M. Rodríguez-Molina

Determinants of the Use of the Internet as a Tourist Information Source

The modelling of usage behaviour of New Information Technologies is of great utility to managers who need to evaluate the probability of success in the introduction of these technologies. The present study empirically contrasts the capacity of Daviss Technology Acceptance Model 1989 to help understand the determinants of the intention to use the Internet to search for holiday information. The findings show that the above theory does explain the intention to use the Internet on the part of the tourist, but it should be expanded to take account of the tourists satisfaction with previous experiences of searching for holiday information.

Marketing practices in the Spanish rural tourism sector and their contribution to business outcomes

This paper sets out to highlight the importance of entrepreneurial and market orientations for the success of enterprises operating out of a rural base. Using these two strategic frameworks, this paper identifies the marketing practices undertaken by rural enterprises, and evaluates their effect on business performance, on the local entrepreneur, and on the rural area itself. Enterprises operating from a rural location play a strategic role in the sustainable development of economies, in the context of which the rural tourism sector particularly stands out. The use of marketing practices appropriate to the aims, capacities and resources of such enterprises is proposed as a mechanism for improving their performance. Using the Spanish rural tourism sector as the basis, a scale measuring marketing practices, and another scale reflecting three different types of outcome – financial, those linked personally to the entrepreneur, and those in terms of development of the rural environment – are proposed and validated, and the effect of marketing practices on the performance of such enterprises is analysed. The findings, which reveal that marketing practices have a significant effect on the achievement of outcomes, have implications of interest for the literature and for practitioners in the rural enterprise sector.

Servitization strategies from customers’ perspective: the moderating role of co-creation

This paper aims to investigate the moderating role of co-creation in the implementation of servitization strategies in the pharmaceutical industry in a business-to-business (B-to-B) context. More specifically, this investigation explores the impact of different levels of services (base, intermediate and advanced) on servitization and on performance by using co-creation as a moderating factor.,A research framework was developed and empirically tested in the pharmaceutical sector. Data collection was conducted through the online distribution of questionnaires. The final sample included 219 pharmacy stores, and the data were analysed using structural equation modelling.,Main findings suggest that when the level of co-creation of the design of services is high, there are significant effects of servitization on firm performance. The moderating effect of co-creation is illustrated in regard to intermediate and advanced services, but results referring to the impact of intermediate services on servitization appear non-significant with a low degree of co-creation. No significant effects could be found for the impact of base services on performance and servitization for both high and low degrees of co-creation. Findings show an impact of advanced services on performance through the mediating effect of servitization when the degree of co-creation is high.,Most research concerning servitization has been done from the perspective of manufacturers and service providers. This study adds value to the literature because it was designed from a customer’s perspective. Moreover, it contributes towards the conceptualization of the servitization research strategy and business models in a B2B context. This is accomplished through the investigation of the moderating effect of co-creation on the impact of the different levels of services on servitization and on performance.

Developing entrepreneurial intentions through gamification using online Business challenges

Purpose: This paper describes the results of a research project aimed at investigating the moderating role of gamification on the development of entrepreneurial intentions through the use of online business challenges. Following the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) (Ajzen, 1991), a research framework is suggested and empirically tested which measures entrepreneurial intentions before and after the participation in an online competition. TPB attempts to predict individuals intentions to engage in a behaviour, arguing that behaviours depend on both motivation (intention) and ability (behavioral control) (Ajzen, 1991). In this study, entrepreneurial intentions are used as a predictor of entrepreneurial behaviour and are measured using the Entrepreneurial Intentions Questionnaire (based on Linan and Chen, 2009; Linan et al., 2011; Guerrero and Urbano, 2014; Ruizalba et al., 2015) before and after a gamified environment. Gamification refers to the use of game elements in non-gamified environments, (Deterding et al., 2011) such as in Higher Education (HE) contexts. The suggested research framework hypothesises that gamification has a positive impact on HE students’ entrepreneurial intentions. Design/methodology/approach: In order to investigate the suggested hypotheses, a quantitative research strategy was implemented using questionnaires distributed online to participants. Data was collected with the help of Studyka along with Paris Business School (PSB). Studyka facilitates gamified environments providing online challenges to students all over the world. These challenges are real problems put forward by companies and monetary prizes are attributed to winners. Two questionnaires were implemented: one implemented before the challenge and another one at the end of the gamified activity. A total of 980 students participated, and 281 responded to the two questionnaires, enabling before and after comparisons. Findings: Data analysis is currently undergoing and a difference is expected between the two samples collected (that is, before and after participation in the online challenge). Originality/value: This research contributes to the literature by investigating the role of gamified environments on entrepreneurial intentions of HE students.