Profiling of shelter campers, their attitudes, and perceptions towards environmental impacts of campsite use and management: Evidence from national parks of Sri Lanka

There is a dearth of research describing the campsite user segment and in assessing camp-site users’ perceptions of the bio-physical impacts of campsite use in Sri Lanka. Using a structured questionnaire, we evaluated campsite user characteristics, visitor motivations, behaviors, and how visitor experience is affected by visible biophysical impacts at campsites. Based on underlying visitor motivations derived through a Factor Analysis and Cluster Analysis, we identified three distinct segments of campsite users: Eco-tourists, Prestige seekers, and Adventure seekers. Results indicate that the overall cleanliness of the campsite is an important attribute that affects the visitor experience. The Ecotourist segment reported environmentally desired motives, attitudes and behaviours. However, majority of campsite users belong to the Prestige-seeker and Adventure-seeker segments. Prestige seekers in particular demand better facilities and proper maintenance of campsites. Additionally, Prestige seekers are more attractive as a market segment to target because they are high-income, well-educated individuals with pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors. Recommended management actions include increasing visitor awareness, monitoring, zonation of activity areas, and enforcement of park campsite user policies to ensure enhanced visitor experience

Potential of using poultry litter as a feedstock for energy production

The United States is the world's largest poultry producer and the second-largest egg producer and exporter of poultry meat. The annual poultry meat production in the U.S. totals over 43 billion pounds (USDA, 2009). In this 20 billion-dollar industry, about 80% of the production consists of broiler meat while turkey meat accounts for most of the remainder (USDA, 2010). According to the USDA 2007 Census of Agriculture, there are over 320,000 documented poultry farms nationwide, and each year millions of tons of poultry litter/manure are generated through these facilities

Assessment of chain-of-custody certification costs for sawnwood manufacturers in Peninsular Malaysia

In response to environmental concerns, over the past two decades, many environmental organisations, government entities, wood product manufacturers and other companies in wood products supply chains have developed standards to encourage consumers to purchase wood originating from certified sustainable forests. This paper focuses on the chain-of-custody (CoC) component of certification. A study involving sawnwood manufacturers in Malaysia was conducted to determine an accurate cost of obtaining a Malaysian Timber Certification Council (MTCC) CoC certificate. There are three types of costs to obtain a MTCC–CoC certificate: (1) cost to meet CoC standard or requirement (an indirect cost), (2) auditing cost (a direct cost) and (3) surveillance visit cost (a direct cost). Results indicated that the cost to meet CoC standard is the major component involving 96% of the total cost of certification, whereas the auditing and surveillance visit each only involved 2% of the total certification cost. None of the three CoC costs were statistically correlated with company size (as measured by annual sales) but there was a statistically significant relationship between cost of surveillance visit and company size when measured by annual production

Impact Factor: outdated artefact or stepping-stone to journal certification?

A review of Garfield's journal impact factor and its specific implementation as the Thomson Reuters Impact Factor reveals several weaknesses in this commonly-used indicator of journal standing. Key limitations include the mismatch between citing and cited documents, the deceptive display of three decimals that belies the real precision, and the absence of confidence intervals. These are minor issues that are easily amended and should be corrected, but more substantive improvements are needed. There are indications that the scientific community seeks and needs better certification of journal procedures to improve the quality of published science. Comprehensive certification of editorial and review procedures could help ensure adequate procedures to detect duplicate and fraudulent submissions.Comment: 25 pages, 12 figures, 6 table

Differences in Preferences Towards the Environment: The Impact of a Gender, Age and Parental Effect

The paper investigates empirically the differences in preferences towards protection of the environment. Using seven different dependent variables to focus on the impact of age, gender and children we use a large micro data set covering data from 33 Western and Eastern European countries. The results indicate that women have both a stronger preference towards the environment and a stronger willingness to contribute. Moreover, we observe the tendency of a negative correlation between age and environmental preferences. However, a positive effect is visible once we focus on the impact of age on social norms (environmental morale). Finally, we were not able to observe that having children is positively correlated with a stronger preference towards the environment

How previous visits shape trip quality, perceived value, satisfaction, and future behavioral intentions: The case of forest-based ecotourism in Sri Lanka

