Communicating 'dual citizenship' - how do charities manage their reputation for 'good works' while undertaking commercial activities

Charities and not-for-profit organisations have traditionally eschewed commercial operations in favour of direct fund-raising from supporters. Building on Goodall’s (2000) exploration of sectoral values, it can be said that competitive pressures are driving charities to take on ‘dual citizenship’ through activity in both profit (commercial) and nonprofit (voluntary) sectors. In the United Kingdom, there are some 170,000 charitable organisations in England and Wales which generate £46 billion in annual revenue (UK Charity Commission 2008). There has, however, been little scholarly attention or professional focus on the impact that commercial trading by charities has on relations with key stakeholders, such as supporters, and upon the reputation of the community-focused organisations. This paper reports a case study of a UK charity and explores, using document analysis and phone interviews with supporter-stakeholders, their perceptions of the impact of commercial trading upon the organisation’s reputation as well as their relationship and level of engagement with the organisation. It found that donors are overwhelmingly in support of commercial activities, as long as these are aligned with the charity’s values. The study, however, also found that commercial activities should not deflect the charity from its perceived and announced mission. There were also lessons arising from the study on frequency and style of communication, and the relevance of models of communication, c.f. Grunig’s four descriptors, and measurements of relationships (Hon and Grunig 1999). The paper concludes with proposals for further research

Managing reputation for ‘good works’ while undertaking commercial activities: Communication best practice guidelines for charities

Charities and not-for-profit organisations have traditionally eschewed commercial operations in favour of direct fund-raising from supporters. Competitive pressures, however, are driving charities to take on ‘dual citizenship’ through activity in both profit (commercial) and nonprofit (voluntary) sectors. There has been little scholarly attention or professional focus on the impact that commercial trading by charities has on relations with key stakeholders, such as supporters, and upon the reputation of the community-focused organisations. This paper reports a case study of a UK charity and explores supporters’ perceptions of the impact of commercial trading upon the organisation’s reputation as well as their relationship and level of engagement with the organisation. It found that donors are in support of commercial activities, as long as these are aligned with the charity’s values. The study, however, also found that commercial activities should not deflect the charity from its perceived and announced mission

Managing reputation for ‘good works’ while undertaking commercial activities - communications best practice guidelines for charities

Charities and not-for-profit organisations have traditionally eschewed commercial operations in favour of direct fund-raising from supporters. Competitive pressures, however, are driving charities to take on ‘dual citizenship’ (Goodall 2000) through activity in both profit (commercial) and nonprofit (voluntary) sectors. There has been little scholarly attention or professional focus on the impact that commercial trading by charities has on relations with key stakeholders, such as supporters, and upon the reputation of the community-focused organisations. This paper reports a case study of a UK charity and explores supporters’ perceptions of the impact of commercial trading upon the organisation’s reputation as well as their relationship and level of engagement with the organisation. It found that donors are overwhelmingly in support of commercial activities, as long as these are aligned with the charity’s values. The study, however, also found that commercial activities should not deflect the charity from its perceived and announced mission

The Authenticity of Mass Tourism Attractions: Evidence from American Millennials Visiting the Tower of London

