Demographic Data Relating to Deprivation and Inclusion for the Eight CYPSC Regions In Kerry

This document provides population and household data relating to deprivation for the eight CYPSC areas in Kerry. All data are from the 2011 Census, which means that the figures are not current. However these data were chosen because their availability at appropriate geographic level (District Electoral Division), allowing aggregation into Children and Young People Services Committee regions as other, more recent, data is not available at this level of geographical detail. The data can be updated in approximately 18 months using figures from the 2016 census.1 The following information is provided in the report for each of the eight CYPSC regions: Population Number of children Size of family units Number of single parent households Persons age 15 or older by economic status ie at work, unemployed, retired etc Population by social class ie professional, managerial and technical, non-manual, skilled manual, semi-skilled, unskilled Persons aged 15 and over by highest level of education completed Number of households by type of occupancy Persons with a disability by age group Persons at work by occupation Number of private households with a personal computer These data are presented in Sections 2-7 in the main body of the report and Appendix A provides a list of DEDs in each region. The report begins with an overall comparison of all 8 CYPSC regions using the Pobal deprivation index (Haase and Pratschke, 2012)

Action Research in Hospitality and Tourism Research

In the context of tourism and hospitality studies, the potential of action research for generating robust actionable knowledge has not been yet realized. This chapter provides an account of the theory and practice of action research, demonstrates how it may be designed and implemented, and how it may generate actionable knowledge. It provides illustrative examples and shows how this research approach aligns effectively with some of the themes that currently engage the attention of researchers in the fields of tourism and hospitality such as process improvement, sustainability, and community-based tourism development. Thus, it makes a case for more widespread use of action research in the field

Soft skills development in Hospitality, Tourism and Event Management education

Soft skills are skills such as interpersonal and social skills, communication skills, teamwork and the ability to self motivate. Numerous studies have shown that employers in the tourism, hospitality and events sectors place high value on soft skills when recruiting new employees, yet these skills can often be underdeveloped in graduates of tourism and hospitality programmes (Stietska-Ilina et al. 2005, Nyanjom and Wilkins 2016). This in part because unlike hard skills, which are more technical in nature and as a result, measurable, soft skills can be difficult to measure, document and assess in third level education programmes. This paper reports on an ongoing Organizational Development initiative to embed soft skills development in tourism, hospitality and events management degree programmes in a school in a third level institution in Ireland. We present data gathered from students, lecturers and employers in the sector who were asked what skills they believed were required by graduates. The results indicate that although there is general agreement that soft skills are key, there is some disparity between which skills are most valued by the three cohorts. The challenges of this finding are explored. Utilizing this data and related European initiatives the paper also presents a framework for measuring and documenting soft skills development with the aim of encouraging the legitimization and institutionalization of soft skills development in tourism, hospitality and events. This research will be of use to educators interested in embedding soft skills within education and training programmes. References: Nyanjom J. & Wilkins H. (2016) The Development of Emotional Labor Skill in Food and Beverage Practical Training, Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Education, 28:4,178-188. Strietska-Ilina O., Tessaring H., Dworschak B., Schmidt S.L., Freikamp H. & Mytek K. (2005) Trends and Skills Needs in Tourism. Office for the Official Puyblication of the European Comission: Luxembourg

Information-seeking Behaviour of Nurses: Where is Information Sought and What Processes are Followed?

Aim This paper is a report of a study on how nurses inform their decision-making in the workplace Background Despite the growing availability of research evidence, nurses have been slow to adopt it into their daily decision-making. Method The study was undertaken in Ireland between 2006 and 2007 using a sequential mixed methods approach. In phase 1, the views of a quota sample of 29 nurses were explored using semi-structured interviews incorporating vignettes. Phase 2 involved the design and dissemination of a survey to a disproportionate stratified random sample of 1356 nurses. The response rate was 29%. Findings In decision-making, nurses accessed other people, especially nursing colleagues, the most frequently. Sources that provided prepackaged information such as guidelines were favoured over sources that provided access to original research. The process of information-seeking for routine and non-routine decisions was different. Nurses making routine decisions relied mostly on their experience and an assessment of the patient. In non-routine decision-making, participants experienced more uncertainty about their decisions. Accordingly, sources of information used were more varied and the information-seeking process more extensive. The study highlighted the complexities of establishing whether information used in decision-making is research based or not. Conclusion Routine practices should be reviewed and updated regularly through organizational mandates, as nurses do not generally question them. Research information to inform non-routine decision-making must be easily available to nurses in their workplace, as information searches generally prioritize finding enough, rather than the best, information to make a decision

