Services marketing in the hospitality economy: An exploratory study

Meeting the challenges of an unstable and unsettled environment is not easy. The recent impacts on the hospitality services economy of changing technology, mergers of institutions, increasingly demanding consumers and increased competition have created an atmosphere of volatility and rapid change. In order to survive in this demanding market place, service organisations have only one choice, to successfully develop and launch new services. However, the failure rate of new service projects is high, because the knowledge on how new services should be developed is limited. Unfortunately, unlike tangible new product development practices which have the benefit of extensive research into how successful new products are developed, the service sector has only recently begun to explore ways to ensure the success of new services. Therefore, this study focuses on a better understanding of how successful new hotel services are developed and investigates the factors, which have impact on success or failure in new service development (NSD) in the hotel sector. The results of the exploratory study are summarised in a conceptual model for further research.Innovation process, services marketing, new product development, new service development, critical success factors, hotels - tourism, Marketing,

Evaluating IT alignment and performance in SMEs using multivariate regression analysis

New competitive challenges have forced Small-Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to re-examine their internal environment in order to improve competitive advantage. IT investments can improve firm performance in a way that it would be in “alignment” with business strategy. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the contemporary impact of IT and business strategy on business performance, incorporating all these constructs into a model that is tested using Multivariate Regression Analysis. Data were collected from IS executives in 160 Greek SMEs. The results of this survey show that Strategy conception and formulation have a significant impact on business performanc

Strategic alignment and Information Systems success: Towards an evaluation model for firm performance

There are several models about the development of a successful Information Systems Planning process, while very little research has focused on the contribution of the Strategic Information Systems Planning (SISP) process to firm performance. The assessment of the process is a decision problem and managers should evaluate alternatives so that it could be solved. Both executives and researchers need to be aware of how the alignment of business and IS strategies impact firm performance. The purpose of this paper is to propose a conceptual model of the determinants of the SISP process and success in Small-Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to assess the contribution of these two variables to firm performance. Understanding those phases may help IS executives concentrate their efforts on organizations’ objectives and recognize the greatest value of the planning process in their firms. This paper contributes to IS executives in Greek SMEs who do not concentrate on strategic planning during the development of IS and they focus only on the technical issues. As a result, they should understand the significance of the SISP process in order to formulate and implement IS strategy which will be aligned with business objectives and increase the success of SMEs

Digital Business Strategy: An Empirical Analysis of Mission statement content and Financial Performance

The mission statement identifies the fundamental raison d\u27être of an organization. However, developing such a document seems to be quite difficult, since most businesses end up crafting a meaningless text. Indeed, it is crucial to evaluate the content of the mission statement. The purpose of this chapter is to examine the relationship between the components of mission statement and financial performance in e-businesses. This was accomplished through one way ANOVA and t-test analysis. The findings of the research indicated that there isn’t a positive relationship between the mission statement and the performance of digital businesses. In addition, it was revealed that only one component had a positive and statistically significant correlation with a financial index. All other correlations were weak and statistically insignificant

New service development in e-government: identifying critical success factors

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to suggest a model that incorporates critical factors contributing to the success in new service development (NSD) projects in electronic government (e-government). Design/methodology/approach: After a brief introduction to e-government and NSD in respect to models for successful implementation, the authors justify and build on the existing literature that advocates the use of critical success factors (CSFs) to study the implementation of these projects. They suggest a model that incorporates the determinants of success or failure for a new service through a set of variables. Findings: This paper proposes a framework, which is believed to help with the empirical research of CSF in NSD. The suggested framework attempts to bring experience in leadership and coordination of work theory and practice together by synthesising the existing literature with real-life experience. Research limitations/implications: The paper contributes to the e-government implementation literature in terms of suggesting a model that takes under consideration important CSF for implementing NSD. Practical implications: The projects a number of implications for public sector scholars as well as administrators. A vast amount of taxpayer money can be saved if decision makers can promptly identify potential waste of funds in prone-to-failure projects. Originality/value: The research aims at providing a better understanding of the underlying factors and dimensions that describe NSD in e-government through the suggestion of a model that takes under consideration important CSF for implementing NSD. Therefore, it expands the scope of NSD research in e-government context, stating the need for more research to be conducted regarding the NSD in e-government using CSF. By identifying the potential success or failure of future projects a number of implications for public sector scholars as well as administrators comes to light. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Beyond Open Data Hackathons: Exploring Digital Innovation Success

