Learning of Innovation Opportunities: Sources and processes of open innovation for sustaining SME hotels

Purpose Open innovation is a critical source of competitive differentiation within the hospitality industry. However, open innovation remains underexplored in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and there is a dearth of knowledge about open innovation processes and mechanisms in the hospitality industry. This study addresses this lacuna by investigating how locally owned Ghanaian SME hotels source ideas for their open innovation practices and what open innovation processes they use to identify opportunities. Design/Methodology This exploratory qualitative study adopted a multiple-case study design using a purposive-homogenous sample of six two-star locally owned SME hotels. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed using thematic analysis. Findings The research found that Ghanaian SME hotels sourced ideas for open innovation through staff suggestions and manager observations (inside-out processes), customer feedback, competitor analysis, and public surveys (outside-in processes), and collaborative meetings with competitors (coupled process). Originality Open innovation procedures in emerging countries and how SME hotels get knowledge for open innovation practices and processes are unexplored. This research identifies how SME hotels source open innovation ideas, providing a potential pathway for other similarly resource-constrained businesses to identify innovation opportunities. Practical Implications The results demonstrate the value of learning from a range of sources to identify opportunities to innovate products, services, and processes, and identify low-cost and easy-to-access information sources to support innovation identification

(self-) Seduction in the Manufacturing of Consent: Exploring Emotional Exploitation in the Service Sector

This article uncovers an underexplored phenomenon observed in managerial–employee exchanges within the service sector: emotional exploitation. Drawing on ethnographic insights from the public house industry, it explores how managers deploy emotion-inducing tactics to seduce lower-echelon workers into accepting unfavourable working condition. Crucially, such consent is not always manufactured by management; processes of self-seduction - where workers consent through self-persuasion - also play a central role. Emotional exploitation, this paper argues, is a routine feature of pub work, shaped by fluctuating emotional intensities, surplus or shortages of staff, and the affective pull of collegial relationships. It further examines how low-paid workers both heed and resist the mechanisms of (self-)seduction. In doing so, it extends Jocoy’s (2003) analysis of emotional labour within labour control strategies, adds to Burawoy’s (1979) theory of manufacturing consent, and deepens Hochschild’s (1983) thesis on the commodification of emotion under capitalism - highlighting how (self-)seduction further alienates workers from aspects of the self

Dual Process Theory and Smoking: Evidence for independent System 1-2 pathways in predicting smoking frequency

The study develops a novel method to measure System 1 (fast, cue-based, thought-light) smoking frequency as an outcome measure to overcome the limitations of existing measures. It also examines its relationship to System 2 (slow, deliberative) measures. 116 participants met in two sessions set at 48 hours apart. System 2 measure of smoking frequency was measured via self-reported 24-hour smoking frequency. System 1 smoking frequency was measured by observing the number of cigarettes participants carried and asking about the number of cigarette packs consumed between the two sessions. System 2 measure of smoking frequency underestimated System 1 smoking frequency by 47.4%. Results also revealed that System 1 smoking attitudes only predicted the newly developed System 1 smoking frequency significantly, while System 2 smoking attitudes predicted only System 2 smoking frequency significantly. Hence, interventions that modify explicit attitudes (System 2) might have a limited impact on observed (System 1) smoking behaviours

Exploring midwives perceptions and experiences of home birth

In the context of the low national home-birth rate, a local home birth service was developed. Since its implementation, there has been no formal review of factors that may influence the home birth service’s effectiveness. Midwives’ perceptions and experience of home birth, which can have an impact on the home birth rate, has been largely unexplored. This service evaluation used a qualitative approach, which highlights that midwives believe issues such as: exposure to home birth, midwifery philosophy, essential home birth training and investment from management would increase midwives’ feelings of confidence in home birth, potentially increasing local home birth rates

