英國謝菲爾德哈勒姆大學留學生酒店管理英語課程essay范文-Exploration of the hotel strategic management theories and applications:Comparison of two research methods ----Quantitative and Qualitative 

 

 

在本文的寫作，在服務研究戰略管理的兩篇dissertation將對比分析；一些個人的評價，也將在文中提及。在給定的文件”，構建酒店實現戰略目標：業主的視角”，筆者首先從交易結構和基于不同策略的不同組合的分析和論述，探討如何在戰略目標應該從業主的角度。更加專業化，本文采用定量的研究方法，是用數值數據，或其他數據，可以收集和測量的數字量。本文主要側重于理論和現實的角度和提供建議的戰略目標可以通過合理的所有者和投資者實現。然而，在本文的“戰略管理：分析其表達與焦點在最近的酒店的研究”，作者，羅伯特J.哈林頓和邁克爾C.奧滕巴赫爾，我們從上一個不同的切入點和方法，探討在學術領域的熱情好客的表示和酒店管理的研究重點是什么。這種研究方法稱為“定性”，這是通常用于研究的重點是意義和態度（雖然這也可以定量研究和探索性的理論建構時）而非理論的測試工作要求。也就是說，本文主要圍繞最近的酒店管理理論方面，采用完全不同的方法。

 

1. Introduction 

In this writing, two papers about the strategic management in the hospitality research will be contrasted and analyzed; some personal evaluation will also be mentioned in the writing. In the given document “Structuring hotel deals to achieve strategic goals: An owner’s perspective”, the writer starts from the analysis and dissuasion of the dealing structure and the different combination based on different strategies, to explore how the strategic goals should be obtained form the owners’ perspectives. More professionally, this paper adopts the quantitative research methods, which is used with the numerical data, or other data that can be collected and measured numerically as quantities. The paper mainly focuses on both the theoretical and practical point of view and provides suggestions on how the strategic goals can be achieved by reasonable owners and investors. However, in the paper “Strategic management: An analysis of its representation and focus in recent hospitality research”, the authors, Robert J. Harrington And Michael C. Ottenbacher, present us a different cut-point and way from the previous one, to explore what is the representation and focuses of the recent research of hospitality management within the academic field of hospitality. This kind of research method is called “qualitative method”, which is usually used when the focus of the research is on meanings and attitudes (although these can also be studied quantitatively) and when exploratory theory building rather than theory testing work is called for. That is to say, this paper mainly focuses on the theoretical aspects of the recent hospitality management, which employs totally different approaches from the former one mentioned above. #p#分頁標題#e#

 

 

2. Contrast of two methods in two papers

As for the hospitality strategic research, there are mainly two research methods that can be adopted: both quantitative and qualitative. Next, we are going to examine what exactly the two research methods are and how they are employed in two papers. Based on the analysis of two papers in the assignment, there are several aspects could be inspected about the differences between quantitative research methods and qualitative research methods in the writing. Quantitative research refers to the systematic empirical investigation of social phenomena via statistical, mathematical or computational techniques.(Given, Lisa M., 2008 ) Quantitative research is generally carried out on specific subjects overall statistical results, with the objective to develop and employ mathematical models, theories and/or hypotheses pertaining to phenomena. While qualitative research has the characteristics of the exploratory diagnostic and predictability, and it does not pursue a precise conclusion, but rather to understand where the problem lies, and to determine the situation and come to perceptual. Quantitative research and qualitative research are two opposing social sciences research paradigm, there is a clear distinction between both in the research goals, objects and methods.

 

2.1 goals 

Quantitative research puts great emphasis on predictive control and qualitative research puts emphasis on the significance of understanding of the field mainly the theoretical field. (Given, Lisa M., 2008) we find that in the paper “Structuring hotel deals to achieve strategic goals: An owner’s perspective”, the author adopts the approach of “theory-to-practice” to conduct the research paper with theoretical base as the starting point and the practical there for the wise investors and owners to explore. The paper aims to explore specific strategies based on the understanding of the theories and test how the things go on in practice.

 

 

what is the purpose of all the collection and sorting job of data in the second paper? Based on the previous hard work of assessment of the literature, the author puts that “this review provides a starting point to build a broader range of topics related to strategy in hospitality and address the unique issues associated with the field”. All in all, this study shows how to review the literature and how to find out the tendency of the research field. This belongs to the “trend analysis”: predicting or forecasting the future direction of events(Heitink, G., 1999). It is not about the practical strategies and application of the theories but the formulation and development of theory itself.

 

 

2.1 Objects

On the object of the study, quantitative studies emphasize the fact of objective reality and qualitative research emphasized the subjective intentionality.( Diriwächter, R. & Valsiner, J., 2006 ) As we can see in the paper “Structuring hotel deals to achieve strategic goals: An owner’s perspective”, deal structuring theory provides different strategies, and based on specific conditions of particular owners and investors, various strategy combination can be adopted. Besides, the case study in this research paper is a powerful complementary evidence for the application of the strategies proposed by the author. Case study is actually considered as constructive research, which tests theories and proposes solutions to a problem or question.(Trochim, W.M.K, 2006 ) #p#分頁標題#e#

 

 

The approach taken by the second paper focuses on “what should be” and tries to designate “best practice” according to the theory, which is actually the so-called prescriptive approach（Mintzberg,1987）, and based on that, further research will find some clues to go on. Based on the learning and understanding of this review research, the theoretical framework of this hospitality field is getting much clearer, and the great collection and sorting of the past research literature help to get better understanding of the future tendency of the strategic management this method belongs to the secondary methods (Trochim, W.M.K, 2006), which refers to the a synthesis of, interpretation of, or discussions about primary sources in hospitality research.

