Relations in the tourism supply chain

The critical review of publications in the field of economics and management allows one to state that research covering the tourism supply chain (TSC) is quite limited and non-exhaustive. The article presents the review of the most significant studies discussing the problems of the tourism supply chain. The authors attempted to indicate gaps in the existing models of the tourism supply chain and on that basis suggested their own model emphasizing, in particular, the relations occurring between its components. It takes into account additional elements, which have not been included so far, i.e. the complex and service oriented nature of a tourist product and its close relations with space, immobility of supply and mobility of demand, as well as the network structure of the tourism economy based on new technologies in terms of information and communication.Krytyczna analiza publikacji z zakresu ekonomii i zarządzania pozwala stwierdzić, że badania zagadnienia łańcucha dostaw w turystyce należą do nielicznych, a jednocześnie są niewyczerpujące. W artykule dokonano przeglądu najważniejszych prac poruszających problematykę łańcucha dostaw w turystyce. Autorki podjęły próbę wskazania niedostatków w dotychczas formułowanych modelach łańcucha dostaw w turystyce i w oparciu o nią zaproponowały własny model, w którym szczególny akcent położyły na relacje między jego ogniwami. Uwzględnia on dodatkowe elementy nie brane dotychczas pod uwagę, tj. złożony i usługowy charakter produktu turystycznego oraz jego ścisły związek z przestrzenią, niemobilność podaży i mobilność popytu, a także sieciowość gospodarki turystycznej opartą na nowych technologiach w zakresie informacji i komunikacji

Fan tourism and fan tourists: discussion on definitions and research issues

The purpose of the article is to systematize the concepts of fan tourism and fan tourists and an attempt has also been made to identify the profile of a fan tourist. There are certain research gaps in terms of defining the concept itself, therefore the authors have decided to investigate this. Literature analysis and criticism as well as synthesizing ideas were methods used in this work. The article presents the characteristics of fan tourism and a description of a fan tourist using psychological, social and economic criteria identified on the basis of a literature investigation. The following attributes were distinguished: the main motive of activity, emotional involvement, ‘extreme’ support, commitment to ideas, sympathy towards ideas, personal attendance at an event and the nature of a consumer or a prosumer when a fan tourist participates in an event personally. The concepts of a fan in general, fanatic and sports fan (kibic) were used in the process of identifying the characteristics of a fan tourist

Fanoturystyka i fanoturysta – głos w dyskusji nad definicjami i problematyką badawczą

Celem artykułu jest usystematyzowanie pojęć związanych z fanoturystyką i fanoturystą. Autorki opracowania podjęły także próbę sporządzenia profilu fanoturysty. Poprzez własne rozważania chcą wypełnić lukę badawczą w definiowaniu tego pojęcia. W pracy zastosowano metodę analizy, krytyki piśmiennictwa oraz syntezy. W artykule zaprezentowano charakterystykę fanoturystyki i opis fanoturysty, stworzony z wykorzystaniem zidentyfikowanych na podstawie przeglądu literatury kryteriów psychologicznych, społecznych oraz ekonomicznych. Autorki wyróżniły następujące atrybuty fanoturysty: główna motywacja do działania, zaangażowanie emocjonalne, radykalizm wsparcia, wierność idei, sympatia dla idei, uczestnictwo w widowisku oraz charakter klienta i prosumenta, w sytuacji gdy fanoturysta osobiście bierze udział w wydarzeniu. W procesie wyodrębniania cech fanoturysty zostały użyte pojęcia fana, fanatyka i kibica

Sharing economy – wyzwania społeczno-ekonomiczne dla lokalnej polityki turystycznej. Przypadek Barcelony

The article discusses problems of sharing economy impact on the local economy of tourism oriented cities, based on the case of Barcelona. It presents the directions influencing the developing socioeconomic trend on the functioning of enterprises, local budget and the life of residents. Particular attention was paid to the negative socio-economic impacts of the functioning of such platforms, acting as intermediaries in the exchange of sharing economy offer as: Airbnb and Uber. These effects provide incentives for the local authorities to implement changes in the local tourism policy. In case of Barcelona the discussed changes are predominantly of legal nature and remain oriented towards regulating the activities of entities operating within the framework of sharing economy in order to, on the one hand, increase control over them and, on the other, counteract unfair competition

