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Purpose This paper aims to identify the gap existing between the current and future needs regarding digital skills, as well as the training needs for the 2030 horizon in Spanish tourism organisations belonging to five subsectors (accommodation, food and beverage, destination management, visitor attractions and travel agents and tour operators). Design/methodology/approach A mixed research methodology, which combined qualitative and quantitative approaches, served as the basis for this research work. Qualitative research took place between April 2018 and March 2019 and went through three stages: desk research, focus groups and interviews. Quantitative research developed from January to June 2019 by means of an online administered survey (Qualtrics). In total, 139 Spanish tourism organisations participated. Findings Tourism organisations analysed consider that digital skills are still an unresolved issue. Employees are willing to operate in environments where technology has an increasingly leading role. However, organisations believe that there remains a lot to be done until employees have, both at present and by the year 2030, a suitable level of digital skills enabling them to operate in the tourism subsectors analysed. Originality/value This study is framed within the European project called Next Tourism Generation (NTG), which involves 14 partners from eight countries. The findings obtained will help to develop a Europe Blueprint Strategy for digital skills within the tourism and hospitality sector, to provide employees, employers, entrepreneurs, teachers, trainers and students with a set of core digital skills represented in a skills matrix.

According to the literature on ambidexterity, organizations can use structural, contextual or interorganizational approaches to simultaneously explore novel opportunities and exploit existing ones. So far, however, the possibility of combining the three approaches to maximize organizational learning has not been investigated. To deepen this aspect, this paper has as its aim, on the one hand, to offer an integrated vision of organizational ambidexterity, proposing and contrasting a model which —under the dynamic capabilities approach— sees ambidexterity as the result of combining the most important antecedent factors mentioned in the literature, but which have hitherto been studied only on an individual basis. We are referring to structural differentiation, organizational context, and interorganizational relations. On the other hand, the model suggested establishes the mediation role exerted by the organizational context between structural differentiation and interorganizational relations when it comes to reaching ambidexterity. Finally, it is our intention to identify the effects of ambidexterity on performance. A variance-based structural equation modeling (Partial Least Squares) was applied to a sample of Spanish hotel firms. The results obtained show that organizational ambidexterity can be reached resolving the exploration and exploitation tensions both across different organizational units (structural differentiation) and choosing to resolve those tensions outside the firm’s boundaries (interorganizational relations), and taking advantage of an organizational context which, in addition to impacting directly on the achievement of ambidexterity, also appears as a mediator variable between the other two antecedents and ambidexterity, which in turn tells us that this context is the one which enables organizations to carry out the integration of the various (internal or external) knowledge sources. On the other hand, the ambidexterity thus defined, has shown a positive result on organizational performance.

The hospitality sector has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the situation of rural accommodation is particularly noteworthy due to its close relationship with the environment. In this context, the role of CSR as a strategy that contributes to social, economic, and environmental well-being takes on a crucial role. The main objective of this paper is to contribute to the early scientific literature analysing the influence of CSR strategies on the resilience of rural hotels in the wake of COVID-19. A total of 100 Spanish managers’ responses were analysed through PLS-SEM. The findings demonstrate a positive and significant impact of CSR strategies on resilience levels, and the effect of resilience on hotel performance. Additionally, we have found a mediating and moderating effect in the above-mentioned relationship. In terms of moderation, we show that the relationship is intensified when hotels possess an official sustainability certificate. And in terms of mediation, COVID-19 actions carried out by rural accommodations mediate the CSR-resilience relationship. Thus, the contribution of this study lies in providing solid long-term strategic alternatives based on sustainability to enable rural hotels to cope with cyclical crises and provide new insights in the hospitality industry literature.

