The role of middle management in the execution of expansion strategies: The case of developers' selection of hotel projects

This research is based on the strategy premise that managerial action matters and integrates middle management's decisions in examining successful execution of expansion strategies. The study complements existing strategy models by including middle management's decisions (as opposed to top executives') and examines how managers rely on control-related tactics to meet strategic objectives. A theoretical integration around the construct of control guides the research design. A comparative case study approach is employed to examine how developers in multinational hotel corporations select hotel projects when implementing expansion strategies. Findings suggest that a trade-off between control costs and control benefits determines the success of project selection for expansion. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.