The impact of outsourcing strategies on information systems capabilities in the hotel industry

Abstract

Purpose An improvement in the management of information system (IS) based resources and capabilities of hotels must affect competitive advantage. Based on that premise, this work has two aims. The first is to determine how the strategic value of the IS area affects the organizational performance of three-, four- and five-star hotels. The second is to check how it influences the resources and capabilities used in the IS area of hotel companies in a determined tourist destination, and their relationship with organizational performance. Design/methodology/approach The study was conducted on a representative sample of hotels in Gran Canaria, Spain. It takes the framework of Bharadwaj as a reference to help companies tackle the management of the IS area and to develop a superior capability in that activity. Findings The results of the study indicate that the more valuable, non-substitutable and inimitable the IS area is, the better the non-financial performance is. The results also show that the resources and capabilities that most affect hotel performance are the internal and external technical resources and the capabilities of the IS area to influence and strengthen relations with users and with different areas of the hotel. The work also finds that organizational capabilities have a particular influence on non-financial performance, especially that related to organizational quality. Research limitations/implications This study helps to establish a new framework of analysis in the literature on IS management by introducing a perspective of analysis for the study of the strategic deployment of IS attributes that is based on the resource based view of the firm. Practical implications This paper constitutes a suitable framework to begin the diagnosis of the situation of each hotel regarding its available IS resources and capabilities and to identify and select the IS resources and capabilities that make greater contributions to hotel profitability and quality. Originality/value This work serves to help identify which IS resources and capabilities are most important in the development of distinctive hotel competences.