Estudos transmodernos críticos do turismo: um chamado à esperança e transformação

En este trabajo, se compromete con una amplia gama de literatura que proporciona evidencia de un emergente y significativo cambio de paradigma en la evolución humana cuando nos enfrentamos a un mundo cada vez más angustiado e insostenible que pide a gritos algo de esperanza y transformación. Para describir este cambio, los diferentes autores utilizan una variedad de términos, como paradigma de la transmodernidad (Ghisi); filosofía transmoderna de la liberación política (Dussel); tríada hegeliana dialéctica de la tesis, antítesis y síntesis (Magda), paradigma de los sistemas de vida/reflexivos (Elgin), modelo de asociación de la economía del cuidado (Eisler), conciencia global de las relaciones y políticas de la biosfera (Rifkin). En la revisión de una amplia gama de estas perspectivas, voy a argumentar que el turismo es actualmente uno de los principales indicadores que pone de manifiesto el cambio global en la conciencia humana. En consecuencia, un compromiso con la crítica transmoderna en los estudios del turismo y esperanzados en que las becas en turismo nos den un enorme peso político para apuntar a la agencia y la autoridad del turismo un posible cambio al mundo, contribuirá para mejorar y ayudar en los anhelos por una economía mundial más solidaria y de la sociedad. De este modo, por fin podremos penetrar en los discursos públicos y cambiar sus interpretaciones dominantes del turismo como nada más que una actividad de ocio frívolo o, también, como otra forma de desarrollo económico.Neste texto, se analisa uma ampla literatura que aponta para a configuração de um paradigma emergente e significativo na evolução humana, tendo em vista um mundo cada vez mais problemático e não sustentável que grita por esperança e transformação. Para descrever esta mudança, diferentes autores usam uma variedade de termos, tais como paradigma da transmodernidade (Ghisi); filosofia transmoderna de libertação política (Dussel); tríade da tese, antítese e síntese da dialética Hegeliana (Magda); paradigma reflexivo/dos sistemas vivos (Elgin); modelo de parceria de capacidade econômica (Eisler); consciência global relacional e política da biosfera (Rifkin). Ao revisar uma gama destas perspectivas, argumento que o turismo é, na realidade, um dos indicadores chave que se manifestam na mudança global de consciência humana. Assim, um envolvimento com estudos críticos transmodernos do turismo e atividades turísticas de esperança nos dão um peso político enorme para apontar a função e autoridade do turismo para possivelmente mudar o mundo para melhor e ajudá-lo no desejo de uma economia e sociedade global mais consciente. Ao fazer isso, nós podemos, finalmente, penetrar os discursos públicos e mudar a sua perspectiva dominante do turismo como sendo nada mais que uma atividade fútil de lazer ou mais uma forma de desenvolvimento econômico.In this paper I engage with a broad range of literature that provides evidence of an emerging and significant paradigm shift in human evolution as we face an increasingly distressed and unsustainable world that screams for some hope and transformation. To describe this shift, different authors use a variety of terms, such as transmodernity paradigm (Ghisi); transmodern philosophy of political liberation (Dussel); Hegelian dialectical triad of thesis, antithesis and synthesis (Magda); reflective/living-systems paradigm (Elgin); partnership model of caring economics (Eisler); relational global consciousness and biosphere politics (Rifkin). Reviewing a broad range of these perspectives, I will argue that tourism is actually one of the key indicators that manifest the global shift in human consciousness. In consequence, an engagement with transmodern critical tourism studies and hopeful tourism scholarship gives us an enormous political weight to point to the agency and authority of tourism to possibly change the world for the better and assist it in its longings for more caring global economy and society. In doing so, we can finally penetrate public discourses and change their dominant interpretations of tourism as being nothing more than a frivolous leisure activity or yet another form of economic developmen

Globalization, an Ongoing Cycle of the World’s Socioeconomic Convergence and Divergence?

Globalization is one of the most hotly debated and discussed topics of our time; it is the most influential force in the world today. Among the wider subject of globalization is a plethora of related and interconnected subjects and areas, which together are all part of the phenomena in question. The impression is that recent the developments of information, communications and technologies (ICT) have made the world a ‘smaller place’ to live in and thus more globalized. This could also be an exaggeration of the current volumes of globalization being experienced, the truth may be that greater affluence and divisions of labour are simultaneously facilitating divergence of cultures, the widespread use of the term ‘think global, act local’ could be a social and cultural symptom or indicator of the early stages of such a world wide trend. This paper, based on a number of selected references and additional reading, provides a critical account on the globalization and its predictability

An entrepreneurship perspective on the formation and growth of business groups in the small business sector

