The 'leadership-stakeholder involvement capacity' nexus in stakeholder management

It is accepted that stakeholders affect the achievement of organisational plans and that ineffective ‘stakeholder involvement’ in developmental initiatives can hinder the achievement of business objectives. Purposive case study research using the context of sustainability demonstrated that ‘stakeholder involvement’ (how stakeholders become active or inactive) is a complex process influenced by a range of interlinked internally and externally driven factors. Principally, the process is influenced by the type of leadership (leadership quality) and the capability of stakeholders to become involved (stakeholder involvement capacity). These two forces play a significant role in stakeholder involvement and constitute the main part of the ‘Leadership-Stakeholder Involvement Capacity’ (LSIC) nexus that is presented in this paper

Embedding stakeholders in sustainable tourism strategies

This research explains how the involvement of stakeholders in sustainable tourism (ST) strategies can be enhanced. The study was inspired by the persistent failure of ST proponents to recognise the significance of stakeholder management processes in the implementation of ST strategies. The ‘Traffic Light Routes’ framework is proposed with the Green Route forming the most desirable strategy for adoption by managers, and the Amber Route and the Red Route completing the construct. The ‘Traffic Light Routes’ emerged from a study of an award-winning ST initiative in the South West of the United Kingdom encompassing focus group research and interviews with a cross section of stakeholders. In recognition of the global significance of sustainable development, the ‘Traffic Light Routes’ framework contributes towards the bigger picture of ST realisation

Implementing sustainable tourism: a multi-stakeholder involvement management framework

Within the extensive body of literature on sustainable tourism (ST), its successful implementation is an emerging and important theme. The lack of or ineffective stakeholder participation is a major obstacle to ST realisation and there is little clarity as to how best to resolve this problem. This paper presents the findings of a purposive UK-based case study that evaluated stakeholder involvement in the implementation of ST. Using over fifty stakeholders’ accounts drawn from eight primary stakeholder groups, a ‘multi-stakeholder involvement management’ (MSIM) framework was developed. The MSIM framework consists of three strategic levels: attraction, integration and management of stakeholder involvement. Six stages are embedded within the three levels: scene-setting, recognition of stakeholder involvement capacity, stakeholder relationship management, pursuit of achievable objectives, influencing implementation capacity and monitoring stakeholder involvement. These are supported by the overarching notion of ‘hand-holding’ and key actions [e.g. managing stakeholder adaptability] that enhance stakeholder involvement in ST. Key words: Implementation, Sustainable Tourism, Stakeholder Involvement, Stakeholder framewor

Changes in consumer purchasing behavior due to COVID-19 pandemic

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the world is facing historical challenges without prior preparation. Because of the unavoidable economic crisis for the shutdown of numerous trade and industrial activities the COVID-19 pandemic has triggered substantial modifications in the habits of consumers all over the world. The pandemic has led to key changes in consumers purchasing and consumption behavior as the result of lockdown, social distancing, and uncertainty about the future due to its infectious nature. This study investigated the impact of the pandemic outbreak on consumers’ purchasing and consumption behavior in a developing country such as Bangladesh. An online survey was conducted for collecting data about the changes in buying behavior through a structured questionnaire. The research targeted 200 respondents belonging to different age-gender segments, qualifications & occupations, and household monthly income. The 191 completed responses had received and analyzed among 200 distributed structured questionnaires. The Partial Least Squares (PLS-SEM) method was applied, with the Smart PLS software v.3.3.2 for analyzing the proposed theoretical model and to test the developed hypotheses. The outcomes of the research strongly indicate that the health and safety concern, imposed restrictions, financial condition, surrounding environment-people, and other realities caused a remarkable change in consumer buying behavior. The outcomes of this study provide significant guidance to policy interventions, marketing decisions, and strategies for doing business as usual during and after the pandemic and perhaps add to the understanding of this unprecedented and ongoing phenomenon

Tourism entrepreneurship and social capital

Given that the tourism sector is dominated by small firms, tourism development is increasingly linked to the entrepreneurial behaviour of tourism businesses. Tourism entrepreneurship has made significant contributions to tourism destinations through the range of products and services offered in the accommodation, transportation, visitor attraction, travel organising and entertainment sectors. The potential of tourism as an engine for economic and social development underscores the importance of access to various forms of capital for small tourism enterprises, particularly in developing countries. One type of capital that is important is social capital - one that enables the acquisition of other capital assets to achieve economic development and good governance. Tourism entrepreneurship presents opportunities for bottom-up approaches to tourism development since tourism relies on local conditions e.g. physical infrastructure and the labour market. However, social capital accumulation is fundamental to achieving socio-economic goals

Sustainability and marketing for responsible tourism

Tourism is an amalgam of different interests weaving together both private sector and public sector organisations and initiatives. It is a criss-cross of sector businesses and organisations (attractions, accommodation, hospitality, activities, events, aviation, other modes of transport such as trains, ferries, hire car services etc), of scales of businesses from the micro-enterprises of families to the big multinationals, and of levels of destination from local areas of distinctive character to national countries and cross-border regions. Tourism relies on an integration of resources, built, natural, cultural and human (as hosts or residents) in a way not paralleled in non-tourism products, and the costs of these resources are largely not shouldered by its tourists or users. This fundamental nature of tourism - its intrinsic interdependence and its external costs - has ensured that sustainability has long been debated and practical action sought through the lens of different disciplines and stakeholder groups

Social value creation through tourism enterprise

Despite the role of social entrepreneurship to create social value and transformation, little is still known about how social value can be generated. Drawing upon the service dominant logic and entrepreneurship literature, the paper aims to identify the resource needs of a tourism social enterprise and evaluate the means by which these resources are mobilised. Twenty seven face-to-face interviews were conducted with key informants in a developing country case study context. The key resources required for social value creation in tourism are natural; financial; political and institutional and human capital. These resources enable the generation of social value at three levels with interlocking value creation processes: at an individual stakeholder level; at the meso level and at the macro-level. Strategies associated with resource mobilisation are stakeholder involvement and collaboration; and relationship development and local community empowerment. A shared understanding of the role of tourism and cultural values is critical

Festivalisation of edible [food] heritage and community participation: From a multi-stakeholder perspective

This chapter focuses on collaborative actions and alliances between local communities and stakeholders to develop a successful food-themed festival. A case study of the Tatebayashi Noodle Grand Prix in Japan identifies that the bottom-up approach, initiated by the Tatebayashi Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the private sector including the Udon Society of Tatebayashi, is the driver of regional redevelopment strategies. The case study also finds a different approach to rejuvenate an economically disadvantaged peripheral region, mainly agricultural region, using a food festival of which food heritage is in the centre of every effort of festival development, management and broader activities of destination marketing. The significance of food heritage as the fundamental of contemporary food product development in tourism is widely shared by the local communities, and stakeholders are actively involved in not only promotion of its food but also the education of intangible food heritage for younger generations