A foreign hotel in London: the history of Hilton's negotiation of legitimacy in the 'swinging sixties'

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Czyzewska, Barbara ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9700-5139 and Roper, Angela ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6942-8406 (2017) A foreign hotel in London: the history of Hilton's negotiation of legitimacy in the 'swinging sixties'. Hospitality and Society, 7 (3). pp. 219-244. ISSN 2042-7913

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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1386/hosp.7.3.219_1

Abstract

Whilst theories of business internationalisation assert that foreignness poses challenges to multinational companies’ subsidiaries operating abroad, historical study of Hilton International’s expansion in the 1960s suggests otherwise.

In its early internationalisation Hilton International transferred abroad its institutional ownership advantages including corporate philosophy and culture; its practices, policies, processes and work systems and product design. Despite claims of social embeddedness, the London Hilton was perceived to be a typically American hotel. Analysis of Hilton’s expansion strategy suggests that the company used its foreignness as a differentiating factor.

This paper contributes to the limited business history research in the area of internationalisation and knowledge transference. Historical analysis of Hilton’s internationalisation contradicts the institutionalism’s assumption that multinationals must adapt to local institutional settings. This paper enhances the notion that playing the ‘foreignness’ game can lead to comparative global advantage.

Item Type:	Article
Identifier:	10.1386/hosp.7.3.219_1
Additional Information:	© Czyzewska and Roper 2017. The definitive, peer reviewed and edited version of this article was published in Hospitality and Society, Volume 7, Number 3, and is available at https://doi.org/10.1386/hosp.7.3.219_1
Keywords:	differentiation; foreignness; internationalization; knowledge; legitimacy; multinational hotel company
Subjects:	Hospitality and tourism > Hospitality > Hotel management
Depositing User:	Barbara Czyzewska
Date Deposited:	03 Jul 2017 10:42
Last Modified:	04 Nov 2024 12:06
URI:	https://repository.uwl.ac.uk/id/eprint/3550