1522 research outputs found
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Cooperative Micro-Firm Strategies: Leveraging Resources Through Learning Networks
Get PDFLearning networks are highlighted in contemporary literature as a means of leveraging resources to create and sustain competitive advantage in micro-firms. Despite their importance in the context of micro-firm development, micro-firm learning, learning processes and networks have previously been neglected as an area of academic study,and there is limited evidence of successful cooperative strategies in this environment. The aim of the research discussed in this paper is to catalogue micro-firm learning criteria in a cooperative network environment and to propose a framework of cooperative learning for that milieu.
Adopting an action research methodology, primary research was carried out on a Tourism Learning Network (TLN) initiative. Cooperative network activity and individual learning were observed and documented by the researchers over two years. Based on the research findings, the authors propose a framework of cooperative learning that offers insight into how network structures, support and interrelationships may facilitate learning process completion in the micro-firm environment.
Keywords: micro-firm; cooperative learning networks; resource-based
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Addressing Gaps in Understanding the Tourist Experience: Towards an Integrated Perspective
Get PDFCustomer experience in general, is a complex construct, and difficult to define as it is characterised by the emotional and affective state of the customer (Zehrer, 2009). While it has attracted considerable attention in the literature (Gnoth et al. 2009; Atilgan et al. 2003; Aho, 2001,), it is widely accepted that the area of experience creation and design lacks a significant theoretical basis (Fitzsimmons and Fitzsimmons, 2000; Pullman and Gross, 2003; Stuart and Tax, 2004) and as yet a prescriptive focus for tourism enterprises (Gupta and Vajic, 2000). The provision of an attractive value proposition for tourism enterprises is dependent on the tourist experience (Zehrer, 2009); consequently, the lack of insight into the nature of this experience limits the enterprises‟ ability to develop an effective experience management strategy. Indeed, there is an imbalance in the experience literature as existing work in the area of experiential tourism services has dealt primarily with the characteristics of experiences (Fitzsimmons and Fitzsimmons, 2004; Gupta & Vajic, 2000; Carbone & Haeckel, 1994), or on the enhancers and inhibitors to experience delivery (Anderson et al., 2008) or on the benefits of experience delivery (Voss, 2004; Pullman & Gross, 2003) but with scant attention to how tourism providers can actually create and articulate the tourism experience concept, in particular, engaging with the reality of the tourist experience as perceived by the user (Gupta and Vajic, 2000). Therefore, this paper integrates a large volume of heterogeneous literature drawing from numerous disciplines to develop a working definition of tourist experience. A series of questions arising from the reviewed literature are presented to guide future empirical examination
Development of a seaweed-based fixed-bed sorption column for the removal of metals in a waste stream
Get PDFFucus vesiculosus, Polysiphonia lanosa, Ulva lactuca and a seaweed waste material resulting from the industrial processing of Ascophyllum nodosum were screened for Zn(II), Ni(II), Al(III) and Sb(III) removal in dried form, in both single and multi-metal systems. The Ascophyllum waste material, which is referred to as Waste Ascophyllum Product (WAP), was also screened in wet form. WAP was shown to be efficient at removing Zn(II), Ni(II) and Al(III) in both single and multi-metal systems. Removal efficiencies (RE) for dried WAP were 93, 96 and 68% for Zn(II), Ni(II) and Al(III) respectively in single metal systems. Polysiphonia lanosa was found to be more effective at removing Sb(III) than WAP with a RE of 86%. In multi-metal systems, Sb(III) was found to adversely affect the sorption of Zn(II), Ni(II) and Al(III) by WAP, while P. lanosa removed Sb(III) in multi-metal systems. The antagonistic effect of Sb(III) on the sorption of the other metals by WAP was investigated using FTIR, XPS and conductimetric titrations. The results demonstrated that Sb(III) was able to bind on a larger and more diversified number of binding sites, preventing the uptake of Zn(II), Ni(II) and Al(III) by both P. lanosa and WAP. Maximum uptake capacity values (q max) were calculated using the Langmuir, Freundlich and the combined Langmuir-Freundlich sorption isotherms. Q max values were very high in the case of WAP for the sorption of Zn(II), Ni(II) and