Ecological Analysis of a Tourism Business Network¹

ABSTRACT

Objective:

Institutionalism as an adaptation theory has contributed to understanding of the changing characteristics in governance structures. At the same time, community ecology has enhanced the evaluation of change within organizational communities. This study aims to analyze the relations and interactions of a business network, using institutional ecology concepts.

Design/methodology/approach:

We applied the methods of institutionalism, as an adaptation theory, and community ecology, as evolution theory, in a network comprised of 45 businesses. Data for the flow of resources and institutional ecology were obtained using two separate instruments (designed by the researchers). Netdraw was used to graphically represent the various layers of the network and Ucinet 6 to generate the matrices.

Findings:

While theory identifies information, services, decisions, solutions and money as resources, as far as the workers in the businesses researched are concerned, the first four flow naturally within the business network, but money is perceived as a resource that should always originate in the other nodes of the ecosystem.

Practical implications:

Network stakeholders will make decisions that both strengthen relations among the members of the institutional arrangement and support the selection of institutional contexts more favorable to performing their activities.

Contributions:

This is the first work that applies economic-evolutionary theories in order to analyze the relations and interactions within a business network.

Keywords:
Institutional ecology; Institutional mapping; Business networks; Network analysis

RESUMEN

Objetivo:

El institucionalismo ha contribuido al entendimiento de las características cambiantes de las estructuras de gobernanza. A su vez, la ecología comunitaria ha mejorado la evaluación del cambio en comunidades organizacionales. Este estudio tiene como objetivo analizar las relaciones e interacciones de una red empresarial usando conceptos de la ecología institucional.

Diseño/metodología/enfoque:

Se aplicaron métodos del institucionalismo como teoría adaptativa y de la ecología comunitaria como teoría evolutiva en una red compuesta por 45 empresas. Los datos para el flujo de recursos y ecología institucional fueron obtenidos mediante dos instrumentos distintos (diseñados por los investigadores). Netdraw fue usado para representar gráficamente las distintas capas de la red y Ucinet 6 para la generación de matrices.

Hallazgos:

Aunque la teoría identifica la información, los servicios, las decisiones, las soluciones y el dinero como recursos, en la práctica los empleados encuestados reconocen que los cuatro primeros fluyen naturalmente al interior de la red empresarial, pero el dinero es percibido como un recurso que siempre tendría que originarse en otros nodos del ecosistema.

Implicaciones prácticas:

Los grupos de interés de la red empresarial tomarán aquellas decisiones que fortalezcan las relaciones entre los miembros del arreglo institucional y que apoyen la selección de los contextos institucionales más favorables para el desempeño de sus actividades.

Originalidad:

El presente estudio es el primero que aplica teorías económico-evolutivas con el fin de analizar las relaciones e interacciones en una red empresarial.

Palabras clave:
Ecología institucional; Mapeo institucional; Red empresarial; Análisis de redes

Texto completo disponível apenas em PDF.

Full text available only in PDF format.

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• 6
  Evaluation process: Double Blind Review

• 1
  This article was translated by Lynn Eddy-Zambrano. Master of Science, Management and Organization Development. Certified Translator (Spanish-English), American Translators Association. [e-mail]

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  Apr-Jun 2015

History

• Received
  12 Dec 2013
• Accepted
  12 Mar 2015