Integrating the MCDM Method to Explore the Business Model Innovation in Taiwan: A Case Study in Affiliated Restaurants

It is not easy for the hotel industry to develop a new business model. To find new consumers, Taiwan’s hotel industry has learned from the successful experience of internal restaurants and set up affiliated restaurants. The innovative business model has become an important niche for grasping key technologies and expanding advantages in terms of food and beverage management outside the hotel building. Based on this, and on the application of resource theory, this research is based on the authors’ previous research results which used resource-based theories as the basis to develop evaluation dimensions and criteria. This article continues this aspect and model, and merges MCDM models such as DEMATEL and DANP methods to formulate a research evaluation standard system for affiliated restaurants. According to the research results, there are four resource dimensions and eight measurement indicators for the development of key resources for affiliated restaurants; the importance of the four resources is in the following order: organizational ability, personal ability, tangible assets, and intangible assets, and the first two are the “causes” in the causal relationship. The important order of the eight measurement indicators is organizational resources, human resources, financial resources, physical resources, brand/business reputation resources, marketing resources, technical resources, and relationship resources; among them, human resources and financial resources are the most important factors which are the “causes” in the causal relationship. This study uses a multi-criteria decision-making model to explore the resource application, evaluation, and importance ranking of hotel development for affiliated restaurants, which provides a benchmark for the hotel industry to establish affiliated restaurants as an innovative business model. The study results can be referred to for the future and sustainable development of the hotel industry.