Al(III) at 134.05, 114.94 and 99.7 mg/g biosorbent. The respective q max value for P. lanosa and Sb(III) was lower at 47.44 mg/g biosorbent. Fixed-bed column studies using WAP and P. lanosa immobilised in agar resulted in high removal efficiencies (RE), with 90, 90, 74% for Zn(II), Ni(II) and Al(III) respectively for WAP/agar and 67% for Sb(III) for P. lanosa/agar removal over 3 hours. Agar was found to contribute to the RE. The regeneration and reuse of the biosorbents was achieved using 0.1M HCl with very little loss in metal reuptake efficiency over five sorption cycles. Scale-up of the laboratory column was carried out, with a high RE observed for all metals under investigation. Mathematical and COMSOL modelling were effective tools for representing experimental data and predicting concentration breakthroughs over time
Exploring the nature of effective customer relationship management capability in the Irish hotel sector
Get PDFWhile effective Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is critical for firms to sustain competitive advantage, the academic literature provides little insight into the nature of CRM capability. The lack of a prescriptive focus is particularly problematic in high contact industries such as hospitality, where a strong guest focus is crucial to performance. The Resource-Based View of the Firm (RBV) literature provides a theoretical lens to examine CRM, and significant research has taken place on the customer-relating capability, which has provided a foundation for this research. Therefore, the aim of this study is to explore the nature of effective CRM capability within hotels. While CRM is a tool that helps to build customer relationships, it has been noted that not all CRM implementations have been successful. The literature does point to the importance of organisational culture to explain effective CRM. However, there has been limited empirical examination of the role of culture in this context. It was determined that in-depth case analysis would provide the optimum research approach to diagnose an effective CRM phenomenon within a hotel context. The hotel which provides the research site for the study is one of Ireland‘s iconic examples of CRM effectiveness, and has not been subject to detailed empirical analysis to date. A detailed case protocol was developed and a number of sources of information were used for the case study including depth interviews, documentary analysis, observation and sustained researcher interaction with the hotel. Data was analysed using Nvivo. The study found that the CRM-oriented culture in the hotel exhibits a strong sense of ‗family‘, reinforced by respect and dignity, role-modelling, motivation and empowerment. This dynamic informs the interaction of the key actors, managers, front-line employees and guests. The CRM-oriented culture also informs and is supported by organisational systems such as technology, recruitment and training. The study has resulted in the development of a ‗best practice‘ model for CRM in hotels, which makes a significant contribution to the limited research on CRM efficacy, and also addresses the need for a prescriptive approach to CRM in hotels. This model highlights that effective CRM capability is really composed of three key capabilities in customer-relating, employee-relating, and customer co-creation. This model also provides a number of important avenues for future research
Science, Engineering and Technology Research Funding Policy in Ireland 1995-2008: A Policy Document Analysis
Get PDFIn the period 1995 to 2008 there has been an increased level of government funding for research and development in higher education institutions in Ireland.
This thesis analyses the evolving theoretical literature on the production of knowledge, and traces how models of research and innovation have evolved in the contemporary period. Four models are discussed: (i) linear model, (ii) national systems of innovation, (iii) mode-2 science, and (iv) triple helix.
The thesis presents a detailed analysis of a series of public documents produced in Ireland in the period, and discusses how each one relates to the theoretical
background. Some of these relationships are explicit, where documents cite key authors and the models as discussed in the theoretical literature. Some of the
relationships are implicit, where the manner in which the process of research and development is described implies that certain models are being assumed.
The thesis subsequently discusses the results of this analysis, where it seems that the Irish policy literature is moving away from an engagement with at least
some of these theoretical models, towards a very operationalised implementation strategy. This is epitomised by the development of the Strategy for Science
Technology and Innovation.
