7
IJISEBC, 6(2), 2019
In e na ional Jou nal o In o ma ion Sys ems and So wa e Enginee ing o Big Companies (IJISEBC)
he ho el managemen o e-wom. a
c oss-cul u al analysis Spain-I aly
la ges ión ho ele a de e-wom. un análisis in e cul u al España-I alia
Ca men Be né-mane o1, and eea . Ciobanu1, me cedes ma zo-
na a o1, ma a ped aja-Iglesias1
1uni e si y o Za agoza, Spain
cbe ne@uniza .es , [email p o ec ed] , mma zo@uniza .es ,
mped aja@uniza .es
aBS aC . a lack o esea ch in in e cul u al compa isons has been iden i ied om he na ional
and indus ial pe spec i e, and unde he pe cep ions o hose who make decisions abou ho el
se ices, pa icula ly hose ela ed o he use o echnologies. hus, he speci ic objec i e o his
s udy is o de e mine i he Spanish and I alian ho el indus ies con e ge o di e ge in he p ocess o
accep ance, use and managemen o e-wom. wi h his aim, he e-wIp model is es ed h ough a
mul i-g oup analysis (mga) wi h pa ial leas Squa es-S uc u al Equa ion modelling (plS-SEm).
hen, a Hie a chical Clus e is ca ied ou . he esul s announce mo e con e gence han
di e gence and o he colla e al indings. Se e al use ul conclusions a e p o ided.
ESumEn. Se ha obse ado una al a in es igación en análisis compa a i os in e cul u ales desde
la pe spec i a nacional e indus ial y desde las pe cepciones de los deciso es sob e los se icios
ho ele os, pa icula men e los elacionados con el uso de las ecnologías. así, el obje i o de es e
es udio es a e igua si las indus ias ho ele as de España e I alia con e gen o di e gen en el p oceso
de acep ación, uso y ges ión del boca-oído elec ónico. Con es e in, se con as a el modelo e-wIp
a a és de análisis mul i-g upo (amg) con plS-SEm (pa ial leas Squa es-S uc u al Equa ion
modelling). un análisis Clus e Je á quico complemen a el es udio. los esul ados in o man de una
mayo con e gencia que di e gencia así como o a in o mación cola e al, lo que conduce a
p opo ciona conclusiones de u ilidad.
KEywo dS: análisis mul i-g upo, Boca-oído elec ónico, Clus e je á quico, Cul u a, ges ión,
Ho eles.
palaB aS Cla E: Cul u e, Elec onic wo d-o -mou h, Hie a chical clus e , Ho els,
managemen , mul i-g oup analysis.
Be né-mane o, C.; Ciobanu, a. .; ma zo-na a o, m.; ped aja-Iglesias, m. (2019). he ho el managemen o e-wom. a c oss-cul u al analysis Spain-I aly.
In e na ional Jou nal o In o ma ion Sys ems and So wa e Enginee ing o Big Companies (IJISEBC)
, 6(2), 7-18.
www.ijisebc.com
ecibido: 19-06-2019 / e isado: 21-08-2019
acep ado: 21-08-2019 / publicado: 15-12-2019
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IJISEBC, 6(2), 2019
1. In oduc ion
In he XXI cen u y, c oss-cul u al compa ison became qui e a common app oach o iden i ying he
di e ences be ween na ional cul u es o be ween a ious ypes o cul u e (Chen, Cheung & low, 2012).
Cul u e is a collec i e p og aming o he mind ha dis inguishes he membe s o one o ganiza ion om ano he
(Ho s ede, 2001). he alues, belie s, no ms and beha iou al pa e ns o a na ional g oup a e an illus a ion
o cul u e a he na ional le el (yap ak, 2008). he concep o cul u e is used by academic esea che s and
indus y p ac i ione s o iden i y and o unde s and he issues ha may a ise in a ious a eas o he social
sciences and o de elop app oaches o o e come p oblems; a he na ional, indus ial, occupa ional, co po a e
and o ganiza ional le els (Chen, Cheung & low, 2012). ac ually, he ecognized indus ial le el o cul u e
(pizam, pine, mok & Shin, 1997) has o conside ha no single indus y is homogeneous, especially hospi ali y
indus y, due o i s di e si y and complexi y (Jones, 1999).
