Il presente articolo intende riflettere sulle relazioni di causa-effetto nella gestione delle imprese, con particolare attenzione a quelle turistico-ricettive. L’ipotesi di fondo riconosce la difficoltà del management a comprendere (e quindi a gestire) analiticamente tutte le relazioni che si instaurano tra le varie determinanti del reddito operativo. Il percorso metodologico proposto rappresenta un’utile attività di comprensione e concettualizzazione, capace di orientare la gestione aziendale verso un’attiva gestione strategica. Saper comprendere, anche solo con riferimento al passato, gli effetti prodotti sui risultati aziendali dalle decisioni e azioni assunte aiuta senz’altro a guidare con maggiore consapevolezza la gestione nel presente e a formulare una strategia sfidante per il futuro. Queste considerazioni sono confermate dall’analisi empirica, che applica il modello  a un hotel operante all’interno di una destinazione turistica.

HOW TO IDENTIFY AND MANAGE THE ECONOMIC LEVERS OF HOTEL FIRMS#This article reflects on the cause and effect relationships in the field of management, with particular attention to the lodging sector. The underlying hypothesis recognizes management’s difficulty in analytically understanding (and therefore managing) all the relations established between the various determinants of operating profit. In the proposed model, internal and#external factors are profoundly interrelated and variously influenced by the firm and the destination strategy. Single factors affecting operating profit are interconnected, creating reciprocal effects, time delays, and are influenced by exogenous variables such as the macro-environment in which the company is engaged.#While it seems impossible for managers to know and manage these relationships in detail, the methodological approach proposed is a useful activity for their comprehension and conceptualization, enabling owners and managers to develop an active strategic management.#These observations are confirmed by the case study proposed in the article. The identification of managerial levers and the link with strategy helps owners and managers to strengthen the original elements of firm positioning and to connect them with profit.