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The purpose of this paper is to develop and test a model examining the key factors that emerge from the social customer relationship management (CRM) process. Specifically, this study aims to address the chain-of-effects that occurs as a result of the social CRM process, leading to superior levels of hotel performance.

Data were collected using a quantitative approach. Using a mail and online questionnaire, data were gathered from 120 key informants in hotels in Ireland. The proposed model was tested using partial least squares structural equation modelling.

Results demonstrate that the social CRM activities of hotels enhance hotel service innovation activities. This positively impacts the ability to develop a customer-linking capability, resulting in higher levels of customer performance. In turn, higher levels of customer performance leads to higher levels of financial performance.

Service innovation and customer-linking capability are identified as critical outcomes of the social CRM process that lead to enhanced hotel performance.

This study explains the chain-of-effects through which the social CRM process results in higher levels of performance.

Despite the rapid growth of social networking sites (SNSs), research demonstrating the marketing application of these technologies is lacking. Consequently, this paper aims to explore the impact of SNSs on hotel marketing activities.

An exploratory study was used. Adopting a key informant approach, in-depth interviews were conducted with 14 respondents in the hotel industry, who use SNSs as part of their hotel marketing efforts.

Networked interactions facilitated by SNSs can influence the marketing activities of hotels in many ways. This extends to deeper connections and co-creating value with customers to enhance the market offerings and promotional activities of the firm. Not all interviewees capitalised upon the capabilities offered by SNSs.

SNSs act as a key knowledge resource that can be used by practitioners to create and deliver superior customer value. However, the extent to which this is achieved depends on who is responsible for implementing it. Specifically, those with a more proactive attitude and approach towards marketing on SNSs tend to reap greater benefits.

Using the service-dominant logic as a guide, this paper offers greater insight into the theory and practice of social media marketing in the hotel industry, an under-studied and fragmented research area.

Varied accounts exist regarding the role of trust and satisfaction in online continuance intention and contexts within which this occurs. The purpose of this paper is to consider the moderating effect of structural assurance (SA) on satisfaction and trust and trust and continuance intention in a pure e-service context (online betting).

UK online bettors were surveyed with an instrument developed using validated variables and measurements, including continuance intention, satisfaction, trust (in vendor) and SA. Structural equation modeling with partial least squares was used to evaluate the measurement and structural model simultaneously.

SA positively moderates the trust–continuance intention relationship but not the satisfaction–trust relationship. SA is positively associated with trust.

The study contributes to research focused on exploring the moderating effects of trust and satisfaction on continuance intention where institution-based mechanisms are perceived to be effective and framed to assure success.

An over-reliance on context-specific mechanisms is inadequate; strategic approaches to trust must consider contextual and institutional mechanisms interdependently.

The paper addresses the need for research relating to the institutional context within which trust mechanisms operate. This research provides a novel contribution through an exploration of the moderating effects of SA on: trust and continuance intention; and satisfaction and trust (the authors also measure the direct effect of SA on trust). This paper is one of the first studies to examine these important concepts in this context. The online betting case allows for the exploration of risk where vendor-specific and contextual risk are both high.

The aim of this study is to understand why some New Zealand firms in the professional services industries have been slow to embrace e‐business technologies.

The authors employ a postal survey approach and involve a sample of 500 professional service small to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in New Zealand.

The main conclusion derived from this study is that a combination of factors influences a firm's current and future level of e‐business adoption. These factors include: being able to understand potential e‐business benefits; being able to respond to customer and competitor practices; being prepared to develop staff skills and knowledge of internet‐based technologies (IBTs); and having a well justified and strategic orientation towards e‐business.

The research was restricted in scope to professional service sector SMEs in New Zealand. Further research is planned to provide valuable benchmarks of other country and sectoral adoption and diffusion behaviours.

Adopting firms must continue to extend their e‐business capabilities and levels of sophistication. The biggest challenge that lies ahead is how to change the mindset of non‐adopters and make them realise the benefits that e‐business can deliver. In the final analysis choices about new technology and the exploitation of e‐business opportunities must be owner‐manager led.

The contribution of this research is that the relationship between technology adoption and professional service‐sector firms in New Zealand has become better understood. Implicitly the study has revealed the factors that impact on the decision‐making processes of owner‐managers in relation to the adoption (or otherwise) of IBTs for business purposes.

Trust is important to all marketing transactions, yet there is a paucity of research of the phenomenon in an online environment. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the trust literature and forwards the findings of focus group research that has useful implications concerning factors causing trust and how trust is best manifested in Websites selling travel‐related commodities.

The rapid development of technology and the consequent change in working practices require a dramatically different approach towards training and development in organisations than has traditionally been the case. A review of the literature reveals a negative attitude towards training and development in SMEs, with long‐term strategy being substituted for short‐term financial gain. Our results confirm this conjecture that the same holds true in Northern Ireland, which is witnessing rapid technological advancement. This article lays the foundations for a body of work which will provide greater insights into training and development needs in SMEs.

Discusses the death of marketing and provides evidence to the contrary that marketing is far from dead – or dying. Discusses the implications of the role of marketing both in the online and offline world. Accepts that marketing may be in need of realignment to reflect contemporary marketing practices.

Presents a conceptual discussion concerning the academic/practitioner divide in marketing. States that the marketing concept and the way we teach marketing needs to be refocused to reflect practice. Presents two new developments in marketing that are ideal candidates for narrowing the gap between academia and practice. These are retro‐marketing and experiential marketing.

This article reports a study of e‐business adoption among SMEs in the knowledge‐intensive service sector in three countries, the results of which contain a number of practical lessons and some much needed encouragement to laggards. The new spatial possibilities of internet‐based technologies provide a powerful route to innovative marketing strategies. Consequently, organisations of all sizes are finding it necessary to establish a web presence to increase their ability to survive in an increasingly dynamic and competitive business environment. Strategically, firms need to be creative and innovative in order to deal effectively with the e‐marketing opportunities the internet can deliver. The findings of a comparative study conducted in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and New Zealand provide evidence of primitive and localised exploitation of the technology, a general lack of enthusiasm about its possibilities, and a perception that there are many barriers to successfully adding value at the customer interface. It is hoped that the somewhat pessimistic tone of the analysis will be taken as an opportunity to win competitive advantage in the knowledge‐intensive service sector, rather than a reason to postpone adoption of internet‐enabled technology.

Co‐operation is crucial to the successful marketing of tourism destinations, and electronic commerce offers exciting new opportunities for co‐operation among tourism suppliers. This article examines the reciprocal linking of Websites to create “virtual” tourism destination organisations, whereby consumers can access information and purchase multiple components of a holiday online. A very simple starting point in the formation of a virtual destination marketing organisation is the linking of individual suppliers’ Websites, so that a visitor arriving at one site can click through to complementary sites which contribute to the total destination offer. This paper examines the theoretical and practical benefits of virtual co‐operation and reports on a survey, which examines the extent to which electronic commerce is superseding or complementing traditional hierarchical marketing organisations. Based on a sample of tourism suppliers’ Websites in Northern Ireland, very little co‐operation was observed. The reasons for this are discussed and recommendations made for future co‐operation.