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Relational working under pressure : managing tensions in disability support work
Full text linkThe purpose of this study is to make visible a field of social care practice that is largely invisible, lonely and private in nature. It will examine the situation and experience of staff supporting adults with disabilities both in their own homes and congregated settings in the west of Ireland. Historically in Ireland, services for adults with an intellectual disability have changed beyond recognition from the asylum of old to the current emphasis on independence and social inclusion. Standards of housing and the quality of life of service users are increasingly under the microscope with recent attention and inspections from the Health Inspection and Quality Authority (HIQA). However, a largely unexplored area is the experience of the staff in these environments. The role of a disability support worker is multifaceted and complex. Daily duties include personal care, cooking, cleaning, administering medication, supporting social inclusion, teaching independent living skills, managing challenging behaviour, administration and engaging in continuous professional development.\ud
This study addresses the relational dynamic within which their responsibilities are carried out. Semi structured interviews were carried out with 26 staff and 8 of their managers. Fieldwork findings suggest that disability support work is nuanced within a complex interweaving of bodywork and emotional labour. The work is fraught with tensions between the desire to act in a caring, nurturing role with a sensitivity to the needs of the service user and pressure caused by time and resource constraints to complete tasks quickly, cheaply and efficiently. This impinges on their capacity to form meaningful service user staff relationships and is further augmented by a disconnect from management and the wider context. Improving our understanding of the experience of staff can contribute to a positive culture of person centredness, enhance the visibility of such practice and contribute to the creation of a strong professional identity in this sector
Evaluation of Sligo sport and recreation partnership : Cranmore regeneration through sport initiative
Full text linkSligo Sport and Recreation Partnership (SSRP) has co-ordinated the Cranmore Regeneration through Sport Initiative since 2006. SSRP work with partner agencies including Sligo County Council, Cranmore Regeneration Office, Cranmore Co-Operative Society and the Health Services Executive, to promote physical activity and health for residents of the Cranmore Estate. In addition they are integral in helping the residents to use sport as a tool for developing their community and building capacity in the area
Exploring the potential of social media tools to enhance customer's satisfaction and increase turnover in the Irish accommodation sector.
Full text linkBusinesses in the tourism and hospitality sector are operating in a competitive and stimulating environment. It is a competitive environment as they must sell their perishable products each day at the right price and as new technology emerges it becomes more challenging to communicate with customers. Social media networks enable customers to share their dissatisfaction effortlessly online, where potential customers can be influenced by their negative experience. However, at the same time social media offers unique opportunities for business in the hospitality sector to engage and address these issues. Web 2.0 has fundamentally changed the way businesses operate and communicate with their customers, allowing customers to communicate with organisations and voice their opinion about the products and services they have experienced. A study conducted by TripAdvisor (2014) advocates that 65% of travellers are influenced by online travel reviews and almost half (48%) are influenced by personal recommendations, causing travellers to change their plans as a result of what they read on Facebook, Twitter or TripAdvisor.\ud
Reading the literature on the subject this research attempts to contribute to the knowledge on the subject of social media engagement in the hospitality sector, customer satisfaction and increased customer turnover. After revising the literature on the subject, collecting primary data was crucial in order to contribute to the knowledge on the subject. A quantitative data collection method was reckoned to be necessary to collect primary data from Irish accommodation providers using online questionnaires to investigate the current use of social media by Irish accommodation providers.\ud
The objective of this study examined the adoption of social media by Irish accommodation providers and the impact it has on increased engagement, customer satisfaction and increased customer turnover as perceived by accommodation provider’s owners/managers. The result provides several theoretical contributions to social media customer engagement based on social exchange theory. The quantitative and qualitative data analysis shows that by being very active in social media and engaging with customers, accommodation providers will be able to enhance customer’s satisfaction and increase customer turnover. The findings of this research highlight the social media tools used by the Irish accommodation to engage with customers on social media to create awareness and ultimately increase customer turnover
Can heritage tourism be a catalyst for community development in Ireland?