Previous researchers have examined the motivations of developers to participate in hackathons events and the challenges of open data hackathons, but limited studies have focused on the preparation and evaluation of these contests. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to examine factors that lead to the effective implementation and success of open data hackathons and innovation contests. Six case studies of open data hackathons and innovation contests held between 2014 and 2018 in Thessaloniki were studied in order to identify the factors leading to the success of hackathon contests using criteria from the existing literature. The results show that the most significant factors were clear problem definition, mentors’ participation to the contest, level of support to participants by mentors in order to launch their applications to the market, jury members’ knowledge and experience, the entry requirements of the competition, and the participation of companies, data providers, and academics. Furthermore, organizers should take team members’ competences and skills, as well as the support of post-launch activities for applications, into consideration. This paper can be of interest to organizers of hackathon events because they could be knowledgeable about the factors that should take into consideration for the successful implementation of these events

Services marketing in the hospitality economy: An exploratory study

Meeting the challenges of an unstable and unsettled environment is not easy. The recent impacts on the hospitality services economy of changing technology, mergers of institutions, increasingly demanding consumers and increased competition have created an atmosphere of volatility and rapid change. In order to survive in this demanding market place, service organisations have only one choice, to successfully develop and launch new services. However, the failure rate of new service projects is high, because the knowledge on how new services should be developed is limited. Unfortunately, unlike tangible new product development practices which have the benefit of extensive research into how successful new products are developed, the service sector has only recently begun to explore ways to ensure the success of new services. Therefore, this study focuses on a better understanding of how successful new hotel services are developed and investigates the factors, which have impact on success or failure in new service development (NSD) in the hotel sector. The results of the exploratory study are summarised in a conceptual model for further research

Artificial Intelligence and Business Strategy towards Digital Transformation: A Research Agenda

In the past decade, current literature and businesses have drawn attention to Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools and in particular to the advances in machine learning techniques. Nevertheless, while the AI technology offers great potential to solve difficulties, challenges remain implicated in practical implementation and lack of expertise in the strategic usage of AI to create business value. This paper aims to implement a systematic literature review analyzing convergence of the AI and corporate strategy and develop a theoretical model incorporating issues based on the existing research in this field. Eighty-one peer-reviewed articles were discussed on the basis of research methodology from Webster and Watson (2002). In addition to gaps in future research, a theoretical model is developed, discussing the four sources of value creation: AI and Machine Learning in organizations; alignment of AI tools and Information Technology (IT) with organizational strategy; AI, knowledge management and decision-making process; and AI, service innovation and value. These outcomes lead to both theoretical and managerial viewpoints, with extensive possibilities to generate new methods and types of management practices

Hackathons for driving service innovation strategies: The evolution of a digital platform-based ecosystem

Despite the fact that hackathons and digital innovation contests have emerged as substantial intermediaries in open innovation and entrepreneurship, knowledge about how hackathons and digital innovation contests impact innovation in cities is restricted. There is also a scarcity of models that aid in the organization of digital innovation contests. Based on the existing frameworks for contest organizations, the aim of this article is to present a case study which develops a framework for hosting and evaluating open data hackathons. The hackathon framework is developed from the organizer's viewpoint, and it has been executed in three digital innovation competitions in Thessaloniki. The suggested scheme adds new knowledge to the field of open data and digital innovation competitions while also providing practitioners with opportunities to host digital contests. Moreover, this framework offers hackathon organizers with regulations and resources to help them plan innovation contests that contribute to the betterment of an open data ecosystem

Digital Transformation in Healthcare 4.0: Critical Factors for Business Intelligence Systems

The health sector is one of the most knowledge-intensive and complicated globally. It has been proven repeatedly that Business Intelligence (BI) systems in the healthcare industry can help hospitals make better decisions. Some studies have looked at the usage of BI in health, but there is still a lack of information on how to develop a BI system successfully. There is a significant research gap in the health sector because these studies do not concentrate on the organizational determinants that impact the development and acceptance of BI systems in different organizations; therefore, the aim of this article is to develop a framework for successful BI system development in the health sector taking into consideration the organizational determinants of BI systems’ acceptance, implementation, and evaluation. The proposed framework classifies the determinants under organizational, process, and strategic aspects as different types to ensure the success of BI system deployment. Concerning practical implications, this paper gives a roadmap for a wide range of healthcare practitioners to ensure the success of BI system development