The Innovation System of a Tourist Enterprise – a Model Approach

The objective of the paper attempting to construct a model of the tourist enterprise innovation system, which allows explaining the mechanism of innovation activities in tourism. The basic research method used is the subject literature analysis. The modelling is based on a descriptive method derived from the deduction method. The result of conducted research is a proposal of an innovation system for a tourist enterprise (ISTE). The presented paper is both a review and theoretical study

Wpływ wyboru fazy bramkowania na jakość rekonstruowanych obrazów tętnic wieńcowych w wielorzędowej spiralnej tomografii komputerowej

Background: Motion artifacts caused by cardiac movement disturb the imaging of coronary arteries with multidetector-row spiral computed tomography. The aim of this study was to determine the phase of the heart rate which provides the best quality of coronary artery imaging in retrospective ECG-gated CT. Material/Methods: Forty-five cardiac CT angiograms of 26 patients were retrospectively evaluated. The examinations were performed with a 4-detector-row tomograph. ECG-gated retrospective reconstructions were relatively delayed at 0%, 12.5%, 25%, 37.5%, 50%, 62.5%, 75%, and 87.5% of the cardiac cycle. Selected coronary arteries of the highest diagnostic quality were estimated in the eight phases of the cardiac cycle. Results: Only arteries of very high image quality were selected for analysis: left coronary artery trunks (44 cases, incl. 37 stented), anterior interventricular branches (36, incl. 3 stented), circumflex branches (16), right coronary artery branches (23), and posterior interventricular branches (4). The reconstruction phase had a statistically significant impact on the quality of imaging (p < .0003). Depending on the case, optimal imaging was noted in various phases, except in the 12.5% phase. The 75% phase appeared to be the best of all those examined (p < .05), both in the group of arteries without stents (p < .0006) and in those stented (p < .05). In some cases of repeated examinations the best phases differed within the same patient. Conclusions: Although 75% is usually the best reconstruction phase, the optimal phase should be established individually for the patient, artery, segment, and type of tomograph for the best imaging quality

Difficulties in the diagnostics of renal tumor in a child with tuberous sclerosis : case report

Background: Angiomyolipoma (AML) is the most common renal tumor in tuberous sclerosis (TS) patients. However, these patients also face an increased risk of malignant kidney neoplasms. Case report: A 7-year-old boy with a diagnosis of TS was sent for abdominal CT due to a single isoechoic tumor in the lower pole of left kidney, which was revealed in US. CT exam confirmed the presence of a hiperdense tumor which exceeded margins of the left kidney. The tumor was homogenously enhanced after contrast administration. The absence of regions of negative attenuation in CT and the isoechogenisity in US suggested rather malignant lesion than AML. Partial nephrectomy was performed. Subsequent pathologic examination classified the tumor as a low-fat AML. Conclusions: Radiological diagnosis of low-fat AML is difficult and requires a careful differentiation from other lesions

Temperature Effects Explain Continental Scale Distribution of Cyanobacterial Toxins

Insight into how environmental change determines the production and distribution of cyanobacterial toxins is necessary for risk assessment. Management guidelines currently focus on hepatotoxins (microcystins). Increasing attention is given to other classes, such as neurotoxins (e.g., anatoxin-a) and cytotoxins (e.g., cylindrospermopsin) due to their potency. Most studies examine the relationship between individual toxin variants and environmental factors, such as nutrients, temperature and light. In summer 2015, we collected samples across Europe to investigate the effect of nutrient and temperature gradients on the variability of toxin production at a continental scale. Direct and indirect effects of temperature were the main drivers of the spatial distribution in the toxins produced by the cyanobacterial community, the toxin concentrations and toxin quota. Generalized linear models showed that a Toxin Diversity Index (TDI) increased with latitude, while it decreased with water stability. Increases in TDI were explained through a significant increase in toxin variants such as MC-YR, anatoxin and cylindrospermopsin, accompanied by a decreasing presence of MC-LR. While global warming continues, the direct and indirect effects of increased lake temperatures will drive changes in the distribution of cyanobacterial toxins in Europe, potentially promoting selection of a few highly toxic species or strains.Peer reviewe

