Tourism Marketing to Southeast Asian Countries via Social Media and its Ethical Implications

As the influence of social media on the tourism marketing industry continues to grow, it becomes necessary to analyze how these platforms are being used. This study aims to determine the ways in which the combination of visuals and written copy in an Instagram post work to create an advertisable overall image of Southeast Asian countries as tourist destinations. Using a qualitative content analysis, twenty seven posts from the official tourism Instagram accounts of Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines were analyzed to determine what overall image is being presented, how this is being accomplished, and if the advertisement of these places and people is being done ethically. Results revealed that these accounts all use compelling written and visual rhetoric in the social media copy and visual of their posts in order to market these countries as the ideal tourist destination. It was further determined that content relating to ethical tourism is not a significant theme found across these selected Instagram accounts

What Others Think: The Importance of Outsiders to Pauline Communities

Despite the negative depiction that ‘outsiders’ are often given throughout the Pauline corpus, there is a remarkable concern for what they think of the believers. This concern is woven through these letters with a gravity that demands acknowledgement in order to understand what inspires and provokes instructions on how believers should behave among unbelievers. This thesis reveals in the Pauline corpus a critical sensitivity to the presence and opinion of outsiders, and it explores the pragmatic and theological impact of outsiders upon believers. The thesis firstly considers Social Identity Theory (SIT), specifically its analysis of boundary-making between ‘insider’ and ‘outsider’ and the importance of difference between groups. SIT is then critically employed to explore instructions for believers to love outsiders, to walk honourably among them and do good to them (1 Thess 3:12; 4:11–12; 5:15), and for believers to transform public opinion so that it leads to praise rather than persecution (Rom 12–13). Attention then turns to how believers are to lay aside their own preferences for the benefit of outsiders (1 Cor 7; 10; 14), and to the importance of reputation (1 Tim and Titus). The thesis concludes that what others think influences how each faith community responds to their neighbours so as to protect, develop or grow their community, and how believers understand their identity and discipleship. It concludes that similarity between believers and outsiders is important, for it is in the public revealing of shared values that positive intergroup relations can be nurtured in order to harvest positive outsider opinion, leading to hope for fruitful mission. The role of SIT is therefore heuristic for it offers the tools to examine boundaries, but its bias towards difference means it fails to notice sufficiently the importance of similarity and the significance of the outsider to the Pauline communities

Neo-advocacy for Neo-liberal Times: Planning Aid and the Advocacy Project in England

The paper reviews the literature on advocacy planning and interweaves empirical evidence drawn from staff and volunteers of Planning Aid England to reconsider its basis and effectiveness. Forms of ‘neo-advocacy’ planning are deemed necessary given the continuing under-representation of lower-income groups and other minority groups in planning and in an era of neo-liberal policy. The attention of policymakers and of the planning profession more widely should be given to how neo-advocacy functions are sustained. It is concluded that the aims of Planning Aid are so important to the legitimacy and effectiveness of planning that it needs to be placed on a more secure footing

The role of Planning Aid England in supporting communities’ engagement in planning

In considering the position of community engagement within planning in a time of neo-liberalism and a context of ‘neo-communitarian localism’ (cf. Jessop, 2002; DeFilippis, 2004), this paper reviews the role and relevance of Planning Aid in terms of its performance and aspirations in guiding and transforming planning practice (Friedmann, 1973; 1987; 2011) since its inception in 1973. In doing this we reflect on the critiques of Planning Aid performance provided by Allmendinger (2004) and bring the account up-to-date following on from past considerations (e.g. Bidwell and Edgar, 1982; Thomas, 1992; Brownill and Carpenter, 2007a,b; Carpenter and Brownill, 2008) and prompted by the 35 years since the University of Reading produced the first published work reviewing Planning Aid (Curtis and Edwards, 1980). Our paper is timely given renewed attacks on planning, the implementation of a form of localism and reductions in funding for planning in a time of austerity. Our view is that the need for forms of ‘neo-advocacy’ planning and community development are perhaps even more necessary now, given the continuing under-representation of lower income groups, minority groups and to allow for the expression of alternative planning futures. Thus further consideration of how to ensure that Planning Aid functions are sustained and understood requires the attention of policymakers and the planning profession more widely

Alzheimer’s in the Geriatric Population

Because there is a critical need for nurses in geriatric healthcare facilities, this study examines two central questions: 1) How does under-staffing affect Alzheimer’s patients and their mental health? and 2) How do we raise awareness about neglect and under-staffing within health care facilities? This study includes a special focus on youth perceptions of the geriatric population

The rise of the private sector in fragmentary planning in England

Over the past 30 years, the English planning system has undergone a series of reforms designed to increase efficiency, promote growth and, since 2010, achieve cost savings under the auspices of austerity. These reforms can be understood as part of a broader reorganisation of public services and functions in many Western democracies which have seen private sector providers move in to service new markets and take on functions previously delivered by public servants. Drawing on findings from research with key actors from both public and private sectors, this paper argues that the English planning system is increasingly fragmented, and task-oriented, and requiring of knowledge and skills-sets which local planning authorities typically do not possess. A relational shift regarding the (in)capacity of public planners and private sector actors drawn from a range of disciplinary backgrounds has occurred, with the latter now providing a wide range of inputs to the planning system, typically in the guise of consultants. While planning has long been an exercise in co-production, involving a number of different actors, there has been limited discussion of the role private sector actors play in servicing and reproducing the planning system. The paper therefore describes how ‘fragmentary planning’ has emerged in England, and reflects on the knowledges, skills and capacities the system now requires. In concluding, we outline the questions of governance that these dynamics raise, and suggest avenues of further research

Making BEASTies: dynamical formation of planetary systems around massive stars

Exoplanets display incredible diversity, from planetary system architectures around Sun-like stars that are very different to our Solar System, to planets orbiting post-main sequence stars or stellar remnants. Recently the B-star Exoplanet Abundance STudy (BEAST) reported the discovery of at least two super-Jovian planets orbiting massive stars in the Sco Cen OB association. Whilst such massive stars do have Keplerian discs, it is hard to envisage gas giant planets being able to form in such hostile environments. We use N-body simulations of star-forming regions to show that these systems can instead form from the capture of a free-floating planet, or the direct theft of a planet from one star to another, more massive star. We find that this occurs on average once in the first 10Myr of an association's evolution, and that the semimajor axes of the hitherto confirmed BEAST planets (290 and 556au) are more consistent with capture than theft. Our results lend further credence to the notion that planets on more distant (>100au) orbits may not be orbiting their parent star.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, published in MNRAS Letter

Sourcing Success: Assessment Techniques of Digital Cultural Heritage Crowdsourcing Projects

This study focuses on how libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural heritageinstitutions define and assess the success of online crowdsourcing projects. The researchwas conducted via a survey of twenty-two digital crowdsourcing projects ranging fromtranscription of digitized archival materials to wildlife documentation projects.The survey found that institutions had diverse reasons for undertaking crowdsourcingprojects and monitored project success through multiple assessment measures dependenton project goals. Survey respondents reported greater satisfaction with their projectoutcomes when they had identified at least one measurable goal prior to starting theproject. In general, survey respondents reported positive feelings about, and an interest infuture crowdsourcing projects as tools for description, community engagement, and userrecruitment.Master of Science in Library Scienc