In his sense, he e is a lack o in e cul u al compa isons esea ch ega ding he na ional and indus ial
pe spec i e and he pe cep ions o decision make s abou he ho el se ice, pa icula ly abou he use o
echnologies. mo eo e , esea ch using echniques such as disc iminan analysis and s uc u al equa ion
modelling (SEm) a e a ely co e ed in he li e a u e as well as li le in o ma ion is a ailable when p obing
online ma ke ing in ela ion o cul u e (Chen, Cheung & low, 2012). au ho s like Can allops and Sal i (2014),
Con en e (2015), Schucke e al. (2015), and Baka (2016) calls o mo e esea ch aimed a ully inco po a ing
he e-wom, communica ion based on echnology, in o business s a egy. hus, mo e ecen ly, e-wIp model
(Be ne, Ciobanu & ped aja, 2019), which aking ad an age o he Beha iou al easoned heo y (B )
(wes aby, p obs & lee, 2010), explains he ho el manage s’ decision-making p ocess in ela ion o accep ing
and implemen ing e-wom and i s capaci y o in luence ho el pe o mance. he e-wIp model con i ms he
exis ence o cause-e ec ela ionships be ween a iables such as easons, mo i es, u u e in en ions o use, e-
wom con ex , and pe o mance, in he case o Spanish ho el indus y.
om hese indings, he speci ic goal o his s udy is o de e mine i he e a e di e ences be ween he
Spanish ho el indus y and he I alian ho el indus y in modelling e-wom use p ocess and i s consequences
in ho el pe o mance. wi h his aim, his pape p esen s a e iew o he li e a u e abou cul u e and e-wom
ho el managemen and o mula es a esea ch ques ion. hen, i explains he da abases used o analyse
di e ences be ween Spanish and I alian ho els, and he esul s ob ained a e using mul i-g oup analysis
(mga) wi h plS (pa ial leas Squa es)-SEm, and Hie a chical Clus e .
2. Cul u e and ho el managemen o e-wom
di e en cul u al con ex s can o e di e en ways o make decisions. al hough hey a e c i icized as oo
gene al and simpli ying, and unable o p edic indi idual beha iou s, he cul u al dimensions iden i ied by
Ho s ede (1980): powe dis ance, unce ain y a oidance, indi idualism-collec i ism, masculini y (/ eminini y),
and la e , long e m p agma ism, can be conside ed as a good amewo k o c oss-cul u al esea ch (Jansen-
e beke, 1996). powe dis ance is he ex en o which he less powe ul membe s o he o ganiza ion wi hin a
coun y expec and accep an unequally dis ibu ion o powe . he g ea e powe dis ance, g ea e he
inequali y. unce ain y a oidance is de e mined by he ex en o which he membe s o a gi en cul u e eel
h ea ened by unce ain and unknown si ua ions. Indi idualism e e s o socie ies whe e ies be ween
indi iduals a e loose (/collec i ism e e s o he dependence o he g oup o which you belong). he dimension
o masculini y poin s o socie ies whe e he e exis s a clea dis inc ion be ween he social oles o men and
women wi h he dominan male sex ole pa e n in he as majo i y o socie ies. long- e m p agma ism e e s
o he impo ance gi en in a cul u e o he planning o li e in con as o immedia e conce ns (Hos s ede, 2001).
Some esea ch ocuses in alida e a measu emen scale o hese i e cul u al dimensions (e.g. yoo, don hy &
lena owicz, 2011).
Jansen- e beke (1996) examined he di e ences and commonali ies in ho el managemen p ac ices o
Belgium and he ne he lands, which we e linked o he di e ences in na ional cul u e. adding he pizams’
(1993) da a, among he cul u al dimensions in 13 coun ies, he e we e ound conside able di e ences
Be né-mane o, C.; Ciobanu, a. .; ma zo-na a o, m.; ped aja-Iglesias, m. (2019). he ho el managemen o e-wom. a c oss-cul u al analysis Spain-I aly.
