Website Functionality of Convention and Exhibition Centres: Important Performance Dimensions and Attributes

Author(s):  
Xiuchang Tan ◽  
Rob Law

A convention and exhibition centre (CEC) offers spaces and services for various events. An effective website is important for a CEC because event site selection involves extensive long-distance information searching and communication. However, despite ample website evaluation studies conducted in the tourism and hospitality field, very few studies can adequately reflect the business environment of the CECs and the decision process of selecting a CEC. This study builds on the existing models for hotel website performance and identifies the important dimensions and attributes of a CEC website through a focus group discussion with multiple stakeholders on the selection of event venues. A framework with four dimensions and forty-one attributes is developed. The results show that CECs websites should focus on Venue Facilities and Services (VFS), Contact Information (CI), Website Management (WM) and Destination Information (DI). Functions related to reservation and payment, which are very important for hotels, are found not value-added for CECs. The study expected to expand the literature on website evaluations and e-marketing. Managerial insights are also provided to CEC operators and other related industry practitioners.

SAGE Open ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 215824401773680
Author(s):  
Deogratius Mahangila ◽  
Wineaster Anderson

The shortage of literature regarding the tax administration burden, particularly in the hospitality and tourism sector in the context of least developed countries, still exists. This study, therefore, investigates the tax administration burden in the tourism sector in the Zanzibar Islands. It specifically examines the structure of tourism taxes and the fiscal regime, measures the uncertainty and complexity of tax laws, and assesses the role played by business associations in facilitating collective action to reform the business environment of the tourism sector in this Archipelago. The study involved a survey of stakeholders ( N = 135), including tourism investors, business associations, and relevant government agencies. The findings showed that uncertainty concerning the value added tax laws centered on calculation of the input tax, the input tax refund from mainland Tanzania, and the registration procedure. The confusion was also pronounced regarding the specific laws affecting tour operators, restaurants, and the hotel levy. Similarly, there is still uncertainty concerning the infrastructure tax and the imposition of a tax of US$1 per day per guest staying in a hotel. Moreover, uncertainty and complexity regarding the income tax laws is centered on calculating the income tax liability of businesses, investments, and employment. However, the role of business associations in reforming the business environment for tourism has been encouraging, as a good number of public–private dialogues and initiatives have been geared at negotiating the various forms of taxes and levies imposed on tourism and hospitality services in the Archipelago. The study concludes with managerial, policy, and research recommendations.


2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 852-866 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Reza Mollahoseini Ardakani ◽  
Seyyed Mohsen Hashemi ◽  
Mohammadreza Razzazi

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to propose an applicable method for establishing the dynamic inter-organizational collaborations (DIOCs) based on the scrum methodology. Design/methodology/approach The scrum methodology embedded within the context of the DIOC project life cycle was used and adapted to being usable with specific characteristics of the project. Findings In order to succeed in the highly competitive, dynamic and changing business environments, the organizations need to change their view of business practices. The transition from the traditional status of manufacturing to the inter-organizational collaborations can be one of the fundamental changes in the modern business management. The proposed method has the capability to establish DIOCs effectively and efficiently whilst guaranteeing agility, competitiveness, and risk timely management. Originality/value Establishing collaborative alliances via association of various experienced and professional organizations and producing the value-added market’s need services is an effective and efficient solution for survival of SMEs in the current competitive, dynamic and changing business environment. So far, different frameworks, reference models/architectures, and many theoretical discussions have been presented for DIOCs context, but these representations are conceptual, empirical and generic. This paper aims to propose an applicable iterative and incremental method for establishing the DIOC which guarantees the agility and risk timely management of the establishment process and promotes competitiveness of partners.


2007 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 345-372 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roland Wenzlhuemer

AbstractInterregional communication has been a key constituent of the process of globalization since its very origins. For most of its history, information has moved between world regions and along the routes according to the rationales established by interregional trade and migration. The dematerialization of telecommunication in the late eighteenth and nineteenth century eventually detached long-distance information transmission from transport and transformed the global communication structure. New communication centres (and new peripheries) emerged. Some regions moved closer to the global data stream than others. It is still unclear how such different degrees of global connectivity impacted on local development. This essay contributes to the identification and valuation of global communication centres and peripheries in order to provide suitable candidates for future case studies. To this end, statistical data on the development of domestic telegraph networks in selected countries has been analysed and interpreted. In a second step, Social Network Analysis methods have been employed to measure the centrality of almost three hundred cities and towns in the European telecommunication network of the early twentieth century.‘You cannot not communicate.’Paul Watzlawick