Developing Food Tourism Networks: A Practical Manual

There is no one‘right’way to collaborate to develop food tourism but the aim of this manual is to provide you with advice on good practice illustrated by case studies from home and abroad. The advice provided is based on research with three committees based in Ireland who were directly or peripherally involved in developing food tourism, as well as decades of research on collaboration, networks, tourism and food tourism. Throughout the manual are exercises which will help apply this advice to your region and circumstances, key facts which provide evidenced based research information and insights from members of the three committees. You are also pointed towards various websites which provide further information on various aspects of food tourism

An Exploration of the Motivations Behind Committee Membership in Food Networks

Food Tourism has been recognised as a fast growing niche area where Ireland can gain competitive advantage. In recognition of the importance of collaboration among diverse stakeholders in the development of food tourism, networks have been identified as essential. This article presents findings from research conducted with three networks and reveals the motivations for committee membership. Data was gathered in 2012 through participant observation and interviews with steering committee members on three food networks using an action research approach. A framework for examining motivations for collaboration is offered in this article which will contribute to effective network management. Motivations are aligned on a spectrum with individualistic motivations on one end and altruistic motivations on the other. Individuals expressing motives for committee membership at the altruistic end of the spectrum tended to focus on the benefits to the community as a whole and to all the businesses involved in network initiatives. At the individualistic end of the spectrum, personal or organisational gains are the motivators for collaboration. The majority of participants were motivated to become involved by recognising the potential benefits to others in the region as well as the personal benefits that could be gained from committee membership. The desire and ability of individuals to volunteer for committee membership was also influenced by contextual factors in the social and business environment within which they operated. Understanding that within a committee, all committee members have their own, possibly different motivations for participation and that there are contextual elements that encourage or prevent them from acting on these motivations, will allow for more effective collaboration and will contribute to the sustainability of networks

A Conceptual Framework for Contextualizing Womens Subjective Career Success (SCS)

Careerist successful females are found to be rejected as relevant role models for some women, which demonstrates the limits of defining career success according to objective elements only. Drawing from a body of literature, this study assumes that the mixed results of the impact of gender on SCS may stem from the individualized way that SCS is defined, thus ignoring the social roots of people\u27s cognition of career success. The study contributes to both the development of more gender-inclusive theories and the establishment of gender inclusive institutions at organizational and societal levels

Unpacking action research and implementation science: Implications for nursing

Aim The aim of this study was to unpack the key concepts of action research and implementation science thereby enabling appropriate use of these methods in nursing. Background A key issue in action research is not so much the methodology employed to gather data/evidence but who decides the research agenda and who benefits from it. Implementation science is a way to ensure that evidence is translated into practice. The question arises as to how action research and implementation may be understood in relation to one another in nursing. Design Discussion Paper Data sources This discussion paper is based on our own experiences and offers an exploration of action research and implementation science with the aim of clarifying what each involves and what synergies, if any, exist between them. Implications for Nursing Using action research to secure the voice of patients in their own care is essential to delivering quality nursing care. Using implementation science frameworks to get research evidence into practice is effective. Familiarity with both these concepts may enable their improved use and have a positive impact on quality of care. Conclusion There is a tension between action researchers and the protagonists of implementation science related to perceived “trade offs” between what constitutes “science” and the necessity of community participation. Nevertheless, the use of an implementation science framework in an action research approach can reduce the research practice time lag and action research provides sound theoretical and philosophical underpinnings that can be used by those in the implementation science field

Exploring and Exploiting the Dynamics of Networks in Complex Applied Research Projects: A Reflection on Learning in Action

Since 1984, the European Union (EU) has supported research and development activities covering almost all scientific disciplines through a series of multi-annual Framework Programmes. The current programme is Horizon 2020. Common across the key indicators of research project performance have been actions by companies, including introduce and test innovations new to the company or the market. Initiatives to achieve these objectives require researchers to generate transdisciplinary knowledge in partnership with practitioners as co-researchers. This paper reflects on the authors’ experience of engaging in five EU-funded complex applied research projects over 20 years. The paper locates the process of the five projects in network action learning and Mode 2 knowledge production. It offers a theoretical framework expressed in three hypotheses to guide those who design and implement projects, those who approve and provide funding, and those who exploit and build upon the resulting research