Rebelling Against Violent Regimes: The Case of Lima’s Fog Oases

Sustainability transitions are an increasingly relevant field of research that focusses on the necessary shifts to break away from unsustainable patterns of production and consumption to achieve more sustainable scenarios. Despite being a relatively young field of research, it has made significant progress with emphasis on power, governance, and the geographies of sustainability transitions. However, such progress has failed to fully incorporate the influence of colonialism in the configuration of unsustainable systems – mainly in the Global South – that are often violent and oppressive. In that sense, scholars have recently called for including decolonial and post-colonial approaches in the analysis of sustainability transitions in order to decolonise sustainability transitions. Coloniality, understood as the persistent influence of colonialism, is a fundamental concept to achieve such aim. Building on that concept, this chapter focusses on Lima’s fog oases where land-trafficking – a violent regime – transforms a vulnerable ecosystem into an economic asset for capital accumulation. Drawing from semi-structured interviews and documentary analysis, this chapter argues that research on sustainability transitions must put the violence underpinned by coloniality as well as the role of territory on the spotlight. This way, this chapter aims to expanding the discussions on decolonising sustainability transitions

Validation of Welsh language cognitive assessment tools (CATs): stage one

The primary aim of this research (stage one) is to identify the most frequently used Welsh language CAT in Wales. This information will be used to establish the requirements and set the foundation for subsequent stages of validation. The primary objective of this research is to perform a desk-based review and engage with stakeholders to: • determine the most frequently used CAT(s) in Wales during the study period (2021 to 2023) • evaluate the psychometric properties of the CATs that have been translated into Welsh • identify strategies for gathering high-quality normative data on the most frequently used, robust Welsh-language version(s) of CATs to ensure psychometric validation and facilitate reliable interpretation of assessments in clinical settings The report is structured as follows: • Section 2: methodology used for the desk-based review and consultation with stakeholders • Section 3: main findings • Section 4: conclusions • Section 5: recommendations for further validation work

Deciphering drought-response in wheat (Triticum aestivum): physiological, biochemical, and transcriptomic insights into tolerant and sensitive cultivars under dehydration shock

Wheat ( Triticum aestivum L. ) is a major staple crop, but its productivity is severely threatened by drought, especially during reproductive stages when yield and quality are most vulnerable. Climate change and water overexploitation intensify this challenge, with yield losses of up to 80% in arid regions and projected global production declines of ~29%. Drought tolerance is a complex trait involving physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms, including stomatal regulation, osmolyte accumulation, and activation of stress-responsive genes. Advances in transcriptomics, functional genomics, and genome editing have identified key regulators (DREB, ERF, SnRK2), antioxidant enzymes, and ABA signalling components as targets for improving drought resilience. Developing drought-tolerant wheat varieties is therefore a priority for food security. Materials and Methods This study investigates transcriptomic responses in root and leaf tissues of three wheat cultivars, Atay 85 (drought-sensitive), Gerek 79 and Müfitbey (drought-tolerant), subjected to 4- and 8-hour shock-dehydration stress. Before RNAseq analysis, biochemical assays were conducted to assess oxidative damage (TBARS) and antioxidant enzyme activities under shock-dehydration stress for three different cultivars. Differential gene expression analysis was performed, and several highly differentially expressed genesincluding TaZFP36, TaMC5, TaGI, TaGLP9-1, and TaFer were selected to validate RNAseq data in both root and leaf tissues of tolerant and sensitive cultivars. Results Transcriptomic analysis revealed distinct metabolic strategies for drought adaptation. Photosynthesis-related processes, including Photosystem I and II, were broadly downregulated, while extracellular and membrane-associated components were upregulated, reflecting a shift toward stress defence mechanisms. Cultivar-specific responses highlighted diverse adaptation strategies: Atay 85 exhibited severe metabolic suppression and ATP depletion, making it highly vulnerable to drought. Gerek 79 conserved energy by suppressing photosynthesis while enhancing osmoprotective sugar metabolism and reinforcing structural integrity through lignin and flavonoid biosynthesis. Müfitbey demonstrated the most robust drought tolerance by integrating metabolic dormancy, hormonal signalling, and antioxidant defence, characterized by stable CAT activity and elevated SOD activity, which mitigated oxidative damage and preserved photosynthetic stability. Root tissues prioritized metabolic adjustments for oxidative stress reduction and developmental adaptation, while leaf tissues focused on maintaining photosynthesis and limiting protein damage. Functional enrichment analysis indicated significant upregulation of stress-related pathways, including ABA-mediated signalling, protein binding, and cellular metabolic processes in tolerant cultivars. Discussion This study advances our knowledge of the complex molecular and biochemical responses of wheat with differing tolerance levels, highlighting both key candidate genes and antioxidant defence mechanisms as central to cultivar-specific adaptation strategies. The distinct metabolic strategies observed emphasize the importance of tailored molecular mechanisms in drought tolerance, which can guide future breeding programs aimed at improving wheat resilience under water-limited conditions

