At the crossroad of digital and tourism entrepreneurship: mediating effect of digitalization in hospitality industry
European Journal of Innovation Management
ISSN: 1460-1060
Article publication date: 28 October 2022
Issue publication date: 29 April 2024
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore the role of digital technologies in tourism entrepreneurship. In particular, the main objective of this research is to examine the relationships among proactiveness, innovativeness, digitalization, and firm performance and growth in the hotel industry.
Design/methodology/approach
The data for this investigation were collected from 110 one- or two-star hotels that were operating in Poland during the time of this research. This study employs PLS-SEM to analyze the relationships among the examined variables.
Findings
The results show that digitalization has a significantly positive impact on a hotel’s performance. Moreover, digitalization mediates the impact of entrepreneurial behaviors on performance. In particular, digitization is a full mediator for the impact of proactiveness on firm growth and innovation on market performance. Additionally, there is a partial complementary mediation effect of digitalization in the case of impact of innovativeness on firm growth; digitization is not a mediator for the impact of proactiveness on firm growth.
Originality/value
Previous studies have not captured the relationships among entrepreneurship, digitalization, and performance; this study helps to fill the gap and examine these associations in the hospitality industry. The outcome of this study provides valuable insights for hoteliers for understanding the role (and importance) of digitalization in the context of proactiveness and innovativeness.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Funding: The research leading to these results was financed by the statutory funds for the maintenance and development of the research capacity of the Faculty of Management of AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow, Poland.
Citation
Suder, M., Duda, J., Kusa, R. and Mora-Cruz, A. (2024), "At the crossroad of digital and tourism entrepreneurship: mediating effect of digitalization in hospitality industry", European Journal of Innovation Management, Vol. 27 No. 4, pp. 1057-1081. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJIM-08-2022-0422
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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