Cross-case analysis

Prior to the development of low-cost computing and the ease of completing statistical analysis, case studies played a significant role in the development of the social sciences. However, since the mid-1990s statistical modelling and empirically driven work has come to dominate academic literature; yet there remain epistemological similarities between some forms of case study work and statistical modelling. Nonetheless, issues of the qualitative versus quantitative divide and the purported role of value judgments made by the researchers have in part muddied the waters until quite recently, when the researchers using statistical methods started to adopt the use of the first person in their writing and began to recognise that the choice of a given statistical technique is just as surely a value judgment or exercise of experience and expertise as is any interpretation of text by a qualitative researcher. Similarly, qualitative researchers have become increasingly familiar with textual analysis using software programmes based on neural network theory, and a new generation of researchers have become comfortable with a mixed method mode of analysis

Models of public – private partnership projects in tourism industry

There is a general agreement at the conception (theoretical) level about the imperative of a public-private partnership and there are various efforts do it. It is also taken into account the experience of other countries of the European Union or other developed countries able to support and to assist with their previous experience. Public – private partnership aims to high light the role of the two components in general development of society, regional, economic and company development and increase of competitiveness. All of them are subordinated to serve the objective of satisfying the population economic and social requests and/or needs. Efficient communication establishment between the two environments will conduct, for sure, to the development of a segment of satisfied citizens, employees, owner and vice-versa. The public – private partnership in tourism industry could be developed in various ways. It could start with public – private strategies, joint proposals of regulations, up to growing business together and so on. The present paper aims to underline the main issues of public – private partnership and to propose few models applicable in tourism industry. The proposed models offer an image about better usage of both environment expertise and facilities (power) some of them still open opportunities for Romania.public, private, partnership, models

Virtual teams for new product development: an innovative experience for R&D engineers

New interaction tools such as internet allow companies to gain valuable input from research and development (R\&D) engineers via virtual teams. Consequently, engineers also get more expertise in diminutive time frames. Virtual R\&D teams present the key impetus to the technology acquisition process. The present knowledge-economy era is characterized by short product life-cycles. Virtual R&D teams may reduce time-to-market, make available a large pool of new product know-how and provide greater flexibilities, which are the key success factors in a competitive market. This comprehensive review contains almost 100 references and covers the recent literature with emphasis on the topic. The review has focused on authentic and reputed publications and extracts the results. This article presents the type of virtual teams and their main features and explains how virtual R&D team can play a prominent role in developing new products. The article is evolved future study guideline and also illustrates how to apply virtual interaction tools and integrate engineers into the innovation process. Management of virtual R&D teams in new product development (NPD) processes in an innovative, effective and efficient is of a high importance, but the issue has been poorly addressed in the previous studies. Findings show that virtual R&D team provides valuable input for new product development and R&D engineers are able to attain virtual experience