Reengineering knowledge for e-tourism and hospitality curricula

E-tourism and hospitality represents the development of tourism and hospitality to integrate ICT tools and has significantly changed the industry over the last decade. In order to meet the new needs, knowledge service suppliers (i.e. the university) must meet the requirements and social developments of the tourism industry. The quality of e-tourism and hospitality curriculum depends largely on the education quality and its subsequent implementation. The research reveals that higher education is not currently meeting the needs of the industry, especially in the Greater Mekong Sub-region countries. This article focuses on two major problems, which represent a disparity between the knowledge needs of the tourism and hospitality industry and the knowledge provided by curricula in higher education. The authors leverage a knowledge engineering perspective so as to bridge the gap between knowledge demand and supply as related to e-tourism and hospitality curriculum design

Supply Chain Management (SCM): The Extent of its Application and Features in the Successful Delivery of Construction Projects

This study specifically sought to identify the extent and level of awareness of and adoption of the concept of SCM, identify and evaluate key features of SCM for successful construction project delivery in Nigeria. The study adopted an exploratory research design method of investigation consisting of the quantitative and qualitative methods. A purposive and convenient sampling was deployed in selecting the sample size. A semi-structured interview, case study, personal observation and questionnaire survey was carried out in a construction firm located in Abuja. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics; Relative Importance Index (RII) and Cronbach's Alpha reliability test. The studies found out that majority of the respondents have not heard about the SCM concept, while a few of them have heard about it. The study further revealed the following features as key, they include; level of awareness/adoption of SCM was abysmally low. Findings from the 8 key features for successful SCM construction project delivery revealed the following; disseminating quality information across the various chains, deploying web based and other software and portals as well as the application of internet in improving the effectiveness of construction, ensuring that the level of service and price of suppliers are better, applying activity based costing and management as a performance measure via the elimination of non-value adding activities across the chain, top management needs to continually implement policies that would stimulate the interests of all and sundry, relationship management and trust building, communication and environmental pressures from specialists and other professionals about the benefits of SCM, and outlining trade finance as a pre-condition for successful supply chain finance

The professional and organisational impact of the consultant therapeutic radiographer: a case study

Background: Changes in therapeutic radiography have promoted the development of a consultant practitioner role in clinical practice. Clinical duties that were once performed by the clinical oncologist are now being shared in some trusts by Consultant Therapeutic Radiographer (CTRs) who are experts in their scope of practice. The first CTR was appointed in 2003, yet an evaluation of the role has remained limited. Aims: The thesis examines the CTR role, through the perspectives of medical, nursing, therapeutic staff and key stakeholders by means of a qualitative inquiry, with the intention to explore professional and organisational impact. Methods: A collective case study approach was adopted to facilitate the examination of the CTR role, using the Dimensions of Impact Framework (Gerrish et al., 2011). A three-phased research design was employed. Phase one of the study utilised a focus group with CTRs (n=4) as a scoping exercise to understand the current state of the CTR role in clinical practice. Phase two consisted of six case studies and utilised individual semi-structured interviews with CTRs (n=6) and interviews with medical, nursing and therapeutic staff (n=18) to gain a thorough view of the CTR role from their perspectives. Document analysis was also conducted using the CTR job descriptions to discern similarities or differences and examine whether the job descriptions provided the opportunity to demonstrate professional and organisational impact. In the analysis of the Phase two, data were mapped against the Dimensions of Framework to identify the perceived professional and organisational impact of the CTR role. Finally, Phase three utilised semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders (Society and College of Radiographers, NHS England and Health Education England) (n=6), to explore their views on the CTR role and on the themes derived from the six case studies Results: The themes identified under perceived professional impact were: professional outcomes, working relationships and identity. The themes identified under perceived organisational impact were: service targets, perceived patient experience and power. In addition, two further themes were identified: challenges of the role and future prospects of the role were also indicated. The main challenges noted were: lack of medical knowledge; lack of time for research; increased workload; meeting the expectations of the role; medico-legal implications and financial implications. The future prospects for the role were: more engagement with the consultant practice domains (such as the research domain); increase the CTR numbers and specialities; and develop CTR’s medical knowledge; further promote the CTR role, and have a responsibility for prescribing the radiotherapy treatment. Conclusions and recommendations This original piece of research has provided a detailed examination of the perceived organisational and professional impact of the CTR role. It has also identified a number of challenges and considerations for the future. Recommendations for clinical practice and policy include: conduct a national evaluation to capture the impact of the CTR role, further promote the role, develop a detailed job plan, undertake a review of educational and training of the CTR; and ensure adequate clinical support and mentoring. The addition of the concepts of power of and identity to the Gerrish et al., (2011) Dimensions of Impact Framework within this research needs testing in different professional and organisational contexts. Overall the knowledge generated from the participants’ perceptions of the CTR role presented in this thesis contributes to the literature on capturing perceived impact and provides new perspective on, and representations of, power and identity