 

 

To sum up, the first article is to see how the main strategies are used in practice to detect the effect of the theory, while the second article focuses on extensive searching and sorting existing theory, trying to figure out a recent theoretical research trends and possible future developments. As you can understand, the former is concerned about how to make the theory fit the reality and the second will much more relevant to the subjectivity of the author’s intention and even preferences of the researches. 

 

 

2.3 Process and methods

The process of measurement is central to quantitative research because it provides the fundamental connection between empirical observation and mathematical expression of quantitative relationships. As we can see in the first paper, the author the author mentioned that there are five fundamental real estate strategies for value creation: Create value via development or redevelopment, Create value by using superior operating skills, Create value via a lower cost of capital, Create value with superior investing skills and Create value by systematically embracing risk. Then based on the theory and strategies mentioned previously, six questions are proposed to be answered for every hotel . And last, case study of a hotel deal is presented to make clear how these strategies are used in practice. Case study is a main method for quantitative research and it is to test how the strategies fit to the practice. That is to say, quantitative methods can be used to verify which of the hypotheses proposed by the author in the paper or others in other papers are true or not.

 

 

On the process, the second paper begins with the assessment of the frequency of strategic management topics within recent research in the academic field of hospitality to answer the following questions ( Robert J. Harrington, Michael C. Ottenbacher,2011)

----What percentage of articles in hospitality is related to the topic of strategy?

----How does the content of these articles differ from the more general field of strategic management?#p#分頁標題#e#

----Based on the assessment of these two questions, what topics are likely to be areas that hospitality field researchers can make significant contributions in the future?

Revolving around the three questions, the paper shows us the exploration and focus of the strategic management research in the field of hospitality management. As is illustrated in the second paper, the author starts from the brief introduction of all kinds of relevant theories and then come to a summary of theory and school, In short, on the research process and methods, quantitative research has focused on the experience confirmed and qualitative research focus on the interpretation of construct.

 

 

2.4 Results and implications 

Research method is used to establish or confirm facts, reaffirm the results of previous work, solve new or existing problems, support theorems, or develop new theories.( Garraghan, Gilbert J.,1946) Unusually, it varies according to the purpose of researches. Most researches begin with a general statement of the problem, or rather, the purpose for engaging in the study.(Rocco, T.S., Hatcher, T., & Creswell, J.W., 2011) The first paper which is quantitative has ended up with a case study by analyzing how the strategies will be used in the practice and test what is the effects of the combination of strategies chosen by the top managers of hotels, which does precast lights on the exploration of the application of hospitality management theory. 

 

 

The second paper comes to the major findings that researchers tend to focus on less applied and more theoretical notions of strategy in general strategic management and that researchers in hospitality strategic management tend to focus on more tactical methods when addressing questions of strategy. At last, similarities and differences between general strategic management and strategic management in hospitality are suggested in the literature. By the end of the literature part, four research questions are put forward for further exploration in the study. The whole process is about what has been done in the theoretical field. To sum up, the major value of this study lies in providing an overview of what has been studied in hospitality strategy in the recent past and pointing out future research opportunities for hospitality strategic management issues.

 

 

3. Evaluation of different research methods in two papers

By referring to the table1 “Summary of how the six big questions influence the five strategies” in the paper “Structuring hotel deals to achieve strategic goals: An owner’s perspective”, we can see some factors affecting the decision-making process of the hotel owners and investors. But it is also easy to find a weak point of the argument here by the author that the five stages: Holding period, Partners, Capital structure, Asset management, Exit strategy, Tax consequences are almost internal factors within the hotel business or hotel industry, without fully considering the influence of external environment on target formulation and implementation of strategic management. Actually, environment consideration and analysis are extremely important for the top managers of organizations in practice. Strategic management mainly depends on the size of organizations, and the proclivity to change of its business environment. Situational analysis being performed, self-evaluation and competitor analysis: both internal and external; both micro-environmental and macro-environmental should be included by the top manager. #p#分頁標題#e#

 

 

While in the second paper of the assignment “Strategic management: An analysis of its representation and focus in recent hospitality research”, a different approach is adopted. It focuses on the theoretical development of strategic management in the recent past and its theoretical application to the hospitality research., and that is of course a great piece of work for the theoretical researchers, but here some questions should be automatically put forward: how could all these theories be applied to the specific contexts in hotel management practice? And what will the responsive results be, and are they effective or remaining to be testified? How do the different tendencies between the general strategic management and the hospitality management comes into being, and what account for this? Since the value of every strategy, no matter how brilliant, decays over time.(Gary Hamel,2000) As far as the writer of this paper is concerned, all these theories and questions will be more valuable if they are formulized into specific strategies which are to be applied to the practical hotel business and management in future. 

 

 

4. Conclusion 

The academic fields of both hospitality management and strategic management are relatively young (Ottenbacher et al., 2009; Nag et al., 2007). And the importance of strategic management and strategic thinking in hospitality and hospitality research has never been greater (Enz, 2010). The two papers provide us two different approaches for the research. The former paper by Geoffrey Davis and Jan A. deRoos offered us an approach of “theory-practice” by combination with case study of a practical hotel deal. While the second paper by Robert J. Harrington and Michael C. Ottenbacher adopted a totally theoretical review to reveal the current condition and tendency of the theories in the strategic management of hospitality practice. At the same time, both of the paper showed some weaknesses as the writer mentioned in the previous evaluation and analysis, but that can not blacken the profound significance of the two researches in the field, which are actually two typical kinds of the relevant researches.

 

 

References

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Given, Lisa M., 2008, The Sage encyclopedia of qualitative research methods, Los Angeles, Calif.: Sage Publications. ISBN 1-4129-4163-6. #p#分頁標題#e#

 

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