The concept of authenticity has been profoundly researched within Tourism Studies with multiple theoretical approaches in existence. Authenticity is considered a key motivational driver for prospective tourists within tourism destinations and has an immediate effect on return visitor intentions. Changing tourism trends observe new ways of uncovering authenticity and with the new demographic millennial travelers (the future of travel), searching for low budget, genuine backstage experiences, is on the rise. Cultural tourism is where people explore or experience a different way of life, reflecting on traditions, ethnicity and objects that may be unfamiliar. The presence of this concept in early theories of tourism has launched a vast discussion which continues in today’s academia considering Tourism Experience, Authenticity and Perceptions. It is the experience that will be the focus of this thesis, which aims to explore individual tourists’ perceptions of one of London’s most prodigious, commodified assets, the Tower of London and extend the interest of the concept authenticity. Guided by Wang’s (1999) constructivist typology, the research involves exploration of tourist recall and evaluates their observations through subjective recollection in relation to authenticity. The empirical study was conducted with five millennial participants, investigating experiential data using qualitative methodology (in-depth interviews), and analyzed using content analysis. Tourists were asked to evaluate the authenticity based on their understanding and experience of the concept, and any authentic/inauthentic aspects they encounter. The findings and discussion focus on the role of perceived authenticity as a measure of product quality and as a determinant of tourist satisfaction. This study analyzes the tourists’ experience at the cultural heritage attraction, addressing research gaps in tourist experience and discussing London as a heritage brand. The results revealed that a high perception of authenticity is desired and can be achieved even though commodification is present. Reconstruction is therefore a sustainable form of tourism development. Cultural authenticity is not impacted by the troubles of mass tourism, therefore, restoring, preserving and managing cultural buildings could fulfil the quest for authenticity. It was established that memorable experiences of London and the role of the American millennial tourist market has helped develop a tailored brand of heritage attractions in London for future tourists. Focusing on authenticity could help heritage managers and marketers better tailor their product

Digital Language & Literacy Narrative

The Digital Language Literacy Narrative (DLLN) focuses on informing our perspectives of language and literacy: how and why we presently learn certain mechanics of speaking, reading, and writing. Derived from societal realities--the belief that some languages are deemed “good” while others, not--this assignment strives to engage students in critical thinking and reading, by gaining practice as both the reader and writer in order to explore their own experiences and to understand how social differences can affect one’s own literacy

Decolonising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research

There is an important but unwieldy research policy infrastructure designed to engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research and researchers. This framework links the key performance indicators and policies of funders and institutions to researchers and communities. In this article, we explain the relevant policies and targets, with a view to showing how sector regulation interconnects in practice and identifying ways to strengthen institutional commitments to meaningful engagement with, and implementation of, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research policy. We suggest next steps that are needed to help researchers comply with funder and institution-mandated obligations and to empower Indigenous Peoples to make informed decisions about the benefits of research collaboration with universities

The 1-2-3 of Market Research for Business Startups: A Case Study in Library Instruction

This article describes a practical way to teach student entrepreneurs to search and use market data for business startup plans. The conventional way of teaching students to find articles and business intelligence based on a class assignment can be challenging for many students without an academic business background. This library instruction approach sequentially uses three databases enriched with business data and infographics to support the development of critical thinking for student entrepreneurs. It teaches entrepreneurial personality support, analysis, visualization, and market mapping

EFFECTIVENESS OF SERVICES IN FOSTER CARE FROM THE FOSTER PARENTS\u27 PERSPECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of foster parent perceptions of the services their foster youth were receiving. This study aimed to gather information based on how effective foster parents felt these services were in the hopes that this information can lead to better service provisions. This study conducted a secondary analysis of qualitative interviews of fifteen foster parents with foster children enrolled in Hesperia Unified School District. Qualitative data analysis revealed themes and subthemes in positive and negative experiences associated County versus school service referrals, as well as social worker communication with foster families. The study found that participants related effectiveness of services with social worker availability, communication, timeliness, and assistance with tasks. This study recommends County social workers are provided further training through their employer to develop more effective communication and follow-up skills. The study also recommends research be conducted with additional school districts within San Bernardino to gather a larger sample size of San Bernardino County foster parents

An Empirical Test of the Theory of Relationship Constraints

Agency theory has long been a stalwart of IS research and is one of the most commonly used lenses to study the relationship between a principal and an agent. The Theory of Relationship Constraints (TRC) has recently been recommended as an information-oriented alternative to agency theory. TRC suggests that three attributes (i.e., the level of information asymmetry, levels of tacit and explicit knowledge) affect the perceived efficacy of a relationship constraint. As the first empirical test of TRC, this study uses scenario analysis to show that, as these attributes change, so do the constraints that are perceived as effective. No single constraint, as predicted, is perceived to be universally effective. Under certain conditions, social versus legal constraints have greater perceived efficacy, but this varies with the three attributes. This research provides support for TRC and suggests insights for future research and current practice