Recent literature in the domain of environmental management suggests that employees' behavior is vital to enhance environmental performance. Despite this, little effort has been made to study how human resource management is linked with the environmental performance. Even less attention has been given to a joint consideration of green innovation and green human resources management and their contribution to environmental performance. The purpose of the current study is to investigate the interrelationship between green high performance work system (GPWS) and environmental performance through the mediation of green ambidexterity. A variance-based structural equation modeling (partial least squares) was applied to a sample of Spanish hotel firms. The results indicate that GHPWS facilitate the development of green ambidexterity, and that this variable contributes to improved environmental performance. The results of this study make several contributions to the GHRM and green ambidexterity literature, as well as practical contributions for managers.

The sector that includes fashion design companies can be considered a creative industry. In this paper we are interested in finding where these companies are located and their relationship with industrial clusters. Industrial and firm location has been a subject of great importance in economics since the seminal work of Alfred Marshall (Principles of political economy. Macmillan, 1890; Principles of economics: An introductory volume. Macmillan, 1920) who, through observation, devoted himself to analysing why companies are co-located in particular places. In addition, in recent decades there has been an increase in the number of empirical studies into the driving forces behind the location decisions of industrial firms (Arauzo-Carod et al., Journal of Regional Science, 50:685–711, 2010). Another burning issue is the study of the creative industries and their location. The term “creative industries” is still a recent category in political, academic, and industrial discourse (Cunningham, Media International Australia Incorporating Culture and Policy, 102:54–65, 2002), but a major debate is emerging about the role of creativity and culture as determinants of local economic development (Power and Scott, Cultural industries and the production of culture. Routledge, 2004; Ginsburgh and Throsby, Handbook on the economics of art and culture. Elsevier, 2006). In this work we approach these issues from a perspective of agglomeration economies, applying a comparative analysis to the case of Spain and the United Kingdom.

Firm managers play an important role in the implementation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) actions. Education is emerging as the key factor in developing a sense of moral responsibility amongst the business students who will eventually become company managers and decision makers. The aim of this research is, thus, twofold. First, to analyze the existence of a direct positive correlation between university students’ perception of CSR and its impact on business performance; and second, to examine the extent to which two factors (advantages brought by CSR and responsibilities toward stakeholders) act as mediation variables in the aforementioned correlation. The analysis was performed with a sample of 390 business‐related university students. Amongst the potential contributions made by this study we can highlight the possibility of knowing future managers’ way of thinking and of knowing the aspects where educational centers might improve their CSR teaching.

This paper contributes to the growing research about Human Resource Management (HRM) by examining the interrelationships between High Performance Work System (HPWS) and their effects on firm performance in the hotel industry. Recent studies stress the need to delve deeper into this link considering the role that may be played by certain dynamic capabilities as mediating variables (Patel, Messersmith, & Lepak, 2013; Prieto-Pastor & Martin-Perez, 2014). The current study proposes a multiple mediating model and tests the mediation. More specifically, this research establishes that human resource flexibility (HRF) and organizational ambidexterity (OA) play a mediating role in the HPWS-performance relationship. A variance-based structural equation modeling (Partial Least Squares) has been applied to a sample of Spanish hotel firms. The results obtained support the mediation hypotheses according to which HRF and OA play a critical mediating role in the HPWS-performance relationship.

Purpose The purpose of this paper – based on the conviction that the human resource is by far the most strategic or distinctive resource available to firms competing in hospitality and tourism industries – is to objectively analyze the research on HR developed in the domain of tourism and hospitality management between 1997 and 2016. The aim is to “identify” and “represent” the “intellectual structure” of the field examined. Design/methodology/approach “Bibliometric” methods are utilized: document citation and co-citation analyses, as well as social network analysis (SNA). Findings The paper provides an interesting inventory of the theoretical foundations of knowledge developed around HR in the field under study by different theoretical frameworks and scientific disciplines, such as marketing or psychology. However, its main contribution is to identify an important gap in the literature in the specific area of management. Research limitations/implications The present study has several limitations resulting from the utilization of “bibliometric” methods applied in the analyses performed. As for the implications, these are more than obvious. Originality/value The authors believe that research developed here provides – through a kind of “meta-analysis” – a valuable outlet from which future researchers could benefit, giving them easier access to the theoretical foundations on which HR research in the field in question is based. This work also suggests some paths for future development or research in the field within the context of hospitality and tourism industries.

