Women as social entrepreneurs in the hospitality and tourism industry: Does empowerment play a role?

This paper which is a work in progress presents a qualitative study exploring the nature, motivations and extent to which female entrepreneurs use their H&T businesses as platforms for engagement in various forms of social entrepreneurship (SE) leading to value creation, economic and community development. Although SE is seen as a key contributor to the creation and diversification of entrepreneurial activity, women empowerment and local economic development, there is limited research on the role of female H&T entrepreneurs in emerging non -western destinations. We focus on the following research questions: a) Can female entrepreneurs in H&T be considered as social entrepreneurs? b) How does the structure and organization of society shape the nature of female participation in SE? c) What are the challenges involved in mobilizing female entrepreneurs to effectively engage in SE? d) How does SE maximise value creation and higher levels of satisfaction for all participants? Concepts from women-owned H&T enterprises, SE and women empowerment are drawn upon. We argue that women are embedded in male dominated traditions/customs, community associations and government bureaucracies that may either empowered or dis-empower them. Using the case of Cameroon, we examine how embeddedness enhances the capacity of women to engage in SE in the H&T industry, thereby contributing to local economic development. Empirically we adopt a mixed methods approach using multiple case studies: a survey questionnaire, five focus groups meetings (two women -only, one male-only, and two mix of male and female entrepreneurs) and twenty-five in-depth interviews with selected female entrepreneurs (18), (non)governmental organisations (03) and beneficiaries (04) of social enterprise ventures between May 2014 and February 2015. The findings clarify the role of women in SE in H&T and policy implications for maximising social value creation through the participation of women in SE

The existence of Roma in youth justice discourses

Critical scholars have repeatedly emphasised the importance of how various categories become constructed. This paper discusses the ‘existence’ of ‘the other’ in youth justice discourses. Drawing on qualitative analysis of police, prosecution, youth court and social services discourses, this paper discusses the positioning of migrant youths, referred to youth court on suspicion of having committed an offence. The talk particularly focuses on Czech and Slovak Roma in two legal departments in Belgium. I discuss in what types of cases and discourses the case of Roma (i.e. references to ethnicity and popular images of the ‘Roma culture’) exists and in what instances it seizes to exist. Particular attention is directed to the constitutions, circularity and contexts of ethnicising discourses throughout youth justice trajectories, as well as their performative nature

Future directions for scientific advice in Europe

Across Europe, scientific evidence and advice is in great demand, to inform policies and decision making on issues such as climate change, new technologies and environmental regulation. But the diversity of political cultures and attitudes to expertise in different European countries can make the task of designing EU-wide advisory institutions and processes both sensitive and complex. In January 2015, President Juncker asked Commissioner Moedas to report on options for improving scientific advice within the European Commission. At a time when these issues are higher than usual on the political agenda, it is important that the case for scientific advice and evidence-informed policy is articulated and analysed afresh. To support these efforts, this collection brings together agenda-setting essays by policymakers, practitioners, scientists and scholars from across Europe. Authors include Anne Glover, Ulrike Felt, Robert Madelin, Andy Stirling, Vladimír Šucha and Jos van der Meer. Their contributions outline various challenges but also constructive ways forward for scientific advice in Europe

Gross National Happiness (GNH): Linkages to and Implications for Macromarketing

This theoretical commentary explores the concept of Gross National Happiness (GNH) and connects it with several central macromarketing concepts such as QoL, ethics, the common good, the purpose of market activity as well as the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. The paper portrays GNH as a normative concept that captures collective well-being; it categorizes GNH, at least from the standpoint of Western moral philosophy, as most closely aligned with classical utilitarianism, and it distinguishes GNH from QoL on the basis of its predominantly aspirational and subjective orientation. It asserts that GNH can be seen as one manifestation of the common good, and, in that manner can be perceived as a ‘more ethical’ conception of the purpose of business activity. Finally, it links GNH to promising areas of Macromarketing scholarship. One essential contribution of this commentary is that it differentiates subjective community happiness from more objective measures of QoL familiar to macromarketing studies

Strategic management of new drugs in oncology: the importance of an ethical and interdisciplinar framework

