The majority of today’s information and communication technology (ICT) impact studies disregard infrastructural, organizational, and environmental factors typically responsible for successful e-business adoption and use. This article proposes an empirical approach that shows how the mentioned factors determine both e-business adoption and the impact of information and communication technologies. The research framework is based on E. Rogers’ Innovation Diffusion Theory and is tested with survey data gathered in the Austrian destination management organization sector. By referring to K. Zhu and K. L. Kraemer’s (2005) e-business impact model, the proposed approach explicates how the use of e-business applications may positively affect the performance of tourism organizations. Online survey data are analyzed through a linear structural equation modeling approach.
Amit, R., and Ch. Zott ( 2001). "Value Creation in e-Business" Strategic Management Journal, 22 (3): 493-520.
2.
Brown, T.A. ( 2006). Confirmatory Factor Analysis for Applied Research. New York: Guilford.
3.
Brynjolfsson, E., and L.M. Hitt ( 2000). "Beyond Computation: Information Technology, Organization Transformation and Business Performance." Journal of Economic Perspectives, 14 (4): 435-56.
4.
Buhalis, D. ( 1996). "Information and Telecommunication Technologies as a Strategic Tool for Tourism Enhancement at Destination Regions. In Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism, edited by St. Klein, B. Schmid, and A. M. Tjoa.New York : Springer, pp. 131-42.
5.
Buhalis, D. ( 1998). "Strategic Use of Information Technologies in the Tourism Industry." Tourism Management, 19 (3): 409-23. Buhalis , D., and M.C. Licata (2002). "The Future of eTourism Intermediaries."Tourism Management , 23 (3): 207-20.
6.
Buhalis, D., and M. Zoge ( 2007). "The Strategic Impact of the Internet on the Tourism Industry." In Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism, edited by M. Sigala, L. Mich, and J. Murphy.New York: Springer, pp. 481-92.
7.
Byrne, B.M. ( 2001). "Structural Equation Modelling with AMOS, EQS and LISREL-Comparative Approaches to Testing for the Factorial Validity of Measurement Instrument ." International Journal of Testing, 1 (1): 55-86.
8.
Ching, H.L., and P. Ellis ( 2004). "Marketing in Cyberspace: What Factors Drive E-Commerce Adoption" Journal of Marketing Management, 20 (3/4): 409-29.
9.
Colecchia, A. ( 1999). Defining and Measuring Electronic Commerce- Towards the Development of an OECD Methodology. Paris: OECD Press.
Davis, F.D. ( 1989). "Perceived Usefulness, Ease of Use and User Acceptance of IT." Management Information Systems Quarterly, 13 (3): 318-40.
12.
Dedrick, J., V. Gurbaxani, and K. Kraemer ( 2003). "IT and Economic Performance: A Critical Review of Empirical Evidence." ACM Computing Surveys, 35 (1): 1-28.
13.
e-Business Watch (2006). ICT and Electronic Business in the Tourism Industry-ICT Adoption and e-Business Activity in 2006. Enterprise & Industry Directorate: General Technology for Innovation, ICT Industries and e-Business, European Commission.
14.
Evans, P.B., and T.S. Wurster ( 1999). Blown to Bits: How the New Economics of Information Transforms Strategy. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
15.
Fesenmaier, D.R., U. Gretzel, Y.H. Hwang, and R. Wang ( 2004). "Applications of Internet Technology in Travel and Tourism ." In The Internet Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, edited by H. Bidgoli.Bakersfield, CA: Wiley, pp. 459-67.
16.
Fichman, R.G. ( 2001). "The Role of Aggregation in the Measurement of IT Related Organizational Innovation." MIS Quarterly, 25 (4): 427-55.
17.
Fuchs, M., and W. Höpken ( 2005). "Towards @Destination: A Data Envelopment Analysis Based Decision Support Framework." In Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism, edited by A. Frew.New York: Springer, pp. 57-66.
18.
Fuchs, M., and W. Höpken ( 2008). "Structural and Behavioural Changes on Account of New Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism." In Managing Change in Tourism, edited by Ch. Kronenberg, S. Mülller, M. Peters, B. Pikkemaat and K. WeiermairBerlin: Erich Schmidt, pp. 247-61.
19.
Fuchs, M., Ch. Witting, and W. Höpken ( 2009). "eBusiness Readiness, Intensity and Impact: An Austrian Hotel Study" In Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism, edited by W. Höpken, U. Gretzel and R. Law. New York: Springer, pp. 431-42.