Purpose Based on the knowledge-based theories of the MNC, this research aims to develop and test a holistic model to analyse the relationship between the strategic knowledge management (SKM) processes undertaken by subsidiaries and MNC performance. Additionally, it focuses on determining the impact that the relational context can have on knowledge creation and transfer inside the internal network of an MNC. Design/methodology/approach The research hypotheses are tested by partial least squares (PLS) with data from a sample of Spanish subsidiaries of foreign multinational firms belonging to high-technology and knowledge-intensive sectors. Findings The results confirm that: the implementation of a SKM by a subsidiary positively impacts on knowledge creation; the knowledge created by a subsidiary positively influences knowledge transfer, increasing the knowledge existing in the MNC; the knowledge transfer across all MNC units has a positive impact on MNC performance; the subsidiary’s relational context arises as a mediating variable between the knowledge created by a subsidiary and its transfer to the rest of the MNC. Originality/value The research proposes a holistic model that contemplates the joint interaction of the variables knowledge creation, knowledge transfer and performance. In addition, the proposed model contemplates the variable SMK of the subsidiary as the beginning of the knowledge creation-knowledge transfer-performance process. Finally, the mediating role of the relational context in the relationship between knowledge creation and transfer is analysed.

The present research work shows the results obtained in an analysis of the existing literature about one of the ‘topics’ which arouses more interest among economists, geographers, theorists of business organization and strategic management or the actual officials in charge of territory arrangement and planning: that of clusters or industrial firm or groupings. More precisely, a total of 1,344 research papers published in different journals in the areas of economy, management, business, planning and development, urban studies and geography during the period 2000 and 2015 were analysed for the purpose of trying to identify and visualize the intellectual structure or knowledge base of the research developed about the aforementioned phenomena. As for the methodology utilized, of a quantitative nature, it is based on the use of bibliometric techniques – in particular, of document co-citation analysis (DCA) – and of social networks analysis.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to analyze which policies of human resource management (HRM) contribute to exploratory learning and which to exploitation learning; and second, to determine the influence of the two types of learning on organizational performance. Design/methodology/approach The research hypotheses are tested by partial least squares with data from a sample of 100 Spanish hotels. Findings The results confirm that, in order of importance, selective staffing, comprehensive training and an equitable reward system lead to exploratory learning. Exploitative learning seems to be fundamentally driven by comprehensive training and an equitable reward system (but in a different way than with exploratory learning). Finally, both types of learning have a positive impact on performance. Practical implications Both exploratory and exploitative learning result from HRM practices. To maintain performance expectations managers should develop both learning types, which entails the utilization of the best HRM practices. Originality/value This study presents empirical evidence around the findings of other studies (Laursen and Foss, 2014; Minbaeva, 2013) which call for further research into whether strategic HRM configurations have positive effects on the two learning types. The results find some practices that have a positive effect in both cases, but with different intensities in their explanations. This finding reveals the need for more detailed exploration around which combinations of HRM practices, in terms of exploratory vs exploitative learning, are advisable for organizations. The study also finds that the two learning types have a positive influence on organizational performance.

This paper analyzes the role played by internal knowledge generation and external knowledge acquisition in the impact of agglomeration on the profitability of Spanish hotels. The results are of interest not only because they demonstrate that knowledge management strategies have a partial mediation effect in the relationship between agglomeration and profitability, but also because they find a substitution effect between internal knowledge generation and external knowledge acquisition. The analysis uses a sample of 2003 Spanish hotels and helps us to understand the real reasons behind the district effect.