JEL Classification System: I1; I14; I15; I18; O32Introduction: Portugal is the paradigm of the European crisis since has both an economic and demographic crisis. We aimed to establish the impact of the economic restrains in Portugal for the reimbursement of new oncological drugs, accordingly with the different stakeholders and to establish the importance of an ethical and interdisciplinary framework as a strategic measure to minimize the problems detected. Methodology: A qualitative approach was used, supported by 27, tape recorded, semi-structured interviews to representatives of the different healthcare stakeholders. The interviews content analysis were done with the support of Tropes® software. Results: The content analysis results showed that economic restrains are leading to a policy of cost control, a delay in reimbursement of new drugs, lack of transparency, serious limitations and inequities between hospitals. Changes in the reimbursement process are being made with an increase of risk sharing mechanisms and implementation of a new system of health technological evaluation (SINATS). Treatment protocols are also being revised and public hospitals are trying to increase the number of clinical trials but there is still much bureaucracy. In this qualitative approach, the factors with impact on survival are: innovation and technological development, government funding, the price of drugs and the type of cancer. Conclusions: In order to consider the strategic vision in which the patient is the center of all efforts, the process of innovation reimbursement should be faster and more transparent. An interdisciplinary framework for reimbursement decisions, seems to be a strategic measure to allow NHS sustainability.Introdução: Portugal vive o paradigma da crise europeia devido à crise económica e demográfica. O objetivo do estudo foi determinar o impacto da crise económica em Portugal para o reembolso dos novos medicamentos oncológicos e identificar a importância de um modelo ético e interdisciplinar como medida estratégica para minimizar os problemas identificados. Metodologia: Foi utilizada uma abordagem qualitativa, apoiada por 27 entrevistas semiestruturadas e gravadas, aos representantes dos diferentes stakeholders do Sistema de Saúde português. A análise de conteúdo referente às entrevistas foi efetuada com o apoio do software Tropes®. Resultados: Os resultados da análise de conteúdo mostraram que as restrições económicas estão a originar uma política de controlo de custos; um atraso na aprovação de novos medicamentos, falta de transparência, bem como sérias limitações e desigualdades entre os hospitais. Estão a ser implementadas alterações no processo de reembolso com um aumento de mecanismos de partilha de risco e implementação de um novo sistema de avaliação tecnológica em saúde (SINATS). Os protocolos de tratamento estão também a ser revistos e os hospitais públicos estão a tentar aumentar o número de ensaios clínicos embora a burocracia excessiva seja uma limitação. Nesta abordagem qualitativa, foram identificados os seguintes fatores com impacto na sobrevivência: inovação e desenvolvimento tecnológico, o financiamento, o preço dos medicamentos e o tipo de doenças oncológicas. Conclusões: Considerando que o paciente é a principal preocupação, o processo de aprovação de reembolso de novos medicamentos deve ser mais rápido e mais transparente. Um modelo interdisciplinar para decisões de aprovação de reembolso, parece ser uma medida estratégica viável e urgente de forma a manter a sustentabilidade do SNS

Marketing in the digital age: cultural values as agents of socially responsible marketing in the digital economy

The purpose of the article is to determine the relationship between the characteristics of social marketing stakeholders and the degree of development of marketing systems in the digital economy. The results of the study are based on a critical analysis of the tools and processes of functioning of marketing systems in the context of digitalisation, and the changes it causes in marketing systems at basic and extended levels due to specific features inherent in the digital economy. The concept of cultural dimensions by Hofstede (2010) is applied to determine the collective behavioural characteristics of the most numerous stakeholders of social marketing, which are members of society in selected countries. A positive statistically significant correlation between the share of online shoppers against the indulgence index (R=.77) and the individualism index (R=.73) was found. There is a negative statistically significant correlation between the share of online shoppers against uncertainty avoidance (R=-.76), power distance (R=-.67), gender culture type (R=-.27) and long-term orientation (R=-.27). In general, a significant part of the expected impact of uncertainty avoidance is taken over by mechanisms that guarantee the protection of personal data from unauthorised use and security from fraud and crime committed in cyberspace