DIGITALISATION AND NEW TRENDS IN TRAVEL DISTRIBUTION

This paper seek to understand the role of new technologies on transformation processes of special areas of business of travel intermediaries even emerging new entities that collaborate with both poles of tourism demand. Special attention is payed to results of modification of distribution channels to be competitive in online travel market. Softwer as channel manager is more than a tool, it is emerging as core intelligence that manage time, impacting on benefits from converegence. New technologies allowed new digital platforms (Booking, Airbnb, Expedia) making travel easier. The preferences of the postmodern tourist extend beyond the streamlined and impersonal experiences, services and products. Driven by the ambition of deviating from the beaten track, new generations of travellers are converging on digital platforms to retrieve recommendations and information from fellow travellers and local residents,i.e. sources other than traditional travel intermediaries. The COVID crisis has triggered a number of changes in the world of rental accommodation. Some of these changes are flexible cancellations, new market prices, and shorter booking window. High expections make preassure on attnders in channel of distribution. There is an even greater emphasis on cleanliness, privacy and security. At the end of the research, the results speak in favor of exceptional impact of new technology on business development as well as the role that human potential has in acquiring digital skills through education and training and providing their own tools or products that facilitate business. This paper consider sociological, economic and cultural dimension that impact on behavior of users of digital platforms are formulated to support previously incompatible ideas, like (1) models of economic systems, relationships); cultural and moral perspectives on human coexistence (negotiation, lifestyle, stewardship, prosocial behaviour/altruism, collaborative symbiosis and; ideas of efficiency and enhanced value creation

The Credibility of Traditional and Online Media for the Promotion of Tourism in the Contemporary Tourism Marketing Environment in Durban South Africa

The main purpose of study is to analyse the credibility of traditional and online media for the promotion of tourism in the contemporary tourism marketing environment in Durban South Africa. Explanatory research design was employed and the questionnaire was used to collect the data. The study findings revealed that traditional media and online media are more or less equally competitive for the promotion of tourism. The study also revealed that international visitors have a positive attitude towards online media than traditional media while domestic tourists have a positive attitude towards traditional media than online media. Traditional media was revealed to be highly credible than the general perception of the people and it is a lot more credible than online media. The survival of traditional media is not threatened by online media and traditional media is still working well alongside online media. The study concluded and recommended that tourism marketers and authorities need to come to terms with traditional media and online media coexistence. There is no need to rely on one media to do it all. Where traditional media lacks, online media must be there to make up the difference and enhance the tourist’s experience

Networks, Innovation and Knowledge Transfer in Tourism Industry: An Empirical Study of SMEs in Portugal

The present study aims to investigate how commercialisation and knowledge transfer between the SMEs of the tourism sector and the higher education institutions (HEIs) are made, as well as to find out whether the SMEs of the tourism sector are part of tourism networks, and what their motivations are. We used a qualitative methodology, applying the triangulation method to eight SMEs and one HEI. The results indicate that the commercialisation and knowledge transfer between the SMEs and the HEIs are not effective. SMEs are part of regional networks of business innovation; however, they do not participate in R&D activities with HEIs. Some suggestions were made to SMEs, HEIs, and regional governments to speed up commercialisation and knowledge transfer in the tourism sector. We adapted the Triple Helix Model to the tourism sector, thus creating the “Triple Helix in the Tourism Context”. Only a few studies have researched knowledge commercialisation in the tourism sector, a gap that this article aims to compensate.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Model perjanjian tahap perkhidmatan dalam penyumberan luar perkhidmatan pengurusan fasiliti di universiti awam Malaysia