The purpose of this study consists in analyzing the existing literature on international business from all the research papers published in Journal of International Business Studies (JIBS) during the period of time comprised between 2000 and 2015. The authors apply bibliometric methods to that end –in particular, document citation and co-citation analyses (DCAs)– so that they can try and identify the main research lines within the aforementioned scientific field or domain; in other words, the ‘intellectual structure’ of the discipline examined. Social networks analysis was also used to carry out the representation or visualization of such structure or knowledge base. The highly interdisciplinary nature of the research undertaken, since the study field still keeps its characteristic diversity and interdisciplinarity or the need to integrate a variety of theoretical frameworks or approaches into the development of a widely-accepted theory about the field under study become evident. Amongst these theories would be the new institutional theory, the strategic theory or perspective or others such as the transaction cost theory or the agency theory, applied to the context of internationalization and to the field of international business, on whose integration the future development of this field may largely depend.

This study takes a dynamic approach to the study of the economies of agglomeration in the tourist districts of the Spanish Mediterranean coast. Results suggest that company growth has a U-shaped relationship with the degree of agglomeration, which means that first levels of agglomeration profits decrease until they reach a certain point of agglomeration, from which business growth begins to increase. This process means that hotels in tourist districts with a high degree of agglomeration are not only more profitable at a given moment of time, but these hotels even increase their competitiveness with time. This increased competitiveness owes to the fact that the profitability of these hotels grows faster. The analysis also determines that costs are the cause of this behavior because costs grow more quickly when the degree of agglomeration is low, but after some time, the externalities resulting from agglomeration imply a progressive reduction of business costs.

The purpose of this study is to analyze the existing literature on human resource management (HRM) from all the research papers published in The International Journal of Human Resource Management between 2000 and 2012. The authors apply bibliometric methods to identify the main research lines within this scientific field; in other words, its ‘intellectual structure’. Social network analysis is also used to perform a visualization of this structure. The results of the analysis allow us to define the different research lines or fronts which shape the intellectual structure of research on HRM.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore whether the use of high-performance work systems (HPWSs) facilitates the development of organizational ambidexterity directly or through a mediating variable such as ambidextrous organizational culture. Design/methodology/approach The theoretical model and the hypotheses proposed were tested using a sample of 100 Spanish hotels. The data analysis method used was the partial least squares. Findings The results of the research confirm that HPWSs exert a direct influence on organizational ambidexterity. HPWSs shape and integrate exploitative and exploratory activities through the construction of a culture that promotes organizational diversity and shared vision, which are needed to shape a suitable context for ambidexterity. Therefore, ambidextrous organizational culture emerges as a mediating variable between HPWSs and organizational ambidexterity. Finally, the ambidexterity of hotels has a positive impact on their performance. Originality/value The present paper presents new alternatives when undertaking research on organizational ambidexterity. More specifically, this research incorporates a mediator variable called ambidextrous organizational culture between HPWSs and organizational ambidexterity, which has not been considered before.

The present research paper shows the results of an analysis of the existing literature on one of the topics that has sparked the most interest amongst scholars and researchers in the fields of international management and entrepreneurship: born global firms and international new ventures (INVs). Concretely, with the aim of identifying and visualising the intellectual structure of research on this phenomenon, a total of 124 research papers whose titles contain the above terms are analysed. The methodology is mainly based on the bibliometric techniques of document citation and co-citation analyses and the analysis of social networks (SNA). El presente trabajo de investigación muestra los resultados de un análisis de la literatura existente sobre uno de los ‘tópicos’ que más interés suscita entre estudiosos e investigadores en los campos de la dirección internacional y el entrepreneurship: el de las empresas nacidas globales (BG) e international new ventures (INV). En concreto, a fin de tratar de identificar y visualizar la estructura intelectual o base de conocimiento de la investigación desarrollada sobre dicho fenómeno, un total de 124 artículos de investigación en cuyo título figuran los términos anteriormente descritos, fueron analizados. En cuanto a la metodología utilizada, la misma se halla fundamentada en el uso de técnicas bibliométricas –en particular, de los análisis de citación y co-citación de documentos (DCA)– y el análisis de redes sociales (ARS).