A better understanding on relationships between future behavioural intentions and its antecedents allow ecotourism operators to manipulate their ecotourism products to optimize customer satisfaction, and improve marketing efforts. Although the relationship between previous visits and future behavioural intentions have been previously studied, less attention has been given on understanding the process of how previous visits interact with other key determinants of behavioural intentions such as trip quality, perceived value, and satisfaction to form future behavioural intentions. This study proposes a model to examine the role of previous visits in predicting future behavioural intentions to participate in ecotourism, and the relationship between previous visits and future behavioural intentions is modelled in a quality-satisfaction domain. Results suggest previous visits, trip quality, satisfaction and perceived value as important predictors of ecotourists’ intention to revisit and recommend the destination, as well as their propensity to engage in ecotourism in the future. Trip quality was the most important determinant of future ecotourism behavioural intentions. Implications of the study are discussed in the perspective of ecotourism marketing

Understanding Ecotourist Behavior: The Case of Forest-based Ecotourism in Sri Lanka

Ecotourism is a fast-evolving sector in tourism. As consumers of ecotourism products become more diverse, ecotourism operators are facing the difficulty of meeting the needs and expectations of a heterogeneous client base. Therefore, a thorough understanding of ecotourist behavior has become important from the ecotourism management and marketing perspectives. Using forest-based recreational areas in Sri Lanka as the geographic focus, this study proposes an ecotourism behavioral model based on Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behavior, incorporating knowledge and satisfaction as predictors of ecotourism behavior. Results suggest that knowledge, attitudes, social influence and perceived behavioral control are important determinants of an individual's intention to participate in ecotourism, and his/her actual ecotourist behavior. Satisfaction plays a key mediating role in the model by bridging the four determinants: knowledge, attitudes, social influence and perceived behavioral control with behavioral intentions. Knowledge had a significant and positive direct effect on behavioral intentions and behavior. Implications of the study are discussed in the context of ecotourism provider planning and management actions and strategies

Changes in value-added wood product manufacturer perceptions about certification in the United States from 2002 to 2008

Certification is a voluntary mechanism which involves assessing either forest management practices or chain-of-custody tracking through supply chains against a set of standards. Certification is becoming an important market requirement particularly in value-added wood product sectors such as furniture, flooring and millwork. In 2002 and 2008 we conducted national studies in the United States to identify value-added wood industry perspectives and participation in certification and to see what has changed in the industry in the past 6 years. Results show that certification continues to be an important issue for the value-added wood products sector in the U.S. Certification awareness and participation have increased significantly from 2002-2008. The percent of respondents receiving premiums for certified products has increase d significantly from 2002-2008 and the percent of respondents incurring (non-raw material) costs for certified wood raw materials declined. Finally, 97% of respondents in 2008 said that they will continue to sell certified wood products in the future

Competing in the Global Economic Recession

The financial crisis that started in mid-2008 has led to a subsequent economic recession. Although officially declared over, global financial degradation may result in a ?double-dip? recession with no substantive relief in the near term. Consequently, fundamental shifts within global forestry and the forest industry sectors have taken place with disruptions, dislocations, and uncertainties felt through the entire chain from the forest to markets. This is the worst downturn for forest products markets since the first oil crisis in the 1970s. Manifestations have included decreased demand, fluctuating prices and changed exchange rates, increased competition, overcapacity, low profitability, wood supply problems, and competition for raw materials exacerbated by the emerging bio-based energy sector. Although the ability of the forest sector as a whole to experience strong growth during the recession and when recovery begins is doubtful, there are many actions that individual companies can take to create competitive opportunities during the crisis and solidify position when markets strengthen. This paper presents specific actions that can be taken to create or maintain competitive advantage across the forest sector supply chain in this time of crisis. Moving forward, companies will seek to create competitive advantages and in so doing they will adopt different strategic postures alongside making a variety of strategic adjustments. Although the future of the sector remains unclear, it is important to magnify some key areas at the intersection of economic recession and company responses. In this paper, we outline some key strategic considerations that may help companies both to prepare for and navigate through the crises that downward business cycles present. We begin with a suggestion for in-house business cycle forecasting capabilities to be adopted to better prepare companies for economic shocks. We then draw from previous research and briefly outline how various strategic postures during a recession can affect companies? post-recession performance. In the section that follows, our focus is on the leadership structures conducive to post-recession success, and finally, we discuss some key areas and strategies that can help ameliorate negative changes brought on by the Great Recession

Gender differences in determinants of job satisfaction among cooperative extension workers in the United States

This study compares levels of job satisfaction among male and female cooperative extension workers in the United States. There is a high level of job satisfaction among cooperative extension workers and no statistically significant differences between males and females. However, when modelling job satisfaction as a function of (1) Control/Autonomy/Influence, (2) Challenge, (3) Performance Measures, (4) Feedback, (5)Instrumentality and (6) Stability/Security, we detect gender differences. Women place a higher importance on job Stability/Security as a factor influencing job satisfaction. However, the levels of Feedback and Instrumentality are less important determinants of job satisfaction to females than to males.