Author: Muzaffer Uysal
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9400722877
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 740
Book Description
Quality of life (QOL) research in tourism has gained much momentum over the last two decades. Academics working in this area research issues related to tourists and host communities. Practitioners are becoming increasingly interested in understanding the science that allows them to develop better marketing and managerial programs designed to enhance the quality of life of tourists. Tourism bureaus and government agencies are increasingly interested in issues of sustainable tourism, specifically in understanding and measuring the impact of tourism on the quality of life of the residents of the host communities. This handbook covers all relevant topics and is divided into two parts: research relating to travelers/tourists, and research relating to the residents of host communities. It is the only state-of-the-art reference book in its field and will prove invaluable to academics interested in QOL research, as well as tourism practitioners interested in applying the science of QOL in the tourism industry.
Handbook of Tourism and Quality-of-Life Research
Author: Muzaffer Uysal
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9400722877
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 740
Book Description
Quality of life (QOL) research in tourism has gained much momentum over the last two decades. Academics working in this area research issues related to tourists and host communities. Practitioners are becoming increasingly interested in understanding the science that allows them to develop better marketing and managerial programs designed to enhance the quality of life of tourists. Tourism bureaus and government agencies are increasingly interested in issues of sustainable tourism, specifically in understanding and measuring the impact of tourism on the quality of life of the residents of the host communities. This handbook covers all relevant topics and is divided into two parts: research relating to travelers/tourists, and research relating to the residents of host communities. It is the only state-of-the-art reference book in its field and will prove invaluable to academics interested in QOL research, as well as tourism practitioners interested in applying the science of QOL in the tourism industry.
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9400722877
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 740
Book Description
Quality of life (QOL) research in tourism has gained much momentum over the last two decades. Academics working in this area research issues related to tourists and host communities. Practitioners are becoming increasingly interested in understanding the science that allows them to develop better marketing and managerial programs designed to enhance the quality of life of tourists. Tourism bureaus and government agencies are increasingly interested in issues of sustainable tourism, specifically in understanding and measuring the impact of tourism on the quality of life of the residents of the host communities. This handbook covers all relevant topics and is divided into two parts: research relating to travelers/tourists, and research relating to the residents of host communities. It is the only state-of-the-art reference book in its field and will prove invaluable to academics interested in QOL research, as well as tourism practitioners interested in applying the science of QOL in the tourism industry.
Overtourism
Author: Rachel Dodds
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
ISBN: 3110605708
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 386
Book Description
Overtourism has become a major concern for an increasing number of destinations as tourism numbers continue to grow, stimulated by general economic and technological growth and the expansion of the global middle class. This, coupled with relentless promotion of tourism by many organisations and destinations, has increased tourism, despite growing opposition to excessive development. This book is the first academic volume to deal with this topic and contains chapters by experienced researchers in the tourism field, taking a multidisciplinary approach to review and explain the subject. The introductory section begins with an overview of the current situation and the forces enabling the appearance of overtourism. This is followed by a number of case studies from a range of destinations around the world, both urban and rural, which share the same problems. The concluding section includes a discussion of potential mitigation methods and approaches and a final assessment of future developments. The focus and relevance of this book are not just for academics, as it offers insights into destinations, enablers and solutions for how to address the issue of overtourism on a wide variety of scales. This book offers globally relevant perspectives on destinations as varied as Venice and Barcelona, that have gained global media attention, as well as less publicised rural areas and developing destinations.
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
ISBN: 3110605708
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 386
Book Description
Overtourism has become a major concern for an increasing number of destinations as tourism numbers continue to grow, stimulated by general economic and technological growth and the expansion of the global middle class. This, coupled with relentless promotion of tourism by many organisations and destinations, has increased tourism, despite growing opposition to excessive development. This book is the first academic volume to deal with this topic and contains chapters by experienced researchers in the tourism field, taking a multidisciplinary approach to review and explain the subject. The introductory section begins with an overview of the current situation and the forces enabling the appearance of overtourism. This is followed by a number of case studies from a range of destinations around the world, both urban and rural, which share the same problems. The concluding section includes a discussion of potential mitigation methods and approaches and a final assessment of future developments. The focus and relevance of this book are not just for academics, as it offers insights into destinations, enablers and solutions for how to address the issue of overtourism on a wide variety of scales. This book offers globally relevant perspectives on destinations as varied as Venice and Barcelona, that have gained global media attention, as well as less publicised rural areas and developing destinations.
