NOT ANOTHER NEW WINE IN THE SAME OLD BOTTLES – MOTIVATORS AND INNOVATION IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT E-SERVICE DEVELOPMENT

E-services hold the potential to innovate how the public sector operates, and to increase the transparency of public services. Numerous research initiatives have illustrated the innovation power of e-services; with new technology and new solutions to existing problems. Research on this topic also emphasizes that in order for public e-services to reach their full potential, they need to be designed in a way that users find useful and beneficiary. Interestingly, in practice, only fragments of this claimed innovation seem to take place. Today, most public e-services launched are merely electronic versions of existing services with no, or very low, degree of innovation. In this paper, we analyse empirical data from local government e-service providers. The aim is to explore the current practices in local government e-service development with respect to how aspects related to innovative and high quality service provisioning are handled. In doing so, we analyse what basic motivators there are for local governments to offer e-services in the first place, and how such motivators influence innovation in local government e-service development. The analysis concludes that local governments are facing a challenging situation in terms of a general lack of resources regarding time, competence, and skills, as well as a dispersed user segment where needs and wills often are hard to grasp. Furthermore, local governments are facing conflicting interests and agendas. At the end of the day, the heights of innovation are then hard to achieve. We call for further research on the applicability of previous research findings in other research areas in order to promote more innovative e-service provisioning

How to propel domestic tourism activity in an industrial city through wine tourism: A project based in the state of Aguascalientes, Mexico

It is widely known that wine cellars are among the most appealing destinations for tourists, especially when visiting a European country. However, vineyard visitation is not an isolated popular tourism activity when it comes to New World countries. Although some research developed in Australia and Argentina have demonstrated an increment in wine tourism demand, this type of tourism is still an under-investigated economic activity in Mexico. Thus, this project aims to investigate if wine tourism could be a viable attraction to propel tourism activity in an industrial city, its potential as a booming market in the country, and its possible enhancements. To analyse this premise, the state of Aguascalientes, Mexico, was taken as the case study destination due to its scarcity of tourism activity, its long-standing wine-producing tradition, and its developing wine route. Secondary data from the literature review and primary data gathered from a focus group were analysed to prove this theory. The qualitative and quantitative information obtained revealed that wine tourism is appealing enough for tourists to visit an industrial destination under the proper conditions. Furthermore, it was possible to develop specific managerial and marketing recommendations for the wine tourism sector in Aguascalientes to make it a competitive wine tourism destination in the country, presenting it as an introductory wine tourism destination for wine-novice tourists.É amplamente reconhecido que as caves de vinho estão entre os destinos mais atraentes para os turistas, principalmente quando se visita um país europeu. No entanto, a visita de vinhedos não é uma atividade de turismo popular quando nos referimos a países do Novo Mundo. Embora algumas investigações desenvolvidas na Austrália e na Argentina tenham demonstrado um incremento na procura do enoturismo, este tipo de turismo ainda é uma atividade económica pouco investigada no México. Assim, este projeto visa investigar se o enoturismo poderia ser um atrativo viável para impulsionar a atividade turística de uma cidade industrial no México, utilizando o seu potencial para dinamizar este mercado em expansão. Para analisar esta questão relativamente ao estado de Aguascalientes, México, decidimos elaborar este projecto para estudar a atividade turística na região, e aliá-la à sua longa tradição vitivinícola e à sua rota do vinho em desenvolvimento. Utilizámos dados secundários através da revisão da literatura existente e dados primários que recolhemos através de um focus group para desenvolver este projecto e sustentar a nossa proposta. A informação qualitativa e quantitativa obtida revelou que o enoturismo é suficientemente apelativo para o turista visitar um destino industrial quando existam condições adequadas. Além disso, foi possível desenvolver recomendações especificas para gestores e marketers envolvidos na dinamização do setor do enoturismo em Aguascalientes, com o objectivo de o tornar um destino de enoturismo competitivo no país, apresentando-o como um destino introdutório ao enoturismo para novos enoturistas

