Digital Commons Network^™

Sino-Russian Cross-Border Tourism, Vladislav Chernov, Liubov Skavronskaya, Mariia Perelygina, Alexandra Bec, Elham Falatoonitoosi

Books / Book chapters

Geographic periphery regions are the focus of sustainable regional development research, with ongoing discussions on coreperiphery relationships to address economic disadvantage and remoteness. However, periphery regions face challenges due to the high efficiency of core regions. Tourism provides an alternative economic landscape, revitalizing stagnant sectors and driving strategic exploration. The Sino-Russian border, spanning 4,209 km, represents a periphery where tourism plays a vital role. This chapter views Sino-Russian cross-border tourism through the lens of the coreperiphery model, suggests two conceptual models of developing experiential cores in the cross-border areas of geographic peripheries, and argues for peripheries’ potential to become sustainable …

Attracting Talent Through Sustainability: Leading Question - Does Sustainability Help Attract And Retain Talent, Ralf Burbach, Julia Lenz, Stefan Joos

Books / Book chapters

Facing significant talent shortages, many hospitality organisations struggle to attract, develop, and retain talent, and ultimately are not able to develop sustainable talent pipelines. In this chapter, we consider how organisations in the hospitality industry can introduce sustainable practices to manage talent. The chapter first presents an overview of the meaning of talent and talent management. We then introduce sustainability in the context of talent management and present three aspects that relate to a sustainable approach: (1) diverse and creative talent, (2) employer branding and employee value proposition, and (3) coopetition as an alternative to the competitive narrative in the …

Festivals And The City: The Contested Geographies Of Urban Events, Andrew Smith, Guy Osborn, Bernadette Quinn

Books / Book chapters

This book explores how festivals and events affect urban places and public spaces, with a particular focus on their role in fostering inclusion. The ‘festivalisation’ of culture, politics and space in cities is often regarded as problematic, but this book examines the positive and negative ways that festivals affect cities by examining festive spaces as contested spaces. The book focuses on Western European cities, a particularly interesting context given the social and cultural pressures associated with high levels of in-migration and concerns over the commercialisation and privatisation of public spaces.

The key themes of this book are the quest for …

Doolin: History And Memories, Kevin M. Griffin, Kevin A. Griffin, Brendan J. Griffin

Books / Book chapters

This book is about growing up in Doolin, County Clare, Ireland in the 1940s. It is based heavily on the author’s memories and recollections, reinforced and supported by historical and archival research. Contained herein are a variety of stories and memories, tales and yarns, all documenting a way of life that is now only found in the folklore and historic records of ‘old Ireland’.

The selection of episodes and experiences is eclectic, based on memory and reminiscences, chats with friends and family and all is blended with detailed historical investigation. Our overall aspiration is that this book will help to …

Tourists' Photographic Constructions Of Place In Ireland, Sean T. Ruane, Bernadette Quinn, Sheila Flanagan

Books / Book chapters

This chapter explores notions of authenticity in terms of the photographs taken by tourists while on holiday. Some tourists photograph attributes of the host’s culture that they perceive as “authentic”, while ignoring, editing, or erasing aspects that conflict with their “imagined” views. Drawing upon methods of participant-informed photo-ethnography used in a study of US tourists’ holiday photographs of Ireland, tourists will be resituated in this chapter as “editors” in their own photographic reproductions of place. Moreover, by focusing attention to how they confer meaning on destinations and the people who live in them, through the embodied performance of photography, this …

Virtual Reality As A Promotional Tool: Insights From A Consumer Travel Fair, Mary O'Rawe, Alex Gibson

Books / Book chapters

Although the potential of virtual reality (VR) as a technology in tourism has been recognised for more than twenty years, (Horan, 1996; Williams and Hobson, 1995), we have witnessed a renewed interest in both academic and business circles recently (Jung, tom Dieck, Lee, & Chung, 2016). From a marketing perspective, VR offers the potential to build a sensory experience of a tourism destination or attraction, and can be used in sales contexts to complement, or indeed, supplant traditional promotional tools such as brochures. The immersive nature of the experience offers a deeper and more emotional assessment of the tourist offering …