In e na ional Jou nal o In o ma ion Sys ems and So wa e Enginee ing o Big Companies (IJISEBC)
, 6(2), 7-18.
www.ijisebc.com
9
IJISEBC, 6(2), 2019
be ween he manage s in Eas and wes . I is ema kable ha Spain can be conside ed as a collec i is coun y,
while I aly is six posi ion close o indi idualism; se en posi ions sepa a e bo h coun ies in he case o
unce ain y a oidance dimension. ega ding powe dis ance and masculini y, he posi ioning is simila .
hey a e wo coun ies ha sha e he Sou h Eu opean cul u e, an impo an pa o hei his o y and ha
a e geog aphically loca ed e y nea each o he , being bo h a e peninsulas. mo eo e , wi h he in luence o
globaliza ion on people’s a el habi s and p e e ences, and on employees’ wo king a i udes and beha iou ,
he ho el indus y has been a ec ed in many di e en ways, so he di ec ion o cul u e esea ch should shi
owa d unde s anding he e ec s o such globaliza ion (Chen, Cheung & low, 2012). globaliza ion could
jus i y simila i ies be ween na ional and indus ial cul u es, as Spanish and I alian. ne e heless, as i has been
obse ed, he e a e some di e ences be ween hem acco ding Ho s ende’s cul u al dimensions.
on he o he hand, since ho els a e inc easingly adop ing he use o In o ma ion and Communica ion
echnologies, hei p ocesses a e mo e e icien . Howe e , p oblems may a ise such as a i udes owa d he
change o high- ech sys ems and he equi emen o mo e ad anced skills. Jones (1999) a i ms ha he e a e
s uc u al di e ences be ween he hospi ali y indus ies o di e en coun ies. as a esul , p oblems such as
local ho el owne s’ lack o knowledge o ho el ope a ions may a ise o indi idual ho el g oups when applying
manage ial p ac ices o hei ope a ions in di e en coun ies (Chen, Cheung & low, 2012; In an e-mo o,
In an e-mo o, ma ínez-lópez & ga cía-o daz, 2016).
he concep o e-wom includes any commen s, posi i e o nega i e, made by a po en ial, cu en o
o me consume abou a p oduc o company h ough he use o online media, whe he be o e, du ing, o
a e he expe ience (Hennig- hu au, gwinne , walsh & g emle , 2004). Companies can adap hei
business models aking ad an age o he online e iews managemen in o de o o e added alue (Sigala
2013). mos o he p io esea ch uses seconda y da a, and is aimed a explo ing he in luence o ewom on
consume s selec ing a ou ism des ina ion and es ing he heo y o planned beha iou (e.g. Cheng, lam &
Hsu, 2006; Jalil and, Samiei, dini & manza i, 2012; Jalil and & Samiei, 2012; di pie o, 2012; alba q,
2013; miao, 2015).
Howe e , only a ew pape s empi ically in es iga e manage ial esponses o online e iews and he
ela ionship be ween e-wom and business pe o mance (ye, law & gu, 2009; ye, law, gu & Chen, 2011;
ande son, 2012; li in & Ho man, 2012; pa k & allen, 2013; Sun, ayoun & Calhoun, 2013). all hese
con ibu ions see e-wom as online in e pe sonal in luence, in o mal communica ions di ec ed a o he
consume s h ough In e ne -based echnology ela ed o he usage o cha ac e is ics o pa icula goods and
se ices and hei selle s, and able o enhance he business ac i i y.
