scholarly journals Why and how should the international volunteer tourism experience be improved?

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 100-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela M. Benson
Keyword(s):  
Social Research ◽  
Volunteer Tourism ◽  
Theme Issue ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Stakeholder Groups ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Tourism Experience ◽  
The University ◽  
First Time ◽  
International Volunteer

Purpose – This paper aims to introduce the theme issue question “why and how should the international volunteer tourism experience be improved?”. Design/methodology/approach – An Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funded Festival of Social Science event entitled “Pursuing Quality in International Volunteering” was held at the University of Brighton in November 2013. This event brought together academics and practitioners in a successful debate, but it was also recognised that this was the first step on a long journey. The articles in this theme issue are drawn both from attendees at the ESRC event and from the wider international volunteer tourism network of academics and practitioners. Findings – This paper introduces the key stakeholders of international volunteer tourism and the extent to which their voices are prominent (or not) in respect of the issues of achieving quality. Further, the paper highlights a number of quality mechanisms that are offered as solutions to the challenges that currently beleaguer international volunteer tourism. Research limitations/implications – Whilst not all the key stakeholder voices are represented in this theme issue, the discussions and implications that are drawn out are of importance to all stakeholder groups. Originality/value – This is the first time a journal issue has focused on the challenges of achieving quality in respect of international volunteer tourism.

scholarly journals Why and how should the international volunteer tourism experience be improved?

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 208-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela M. Benson
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Volunteer Tourism ◽  
Theme Issue ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Tourism Experience ◽  
Wide Scale ◽  
International Volunteer ◽  
Made In

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to summarise the contributions made in this theme issue and draw conclusions about the issue’s key question “Why and how should the international volunteer tourism experience be improved?”, thereby providing a theme issue conclusion. Design/methodology/approach – This paper summarises and critically reviews the seven articles that have contributed to the theme issue. Findings – International volunteer tourism is a growing phenomenon that has received much criticism in the last decade and whilst there are a number of mechanisms to improve the quality of this sector as yet, there is little evidence to support any conclusion that there is wide-scale success in achieving best practice in quality assurance within the sector. Originality/value – This theme issue explores international volunteer tourism from a range of contributors, academics, a practitioner and a travel writer, who have engaged with a range of stakeholders to offer different perspectives. The theme issue as a whole offers the reader an opportunity to engage in a unique and wide-ranging discourse on quality and international volunteer tourism.

Apparel shopping styles of Ghanaian female young adults

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dora Appiadu ◽  
Mercy Kuma-Kpobee ◽  
Efua Vandyck
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Apparel Shopping ◽  
Shopping Orientation ◽  
The University ◽  
University Of Ghana ◽  
First Time

PurposeThe purpose of the study was to identify the apparel shopping styles of Ghanaian female young adults and to assess the applicability of the consumer styles inventory (CSI) within the Ghanaian context.Design/methodology/approachA multistage random sampling technique was used to select 405 Ghanaian female undergraduate students aged 18–25 years from the University of Ghana. The CSI was used to collect data and these were analyzed using principal component analysis.FindingsThe results showed that the subjects adopted multiple shopping styles when scouting for stores and selecting apparel for managing their appearance. Seven of the CSI dimensions were confirmed (perfectionism, brand consciousness, novelty-fashion consciousness, confused by over-choice, impulsive carelessness, recreational hedonism and habitual brand loyalty). A new shopping style, indifference shopping orientation was identified.Practical implicationsMarket segmentation, product development and marketing strategies should be tailored to the shopping styles of female young consumers in Ghana.Originality/valueThis study, for the first time, uses the consumer characteristic approach and the CSI to identify the apparel decision-making styles of young adult female Ghanaians. This fulfils the need for the study of shopping styles, which is vital for producers and marketers to enable them to make informed decisions to meet specific needs and expectations of these cohorts of consumers.

