The organizational impacts of quality management in tourism firms: An empirical investigation of the Molise Region, Italy

This study uses institutional theory to investigate the isomorphic pressures affecting quality in the accommodation industry. Following questionnaire development, pretest, and a pilot study, survey data were collected from a sample of 324 accommodation firms in the tourism industry of the Molise Region of Italy. Mimetic, coercive and normative pressures were assessed for influence on firm behaviour regarding visible attributes associated with quality. Results show that isomorphism exists in the degree to which quality factors are used in the different accommodation types. However, no substantive differences are observed between the two provinces (Campobasso and Isernia) of the Molise region in Italy.The research confirms the utility of new-institutionalism theory in the field of hospitality and tourism for several purposes including policy for tourism destination development

The organizational impacts of quality management in tourism firms: An empirical investigation of the Molise Region, Italy

This study uses institutional theory to investigate the isomorphic pressures affecting quality in the accommodation industry. Following questionnaire development, pretest, and a pilot study, survey data were collected from a sample of 324 accommodation firms in the tourism industry of the Molise Region of Italy. Mimetic, coercive and normative pressures were assessed for influence on firm behaviour regarding visible attributes associated with quality. Results show that isomorphism exists in the degree to which quality factors are used in the different accommodation types. However, no substantive differences are observed between the two provinces (Campobasso and Isernia) of the Molise region in Italy.The research confirms the utility of new-institutionalism theory in the field of hospitality and tourism for several purposes including policy for tourism destination development

Residents’ Engagement and Local Tourism Governance in Maturing Beach Destinations: Evidence from an Italian Case Study

In academia as well as in practice there is increasing interest in governing the complex relationships within destinations. Nevertheless, a gap persists in knowledge on how to valorize and engage the local community in the tourism development process. This paper analyzes residents’ perceptions, attitudes, and involvement towards tourism development in a mature Italian “Sun, Sea and Sand” tourism destination. An Exploratory Factor Analysis was applied to reveal the underlying factors in the data, followed by a K-Means Cluster Analysis that resulted in the identification of four groups of residents representing different levels of interest towards tourism ranging from euphoria to apathy. The findings and conclusions are proposed as useful tools for tourism policymakers in Italy and beyond that are generally unfamiliar with stakeholder management and other strategic management approaches

El peso de las partes interesadas en la gestión del festival. El caso de los festivales de música en Italia

A pesar de que los eventos puedan representar una contribución importante al desarrollo económico y social, esto sólo es posible cuando el evento se realiza bajo un paradigma que haga hincapié en la importancia de las complejas relaciones entre el proponente del evento y las partes interesadas. Dentro del sector de los eventos, los festivales representan un sub-campo que comparte similitudes y particularidades, en contraste con otros tipos de evento. Este trabajo analiza el contexto italiano de los festivales de música y profundiza en las relaciones entre el organizador del festival y los actores públicos y privados, utilizando un enfoque de gestión de partes interesadas. Los resultados sugieren que los festivales italianos tienen un nivel razonable de iniciativa empresarial ya que el análisis revela una buena predisposición para el use de prácticas de gestión.Even if events can represent important drivers for local development, it is possible to have a genuine economic and social contribution only when the event is undertaken within a paradigm that emphasizes the importance of complex interactions between the event’s proposer and its stakeholders. Inside the event sector, festivals represent a specifi c sub-fi eld that share time similarities and peculiarities as compared to other typologies. This paper analyzes the Italian context of music festivals and deepens the relationships between the festival organizer and public and private actors using stakeholder management approach. Findings suggest that Italian festivals have a reasonable level of entrepreneurship since the analysis reveals a good predisposition for the use of management practices