No full textObjectives\ud
Orwell wrote that whoever controls the past controls the future, and whoever controls the present controls the past. (Orwell, 1949) Elements of this quote will be addressed in relation to heritage tourism and specifically in relation to community based tourism. These tourism sectors have received limited academic attention in Ireland at the micro-scale. This research intends to bridge that gap in the tourism research in Ireland and give a voice to the communities involved in tourism initiatives.\ud
Firstly, this paper will evaluate the relationship between heritage tourism within a community development context. Given that the social aspect of the theory of sustainable development places strong emphasis on the concept of community, it is this element that will be explored in relation to the case-study of an urban-based museum, the Hunt Museum, Limerick and its community outreach programmes. This will be achieved by assessing the motivations for the various stakeholders, such as local volunteers and the museum, to engage in community projects. This paper will explore how community engagement is achieved through the collaboration of this institution with local regeneration communities in Limerick city.\ud
Secondly, this paper will investigate how communities can capitalise on their heritage resources as heritage is unique to a community. It will analysis the potential economic, social and cultural impacts on a community. Consequently, it is anticipated that this paper will contribute to increasing research concerning the influence of community initiatives within a context of heritage tourism. More specifically this paper will assess the extent to which (if any) heritage tourism is a catalyst for community led initiatives in Ireland. To progress this assessment, an investigation of a small, new, rural-based community heritage project, the Kilfenora Timeline, in Co. Clare will be conducted.\ud
Methodology\ud
This research will be conducted within the framework of an integrated research paradigm as it will use both quantitative and qualitative techniques of research. Integration of data collection techniques and analysis strengthens the validity and quality of the data analysis and research findings. (Saunders, Lewis & Thornhill 2009) In this way a deeper knowledge and understanding of the various issues will be gained from the aspect of the visitor, such as visitor attitudes towards heritage, and from the aspect of the community, such as the enticements for volunteering in community projects. In this regard the paper will take a similar approach to other studies such as Quinn (2011) and more specifically to heritage tourism studies such as Kiely (2009) and Hamilton & Alexander (2013).\ud
An objective of this study is to assess the economic, social and cultural impact of heritage tourism by utilising a comparative case study but it also investigates a number of issues identified in the literature review such as attitudes towards heritage and attitudes towards heritage tourism. This is best garnered through a visitor survey from the case study areas. The visitor questionnaire, however, posed difficulties in relation to the response rate as many visitors to the case-study sites\ud
did not have proficiency in the English language and therefore could not complete the questionnaires. Qualitative research methods in the form of a series of structured interviews are utilised to assess the success of such community collaborations with regard to the type of community engagement achieved and the resulting benefits for the individual involved and for the community.\ud
The strategies employed by this paper include grounded theory, ethnography and the case study. Grounded theory is an approach utilised in a number of studies on heritage tourism including Kneafsey’s (1998) examination of the varying aspects of the relationship between tourism and place. Macdonald (1997) uses ethnographic approach to investigate the heritage centre and how communities can become objects for research. Hamilton and Alexander (2013) use ethnographic methods to explore the community’s role in the regeneration of social places for local tourism. Ballesteros and Ramirez (2006) found ethnography the most suitable tool in which to highlight the effect of social identities and the role of the symbolic community in the development of heritage tourism. The use of case studies is the most common strategy in use in heritage tourism studies. Grounded theory and ethnographic and case study strategies, therefore, would suit this study that is examining case studies of different types of communities and their possible relationship with heritage tourism.\ud
Results and Conclusion\ud
This study has articulated the central role of the community in sustainable tourism strategies. As such it has become apparent that understanding the relationship between heritage and community development is important to the study of heritage tourism as an instrument for community development but there are limited studies carried out on the role of the community in relation to heritage tourism specifically.\ud
The findings of this study are similar to the positive findings of the final report on the outcomes of the government initiative ‘The Gathering’ (2014). Both case-studies had numerous positive effects such as strengthening of community spirit and civic pride. It also resulted in building connections both within and outside local communities and promoted networking. Other positive impacts experienced were the enhancement of skills of community members, the development of a strong sense of place, local ownership over community projects, the identification by communities of the importance and potential of tourism in their area and the development of a local resource into a tourism product.\ud
The results of the research demonstrate that community engagement and ownership in a project is essential for its success. Consequently, it is anticipated that this paper will contribute to further understanding the role heritage tourism plays in community development which is particularly relevant given that relatively few such studies have been conducted at a micro-level in this area
Developing tourism industry occupational standards: A case for collaboration between industry and academia in 21st century Ireland.
