The manager in austerity times: a case study for the General Manager - Owner relations in Greek Tourism SMEs.

Abstract

Despite the fact that tourism small and medium enterprises (TSMEs) are the backbone of the hospitality and tourism industry in Greece, our knowledge about management style and the relationship between general managers (where applicable) and the owners –entrepreneurs, is limited to a few sporadic empirical studies. This case study presents the various challenges that a general manager (GM) is faced with, in a small (10-49 employees) TSME. More specifically this paper discusses the various problems that emerge from day-to-day operations with emphasis on the GM’s relations with the various stakeholders such as staff and suppliers. The core of the problem is spotted on the owners’ side: their reactive attitude, the lack of planning and their opportunistic behaviour leaves no room for the general manager to perform his roles. It should be noted that although it is not possible to generalise from the findings of an empirical case study, some useful insights are provided for managerial work in this sub-sector. Thus, as a concluding point it is argued that the lack of delegation and the overall attitude of the TSME owners-entrepreneurs poses as one of the most serious problems in this case. It is hoped that further research will improve our knowledge on this important sub sector of the Greek economy. (article in Greek)