Business travel has been steadily decreasing for several years in the United States.Meanwhile, the adoption of e-conferencing technology has dramatically increased since2007. Although the decline in travel has been largely attributed to economic factors, therole and impact of e-conferencing on business travel has never been investigated in eitherthe trade press or academic literature. Based on a literature review, four major econferencingformats were identified—audio conferencing, web conferencing, videoconferencing, and total virtual conferencing. This study explored the impact of econferencingon business travel decision-making. A qualitative, multiple-case studyapproach using a set of six interviewees from different sectors of industry was deployed.One managerial level person from each firm was interviewed using a semi-structuredquestionnaire. Interviews were transcribed and subsequently analyzed using Atlas.ti.Grounded theory and the narrative research method were applied in the data analysisprocess. In terms of the use of e-conferencing, three major themes were identified fromthe transcripts, namely Usage, Cost, and Interaction. Both positive and negative attributesunder each theme were discussed. The findings illustrated that the positive attributes of econferencing,such as ease of use and cost efficiency, drive people to adopt it. Theeconomic downturn as well as budget cuts have forced corporations to switch to virtualalternatives to business travel. In addition, when it comes to choosing a conferencingformat, different types of meetings had different needs, based on the purpose of each meeting. The category of industry and the individual’s work function were also importantdeterminants in selecting conferencing format. In the short term, especially in aneconomic downturn, e-conferencing can substitute for business travel. However, in thelong term, e-conferencing will serve as a complement to business travel. The results ofthis study will benefit e-conferencing solution/service providers, e-conferencing users,and academics.