Understanding How Social Entrepreneurs Fit Into The Tourism Discourse, Ziene Mottiar, Karla Boluk

Books / Book chapters

This chapter discusses how social entrepreneurs fit into the existing tourism discourse. It examines four areas of literature in particular, tourism entrepreneurs, sustainability, destination development and intrapreneurship, and analyzes how introducing the concept of social entrepreneurs into these discussions is useful, and contributes to our understanding. Furthermore the paper illustrates that as social entrepreneurs are relevant to a broad range of issues in the tourism literature this should prevent the development of research silos where social entrepreneurship scholars seek out their own vein of research. The nexus of common ground and interests, as displayed in this chapter, should enhance the …

“Dit Get Smart!” – Tailor-Made Mobile Application For The Orientation Of First Year 'Third-Level' Students In The Technological University Dublin, Nevan Bermingham, Mary O'Rawe, Trevor Boland, Mark Prendergast

Books / Book chapters

There is evidence to show that higher education is changing to accommodate the higher ownership rates of mobile devices among students, and that this technology plays an increasingly important part in their lives (Kobus, Rietveld & Van Ommeren, 2013). These technology-savvy students depend on its usage to feel connected to the world around them (Oblinger, Oblinger, & Lippincott, 2005). Other research has suggested that mobile technologies can provide support to students when transitioning to t'hird-level' education by making it easy for them to engage on their own terms with the resources they need to help with the transition (Fotheringham & …

Students In Action: A Destination Based Learning Approach To Student Engagement, Ruth Craggs, Catherine Gorman, Kevin A. Griffin, Ziene Mottiar, Bernadette Quinn, Theresa Ryan

Books / Book chapters

No abstract provided.

Economic Recession As A Catalyst To Increased Collaboration In Rural Tourism, Catherine Gorman, Ziene Mottiar

Books / Book chapters

Purpose: This chapter illustrates the collaborative strategies used by a rural village and community to counteract the rapid decline in economic and social activity in tourism that occurred during and after the recession in Ireland.

Design/methodology/approach: A review of literature focuses on collaborative strategies evident within a rural context, and considers benefits, challenges, inter and intra- relationships including ties, structure and communication. Motivational factors relating to social and economic need are also discussed. The case study is set in context with a brief review of the Irish economic environment, rural policy and rural tourism.

Findings: In a community rich in …

Lone Parents, Leisure Mobilities And The Everyday, Bernadette Quinn

Books / Book chapters

This chapter highlights the importance of the ordinary as a site for enquiring into how people make sense of their worlds. The primary intention is to highlight the spatiality of everyday leisure practices and to unravel some of the connections that link these to the occasional leisure practice of holidaying. Empirically, the study focuses on a group of female lone parents of dependent children living on low incomes in Dublin. In Ireland as elsewhere, lone parent families constitute a sizeable, growing but marginal societal group. For the women studied, leisure constituted informal, unstructured and modest activities that were stitched into …

Arts Festivals, Urban Tourism And Cultural Policy, Bernadette Quinn

Books / Book chapters

Arts festivals are in the ascendant. Framed within an array of neo-liberal, culture-led urban regeneration strategies, they are now a mainstay of urban tourism and urban policy-making. As such, they face growing competitive pressures and competing agendas, and the need for a set of coherent goals and policy frameworks is vital. While a review of the literature clearly shows that arts festivals can deliver a series of benefits that separately meet the cultural policy and urban tourism policy objectives, there is little to suggest that cities normatively engage in comprehensive, integrated policy-making for urban arts festivals. This paper critically reviews …

