Implementing constructivist approach into online course designs in Distance Education Institute at Eastern Mediterranean University

Change and development in work settings for better working practice through projects has become essential. My work-based research has a significant role to contribute innovative practice of Distance Education Institute at Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) by European University Association (EUA) norms. The research is aimed to investigate implementing constructivist approach into online course designs to develop learning and skills of the online students based on teamwork inspiration within the institute. Action research approach was employed in this qualitative research in order to provide insights on how to prepare and design online courses based on the constructivist approach. Training, in-depth interviews, documentary analysis, focus group, research diary and semi-structured interviews, self-report based on scaling were employed as data collection techniques to gather large amount of data from online tutors, students and core members of institute in relation to their collaborative efforts and experiences within the process. Furthermore, triangulated data was analyzed based on content analysis in this inductive journey. The results revealed that members and the tutors had no prior knowledge and experience on team work culture and the principles of constructivist approach into online course designs. As a result of this research process, team work culture was developed within the institute through participatory action research process. In this respect, implementing constructivist approach into online course designs based collaborative efforts and synergy power of the tutors developed reasoning, critical thinking, team work, communication skills of students. My project supported the quality improvements in online education practices within higher education institution

Emotional intelligence: a competitive advantage for tourism and hospitality managers

The purpose of this paper is to provide a better understanding of tourism and hospitality management through exploring the perceptions of and the application of emotional intelligence (EI) in the practices of managers. The effect of EI on improving business performance is widely acknowledged in business and management studies. However, there is limited research in the context of tourism and hospitality industries. The paper contributes to the literature through a qualitative study of the perceptions and experiences of middle-level managers. Data was collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews conducted in tourism and hospitality organisations in the UK. The findings of the study reveal that EI can have a positive contribution to improving staff satisfaction, motivation and overall business productivity. They highlight the importance of building quality relationships among staff and the critical role middle management has in an organisation. Based on the finding from the qualitative inquiry, the authors propose a model conceptualising the role of managers’ EI in creating a competitive advantage for the organisation. Practical implications are discussed and recommendations for further research are provided

Estimating the evolution of elasticities of natural gas demand: the case of Istanbul, Turkey

Much of the existing literature on demand for natural gas assumes constant and single-value elasticities, overlooking the possibility of dynamic responses to the changing conditions. We aim to fill this gap by providing individual time series of short-run elasticity estimates based on maximum entropy resampling in a fixed-width rolling window framework. This approach does not only enable taking the variability of the elasticities into account, but also helps obtain more efficient and robust results in small samples in comparison with conventional inferences based on asymptotic distribution theory. To illustrate the methodology, we employ monthly time-series data between 2004 and 2012 and analyze the dynamics of residential natural gas demand in Istanbul, the largest metropolitan area in Turkey. Our findings reveal that the elasticities of the demand model do not remain constant and they are sensitive to the economic situation as well as weather fluctuations