The Influence of Previous Visitation on Customer's Evaluation of a Tourism Destination

The paper investigates the customer's perspective on a tourism destination brand through four proposed dimensions: awareness, image, quality and loyalty dimension. In addition to the brand's dimensions evaluation, the influence of previous visitation on each proposed dimension is presented. The evaluation of tourism destination brand Slovenia in the minds of German respondents serves as an investigated example. In addition to an evaluation for each investigated dimensions' variables for destination Slovenia as perceived by German respondents, the study confirms also the influence of previous visitation on brand evaluation. In the investigated example, previous visitation is recognized as the improvement factor in Slovenia's evaluation in the minds of German respondents.previous visitation, Slovenia

Logistics outsourcing

This paper investigates key success factors in logistics outsourcing. A model is used to illustrate outsourcing relationships and then applied to three examples from the logistics sector. The model is presented as a tool which can help managers to minimize the chance of failure by explicitly addressing key issues prior to the implementation of a partnership. In order to fully capture the complexity of the outsourcing process, the model is refined by the analysis of implementation of outsourcing methodology and the analysis of the presence of outsourcing myths in each case. We find that the implementation of outsourcing methodology is critical to successful outsourcing. Overall, we find that the main common factors leading to logistics outsourcing success, after the right third party service provider has been selected, are improved service levels and commercial viability for both parties, joint vision and objectives of the partnership, clear roles, top management commitment and support, communication and trust. The results of the case analysis shed light on what is the key to a successful outsourcing relationship and indicate how the architecture of logistics outsourcing can be analyzed and improved

THE INTERNATIONALIZATION STRATEGIES OF SMEs: THE CASE OF THE SLOVENIAN HOTEL INDUSTRY

The paper presents the theoretical background to internationalization strategies for the case of the hotel industry. However, although the hotel industry’s internationalization has already been analyzed, the paper presents a rare example of its application to small and medium-sized hotel firms. In order to reveal the distinctive internationalization development strategies of SMEs we propose a framework for analyzing and understanding the four main internationalization dimensions: operation, market, product, and time. The characteristics of the proposed dimensions were analyzed by examining four Slovenian small and medium-sized hotel firms. Our findings imply that internationalization is a necessary step for small and medium-sized hotel firms, but each hotel company should find the proper combination of all four dimensions that matches the resources available to it

User driven innovation construct development

V prispevku s pomočjo pregledane literature opisujemo spremembe v drubži in druge pogoje, ki so pripomogli k nastanku koncepta na uporabnike osredotočenega inoviranja izdelkov in storitev ter k nastanku usmeritve podjetij po načelih t. i. dizajnerskega razmišljanja. Omenjeni področji sta si v praksi pri rezultatih precej podobni, zato ju bomo povezali v model, ki smo ga poimenovali od uporabnika spodbujeno inoviranje. Predstavljeni model je pionirski prispevek k razvoju znanosti na področju od uporabnika spodbujenega inoviranja, posredno pa tudi na področju koncepta dizajnerskega razmišljanja.In this paper by the literature review we interpreted changes in society and other changing conditions that have contributed to the emergence of user-driven innovation and a Ždesign thinkingʼ approach. The two areas are very similar in practice, so we suggest combining them into a construct. The construct is a pioneer contribution to the development of science in the field of user-driven innovation and the design thinking approach

On the relationship between firm size, resources, age at entry and internationalization: the case of Slovenian SMEs

Export marketing and international business literature support the view that firm size–a reflection of number of employees, and sales–is positively related to export intensity and is a distinguishing factor between internationalized and non-internationalized firms. According to the resource-based view heterogeneous resource profiles that enable firms to achieve competitive advantage in international markets may be also such differentiating factors. On the other hand, as a result of the process of globalization and the increasing number of born global firms, firm age at entry into foreign markets is becoming negatively related to internationalization. Our findings just partly confirm the trends above. Using a regression model on the selected sample of 247 Slovenian small and medium enterprises, we have confirmed the hypotheses that internationalized companies are significantly larger (in terms of sales) and have more specialized resources (human, organizational, and financial resources) than non-internationalized companies. Organizational and human resources and the number of employees were positively and significantly related, while the age of companies at the start of their international activities was negatively related, to the extent of companies’ internationalization. Different implications and conclusions for researchers and entrepreneurs are derived

User-driven innovation: scale development and validation

In dynamic business environments entrepreneurs increasingly strive to customise new products/services to displayed and latent user needs. User-driven innovation (U.D.I.) aims to incorporate user needs by giving users an active role in the innovation process. Despite the growing interest of researchers in U.D.I., empirical evidence remains scarce, because of a lack of a psychometrically sound instrument to enhance insight into U.D.I. This paper derives an integrative definition of U.D.I. from different U.D.I. research streams and proposes a model with three distinctive dimensions of U.D.I.: user involvement, searching feedback and design orientation. Three consecutive studies result in a 13-item U.D.I. scale with appropriate reliability, dimensionality, convergent and discriminant validity. Pilot studies include researchers, entrepreneurs and practitioners. The main study comprises data of 357 S.M.E.s. The analyses confirm the multidimensionality of the proposed construct. This study contributes to existing research of U.D.I. in entrepreneurship by addressing the multidimensional nature of U.D.I. with a new research instrument. The proposed U.D.I. scale can be used in future investigations of U.D.I. The construct is informative also for practitioners in introducing U.D.I. to their companies

Startup Branding: Empirical Evidence among Slovenian Startups

Branding seems to be an important issue among all companies, also among newly established and young companies with high growth potential or so-called startups. This was also confirmed in our empirical research, conducted among 195 Slovenian startups. Startup founders/ceos see branding as the most important business strategy in their companies. Separated startup branding building blocks were evaluated as similarly important, from brand vision and context building blocks to brand development and its implementation. These findings bring important managerial implications not only for startups, but also for other companies that want to treat and maintain their brands as dynamic and evolving entities

Internacionalizacija malih in srednjih podjetij: integrativni konceptualni model

Internationalization of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) is becoming a very important research area, because of their crucial role in developing economic growth. Globalization of the economic environment is challenging the current economic theories underpinning the SMEs research. The study seeks to integrate new phenomenon of international new venture with widely accepted theories of SMEs internationalization into a new redefined integrative conceptual model of SMEs internationalization. The new model is built around key internationalization dimensions, internationalization antecedents and consequences. A set of propositions about relationships in the conceptual model is developed and implications are proposed.Internacionalizacija malih in srednjih podjetij (MSP) postaja zaradi njihovega ključnega pomena pri zagotavljanju gospodarske rasti vse pomembnejše področje raziskovanja. Globalizacija gospodarskega okolja ponuja izzive sedanjim teoretičnim podlagam preučevanja internacionalizacije MSP. V prispevku zato integriramo nove pojave kot so mednarodna podjetja ob ustanovitvi s prevladujočimi teorijami internacionalizacije MSP v nov integrativni konceptualni model internacionalizacije MSP. Slednji vsebuje ključne dimenzije internacionalizacije ter vključuje njene določljivke in posledice. V model uvajamo vrsto razvitih hipotez in relacij, podajamo pa tudi njegove implikacije in možnosti uporabe