Kim e al. (2015) demons a e ha online e iew managemen leads o a pe o mance inc ease. Howe e ,
Xie e al. (2017) ind ha imely and leng hy esponses enhance u u e inancial pe o mance. In any e en ,
managing e-wom can imp o e ho el pe o mance (phillips, Zigan, San os Sil a & Schegg, 2015; Kim, lim &
B yme , 2015; Xie, Zhang, Zhang, Singh & lee, 2016). In his line, e-wIp model p o ides an explana ion on
he way ha ho el decision make s p ocess and implemen he ewom; he model e en con i ms he po en ial
o his ool o in luence business pe o mance (Be ne, Ciobanu & ped aja, 2019). Based on B (wes aby,
p obs & lee, 2010), his model includes ela ionships be ween easons (p io condi ions a ou ing o
impeding he use o ewom as a managemen ool), global mo i es ( o de elop he sys em), in en ions o
con inue using he ool, and pe o mance gains de i ed om changes implemen ed h ough e-wom
managemen . I also includes a a iable o he decision-making con ex : e-wom cha ac e is ics as seen om
he decision-make pe spec i e ( igu e 1).
he e-wom a iable is e lec ed in o h ee dimensions: quali y, au ho i y and c edibili y. acco ding o
ieh (2002), a an ope a ional le el, quali y is iden i ied as he ex en o which use s conside he in o ma ion
use ul, good, cu en , and accu a e; au ho i y (cogni i e) is ope a ionalized as he ex en o which use s hink
Be né-mane o, C.; Ciobanu, a. .; ma zo-na a o, m.; ped aja-Iglesias, m. (2019). he ho el managemen o e-wom. a c oss-cul u al analysis Spain-I aly.
In e na ional Jou nal o In o ma ion Sys ems and So wa e Enginee ing o Big Companies (IJISEBC)
, 6(2), 7-18.
www.ijisebc.com
10
IJISEBC, 6(2), 2019
hey can ely on he in o ma ion. In he online con ex , he c edibili y o e iews in luences belie s, a i udes
and in en ions and is de ined as an indi idual assessmen o whe he in o ma ion is eliable and us wo hy,
acco ding o he ecei e ’s own expe ise and knowledge ( ieh, 2010; lu & S epchenko a, 2012).
a i ude, subjec i e no ms, and pe cei ed con ol o e he use o he in o ma ion a e h ee e lec i e
c i e ia o global mo i es. while a i ude ep esen s a pe son’s global posi i e o nega i e e alua ion owa d
doing he beha iou , subjec i e no ms assess a pe son’s global pe cei ed social p essu e om impo an o he s
o engage in he beha iou (wes aby, 2005). pe cei ed con ol e lec s bo h pas expe iences and impedimen s,
and an icipa ed consequences (ajzen, 1991; alam & Sayu i, 2011). able 1 o e s he i ems included in he
ques ionnai e o each a iable o he model.
Be né-mane o, C.; Ciobanu, a. .; ma zo-na a o, m.; ped aja-Iglesias, m. (2019). he ho el managemen o e-wom. a c oss-cul u al analysis Spain-I aly.
In e na ional Jou nal o In o ma ion Sys ems and So wa e Enginee ing o Big Companies (IJISEBC)
, 6(2), 7-18.
www.ijisebc.com
igu e 1. e-wIp model. Sou ce: adap a ion om Be né e al. (2019).
able 1. Indica o s o he dimensions in he e-wIp model. Sou ce: Sel -made.
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IJISEBC, 6(2), 2019
om in o ma ion p o ided by Spanish ho el decision-make s, i has been con i med ha easons o he
accep ance and use o e-wom ha e a di ec and posi i e in luence on ho el manage ’s mo i es o accep and
manage such in o ma ion; he pe cei ed cha ac e is ics o he e-wom ha e a di ec , posi i e in luence on he
global mo i es o he use o such in o ma ion by ho el managemen ; and, global mo i es ega ding e-wom
communica ion ha e a di ec and posi i e e ec on he in en ions o ho el manage s as well as on ho el
pe o mance.