This thesis is a contribution to our understanding of business groups in the small busi-ness sector. Specifically, its aim is to verify to what extent the consideration of entrepre-neurial processes can advance our understanding of this phenomenon. A ‘business group’ is a set of companies which are legally distinct but belong to the same person or people. Despite the significant presence of business groups in the small business sector, most of the literature on business groups addresses large groups. This study demonstrates that the available theories of business groups – the financial and the diversification theories – are not able to explain the presence and characteristics of business groups in the small business sector. Given the little work done on the issue, the research strategy involves the use of both, quantitative and qualitative methods. Quantitative methods are used to test propositions deduced from available models of business groups; qualitative methods, based on case studies and direct interviews, are used to get new insights about the phenomenon and develop theoretical propositions. Quantitative analyses refer to the population of Italian business groups; case studies and interviews refer to a sample of business groups in the Marche region (Italy). The business group is an organizational form used by portfolio entrepreneurs to grow and diversify the businesses under their control. By using cross sectional and longitudinal analyses this study shows that in the small business sector diversification is a substitute strategy for growth in the original business. Moreover, this study demonstrates that the diversification theory is not able to explain the setting up of a business group as in most cases the degree of diversification observed in small groups is very low. The thesis demonstrates that entrepreneurial processes associated with the exploitation of new business opportunities by portfolio entrepreneurs play a crucial role in explaining the formation and characteristics of business groups. The start-up phase is critical for the success of a new business as it requires complete dedication of time and attention by the entrepreneur to continuously adjust the planned actions to the unforeseen events and un-predictable contingencies that are typical of this phase. The legal autonomy granted to the new venture helps focus resources and monitor results. In addition to this and more than anything else, legal autonomy allows entrepreneurs to modify the ownership structure of the new business and give minority shares to people involved in the start-up. The financial explanation of business groups stresses the importance of legal autonomy as a way for manipulating the ownership structure of new businesses, to raise outside equity. The thesis demonstrates that the causal relationship is the opposite of that hypothesised by the financial explanation: it is not so much the aim of raising outside equity that determines the involvement of external shareholders as the need to involve and motivate people in the start up of the new business that induces entrepreneurs to sell minority shares in it, thus enlarging the entrepreneurial team. By involving other people in the start-up of new ventures, portfolio entrepreneurs enhance their ability to enter new businesses while retaining ownership and control of the ones already established. The empirical analysis revealed the existence of three different patterns: joint venture with established entrepreneurs, employee involvement and intrapreneurship. The first is when new ventures are set up with other established entrepreneurs. The second is when the entrepreneur gives a share of the new company to an employee to secure his/her involvement in the start-up of a new venture (employee involvement). The third is when the new business is established as a result of the inspiration of an ‘intrapreneurial’ employee who takes major responsibility for the development of the business. As well as the discovery and analysis of these three forms, the thesis provides a theoretical explanation of entrepreneurial team development in business groups, based on the problems faced by portfolio entrepreneurs in allocating time and attention between the running of established businesses and the exploitation of new business opportunities. By integrating the latter explanation with other models of business groups the thesis provides a more general framework for understanding the formation and dynamics of business groups in the small business sector. The thesis also provides contributions to explain the formation and dynamics of entrepreneurial teams in a multi business context and in situations where there is a ‘dominant’ or ‘lead’ entrepreneur and one or more ‘associate’ or ‘sub’ entrepreneurs. Studying the formation and evolution of business groups poses several methodological problems, as groups are complex systems, characterised by the presence of several companies, different architectural structures and a multi-business context. The thesis provides methodological contributions on the ways to represent the current structure of business groups and on how to analyse their evolution over time.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Why are Some Engaged and Not Others? Explaining Environmental Engagement among Small Firms in Tourism

This paper examines the reasons for different levels of environmental engagement among small firms in tourism. Drawing on theories of motivation, notably Social Cognitive Theory, Motivation Systems Theory and Goal Orientation Theory, as well as the literature on environmental sensitivity, it proposes a novel conceptual framework that is subsequently used to inform an empirical study. The findings of the research suggest that varying levels of environmental engagement may be explained by differences in worldviews, self-efficacy beliefs, context beliefs and goal orientation. The paper concludes by considering the policy implications of the results. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Lifestyle travellers: Backpacking as a way of life

Scholarship on backpackers speculates some individuals may extend backpacking to a way of life. This article empirically explores this proposition using lifestyle consumption as its framing concept and conceptualises individuals who style their lives around the enduring practice of backpacking as ‘lifestyle travellers’. Ethnographic interviews with lifestyle travellers in India and Thailand offer an emic account of the practices, ideologies and social identity that characterise lifestyle travel as a distinctive subtype within backpacking. Departing from the drifter construct, which (re)constitutes this identity as socially deviant, the concept of lifestyle allows for a contemporary appraisal of these individuals’ patterns of meaningful consumption and wider insights into how ongoing mobility can lead to different ways of understanding identities and relating to place. Keywords: lifestyle consumption; backpacker; mobility; drifter; identit

Sustainability motivations and practices in small tourism enterprises in European protected areas

A survey of around 900 tourism enterprises in 57 European protected areas shows that small firms are more involved in taking responsibility for being sustainable than previously expected, including eco-savings related operational practices but also reporting a wide range of social and economic responsibility actions. Two-step cluster analysis was used to group the firms in three groups based on their motivations to be sustainable. Business driven firms implement primarily eco-savings activities and are commercially oriented. Legitimization driven firms respond to perceived stakeholder pressure and report a broad spectrum of activities. Lifestyle and value driven firms report the greatest number of environmental, social and economic activities. No profile has a higher business performance than average. The study has implications for policy programmes promoting sustainability behaviour change based primarily on a business case argument

Corporate Social Responsibility in Tourism Small and Medium Enterprises. Evidence from Europe and Latin America

While there is a growing literature related with corporate social responsibility (CSR) in hospitality and tourism large firms, much remains to be done in the case of CSR in tourism small and medium enterprises (SMEs). In this paper we provide three studies regarding this particular aspect through the evidence present in different destinations: Catalonia, European natural parks and Chile. Among the conclusions that can be highlighted is the prevalence of altruism in the reasons for being responsible, the introduction of increasingly advanced measures or their impact on different business variables, and the link to financial performance