The role of information technology in relationships between travel agencies and their suppliers

Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology

Volumn 1, Issue 2, 2010, Pages 144-162

  Ruiz Molina, Maria Eugenia ^a   Gil Saura, Irene ^a   Moliner Velázquez, Beatriz ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF VALENCIA   (Spain)

Author keywords

Buyer seller relationship; Communication technologies; Customer loyalty; Customer satisfaction; Relationship marketing; Travel

Indexed keywords

EID: 80052756948     PISSN: 17579880     EISSN: 17579899     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1108/17579881011065047     Document Type: Article

References (78)

1. Alford, P. (2005), "A framework for mapping and evaluating business process costs in the tourism industry supply chain" in Frew, A.J. (Ed.), Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism, Springer, Vienna, pp. 125-36.
2. Anderson, J.C. and Gerbing, D.W. (1988), "Structural equation modelling in practice: a review and recommended two-step approach" in Psychological Bulletin, No. 103, pp. 411-23.
3. Anderson, J.C. and Narus, J.A. (1990), "A model of distribution firm and manufacturer firm working partnerships" in Journal of Marketing, Vol. 54, pp. 42-58.
4. Ballejos, L.C., Gonnet, S.M. and Montagna, J.M. (2008), "A stakeholder model for interorganizational information systems" in Paech, B. and Rolland, C. (Eds.), Requirements Engineering: Foundation for Software Quality, Springer, Berlin Heidelberg, pp. 73-87.
5. Barnes, J.G. (1994), "Close to the customer: but is it really a relationship?" in Journal of Marketing Management, Vol. 10, No. 7, pp. 561-70.
6. Barry, J. and Terry, T.S. (2008), "Empirical study of relationship value in industrial services" in Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, Vol. 23, No. 4, pp. 228-41.
7. Bastakis, C., Buhalis, D. and Butler, R. (2004), "The perception of small and medium sized tourism accommodation providers on the impacts of the tour operators' power in Eastern Mediterranean" in Tourism Management, Vol. 25, No. 2, pp. 151-70.
8. Bhappu, A.D. and Schultze, U. (2006), "The role of relational and operational performance in business-to-business customers' adoption of self-service technology" in Journal of Service Research, Vol. 8, No. 4, pp. 372-85.
9. Bloemer, J., de Ruyter, K. and Peeters, P. (1998), "Investigating drivers of bank loyalty: the complex relationship between image, service quality and satisfaction" in International Journal of Bank Marketing, Vol. 16, No. 7, pp. 276-86.
10. Bloemer, J., de Ruyter, K. and Wetzels, M. (1999), "Linking perceived service quality and service loyalty: a multidimensional perspective" in European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 33, Nos 11/12, pp. 1082-106.
11. Buhalis, D. (1998), "Strategic use of information technologies in the tourism industry" in Tourism Management, Vol. 19, No. 5, pp. 409-21.
12. Buhalis, D. and Law, R. (2008), "Progress in information technology & tourism management: 20 years on and 10 years after the internet - the state of eTourism research" in Tourism Management, Vol. 29, No. 4, pp. 609-23.
13. Christodoulidou, N., Brewer, P. and Connolly, D.J. (2006), "An examination of the transactional relationship between travel intermediaries, travel meta sites, and suppliers", Proceedings of the EuroChrie Conference, Thessaloniki, 25-28 October.
14. Colgate, M., Buchanan-Oliver, M. and Elmsly, R. (2005), "Relationship benefits in an internet environment" in Managing Service Quality, Vol. 15, No. 5, pp. 426-36.
15. Comer, J.M., Mehta, R. and Holmes, T.L. (1998), "Information technology: retail users versus non users" in Journal of Interactive Marketing, Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 49-62.
16. De Wulf, K. and Odekerken-Schröder, G. (2003), "Assessing the impact of a retailer's relationship efforts on consumers' attitude and behaviour" in Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Vol. 10, No. 2, pp. 95-108.
