Action Research in Hospitality and Tourism Research

In the context of tourism and hospitality studies, the potential of action research for generating robust actionable knowledge has not been yet realized. This chapter provides an account of the theory and practice of action research, demonstrates how it may be designed and implemented, and how it may generate actionable knowledge. It provides illustrative examples and shows how this research approach aligns effectively with some of the themes that currently engage the attention of researchers in the fields of tourism and hospitality such as process improvement, sustainability, and community-based tourism development. Thus, it makes a case for more widespread use of action research in the field

International Research Project on Job Retention and Return to Work Strategies for Disabled Workers: Study Report USA

[Taken from Preface] The International Research Project on Job Retention and Return to Work Strategies for Disabled Workers is an initiative of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Global Applied Research and Information Network on Employment and Training (GLADNET). It reflects ILO and GLADNET joint aims of establishing a base for cross-national research and strengthening links between research analysis and policy reform in the field of employment of disabled people. The Project is a response to a combination of developments which highlight the need for more effective policies and practices in support of workers whose prospects of remaining in employment are jeopardised by work injury, illness or disability. Persons with disabilities are increasingly claiming rights to stay in work as well as to access employment. Pressures on state budgets, the rising costs of compensation claims and disability benefits, and changes in the structure of the labour market are strengthening policies in favour of job retention and return to work. Enterprises are developing their own strategies to minimise the costs of disability and to retain valued employees. Overall, the balance of responsibility is shifting from the state to the enterprise

Differences in Thermal Tolerance Between Two Thermally Isolated and Genetically Indistinct Populations of \u3ci\u3eParagnetina Media\u3c/i\u3e (Walker) (Plecoptera: Perlodidae)

The critical thermal maximum (CTM) of Paragnetina media (Walker) (Plecoptera: Perlodidae) was studied at two sites of the Big Sable River in northwestern Lower Michigan during summer 2013. The sites were separated by ~8 km and differed in temperature by ~1°C in the early spring to ~5°C in mid-summer. Individual P. media specimens from the warm site had consistently higher CTM when acclimated to the mean temperature of the two sites for 3 days prior to experimental trials during May, June, and July. When acclimated for an additional 3 days to a higher or lower temperature, this thermal disadvantage disappeared. Groups of individuals from both sites simultaneously acclimated to both site temperatures for 3 days exhibited similar CTMs, except that cold site specimens acclimated to the cold temperature had a lower CTM than the other treatments. Sequencing of the CO1 gene revealed that nearly 75% of specimens shared a single haplotype, which was found in both warm and cold site individuals. Our results suggest that both long term and short term thermal history can influence thermal tolerance within populations of the same species that do not appear genetically distinct

Unpacking action research and implementation science: Implications for nursing

Aim The aim of this study was to unpack the key concepts of action research and implementation science thereby enabling appropriate use of these methods in nursing. Background A key issue in action research is not so much the methodology employed to gather data/evidence but who decides the research agenda and who benefits from it. Implementation science is a way to ensure that evidence is translated into practice. The question arises as to how action research and implementation may be understood in relation to one another in nursing. Design Discussion Paper Data sources This discussion paper is based on our own experiences and offers an exploration of action research and implementation science with the aim of clarifying what each involves and what synergies, if any, exist between them. Implications for Nursing Using action research to secure the voice of patients in their own care is essential to delivering quality nursing care. Using implementation science frameworks to get research evidence into practice is effective. Familiarity with both these concepts may enable their improved use and have a positive impact on quality of care. Conclusion There is a tension between action researchers and the protagonists of implementation science related to perceived “trade offs” between what constitutes “science” and the necessity of community participation. Nevertheless, the use of an implementation science framework in an action research approach can reduce the research practice time lag and action research provides sound theoretical and philosophical underpinnings that can be used by those in the implementation science field

The Employment Service-Unemployment Insurance Partnership: Origin, Evolution, and Revitalization

This study traces the origin and evolution of the partnership between the employment service and unemployment insurance programs in the United States. We examine objectives of the framers of the Wagner-Peyser and Social Security Acts that established these programs. Using primary sources, we then analyze early actions of the architects of social insurance to facilitate cooperation between the two programs to meet economic exigencies, grapple with political cronyism, and surmount legal barriers. We also discuss factors that caused changes in the employment service–unemployment insurance partnership over time. We identify reasons for the erosion in cooperation starting in the 1980s, and explain why ever since there has been a continuous decline in service availability. Reviewing evidence on the effectiveness of in-person employment services for unemployment insurance beneficiaries, we suggest ways to revitalize the employment service–unemployment insurance partnership. We explore the source of Wagner-Peyser Act funding, how it was formalized, then eroded, and how it can be renewed

The Bi-axial Behaviour of Shear Connectors in Composite Slabs and Beams

The use of composite beams which utilise steel beams together with a composite steel sheet/concrete floor slab is well developed. Many forms of steel profile are used and the form of attachment to the steel beam is generally by welded shear studs or shot-fired shear connectors. The design procedures for these beams require a knowledge of the shear capacity of the connectors which may be influenced by the type of profile being used for the beam. This shear capacity is often deduced from information obtained from standard push-off tests which mayor may not include in the test set-up the actual profile type to be used. There is variation between countries in the test procedures used for push-out tests; parametric studies on the sample size and loading procedures have not produced a definitive model. The proposed Eurocode 4 version has a test set up for the push-off tests which is broadly similar to past types but introduces an element of cyclic loading. The development of composite floors has seen improvements in profile design leading to more efficient shear transfer. Work has also been carried out to increase the load capacity for these slabs by the use of end anchorages. These anchorages which prevent the slip of the profile steel sheet relative to the concrete are generally shear connectors attached to the supporting beams through the profiled steel sheet. In the majority of practical design cases the connectors used for the composite beam will, designed for or not, be capable of providing some force at right angles to the beam axis in the direction in which the slab is spanning. In an early reference to this behaviour design account need only be taken if the connector was designed for such two-way action. It, therefore, appeared necessary to consider how this two-way or biaxial behaviour affected the capacity of the shear connector when designed to act either in one or both directions. Certain codes referred to the capacity in both directions as a function of the traditional push-off value but this has been demonstrated as not being the case

Exploring and Exploiting the Dynamics of Networks in Complex Applied Research Projects: A Reflection on Learning in Action

Since 1984, the European Union (EU) has supported research and development activities covering almost all scientific disciplines through a series of multi-annual Framework Programmes. The current programme is Horizon 2020. Common across the key indicators of research project performance have been actions by companies, including introduce and test innovations new to the company or the market. Initiatives to achieve these objectives require researchers to generate transdisciplinary knowledge in partnership with practitioners as co-researchers. This paper reflects on the authors’ experience of engaging in five EU-funded complex applied research projects over 20 years. The paper locates the process of the five projects in network action learning and Mode 2 knowledge production. It offers a theoretical framework expressed in three hypotheses to guide those who design and implement projects, those who approve and provide funding, and those who exploit and build upon the resulting research