Communication and internationalization plan for Pinhal da Torre

A presente tese de mestrado é um projeto associado a uma empresa do sector vitivinícola, com o nome de Pinhal da Torre. Localizada em Alpiarça, na região do Tejo (aproximadamente a 90 km de Lisboa), esta empresa tem vindo a apostar desde o seu início na atividade vinícola, na expansão para mercados internacionais, deixando o Mercado português para trás devido à sua saturação. O seu sucesso tem vindo a crescer e a constante aposta em mercados internacionais e reconhecimento granjeado por parte de destacadas personalidades e organizações importantes desta indústria tem vindo a demonstrá-lo. Este projeto destina-se à elaboração e preparação de mais uma iniciativa de internacionalização em conjunto com ações de comunicação, desta vez para o mercado russo, uma vez que é um dos mercados com bastante potencial e cada vez mais procurado por empresas portuguesas. É um projeto baseado na realidade da empresa, com o objectivo de fomentar a sua imagem internacional e fornecer à empresa informações e conhecimentos não só a nível do mercado mas também a nível de estratégias de marketing, uma vez que é uma das lacunas. Todas as ações e estratégias desenvolvidas foram adequadas ao objetivo da empresa Pinhal da Torre, de forma a poderem ser postas em prática num futuro próximo.The present master’s thesis is a project associated with a company in vine sector, which name is Pinhal da Torre, and is located in Alpiarça in Tejo region (approximately 90 km from Lisbon). Since the beginning of vine activity, the company bet on expansion to international markets, leaving the Portuguese market behind due to his saturation. The success has been increasing and the constant bet on international markets and the recognition by important personalities and organizations in this area has shown it. This project is intended to development and preparation of one more internationalization initiative coupled with a set of communication actions, this time to Russian market, once is one of the potential and each time more requested markets by Portuguese companies. Is a company reality-based project, with the objective of projecting his international image and supply information’s and knowledge’s to the company not only at Russian market level, but also at the level of marketing strategies, which is a level that company has some barriers. In this way all actions and strategies developed were thought according to the objective of the company, in order to be applicable in a near future

Understanding Consumer Behaviour to Reduce Environmental Impacts through Sustainable Product Design

The use phase of the lifecycle of electrical products has a significant environmental impact, mainly determined by the consumer’s behaviour. Many consumers do not make the link between their daily consumption behaviour in the household and environmental problems such as climate change. In the 21st century, the residential sector, together with transport and industry, is one of the largest man-made contributors in the UK to climate change. It is argued that technological innovations, current eco-efficient products and consumer education have been ineffective in creating the long term radical behavioural change needed to reduce the impact of product use. Products, as the interface between consumers and consumption activities, have the potential to influence the way in which consumption occurs. In the sustainable design field however, designer responsibility traditionally considers raw material selection and product disposal. There is limited work that addresses the environmental impacts relating directly to use behaviour of the product. This paper illustrates that user behaviour studies can be the preliminary step for designers to improve energy efficiency of products. A single product type, household cold appliance, was chosen as a case to explore the capacity of designer-conducted user study to identify unsustainable aspects of product use. Adopting a user-centred approach, two pilot studies were used to gain an insight into domestic fridge and freezer use in the UK. Qualitative ethnographical research methods were employed to investigate the daily practices and “real” needs of user as well as the connection between the knowledge, attitudes, intention and actual action. The design suggestions drawn from the user behaviour analysis provide examples of how energy impact level of the interaction with the product can be reduced through design. Keywords: User-Centred Research; Sustainable Product Design; Changing Consumer Behaviour; Design Research; Household Energy Consumption; Household Cold Appliance.</p

The `Good Oil\u27: The role olive oil plays in the lives of Western Australian consumers

Throughout Australia, a great number of resources have been devoted to the burgeoning billion dollar Australian olive industry. Recently a rapid increase in olive oil production has been witnessed. This growth combined with aggressive international competition will see pressure put on Australian producers to supply quality and price-effective olive oil into the Australian market. This will require a detailed understanding of consumers\u27 perceptions of and thoughts about olive oil and a comprehension of how, when, where and why consumers utilise olive oil

The anti-flood detention basin projects in northern Italy. New wine in old bottles?

An increased number of floods have affected the thick urban network located in Northern Italy. The towns traversed by the many rivers descending from the Alps and Apennines must address the problem of retarding water overflow. Detention basins have been envisaged as a good means to achieve more secure protection against floods for thick urban settings. In Italy, flood prevention policies have been partially decentralized to regions. In this study, the literature on political economy, policy analysis and governance is used to frame the planning and implementation of detention basins. Each approach raises questions on whether and how detention basins represent a return to hard water infrastructures. Three ongoing detention basin projects located in northern Italy have been chosen to illustrate the coalition of interests that support this policy of flood prevention. The selection of cases and their analysis are based on a comparative method considering both similarities and differences between detention basins. Although governance is highlighted in official documents regarding water policies, this approach has been followed to a very limited extent. The traditional policy community has been able to maintain leadership on projects, including a limited amount of new disciplines and expertise. Moreover, the emphasis on planning expertise creates some space for the governmentality approach. Overall, detention basins represent not a return to heavy infrastructures, but a continuation of traditional intervention methods with small greening changes. However, margins for a softer policy are possible through either recovering old containers/floodplains or developing a network of farm ponds and minor dikes