The idea of corporate social responsibility and the practice of enterprises

Celem artykułu jest identyfikacja istoty, rodzajów społecznej odpowiedzialności biznesu i zbadanie wdrożenia jej zasad w praktyce przedsiębiorstw. Do realizacji tak sformułowanego celu zastosowano analizę literatury i zasobów internetowych instytucji zajmujących się badaniem praktyki wdrażania idei społecznej odpowiedzialności biznesu, a także studium przypadku. W wyniku przeprowadzonych badań można stwierdzić, iż mimo rosnącej popularności koncepcji społecznej odpowiedzialności biznesu, w Polsce nadal obserwujemy działania o charakterze doraźnym, z przewagą projektów w dziedzinie społecznej. Wdrażanie tych zasad napotyka wiele barier, m.in. konieczność silnego zaangażowania kierownictwa w celu wdrożenia teoretycznych zasad koncepcji i problemy komunikacyjne. CSR postrzegane jest często jako przede wszystkim sposób kreowania wizerunku, ale w zestawieniu z celami biznesowymi polityka społecznej odpowiedzialności biznesu nie jest traktowana strategicznie. Jednym z powodów takiego podejścia może być niedostatek wyników badań zdecydowanie potwierdzających efektywność ekonomiczną zastosowania koncepcji CSR w praktyce.The objective of the article is to identify the concept and types of corporate social responsibility and to analyse the implementation of its principles in the practice of enterprises. In order to carry out those objectives, an analysis has been applied, consisting of researching the literature and Internet resources belonging to institutions that examine the practice of CSR implementation. A case study has also been carried out. The results of the conducted research may be concluded as such: despite the growing popularity of the CSR concept, in Poland such activities are mostly of temporary nature, the majority of the projects pertaining to the social area. The implementation of CSR principles comes across many obstacles, among others the need of strongly engaging the management in order to implement the theoretical principles of CSR and because of communication problems. CSR is often observed mainly as a way of creating an image, but - compared to business objectives - CSR policy is not considered strategically important. One of the reasons for such an approach may be the insufficiency of research results that definitely confirm the economic effectiveness of applying CSR in practice

THE COOPERATION OF ENTITIES FOCUSED ON CREATING AND STRENGTHENING THE IMAGE OF A TOURIST REGION – NETWORK THEORY PERSPECTIVE

Celem artykułu jest wyjaśnienie mechanizmu współpracy podmiotów na rzecz kreowania wizerunku regionu turystycznego. W artykule zastosowano teorię sieci do wyjaśnienia mechanizmu współpracy podmiotów na rzecz kreowania wizerunku regionu turystycznego. Jest to uzasadnione z uwagi na przyjętą w artykule szeroką definicję produktu turystycznego (złożony produkt turystyczny) Gołembskiego, nawiązującą do modelu systemu turystycznego Leipera. W artykule przedstawiono najważniejsze teorie i koncepcje ekonomiczne dające możliwość badania współpracy w turystyce. Następnie w oparciu o krytyczną analizę literatury przedstawiono dynamiczny model budowania współpracy w celu kreowania wizerunku regionu turystycznego z perspektywy poziomu interakcji (relacji). W wyjaśnianiu uwarunkowań współpracy zaprezentowano również moduły sieciowej kreacji wizerunku w połączeniu z mechanizmem koordynacji sieci.The purpose of this article is to explain the mechanism of entities’ cooperation, focused on creating the image of a tourist region. Network theory was applied in the article to explain the mechanism of entities’ cooperation aimed at creating the image of a tourist region product. It is justified based on the adopted, broad definition of a tourist product (complex tourist product) by Gołembski and referring to Leiper’s tourism system model. The article presents the most important economic theories and concepts offering an opportunity to analyze cooperation in tourism. Next, based on the critical analysis of subject literature, a dynamic model for establishing cooperation in order to create an image of a tourist region, from the perspective of interaction (relation) level. While explaining the cooperation mechanism the author also presented the modules of network image creation, along with the mechanism of network coordination