechniająca Wiedzę i Naukę "Cognitione", vol. 10(1), pages 79-107.
    7. Kimiz Dalkir, 2011. "Knowledge Management in Theory and Practice," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262015080, December.
    8. Petrash, Gordon, 1996. "Dow's journey to a knowledge value management culture," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 14(4), pages 365-373, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Voxi Heinrich AMAVILAH, 2016. "Productivity and Technical Change According to Salter – A note," Journal of Economic and Social Thought, KSP Journals, vol. 3(2), pages 302-307, June.
    2. Voxi Heinrich AMAVILAH, 2016. "Social Obstacles to Technology, Technological Change, and the Economic Growth of African Countries: Some Anecdotal Evidence from Economic History," Turkish Economic Review, KSP Journals, vol. 3(2), pages 320-340, June.
    3. Cristiano Antonelli, 2011. "The Economic Complexity of Technological Change: Knowledge Interaction and Path Dependence," Chapters, in: Cristiano Antonelli (ed.), Handbook on the Economic Complexity of Technological Change, chapter 1, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    4. Sorensen, Morten, 2007. "Learning by Investing: Evidence from Venture Capital," SIFR Research Report Series 53, Institute for Financial Research.
    5. Amavilah, Voxi Heinrich, 2018. "Endogenous constraints, coefficients of economic distance, and economic performance of African countries – An exploratory essay," MPRA Paper 90065, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Kim, Bowon, 1996. "Learning-induced control model to allocate managerial resources for production technology development," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 43(2-3), pages 267-282, June.
    7. Cristiano Antonelli & Federico Barbiellini Amidei, 2011. "The Dynamics of Knowledge Externalities," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 13292.
    8. Cristiano Antonelli, 2010. "Pecuniary Externalities and the Localized Generation of Technological Knowledge," Chapters, in: Ron Boschma & Ron Martin (ed.), The Handbook of Evolutionary Economic Geography, chapter 7, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    9. Omar R. Malik & Masaaki Kotabe, 2009. "Dynamic Capabilities, Government Policies, and Performance in Firms from Emerging Economies: Evidence from India and Pakistan," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(3), pages 421-450, May.
    10. Antonelli, Cristiano, 2007. "The system dynamics of collective knowledge: From gradualism and saltationism to punctuated change," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 62(2), pages 215-236, February.
    11. Augusto Schianchi, 2016. "La crescita endogena: una rilettura critica," QUADERNI DI ECONOMIA DEL LAVORO, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2016(106), pages 31-48.
    12. Antonelli, Cristiano & David, Paul, 2015. "The Economic Properties of Information and Knowledge: An Introduction," Department of Economics and Statistics Cognetti de Martiis LEI & BRICK - Laboratory of Economics of Innovation "Franco Momigliano", Bureau of Research in Innovation, Complexity and Knowledge, Collegio 201509, University of Turin.
    13. Antonelli, Cristiano, 2003. "The Economics of Governance: the Role of Localized Knowledge in the Interdependence Among Transaction, Coordination and Production," Department of Economics and Statistics Cognetti de Martiis LEI & BRICK - Laboratory of Economics of Innovation "Franco Momigliano", Bureau of Research in Innovation, Complexity and Knowledge, Collegio 200303, University of Turin.
    14. Antonelli, Cristiano & Crespi, Francesco, 2013. "The "Matthew effect" in R&D public subsidies: The Italian evidence," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 80(8), pages 1523-1534.
    15. Amavilah, Voxi Heinrich, 2014. "Human Knowledge and a Commonsensical Measure of Human Capital: A Proposal," MPRA Paper 57670, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    16. Sverre J Herstad & Marte CW Solheim & Marit Engen, 2019. "Learning through urban labour pools: Collected worker experiences and innovation in services," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 51(8), pages 1720-1740, November.
    17. Amavilah, Voxi Heinrich, 2014. "Knowledge = Technology + Human Capital and the Lucas and Romer Production Functions," MPRA Paper 58847, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    18. Rao, B. Bhaskara, 2010. "Estimates of the steady state growth rates for selected Asian countries with an extended Solow model," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 27(1), pages 46-53, January.
    19. Raouf Boucekkine & Fernando Del Río & Omar Licandro, 2003. "Embodied Technological Change, Learning‐by‐doing and the Productivity Slowdown," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 105(1), pages 87-98, March.
    20. Abida Hafeez & Karim Bux Shah Syed & Fiza Qureshi, 2019. "Exploring the Relationship between Government R & D Expenditures and Economic Growth in a Global Perspective: A PMG Estimation Approach," International Business Research, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 12(4), pages 163-174, April.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Literature review; Hotel knowledge management; Research quality; Knowledge management benefits;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • R00 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General - - - General
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:mth:ber888:v:9:y:2019:i:2:p:118-145. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Technical Support Office (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.macrothink.org/journal/index.php/ber .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.