Daniela Garbin Praničević

INNOVATION ACTIVITY IN THE HOTEL SECTOR – THE CASE OF CROATIA

Abstract Innovation is, alongside, skills, investment, enterprise and competition, a major driver of productivity in economy. In tourism also, it is believed that the competitiveness of enterprises to a great extent depends upon their innovation activity. Surprisingly, in tourism the research on innovation has so far received poor attention from scholars, especially in empirical research. This article aims at filling that gap. It will present results from an empirical study of innovation activity carried out during the spring/summer 2010 in the hotel sector in Croatia. Due to the problem of empirical measurement of innovation and the specific characteristics of hotel sector, the CIS IV1 questionnaire design was used and adapted for this purpose. CIS questionnaire has been criticized by scholars for its deficiencies in measuring innovation in services. Still, after an extensive literature and research review, it has been concluded that with the adaptations made, it is the best available tool for this purpose. The research preliminary results suggest that Croatian hotels can be portrayed as only moderately innovative and with different innovation activity according to innovation type and newness. Furthermore, parallels, where possible, are drawn to other similar research carried out in other countries (Spain and Austria) as to be able to benchmark the innovation activity of Croatian hotels. Based upon the empirical results, recommendations and guidelines for hotel practice as well as for activities of regulatory bodies are given.

The changing role of ICT competitiveness: the case of the Slovenian hotel sector

The purpose of the article is to survey the role of information and communication technology (ICT) for hotel firm’s competitiveness. Based on competitive advantage factor (CAF) and resource theory, this article empirically tests ICT as one of several possible competitiveness factors. The research is focused on analyse of ICT competitiveness position over time, with special attention to different generations of ICT technologies. An electronic survey instrument has been used to collect Slovenian hotel manager’s opinion on competitiveness resources in 2000 and 2010. Hypothesis testing and cluster analyses has been applied, SPSS was also used. The articles findings indicate that hotels need time to recognise the competitiveness potential of every new resource, and once they start to implement it its importance may change over time. Some firms might be slower in implementing new ICT resources, yet, over time, the resource use converges among the firms. The process is repeated with every new ICT generation. The study informs firms and researchers on practical and research issues forthcoming with ICT progression. Research results directly benefits hotel managers by providing actual information on how to employ different generations of ICT. This contribution is a novel way of connecting a firm’s competitiveness with different web generations over time.

Consumer-Generated Reviews on Social Media and Brand Relationship Outcomes in the Fast-Food Chain Industry

ABSTRACT A number of studies agree on the fact that social media users tend to trust more the contents created by other users than those generated by companies’ marketing departments or advertising agencies. However, little is known regarding whether social media can actually enhance brand trust and other brand relationship outcomes that are deemed critical to the hospitality marketing literature. This paper seeks to offer some important insight on this issue by examining the impact of consumer-generated reviews on social media on four main pillars of the relationship marketing paradigm, i.e., satisfaction, trust, commitment, and loyalty. The inter-relationship between brand outcomes is also examined. The findings suggest that consumer-generated reviews on social media exert a direct impact on affective brand commitment and an indirect impact on brand loyalty. However, their influence on brand satisfaction and trust appears to be insignificant. The inter-relationship between brand relationship outcomes is also corroborated.

Slovene Management Education in the Changed World through Appreciative Inquiry

Paper presents the study of appreciative inquiry (AI) methodology in the context of management education. Current perception of managers in Slovenia about economic situation is negative which may have a significant impact on investment and positive outlook of future business. Therefore, we propose that AI which focuses on positive aspects of doing business needs to be investigated and implemented into management education of future managers and we provide empirical evidence of thinking patterns of three generations of students at the Faculty of Economics University of Ljubljana. AI means researching what gives success to human systems when they function at their best. It represents discovery process of optimum identity and a way to the best possible future. Positive core of existing situation is chosen as the focus of AI process. AI is researching into stories that give energy for further action. Purpose of this paper is to offer an alternative approach to tackling challenges, based on analyzing the causes of previous successes. Further, we aim to offer the scientific community a new methodology that solves real business, relational or individual challenges. In the Winter semester during study years 2012/13, 2013/14 and 2014/15 we invited our students to be in a state of inquiry about themselves, their life and their work. We asked them: What is the best future you can imagine? In a longitudinal study we have gathered 171 AI pair interviews documentations. Students’ AI data was analyzed in three thematic segments: 1) favorite quotes; 2) preservation of past and present into the future and 3) vision of the future. Analysis of all three generations’ AI interviews revealed emphasis in their favorite quotes on the “people” component and the need of the students to understand life and make sense of gained knowledge and experiences. They also stress the need to think about contemporary issues and gain practical experiences. Students would most like to preserve in the future their work ethics, dedication to hard work, creativity, family members around them, experiences and knowledge gained. Their visions are focused on balancing successful international careers and family lives. New ways of communication represent an important consideration for the students. They expressed their wish to be driven by intrinsic motivation and being respected in their profession. Theoretical advantages of our paper are in elaborating on AI in management education. Practical implications are in helping students to clarify their strategic goals and visions through introspection and qualitative methodology. Professors can implement and adjust the AI questionnaire based on their own developmental objectives and also based on the needs of their students. Contribution of our paper is in the field of management education and AI field.

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARD TEAMWORK: A CROSS-CULTURAL STUDY

Team work has been highly encouraged among University students of Higher Education Institutions. However, little is known about students’ attitudes regarding this practice. The present study attempts to examine whether university students actually like to work with their colleagues and which advantages and disadvantages of team work they perceive. Students of the Faculty of Economics from two Universities participated in the study: University of Valencia in Spain and University of Split in Croatia. The empirical research was conducted in November-December 2016 and April 2017. A qualitative research was first performed to understand students’ general opinions regarding team work. A quantitative research was conducted then in order to get insights on their attitudes toward team work. Students from different cultural backgrounds participated in the research, as at both Universities national and international, i.e. Erasmus students were approached. This allowed us to obtain a holistic understanding on students’ attitudes toward team work and to compare the results from a cross-cultural point of view.

Latest technology and communication consistency in hospitality: a comparison between two Mediterranean countries

Abstract The goal of this research is to examine customers′ perceptions of the latest technology solutions and marketing communications within the hotel context in two Mediterranean countries – Croatia and Italy. In particular, hotel guests of four- and five-star hotels located in these countries participated in the research. Firstly, guest perceptions of advanced Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and communication consistency are analysed and compared in Croatian and Italian hotels. Secondly, the impact of ICT on communication consistency is tested in both studies. The findings show that the level of customer perceptions of communication consistency is relatively high in both countries, while the perception of technology is moderate. The influence of ICT on communication consistency is also corroborated. The findings of this study have important implications for marketing managers who deal with increasingly demanding consumers in the current digital environment.