Assessing the materiality of university G4-sustainability reports

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 364-391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie Lubinger ◽  
Judith Frei ◽  
Dorothea Greiling
Keyword(s):  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Global Reporting Initiative ◽  
Sociological Institutionalism ◽  
Content Type ◽  
External Stakeholder ◽  
Stakeholder Groups ◽  
Content Selection ◽  
Reporting Practice ◽  
Sustainability Reports ◽  
The University

Purpose Materiality, as a content-selection principle, is an emerging trend in sustainability reporting for making sustainability reports (SRs) more relevant for stakeholders. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether materiality matters in the reporting practice of universities which have adopted the Global Reporting Initiative G4 Guidelines. Design/methodology/approach Strategic stakeholder theory and sociological institutionalism serve for deriving conflicting expectations about the compliance of universities with the materiality principle. In the empirical section of this paper, content analyses are conducted on the documented material aspects, followed by a correlation analysis for examining to which extent the identified material aspects are reported in the SRs. Findings Although universities document G4-19 stakeholder-material aspects according to different relevance levels and for internal and external stakeholder groups, the identified material aspects are not appropriately reported in the SRs. The adoption of the materiality principle is a superficial one and therefore more in line with the expectations of sociological institutionalism. Research limitations/implications The main limitation for this study is the small number of university SRs available. The chance to make SRs more relevant by focusing on stakeholder-material aspects is not used. Originality/value This paper reports the first study looking at the compliance between the documented material aspects and the content of SRs in a particular challenging organisational field, the university sector. This paper also adds to the emerging theoretical discussion about the extent universities implement materiality in SRs.

scholarly journals Mobilising knowledge on newcomers: Engaging key stakeholders to establish a research hub for Alberta

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary O'Brien ◽  
Beren Cancino ◽  
Francis Apasu ◽  
Tanvir Chowdhury
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Exchange ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Research Network ◽  
Step Process ◽  
Community Engaged Research ◽  
Stakeholder Groups ◽  
Temporary Foreign Workers ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
University Of Calgary ◽  
The University

As immigration to Canada increases, so, too, do the complexities associated with serving various groups of newcomers, including immigrants, refugees, temporary foreign workers and international students. A range of stakeholder groups, such as grassroots community organisations, immigrant service provider organisations and academic researchers, have developed knowledge about how to best serve newcomers as they integrate into life in Canada. To date, there have been few opportunities for members of these and other stakeholder groups to work together to ensure that the needs of newcomers are being efficiently met. In this article, we describe a multi-step process of reciprocal knowledge engagement involving diverse stakeholders and led by the Newcomer Research Network at the University of Calgary. This engagement has the ultimate goal of developing a knowledge mobilisation hub focused on building capacity in community-engaged research with newcomers. In order to understand how we will reach this goal, this article outlines the efforts, priorities, challenges and important lessons learned that occurred as part of the multi-step process undertaken to establish a knowledge exchange with newcomer communities at its core.

The perceived impact of the KAM reforms on audit reports, audit quality and auditor work practices: stakeholders’ perspectives

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lan Anh Nguyen ◽  
Michael Kend
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Audit Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Stakeholder Groups ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Assurance Services ◽  
Perceived Impact ◽  
Audit Reports ◽  
Big Four

Purpose The purpose of this study is to understand how the new reforms related to key audit matters (KAM) disclosures in Australia may have impacted audit quality by eliciting the perceptions of key stakeholders in the audit and assurance services market. Design/methodology/approach The study uses a qualitative approach and New Institutional Sociology (NIS) to explain how auditors have responded to the KAM reforms. Interviews were conducted with 20 individuals representing identified groups of stakeholders in the market for audit and assurance services in Australia. Findings The study finds there is little consensus between some stakeholder groups on whether the KAM reforms may have improved audit quality, based on the perceptions shared. The findings conveyed that the auditors and regulators, standard setters acknowledge that KAM disclosures are either costly and/or time-consuming to implement. The Big Four auditors indicate these reforms led to changes mainly around internal consultations and independent reviews, whereas the non-Big Four auditors highlighted increased interactions with audit clients. Originality/value This is one of the first studies to examine the perceived post-implementation impacts on audit quality of the KAM reforms (ISA 701) after the initial two years of implementation and how auditors have responded, explored through the lens of institutional logic.