17. De Wulf, K., Odekerken-Schröder, G. and Iacobucci, D. (2001), "Investments in consumer relationships: a cross-country and cross-industry exploration" in Journal of Marketing, Vol. 65, No. 4, pp. 33-50.
18. Dick, A.S. and Basu, K. (1994), "Customer loyalty: toward an integrated conceptual framework" in Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Vol. 22, No. 2, pp. 99-113.
19. Eggert, A. and Ulaga, W. (2002), "Customer perceived value: a substitute for satisfaction in business markets" in Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, Vol. 17, Nos 2/3, pp. 107-18.
20. Gharavi, H. and Sor, R.M.D. (2006), "Population ecology, institutionalism and the internet: travel agencies evolving into middlemen" in Journal of Organizational Change Management, Vol. 9, No. 2, pp. 104-18.
21. Gremler, D.D. and Gwinner, K.P. (2000), "Customer-employee rapport in service relationships" in Journal of Service Research, Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 82-104.
22. Gutek, B.A., Cherry, B., Bhappu, A.D., Schneider, S. and Woolf, L. (2000), "Features of service relationships and encounters" in Work and Occupations, Vol. 27, No. 3, pp. 319-52.
23. Gwinner, K.P., Gremler, D.D. and Bitner, M.J. (1998), "Relational benefits in services industries: the customer's perspective" in Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Vol. 26, No. 2, pp. 101-14.
24. Hair, J.F., Black, B., Babin, B., Anderson, R.E. and Tatham, R.L. (2005), Multivariate Data Analysis, 6th ed., Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.
25. Hausman, A. and Stock, J.R. (2003), "Adoption and implementation of technological innovations within long-term relationships" in Journal of Business Research, Vol. 56, No. 8, pp. 681-6.
26. Hennig-Thurau, T., Gwinner, K.P. and Gremler, D.D. (2002), "Understanding relationship marketing outcomes: an integration of relational benefits and relationship quality" in Journal of Service Research, Vol. 4, No. 3, pp. 230-47.
27. Hirnle, C. and Hess, T. (2007), "Investing into IT infrastructures for inter-firm networks: star alliance's move to the common platform" in The Electronic Journal for Virtual Organizations and Networks, Vol. 8, pp. 124-43.
28. Hoffman, D.L. and Novak, T.P. (1996), "Marketing in hypermedia computer-mediated environments" in Journal of Marketing, Vol. 60, No. 3, pp. 50-68.
29. Homburg, C., Kuester, S., Beutin, N. and Menon, A. (2005), "Determinants of customer benefits in business-to-business markets: a cross-cultural comparison" in Journal of International Marketing, Vol. 13, No. 3, pp. 1-31.
30. Huang, L. (2006), "Building up a B2B e-commerce strategic alliance model under an uncertain environment for Taiwan's travel agencies" in Tourism Management, Vol. 27, pp. 1308-20.
31. Humphreys, P., McIvor, R. and Cadden, T. (2006), "B2B commerce and its implications for the buyer-supplier interface" in Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, Vol. 11, No. 2, pp. 131-9.
32. Jones, T.O. and Sasser, W.E. (1995), "Why satisfied customers defect" in Harvard Business Review, Vol. 73, No. 6, pp. 89-99.
33. Kent, J.L. and Mentzer, J.T. (2003), "The effect of investment in interorganizational information technology" in Journal of Business Logistics, Vol. 24, No. 2, pp. 155-75.
34. Kim, J.S., Christodoulidou, N., Brewer, P. (2009), "Impact of individual differences & consumers' readiness on likelihood of using self-service technologies at hospitality settings", EuroCHRIE Proceedings, Helsinki, 22-24 October.
35. Kim, W.G., Han, J.S. and Lee, E. (2001), "Effects of relationship marketing on repeat purchase and word of mouth" in Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, Vol. 25, No. 3, pp. 272-88.
36. Lancioni, R.A., Smith, M.F. and Oliva, T.A. (2000), "The role of the internet in supply chain management" in Industrial Marketing Management, Vol. 29, No. 1, pp. 45-56.
37. Law, R. and Jogaratnam, G. (2005), "A study of hotel information technology applications" in International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 17, No. 2, pp. 170-80.
