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Stakeholder engagement in destination management: a systematic review of literature
Get PDFThe topic of stakeholder engagement is not a new phenomenon, nor is it an entirely distinct area of study, rather stakeholder engagement has drawn input and influence from number of academic streams and can be based on a range of different perspectives. The wide variety of circumstances and contexts that involve stakeholder engagement means that it has proved challenging for researchers to create a single, all-encompassing construal of stakeholder engagement, however there is a growing body of knowledge that seeks to inform and enhance how stakeholders are engaged. Within the international tourism sector the benefits of engaging with and harnessing the collective energy of multiple stakeholders is widely acknowledged and promoted, however the perceived challenges associated with stakeholder engagement can make destination managers hesitant to implement the practice to its fullest potential. This paper seeks to review extant knowledge in stakeholder engagement so as to inform dialogue and broaden awareness of best practice in stakeholder engagement within tourism destination
Employer of choice: holistic conceptual model of employer brand creation
Get PDFThis publication seeks to look closely in to the relatively new concept of Human Resource called employer branding as a human resource management tool
Sustainable event management in Ireland: A local authority perspective
Get PDFThis postgraduate research addresses the sustainable planning and management of events in Ireland from a local authority perspective. Sustainable event management is defined by the British Standards Institute (2011) as “an enduring balanced approach to economic activity, environmental responsibility and social progress”. With the number of festivals and events throughout Ireland increasing year on year and global tourism set to hit 1.6 billion arrivals by 2020 (UNWTO, 2009), it is important to identify if there will be a greater emphasis on sustainable event management in the future and what challenges this may bring to the industry. Festivals and events in Ireland have great economic potential. Fáilte Ireland invested €3.62 million in 210 events in 2011, over 400,000 overseas visitors attended festivals and events in Ireland in 2010. \ud
More than 2 million bed nights are generated by festivals from the domestic market alone and €448 million was generated by festivals in Ireland in 2010, with €300 million of this originating from domestic and overseas visitors who travelled specifically to attend a festival. Over €685,000 has been approved by Fáilte Ireland for 170 regional festivals and events taking place in 2013 (Fáilte Ireland, 2012). It is evident that events can create many positive and negative impacts. Some positive impacts include income generation, increased employment, raising awareness of environmental issues, awareness of conserving energy and implementing strategy. Negative impacts include traffic disruption, waste, pollution, host community disruption and noise pollution. These negative impacts can incur large expense for event managers and local authorities in difficult economic times. Sustainable event management is therefore highly important as it provides an opportunity to manage and reduce such impacts while improving the quality of events. There are some existing guidelines in place in Ireland to combat such negative impacts. These however are quite basic and limited in their scope but can provide clarity to many stakeholders involved in the events industry. \ud
This paper examines the level of sustainable event management in Ireland and whether or not it is possible to fully sustainably manage events. It examines the local authority process, procedures and guidelines in place to combat negative impacts and identifies what factors are taken into consideration in order to achieve sustainability. Furthermore it assess if there is a gap in the provision of a tool to aid local authorities in managing events at an operational level which in turn will prove helpful in assisting event managers in making the transition towards the sustainable management of events
Social media: an innovative marketing tool in the Irish tourism industry?
Get PDFThe paper explores the domain of social media, and its benefits, and how these can be fully utilised in the Irish tourism industry
Opening education through competency based assessment
Get PDFAlthough Open Educational Resources and Practices, and other innovations contain huge\ud
potential to transform lifelong learning, there are unnecessary regulatory barriers, and\ud
Competency Based Assessment may be the key to removing these barriers and unleashing a\ud
wave of innovation
Present musings on the past: creating a digital platform for the Galway City Museum.
