An analysis of the impact of implementing Revenue Management Systems on hotel operational performance

The aim of this paper was to analyse the degree to which hotels whose managers employ a Revenue Management System (RMS) as a strategy to increase demand outperform other non-RMS-user establishments. This analysis was based on the assumption that increased demand due to us-ing an RMS will either increase a hotel's room occupancy (RO) or increase its achieved room rate (ARR), and eventually increase its revenue per available room (RevPAR), efficiency rate (ER) and average labour produc-tivity. The study used a sample of 106 chain hotels with a rating of three or more stars located in Andalusia (Spain). The econometric estimations show that the effectiveness of an RMS as a tool for improving perform-ance was generally achieved in these hotels through better management of occupancy, especially in the low season

Consequences of the surge of new hotels on labour productivity growth in the Spanish hospitality sector.

The first aim of this paper is to analyse the main tendencies in employment and regional labour productivity in the Spanish hospitality sector in the period 1987-2004. A second purpose is to analyse the main determinants of sectoral labour productivity. The estimation of an augmented production function is used to this end. This function includes, in addition to the main determinants of labour productivity, some variables linked with the evolution of technical progress in the sector, such as: the mean degree of tourism intensity, average size of establishments, number of hotels and its distribution by category. Besides this, in the empirical model are included a set of variables related to productive capacity utilisation, such as: average length of stay, number of overnight stays per regional bed capacity, and an indicator of regional demand seasonality. This study might allow assessing to what extent the surge of new hotels from 1995 contributed to explain the tendencies in aggregate productivity growth. Moreover, this paper would be useful to determine the main determinants of labour productivity as well as to design policy measures to increase productivity in the sector.

Determinantes del crecimiento de la productividad regional del trabajo: un estudio para la hostelería en España

Este artículo trata de analizar los determinantes del crecimiento de la productividad del trabajo en la hostelería en España utilizando datos regionales para el periodo 1996-2004. Los resultados obtenidos sugieren que el aumento en el número de hoteles de tres estrellas y la reducción en el stock de capital físico por trabajador han afectado negativamente al crecimiento de la productividad. Por otra parte, el aumento en la intensidad del turismo tiene un impacto positivo sobre el crecimiento de esta variable. Sin embargo, los cambios en la duración media de la estancia de los clientes en los hoteles y la estacionalidad de la demanda no han tenido un impacto significativo en el crecimiento de la productividad del trabajo en el periodo.The aim of this paper is to analyze the determinants of labour productivity growth in the hospitality industry in Spain using regional data over the period 1996-2004. The results obtained suggest that the increase in the number of 3-star hotels and the reduction process in the stock of physical capital per worker are factors which may have contributed to the fall in productivity growth. However, increased regional tourism intensity has a positive impact on the growth of labour productivity. Nonetheless, changes in demand-related factors, such as average length of stay and the seasonality of demand, have not had a significant aggregate impact on labour productivity growth during this period

Socio-economic determinants of efficiency in reducing child mortality in developing countries

Efficiency issues in health investments have received increasing attention, mainly as a result of the growing amount of resources invested in developing countries and their mixed impacts on outcomes. The empirical literature has suggested that, although government spending on health care improves the health status of the population, society can potentially gain more through the more efficient assignment of health resources. In this context, this paper aims to: firstly, to analyse whether developing countries can further reduce child mortality by using the available resources more parsimoniously; and secondly, to identify the (non-discretionary) socio-economic factors that could be affecting this process. More specifically, this paper aims to explain why some countries are more efficient than others in converting inputs (physician density and relative total health expenditure) into a health outcome: the under-five mortality rate (U5MR). The database used in the estimations comprised 47 developing countries with data for the periods 2000- 2004, 2005-2009, and 2010-2012. The findings suggest that greater efficiency in the provision of immunization, better quality government, and lower income inequality are directly related to efficiency in the use of inputs to reduce the U5MR.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Returns to overeducation and undereducation: evidence for the hospitality sector in Andalusia

The objetive of this piece of work is to estimate the returns to overeducation and infraeducation for those people who are working in the hospitality sector in Andalusia. Using a cross-section of workers from a representative survey carried out with European funds (project IFD97-0858), we compare educational attainment of workers and job-required education (reported by workers and managers) in order to obtain a general especification of the earnings function from allocation models of the labor market. These models contain the human capital specification and the job competition specification as special cases. The results show as an earnings especification that includes the possibility of mismatch between educational attainment and requirement is superior to one that only incorporates one or other of the two sides of the matching process. When we use the opinions of workers (managers) about educational requirements, the rate of return to years of adecuate education is 3,27% (3,64%). The rate of returns to overeducation is 1,4% (1,93%) and the penalty for each year of undereducation is 1,81% (2,25%) reduction in wages.