38. Leung, K., Li, W.-K. and Au, Y.F. (1998), "The impact of customer service and product value on customer loyalty and purchase behaviour" in Journal of Applied Social Psychology, Vol. 28, No. 18, pp. 1731-41.
39. Lewis, I. (1998), "The impact of information technology on travel agents" in Transportation Journal, Vol. 37, No. 4, pp. 20-5.
40. Liljander, V. and Strandvik, T. (1993), "Estimating zones of tolerance in perceived service quality and perceived service value" in International Journal of Service Industry Management, Vol. 4, No. 2, pp. 6-28.
41. McGowan, P., Durkin, M.G., Allen, L., Dougan, C. and Nixon, S. (2001), "Developing competencies in the entrepreneurial small firm for use of the internet in the management of customer relationships" in Journal of European Industrial Training, Vol. 25, No. 2, pp. 126-36.
42. Marzo-Navarro, M., Pedraja-Iglesias, M. and Rivera-Torres, M.P. (2004), "The benefits of relationship marketing for the consumer and for the fashion retailers" in Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, Vol. 8, No. 4, pp. 425-36.
43. Mentzer, J.T., Min, S. and Zacharia, Z.G. (2000), "The nature of interfirm partnering in supply chain management" in Journal of Retailing, Vol. 76, No. 4, pp. 549-68.
44. Michels, N. and Bowen, B. (2005), "The relevance of retail loyalty strategy and practice for leisure/tourism" in Journal of Vacation Marketing, Vol. 11, No. 1, pp. 5-19.
45. Mithas, S., Krishnan, M.S. and Fornell, C. (2005), "Why do customer relationship management applications affect customer satisfaction?" in Journal of Marketing, Vol. 69, No. 4, pp. 201-9.
46. Mittal, B. and Lassar, W. (1998), "Why do customers switch? The dynamics of satisfaction versus loyalty" in Journal of Services Marketing, Vol. 12, No. 3, pp. 177-94.
47. Morais, D.B., Backman, S.J. and Dorsch, M.J. (2003), "Toward the operationalization of resource investments made between customers and providers of a tourism service" in Journal of Travel Research, Vol. 41, pp. 362-74.
48. Odekerken-Schröder, G., De Wulf, K. and Schumacher, P. (2003), "Strengthening outcomes of retailer-customer relationships: the dual impact of relationship marketing tactics and consumer personality" in Journal of Business Research, Vol. 56, pp. 177-90.
49. Oliver, R. (1999), "Whence consumer loyalty?" in Journal of Marketing, Vol. 63, pp. 33-44, (special issue).
50. Palmer, A.J. and Mayer, R. (1996), "Relationship marketing: a new paradigm for the travel and tourism sector" in Journal of Vacation Marketing, Vol. 2, No. 4, pp. 326-33.
51. Patterson, P.G. and Smith, T. (2001), "Relationship benefits in service industries: a replication in a southeast Asian context" in Journal of Services Marketing, Vol. 15, No. 6, pp. 425-43.
52. Patterson, P.G. and Smith, T. (2003), "A cross-cultural study of switching barriers and propensity to stay with service providers" in Journal of Retailing, Vol. 79, No. 2, pp. 107-20.
53. Pedraja, M. and Rivera, A. (2002), "La gestión de la lealtad del cliente a la organización: Un enfoque de marketing relacional" in Economía Industrial, Vol. 348, pp. 143-53.
54. Powell, T.C. (1992), "Organizational alignment as competitive advantage" in Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 13, No. 2, pp. 119-34.
55. Ravald, A. and Gronroos, C. (1996), "The value concept and relationship marketing" in European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 30, No. 2, pp. 19-30.
56. Reynolds, K.E. and Beatty, S.E. (1999), "Customer benefits and company consequences of customer-salesperson relationships in retailing" in Journal of Retailing, Vol. 75, No. 1, pp. 11-32.
57. Salegna, G.J. and Goodwin, S.A. (2005), "Consumer loyalty to service providers: an integrated conceptual model" in Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, Vol. 18, pp. 51-67.
58. Sharland, A. (1997), "Sourcing strategy: the impact of costs on relationship outcomes" in International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, Vol. 27, No. 7, pp. 395-409.