I is impo an p o ide be e unde s anding o he in luence o e-wom on ho el manage s’ beha iou
depending on cul u e. Cul u e goes a beyond he coun y we e you ha e bo n, he e o e i could de e mine
a di e en making-decisions beha iou and di e en managemen implica ions. Conside ing his idea, he
esea ch ques ion is:
- do he Spain and I aly ho el indus ies con e ge o di e ge in he p ocess o accep a ion, use, and
managemen o e-wom?
al hough hey a e wo coun ies ha a e close o each o he om a cul u al pe spec i e, some di e ences
can be expec ed, since he business model and he s uc u es o he ho el indus ies a e di e en . while in he
I alian case, he ho el indus y is composed mos ly o small independen ho els domina es and is managed by
i s owne s, in Spain he ho el indus y is mainly made up o ho el chains, wi h a la ge size in numbe o
es ablishmen s, and managed by execu i es (Be né, Ciobanu & ped aja, 2015; mo e a, Be né & Ciobanu,
2018). whe he o no signi ican di e ences a e disco e ed, he conclusions and academic ecommenda ions
and p ac ices should be use ul.
3. me hodology
wi h he aim o p o ide an answe o he esea ch ques ion, a c oss-cul u al analysis is ca ied ou ; a
compa a i e s udy be ween wo independen samples. he da a we e collec ed h ough su eys add essed o
ho el decision-make s. he Spanish da a a e he used in Be né e al. (2019) and he I alian da a in mo e a e
al. (2018). he compa ison was conduc ed applying plS-mga (wi h SEm) and Clus e analysis. plS Sma
3.0 is he so wa e used.
om he basic s uc u e o e-wIp model, mga allows o iden i y signi ican di e ences be ween he
s uc u al ela ionships es ablished in he model o each one o he wo g oups (Spanish and I alian da a). he
me hodology is comple ed implemen ing a Hie a chical Clus e , wa d me hod, and Euclidean dis ance. his
analysis allows iden i ying di e en g oups o indi iduals h ough le els o dimensions.
3.1. da a collec ion
he same s uc u ed su ey was add essed o Spanish and I alian ho el decision-make s. p io o i s
dis ibu ion, he ques ionnai e was p e- es ed on p o essional and academic expe s. I begins wi h a il e
ques ion on he use o non-use o e-wom as a managemen ool. he i s se o ques ions cap u es easons
o and agains e-wom accep ance and usage, while he subsequen se s ocus on he emaining heo e ical
model a iables. he las sec ion collec s esponden s’ demog aphic cha ac e is ics and ho el pe o mance
da a. due o obse ed di e ences in he educa ional sys ems o each coun y, 11-poin s like scale is used in
Spanish case, and 5-poin s like scale in I alian case, we e used o measu e all he a iables in ol ed in he
heo e ical model (see able 1), om 0/1, comple ely disag ee, o 10/5, comple ely ag ee, wi h he s a emen 1.
able 2 p esen s he echnical in o ma ion o he su eys. he ques ionnai e was add essed o ho el
decision-make s signi ican ly in ol ed in decisions conce ning digi al echnologies in he company. his a ge
popula ions exhibi cha ac e is ics o a “ha d- o- each” popula ion (ma psa and aza ind a sima, 2010).
Be né-mane o, C.; Ciobanu, a. .; ma zo-na a o, m.; ped aja-Iglesias, m. (2019). he ho el managemen o e-wom. a c oss-cul u al analysis Spain-I aly.
In e na ional Jou nal o In o ma ion Sys ems and So wa e Enginee ing o Big Companies (IJISEBC)
, 6(2), 7-18.
www.ijisebc.com
1 he scale i ems we e based on p e ious li e a u e in o de o p ese e con en alidi y. he like scale o 5 poin s used in he I alian
case was escaled (acco ding dawes (2007)’ me hod) o 11 poin o ob ain a homogeneous da abase.

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IJISEBC, 6(2), 2019
Sample sizes a e 134 and 136 (Spain/I aly), which means esponse a es o 13.4%, and 27.2%; hey a e
common in indus ial ma ke su eys (Camisón & illa , 2014), and in line wi h p e ious esea ch in simila
con ex s (e.g. Chan 2013; Kim, lim & B yme , 2015).