20.
Go, F. ( 1992). "The Role of Computerised Reservation Systems in the Hospitality Industry." Tourism Management, 13 (1): 22-26.
21.
Grandon, E.E., and J.M. Pearson ( 2004). "E-Commerce Adoption: An Empirical Study of Small and Medium US Businesses" Information & Management, 42 (1): 197-216.
22.
Gretzel, U., and D.R. Fesenmaier (2001). "Defining Internet Readiness for the Tourism Industry: Concepts and Case Studies." In Lectures in E-Commerce, edited by H. Werthner and M. Bichler.Wien: Springer, pp. 77-102.
23.
Gretzel, U., and D.R. Fesenmaier (2003). Searching for the Future: White Paper on Technology and Change in Destination Marketing. Philadelphia: National Laboratory for Tourism & eCommerce.
24.
Hafeez, K., K.H. Keoy, and R. Hanneman ( 2006). "e-Business Capabilities Model Validation and Comparison between Adopter and Non-adopter of e-Business Companies in UK." Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 17 (6): 806-28.
25.
Hair, J.F., B. Black, B.J. Babin, R.E. Anderson, and R.L. Tatham ( 2006). Multivariate Data Analysis. 6th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
26.
Höpken, W., M. Scheuringer, D. Linke, and M. Fuchs ( 2008). "Context-based Adaptation of Ubiquitous Web Applications in Tourism." In Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism, edited P. O’Connor, W. Höpken and U. Gretzel.New York: Springer, pp. 533-44.
27.
Hollenstein, H. ( 2004). "The Decision to Adopt ICT-Firm Level Evidence for Switzerland ." In The Economic Impact of ICT- Measurement, Evidence and Applications. Paris: OECD Press .
28.
Hudson, S., and N. Lang ( 2002). "A Destination Case Study of Marketing Tourism Online: Banff, Canada" Journal of Vacation Marketing, 8 (2): 155-65.
29.
Iacovou, C.L., I. Benbasat, and A.S. Dexter ( 1995). "Electronic Data Interchange and Small Organizations: Adoption and Impact of Technology." MIS Quarterly, 19 (4): 465-85.
30.
Katz, L.M., and C. Shapiro ( 1985). "Network Externalities: Competition and Compatibility ." American Economy Review, 75 (3): 424-40.
31.
Kuan, K.Y., and P.Y.K. Chau ( 2001). "A Perception-based Model for EDI-Adoption in Small Business Using a TOE-Framework" Information & Management, 38 (3): 507-21.
32.
Lucking-Reiley, D., and D.F. Spulber ( 2001). "Business to Business Electronic Commerce." Journal of Economic Perspectives, 15 (1): 55-58.
33.
McDonald, R.P., and M.-H.R. Ho ( 2002). "Principles and Practice in Reporting Structural Equation Analysis." Psychological Methods, 7 (1): 64-82.
34.
Marcussen, C.H. ( 2008). "Trends in European Internet Distribution of Travel and Tourism." http://www.crt.dk/uk/staff/chm/trends.htm (accessed September 22, 2008).
35.
Moore, G.C., and I. Benbasat ( 1999). "Development to Measure the Perception of Adopting in IT Innovation." Information System Research, 2 (3): 192-222.
36.
Ndou, V., and C. Petti ( 2007). "DMS Business Models Design and Destination Configurations ." Information Technology & Tourism, 9 (1): 3-14.
37.
Porter, M. ( 2001). "Strategy and the Internet" Harvard Business Review, March, 2-19.
38.
Premkumar, G., and M. Roberts ( 1999). "Adoption of New ICT in Rural Small Businesses" OMEGA The International Journal of Management Science, 27 (November): 467-84.
39.
Reisinger, Y., and L. Turner ( 1999). "Structural Equation Modelling with LISREL: Application in Tourism." Tourism Management, 20 (2): 71-88.
Rogers, E. ( 1995). Diffusion of Innovations. 4th ed. New York: Free Press.
42.
Rogers, E. ( 2003). Diffusion of Innovations. 5th ed. New York: Free Press.
43.
Schumpeter, J. ( 1942). Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy. New York: Harper.
44.
Shafer, S., and T. Byrd ( 2000). "A Framework for Measuring the Efficiency of Organizational Investments in IT Using Data Envelopment Analysis." The International Journal of Management Science, 28 (2): 125-41.
45.
