Business Commons^™

An Exploration Of The Motivations Behind Committee Membership In Food Networks, Denise O'Leary, Mary Rose Stafford

Conference papers

Food Tourism has been recognised as a fast growing niche area where Ireland can gain competitive advantage. In recognition of the importance of collaboration among diverse stakeholders in the development of food tourism, networks have been identified as essential. This article presents findings from research conducted with three networks and reveals the motivations for committee membership. Data was gathered in 2012 through participant observation and interviews with steering committee members on three food networks using an action research approach.

A framework for examining motivations for collaboration is offered in this article which will contribute to effective network management. Motivations are …

Developing Food Tourism Networks: A Practical Manual, Mary Rose Stafford, Denise O'Leary

Reports / Surveys

There is no one‘right’way to collaborate to develop food tourism but the aim of this manual is to provide you with advice on good practice illustrated by case studies from home and abroad. The advice provided is based on research with three committees based in Ireland who were directly or peripherally involved in developing food tourism, as well as decades of research on collaboration, networks, tourism and food tourism. Throughout the manual are exercises which will help apply this advice to your region and circumstances, key facts which provide evidenced based research information and insights from members of the three …