Service Level Agreements (SLA) are contracts based on performance used in outsourcing facilities management as governance document. In contrast to previous research found SLA focused mostly on the field of information technology, this research focus on facility management to determine the service performance of the appointed contractor. The objectives of this research are to develop the fundamental elements of SLA, to evaluate the effect of these fundamental elements on service performance and lastly to establish the SLA model. Respondents in this study have been chosen among public university in Malaysia. Samples are taken from the university's property management office outsourcing contract to manage the university facility management. Questionnaires were sent to the officer who responsible for facility management outsourcing contract. Development of fundamental elements begin with the method of a systematic literature review and restructured by using Fuzzy Delphi to get expert consensus in building the fundamental elements of SLA. Four fundamental elements consist of the contract information, measurement of service performance, cost of the contract and lastly the terms and conditions of the agreement. In addition, there are ten service performance indicators comprises of customer satisfaction, cost effectiveness, action time period, response time period, reliability of service provided, environmental compliance, employee commitment, client relationship with service provider, health and safety of users and employees and the latter is the use of information technology. Data were analysed by employed Partial Least Square (PLS) Structural Equation Model (SEM) with software SmartPLS version 3.0. The result shows that SLA model developed two fundamental elements that have relationship with service performance namely measurement service performance and terms and conditions of agreement. This SLA model indicates that the measurement of service performance is very important to control and evaluate the performance of the services provided by the contractor. While the terms and conditions of the agreement is aimed to control a contractual governance that affects the performance of the service

Critérios para avaliação da gestão de periódicos científicos eletrônicos sob a ótica do capital intelectual

Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro Tecnológico, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia de Produção, Florianópolis, 2014.A propagação de novos títulos de periódicos científicos nas diversas áreas do conhecimento tem sido preocupação dos profissionais que se interessam pela qualidade da informação científica, quer sejam autores, editores, publicadores, serviços de indexação, centros de documentação, bibliotecas e, de maneira especial, pesquisadores (usuários da informação). No processo de formação da revisão de literatura observou-se, que as pesquisas sobre o tema periódico científico eletrônico ainda não abordaram a visão de Capital Intelectual (CI) como forma de avaliar sua gestão. Este trabalho propõe critérios para avaliar a gestão dos periódicos científicos eletrônico utilizando a abordagem de CI. Foi utilizada uma metodologia matemática híbrida com a integração dos métodos Fuzzy Delphi (FDELPHI) e Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP). O FDELPHI foi utilizado para levantar os fatores críticos (critérios/subcritérios) presentes na gestão dos periódicos científicos eletrônicos. O método FAHP foi aplicado para calcular os pesos relativos dos critérios/subcritérios selecionados que afetam a sua gestão. Os resultados apontaram que o Capital Humano foi apontado como um dos aspectos que mais (60%) influencia na gestão de um periódico. Quantos aos critérios os que mais influenciam são: Normalização dos artigos; Qualidade dos artigos; Conhecimento dos envolvidos; Reconhecimento pelo trabalho dos referees e colaboradores; Trabalho em equipe; Acurácia das informações publicadas e Visibilidade. Assim com esse trabalho espera-se contribuir para o melhoramento da gestão de periódicos científicos eletrônicos e proporcionar vantagens competitivas.Abstract : The spread of new scientific journal titles in different areas of knowledge has been a concern to professionals who care about the quality of scientific information, whether they are authors, editors, publishers, indexing services, documentation centers, libraries, and in a special way, researchers (information users). In the formation process of literature review, it was noted that the research on electronic scientific journal topic has not addressed yet the vision of Intellectual Capital (IC) as a way to assess their management. This work proposes criteria to evaluate the management of electronic scientific journals using the IC approach. A hybrid mathematical methodology with the integration of Fuzzy Delphi (FDELPHI) and Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy process (FAHP) was used. FDELPHI was used to raise critical factors (criteria/sub-criteria) present in electronic scientific journals management. The FAHP method was applied to calculate the relative weights of the criteria/sub-criteria selected that affect their management. The results indicated that the Human Capital was appointed as one of the aspects that most (60%) influences the management of a periodical. Regarding criteria, the most influential ones are: Article normalization; Article quality; Knowledge of those involved; Recognition for the work of referees and contributors; Teamwork; Accuracy of published information and Visibility. So, this work is expected to contribute to improvement in the management of electronic scientific journals and to provide competitive advantages

Projeto de Desenvolvimento de um Sistema de Gestão de Destinos (SGD): O Caso das Entidades Regionais de Turismo em Portugal

