Purpose: As Generation Z (Gen Z) represents one of the most important segments in the travel and tourism sector, the present work aims to analyse Gen Z's behaviour in a post-pandemic scenario. In particular, the present work deepens the factors that may influence future accommodation choices.Design/methodology/approach: This study uses data from a web-based questionnaire targeting Italian tourists belonging to Generation Z, reaching 221 complete responses. After the statistical analysis of the sample, an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was then carried out.Findings: Data provided evidence about the main factors affecting Gen Z tourist choices. In particular, these young consumers are positively influenced by the information (especially from institutional and verifiable sources), more flexible purchase terms (e.g. full refund in case of cancellation due to contagion of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and digital payments) and structure features (e.g. cleanliness, sanitisation, digitalisation and sustainability).Originality/value: This work attempts to contribute to the academic literature by looking at the tourism experience from Gen Z's perspective. From this angle, this work underlines the influence some factors exert on the final accommodation choice, especially in the presence of exogenous events. Moreover, as this study focusses on a post-pandemic scenario, the study seeks to provide valuable indications, both at the theoretical and managerial level, for the tourism sector to boost the sector's recovery and prepare the sector to face similar events.

Digitalisation is becoming an increasingly important aspect for business growth. In the hospitality industry, this wind of change is leading to a new form of tourism, known as e-tourism or smart tourism. The current knowledge about the digitalisation processes of hotel structures, their drivers and advantages, is however still limited. This study aims to fill this gap by investigating, through a case study, the level of digitalisation of hotel structures, the underlying motivations, the effects of the digitalisation processes and the role of Covid-19. The results show that the motivations are mainly connected to the desire to improve the quality of the hotel structures, to adapt to competitors and increase financial performance. Furthermore, they show that digitalisation has a series of positive effects related to the increase in revenues, reduction of costs and improvement of the corporate image. Finally, the results show that Covid-19 has significantly accelerated the digitalisation processes.

The present study aims to analyze the existence of a possible significant relationship between social disclosure and financial performance in banking institutions. This phenomenon was analyzed by considering the percentage of female executives on boards, and the implementation of the equal opportunity policy when it was applied. We used a sample of 61 banks from European Union countries (between 2015–2017), and sampling was environmental, social, or governance (ESG)-driven in order to capture the effect of non-financial disclosure provided by Bloomberg. A cross-section econometric model was built in order to examine the relationship between the percentage of female directors on boards and the equal opportunity policy. Both the independent variables of banks and performance indicators were adopted as dependent variables. Our study provides empirical evidence that while there is a lack of efficiency and performance when boards are fragmented, the enactments of equal opportunity policies create a good reputation for the firm and the positive performance of staff. The study aims to contribute to the ongoing debate on social sustainability and on the phenomenon of the glass ceiling, and provides political and entrepreneurial implications.

Tourism and hospitality are increasingly expected to deliver measurable social value, yet rigorous methods for assessing it remain underdeveloped. Social Return on Investment (SROI) offers a systematic way to monetise social, environmental, and economic outcomes, but its use in hospitality is fragmented, methodologically inconsistent, and disconnected from digital innovation. This study proposes an integrated SROI framework combining internationally recognised sustainability standards with digitally enabled data ecosystems. Building on a critical literature review, it identifies weaknesses in stakeholder engagement, outcome valuation, attribution, and data collection, and develops an impact map linking inputs, activities, outputs, and outcomes to standardised indicators and digital data sources. A mixed-methods design – systematic review, qualitative case studies, and quantitative SROI modelling supported by artificial intelligence, big data analytics, IoT, and blockchain – operationalises the framework. The result moves social impact assessment beyond static monetisation towards a dynamic, evidence-based system for strategic decision-making and comparison across hospitality contexts.