Juan M. Berbel-Pineda

Identifying the franchisee profiles franchisors prefer

This study identifies the franchisee profiles that franchisors prefer. Specifically, the goals of this study are: (1) to identify the characteristics that form the franchisee profile preferred by the franchisors operating in the Spanish market and (2) to contrast diverse hypotheses related to this profile. These hypotheses are related to the ideal franchisee, sector, financial level, number of franchisee units and age of franchisors. Criteria that franchisors look for in potential franchisees are ranked by importance. The value of the paper is significant as it provides a practical framework for franchisors for the selection process of franchisees when choosing from a group of potential franchisees. The franchisee profile was obtained using conjoint analysis, which is a decomposition methodology that is rarely used in this field.

Does the Foreign Market Entry Mode Choice Affect Export Performance? The Case of the Spanish Hotel Industry

Knowing the factors that affect the export performance has become one of the most recent research lines in the literature relative to business internationalisation. In this sense, several works based on the meta-analysis technique have come up in the two last decades in order to recapitulate the set of studies which have analysed such a topic. Taking these reviews as a starting point, we may establish that there is not a clear relationship between the entry mode and export performance variables. With a study on a sample of 122 Spanish hotels all over the world, we have the intention of analysing the existence and sense of the relationship between both variables. As a conclusion, we may state that the market entry mode has a positive and significant influence on export performance.

Identification of Segments for Overseas Tourists Playing Golf in Spain: A Latent Class Approach

Sports tourism has experienced spectacular growth in the last few decades. This study strives to contribute towards the hitherto scarce research on segmentation in sports tourism. Specifically, this work aims to determine the existence of various profiles of overseas tourists playing golf in Spain by means of using demographic variables, the characteristics of the travel, the main reason for the trip, and the satisfaction experienced with the trip. Segments were obtained using latent class analysis. Results show that there are four profiles of golf sports tourists based on the overall satisfaction experienced on the trip. Furthermore, results show that tourists play golf for various reasons and that there are significant market niches. Practitioners and academics have the ability to gain a fuller understanding of a particular market, thereby enabling them to improve techniques to predict consumer behavior and to exploit new market opportunities. In particular, governments, agents, and tourism managers can allocate resources in a more strategic and focused manner.

Study of the influence of socio-economic factors in the international expansion of Spanish franchisors to Latin American countries

The saturation of the domestic market is one of the factors which drive firms to expand their business to other markets. Franchising is one of the formats adopted by companies when establishing their internationalization strategy. Spain is a country where franchising is strongly consolidated. This degree of maturity means that many chains seek other countries in which to operate. This work’s specific aims are, on the one hand, to offer a general view of the current situation of Spanish franchisors in Latin American countries and, on the other hand, to analyze which the socio-economic or external factors are that determine the presence of Spanish franchisors in this market. Canonical-correlation analysis is used to do so. The results show that Spanish franchisors focus on the market’s potential and size, and the per capita income, while they do not take into account its unemployment level, the country risk or the competitiveness there. This work shows that there is a series of socio-economic factors which influence the final choice of the destination country. However, this decision is not solely based on this country’s socio-economic aspects, but also on the structure of the franchising firm itself and on its export experience in other markets. This study therefore complements other research and helps franchisors in their difficult decision of choosing the destination for their internationalization.

Tourism as a Support in the Compiling of Data for SMES in the Process of Internationalization

Abstract Obtaining information is key to business success. However, to achieve this is generally costly (in both monetary and time terms). This is complicated even more for those firms which need information from foreign markets. Moreover, it has to be considered that information based on secondary data is not always available or easy to get, and that to attain it based on primary data requires a great effort. The aim of the present research is to show a procedure which helps SMEs to obtain this market-relevant information. To do so, a new methodology is used which enables these firms to know in broad terms how consumers of the different country-markets behave, as well as getting information related to the products commercialization. A pilot experience has hence been used, whose target population is tourists in the city of Seville. A sampling session of the product was carried out, via which, and through a questionnaire, information was gathered concerning the countries of origin of the participants in this study. Its flavor is appreciated by the consumer in the four varieties considered, and in appearance, the product also has a very good acceptation. It is worth considering what is going to be the packaging for the products commercialization and its labeling. The different varieties also have their markets and all of them should be adapted to the local tastes.

The positive moderating effect of absorptive capacity on R&D investment: the case of Argentina’s ict firms

The model analyzes the positive moderating role of absorptive capacity (ACAP) in the innovative outcomes of the firms. It focuses on ACAP as a moderating variable of the innovative efforts that firms develop or have the chance of incorporating from outside and not just as an antecedent of the innovation results. The empirical evidence collected comes from a study conducted on 189 SMEs working in IT services in Argentina and the results prove the main hypothesis of how ACAP is a positive moderating factor of the innovative effort of firms, even in the case of the connections created by their the participation in international networks not having a high correlation. Some suggestions for policymaker managers and future lines of research are provided.

Determining factors in the internationalization of hotel industry: An analysis based on export performance

Choosing the best way of operating in foreign markets is one of the most important decisions in business internationalization. The main aim of this study is to ascertain whether the choice of entry mode, made according to the impact of various factors, leads to improved export performance. Certain factors influence export performance in different ways, some of which are firm-related, while others lie beyond the firm’s control. It is, therefore, important to know what these factors are and what impact they have in order to be able to choose the optimal foreign market entry mode, as this decision will have a direct effect on performance.