Effecting institutional change: The impact of some strategic issues on the integratiye use of IT in teaching and learning

This paper addresses the effective implementation of change through the identification of issues associated with three key institutional areas which, together, will ensure the effective'integration of multimedia technologies into teaching and learning. These are the need for a firm commitment of support at the institutional level, the development of an institutional strategy, with related staff‐development policies and programmes, and provision for students and academic staff to. acquire enabling IT skills through resource‐based learning as a means to maximize the benefits to be gained from the use of these new technologies. The essential conditions which ensure effective implementation ‐ communication between all stake‐holders, leadership by senior managers, responsive central services and a mixture of funding arrangements ‐ are discusse

Developing the Heritage Destination: An investigation of the implementation of strategic plans

This paper attempts to investigate the factors which are influential in the effective implementation of strategic planning in a heritage tourism setting. In particular, the paper looks at the respective roles of the public and private sectors in relation to creating an economically viable, augmented tourist experience from a core heritage resource, and the role of strategic planning in this process. This study is set within the context of a wider research programme which focuses on the strategic marketing planning of tourism at two heritage regions in Northern Ireland, which are made up of both publicly and privately owned resources. A conceptual model is presented, which serves to outline the marketing tasks of heritage tourism, making a distinction between strategic and operational dimensions and assigning each between public and private sectors. Findings are presented from in-depth interviews carried out with private sector tourism providers operating in the region

Enabling learning through technology: Some institutional imperatives

This paper considers the importance of the institution as the dynamic interpretative element on which will depend the successful integration of the learning technology developed through our national initiatives into the academic curricula of Higher‐Education institutions. Based on our experience of working on teaching technology programmes, within the framework of national and institutional initiatives, it is evident that the establishment of an institutional strategy, and its implementation in a supporting university‐wide programme of staff development and training, together with strong commitment at the senior managerial level, are imperatives which determine the successful integration of learning technology within academic institutions

The role of social work education in relation to empathy and self-reported resilience: Results from entry to exit of social work education on the island of Ireland during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all aspects of people’s lives worldwide, including the work of social workers and the education of social work students. Field placements are a significant part of social work education, but during the pandemic they were cut short and most teachings moved online. The current mixed methods study examined the effects of social work education on social work students’ empathy and resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic on the island of Ireland. A matched sample of forty-nine students completed an online survey at the start (T1) of their degree and at the end (T2). A further 229 students who only completed the T1 survey were compared to 70 others who only completed the T2 survey. The results showed improved resilience in the cohort comparison. There were no differences in empathy in the matched sample nor between the cohorts. Thematic analysis of students’ narratives showed that they found the switch to online learning difficult, with some reporting negative impacts on their mental health and the abrupt ending of placements impacting their feelings of preparedness for practice. Implications of this study and future research areas are discussed.</p

Social work students on the island of Ireland: a cross-sectional survey

Understanding the characteristics, motivations, and experiences of student social workers is important to inform their professional education and support needs. To date, there has been relatively little research about social work students in Ireland, both North and South. This study reports on an all-Ireland survey of students beginning their social work course in Autumn 2018 in the six Universities delivering social work education. It describes the characteristics of the student cohort, examines the motivations behind choosing this career, and highlights some of the potentially relevant life experiences and beliefs which may have contributed to their ambition to join the social work profession. Implications for social work education, recommendations for curriculum development, workforce planning, and the provision of appropriate support for students are discussed

The Role of Destination Marketing Organisation in Strategic Marketing Management for Tourism

Destination Marketing Organisations are central to the marketing of regional tourism. They fulfil several roles, including visitor servicing and product development as well as operating as an interface between public sector tourism initiatives and private sector businesses delivering tourism. Sheehan (2007) states that while considerable resources are targeted at DMOs, there is little known regarding the extent to which DMOs recognise stakeholders in their destinations and the problems that may occur between the two. This paper investigates the role of DMOs in the context of a wider research programme focusing on two heritage sites in Northern Ireland. In order to provide context for this research, a Northern Ireland wide study of Destination Marketing Organisations has been carried out

An investigation of Stakeholder Relationships in the Marketing of Tourism within Northern Ireland

Tourism is a high growth industry and there is increasing recognition that it must be managed and governed in a sustainable manner (Jamal and Getz 1995; Sautter and Leisen 1999; Gilmore and Simmons 2007; Gilmore et al. 2008). Tourism planners and managers operate at national, regional and local levels, and interaction is required at inter and intra sectoral level (Sautter and Leisen 1999; Wilson, Nielsen and Buultjens 2009). Tourism has some unique and individual characteristics which result in the need for a unique form of management, such as - Fragmentation of industry and infrastructure - Involvement of both public and private sector companies - Many companies are small – medium sized enterprises - Includes a variety of services and products (Gilmore 2003). The specific Northern Ireland context adds a further dimension in that the region is emerging from a sustained period of political instability. Political instability can have a negative impact on tourism (Altinay et al 2002; Gilmore et al 2008), and as such tourism is a relatively new focus on the Northern Ireland agenda. Within the tourism industry there is much focus on interactions and relationships as a result of conflicting directions among stakeholders (Sautter and Leisen 1999; Sheehan, Ritchie and Hudson 2007; Wilson, Nielsen and Buultjens 2009). Quite often there may be disagreement as to which stakeholder view should be prominent, and as to what objectives should be met. This results in a fragmented and disjointed approach to tourism management. Tourism planners and managers acknowledge that this fragmentation can negatively impact upon levels of coordination and cohesion within the tourism industry which consequently weakens the overall value of the tourism offering (Jamal and Getz 1995; Sheehan, Ritchie and Hudson 2007; Wilson, Nielsen and Buultjens 2009)

The Marketing concept in the 21st century: A review of how Marketing has been defined since the 1960s

The concept of marketing has been debated and evaluated regularly since marketing was recognised as a distinctive discipline and domain. Many definitions of marketing have been put forward over the years as each generation tries to capture what marketing is and what it means to them. Over the past 50 years, marketing has been redefined to fit new contexts, for example in not-for-profit, political and social sectors. In more recent years, new technology, techniques and media have brought with them more opportunities for re-defining marketing. These definitions often appear to dilute the meaning of marketing in some way, with the words marketing, sales, advertising, customer service and interactions used interchangeably and adapted by marketers or salespeople to suit their own job focus. Many definitions describe different facets and related terms but they do not always convey the much broader ideology and process that is part of marketing. Against this background this paper selects key definitions of marketing from the past 50 years and evaluates the differing perspectives offered by those definitions throughout the decades. Recurring themes used in definitions are presented decade by decade so that themes can be summarised and comparisons made. It then discusses the value and use of both traditional and more flexible definitions and interpretations of marketing for the 21st century