José Angel Sanz Lara

Economic impact of a religious and tourist event: A Holy Week celebration

Holy Week is one of the most important traditional celebrations in many parts of the world. It has a deep-rooted cultural and social tradition, yet also embraces a tourist dimension, which ultimately impacts on the economy of the places where it is held. The present work seeks to explore the impact of Holy Week on the city of Palencia (Spain). To do this, an economic impact study based on a description and evaluation of three types of effect, direct, indirect and induced, is carried out. Results show that this event generated a total of €2.258 million, of which 82% remained in the economy of the city itself, with the hotel and restaurant sectors benefitting the most. This traditional celebration thus contributes to creating revenue and employment, to maintaining traditional industries, to preserving cultural heritage and to enhancing the area’s image and projection.

Contingent valuation and motivation analysis of tourist routes Application to the cultural heritage of Valdivia (Chile)

The purpose of this research is to determine the economic value assigned to the historical heritage of Valdivia (Chile) by tourists visiting the city. For this, the contingent valuation method is used, proposing a scenario of guided tours suitable to attempt to evaluate physically dispersed urban heritage which is also difficult to define as a tourism product, given its diversity. A double-bounded dichotomous choice format is employed to formulate the valuation question, and willingness to pay (WTP) is estimated using parametric techniques. The study is complemented by segmentation analysis for the main reasons why tourists visit the city of Valdivia, applying the contingency tables method. The results suggest that there is no statistically significant difference in the WTP for the three historical and cultural routes offered and show a higher WTP for foreign tourists compared with domestic tourists as well as for those with higher incomes. Moreover, segmentation analysis shows that the level of education and origin of the tourists interviewed are significant variables in characterizing the reason for their visit.

Determining factors of success in internal communication management in Spanish companies: The influence of social media

The purpose of this paper is to explore the factors that influence the success of internal communication in Spanish companies, specifically the importance of the channels used, activities conducted through ISM and the role played by the communication professional.,The model employed argues that to obtain success in internal communication, three factors are considered necessary: first, communication professionals must participate in strategic decisions; second, they have to use together social media channel and classical channel to communicate with employees; and finally they must choose which activities they carry out during the use of social media. These elements are developed in the literature review. To research practices of internal digital communications and level of success of internal communication across types of organizations, a quantitative survey between professionals from Spanish companies was conducted.,The results revealed that the hierarchical level, participation in the strategic decision process and dedication of the communication practitioner, alongside with the use of face-to-face and online communication channels, and the perceived importance of communication activities conducted through social media platforms are the key factors that influence the quality of internal communication. However, no significant relationship between the level of success and the use of social media channels was found.,The current study has several limitations that should be noted and addressed in future research. The main limitation lies in the fact that the dependent variable – success in communication – is entirely based on communication professionals’ perceptions. Replication studies can be conducted to cross-validate the results obtained from this study using business outcome metrics to measure the communication effectiveness. A further limitation is related to the sampling procedure. Obtaining a representative sample of communications professionals in Spanish companies poses a number of limitations due to the impossibility of having accurate data on the total population.,The findings of the current study provide important implications for public relations professionals on what (i.e. the content) and how to (i.e. the channels) communicate within an organization. In general, internal communicators should move from historical roles as information producers and distributors to advisory roles in strategic decision making. Additionally, the implementation and use of ISM should be carefully revaluated. Communication practitioners should examine and address the difficulties involved in choosing the correct channels, devoting the necessary time to their adequate management, analyzing employees’ feedback and improving the engagement.,The study shows that internal communication practices in Spanish companies are changing. The model used in this research can be applied in an individual organization to evaluate what factors improve the communication of its employees and carry out additional research in other countries or types of organizations to identity new challenges.

Applying the EFQM model to golf course management

ABSTRACT The European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Excellence Model provides guidance and support for business organisations to improve their quality management. This goal is attained by examining the relations among the several criteria that are defined and included in the model – the Enablers and the Results – albeit without going deeply into their empirical correlations. Our research focuses on the sport industry and, more particularly, on golf-related services and facilities. We analyse their management and performance. The goal is to conduct an empirical study of golf courses making up the supply in a Spanish inland region. On the basis of data and assessments contributed by the participating sample – and by resorting to multivariate statistical analysis – we pinpoint the influence of all Enablers identified by the EFQM Model, as well as their impact on the Results criteria. Correlations designed and empirically quantified make it possible for us to confirm the theoretical interrelations that the EFQM Model proposes between the defined criteria. The structural model thus obtained allows us to design a map that plots the relationships across the several criteria defined by the EFQM Model, one which portrays present-day approaches to management put into practice by the golf courses under scrutiny.ABSTRACTThe European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Excellence Model provides guidance and support for business organisations to improve their quality management. This goal is attained by examining the relations among the several criteria that are defined and included in the model – the Enablers and the Results – albeit without going deeply into their empirical correlations. Our research focuses on the sport industry and, more particularly, on golf-related services and facilities. We analyse their management and performance. The goal is to conduct an empirical study of golf courses making up the supply in a Spanish inland region. On the basis of data and assessments contributed by the participating sample – and by resorting to multivariate statistical analysis – we pinpoint the influence of all Enablers identified by the EFQM Model, as well as their impact on the Results criteria. Correlations designed and empirically quantified make it possible for us to confirm the theoretical interrelations t...