The present research paper shows the results of an analysis of the existing literature on one of the topics that has sparked the most interest among scholars and researchers in the fields of international management and entrepreneurship: born global firms or international new ventures. Concretely, with the aim of identifying and visualising the intellectual structure of research on this phenomenon, a total of 124 research papers whose titles contain the above terms are analysed. The methodology is mainly based on the bibliometric techniques of document citation and co-citation analyses and the analysis of social networks.

Although Spain is one of the most important tourism destinations in the world, Spanish tourism firms need to be more competitive in order to continue attracting citizens from other countries and human resource strategies can help. The present study aims to identify the specific human resource practices applied by hotels. The variables of interest are those related to human resource profile (number of employees, nationality and sex) and to human resource strategies (recruitment, hiring and training strategies). A survey of the hotel establishments in the Valencian Autonomous Region shows that a hard human resource approach prevails and that hotels apply the same human resource strategies regardless of their category or competitive strategy (universalistic approach). This study forms part of the project TRACE2009-0200, financed by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation.

There is currently a general agreement about the importance of training as a tool to help companies in the development of sustainable competitive advantages based on their human resources. Staff qualification is not an option in the tourism industry; human capital training actually becomes a determining factor to be able to achieve a differential positioning within the sector. In Spain, where the tourism sector is a strategic element, it becomes essential to analyse the training policy applied by tourism enterprises with the aim of assessing its quality and effectiveness. The objective sought in this study is to identify the main factors related to training policy that have an impact on performance. The study carries out an empirical research into the effects that training practices cause on performance levels in the Spanish hotel industry using a sample of 110 hotels.

The present research work shows the results of an analysis about the existing literature on one of the 'topics' which is currently raising great interest among scholars and researchers in the fields of strategic management and organisation science, namely: organisational ambidexterity. More precisely, and seeking to identify and visualise the intellectual structure or knowledge base of the research developed in relation to this construct, a decision was made to analyse a total of 283 research papers which appeared after the publication in the journal California Management Review in the summer of 1996 of the seminal work by Tushman and O'Reilly III entitled 'Ambidextrous Organizations: Managing Evolutionary and Revolutionary Change', where these authors suggested that organisations need to explore and exploit simultaneously if they want to be ambidextrous. As for the methodology applied, it was based on the utilisation of bibliometric techniques - particularly citation analyses and author co-citation analyses (ACA) - and social networks analysis (SNA).

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore if human resource (HR) flexibility facilitates the development of organizational ambidexterity, which in turn has positive effects on firm performance. Design/methodology/approach The research hypotheses are tested by partial least squares with data from a sample of 100 Spanish hotels. Findings The results confirm a total mediator effect of organizational ambidexterity on the relationship between HR flexibility and performance. However, it was not possible to check that such flexibility directly influences performance. This may be due to the fact that HR flexibility has a gradual effect on the development of organizational ambidexterity. Research limitations/implications The results of this study contribute to the knowledge on the impact of HR flexibility on performance. This paper, thus, stresses the strategic role that HRs play within organizations, insofar as their flexibility makes it possible to develop a highly relevant organizational capability such as ambidexterity. The study’s limitations are the analysis technique utilized (it assumes linearity between latent variables) and that the research only explores the hotel industry. Practical implications HR managers need to consider that HR flexibility contributes to developing organizational ambidexterity and the ability to combine the learning of exploration and exploitation, which affects the firm’s performance and, therefore its competitiveness. Originality/value The results of this study can contribute to broaden the knowledge about the impact of HR flexibility on performance. In fact, the studies on HR flexibility performed so far have focused on analysing the role played by that flexibility as a mediator variable between high performance work system and performance. This work goes one step further, trying to examine the extent to which HR flexibility influences the ability to undertake exploitation and exploration processes at the same time. This paper, thus, stresses the strategic role that HRs play within organizations, insofar as their flexibility makes it possible to develop a highly relevant organizational capability as is ambidexterity.

