Relacionamentos gerados pelo uso das TICS e percepção de desempenho empresarial em agências de viagens

Abstract

With the rise of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), there have been many changes in interpersonal and commercial relationships around the world. ICTs facilitate business transactions through networking with business partners, distribution of services and products, as well as providing information to consumers worldwide, which facilitates the relationship between companies and their employees, suppliers and customers. In this sense, the present study aimed to investigate the existing relationships between variables capable of influencing the business performance of travel agencies based on the relationships facilitated by the use of ICT. For this, a research instrument was developed containing variables and dimensions based on the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) theory and on the theoretical model Relationships and Business Performance (RE-BP), adapting a measurement model and developing a structural model. To achieve the proposed objectives, a hypothetical-deductive, exploratory, descriptive investigation was carried out, with a quantitative approach. The method chosen to capture the data was the application of 636 questionnaires with the managers of travel agencies in the Northeast and Southeast regions of Brazil. The data obtained were treated by descriptive and inferential statistics, with the help of IBM SPSS and the AMOS packaged version 22.0. Results indicate that the rational component of the proposed structural model, composed of the variables defined from the theory of the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) and the theoretical model Relationships and Business Performance (RE-BP), has a strong explanatory power of the relationships facilitated by the ICTs with the market and financial performance, with the Southeast Region having a positive financial performance and the Northeast Region having a negative financial performance. From the results it is possible to confirm satisfactory adjustment rates and factor loads for the proposed structural model. Thus, the study concludes that travel agencies should use ICTs to facilitate their relations with their employees, suppliers and customers, whose strategies allow for better business performance.