Get PDFThis paper will outline a pilot initiative in curriculum design with the intention of promoting active education, innovation in digital design and civic service in partnership with the cultural tourism sector. This is a case study in inter-disciplinary collaboration at Galway Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) where community service is empowered by linking the academic research of Art History and Software Engineering students with the needs of a local cultural institution, the Galway City Museum (GCM)
Levels of persistent organic pollutants in eastern north Atlantic humpback whales
Get PDFBlubber lipid concentrations of 14 organochlorine compounds and 10 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) were measured by gas chromatography with electron-capture detection in eastern North Atlantic humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae from Cape Verde (n = 20) and Ireland (n = 4). Concentrations were statistically compared to those from 20 samples collected from the Gulf of Maine in the western North Atlantic. Pollutant burdens were compared using males only, in order to circumvent biases associated with reproductive offloading. Lipid-normalised PCB concentrations were below the estimated threshold toxicity value of 17 000 ng g−1 for blubber in marine mammals. Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), PCB and chlordane concentrations were an order of magnitude lower than those previously reported for Gulf of Maine humpback whales and higher than those reported from the North Pacific Ocean. Higher concentrations of lower-chlorinated PCB congeners (28, 31 and 52), hexachlorocyclohexanes and hexachlorobenzene in males in eastern North Atlantic sites is consistent with higher latitude feeding grounds. Lower p,p’-DDE (dich loro di phe nyl-dichloroethane):ΣDDT ratios suggest that whales from the eastern North Atlantic harbour more recent inputs of DDT. The ΣDDTs:ΣPCBs ratio was higher for males from Cape Verde (1.69) and Ireland (1.44), indicating proportionately greater sources of agricultural rather than industrial sources of pollutants than for the Gulf of Maine whales (0.75). We demonstrate potential for persistent organochlorine pollutants (POPs) as tracers to determine foraging ground provenance for samples collected on breeding grounds in the North Atlantic. Low concentrations suggest that POPs are unlikely to be a factor in the poor recovery rate of humpback whales in Cape Verde
Facilitating the transition from product-orientated to product service systems
Get PDFMany traditional manufacturing firms within the EU are increasingly challenged by companies operating in developing countries with low-cost labour bases (Yoon et al., 2012). Instead, manufacturers are encouraged to develop competitive advantage by moving up the value chain and providing knowledge intensive products and service. Companies seeking to meet customer expectations and requirements with personalised, flexible and increasingly comprehensive solutions must then convert their product strategies into Product Service Systems (PSS). Due to the inherent differences between the production of goods and services many companies struggle to integrate the two effectively (Friedli et al., 2005). In response to this, numerous models have been developed which aim to integrate product and service development processes and ultimately create a successful PSS offering. \ud
Yet these models neglect to take into consideration existing cultural barriers within companies in relation to the transition from product to PSS provision. Therefore, there is a gap in the understanding of PSS as a complete transition process. This research proposes a model and theory from which a transition process can be derived. This aims to convey the benefits of an integrated product/ service offering, create an awareness and understanding of the level of change required to implement a PSS strategy, resulting in the transition of companies from a product-orientated culture to product/ service orientated culture. \ud
The research initially examines development process models for product, service and product/ services through an extensive literature review which defines the set of requirements necessary to transition to a PSS strategy. Primary research is undertaken with eight product-orientated companies and two practicing service developers to establish the primary cultural barriers to the requirements identified. Based on this information, the ‘Transition to and Implementation of Product Service Systems’ (TIPSS) process model is developed which synthesises the fundamental components required by the PSS development models and takes into account cultural barriers which prevent the transition to a PSS. A workshop prototype is derived from the process model in order to provide participants with the fundamental skills and knowledge to initiate the cultural transition process. Companies are studied in relation to their transition development and the degree of transition change quantified using established differential indicators between Goods- and Service-orientated cultures. These indicators of cultural transition are used to validate the TIPSS Process model
Vehicle speed estimation using GPS/RISS (Reduced Inertial Sensor System)
Get PDFLand vehicle speed is usually measured by wheel speed or GPS. While these methods are adequate for some purposes, there are some drawbacks. Wheel speed may differ greatly from vehicle speed due to tyre slip. In addition, speed measured by GPS contains little high frequency information and lags the actual vehicle speed. A method is needed which combines both accuracy and good transient behaviour. This paper describes a method that combines GPS and a Reduced Inertial Sensor System (RISS), in this case a single accelerometer, to achieve an accurate estimate of vehicle speed. Using a Kalman filter, the low frequency accuracy of the GPS and high frequency response of the accelerometer are combined. A number of error correction strategies are applied to provide a robust and accurate measurement system
A study of buyer behaviour and attitudes towards national brands and store brands in the food industry
Get PDFPurpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate how the attitudes which consumers have\ud
towards national brands and store brands in the food industry and how this influences their\ud
purchasing behaviour.\ud
Methodology: Data collection includes three phases. The first phase is a quantitative\ud
approach consisting of a questionnaire distributed to 100 consumers. Phase two of the data\ud
collection included a focus group with eight consumers and the final phase consisted of one\ud
semi structured in depth interview with a grocery store brand manager.\ud
Findings: The findings from this study indicate that consumers do compare national and\ud
store brands whilst grocery shopping. The overall preference is for national branded products\ud
however the brand preference is dependent on the product category for example there is a\ud
high preference for national branded teas and coffees. Overall the consensus is that national\ud
brands benefit from brand equity and brand image. Their high levels of advertising, quality\ud
controls and good reputation allows for the high price that they charge but the overall\ud
consensus is that they are still overpriced and a lot of national brands and store brands are\ud
similar in quality except store brands charge a lower price. Price and promotions are a huge\ud
influencer when it comes to brand purchase decision other factors include packaging, the\ud
store, ingredients and brand loyalty. Findings also show that many consumers make\ud
purchases out of habit and that they have loyalty towards specific brands and stores.\ud
Research limitations: This research is limited to a sampling frame of 18 – 40 year olds.\ud
Therefore the findings and analysis from this study are limited to this age category