Managing Employee Attitudes and Behaviors in the Tourism and Hospitality Industry
Author: Salih Kusluvan
Publisher: Nova Publishers
ISBN: 9781590336304
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 876
Book Description
The tourism industry, of which the hospitality industry is the core element, is one of the largest and the fastest growing industries world-wide. According to World Tourism Organisation forecasts, the industry will continue to grow and employ more people in the twenty-first century. In parallel with the growth of the tourism and hospitality industry world-wide, consumer expectations and demands for quality are rising while consumer tastes are varying on the one hand, and competition among the firms, both nationally and internationally, is intensifying on the other. In this business environment of heightened consumer expectations, distinct market segments that demand unique products and services, and stiff competition, tourism and hospitality organisations are looking for ways to excel in service quality, customer satisfaction, competition and performance. This book takes the view that employees are one of the most, if not the most, important resources or assets for tourism and hospitality organisations in their endeavour to provide excellent service, meet and exceed consumer expectations, achieve competitive advantage and exceptional organisational performance. The purpose of this book is to emphasise the critical role of employees for tourism and hospitality organisations and to examine the ways and means of managing their attitudes and behaviours for the mutual benefit of both parties: tourism and hospitality organisations and their employees.
Publisher: Nova Publishers
ISBN: 9781590336304
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 876
Book Description
The tourism industry, of which the hospitality industry is the core element, is one of the largest and the fastest growing industries world-wide. According to World Tourism Organisation forecasts, the industry will continue to grow and employ more people in the twenty-first century. In parallel with the growth of the tourism and hospitality industry world-wide, consumer expectations and demands for quality are rising while consumer tastes are varying on the one hand, and competition among the firms, both nationally and internationally, is intensifying on the other. In this business environment of heightened consumer expectations, distinct market segments that demand unique products and services, and stiff competition, tourism and hospitality organisations are looking for ways to excel in service quality, customer satisfaction, competition and performance. This book takes the view that employees are one of the most, if not the most, important resources or assets for tourism and hospitality organisations in their endeavour to provide excellent service, meet and exceed consumer expectations, achieve competitive advantage and exceptional organisational performance. The purpose of this book is to emphasise the critical role of employees for tourism and hospitality organisations and to examine the ways and means of managing their attitudes and behaviours for the mutual benefit of both parties: tourism and hospitality organisations and their employees.
Handbook of Tourism and Quality-of-Life Research II
Author: Muzaffer Uysal
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3031315138
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 590
Book Description
The second volume of this handbook develops on and extends the discussion in the successful first volume, published in 2012. This is a timely addition to the literature, drawing on the momentum that quality of life (QOL) research in tourism has gained in the 21st century and on the boom in the tourism industry itself. It focuses on four areas of growth in QOL research in the recent past: (1) travelers/tourists, (2) host communities, (3) service providers, and (4) the role of technology. The handbook helps management of tourism firms and policy makers develop specific policies and programs to ensure the most positive impact of tourism on tourists, host communities, and service providers. The comprehensive coverage of topics in this handbook makes it a state-of-the-art reference. Academics interested in QOL research in travel and tourism, tourism practitioners interested in applying the science of QOL in the tourism industry, as well as policy makers involved in regulating the industry will view the handbook as indispensable source of recent research.
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3031315138
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 590
Book Description
The second volume of this handbook develops on and extends the discussion in the successful first volume, published in 2012. This is a timely addition to the literature, drawing on the momentum that quality of life (QOL) research in tourism has gained in the 21st century and on the boom in the tourism industry itself. It focuses on four areas of growth in QOL research in the recent past: (1) travelers/tourists, (2) host communities, (3) service providers, and (4) the role of technology. The handbook helps management of tourism firms and policy makers develop specific policies and programs to ensure the most positive impact of tourism on tourists, host communities, and service providers. The comprehensive coverage of topics in this handbook makes it a state-of-the-art reference. Academics interested in QOL research in travel and tourism, tourism practitioners interested in applying the science of QOL in the tourism industry, as well as policy makers involved in regulating the industry will view the handbook as indispensable source of recent research.
