Diastereoselective SmI2 mediated cascade radical cyclisations of methylenecyclopropane derivatives - syntheses of paeonilactone B and 6-epi-paeonilactone A

The SmI2 mediated cascade cyclisations of several methylenecyclopropyl ketones have been examined and found to proceed with high diastereoselectivity, which is critically dependent on the presence of HMPA in the reaction. In one case the radical species at the end of the cascade sequence underwent an unexpected and highly stereoselective dimerisation. The cascade methodology has been applied to a short synthesis of (+/-)-paeonilactone B and of (+/-)-6-epi-paeonilactone A

Monitoring and evaluating volunteer tourism: a review and analytical framework

The rapid expansion and commercialisation of the volunteer tourism sector and the potential for negative impacts on host communities have put the sector under increasing scrutiny. Monitoring and evaluation are key aspects of sustainable tourism planning and management, and play important roles in the project planning and implementation cycles of volunteer tourism organisations and destination managements. However, they can be both value-laden and politically charged, making an understanding of context, purpose and various approaches to monitoring and evaluation important. Drawing from evaluation and critical management studies, this conceptual paper reviews the literature, presenting an analytical framework aimed at improving the quality of monitoring and evaluation. The paper is positioned within the adaptancy platform and focuses on qualitative, critical approaches to evaluation. The framework highlights the important influence of context (the issue the volunteer tourism programme is addressing, the nature of the intervention, the setting, the evaluation context and the decision-making context), and identifies four dimensions of volunteer tourism (stakeholders, organisations, markets and programmes) which may influence monitoring and evaluation practices. The analytical framework presented is useful for practitioners developing monitoring and evaluation processes, and for researchers interested in empirical studies which seek to evaluate monitoring and evaluation practices