ARCHITECTING STRUCTURAL FLEXIBILITY IN DESIGN PROCESSES – A CASE STUDY OF PUBLIC SECTOR DIGITAL INNOVATION

Public sector organizations (PSO) are under pressure to undertake digital innovation in order to meet the challenges of a higher demand for service quality despite tighter budgetary restrictions. Effective digital innovation presupposes the flexible and appealing collaboration of heterogeneous actors possessing distinct knowledge loosely coupled in a complex service ecosystem. However, many PSOs lack access to employees possessing the specialized knowledge needed to execute digital innovation design processes and may thus need to seek external collaborations. This paper reports a case study of a PSO pilot project attempting to facilitate an inclusive design process for digital innovation. The study examines how teams comprising public sector professionals and private sector developers come to be involved and awarded agency during a digital innovation design process in the public sector. Findings indicate a need to architect conditions that allow for flexible provisional participation in the design process, thereby allowing novel collaborations to emerge, facilitating access to innovation intermediation and the integration of knowledge resources required for successful digital innovation. This paper contributes to our understanding of the setup and execution of digital innovation design processes in the public sector

Marketing Opportunities for Small-scale Organic Wine Producers in Slovenia: Proposing a Wine Cluster Model

The organic wine sector provides high quality artisan products as well as public goods and services and is gaining an importance in a global context. As such, this approach to wine production is seen as a potentially significant source of economic development and an initiator of change in local, rural areas. However, despite recent growing public and scientific interest in alternative approaches farming, organic wine production is still poorly researched. This thesis focuses on examining the characteristics, challenges, and goals of the organic wine sector in Slovenia through the eyes of ten participant winemakers. Each participant winemaker is a small-scale organic producer that is a member of a “cluster.” The study’s participants’ responses indicate that while clustering presents an important marketing aspect for organic wine producers in Slovenia, the current clustering practice utilized by winemakers is ineffective. One of the biggest barriers that prevent organic winemakers to cluster is the sheer diversity of production approaches that they are practicing. Understanding of organic wine sector is rather simplistic and assumes that different approaches like organic, biodynamic and natural all fall under the same name “organic”. This heterogeneity creates fracturing within the organic wine community: winemakers who practice different production approaches are not motivated to collaborate with others whose approaches differ. This problem is compounded by the fact that there are lax certification and regulation standards for organic wines, thus allowing broad discrepancies in the qualities of wines and cause value loss. The conclusions of this study suggest that Slovenian organic wine sector requires careful attention in order to understand the complex nature of different production approaches and enhance the future development. This study of the wine cluster model and its application will contribute to further research on agriculture clusters. It will also set a good example for other wine growing regions where small-scale wine production could be perceived as a niche marketing opportunity instead of a frustrating barrier

Conspicuous consumption and hospitality at a wine festival in China.

The nature of Chinese consumption and hospitality has evolved rapidly since the post-80s middle class adopted new lifestyles and consumption choices after the opening up of the economy and society. This study explores the logics underpinning conspicuous consumption of wine in China by way of an exploratory factor analysis of 253 respondents at a wine festival. The study found that conspicuous tendencies manifest themselves with wine consumption, but are affected by culture and traditional values. The study found social and personal influences mediate how individuals perceive and experience consumption in ways that do not wholly follow western practices. This paper contributes to existing hospitality literature by conceptualizing from a consumer perspective, how a product or brand has the potential to become conspicuous within the Chinese hospitality context and explores implications for hospitality research by generating a thorough understanding of links between conspicuous consumption and hospitality

An Adapted Model for Small Business Innovation Networks: The Case of an Emergent Wine Region in Southern California

Small businesses and small business networks have become increasingly important over the past two decades. However, limited empirical research has been carried out on the interactions of these small businesses, specifically within supportive networks. This research focuses on the interaction of firms and organizations within a successful small business innovation network, and how innovative business practices are developed. Innovation network theory was used as a lens to view the dynamics within an innovation network comprised entirely of small businesses and organizations. For this research, a qualitative case study was undertaken, with an emergent wine region in Southern California targeted as an ideal case in which to study a small business innovation network. This research showed that in this instance of a small business innovation network, a hub firm, as defined by innovation network theory does not exist to orchestrate and manage the interactions within the network. Thereby, an adapted model for small business innovation networks is proposed and the results from this qualitative case study are mapped using this adapted theory. The results show a constellation of firms and organizations at the core of the network composition, undertaking deliberate and emergent strategies that affect the outcome and success of all members of the small business innovation network. The research identified a significant sense of place embedded in the regional culture and the importance of effective regional planning in positively impacting the success of the small business innovation network