Knowledge creation is one of the most important dynamic capabilities that firms can use to develop new assets, which can represent the basis for future innovations. Within a context of growing globalisation, the acquisition and creation of knowledge is one of the main objectives sought with international expansion. The consideration of intellectual capital within the knowledge creation process in subsidiaries offers an innovative way to undertake knowledge management practices in multinationals. Theoretical and empirical works can be found in the literature about intellectual capital. However, very few studies link intellectual capital to knowledge creation in multinationals. Seeking to fill this gap, the purpose of this paper is to develop and test a model that includes the main intangibles belonging to structural and relational capital that can influence knowledge creation in Spanish subsidiaries of foreign multinational firms belonging to high-technology and knowledge-intensive sectors. Theoretical, empirical and managerial contributions result from this paper.

The present research work shows the results of an analysis about the existing literature on one of the `topics' which is currently raising greater interest among scholars and researchers in the fields of strategic management and organization science, namely: organizational ambidexterity. More precisely, and seeking to identify and visualize the intellectual structure or knowledge base of the research developed in relation to this construct, a decision was made to analyze a total of 283 research papers which appeared after the publication in the journal California Management Review in the summer of 1996 of the seminal work by Tushman and O'Reilly III entitled `Ambidextrous Organizations: Managing Evolutionary and Revolutionary Change,' where these authors suggested that organizations need to explore and exploit simultaneously if they want to be ambidextrous. As for the methodology applied, it was based on the utilization of bibliometric techniques--particularly citation analyses and author co-citation analyses and social networks analysis.

A few years ago and coinciding with the dilemma posed by March about the contradictions involved in exploration and exploitation learning, we saw the emergence of the “Organizational Ambidexterity” (OA) concept as a metaphor to define organizations that are able to develop exploitation and exploration learning at the same time. Despite the efforts made to discern the OA antecedents and moderating factors, a number of aspects still remain to be studied on the map of research into this topic. One of them is the role that human resources can play in ambidextrous learning. Special attention has also been paid in the field of human resource management to the link between high performance work systems (HPWS) and performance. Recent studies highlight the need to make further progress in this direction but using some organizational capacity as a mediating variable between HPWSs and performance. This article uses OA as the mediator variable in this relationship. The main objectives of this research are (a) to determine whether the utilization of an HPWS exerts a positive influence on OA, (b) to know the extent to which HPWSs and OA contribute to organizational performance, and (c) to verify the potential mediating role played by OA on the HPWS performance relationship. The theoretical model and the hypotheses proposed were tested using a sample of 100 Spanish hotels.

The aim of the present study is to synthesise the main aspects associated with human resources and their influence on the success or failure of strategic alliances. With this purpose, and starting from the strategic process of co‐operation, we analysed the role played by such variables as the management and leadership system, and the corporate culture or human resources practices in general in the formulation and implementation of an agreement. The study was carried out both from the perspective of the co‐operating firm and from the alliance's point of view. It also considers the particular characteristics of international alliances and its influence on the human resources management and the corporate culture.

The purpose of this study is to analyze the existing literature on hospitality management from all the research papers published in The International Journal of Hospitality Management (IJHM) between 2008 and 2014. The authors apply bibliometric methods – in particular, author citation and co-citation analyses (ACA) – to identify the main research lines within this scientific field; in other words, its ‘intellectual structure’. Social network analysis (SNA) is also used to perform a visualization of this structure. The results of the analysis allow us to define the different research lines or fronts which shape the intellectual structure of research on hospitality management.

The aim of the present study is to synthesise the main aspects associated with human resources and their influence on the success or failure of strategic alliances. With this purpose, and starting from the strategic process of co-operation, we analysed the role played by such variables as the management and leadership system, the corporate culture or human resources practices in general in the formulation and implementation of an agreement. The study was carried out both from the perspective of the co-operating firm and from the alliance's point of view.