Routledge Handbook of Social Psychology of Tourism
Author: Dogan Gursoy
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1000579794
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 501
Book Description
The impacts of tourism, an increasingly crucial area of study amongst researchers, are primarily investigated through economic, socio-cultural or environmental perspectives. The social psychological effects of tourism have not been adequately researched despite often being much more important for many destinations, especially where conflicts among different stakeholders exist. This book investigates the social psychological effects of tourism within the scope of social psychology theory. This book introduces the concept of social psychology, as distinct from psychology and sociology, and its relationship to tourism, examines tourism within various theoretical frameworks, e.g. career ladder theory and Maslow’s 7 hierarchy, explores the ways in which tourism changes attitudes and finally investigates social psychological issues in tourism business. It is an important resource for advanced undergraduates, graduate students and relevant practitioners in the field of tourism, and in some cases for a broader public in the field of social psychology.
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1000579794
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 501
Book Description
The impacts of tourism, an increasingly crucial area of study amongst researchers, are primarily investigated through economic, socio-cultural or environmental perspectives. The social psychological effects of tourism have not been adequately researched despite often being much more important for many destinations, especially where conflicts among different stakeholders exist. This book investigates the social psychological effects of tourism within the scope of social psychology theory. This book introduces the concept of social psychology, as distinct from psychology and sociology, and its relationship to tourism, examines tourism within various theoretical frameworks, e.g. career ladder theory and Maslow’s 7 hierarchy, explores the ways in which tourism changes attitudes and finally investigates social psychological issues in tourism business. It is an important resource for advanced undergraduates, graduate students and relevant practitioners in the field of tourism, and in some cases for a broader public in the field of social psychology.
Human Resources and Tourism
Author: Darren Lee-Ross
Publisher: Channel View Publications
ISBN: 1845411390
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 298
Book Description
This book combines theoretical and practical aspects of applied human resources management using a critical lens. It is both a descriptive and analytical journey through the tourism sector which, due to its nature, may be described as a relatively deregulated and eclectic industry. In such a context, human resource practice as presented in this book reflects these extremes.
Publisher: Channel View Publications
ISBN: 1845411390
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 298
Book Description
This book combines theoretical and practical aspects of applied human resources management using a critical lens. It is both a descriptive and analytical journey through the tourism sector which, due to its nature, may be described as a relatively deregulated and eclectic industry. In such a context, human resource practice as presented in this book reflects these extremes.
ICTR 2021 4th International Conference on Tourism Research
Author: Prof Cândida Silva
Publisher: Academic Conferences International
ISBN: 191276492X
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages :
Book Description
Conference Proceedings of 4th International Conference on Tourism Research
Publisher: Academic Conferences International
ISBN: 191276492X
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages :
Book Description
Conference Proceedings of 4th International Conference on Tourism Research
Sustainable Career Development in the Turbulent, Boundaryless and Internet Age
Author: Shih-Chih Chen
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
ISBN: 283255167X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 344
Book Description
With the impact of globalization and intensification of information technology, the ideas and practices of enterprise management are also changing rapidly nowadays. A practice that was incompletely unheard of yesterday may soon become a model for everyone to learn from tomorrow. The development of information technology has blurred the boundaries between work and non-work, and employees today have more options to work from home. At the same time, the family structure has also become more diversified, with different types of income structures, bringing many possibilities for work and family care models. In addition, the government’s social policies, such as school-to-work transitional regulations and the extended retirement age, suggest that people today may face a quite different labor market situation, compared to other generations. As individuals are facing longer and more complicated working life, it is very important to ensure their long-term employability by creating a healthy and successful career.
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
ISBN: 283255167X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 344
Book Description
With the impact of globalization and intensification of information technology, the ideas and practices of enterprise management are also changing rapidly nowadays. A practice that was incompletely unheard of yesterday may soon become a model for everyone to learn from tomorrow. The development of information technology has blurred the boundaries between work and non-work, and employees today have more options to work from home. At the same time, the family structure has also become more diversified, with different types of income structures, bringing many possibilities for work and family care models. In addition, the government’s social policies, such as school-to-work transitional regulations and the extended retirement age, suggest that people today may face a quite different labor market situation, compared to other generations. As individuals are facing longer and more complicated working life, it is very important to ensure their long-term employability by creating a healthy and successful career.