2011 ◽  
Vol 467-469 ◽  
pp. 1006-1011
Author(s):  
Ming Yuan Hsieh ◽  
Chung Hsing Huang ◽  
Wen Ming Wu

Beginning in the 21st century, e-business enterprises need to take vigorous tactics in facing greater challenges in a booming cyber commerce era. In today’s e-business environment, innovative interface technologies change with each passing day, customers’ (users’) satisfaction are more and more discerning, and market demands can fluctuate unpredictably. While facing constant changes in the lower-profit and high customer-service cyber commerce environment, it is important to know how to break through the current Information Technology (IT) industrial situation, maintain the enterprises’ owned advantage and continuously make a profit under a booming transition. In this research, nineteen sub-criteria are categorized into five factors (criteria) by the measurement of factor analysis. Three basic types of innovative business websites (portals, cyber commerce and social community) in an e-business environment are then evaluated by nineteen assessable criteria of five characteristics of innovation interface technology through the use of the Analytical Network Process (ANP) approach. The specific feature of the ANP model is to establish a pairwise comparative matrix and furthermore, to calculate the priority vector weights (eigenvector) of each assessable characteristic, criteria and sub-criteria. The factor analysis can utilize more measure matrix to benefit the deviation of ANP approach due to less data from expert’s opinions. Additionally, in the content, the analytical hierarchical relations are definitely expressed in four levels among each characteristic of innovative interface technology (IIT), criterion and sub-criteria. Moreover, based on the empirical analysis, the enterprises are able to choose the best potential business website with highest economic value added (EVA) through this research in order to maximize financial profits and benefits from an innovative perspective. Finally, some suggestions for managers and researchers are inductively formed to further determine the best development of innovative interface technologies in a thriving cyber commerce environment.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 21-44
Author(s):  
Rumana Afroze ◽  
Tamanna Parvin Eva ◽  
Atiqur Rahman Sarker

Abstract Objective: University graduates in Bangladesh are presently confronted with high job competition. Because of less job availability, engineering graduates are facing more challenges in getting job opportunities than business graduates. Moreover, engineering graduates are more proficient in technical skills than with their human skills. The most important barrier for engineering graduates’ employability at their initial stage of career is that they have less focus on acquisition of their soft skills. Therefore, this study is concentrating to analyse the current situation of the engineering graduates’ soft skills deficiency and to investigate the impact of having soft skills on employability. Methodology:The nature of the study is qualitative and data has been gathered through in-depth interview and Focus Group Discussion (FGD). Respondents of in-depth interview are experienced engineers and HR experts who are working in engineering based organizations especially at the power solution service providing companies in Bangladesh. FGD among final year undergraduate engineering students has also been conducted to validate the interview data. Thematic analysis is used to analyse the qualitative data. Findings:The impact of having soft skills in getting employment of new graduates at the entry level is identified in this paper. Value Added: Higher education can assist in developing employability through increasing employment prospect and also achieving individual learning goals. However, fresh engineering graduates have social skills gap and lack of practical knowledge which can be reduced through acquiring soft skills. Different techniques such as self-training, institutional training, joining language sessions, attending presentation skills development classes and social programs can assist graduates in the acquisition of soft skills. Recommendations: As the most important reason of engineers’ unemployment is the lacking of collaboration between industry and academic institutions, this study focuses to draw the attention of engineering students, educational institutes and policy makers to highlight the importance of developing soft skills for employability and career growth.


2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 522-528
Author(s):  
Angelika Kútna ◽  
Norbert Gyurián ◽  
Zoltán Šeben

In 2015, the Slovak Parliament adopted the Law on Amendments to the Law on Value-Added Tax. This law came into force on January 1, 2016. One of the most significant changes was the introduction of a reverse-charge for the provision of construction works. A government statement of its positive influence on the business environment is inconsistent with the two-year experience in the building sector. The main goal of this paper is to establish the reason for the practical effects of the value-added tax reverse-charge mechanism on the construction companies. The hypothesis is that the negative effect on the cash flows of the construction companies increases ‘opportunity costs’ connected to excessive deductions. The paper focuses on evaluating and quantifying such an effect. It presents a comparison of the conditions before and after the adoption of the Act. No. 222/2004 Coll., as amended in 2016 and includes factors that influence costs and cash flows of construction companies. It but does not consider factors related to turnover and the economic situation.  The reverse-charge mechanism affects the total of tax owing, the total deductible tax, the total excessive deduction, and the construction companies’ cash flows. In this study, the data from the information system of the Slovak Republic, under the condition of anonymity, are analyzed for the period 2014–2017. The effect of the value-added tax is quantified by way of financial interest expenses. These expenses depend on time limits for the excessive deduction, total of tax owing, and on the excessive deduction amount. Indicators of ‘Financial Burden 1’ and ‘Financial Burden 2’ are calculated. The results show that the Law on Amendments of Value Added Tax has significantly affected the constructions companies since January 2016. The reverse-charge system has not changed the delay in excessive deduction payments to the taxpayer’s bank account. It has changed the amount of excessive deduction expressed through money and the total tax owing. Based on the study results, this change markedly affects the financial burden of construction companies and provides an ‘opportunity cost’ Value Added Tax payers‘ construction company.