No full textThe hospitality and tourism industry is characterised by its dynamic and multi-disciplinary nature. Providing hospitality and tourism students with the requisite skills and competencies to meet with the demands of this complex industry has many challenges. Hospitality and tourism educators are charged with effectively meeting such demands. This extended abstract outlines the particular issues and challenges for education and training in hospitality, tourism and culinary arts and proposes that the development of Occupational and Professional Standards would facilitate the development of industry relevant curriculum.\ud
While the focus on Irish higher education discourse in recent years has been dominated by the needs of the knowledge economy, as supported and facilitated through STEM disciplines, recent government initiatives have also recognised the role of tourism in the provision of employment in the regions (Department of Transport Tourism and Sport, 2015). The review of apprentice training in Ireland has identified new disciplines to be added to the portfolio of programmes, and have included the areas of hospitality and tourism. The Expert Group for Future Skills Needs (EGFSN) has extended its research to the tourism industry through the tendering of a project on future skills needs for the sector. While the initial remit was on the provision of programmes at “Levels 4 & 5, with progression to Level 6” (Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Research Tender Document, 2015), identifying a gap in hospitality and tourism education at the lower end of the academic spectrum, it has become clear that the range of activities in tourism education are far broader and more complex than identified by the DJEI for inclusion in the research. This is understandable given the focus of industry representative bodies on the entry level culinary positions in policy discourse. However, both initiatives appear to underestimate the important and significant contribution that the Higher Education sector make to the provision of skilled personnel for the industry, as well as the executive education and research provided by these same institutions.\ud
An alternative proposal for research and collaboration was previously initiated by the IoT sector, following discussions with Education and Training Boards (further education), Institutes Of Technology Ireland, Qualifications & Quality Ireland and Fáilte Ireland in Killybegs in November 2013. This proposal involved a review of programme provision across a range Level 3 – 9. QQI have prepared a position paper to provide a framework for discussion.\ud
Ó hAnnracháin (2011) has critically evaluated the significant transformations which tourism education (hospitality, tourism and culinary arts) has undergone during the last decade. Since 2009, all full-time vocational education programmes offered in the Institute of Technology (IoT) sector at Level 6 on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) have migrated to higher education programmes, with application routes via the Central Applications Office (CAO) system. Following this move, alternative vocational programmes have been proposed and supported by industry and\ud
educators alike. These programmes currently or will soon form the remit of AONTAS (adult education), Education and Training Boards, SOLAS (formerly FÁS) and the new Apprenticeship Council, as well as continuing provision through the IoT sector. The changes have occurred on an ad hoc basis, resulting in a complex and convoluted system. This structure does not provide a clear framework of the knowledge, skills and competencies that graduates of the various programmes, at Level 3 – 9 on the NFQ, should be able to demonstrate in the workplace. This lack of clarity poses particular problems for industry when recruiting staff and assessing their level of qualifications for positions within organisations. As noted by Wang and Tsai (2014) there may also be a gap between the actual competencies of hospitality graduates and the expectations held by industry professionals.\ud
Quality education and training programmes should be directly linked to the needs of the workplace and the overall economy. Occupational standards can make a major contribution to the design of such programmes. Currently there are no National Occupational Standards for the hospitality industry in Ireland. Quality and Qualifications Ireland (2013) has acknowledged that there is a dearth of occupational standards in Ireland and that a new and more coherent national approach to occupational standards is needed. QQI, in a 2014 position paper for the sector also believe that the Culinary Arts, Hospitality, and Tourism fields would benefit from the establishment of a system of agreed standards and guidelines concerning educational qualifications and occupations. Occupational standards for the hospitality and tourism industries have been established in many jurisdictions (e.g. the UK, Canada and Australia).\ud
The EQF Project (2008) has examined international best practice examples of national occupational standards within the context of adapting educational standards towards European Qualifications Framework compatibility. The establishment of occupational standards, enabling comparisons between nations would be a significant advancement towards transparency of qualifications within Europe.\ud
The rationale for developing occupational standards has been postulated by Fretwell, Lewis and Deij (2001), amongst others. Such standards are regarded as “an essential link between workplace employment requirements and human capital development” (ibid:3). There are significant advantages for all stakeholders in the adoption of National Occupational Standards. The numerous benefits include clarity, benchmarking, acknowledgement of best practice, transparency, consultation and increased productivity.\ud
This paper argues the need to develop occupational standards as a mechanism for the creation of a hospitality and tourism training and education framework. The identification and establishment of a framework of occupational standards would allow educational institutes to develop curricula that would then match with industry’s expectations on a consistent basis.\ud
This study will follow the position outlined by QQI, who stated in their 2014 position paper for the sector, that the three fields of culinary arts, hospitality and tourism present different kinds of challenges from a qualifications system’s perspective. Culinary Arts is a relatively self-contained discipline whereas Tourism is multi-disciplinary and the Hospitality field is intermediate on this spectrum. It is imperative that occupational standards are developed which are discipline specific, for example culinary arts as opposed to generic tourism industry occupational standards. Zopiatis\ud
(2010) contends that culinary arts, despite its importance is vastly under researched in terms of competencies.\ud
This research is timely given the national policy on the creation of regional education clusters (HEA, 2011, 2014) where collaboration between the various education and training bodies is required to provide a coherent education system of tertiary education in Ireland. It is clear from the extant literature that a collaborative approach between industry, academia and other stakeholders is required to ensure the sustainable development of education programmes, across a variety of levels, results in an effective and efficient system that is fit for purpose. The next stage of this project will outline a development path in terms of the establishment of occupational standards for hospitality and tourism practitioners and educators focusing in the first instance on Culinary Arts
Local and artisan food: A case for supermarket space?
