Managing Swiss Hospitality: How cultural antecedents of innovation and customer-oriented value systems can influence performance in the hotel industry

Abstract

Research into innovativeness and customer orientation in the service industry is burgeoning, yet our
\nunderstanding of the antecedents and consequences of both activities in hospitality management remain
\nunclear. To address this problem we investigate the link between corporate culture, indicators of innovativeness
\nand business performance in the Swiss hotel industry, because the Swiss have a proclivity toward
\ninnovation as well as a long established record in hospitality management. Data were generated from
\n96 businesses in the hotel industry and the results were analysed using structural equation modeling.
\nThey suggest that cultural dimensions are positively associated with customer orientation, innovativeness,
\nand company performance. The implications of the findings are discussed along with limitations
\nand future research directions.