Towards Success in a Competitive Market: The Importance of Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Author: Marcin Gębarowski
Publisher: Cognitione Foundation for the Dissemination of Knowledge and Science
ISBN: 8395108273
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 257
Book Description
The nine papers published in this issue of the Journal of Entrepreneurship, Management and Innovation point to various problems which are important for effective management in a turbulent and dynamically changing contemporary market. The authors of the articles come from universities in the Czech Republic, Italy, the Republic of Moldova, Nigeria, Poland, Taiwan and Ukraine. The scientists present current and original views on issues related to: research & development expenditure and innovation levels in EU countries; the role of innovative entrepreneurship in economic development; the competitiveness of small innovative companies; social networking in family businesses; the connections between socioemotional wealth and competitive advantage of family firms; agrirural entrepreneurial alertness; the assessment of human resources` interactions; the impact of seasonality on employment in tourism; and socio-economic clients’ requirements for food packaging. However, regardless of the subject matter, all the papers indicate an organizational framework and solutions for achieving success in a competitive market. The first article, by Radka MacGregor Pelikánová, addresses R&D expenditure and innovations in the EU, which are the foundations for competitiveness in contemporary economies. The author focuses on the following three essential questions: How much is spent on R&D? How many patentable inventions are filed and succeed, and how many other ideas lead to innovations? Is it possible to imply a potential relationship and what are the trends? The described study entailed secondary data while exploring hard data sources, such as Eurostat and the European Patent Office databases, official or legislative documents, such as Europe 2020, and the academic literature. Furthermore, the author used direct observations, field search and her own experience, gained over 20 years by participating in many patent applications and other instruments protecting future innovations. Answering the questions, it was found that: the 3% threshold will not be met in the larger part of the EU, the number of patent applications and granted patents keep growing along with digitalization, and the possibility of a relationship between these factors and trends exists but is not conclusive or dramatically strong. The research challenge, taken by Radka MacGregor Pelikánová, requires an appreciation that, as she notes, “one of the limitations of the study was caused by the intangible, ephemeral and hardly predictable nature of innovations, and the impossibility to collect and mathematically process all the involved phenomena.” The second paper, written by Rodica Crudu, refers to the importance of entrepreneurship in driving innovation, economic growth and welfare, as well as job creation, and draws attention to the fact that innovation is seen as a driving force in the economic development of nations. Since innovative entrepreneurship has begun to be considered a key factor in modern economic development, finding a prominent place at the core of the European Union’s development strategy – Europe 2020, the author aims to analyse the role of innovative entrepreneurship in the economic development of EU member states by testing a model that captures new or young innovative firms as manifestations of innovative entrepreneurship along with determinants of economic growth rates. The key findings of the paper show that innovative entrepreneurs are more often present in countries with higher development levels and higher incomes, being motivated by the improvement opportunity they see in becoming entrepreneurs. However, a higher degree of entrepreneurship, especially in the creation of new firms, does not substantially contribute to accelerated economic development. This is explained by the variation in the motivation (necessity or improvement-oriented) of entrepreneurs across EU countries. In developed countries, entrepreneurs are most likely to be of Schumpeterian type, while in developing countries most of them are shopkeepers. The presented paper has significant practical implications for decision and policy-making authorities in terms of the possible directions of innovative entrepreneurship policy development, including friendlier and more efficient policies aimed at the creation of new firms and the development of SME-supporting tools. Edward Stawasz, whose paper is based on the results of conducted research, carried out an analysis and evaluation of the importance of selected determinants of competitiveness of small innovative enterprises operating in international markets and using business advice services. The first part of this article is a comprehensive literature review concerning the identification of determinants of competitiveness of small enterprises and the characteristics of motives for using, as well as the areas and effects of using, business advice. The second part of the article presents an analysis of the results of a survey conducted among 67 small, innovative enterprises operating in international markets and at the same time using business advice services, carried out with the use of the CATI method. The conducted analysis has shown that the use of business advice extends the scope of determinants of competitiveness of enterprises operating in international markets. Business advice can be considered an effective factor in improving the competitiveness of enterprises already characterized by high competitiveness, which means that a high level of competitiveness favors the effectiveness of the use of business advice. An important conclusion reached by the author is the existence of a positive relationship between business advice and enterprises’ capacity to absorb business knowledge. Therefore, improving the competitiveness of enterprises requires using business advice and improving the business knowledge absorptive capacity. The focus