La generazione della conoscenza dal mercato. Un'analisi teorica e alcune evidenze empiriche nelle catene alberghiere

Knowledge is the most important asset of the enterprises, the main source of competitive advantage. In recent years the growing importance of the collective dimension of knowledge, stimulated and supported by Internet based technology, particularly by web 2.0, shifts the focus of the studies on knowledge, particularly on the knowledge that resides in Internet Users. The book aims to investigate this phenomenon. It represents an attempt at conciliation between the research fields of Knowledge Management, Organizational Learning and Market Orientation, which have been considered mostly separately until a few years ago but cannot continue to develop in isolation. The proposed theoretical framework identifies not only their salient aspects, but also the mechanisms of mutual influence, thus representing a potential advancement of the literature. It is then tested with reference to a highly dynamic business environment, in which the knowledge generated from the market is of vital importance for the survival and growth of companies. Empirical research is on hotel chains operating in Italy. Data collection is performed as follows: web-based research (i.e. we examine hotel chains’ presences on web) and an online questionnaire (administered to hotel chains’ managers). The results of this research exhibit, despite considerable differences, due to firms’ and industry’s specificities, that the ability to explore the knowledge of market through web 2.0 requires a deep cultural evolution, focused on interaction as the main challenge in the coming decades. This is the first step of an ongoing research.