Cost efficiency and service effectiveness for university e-libraries in Taiwan

2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 308-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ling-Feng Hsieh ◽  
Jiung-Bin Chin ◽  
Mu-Chen Wu
Keyword(s):  
Cost Efficiency ◽  
Assessment Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Service Effectiveness ◽  
Related Data ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The University ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
First Time

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to construct a model of cost efficiency and service effectiveness for a university e-library to allocate e-resources cost and to attain quality of service enhancement and cater to the needs of readers with existing e-resources. Design/methodology/approach – The paper establishes an assessment model for the cost efficiency and service effectiveness of a university e-library in Taiwan. It then proceeds with an empirical study and analysis of related data collected from e-libraries of 16 universities. A discussion of the results of the study and suggestions for the adjustment of the university e-libraries follows. Findings – The paper combines two models of cost efficiency and service effectiveness for the first time to analyze and consider the output results created by the input cost of university e-libraries in Taiwan and their utilization by readers. Originality/value – The paper builds a figure for the relationship of e-library cost efficiency and service effectiveness at 16 universities in Taiwan and then divides it into four types.

Educating at scale: sustainable library learning at the University of Melbourne

2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 149-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Phillips
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Library Services ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Service Models ◽  
The University ◽  
Service Blueprint

Purpose – Most libraries in higher education are facing the challenge of providing valued and improved services with the same or fewer resources. Focussing on the library learning service at one university, the purpose of this paper is to consider how libraries can find new service models with contracting resources while aligning with institutional and professional values and providing value-in-use for end users and key stakeholders. Design/methodology/approach – Following a discussion of sustainability as relevant to library services, the paper presents a case study of one library’s approach to sustaining its library learning service. Findings – The sustainability of library services is aided by developing a service blueprint that provides direction and structure yet is dynamic and responsive. To be successful the approach should be grounded in resource realities, encourage scalability where possible and address the values and needs of key stakeholders. Originality/value – The paper presents a workable, integrated approach to managing a library learning service so that it delivers value and is sustainable.

scholarly journals An examination of the views of key stakeholders on the development of learning spaces at a regional university

2015 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 204-222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barrie James Todhunter
Keyword(s):  
Blended Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Design Guidelines ◽  
Learning Spaces ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Personalised Learning ◽  
Regional University ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
The University

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the degree of alignment between the views of key stakeholders on the development of learning spaces in a new teaching and learning building at a satellite campus of a regional university. Design/methodology/approach – Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with six stakeholders including senior executives, technical staff, academic staff and students. The interviews were transcribed and the data analysed to identify common and differing themes on the part of the respective interviewees in relation to learning spaces in general, and in relation to the new teaching and learning building in particular. Findings – A comprehensive framework should be articulated by the university for its theme of personalised learning so that decisions can be made at lower levels of the university to operationalise the theme across academic and administrative functions. A clear definition of the blended learning pedagogy, which is proposed to be implemented as part of the personalised learning theme, should be articulated. The implications of the blended learning pedagogy for the design of learning spaces should be identified and clear design guidelines for learning spaces should be articulated. Learning spaces in the new building should be reviewed to achieve alignment with the personalised learning framework and the guidelines for learning spaces. Research limitations/implications – As this is a preliminary study with a small number of participants, a qualitative approach was taken to identify the indicative views of representatives of key stakeholders. The findings relate specifically to the context of this study at a regional Australian university. Originality/value – This paper provides valuable insights into how a university’s philosophy on learning spaces manifests itself through creation and implementation of high-level policy and how that is interpreted and actioned by a range of stakeholders across campuses, including staff and students.

Will their absence make a difference? The role of local volunteer NGOs in home-stay intermediation in Ghana’s Garden City

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esi Akyere Mensah ◽  
Elizabeth Agyeiwaah ◽  
Alexandru O. Dimache
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Economic Viability ◽  
Garden City ◽  
Volunteer Tourism ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Qualitative Approaches ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
International Volunteer

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in home-stay arrangements in Ghana’s cultural city, Kumasi, and further assess NGO intermediation of home-stay from home-stay operators’ and international volunteer tourists’ perspectives. Design/methodology/approach A mixture of quantitative and qualitative approaches is used to target three main stakeholders of volunteer tourism including international volunteer tourists, home-stay operators, and local NGOs. Findings There are seven major roles played by volunteer NGOs in the home-stay arrangement. However, from operators’ perspective, NGOs may hinder the economic viability of home-stay through inadequate/low payment. Originality/value The study highlights the unexplored brokerage role of NGOs in volunteer tourism in home-stay intermediation and its implications for sustainable tourism.

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