Full text linkThe aim of this research study is to explore how the Irish consumer relates to local and artisan food products, and, in particular, to investigate whether Irish consumers would consider the supermarket environment as a suitable location and space for the purchase of local and artisan food items.\ud
Relevant secondary literature was examined, a gap was identified, and this was followed by a quantitative primary research approach. The empirical findings were collected from a comprehensive online survey which resulted in a remarkable 14,646 respondents. This rich data enabled the researchers to thoroughly examine the characteristics and behaviour displayed by Irish food retail consumers when deliberating various elements relating to local and artisan food products.\ud
A noteworthy finding from the current study is that 98.8% of respondents would like to be able to purchase local food products in a supermarket. This research also reveals that 76% of respondents expect to pay either less than, or the same price, for local food products, as they do for similar standard food products in supermarkets. Interestingly, 66.5% of respondents are either ‘very likely’ or ‘likely’ to increase their food ‘spend’ on local and artisan food products in the next twelve months.\ud
This research will be of direct benefit to parties involved with, and connected to, the grocery retail sector in Ireland. This includes multinationals, Irish owned stores, and independent grocery retailers. Local and artisan food producers will also benefit from these findings, and especially organisations such as Enterprise Ireland and Bord Bía who aim to support Irish businesses and grow the success of the Irish food story
To investigate the economic impact of the Irish film industry with particular emphasis on the tourism sector
Full text linkThe aim of this research study is to investigate the economic impact of the Irish film industry with particular emphasis on the tourism sector. The specific economic impacts that will be focused on in this research study are those which arise from the activities of companies and/or individuals employed in the different stages of film production in Ireland and distribution and/or exhibition of Irish made films. This research will examine the impact of film on tourism locations featured in popular Irish films and/or television series. It will investigate the characteristics of film tourism, as there is a need for a comprehensive investigation of this phenomenon within the Irish context (O’Connor, 2011). It is well established that visits to film(s) and/or television series(s) locations around the world is an emerging phenomenon and there is a growing body of tourism research which seeks to investigate the close relationships between tourism and the popular media (see O’Connor, Flanagan and Gilbert, 2010; O’Connor and Bolan, 2008; O'Connor and Kim, 2013; O’Connor & Macionis,2011). Due to a lack of literature on the topic, a two phased approach will be adopted; the first will involve gathering and analysing quantitative data regarding the economic impact of the Irish film industry with particular emphasis on the tourism sector, while the second phase will consist of tourist surveys and semi-structured interviews with the key tourism and film stakeholders behind the Irish film industry; These approaches will supplement one another and each will be successful in attaining the necessary information to satisfy the proposed research objective of identifying the economic impact of the Irish film industry with particular emphasis on the tourism sector. For the purpose of this conference paper, only the first phase will be included in the results. There are different ways which film can impact tourism the most direct being trips to specific sites where films have been shot, and also films are used for promotion (marketing tool). As there are no national figures directly related to film tourism numbers in Ireland, this study will utilise a case study approach to highlight the impact of Irish film and/or television on tourism. Films can increase visitor numbers and support investment in refurbishing and expansion at specific attractions. Film tourism has been widely discussed in academic literature as mentioned previously. While the growth of research relating to film tourism is widely accepted, film tourism for destination managers is often developed in an ad-hoc, unplanned and opportunistic way without fully understanding the phenomenon. This often, results in difficulty in managing the longer-term sustained film interests and benefiting from film tourism associated activity in destinations
Fine-scale spatial association between baleen whales and forage fish in the Celtic Sea
Full text linkBaleen whales can be regularly observed in the Celtic Sea; however, little is known about their local foraging behaviour. This study's objective was to determine whether or not baleen whales selectively prey upon particular forage fish species or, on the contrary, is predation on the Celtic Sea plateau driven by random encounters between prey and predator? Concurrent sighting surveys for fin (Balaenoptera physalus), minke (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), and humpback (Megaptera novaeangliae) whales were carried out simultaneously from 2007 to 2013 during dedicated fisheries acoustic surveys assessing the abundance and distribution of forage fish. Probabilities of spatial overlap between baleen whales and forage fish were analysed and compared with the probability of a random encounter. For estimations of foraging threshold and prey selectivity, mean fish biomass and fish length were calculated when baleen whales and forage fish co-occurred. Whales were dominantly observed in areas with herring (Clupea harengus) and sprat (Sprattus sprattus), while areas with mackerel (Scomber scombrus) were not targeted. A prey detection range of up to 8 km was found, which enables baleen whales to track their prey to minimize search effort. Fish densities within the defined foraging distance ranged from 0.001 to 3 kg·m−2 and were correlated to total fish abundance. No prey size selectivity according to fish length was found. By linking baleen whale distribution to high-density herring and sprat areas, it was possible to identify the Celtic Sea as a prey hot spot for baleen whales during autumn