Enquadramento: O presente projeto de investigação surge num contexto onde as tecnologias estão cada vez mais enraizadas nas sociedades e onde a web se tornou no canal preferido de distribuição para uma boa parte das Organizações de Gestão de Destinos (OGDs) e dos consumidores finais (Butler, 2002; Gretzel, Yuan, & Fesenmaier, 2000; Kramer, Modsching, ten Hagen, & Gretzel, 2007). As novas Tecnologias da Informação e Comunicação (TICs) afiguram-se, assim, como uma das áreas mais críticas para o sucesso do turismo, no presente e no futuro, sendo vitais para a forma como se promovem os destinos turísticos (Machado & Almeida, 2010). Descrição: Pretende-se apresentar uma proposta extensiva de desenvolvimento de um Sistema de Gestão de Destinos (SGD), de âmbito regional, devidamente orçada e economicamente viável, para ajudar as OGDs na gestão, promoção e distribuição holística do destino turístico Portugal. Objetivos: Desenvolvimento sustentável e integrado dos destinos turísticos portugueses, a nível regional; aposta nos canais digitais como forma de adaptação às novas tendências de mercado no setor do turismo; envolvimento de todos os stakeholders no projeto (entidades públicas e privadas), por forma a aumentar os índices de coesão nos destinos turísticos; satisfação das necessidades de planeamento e de reserva dos potenciais turistas/visitantes; e incremento da qualidade geral da experiência turística no destino Portugal. Investigação Empírica: Parte 1 – Realização de um estudo Delphi, com a participação de um painel de 12 especialistas nas áreas do turismo e das TICs, para aferição e hierarquização das principais barreiras à adoção de SGDs; Parte 2 – Estudo avaliativo da eficácia dos websites oficiais das 5 Entidades Regionais de Turismo (ERTs) portuguesas, por intermédio do modelo adaptado de ICTRT (na versão de Charoula et al., 2014), aplicado por um avaliador externo recrutado para o efeito. Resultados e Conclusões: Identificaram-se e hierarquizaram-se 55 barreiras à adoção de SGDs, para a realidade portuguesa; apresentaram-se e escrutinaram-se os índices de eficácia dos websites oficiais das 5 ERTs em Portugal; e apresentou-se uma proposta de desenvolvimento de um SGD devidamente orçada e economicamente viável. No final, discutiram-se os principais resultados, teceram-se considerações gerais sobre o projeto e enunciaram-se as principais limitações e possíveis futuras linhas de investigação

The Use of Clinical Judgment in Differentiating Symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder from Those of Other Childhood Conditions: A Delphi Study

More and more, due to long waiting lists at diagnostic clinics and access barriers for certain segments of the population, schools are often the first environment in which children are evaluated for ASD (Sullivan, 2013). And while accurate identification of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is essential for proper treatment and service provision, large percentages of school and community-based identifications of ASD are overturned when children are re-evaluated with strict clinical criteria (Wiggins et al., 2015). In part, challenges faced in accurately differentiating ASD from other conditions may be contributed to the diagnostic complexities of the condition itself. Clinical expertise is one of, if not the most important factors in accurate diagnostic decision-making during evaluations of ASD. However, there exists little insight into what comprises this expert judgment. Using the Delphi methodology, a panel of clinical and school psychology experts in ASD identification were surveyed until consensus was reached about their use of clinical judgment in differentiating ASD from other conditions. The results of these rounds of questioning were compiled into a decision-making guideline entitled Beyond Test Results: Developing Clinical Judgment to Differentiate Symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorders from Those of Other Childhood Conditions. Implications of this guide include incorporation into school psychology training courses and guidance for school-based evaluation teams