59. Sheth, J.N., Sisodia, R.S. and Sharma, A. (2000), "The antecedents and consequences of customer-centric marketing" in Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Vol. 28, No. 1, pp. 55-66.
60. Sigala, M. (2007), "Investigating the internet's impact on interfirm relations: evidence from the business travel" in Journal of Enterprise Information Management, Vol. 20, No. 3, pp. 335-55.
61. Smith, A.D. (2005), "Exploring radio frequency identification technology and its impact on business systems" in Information Management & Computer Security, Vol. 13, No. 1, pp. 16-28.
62. Smith, J.B. and Barclay, D.W. (1997), "The effects of organisational differences and trust on the effectiveness of selling partner relationships" in Journal of Marketing, Vol. 61, No. 1, pp. 3-21.
63. Srirojanant, S. and Thirkell, P.C. (1998), "Relationship marketing and its synergy with web-based technologies" in Journal of Market Focused Management, Vol. 3, pp. 23-46.
64. Stauss, B., Chojnacki, K., Decker, A. and Hoffman, F. (2001), "Retention effects of a customer club" in International Journal of Service Industry Management, Vol. 12, No. 1, pp. 7-19.
65. Stockdale, R. (2007), "Managing customer relationships in the self-service environment of e-tourism" in Journal of Vacation Marketing, Vol. 13, No. 3, pp. 205-19.
66. Suárez, L., Díaz, A.M. and Vázquez, R. (2007), "Relationship marketing and information and communication technologies: analysis of retail travel agencies" in Journal of Travel Research, Vol. 45, No. 4, pp. 453-63.
67. Thao, H.T.P. and Swierczek, F.W. (2008), "Internet use, customer relationships and loyalty in the Vietnamese travel industry" in Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, Vol. 20, No. 2, pp. 190-210.
68. Tsaur, S.-H., Yung, C.-Y. and Lin, J.-H. (2006), "The relational behavior between wholesaler and retailer travel agencies: evidence from Taiwan" in Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, Vol. 30, No. 3, pp. 333-53.
69. Ulaga, W. and Eggert, A. (2003), "Developing a standard scale of relationship value in business markets: development of a measurement scale", Institute for the Study of Business Markets (ISBM) at the Penn State University, University Park, IL, Working Paper No. 2/2003. Working Paper Series.
70. Uncles, M.D., Dowling, G.R. and Hammond, K. (2003), "Customer loyalty and customer loyalty programs" in Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 20, No. 4, pp. 294-316.
71. Vrana, V. and Zafiropoulos, C. (2006), "Tourism agents' attitudes on internet adoption: an analysis from Greece" in International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 18, No. 7, pp. 601-8.
72. Wu, F., Yeniyurt, S., Kim, D. and Cavusgil, S.T. (2006), "The impact of information technology on supply chain capabilities and firm performance: a resource-based view" in Industrial Marketing Management, Vol. 35, No. 4, pp. 493-504.
73. Yen, J.R. and Gwinner, K.P. (2003), "Internet retail customer loyalty: the mediating role of relational benefits" in International Journal of Service Industry Management, Vol. 14, No. 5, pp. 483-500.
74. Zeithaml, V., Berry, L.L. and Parasuraman, A. (1996), "The behavioral consequences of service quality" in Journal of Marketing, Vol. 60, pp. 31-46.
75. Zhang, Z. (2004), "Organizing customers: Japanese travel agencies marketing on the internet" in European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 38, No. 9, pp. 1294-303.
76. Kim, H.S. and Drolet, A. (2003), "Choice and self-expression: a cultural analysis of variety-seeking" in Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 85, pp. 373-82.
77. Park, C.H. and Kim, Y.-G. (2003), "Identifying key factors affecting consumer purchase behavior in an online shopping context" in International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 31, No. 1, pp. 16-29.
78. Rey, M., Medina, C. and Rufín, R. (2008), "Programas de fidelización, beneficios relacionales, calidad de relación y lealtad. Una propuesta para el sector turístico", paper presented at the XVIII Luso-Spanish Conference on Management, FEP, Porto, 7-8 February.