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Taking as reference a sample of around a hundred biographical materials on entrepreneurs in Mexico and Colombia, the purpose of this chapter is dual. Both to show the relevance and varied modalities that the biographical approach has enjoyed in business history research since the 1990s, and to display the intrinsic potential this modality of scholarship entails for entrepreneurship endeavors. In particular, it discusses the prospects to incorporate this body of empirical works into the large Latin American audience attending undergraduate, graduate and executive education programs in business, economic history and related fields. The chapter is organized into three sections. The first two are devoted to illustrate relevant patterns in the entrepreneurial trajectory of individuals and entrepreneurial families studied in each of the two countries under consideration. The last section identifies some conceptual issues that may impact current debates on Latin American business development as exemplified in recent business and economic history journal venues and scholarly conferences.

The aim of this chapter is to provide the readers with a brief background to the characteristics of tourism and a synoptic presentation of the main trends in tourism markets and challenges that tourism businesses should deal with.

A literature review was conducted on the relevant trends that can affect the management and marketing of tourism businesses. Micro case studies were also presented as practical examples of how tourism businesses have adapted to trends.

This chapter highlights the specific characteristics of the tourism industry, as well as the trends in the market/business environment. Tourism businesses need to remain aware of trends and find solutions to adapt their services and activities to take advantage of them.

This chapter is explorative in nature because it has made used of extant literature.

Tourism entrepreneurs are encouraged to stay abreast of changes in the business environment. Some of the examples provided may only be applicable in the short run but other examples have long-term impact. Valuable solutions are provided for consideration.

This chapter analyses several trends affecting the tourism industry from management and marketing perspectives. This analysis gives a better understanding of how these trends specifically affect tourism. This chapter highlights the importance of monitoring the trends and their evolution in the various markets.

From the perspective of business history, this chapter presents an overview of the development of the tourism sector in South America, placing special emphasis on the Peruvian case. The chapter explores various topics related to the tourism chain, such as hotel networks, the role of the state, tour operators, micro- and small enterprises, linkages between tourism and sustainability, the formation of clusters in the sector, and interactions between different entrepreneurs in the chain. Special emphasis is placed on the Peruvian case, especially when it comes to discussing the role of micro- and small enterprises in the sector.

Purpose: This paper presents a review of the current state and potential capabilities for application of robots, artificial intelligence and automated services (RAISA) in hotel companies.

Design/methodology/approach: A two-step approach was applied in this study. First, the authors make a theoretical overview of the robots, artificial intelligence and service automation (RAISA) in hotels. Second, the authors make a detailed overview of various case studies from global hotel practice.

Findings: The application of RAISA in hotel companies is examined in connection with the impact that technology has on guest experience during each of the five stages of the guest cycle: pre-arrival, arrival, stay, departure, assessment.

Research implications: Its implications can be searched with respect to future research. It deals with topics such as how different generations (guests and employees) perceive RAISA in the hotel industry and what is the attitude of guests in different categories of hotels (luxury and economy) towards the use of RAISA. It also shows what is the attitude of different types of tourists (holiday, business, health, cultural, etc.) and what kinds of robots (androids or machines) are more appropriate for different types of hotel operations.

Practical implications: The implications are related to the improvement of operations and operational management, marketing and sales, enhancement of customer experience and service innovation, training and management.

Originality/value: This book chapter complements and expands research on the role of RAISA in the hotel industry and makes some projections about the use of technologies in the future.

This chapter is intended to provide the reader with information and insights on the transition or transformation from socialism to a market economy in what are generally termed the transition economies. This includes countries in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), sometimes referred to as the Former Soviet Union (FSU), the South East European (SEE) countries, sometimes referred to as the Balkans and the major socialist economy of Asia, China. The chapter covers the critical years of reform for most of these countries, from 1990 to 2000. Some transition economies started reforming earlier, such as China which has continued state-owned enterprise (SOE) reforms to the present time. Other transition countries, primarily the SEE economies, lagged due to the conflict which raged throughout most of the region and the period of isolation which followed, particularly for Serbia. China and Serbia are sui generis for a number of reasons. They will be referenced as examples in this chapter, but they will not form part of the core statistical and data analysis.