Amir Mohammad Colabi
Abstract
Introduction
The tourism industry is recognized as an asset for economic growth and poverty reduction in developing countries. World Tourism Organization reports show that the tourism industry is a leader in job creation. Many natural, cultural, and historical assets in developing countries create a ...
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Introduction
The tourism industry is recognized as an asset for economic growth and poverty reduction in developing countries. World Tourism Organization reports show that the tourism industry is a leader in job creation. Many natural, cultural, and historical assets in developing countries create a comparative advantage in the tourism industry, hence a potential source of income for emerging economies. Sustainable tourism development is not possible without economic or social activities. The tourism industry is considered not only as the most extensive service industry at the global level but also as an essential job-creating industry. The concept of ecosystem captures the actors that are interdependent and make up the industry. The tourism ecosystem is a powerful tool for understanding the relationship between nature, society, and business. It can create competition and economically stimulate the development of the tourism industry. The tourism ecosystem achieves sustainable development by upgrading existing markets and creating new ones. Therefore, the tourism ecosystem can help achieve the objective of fostering economic and social development of a given geographical area. Attending to the sustainable tourism ecosystem can also bring about the satisfaction of tourists and residents in tourist areas. The development of the tourism industry can lead to economic development and improvement of infrastructure. In this respect, the sustainable tourism ecosystem can play an essential role, paving the way for new opportunities in less developed areas.
Materials and Methods
As a developmental–applied, descriptive, and exploratory research, the present study used a mixed methods research design incorporating both qualitative and quantitative data. Concerning the qualitative aspect, the meta-synthesis approach was used. Then, in the quantitative stage, the Shannon entropy method was employed to determine the coefficients of the identified factors. Hypertext is a method used here to review, synthesize, and evaluate past studies. In other words, the meta-synthesis approach examines the results obtained from other studies, leading to more new results. The data of the present study included the previous researches on the factors affecting sustainable tourism ecosystems. Having applied the purposeful sampling method, the research selected 39 studies as the final set of data. Then, the seven-step method proposed by Sandelowski and Barroso was used for conducting the meta-synthesis.
Results and Discussion
All the factors extracted from the previous studies were coded. Then, the similar items were grouped around one concept. The analysis of the studies finally resulted in 3 code axes, 7 categories, and 37 concepts related to the sustainable tourism ecosystem.
Conclusion
The sustainable tourism ecosystem not only contributes to the economic growth but also strengthens the culture of communities. The tourism ecosystem ensures that future generations have sustainable access to resources and fair opportunities. This study aimed to present a model of the sustainable tourism ecosystem by relying on the meta-synthesis approach. The meta-synthesis of the previous studies resulted in 37 concepts categorized under seven categories, which were grouped into three general categories: business-related factors, external industry-related factors, and industry-related micro-factors. The identified factors, in order of importance, included human capital training, culture, personal characteristics, networking and markets, investment and financing, legislation and policies, and infrastructure. Highlighting the interaction with markets, networking was found to be an essential factor in the sustainable tourism ecosystem. It is thus necessary to pay attention to the needs of stakeholders and involve them in processes. Moreover, the transformation of the traditional economy into a sharing economy has led to value creation and networking. However, it faces wide-ranging challenges, which can be tackled through culture-building and a transparent and cohesive legal framework between relevant institutions. Investing in tourism requires the development of economic infrastructure, the appropriate social conditions, and the improvement of political relations with other countries. To eliminate the barriers necessitates appropriate strategies, such as cooperation with foreign investors and allocation of funds for tourism development. Relying on the meta-synthesis approach and the Shannon entropy method, this research provided an integrated model of the sustainable tourism ecosystem, which is particularly relevant for the subject under study and the concepts extracted.
Amir Mohammad Colabi
Abstract
In recent years, tourism has become a competitive industry in the world. Businesses have become more inclined to pursue new ways to gain a competitive advantage and more revenue. The best way to make progress in E-tourism is to design a business model. This research is applying mixed methods included ...
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In recent years, tourism has become a competitive industry in the world. Businesses have become more inclined to pursue new ways to gain a competitive advantage and more revenue. The best way to make progress in E-tourism is to design a business model. This research is applying mixed methods included both views of qualitative and quantitative methodologies. The study population was qualitatively ten experts in business models and e-tourism who were interviewed. The statistical population of the quantitative section consists of 279 E-tourism specialists. The research results were categorized to design a business model. The results show that the creation of Shared value, rules and regulations governing the industry, and organizational culture and agility have a positive and significant impact on the design of business models in the E-tourism industry. Introduction The tourism industry is growing rapidly and is experiencing extensive changes around the world. It has attracted special attention for the position in this industry, and many modifications and developments; so, the number of tourists has increased from 528 million in 2005 to 1.19 billion in 2015. It is predicted that the number of tourists in 2030 will reach more than 1.80 billion people, indicating a more competitive industry (Hamid et al., 2021). The tourism industry has a special place in helping sustainable development; in other words, tourism is the only development method in many countries. Therefore, in the highly competitive environment of this industry, companies active in the field of tourism are forced to provide new models to improve their competitive advantage (Colabi and Karimirad, 2020). Tourism companies have witnessed new developments and tried to adapt to new technologies by making fundamental changes. E-tourism is the use of information technology to provide the services needed by tourists and are services that tourists traditionally used in the past. E-tourism encompasses all business components, such as e-commerce, e-content production, research and development, and e-marketing (Pencarelli, 2020). The tourism industry is one of the most successful industries in the electronic market because it is a customer-centric industry in which services and information play a major role in the exchange process (Joo, 2002). Companies have to design a business model that shows how to create value for profit. The business model is a multidimensional concept that shows the value creation path of the company and depends on activities that maintain the dynamism and flexibility of the company over time (Reinhold et al., 2017). In general, the concept of business model is as the company's