4. esul s
4.1. mul i-g oup analysis: mga
an mga (Hensele & asso , 2010) is ca ied ou in o de o es he po en ial mode a ing in luence o
he cul u e on he ela ionships included in he model. acco dingly, he sample was spli in o wo g oups,
Spanish and I alian ho el manage s. i s o all, he h ee-s ep p ocedu e o analyze he measu emen
in a iance o composi e models was applied (mICom) (Hensele , ingle & Sa s ed , 2016): (1) con igu al
in a iance, (2) composi ional in a iance (see able 3), and (3) an assessmen o equal means and a iances
(see able 4). Hensele e al. (2015) ecommend he use o he mICom p ocedu e when using plS-SEm.
he analysis is ca ied ou conside ing jus he second o de a iables o he model in o de o simpli y he
ela ionships o be es ed and diminish he numbe o eedom deg ees. hus, he a iables a e easons, e-
wom, mo i es, in en ions and pe o mance. all o hem measu ed h ough summa i e scales.
he assessmen o equal means is no complied in he cases o mo i es and pe o mance, and he
assessmen o equal a iances is no alid. Howe e , easons, e-wom and in en ions con i m pa ial
in a iance. his esul is su icien o conduc a plS-mga (Hensele , ingle & Sa s ed , 2016).
nex s age is o analyse he boo s apping and pe mu a ion esul s. ables 5 and 6 p esen boo s apping
esul s o Spain and I aly espec i ely. Signi ican di e ences be ween g oups, in his case, he wo coun ies,
eme ge when p < 0,1. he s uc u al ela ionships in ol ed in he model p esen s di e ences be ween Spain
Be né-mane o, C.; Ciobanu, a. .; ma zo-na a o, m.; ped aja-Iglesias, m. (2019). he ho el managemen o e-wom. a c oss-cul u al analysis Spain-I aly.
In e na ional Jou nal o In o ma ion Sys ems and So wa e Enginee ing o Big Companies (IJISEBC)
, 6(2), 7-18.
www.ijisebc.com
able 2. echnical Su eys. Sou ce: Sel -made.
able 3. mICom In a iance esul s. S eps 1 and 2. Sou ce: Sel -made.
able 4. mICom In a iance esul s. S ep 3. Sou ce: Sel -made.
13
IJISEBC, 6(2), 2019
and I alian samples only in he ela ionship be ween e-wom and mo i es.
his di e ence has o be coinciden h ough he pe mu a ion es ( able 7). Howe e , he only ela ionship
ha could be signi ican is om easons o mo i es.
he e o e, i canno be a i med ha he e a e signi ican di e ences be ween he s uc u al ela ionships
by pai s o a iables, p esen ed in he model o each sample (ß es ima ed pa ame e s). he e-wIp model
beha es he same ega dless o he coun y. he model con i ms i s p edic i e alidi y and i s beha iou is e y
simila when applied o he I alian case.
4.2. Clus e analysis
when only he p ac ices o ho el manage s in bo h coun ies a e s udied, di e ences a e weakened and,
he e o e, cul u al di e ences may no eme ge. hus, be ween Spain and I aly could ha e la ge di e ences
han is e lec ed in he p e ious esul s. In o he wo ds, when some a iable in a mga does no accomplish
in a iance, applying a clus e analysis is an al e na i e o iden i y di e en ia ed g oups (Hai , Sa s ed ,
ma hews & ingle, 2016).
hus, he e may be di e ences in he beha iou o he Spanish and I alian sample acco ding he
cha ac e is ics o he ho el and / o he esponden s. In o de o de ec g oups o ho els di e en ia ed h ough
he le els o his ype o a iables, a Hie a chical Clus e analysis was ca ied ou h ough he wa d me hod
and he Euclidean dis ance. o a oid he possible in oduc ion o biases, he numbe o g oups o be ob ained
was no se when execu ing he SpSS 21.0 applica ion.
able 8 shows he esul s ob ained. hey mani es he p esence o wo di e en ia ed g oups o ho els.
he e a e signi ican di e ences, a 5% le el, ega ding he a e age le els o he a iables s udied (le el o
indica o s o each i s o de a iable –i ems). hese di e ences exis in e e y a iable be ween he wo
iden i ied g oups. he s anda d de ia ions a e highe in he g oup 1 han in g oup 2, and his la e o e s
Be né-mane o, C.; Ciobanu, a. .; ma zo-na a o, m.; ped aja-Iglesias, m. (2019). he ho el managemen o e-wom. a c oss-cul u al analysis Spain-I aly.
