Skip to main content

LUP Student Papers

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Frontline + The Machine: Comparing the Sociotechnical Realities of Centralized & Franchised Digital Strategies in International Hospitality

El Dimassi, Hamzah LU ; Owensby, Sarah Zata Amani LU and Walter Molina, Carl LU (2026) IBUH19 20261
Department of Business Administration
Abstract (Swedish)
This thesis examines how contrasting corporate digital strategies shape frontline hotel employees’ ability to balance chain-level systems with local service responsiveness. The study treats chain-level digital systems as contemporary fixed elements of hotel formats by applying and building up on the Integration-Responsiveness framework, Flexible Replication, and sociotechnical perspectives, in particular the TOP framework and the principle of joint optimization. Empirically, it compares two international hotel groups that differ in both digital systems used and ownership model. One is a corporately owned chain using a central configured, highly connected cloud ecosystem, while the other is a family-owned franchise that is operating a... (More)
This thesis examines how contrasting corporate digital strategies shape frontline hotel employees’ ability to balance chain-level systems with local service responsiveness. The study treats chain-level digital systems as contemporary fixed elements of hotel formats by applying and building up on the Integration-Responsiveness framework, Flexible Replication, and sociotechnical perspectives, in particular the TOP framework and the principle of joint optimization. Empirically, it compares two international hotel groups that differ in both digital systems used and ownership model. One is a corporately owned chain using a central configured, highly connected cloud ecosystem, while the other is a family-owned franchise that is operating a large-scale, compliance-oriented platform. The study adopts a qualitative and abductive research approach, combining semi-structured interviews with frontline and local managerial staff in both properties and secondary sources from corporate and vendor materials. For each group across the Technology, Organization, and People pillars, the Gioia method is used for identifying the aggregate dimensions to develop a comparative discussion. The findings show that while centralized deployment generates frictionless automation, it intensifies the visibility and psychological pressure on staff. Whereas the franchise standardization preserves analog hospitality by shifting operational and cognitive burdens onto the frontline. The thesis contributes to international business and hospitality research by demonstrating how digital infrastructure and organizational structure together shape the possibilities for local service adaptation. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
El Dimassi, Hamzah LU ; Owensby, Sarah Zata Amani LU and Walter Molina, Carl LU
supervisor
organization
course
IBUH19 20261
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
hospitality, international hotels, digitalisation strategy, flexible replication, digital systems, sociotechnical, sociotechnical systems, joint optimization, local responsiveness
language
English
id
9228214
date added to LUP
2026-06-29 15:02:28
date last changed
2026-06-29 15:02:28
@misc{9228214,
  abstract     = {{This thesis examines how contrasting corporate digital strategies shape frontline hotel employees’ ability to balance chain-level systems with local service responsiveness. The study treats chain-level digital systems as contemporary fixed elements of hotel formats by applying and building up on the Integration-Responsiveness framework, Flexible Replication, and sociotechnical perspectives, in particular the TOP framework and the principle of joint optimization. Empirically, it compares two international hotel groups that differ in both digital systems used and ownership model. One is a corporately owned chain using a central configured, highly connected cloud ecosystem, while the other is a family-owned franchise that is operating a large-scale, compliance-oriented platform. The study adopts a qualitative and abductive research approach, combining semi-structured interviews with frontline and local managerial staff in both properties and secondary sources from corporate and vendor materials. For each group across the Technology, Organization, and People pillars, the Gioia method is used for identifying the aggregate dimensions to develop a comparative discussion. The findings show that while centralized deployment generates frictionless automation, it intensifies the visibility and psychological pressure on staff. Whereas the franchise standardization preserves analog hospitality by shifting operational and cognitive burdens onto the frontline. The thesis contributes to international business and hospitality research by demonstrating how digital infrastructure and organizational structure together shape the possibilities for local service adaptation.}},
  author       = {{El Dimassi, Hamzah and Owensby, Sarah Zata Amani and Walter Molina, Carl}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Frontline + The Machine: Comparing the Sociotechnical Realities of Centralized & Franchised Digital Strategies in International Hospitality}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}