What do we know about outsourcing in hotels?

Abstract

This paper uses a content analysis focused on papers about outsourcing in hotel management in order to know the level of development reached in this research area. With that aim in mind, the authors have started from a review of the articles dedicated to this topic which are indexed in the ABI and Scopus databases. This allows conclusions to be drawn, which suggest the most successful thematic areas and research methodologies. Researchers are encouraged to enhance this field of study with empirical works where the results obtained so far can be checked in new geographical locations.

Keywords:

• outsourcing
• hotels
• content analysis
• network organisation
• virtual organisation

Notes

http://www.textilerental.org/trpublic/0209/

The last JCR reports from the Thompson publishers which were available when this paper was written correspond to 2008. The journal IJSIM changed its name in 2009 and we could check that it was actually included in the JCR for 2007, when it still kept that name.

The theoretical studies are based on ideas, structures and speculations rather than on a direct systematic observation of reality. The articles may contain some empirical data, but on a secondary level. The emphasis is placed on the ideas and not so much on the data. In turn, theoretical studies can belong to three categories: conceptual, illustrative and applied concepts (Claver et al., 2000).

The works defined as belonging to the applied-concepts category describe structures, concepts or models and provide explanations and reasons, but at the same time they try to serve as a guide for the pragmatic ones, offering recommendations or stages which must be fulfilled (Claver et al., 2000).

It must be remembered that the total number of articles which use some theory is above nine, because there are five articles which use two theories at the same time.