Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) dimensions on firm performance in the tourism sector. The goal is twofold: on the one hand, the paper aims to test whether EO dimensions are still significant determinants of performance after controlling for possible confounding factors; on the other hand, it aims to address the question of which EO dimension exerts the strongest effect on performance. Design/methodology/approach A survey was carried out in the Sardinian accommodation sector in 2012 and 224 questionnaires were collected. The multidimensional EO constructs were adopted. Findings The results show that innovativeness, proactiveness and autonomy were significantly associated with tourism firm performance, whereas risk-taking and competitiveness were not. Research limitations/implications The results are limited to the Sardinian accommodation context. Self-reported data were used to measure firm performance. Further research works could replicate the analyses using objective firm performance not only in similar touristic destinations but also in other countries and incorporating other industries. Practical implications The study suggests educational and managerial implications. Entrepreneurs in the tourism sector should be encouraged to adopt an innovative, autonomous and proactive approach in managing their firms. Originality/value The study advances entrepreneurial knowledge in the tourism sector and in particular in the accommodation industry. The multidimensional EO approach has never been adopted among touristic firms. Furthermore, considering that EO research has been overlooked in the country of Italy, this study’s contribution is also providing evidence from an area that has received minimal attention to date.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of successful business performance among accommodation firms by focusing on entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and destination attractiveness. Design/methodology/approach A web-based e-mail survey was undertaken in the Sardinian accommodation sector in 2012. The sample included 224 accommodation firms and analyses were performed using ordered logit regressions. Findings The results suggest no differential impact of EO on sales and profit depending on the attractiveness of the location in which the accommodation firm operates. Both EO and destination attractiveness were found to exert independent positive effects on firm performance. Furthermore, EO was found to have a larger effect on firm performance than destination attractiveness. Research limitations/implications The study mainly considered hotels and camping accommodations in Sardinia. Additional investigations across accommodation types and geographic contexts are needed. Practical implications The findings suggest that accommodation firms should focus on implementing entrepreneurial activities and not only, as frequently happens, concentrate on selecting attractive destinations in which to conduct their business. Moreover, the findings also suggest that accommodation firms that are located in less attractive areas may produce good performance if they are managed with an EO. Finally, training programs should be developed to improve the entrepreneurial abilities of accommodation managers. Originality/value The specific topics of this paper have been understudied. The findings hold practical implications for entrepreneurs and managers who are involved in the accommodation sector.

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BackgroundPreventive care has gained increasing attention in health reforms around the world due to its ability to reduce the burden of disease and to save health costs. Nevertheless, there is a gap in terms of the development of reliable systems to measure and evaluate performance of preventive care in order to support decision-making and increase service outcomes. The aim of this study is to define a methodology for designing a performance management system (PMS) in order to effectively support the planning, control and evaluation of preventive care and to identify the factors that influence such a process.MethodsThe methodology is based on the participatory action research approach, which implies collaboration between researchers and practitioners. The study was articulated in four phases and carried out in an Italian regional healthcare system that was undergoing a major reorganization process.ResultsThe findings provide insights into the peculiarities that affect preventive care and highlight two categories of critical factors: general issues regarding the process and specific issues regarding preventive care. The first category includes the importance of interactions between academics, physicians and policy-makers, the impact of workloads and red tape on employee involvement and the increased conservation mechanisms during periods of institutional change. The second category concerns the strong heterogeneity of preventive activities within health organizations, the huge amount of regulations and the incompleteness of information systems.ConclusionThe development of a PMS for preventive care can best be served by collaborative methods that involve academics, professionals and policy-makers, whose roles and responsibilities must be clearly defined, and by an improvement in transparency and communication within organizations in order to enhance the involvement of different professionals at appropriate times and in appropriate ways. Key recommendations that may improve the maintenance and use of information systems are proposed to policy-makers.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12913-018-3837-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.