This paper measures the impact on profitability of the geographical area where the vacation hotels of the Spanish Mediterranean are situated. It places a special emphasis on analysing the tourist districts existing in this coastal Spanish area and the extent to which the degree of business agglomeration at each destination affects hotel profit. Due to the characteristics of the service sector, and after a revision of the agglomeration literature, a ‘U’-shaped relationship is hypothesized between these two variables. With data of about 1869 hotels belonging to 113 tourist districts, results support the hypothesis and partially the theory of tourist districts. The authors wish to express their enormous gratitude for the support received from the Spanish Ministry of Industry and Competitiveness in the writing of this paper within the framework of Project TRACE2009_0200. That project had as its aim the design and implementation of a system of strategic indicators for the tourism industry in the Valencian Region of Spain.

a b s t r a c t The importance of human resource qualification for the tourism industry in general and for hotel firms in particular has been a recurrent theme for several years now. The present paper deals with training policy in hotels and has as its aim to know the extent to which their strategic orientation influences: (1) the investment that firms make in training; (2) the preparation of formal plans; and (3) the type of training developed. It is also our intention to check whether this strategy-training link has an impact on hotel performance. With that aim in mind, an attempt will be made to see whether the effect of training on business results is direct or materializes through a number of intermediate variables such as client satisfaction or changes in the behavior of employees (indirect effect). A comprehensive analysis of the literature was conducted to identify the main research and establishing the hypotheses to be tested. Our paper used a sample of Spanish companies with the partial least squares (PLS) method being applied for the analysis. The results show that the development of a training policy oriented to human capital development in the case of hotels following a differentiation strategy leads to improved business results both directly and indirectly, while simultaneously influencing investment as well as formality in training

Purpose – The present paper aims to analyze how the performance of hotels located on the Spanish Mediterranean coast (peninsular and Balearic) and Canary coast is affected by the degree of business agglomeration in tourist districts. If agglomeration affects hotels positively, then the externalities generated in tourist districts will be relevant when locating an establishment. Otherwise, the reason why hotels group together geographically would be more related to the suitability of beaches as a tourist destination. The study also analyzes the impact that regions or autonomous communities have on hotel performance. Design/methodology/approach – The hypotheses are tested by multiple linear regression in which hotel profitability acts as the dependent variable which can be explained by independent variables such as the greater or lesser agglomeration of tourist companies at the destination and the autonomous region where the hotel is located. Findings – The results show that hotels situated at destinations with a higher degree of agglomeration are less profitable, probably due to the greater rivalry that exists among nearby competitors. However, in accordance with the theory of tourist districts, one could expect hotels located at destinations with a higher degree of agglomeration to be more profitable because of the greater externalities generated within the district. In this sense, it is possible that hotel location decisions were based more on the natural advantage model, where firms look for specialized inputs like beach or climate, than on production externalities models. Research limitations/implications – It was necessary to work with secondary information sources which contain no data about RevPar (revenue per available room) or GopPar (gross operating profit per available room), the hotel profitability measures most often used in research studies. Practical implications – The paper could be useful for hotel companies, when they are deciding on a location, and for public administrations. Originality/value – The present paper is original for several reasons. First, it is one of the first studies which applies the theory of industrial districts to the tourism sector, a line of research which is still in its early stages of development. Furthermore, the ISTAT methodology is applied for the first time to the identification of Spanish tourist districts. Also, various studies relate the degree of agglomeration to hotel profitability, but none so far have used the degree of company agglomeration within a tourist district, linking it to profitability.

This research study's main purpose is to analyze the relationship between global Human Resource Management systems and organizational performance within a sample of Spanish hotels. The aim is to test whether: (a) the “human capital” or make Human Resource Management system has a positive effect on productivity, worker satisfaction, client satisfaction, and owner/shareholder satisfaction; and (b) the fit between the Human Resource Management system and the firm's strategic orientation in hotels exerts a positive impact on organizational performance. The make approach has been shown to produce positive results on several outcome measures; the contingency approach was not tested, though.