of the next article, written by Kenneth Chukwujioke Agbim, is the conceptual considerations regarding social networking and family businesses, presented in a review of the contribution of social networking to the financial and non-financial performance of family businesses. Based on an analysis of 55 peer-reviewed, published journal articles, the author identified the most frequently used social networking platforms, the measures of financial performance, the measures and proxies of non-financial performance, and the differences between the financial and non-financial performance. The study proposes the use of both financial and non-financial measures in assessing the performance of family businesses due to their complementary roles. Therefore, the presented research contributes to the family business literature by highlighting the importance of combining financial and non-financial measures in assessing family business performance, indicating that due to the specificity of a family business, its performance should be assessed in such a joint manner. The research topic of the fifth article, by Katarzyna Bratnicka-Myśliwiec and Martyna Wronka-Pośpiech, is socioemotional wealth in the context of competitive advantages of family businesses. These authors argue that socioemotional wealth may trigger or limit family firms’ strategic initiatives that ultimately shape their competitive advantage. The basic assumption is that, unlike non-family firms, family businesses have some unique qualities that should be considered. The research was conducted in almost two hundred firms through a telephone survey. The obtained results reveal that, indeed, socioemotional wealth and competitive advantage are partially associated, and socioemotional wealth can be regarded as an important strategic antecedent to firm performance. Therefore, the first main theoretical implication is the emphasis on the importance of socioemotional wealth as a strategic resource. The second main conclusion is the recommendation that socioemotional wealth is a relevant determinant of competitive advantage. Family businesses rely on more complex social dynamics than the dynamics of a pure market, where the informal sphere is critical for current functioning. Moreover, the connections between family business attributes and firm performance are by no means easy to understand. Consequently, this paper makes a significant contribution to the scientific literature. In the next article Chaoyun Liang presents research on agrirural entrepreneurship and the results of a series of three studies conducted to develop a measure of entrepreneurial alertness in the agrirural environment which is empirically valid, easy to use, and can analyze how the personality traits of agrirural entrepreneurs affect their entrepreneurial alertness. The results indicate that both extraversion and openness affect all of the dimensions of entrepreneurial alertness, whereas conscientiousness only influences scanning and searching, and agreeableness has an impact solely on evaluation and judgment. The presented findings also demonstrate the interactive relationships between extraversion and openness for all of the dimensions of entrepreneurial alertness. The research provides a new understanding of how agrirural entrepreneurial alertness can be assessed more practically and how personality traits can help predict various dimensions of agrirural entrepreneurial alertness. The author states that, due to the fact that agriculture remains the basis of socioeconomic development, governments worldwide are actively formulating relevant policies to aid in the restructuring and upscaling of their agricultural industries. Thus, providing essential guidance in agricultural entrepreneurship for diversifying rural regions should be their central concern. Therefore, recognizing and interpreting opportunities are the most crucial abilities that should be fostered in developing agrirural entrepreneurship. The seventh paper is devoted to the subject of human resources, in particular interactions. The author of this text is Anna Pereverzieva, who indicates that there is a need to develop a methodological approach to the assessment of united communities` human resources` level of interactions. Hence, in light of the gap in the scientific literature, she tries to determine such an approach. The author’s work is based on the example of a united community and a structural unit and, in addition, considers two determinants of human resources` interactions – the group size and the nature of labor. As a tool of the empirical study, the author used expert assessment and the application of certain mathematical dependencies that allowed the coefficient of interactions to be determined. It transpired that small groups with intellectual labor have higher levels of interactions than large groups with a predominance of manual labor. It is worth noting that the proposition of a methodical approach is universal and might be used by both communities and business entities. Moreover, an additional advantage of the study is the proposal of a 4-stage procedure for assessing the level of human resources` interactions. The eighth paper, written by Aleksandra Grobelna and Katarzyna Skrzeszewska, connects tourism seasonality with employment in the travel and tourism sector. The issue, raised by these authors, is a current and important topic, since nowadays seasonality plays a decisive role in creating demand in the tourist industry. The problem is investigated from the perspective of tourism and hospitality students of higher educational institutions located in the northern part of Poland (Southern Baltic Sea Region). The main point of the authors’ interest was the students’ attitudes towards seasonality in tourism employment and its impact on students’ tourism employment aspirations. As a research method, a direct questionnaire was used and the obtained data were analyzed statistically. According to one of the conclusions, more students agree that seasonality contributes positively rather than negatively to tourism employment. The authors indicate that the depicted results of the research study can be of substantial importance to