Designing an e-philanthropic website for the Saudi user

Philanthropy is an important part of Saudi Arabia’s identity as it is linked to the country’s religion and culture. Even though nobody can deny how crucial philanthropy is for Saudis, it is not reflected virtually on the Internet. This PhD aims to enhance philanthropy by putting it in a virtual context. Online philanthropy is known as e-philanthropy and this research documents the design of an e-philanthropic tool that is appealing to users in Saudi Arabia. Its aim is to design an interactive website where users can communicate with each other to meet their specific needs. It explores the nature of philanthropy in the Saudi context and employs human-centred design and user-centred design approaches to create a website in support of this. It is based on qualitative and quantitative data collection from recipients of philanthropy and those who take an interest in the topic. This resulted in the design brief for a new ephilanthropic tool based on time giving, a concept closely related to time banking and something that, to date, has not been launched in Saudi Arabia. As time banking is the closest concept to that of time giving, this project investigated time banking as a philanthropic tool in other contexts. The design of the website for the Fair Shares time bank in the UK was analysed as a source in order to benefit the new project. This was achieved by using Agarwal and Venkatesh’s (2002) Microsoft Usability Guideline, which was reformed by Pallud (2002). After investigating Saudi culture, the concept of time banking and the design features of a website in the field, the researcher-designer then created a time giving website named “Joud”, a word which means liberality and generosity in Arabic. The process of creating this website was influenced by Schön’s (1983) account of the reflective practitioner, where the designer looks for ways to order, resolve and improve their practice. After the design of the website was finished it was launched online at www.joudtime.org. The website was then evaluated using the same technique used to analyse the Fair Shares site; namely the modified Microsoft Usability Guideline. This was to improve the design and get a sense of whether the idea would work in Saudi Arabia or not. This study shows that time giving can be a philanthropic tool in Saudi Arabia. It also shows that using a human-centred design and a user-centred design method in order to investigate specific target users is a practical and useful approach. The outcome shows how the design would take the user into consideration especially in a philanthropic context. Moreover, the resulting design is the first that brings time giving to the Saudi user. As a result, the project met its aim to replicate the philanthropic culture of Saudi Arabia virtually by creating an ephilanthropic tool for their context

Personalisation through pricing co-creation: Customer’s willingness to pay and pricing strategies in the B2C context of hospitality

In the era of connectivity, personalisation is an increasingly popular phenomenon in the marketplace. Modern customers are more demanding with higher barging power. The evolution towards customer-dominant logic (CDL) illuminates the transmission of value-creating roles to customers beyond visible service interaction. While the advantages of personalising the products and services are evident, a level of ambiguity persists when considering the tacit dimension of a transaction, specifically concerning pricing. The marketing and revenue management literature suggests a linear relationship between personalisation and willingness to pay (WTP). WTP is context-dependent, and further exploring the influence of personalisation benefits on customer WTP is needed. This study aims to explore how customer expectation of personalisation affects WTP in the hospitality industry, using CDL as the theoretical lens. A pragmatism stance guides the methodological design using mixed methods and leans toward the abductive approach as the central concept that derives from existing knowledge. The employed method includes two rounds of data collection: 43 semi-structured in-depth interviews and 202 online self-administrated surveys. The interpretive qualitative analysis identifies six distinctive customer types, namely: Budget Adventures, Family Explorers, Relaxation Seekers, Relation Seekers, Delight Seekers, and Must-Have Customers. Findings suggest consumers are keen to receive personalised offers, but their WTP varies. The findings from the quantitative analysis indicate that the personalisation and customer WTP relationship is not linear. WTP largely depends on the customer’s internal and external context. The study illustrates that specific context influences WTP, customer purchase behaviour, and personalisation expectations. The theoretical contribution is made to the knowledge of marketing and revenue management through CDL by advancing the understanding of experience co-creation, segmentation, and pricing. As a contribution to knowledge and practice, the study offers a novel customer typology and explains the relationship between expectations of personalisation and customer WTP. The strength of this work lies in tangible recommendations for practitioners that should lead managers and decision-makers to concentrate more on different customer clusters at different times to develop effective pricing strategies. Findings can also help managers decide what type of personalisation may best suit their customers’ context and what pricing approach they should take to optimise revenue. The findings can apply widely to other services, like airline, retail, banking, insurance, transportation, logistics, rail, or events. The avenues for future research conclude the thesis