The thesis finally makes a number of recommendations for policy makers, advising the more detailed study and analysis of Ireland's own national system of innovation, and the prioritisation of the use of research funding to build up capabilities in identified areas of this system that are weak
Emerging Issues in Knowledge Management for Irish Construction Organisations: A Grounded Theory Approach
Get PDFEmerging Issues in Knowledge Management for Irish Construction Organisations: A Grounded Theory Approach Brian Graham Construction organisations rely on the knowledge of their employees to successfully execute projects. Knowledge Management (KM) has been proposed as a means of harnessing such knowledge, yet to-date there has been little guidance on how it should be implemented in practice. The purpose of this research is to investigate the main issuesassociated with KM for the leading Irish construction organisations through grounded theory. Emergent in nature, the research comprised four phases, each of which combined a review of relevant literature, primary research (including interviews, questionnaires, focus groups, case studies and action research) and the grounded theory analytical process. The research identified a clear need for improved KM, but also recognised that there is reluctance on the part of senior management to adopt KM in the current economic environment. To overcome this, these organisations need to build KM upon existing practices to effectively manage knowledge of people, projects and the organisation as a whole. This study makes a contribution to knowledge in three areas; theory, methodology and practice. In terms of theory, this is the first and only comprehensive piece of empirical research to have identified the main issues facing the leading Irish construction organisations in adopting KM. It has also identified the potential to align KM with CPD, where the role and experience of construction professionals and professional body accreditation needs to be taken into consideration. From a methodological perspective, the research has confirmed the constructivist approach to grounded theory as a credible methodology for yielding a deeper insight into understanding the practice of KM in construction. Based on the identified issues, the practice of KM in some of the participating organisations has been improved and an educational module entitled ‘KM in Construction’ has been developed. Recommendations from the study highlight the need for additional testing and incremental adoption of the developed framework (in construction and other sectors) and further research into the alignment of KM with CPD
In Search of Forgiveness: Men and Abortion in Post-Catholic Ireland
No full textThis chapter offers an overview of the shifting sociological landscape of religion in modern Ireland; the secularisation of society and the privatisation of Irish people’s religiosity is considered as a background to exploring the meaning that Irish people now attach to considerations of sin, guilt and forgiveness. Traditionally, Irish people’s sense of self was governed by strict adherence to the teachings of the Catholic Church; while sin and guilt have lost parlance in the face of the fall of the church and fewer people attend confession, forgiveness has continued to gain much attention. This chapter explores this question in some depth by offering an analysis of a sample of eight Irish men who have had experience of abortion. These men were part of a larger qualitative study of 45 heterosexual Irish men of various ages and backgrounds who were interviewed in regard to how they practiced their sexuality and experienced unplanned and crisis pregnancies (Ferguson and Hogan, 2007)
SMS Integration With OPAC
No full textAn account of use of an open source SMS script in WIT library's catalogue. The scropt provides users with the ability to text themselves with the shelf number and title of the book they are looking for.
Topics covered include open source, integration issues and statistical analysis of messages sent
An Assessment of the credit management process of credit unions : an examination of three chapters
Get PDFIrish credit unions are facing their most taxing period to date owing to the profusion of loan defaults on their loan portfolios which inevitably has curbed their business performance. Recently the Financial Regulator and other government bodies realise that credit unions must update and implement more stringent processes; thus they have proposed new regulatory policies to facilitate same. With analysts suggesting that 20 out of 414 credit unions are “facing serious solvency issues” (McManus, 2010), a call for an enquiry into credit unions‟ credit management processes are essential. Accordingly this research investigates the credit management processes that are employed by Irish credit unions to sustain their business performance.
The purpose of this study is to examine what tools, interventions and standards are exercised in Irish credit unions. Moreover the skill set and level of credit management personnel is assessed as well as the gaps in the current processes. The overall principle of this research is to observe if these processes are sufficient enough to sustain their business performance or do they need to be updated.
A triangulation approach was utilised in achieving the research objectives. Firstly a survey was disseminated to three credit union Chapters in Ireland in order to obtain an insight into their daily credit management process. To complement this survey, interviews were conducted on four credit union administrators. This research specifically focuses on these three Chapters alone where all the findings originate from these sources.
Numerous findings emerge from this research. The key results underline that credit unions appear to be deficient in the credit control department; namely in the areas of experience, personnel levels and the consistency of interventions used. Moreover, the lack of technology operated in the loan decision process is apparent. Therefore more complex and sophisticated models is a prerequisite if credit unions are to maintain financially stable. In spite of this a number of arduous challenges will face credit unions to implement these changes as their ethos and social duty must be considered.
Irish credit unions play a significant role in the Irish financial sector and society however there is limited research pertaining to their credit management processes.
This study therefore hopes to provide an insight into this topic and help promote further research into same. In general, this research has a practical value to it as it will disseminate the findings to the survey participants. Subsequently, these credit unions can incorporate the recommendations from this study into their credit management processes in order to sustain their business performance