Development of a Context-based Formative Feedback Practice Framework: A Higher Education Action Research Project

Formative Assessment (FA), and Formative Feedback (FF) as a central part of FA, in Higher Education (HE) is a complex and contested process with various definitions, ranging from the nebulous to the highly specific. This has made the practical task of enhancing FA and FF processes in undergraduate courses challenging. This paper reports on an Action Research (AR) project that sought to understand and develop FA and FF practices within an HE Institute of Education. Emphasis was placed on student experiences and perceptions, as well as the importance of considering learner opinions as a valid source of knowledge generation. The starting point for the project was a theoretical exploration of the broader concept of FA, which highlighted the different interpretations within the literature. It also revealed the potential challenges surrounding its practical implementation regarding FF, particularly the divergences between students and lecturers regarding purpose and goals. Following an iterative AR process, the project used this starting point to develop project goals and ethos, collect and analyse data to audit existing FA and FF practices, and design and apply a framework for evaluating and evolving these practices. The paper concludes by reviewing the benefits and limitations of the AR project and offering proposals for further actions

The Roles of Chatbots and Sustainability in The Marketing of Fashion Brands

This research presents an empirical enquiry into the roles of chatbots in the marketing of fashion brands and how this strategy may improve sales and contribute to a company’s digital marketing strategies. The study explores artificial intelligence-powered chatbots as a communications interface between fashion brands and consumers on digital platforms. This study also addresses the impacts and the roles of sustainability concepts in the marketing of fashion brands. The present study advances the horizon of knowledge and understanding on the roles of chatbots in the marketing of fashion brands, the significance of chatbots in building relationships with customers, the roles of chatbots to establish interactions and communications with customers, and act as interface platform to disseminate information to customers about fashion brands and sustainability. It thereby enables practitioners to understand and acknowledge the roles of chatbots in the marketing of fashion brands and to further develop more related tools that can contribute to the development of innovative digital marketing strategies that can advance product sales and strategic marketing communications to promote, advertise, and persuade customers during their purchase decision-making process

Case Study: Narrative fieldwork with Sikh diaspora

The second edition of Qualitative Research is a one-stop resource for all those approaching qualitative research for the first time, as well as those revisiting core concepts and issues. It presents a comprehensive overview of this rapidly developing field of inquiry, cleverly combined with practical, hands-on advice on how to conduct a successful qualitative study. Written in an engaging and accessible style, this new edition includes updates such as further readings and case studies to help researchers to recognize developments in the field. Further updates include how to use social media in ethical and responsible ways, working with participants at a distance and the pros and cons of analyzing data online. The authors break through difficult terminology to guide readers through the choices they will face during research design, implementation, and publication. Each chapter is brought to life by relevant, real-life examples from expert researchers around the globe. Divided into seven sections, this unique text covers: • Considering perspectives • Acknowledging a position • Framing the study • Choosing a research approach • Collecting data • Working with data and findings • Writing about the research This book is enhanced with the addition of online Instructor and Student Resources including videos, diagrams, an instructor manual, PowerPoint slides and links to further resources. These can be found at: routledgelearning.com/qualitativeresearch. This new edition is an indispensable companion and makes for ideal reading for all those involved in qualitative research worldwide