Time and place
- Trial Lecture: Friday, 5 April, 10.15, room A-1.025
- PhD defence: Friday, 5 april, 12.15, room A-1.025
Trial Lecture Title:
"Digitalization in supply ecosystems: interdependency, integration, and conflict management"
Adjudication committee
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Professor Dimitrios Buhalis, Faculty of Management, Bournemouth University, Dorset, UK
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Associate professor Berit I. Helgheim, Molde University College, Molde, Norway
Chair of defence
Supervisors
- Associate Professor Nigel Halpern, Kristiania University College
- Professor Arnt Buvik, Molde University College, Molde
Additional information
About the thesis
The dissertation is about conflicts between tourism firms that work together in delivering services to tourists. It investigates the effect of detailed contracts on conflict level and the ways through which a firm can influence the behaviour of their partner. The results show that detailed contracts are more effective in reducing conflict level, however this depends on the irreplaceability of the partner. When the partner is perceived to be irreplaceable, detailed contracts tend to be less effective. The results also show that both partner irreplaceability and fairness increase the ability of a firm to influence the behaviour of their partner, which in turn reduces conflict level. However, firms that are perceived to be fair influence their partner's behaviour much more than firms that are perceived to be irreplaceable. In addition, fairness seems to lower conflict level directly. This emphasizes the importance of fairness in tourism interfirm relationships.
The background for the study is that conflicts between tourism firms that work together in delivering services to tourists are quite common. This is counterproductive because efficient and effective coordination with other firms is a critical source of success in the tourism industry.
Deodat Edward Mwesiumo (age 34) comes from Tanzania. He holds a Master of Science in Logistics from 2011. Mwesiumo has been employed as a scholarship holder at Molde University College during his PhD-studies.