COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT AND OBTAINING COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE FROM AN INCLUSIVE APPROACH: A CASE STUDY IN THE HOTEL SECTOR IN CURITIBA

Abstract

Curitiba’s hotels are changing their strategies to face competition of national and international chains that are settling in the city. The pressure that is resulting of these environmental changes has demanded from local enterprises to search for competitive advantages for its survival. This study has as objective to analyze the competitive environment and the pursuit for competitive advantages in a hotel located in Curitiba, from the point of view of the Integrated Approach of Kim and Oh from 2004, that besides considering internal aspects and external, from the Porter’s five-forces approach, the resources-based approach, adds the Relational-approach, which claims the gain of competitive advantages from interfirm relationships. A case study was developed and six personal semi structured interviews had been carried with out with the owner, directors and managers in one hospitality firm in Curitiba. It was observed out that in terms of internal resources the strategic changes were characterized as a reaction in relation to external pressures. It can be pointed the physical renovation and changes on the organization structure that aim to make the management more efficient. Regarding external competitive forces it can be highlighted the negotiation power of institutional clients that were looking for high quality standards with low price. It was also possible to observe that hotel mangers, despite saying that it is always positive to cultivate networks and relations, do not have a strategic vision regarding interfirm relationships and are not able to identify and explore the benefits from these cooperation.