2021 ◽  
Vol 129 ◽  
pp. 03031
Author(s):  
Maria Truchlikova

Research background: Predicting and assessing financial health should be one of the most important activities for each business especially in context of turbulent business environment and global economy. The financial sustainability of family businesses has a direct and significant influence on the development and growth of the economy because they still represent the backbone of the economy and play an important role in national economies worldwide accounting. Purpose of the article: We used in this article the financial distress and bankruptcy prediction models for assessing financial status of family businesses in agricultural sector. The aim of the paper is to compare models developed by using three different methods to identify a model with the highest predictive accuracy of financial distress and assess financial health. Methods: The data was obtained from Finstat database. For assessing the financial health of selected family businesses bankruptcy models were used: Chrastinova’s CH-Index, Gurcik’s G-Index (defined for Slovak agricultural enterprises) and Altman Z-score. Findings & Value added: This article summarizes existing models and compares results of assessing financial health of family businesses using three different models.


Author(s):  
Kostiuk Yaroslava

In the current global dynamic and competitive business environment of Industry 4.0, small and medium-sized enterprises face a major challenge of expanding their market activities and adapt to new conditions in order to survive in times of economic or pandemic crisis. The implementation of comprehensive quality management in business environment within EU organizations is a response to this challenge for global competition (Abdul, Sumantoro, & Maria, 2019). Current problem is the fact that the implementation and monitoring of quality management as a process of business management in the majority of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is not sufficiently used, underestimated, or even considered to be obsolete (Rigby, Bilodeau, 2018). In an enterprise with good financial health and healthy corporate culture, all transactions and processes are carried out properly and the relationships among all stakeholders (employees, suppliers, and customers) are successful. For other companies, it is necessary to take steps to ensure quality and follow them (Fernandes et al., 2017) in order to move towards the concept of Industry 4.0. According to published professional literature, each research worker has developed their own framework for mapping value production operations based on specific needs and interests in the fields under review. However, the relationship between the quality processes and value stream maps has not been adequately addressed in professional literature, especially in the case of small and medium-sized enterprises. Therefore, for achieving the objective of the contribution, the following research questions have been formulated: To which extent quality participates in generating value added within production process? In which production operations does the quality factor contributes most to generating value added? Keywords: Quality value stream map, Value stream map, quality management, added value for the customer.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Arun Madanaguli ◽  
Puneet Kaur ◽  
Alberto Mazzoleni ◽  
Amandeep Dhir

Purpose Innovation in rural tourism and hospitality (RT) is a complex process that involves the exchange of knowledge and resources between many actors and the interrelationships between those actors in the business environment. The purpose of this paper is to provide structure to this “knowledge and resource ecosystem” through a thorough systematic review of the extant literature. Design/methodology/approach The current study uses a time-tested and reproducible systematic literature review process to identify and analyse 79 research papers that have discussed innovation in RT. Findings Through content analyses, this review identifies critical stakeholders in the innovation ecosystem, as well as the enabling and hindering roles these stakeholders play in innovation. The thematic analysis uncovers three key research foci: stakeholders and their roles, outcomes of innovation and business model innovation. The review also identifies types of innovation and critically analyses the bibliographical research profile. The authors summarise the findings in an RT innovation ecosystem model, which includes the various actors and their knowledge and resource sharing roles within the business environment. Originality/value This is one of the first systematic reviews to concentrate on RT innovation and, within that focus, on knowledge and resource networks in particular rather than on innovation in tourism in general, which was the focus of prior reviews. The authors encourage cross-pollination of ideas by introducing theories from the strategic management, innovation, knowledge management and business model innovation literature wherever appropriate. To consolidate and present the findings on the innovation process’s antecedents and outcomes, the authors present an ecosystem of innovation within the RT framework.


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