In e na ional Jou nal o In o ma ion Sys ems and So wa e Enginee ing o Big Companies (IJISEBC)
, 6(2), 7-18.
www.ijisebc.com
able 5. Boo s apping Spain. Sou ce: Sel -made.
able 6. Boo s apping I aly. Sou ce: Sel -made.
able 7. mga Based on pe mu a ion es . Sou ce: Sel -made.
14
IJISEBC, 6(2), 2019
highe a e age alues in all he conside ed a iables: easons, quali y, c edibili y, au ho i y, a i ude, subjec i e
no ms, pe cei ed con ol, in en ions and, pe o mance (a o al o 33 a iables). di e ences in mean alues
goes om 1.5 o 3.2 poin s.
In o de o alida e he clus e esul s, a - es o independen samples was ca ied ou h ough le ene es
(al es, 2000; Ju ic, mankelow & polonsky, 2000; ga cía, ga gallo, pas o & ami ez, 2004) ( able 8).
he di e ences be ween he wo iden i ied g oups (g oup 1 and g oup 2) depend on some cha ac e is ics
o he ho el and o he esponden . In pa icula : s a s anking, numbe o employees, cha ge o he esponden ,
gende , le el o s udies, and expe ience le el. he e a e inexis en di e ences depending on he ype o ho el
p ope y o on he age o he esponden . mo eo e , i is ema kable he coun y e ec : g oup 1 is mainly
composed by answe s o I alian esponden s and g oup 2 o Spanish (see able 9).
hese esul s announce di e ences be ween bo h coun ies ega ding hei ho el indus y. I has been
obse ed ha he ho els ep esen ed in he Spanish sample, anked wi h 1 o 4 s a s, wi h 11 o 20 employees,
and managed by a p o essional, male gende , wi h supe io s udies and no p e ious expe ience in he ho el
sec o , cha ac e izing a g oup wha gi es highe impo ance o he a iables in ol ed in he use and
managemen o e-wom han I alian ho els, wi h 3 s a s, less numbe o employees, in p ope y, managed by
woman wi h high school s udies and wi h expe ience in he sec o .
Be né-mane o, C.; Ciobanu, a. .; ma zo-na a o, m.; ped aja-Iglesias, m. (2019). he ho el managemen o e-wom. a c oss-cul u al analysis Spain-I aly.
In e na ional Jou nal o In o ma ion Sys ems and So wa e Enginee ing o Big Companies (IJISEBC)
, 6(2), 7-18.
www.ijisebc.com
able 8. Clus e analysis esul s: mean and S anda d de ia ion (g oups 1 and 2). Sou ce: Sel -made.
15
IJISEBC, 6(2), 2019
5. discussion and conclusions
esea ch ocused in o na ional cul u es and he in luence o hose cul u es on he beha iou o manage s
in o ganiza ions is a he complex. he e is a lack o in e cul u al compa ison esea ch ega ding he na ional
and indus ial pe spec i e and he pe cep ions o ho el decision make s, pa icula ly abou he use o
echnologies. his pape posed a ques ion abou he con e gence o di e gence o Spanish and I alian ho els
ega ding he p ocess o accep ance, use, and managemen o e-wom. wi h he aim o sol e he ques ion,
e-wIp model is used. his model explains he p ocess o accep ance and managemen o e-wom in he ho el
business. he e o e, i se es as a cohe en amewo k o p edic ing he e ec s o ho el manage s' a i udes,
in en ions, and beha iou s in hei business esul s. managing online e iews is an oppo uni y o ho els bo h
in Spain and in I aly. hey can imp o e hei pe o mance h ough changes implemen ed as a consequence o
he e-wom in o ma ion managemen . Bu , wha abou hei simila i ies and di e ences?
