Competitiveness and performance measurements for outdoor hospitality park businesses: focusing on resource and capability strategies

Abstract

This doctoral thesis studies competitiveness and performance as complementary but distinct elements in strategic management. From the point of view of the literature review in hospitality management, this research shows that camping businesses have been poorly analyzed. Thus, the challenge of this research is to remove this lack of investigation by a set of three complementary academic contributions in order to shed light on the particularities of the camping businesses, otherwise known as the outdoor hospitality sector. In this perspective, this research proposes strategic analysis models adapted to the particularities of the sector.

From a contextual point of view, this research focuses on a growing phenomenon, the hyper-competition in the camping sector. Academic research has revealed the race to the lodging amenities and recreational facilities of a large number of camping businesses. This intensive mutation refers to the transformation of a nature-based camping business into an outdoor hospitality business. This research is innovative since hospitality management research has never made a distinction between the terminologies of camping and outdoor hospitality businesses. In this context, studying the boundaries between what constitutes a camping park and an outdoor hospitality park is an important issue in order to better distinguish the economic behavior of these businesses. Thus, this research explores how independent and municipal camping organizations are involved in a resource-intensive strategy (lodging and recreational resources) and how they develop their economic activities. In doing so, the field of research concerns independent and municipal camping businesses and the focus of the research is on competitiveness and performance measurements

Aquesta tesi doctoral estudia la competitivitat i el rendiment com a elements complementaris però diferents en la direcció estratègica. Des del punt de vista de la revisió de la literatura sobre la gestió hotelera, aquesta recerca mostra que el negoci dels càmpings ha estat poc analitzat. Per tant, aquest estudi se centra en millorar aquesta falta d’investigació amb un conjunt de tres aportacions acadèmiques complementàries entre elles, que tenen l’objectiu de destacar les particularitats del mercat del càmping, també conegut com allotjament a l’aire lliure.

En aquesta perspectiva, aquesta recerca proposa models d’anàlisi i estratègia adaptats a les particularitats i problemes del sector. Des d’un punt de vista contextual, aquest estudi se centra en un fenomen en creixement, la híper-competència. Es descobreix la carrera pel canvi tecnològic d’un gran nombre d’empreses. Dit d’una altre manera, el canvi d’un càmping tradicional en un hotel d’aire lliure.

Aquest canvi tecnològic és impulsat per grups ben consolidats i per cadenes de càmpings. Tanmateix, l’observació és la següent: Els càmpings independents i municipals els hi costa mantenir-se al dia amb aquest canvi tecnològic. Han de seguir les tendències del mercat, o reinventar-se en un model més adequat a les seves particularitats?