managers in the industry, which suffers from low employment status and experiences chronic shortages of skilled and well-qualified employees. The last article by Agnieszka Cholewa-Wójcik, Agnieszka Kawecka, Carlo Ingrao and Valentina Siracusa presents interesting results of research on the requirements for packaging to answer contemporary consumers’ needs. The study represents a holistic approach to the topic. The authors conducted a survey among clients of shopping malls in the Małopolska region of Poland. Analysis of the obtained data indicated the following order of priority of consumers’ needs: ensuring safety, meeting legal regulations, wants related to lifestyle, improving consumers’ life quality through added value, and protection of the environment. Furthermore, the team of authors proposed the model packaging. According to them, modern food packaging should be characterized by health (safety), simplicity (reduction, convenience), identity (belonging), aesthetics (design), and meaning (sustainability, intelligence). These conclusions have a managerial dimension because they might be valuable premises for developing packaging and introducing innovative solutions in this area. The paper confirms that both the design of food packaging systems and the production of such kinds of packaging should be developed after giving due consideration not only to the technical requirements but also to the socio-economic and the environmental ones. As the editors of this issue, we would like to thank all the authors for their contribution, and for sharing their own theoretical considerations and the results of empirical research. We are convinced that the presented studies constitute a valuable contribution to management sciences in the area of effective organizational management in a turbulent environment. We would also like to thank the reviewers for their efforts in reviewing the articles for this issue, as well as their valuable comments and suggestions that have influenced its final shape. We hope that the articles presented in this issue will interest readers, scientists and researchers from around the world, in addition to inspiring them to conduct further research on the topics discussed.
Publisher: Cognitione Foundation for the Dissemination of Knowledge and Science
ISBN: 8395108273
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 257
Book Description
The nine papers published in this issue of the Journal of Entrepreneurship, Management and Innovation point to various problems which are important for effective management in a turbulent and dynamically changing contemporary market. The authors of the articles come from universities in the Czech Republic, Italy, the Republic of Moldova, Nigeria, Poland, Taiwan and Ukraine. The scientists present current and original views on issues related to: research & development expenditure and innovation levels in EU countries; the role of innovative entrepreneurship in economic development; the competitiveness of small innovative companies; social networking in family businesses; the connections between socioemotional wealth and competitive advantage of family firms; agrirural entrepreneurial alertness; the assessment of human resources` interactions; the impact of seasonality on employment in tourism; and socio-economic clients’ requirements for food packaging. However, regardless of the subject matter, all the papers indicate an organizational framework and solutions for achieving success in a competitive market. The first article, by Radka MacGregor Pelikánová, addresses R&D expenditure and innovations in the EU, which are the foundations for competitiveness in contemporary economies. The author focuses on the following three essential questions: How much is spent on R&D? How many patentable inventions are filed and succeed, and how many other ideas lead to innovations? Is it possible to imply a potential relationship and what are the trends? The described study entailed secondary data while exploring hard data sources, such as Eurostat and the European Patent Office databases, official or legislative documents, such as Europe 2020, and the academic literature. Furthermore, the author used direct observations, field search and her own experience, gained over 20 years by participating in many patent applications and other instruments protecting future innovations. Answering the questions, it was found that: the 3% threshold will not be met in the larger part of the EU, the number of patent applications and granted patents keep growing along with digitalization, and the possibility of a relationship between these factors and trends exists but is not conclusive or dramatically strong. The research challenge, taken by Radka MacGregor Pelikánová, requires an appreciation that, as she notes, “one of the limitations of the study was caused by the intangible, ephemeral and hardly predictable nature of innovations, and the impossibility to collect and mathematically process all the involved phenomena.” The second paper, written by Rodica Crudu, refers to the importance of entrepreneurship in driving innovation, economic growth and welfare, as well as job creation, and draws attention to the fact that innovation is seen as a driving force in the economic development of nations. Since innovative entrepreneurship has begun to be considered a key factor in modern economic development, finding a prominent place at the core of the European Union’s development strategy – Europe 2020, the author aims to analyse the role of innovative entrepreneurship in the economic development of EU member states by testing a model that captures new or young innovative firms as manifestations of innovative entrepreneurship along with determinants of economic growth rates. The key findings of the paper show that innovative entrepreneurs are more often present in countries with higher development levels and higher incomes, being motivated by the improvement opportunity they see in becoming entrepreneurs. However, a higher degree of entrepreneurship, especially in the creation of new firms, does not substantially contribute to accelerated economic development. This is explained by the variation in the motivation (necessity or improvement-oriented) of entrepreneurs across EU countries. In developed countries, entrepreneurs are most likely to be of Schumpeterian type, while in developing countries most of them are shopkeepers. The presented paper has significant practical implications for decision and policy-making authorities in terms of the possible directions of innovative entrepreneurship policy development, including friendlier and more efficient policies aimed at the creation of new firms and the development of SME-supporting tools. Edward Stawasz, whose paper is based on the results of conducted research, carried out an analysis and evaluation of the importance of selected determinants of competitiveness of small innovative enterprises operating in international markets and using business advice services. The first part of this article is a comprehensive literature review concerning the identification of determinants of competitiveness of small enterprises and the characteristics of motives for using, as well as the areas and effects of using, business advice. The second part of the article presents an analysis of the results of a survey conducted among 67 small, innovative enterprises operating in international markets and at the same time using business advice services, carried out with the use of the CATI method. The conducted analysis has shown that the use of business advice extends the scope of determinants of competitiveness of enterprises operating in international markets. Business advice can be considered an effective factor in improving the competitiveness of enterprises already characterized by high competitiveness, which means that a high level of competitiveness favors the effectiveness of the use of business advice. An important conclusion reached by the author is the existence of a positive relationship between business advice and enterprises’ capacity to absorb business knowledge. Therefore, improving the competitiveness of enterprises requires using business advice and improving the business knowledge absorptive capacity. The focus of the next article, written by Kenneth Chukwujioke Agbim, is the conceptual considerations regarding social networking and family businesses, presented in a review of the contribution of social networking to the financial and non-financial performance of family businesses. Based on an analysis of 55 peer-reviewed, published journal articles, the author identified the most frequently used social networking platforms, the measures of financial performance, the measures and proxies of non-financial performance, and the differences between the financial and non-financial performance. The study proposes the use of both financial and non-financial measures in assessing the performance of family businesses due to their complementary roles. Therefore, the presented research contributes to the family business literature by highlighting the importance of combining financial and non-financial measures in assessing family business performance, indicating that due to the specificity of a family business, its performance should be assessed in such a joint manner. The research topic of the fifth article, by Katarzyna Bratnicka-Myśliwiec and Martyna Wronka-Pośpiech, is socioemotional wealth in the context of competitive advantages of family businesses. These authors argue that socioemotional wealth may trigger or limit family firms’ strategic initiatives that ultimately shape their competitive advantage. The basic assumption is that, unlike non-family firms, family businesses have some unique qualities that should be considered. The research was conducted in almost two hundred firms through a telephone survey. The obtained results reveal that, indeed, socioemotional wealth and competitive advantage are partially associated, and socioemotional wealth can be regarded as an important strategic antecedent to firm performance. Therefore, the first main theoretical implication is the emphasis on the importance of socioemotional wealth as a strategic resource. The second main conclusion is the recommendation that socioemotional wealth is a relevant determinant of competitive advantage. Family businesses rely on more complex social dynamics than the dynamics of a pure market, where the informal sphere is critical for current functioning. Moreover, the connections between family business attributes and firm performance are by no means easy to understand. Consequently, this paper makes a significant contribution to the scientific literature. In the next article Chaoyun Liang presents research on agrirural entrepreneurship and the results of a series of three studies conducted to develop a measure of entrepreneurial alertness in the agrirural environment which is empirically valid, easy to use, and can analyze how the personality traits of agrirural entrepreneurs affect their entrepreneurial alertness. The results indicate that both extraversion and openness affect all of the dimensions of entrepreneurial alertness, whereas conscientiousness only influences scanning and searching, and agreeableness has an impact solely on evaluation and judgment. The presented findings also demonstrate the interactive relationships between extraversion and openness for all of the dimensions of entrepreneurial alertness. The research provides a new understanding of how agrirural entrepreneurial alertness can be assessed more practically and how personality traits can help predict various dimensions of agrirural entrepreneurial alertness. The author states that, due to the fact that agriculture remains the basis of socioeconomic development, governments worldwide are actively formulating relevant policies to aid in the restructuring and upscaling of their agricultural industries. Thus, providing essential guidance in agricultural entrepreneurship for diversifying rural regions should be their central concern. Therefore, recognizing and interpreting opportunities are the most crucial abilities that should be fostered in developing agrirural entrepreneurship. The seventh paper is devoted to the subject of human resources, in particular interactions. The author of this text is Anna Pereverzieva, who indicates that