Festival Connections: People, Place And Social Capital, Bernadette Quinn

Books / Book chapters

To date, while some researchers have investigated the nature of social inter-relationships evident in festival settings, the literature is under-developed. This has prompted some researchers to search for alternative theoretical frameworks. Social capital is emerging as a theory which shows potential. Drawing on the findings of two exploratory studies, this paper considers the diverse sets of social relationships at the heart of festival activity, whilst taking account of the role that place plays in these interactions. Empirically it undertakes a qualitative study of a range of festival actors at the Waterside festival in Milton Keynes, England and the Temple Bar …

A Review Of Key Factors Affecting Consumers' Adoption And Usage Of Self-Service Technologies In The Tourism Sector, Jennifer Lawlor, Petranka Kelly, Michael Mulvey

Books / Book chapters

During the past ten years self-service technologies (SSTs) have attracted research attention especially in the banking, retail and airline sectors. The infusion of technology in the service encounter has been identified as being advantageous to both the service provider and the consumer, provided that SSTs gain adoption among consumers. In light of the importance of consumer participation in SSTs, this paper reviews the state of the SST adoption literature in an attempt to identify the most important influencing factors. Seven factors emerged as the ones of key research interest in the literature and they are discussed in more detail. These …

Contemporary Issues In Irish And Global Tourism And Hospitality, Geraldine Gorham, Ziene Mottiar

Books / Book chapters

This book contains an edited collection of papers presented at the Tourism and Hospitality Research in Ireland Conference 2009 (THRIC). This annual conference provides an invaluable opportunity for Irish and international tourism and hospitality academics and practitioners to debate the key contemporary challenges facing the sector. Based on this selection of conference papers a broad range of issues are addressed in the following chapters. These are issues, which are pertinent not only for Irish tourism and hospitality academics, policy makers and industry, but also resonate with international counterparts. Contributions to this book are made by an eclectic mix of highly …

Towards Performance Measurement In Hotels:An Incremental Approach, Detta Melia, Leigh Robinson

Books / Book chapters

The overall aim of this paper was to investigate the phenomenon of performance measurement in independently owned hotels in Ireland in order to understand the role of measurement in the management of the largest component of the hotel sector. The primary objectives of this paper was to investigate the extent to which Irish hotel operators are utilising performance measurement techniques, to establish the rationale for the use of selected performance measures in independently owned hotels and to understand approaches to performance measurement in the management of independently owned hotels.

A comprehensive investigation of existing performance management and measurement activity is …

The Role Of The Customer As A Quasi-Employee In Service Organisations: A Research Agenda, Jennifer Lawlor

Books / Book chapters

The travel, tourism and hospitality sectors are increasingly encouraging customers to act as quasi-employees by inviting and/or requiring them to adopt a range of technology-enabled services or self-service technologies (SSTs), i.e. ‘technological interfaces that enable customers to produce a service independent of direct service employee involvement’ (Meuter, Ostrom, Roundtree and Bitner, 2000:50). Specific examples in these sectors include self-check-in online, ‘bag and tag’ facilities at airports, and electronic kiosks for accommodation booking purposes. Inherent in the use of SSTs is the requirement for the consumer to learn about and develop familiarity with such technology.

Festivals, Events And Tourism, Bernadette Quinn

Books / Book chapters

No abstract provided.

The Use Of Relationship Marketing In Developing Network And Co-Operative Links Within Tourism Product Marketing Groups (Pmg’S, Catherine Gorman

Books / Book chapters

Co-operative marketing groups are common in tourism, particularly in the case of destination marketing. Destination tourism marketing groups offer a diverse range of tourism products and experiences which complement each other and are delineated by a specific geographical parameter. Tourism product marketing groups offer similar tourism products or services and through a co-operative approach focus on an identified target markets. Co-operative marketing can make greater impact in terms of market presence and can be more cost effective. Members need to see the value in their membership in order to remain involved. Many tourism product providers are SMTE’s (Small and Medium …

The Role Of Smes In Tourism Development: An Industrial District Approach Applied To Killarney, Ireland, Ziene Mottiar, Theresa Ryan

Books / Book chapters

No abstract provided.

