The Classification of Extranet Attributes in Terms of Their Asymmetric Influences on Overall User Satisfaction

Information systems (IS), such as Internet applications, are widely used by the tourism and travel industry. Extranets, in particular, allow controlled access of outside organizations into a company’s internal systems. In the travel industry, these technological applications are generated and supplied by tour operators and used by travel agents to conduct their business. Use of an extranet is of benefit to a travel operator who gains more revenue if travel agents select or recommend its particular products. This article classifies the attributes of a tour operator’s extranet system in terms of its asymmetric influence on its user (travel agency sales representatives) satisfaction. In addition, a revised version of impact-asymmetry analysis is presented, called asymmetric impact-performance analysis, which is a simple and visual technique that assesses the key attributes for increasing overall user satisfaction.