How ICT shifts the power balance of tourism distribution channels

The restructuring process of the tourism sector and of the distribution channels caused by Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) may have altered the power positions in the channels. In the literature, the relationship between structure and power has been analyzed under the structure-conduct-performance paradigm, and the structure-conduct-outcome framework. The question is if the structure is antecedent or consequence of power balance in the channel. Our objective and contribution is to provide a common framework for both approaches by including the two different conceptualizations of the structure and analyzing their cause-effect link with the power balance. Moreover, we show that the two concepts of structure have a strong link with power balance but that the nature of the link might be very different: market structure is exogenous and might be considered an antecedent and, channel structure is endogenous, suggesting that it is intimately interrelated with power balance and that the cause-effect link works in the two directions. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.