view to create value and commercialize it or how to create a company and value it; The design of the business model also determines how an organization communicates with its stakeholders and how it will react to environmental changes (Colabi, 2020). Designing dynamic and innovative business models based on new technologies is important in the tourism industry. On the other hand, it seeks to create innovation and create new ideas. Designing business models allows these companies to respond appropriately to changes and environmental dynamics. Despite many research articles on business models, the design of business models, especially in e-tourism, has received less attention and luck from researchers. Therefore, this study aims to present the components of the business model in the field of e-tourism in Iran in the form of a model. This study answers what pattern e-tourism follows and what are the main and secondary factors. Materials and Methods A mixed-method composed of the qualitative and quantitative parts has been applied for this study. In the qualitative part, content analysis and coding method, and in the quantitative part, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis have been done to identify the factors influencing the design of the business model. The research community in the qualitative sector includes people who specialize in designing business models, have also worked in the tourism industry. A number of these individuals were interviewed using purposive sampling (snowball sampling). Theoretical saturation was obtained after ten interviews. The statistical population in the quantitative part of the research is the managers and experts of tourism service companies in Tehran, 279 of whom were selected using Cochran's formula. In the qualitative part, data collection was performed in two stages: 1) the structure of the interview was designed using the study of library resources and authoritative articles, 2) the interviews were conducted using the structure of the previous stage. A semi-structured interview method was used, and the interviews were carried out to the stage of theoretical saturation. Dimensions affecting the design of the business model were identified using the interview text coding method, and a questionnaire was designed. Nine professors and experts approved the questionnaire. The most important data collection method was sending a researcher-made questionnaire extracted from qualitative research data and has been approved by experts and professors in this field. The research questionnaire consists of 22 questions in two sections of general and specialized questions. Demographic information has been asked in the general section, and in the specialized section, 19 questions related to the factors affecting the design of the business model have been asked. A Likert scale of five options has also been used to design the questionnaire, which is one of the most common measurement scales. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate the fit of the proposed model. The data obtained from the questionnaire were analyzed with Amos 22. Discussion and Results The tourism industry has undergone extensive changes around the world. This study aimed to design a business model in the field of e-tourism in Iran and test the designed model. Identification of factors was made through the study of texts and semi-structured interviews. The results show that the creation of shared value, prevailing laws and regulations, organizational culture and agility are the dimensions of the business model design in the e-tourism industry. Conclusions Creating shared value is the most effective dimension in designing a business model. Creating shared value is the link between competitive advantage and corporate social responsibility. When the weaknesses of society affect the organization's productivity, we deal with it by creating shared value for stakeholders. Companies active in e-tourism are advised to solve social problems to increase productivity and competitive advantage in the company. This study shows that employee participation in profits, lean manufacturing operations and services, appropriate pricing and confidence building, and transparency and accountability affect business model design. In terms of industry rules and regulations, sustainable development and environmental protection laws, improving the quality of services, reducing the damage to tourist attractions, and social responsibility are effective. Creating a sense of social responsibility and adhering to the industry's rules and regulations helps to achieve organizational goals. Agility also plays an important role in developing information and communication space in designing a business model. In general, the lack of infrastructure for change and innovation in the business acquisition model will face challenges for the company. Therefore, branding, intelligent information systems, access to media systems and communication channels, sufficient financial, operational, and educational resources facilitate designing a business model. Given that today industries are facing severe crises and lack of flexibility in the business process causes them to withdraw from the arena of competition, pay attention to these dimensions in designing a business model to solve these issues.
Amir Mohammad Colabi; Simin Karimirad
Abstract
Given to the worldwide spread of Covid19 and it’s impacts on the tourism industry, from the researchers and experts perspective, the entrepreneurial strategic renewal of corporates operating in this industry to continue activities is of essential importance. Current study is a practical qualitative ...
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Given to the worldwide spread of Covid19 and it’s impacts on the tourism industry, from the researchers and experts perspective, the entrepreneurial strategic renewal of corporates operating in this industry to continue activities is of essential importance. Current study is a practical qualitative research. The data was collected using descriptive-exploratory method and the study is completed in two phases which in the first phase 23 articles of 142 prototypes were precisely reviewed using meta-synthesis method and the data was coded based on content analysis. According to the studies and the results of the first phase, in the second phase we interviewed 10 experts and managers of tourism firms. The open coding, axial coding and selective coding method were applied for analyzing the collected data. Finally four influential components in strategic renewal including creativity and innovation, leadership, human resources and capabilities were identified.
Amir Mohammad Colabi; Simin Karimirad
Abstract
Today, the best method to be dynamic to confront the environmental changes, which lead to a deep gap between country’s needs and operation of corporations, is reconstructing the business models. Regarding the importance of reconstruction of business models, acquiring the advantage of competitiveness, ...
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Today, the best method to be dynamic to confront the environmental changes, which lead to a deep gap between country’s needs and operation of corporations, is reconstructing the business models. Regarding the importance of reconstruction of business models, acquiring the advantage of competitiveness, the goal of this investigation is identifying the reconstruction of business models mix. The investigation approach is qualitative and developmental in terms of purpose. The statistical sample includes 13 directors who have had the experience of entrepreneurship within the tourism industry. The tool to collect data is interview; to analyze such data, method of content analysis has been selected. What is presented as the result of the investigation is that four main factors of reconstruction corporation’s business models mix with concentration on processes, the major structure and based on profit models, within the framework of 4Cs are corporate culture, corporate social responsibility, creating shared values and capabilities.