The cittaslow certification and its effects on sustainable tourism governance

The paper examines the relationship between sustainable tourism governance and Cittaslow certification. As an organised network of small cities, Cittaslow is attempting to focus plans around the primary assets of locality-based identity, by choosing to preserve the unique characteristics of each urban area. Through a quantitative analysis, based on International Cittaslow certified cities, the paper aims to examine the effects of Cittaslow certification on local government for the implementation of more sustainable tourism governance. Findings reveal that interest in being certified acts as a stimulus to the definition and the implementation of more sustainable development, allowing a destination to become part of an international network of cities. The results highlight the need to fully exploit the various opportunities in order to be certified, moving primarily from the implementation of policy initiatives coherent not only with the many requirements laid down by Cittaslow, but which have a positive impact on areas considered more strategic for small town development, while avoiding the waste of effort and scarce resources on other less focused projects.Este artículo examina la relación entre una gestión de turismo sostenible y la citación Cittaslow. Como una red organizada de pequeñas ciudades, Cittaslow es un intento por enfocar planes alrededor de los activos primarios basados en la identidad de una localidad, eligiendo preservar las características únicas de cada área urbana. A través de un análisis cuantitativo, basado en las ciudades con certificación internacional Cittaslow, este documento pretende examinar los efectos de la certificación Cittaslow en gobiernos locales para la implementación de una gobernanza de turismo más sostenible. Los hallazgos revelan que el interés en ser certificado actúa como un estímulo para la definición e implementación de un desarrollo más sostenible, permitiendo al destino convertirse en parte de una red internacional de ciudades. Los resultados resaltan la necesidad de explotar las diversas oportunidades para obtener el certificado, principalmente desde la implementación de iniciativas de políticas coherentes no solo con los muchos requisitos establecidos por Cittaslow, sino que también aquellos que tienen un impacto positivo en áreas consideradas más estratégicas para el desarrollo de pequeñas ciudades, mientras que se evita gastar el esfuerzo y los escasos recursos en otros proyectos menos enfocados

The business ecosystem approach applied to the industrial heritage management

The purpose of our work is to deepen the knowledge about the Business Ecosystem approach and apply it to the management of Industrial Heritage (IH). Our approach comprises new organizational forms that do not easily fit with the traditional business models. The IH capitalization consists in the ability to tie the meaning and destiny of IH to contemporary processes of local development, in which the policies of reuse are contextualized in wider processes of socio-economic and territorial transformation. The processes of IH reuse and capitalization involve the activation of initiatives able to reinvent through creativeness and innovativeness those repositories of knowledge looking for new and sustainable purposes of utilization. This revitalization process involves economic, social and cultural transformations that require sophisticated management strategies. After a review of the literature, a case study is presented and analyzed to reflect on the stakeholders that compose the Industrial Heritage Business Ecosystem (IHBE) and their interrelated interactions. The analysis of the case reveals that an efficient project of IHBE relies on a system capable to link the creative idea, the organization and the business ecosystem in order to reach the market satisfaction; the IHBE success is related to the ability to co-evolve and valorize the actors involved in the project, generating a series of trust relationships primarily focused on the coproduction. Conclusions, theoretical and practical implications conclude the paper.El propósito de nuestro trabajo es profundizar en el conocimiento sobre el enfoque del ecosistema de negocios y aplicarlo en la gestión del patrimonio industrial (PI). Nuestro enfoque comprende nuevas formas de organización que no encajan fácilmente en los modelos tradicionales de negocios. La capitalización de IP consiste en la habilidad de vincular el significado y el destino del PI a los procesos contemporáneos de desarrollo local, en los que las políticas de reutilización son contextualizadas en amplios procesos de transformación socioeconómica y territorial. Los procesos de reutilización y capitalización de IP implican la activación de iniciativas capaces de reinventar a través de la creatividad y la innovación aquellos repositorios de conocimiento que buscan nuevos y sostenibles propósitos de utilización. Este proceso de revitalización incluye transformaciones económicas, sociales y culturales que requieren estrategias de gestión sofisticadas. Después de una revisión de la información, un caso de estudio es presentado y analizado para reflexionar en las partes interesadas que componen el Industrial Heritage Business Ecosystem (IHBE) y sus relaciones entre sí. El análisis del caso revela que un proyecto eficiente de IHBE se basa en un sistema capaz de vincular una idea creativa, la organización y el ecosistema empresarial para alcanzar la satisfacción en el mercado; el éxito de IHBE se relaciona con la habilidad de coevolución y valorización de las partes involucradas en este proyecto, generando una serie de relaciones de confianza centradas principalmente en la coproducción. Conclusiones, implicaciones teóricas y prácticas cierran este documento