there is a need to develop a methodological approach to the assessment of united communities` human resources` level of interactions. Hence, in light of the gap in the scientific literature, she tries to determine such an approach. The author’s work is based on the example of a united community and a structural unit and, in addition, considers two determinants of human resources` interactions – the group size and the nature of labor. As a tool of the empirical study, the author used expert assessment and the application of certain mathematical dependencies that allowed the coefficient of interactions to be determined. It transpired that small groups with intellectual labor have higher levels of interactions than large groups with a predominance of manual labor. It is worth noting that the proposition of a methodical approach is universal and might be used by both communities and business entities. Moreover, an additional advantage of the study is the proposal of a 4-stage procedure for assessing the level of human resources` interactions. The eighth paper, written by Aleksandra Grobelna and Katarzyna Skrzeszewska, connects tourism seasonality with employment in the travel and tourism sector. The issue, raised by these authors, is a current and important topic, since nowadays seasonality plays a decisive role in creating demand in the tourist industry. The problem is investigated from the perspective of tourism and hospitality students of higher educational institutions located in the northern part of Poland (Southern Baltic Sea Region). The main point of the authors’ interest was the students’ attitudes towards seasonality in tourism employment and its impact on students’ tourism employment aspirations. As a research method, a direct questionnaire was used and the obtained data were analyzed statistically. According to one of the conclusions, more students agree that seasonality contributes positively rather than negatively to tourism employment. The authors indicate that the depicted results of the research study can be of substantial importance to managers in the industry, which suffers from low employment status and experiences chronic shortages of skilled and well-qualified employees. The last article by Agnieszka Cholewa-Wójcik, Agnieszka Kawecka, Carlo Ingrao and Valentina Siracusa presents interesting results of research on the requirements for packaging to answer contemporary consumers’ needs. The study represents a holistic approach to the topic. The authors conducted a survey among clients of shopping malls in the Małopolska region of Poland. Analysis of the obtained data indicated the following order of priority of consumers’ needs: ensuring safety, meeting legal regulations, wants related to lifestyle, improving consumers’ life quality through added value, and protection of the environment. Furthermore, the team of authors proposed the model packaging. According to them, modern food packaging should be characterized by health (safety), simplicity (reduction, convenience), identity (belonging), aesthetics (design), and meaning (sustainability, intelligence). These conclusions have a managerial dimension because they might be valuable premises for developing packaging and introducing innovative solutions in this area. The paper confirms that both the design of food packaging systems and the production of such kinds of packaging should be developed after giving due consideration not only to the technical requirements but also to the socio-economic and the environmental ones. As the editors of this issue, we would like to thank all the authors for their contribution, and for sharing their own theoretical considerations and the results of empirical research. We are convinced that the presented studies constitute a valuable contribution to management sciences in the area of effective organizational management in a turbulent environment. We would also like to thank the reviewers for their efforts in reviewing the articles for this issue, as well as their valuable comments and suggestions that have influenced its final shape. We hope that the articles presented in this issue will interest readers, scientists and researchers from around the world, in addition to inspiring them to conduct further research on the topics discussed.
The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Tourism
Author: Alan A. Lew
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1118474481
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 672
Book Description
The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Tourism presents a collection of readings that represent an essential and authoritative reference on the state-of-the-art of the interdisciplinary field of tourism studies. Presents a comprehensive and critical overview of tourism studies across the social sciences Introduces emerging topics and reassesses key themes in tourism studies in the light of recent developments Includes 50 newly commissioned essays by leading experts in the social sciences from around the world Contains cutting-edge perspectives on topics that include tourism’s role in globalization, sustainable tourism, and the state’s role in tourism development Sets an agenda for future tourism research and includes a wealth of bibliographic references
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1118474481
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 672
Book Description
The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Tourism presents a collection of readings that represent an essential and authoritative reference on the state-of-the-art of the interdisciplinary field of tourism studies. Presents a comprehensive and critical overview of tourism studies across the social sciences Introduces emerging topics and reassesses key themes in tourism studies in the light of recent developments Includes 50 newly commissioned essays by leading experts in the social sciences from around the world Contains cutting-edge perspectives on topics that include tourism’s role in globalization, sustainable tourism, and the state’s role in tourism development Sets an agenda for future tourism research and includes a wealth of bibliographic references