Co-Operative Marketing Structures In Rural Tourism: The Irish Case, Catherine Gorman

Books / Book chapters

It is recognised that co-operative practises amongst tourism providers creates competitive advantage through utilising and sharing resources. This leads to efficiencies and more effective provision of a valued experience for the visitor. This chapter explores the co-operative practises being utilised by three groups operating within the rural tourism sector in Ireland. It identifies barriers to co-operation and summates that frequent communication and evident benefits are key considerations in implementing an effective co-operative approach.

Smes In Tourism: An International Review, Ziene Mottiar

Books / Book chapters

Ireland has become known as the Celtic Tiger due to average annual GNP growth of 9 percent during the 1990s. The reasons for this growth are many and varied and tourism and tourism firms have played no small part in this rapid growth. In total the sector sustains approximately 150,000 jobs (or job equivalents) amounting to 8.6 percent of total employment (Bord Failte, 2001). In some ways the tourism sector is representative of the broader industrial profile of Ireland with a number of large international firms but the majority of firms are SMEs. Both types of firms have gained from …

Shaping Tourism Places: Agency And Interconnections In Festival Settings, Bernadette Quinn

Books / Book chapters

In the contemporary era local places seem exposed to more and faster change than ever before. The difference between places seems to be diminishing and debates as to whether ‘cultural homogenisation’ or ‘reconstituted difference’ best describes the changes affecting place feature prominently in recent social science and humanities literatures. Local places are linked to regional, national and supra-national spheres through multiple connections. Tourism is one important globalising force, linking places into the wider world and influencing the changing meanings of place. This chapter is broadly concerned with examining how tourism is implicated in changing the meanings of place. The type …

Moving Beyond Product Innovation In Tourism: Benefits And Challenges, Mary O'Rawe

Books / Book chapters

Many difficulties still exist in translating innovation theories into action in the tourism industry. A substantial literature base is now in place addressing innovation typologies and methodologies and assessing organisational structures, cultures and sizes. Despite this, transferring leading-edge research on organisational innovation and creativity into pragmatic strategies for tourism enterprises has not been fully successful. The most cited and obvious form of innovation is product innovation. It is on this basis that the success of organisations is often judged. In tourism, this criterion for measuring innovativeness is flawed. It encourages companies to spend heavily on visible product changes, often at …

The Importance Of Place, Space And Culture In The Development Of An Industrial Agglomeration In Ireland: The Furniture Industry In Co. Monaghan, Ziene Mottiar, David Jacobson

Books / Book chapters

No abstract provided.

Industrial Districts And Netwoks: Different Modes Of Development Of The Furniture In Ireland, David Jacobson, Kevin Heanue, Ziene Mottiar

Books / Book chapters

No abstract provided.

Sole Survivors: How Exceptional Companies Survive And Thrive At The Edge, Anto Kerins

Books / Book chapters

Some companies seem born to fail, while others manage to survive and thrive despite great adversity. What are the secrets of the survivors?. Sole Survivors puts nine such companies under the microscope to discover what sets them apart from their less-successful competitors, what make them "exceptional". But these nine are neither blue-chip multinationals nor high-tech operators. They are small to medium-sized European companies in a traditional section that has been decimated in recent times-footwear manufacturing. This book tells the stories of these companies in detail from their historical development through to their current business strategies, from their organisational structures to …

Unemployment: The Need For Change, Anto Kerins

Books / Book chapters

Unemployment is the most important problem facing Ireland today. Politicians and public servants, employers and employees, academics and ordinary citezens are becoming increasingly concerned at the large number of people without work. Most countries throughout the world share this problem with us but Ireland's level is high even by international standards. Consequently, practical and useful solutions are urgently needed. This publication brings together a number of specialists from Ireland and abroad who provide insight and proposals on various aspects of the probelm. The material in the following chapters is provided by two different groups of people- academics and public representatives.