A COMPARATIVE APPROACH OF THE GENERIC STRATEGIES WITHIN THE HOTEL INDUSTRY: ROMANIA VS. USA.

Generic strategies have been reported in several industries in the past years. Still, so far there is a lack of clear evidence regarding the way in which generic strategies appear to be used within the hospitality industry. The paper envisions on a comparative approach regarding one of the most well-known and highly cited strategy typologies within the context of two regions pertaining to Romania and US, respectively. Our study uses a survey based on a pre-tested questionnaire to address the generic strategies and the way they are reflected in the daily activities of hotel managers from Cluj- Napoca and San Antonio. Using the factor analysis we were able to draw some conclusion about the existence of the generic strategies in the Romanian and American hotel industry. The paper presents some comparison on hotel industry practices between the countries and suggests managerial implication for development of generic strategies within this industry. This is one of the first studies undertaken to highlight a dual approach in respect to the generic strategies within the hotel industry and the results prove to be of utterly importance for both academics and industry leaders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]