om he p e ious esul s, ob ained a e apply a mul i-g oup analysis, and a clus e , i is clea ha
managemen p ac ices in Spain and I aly seem o con e ge a he han di e ge. his is an ine i ably p ocess
a ec ing he ou ism business in gene al (Jansen- e beke, 1996). he wo s udied ho el indus ies can be
conside ed as one cul u al a ea ega ding he cause-e ec ela ionships ha explain he p ocess o
implemen a ion and managemen o e-wom ho el. Jansen- e beke (1996) poin s ha he homogenizing
in luence o he ho el o ganiza ion and he ho el indus y could be a easonable explana ion o he simila i ies
in managemen p ac ices be ween he wo coun ies. Howe e , his esea ch inds wo g oups o ho els ha
p esen signi ican di e ences in he mean alues o he indica o s in ol ed in he model. hese wo g oups
a e cha ac e ized by a iables do no included in he model. one o hem, e y impo an in he cu en
esea ch con ex , is he coun y. he o he s a e ho el cha ac e is ics linked o he ca ego y, size and p ope y
o he es ablishmen , and cha ac e is ics o he decision-make , ega ding expe ience, s udies le el and gende .
he e o e, na ional cul u e (coun y) and cha ac e is ics o he esea ch subjec s a e a iables able o
cha ac e ize beha iou s o ho el decision-make s abou he use and managemen o e-wom. pa icula ly, in
e ms o easons, he g oup whe e Spanish ho els a e he mos , o e s mo e o ien a ion o he cus ome , mo e
alue o he in o ma ion o e ed by e-wom, is mo e con iden in he cus ome s’ e iews and hey a e mo e
dependen on he g oup (acco ding wi h pizams’ esul s abou Spain: i is a mo e collec i is ic coun y han
I aly). hey ind mo e posi i e he use o e-wom, social p essu e is highe and hey conside ha hey ha e
highe con ol o e he e-wom sys em. ega ding in en ions, hey mani es highe in en ions o con inue using
he ool. In he case o pe o mance, his g oup alue he use and managemen o e-wom much mo e han
g oup 1, mainly ep esen ed by I alian ho els. I means ha Spanish ho els achie e ha e-wom help hem o
achie e mo e co-c ea ion wi h cus ome s.
his s udy con ibu es o p io knowledge building upon p e ious esea ch in o cul u e in he ho el
indus y. he esul s suppo B ’s mul idisciplina i y, he p edic i e capabili y o he e-wIp model, he
ela i e u ili y o mga when i is applied jus in beha iou al a iables, and he complemen a i y o clus e
analysis o disco e o he hidden in o ma ion in a da abase. mo eo e , his pape shows di e en ways o
compa e indus ial sec o s in di e en coun ies aking in o accoun po en ial cul u al di e ences. I is an
oppo uni y o es ablish c i e ia o con e gence in making decisions. his in o ma ion may be use ul o bo h
o ganiza ions and indus ial sec o s.
he main limi a ion o his s udy lies in ha ing had o simpli y he e-wIp model o he ela ionships
Be né-mane o, C.; Ciobanu, a. .; ma zo-na a o, m.; ped aja-Iglesias, m. (2019). he ho el managemen o e-wom. a c oss-cul u al analysis Spain-I aly.
In e na ional Jou nal o In o ma ion Sys ems and So wa e Enginee ing o Big Companies (IJISEBC)
, 6(2), 7-18.
www.ijisebc.com
VARIABLES AFFECTING
GROUPS
G oup 1: 155 cases
G oup 2: 115 cases
Coun y
Ho el Rank
Numbe o Employees
Cha ge
Gende
S udies
Expe ience
I aly
3 s a s
F om 2 o 10
Ho el owne
Female
High school
F om 6 o 10, om 10 o 20
Spain
1 and 4 s a s
F om 11 o 20
Ho el manage
Male
Uni e si y
No p e ious expe ience
able 9. a iables de e mining g oup 1 and g oup 2. Sou ce: Sel -made.