Determinants of Skills Shortages and Hard-to-Fill Vacancies in the Hospitality Sector

The aim of this paper is to analyse the regional determinants of hard-to-fill vacancies and skills shortages in the hospitality sector. The data source for this study was generated in the year 2000 and includes information on 181 hotels and 121 restaurants in Andalusia. The results of the estimations show that hourly net wages are the main instrument firms use to reduce hard-to-fill vacancies and skills shortages. However, there are several factors affecting the conditions of local labour markets — such as unemployment rates, the level of business activity, real estate prices and the location of the firm in relation to the main regional tourism destinations — that have a significant effect on the probability of having hard-to-fill vacancies and skills shortages.

La evolución diferencial de la productividad del trabajo en Andalucía: causas y posibles medidas de política

El crecimiento de la tasa de ocupación ha sido la única fuente de crecimiento económico en Andalucía en los últimos años. Además, si en el periodo 1987-1994 la diferencia entre las tasas de crecimiento medias anuales de la productividad del trabajo en Andalucía y España fue de 0,48 puntos porcentuales, dicha diferencia se ha ampliado a 0,77 puntos en el periodo 1995-2000, registrándose en el caso de Andalucía una tasa de crecimiento real negativa. En este contexto el objetivo de este trabajo es analizar los posibles determinantes de este comportamiento diferencial. La evidencia obtenida muestra que el origen de este débil resultado puede encontrarse, además de en la insuficiente inversión en capital tecnológico y en las características de la especialización productiva regional, en el proceso de sustitución de trabajadores fijos por temporales. El análisis conjunto de los resultados ha permitido finalmente indicar posibles orientaciones futuras de política que contribuyan a sostener el crecimiento económico regional.Productividad regional, políticas regionales, regional productivity, regional policies.

An analysis of regional economic vulnerability through the lens of tourism dependence: The case of Spain.

The main aim of this piece of work is to provide evidence of the existence of regions in Spain in which the excessive dependence on tourism is conditioning their long-term economic development possibilities, placing their economies in a position of economic vulnerability. To our knowledge, this will be the first attempt to analyse the relationship between dependence on tourism and economic vulnerability in Spain. Previously, Watson and Deller (2022) studied how dependency on tourism influences regional economic resiliency using US county-level data. Thus, in this study, attention will be paid to the relationship between economic dependence on tourism and economic vulnerability in Spanish tourist regions in the two most recent periods of recession: the ‘Great Recession’ of 2008 and the initial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. With this aim, we will first conceptualise and measure regional economic vulnerability/resilience following the works of Briguglio et al. (2009) and Ringwood et al. (2019). Then an index of regional dependence on tourism will be developed in order to have a single tourism dependence indicator to be associated with differences in vulnerability/resilience regional scores previously calculated. In this regard, particular attention will be paid to the influence of differences in the portfolio of visitors on the levels of resilience of regional economies.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Relationships between foreign direct investment and official development assistance with trade-related illicit financial flows. Evidence from low- and middle-income countries

Purpose This paper aims to analyse empirically the association between flows of foreign direct investment (FDI), net official development assistance (ODA) inflows and trade-related illicit financial outflows. Design/methodology/approach With this purpose, a linear model was estimated, using different panel-data estimators, and using a database for a sample of 49 countries spanning the period 2008–2017. The used measure of illicit financial outflows was based on the estimates by Global Financial Integrity of deliberate misinvoicing in merchandise trade. Findings Research findings show a significant and positive association between changes in both relative lagged net FDI flows and relative FDI outflows (as % of gross domestic product) and changes in the ratio of trade-related illicit capital outflows to total trade. However, these positive associations were only observed in the case of low-income countries. Also, the positive association of net ODA inflows on the IFFT outflows were restricted to the cluster of lower-middle-income countries. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first studies to empirically estimate the association between FDI and ODA flows and trade misinvoicing at a macroeconomic level. Research findings may contribute to substantiate the concerns expressed in previous research about the potential unintended effects of aid on illicit capital flight in the case of lower-middle-income countries. They also shown that FDI flows could be an additional conduit for trade-related illicit financial flows in these countriesFunding for open access charge: Universidad de Málaga/CBU

Determinantes del crecimiento de la productividad regional del trabajo: un estudio para la hostelería en España

Este artículo trata de analizar los determinantes del crecimiento de la productividad del trabajo en la hostelería en España utilizando datos regionales para el periodo 1996-2004. Los resultados obtenidos sugieren que el aumento en el número de hoteles de tres estrellas y la reducción en el stock de capital físico por trabajador han afectado negativamente al crecimiento de la productividad. Por otra parte, el aumento en la intensidad del turismo tiene un impacto positivo sobre el crecimiento de esta variable. Sin embargo, los cambios en la duración media de la estancia de los clientes en los hoteles y la estacionalidad de la demanda no han tenido un impacto significativo en el crecimiento de la productividad del trabajo en el periodo.The aim of this paper is to analyze the determinants of labour productivity growth in the hospitality industry in Spain using regional data over the period 1996-2004. The results obtained suggest that the increase in the number of 3-star hotels and the reduction process in the stock of physical capital per worker are factors which may have contributed to the fall in productivity growth. However, increased regional tourism intensity has a positive impact on the growth of labour productivity. Nonetheless, changes in demand-related factors, such as average length of stay and the seasonality of demand, have not had a significant aggregate impact on labour productivity growth during this period