Sheldon, P. ( 1997). Tourism Information Technology. Wallingford , UK: CABI Publishing.
46.
Sethi, V., and W.R. King ( 1994). "Development of Measures to Assess the Extent to Which an IT Application Provides Competitive Advantage." Management Science, 40 (12): 1601-27.
47.
Shapiro, C., and H.R. Varian ( 1999). Information Rules: A Strategic Guide to the Network Economy . Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
48.
Sigala, M., D. Airey, P. Jones, and A. Lockwood ( 2004). "ICT Paradox Lost? A Stepwise DEA Methodology to Evaluate Technology Investments in Tourism Settings." Journal of Travel Research, 43 (2): 180-92.
49.
Solow, R. ( 1987). "Review of Manufacturing Matters" New York Times Book Review, 12.7.1987, p. 36.
50.
Steenkamp, J.-B.E.M., and H. Baumgartner ( 2000). "On the Use of Structural Equation Models for Marketing Modelling." International Journal of Research in Marketing , 17 (2): 195-202.
51.
Tornatzky, L.G., and K. Klein ( 1982). "Innovation Characteristics and Innovation Adoption: A Meta Analysis." IEEE Transactions Engineering Management , 29 (11): 28-45.
52.
Tornatzky, L.G., and M. Fleischer ( 1990). The Context of Technological Innovation. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books.
53.
Wang, S., and W. Cheung ( 2004). "e-Business Adoption by Travel Agencies: Prime Candidates for Mobile e-Business" International Journal of Electronic Commerce, 8 (3): 43-63.
54.
Werthner, H., and S. Klein ( 1999). Information Technology and Tourism. A Challenging Relationship . Vienna: Springer.
55.
Werthner, H., and. F. Ricci ( 2004). "E-Commerce and Tourism" Communications of the ACM, 47 (12): 101-5.
56.
Williamson, O.E. ( 1983). "Organizational Innovation: The Transaction Cost Approach ." In Entrepreneurship, edited by J. Roanen.Lexington, MA: Lexington Books, pp. 101-33.
57.
Wöber, K.W. ( 2000). "Benchmarking Hotel Operations on the Internet: A Data Envelopment Analysis Approach." Information Technology and Tourism, 3 (3/4): 195-12.
58.
Wöber, K., and U. Gretzel ( 2000). "Tourism Manager’s Adoption of Marketing Decision Support Systems." Journal of Travel Research, 39 (2): 172-81.
59.
Wu, F., V. Mahajan, and S. Balasubramanian (2003). "An Analysis of e-Business Adoption and Its Impacts on Business Performance" Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 31 (4): 425-47.
60.
Working Party on Indicators for the Information Society (WPIIS) (2000). "Defining and Measuring e-Commerce." OECD Report. Paris: OECD Press.
61.
Working Party on Indicators for the Information Society (WPIIS) (2005). "Guide to Measuring the Information Society." OECD Report. Paris: OECD Press.
62.
Xu, S., K. Zhu, and J. Gibbs ( 2004). "Global Technology, Local Adoption: A Cross-Country Investigation of Internet Adoption by Companies in the United States and China" Electronic Markets, 14 (1): 13-24.
63.
Yuan, Y.-L., and D.R. Fesenmaier (2000). "Preparing for the New Economy: The Use of the Internet and Intranet in American Convention Bureaus." Information Technology and Tourism, 3 (2): 71-86.
64.
Yuan, Y.-L., U. Gretzel, and D.R. Fesenmaier (2003). "Internet Technology Use by American Convention and Visitors Bureaus." Journal of Travel Research, 41 (3): 240-55.
65.
Yuan, Y.-L., U. Gretzel, and D.R. Fesenmaier (2006). "The Role of IT Use in American Convention and Visitor Bureaus." Tourism Management, 27 (2): 326-41.
66.
Zhu, K. ( 2004). "The Complementarity of IT Infrastructure and E-commerce Capability: A Resource-Based Assessment of Their Business Value." Journal of Management Information System, 21 (1): 25-46.
67.
Zhu, K., and K.L. Kraemer ( 2005). "Post-Adoption Variations in Usage and Value of e-Business by Organizations: Cross-Country Evidence from the Retail Industry." Information Systems, 16 (1): 61-84.
68.
Zhu, K., K.L. Kraemer, and K. Dedrick ( 2005). "IT Payoff in e-Business Environment: An international Perspective on Value Creation of e-Business" Journal of Management Information System, 21 (1): 17-54.
