bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The 2003 CAP Reform
Authors: Burrell Alison
Published: September 2010

In June 2003, significant changes to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the European Union were decided. These changes continue the ‘reform’ process, begun in 1992, which aims to shift income support away from price support for commodities towards direct income support and payments targeted at environmental and other objectives. This paper gives an overview of the changes, with special focus on the dairy sector. It examines how the new measures might impact on the dairy sector via decreasing price support and stronger environmental regulation. Implications for dairy quota markets and international trade are also discussed.
Internet Adoption by Farmers' Markets and Small Farming Enterprises in South-East Wales
Authors: Thomas Brychan , Sparkes Adrian , Brooksbank David , Williams Robert
Published: September 2010

This paper considers Internet adoption by farmers' markets and small farming enterprises in south-east Wales. In particular, the South East Wales Association of Farmers' Markets (SEWAFM) and the Welsh Enterprise Institute's involvement in the construction of the SEWAFM Website is considered. The role of a variety of actors involved is reported, including the National Assembly for Wales, the Food Directorate of the Welsh Development Agency and one of its developments – the Agri-Food Partnership for Wales. The study draws on a number of research methods, including secondary sources (relevant literature), identification of factors regarding the adoption of the Internet and a case study of the Association. It is argued that there is a need for appropriate support for Internet adoption by farmers' markets and small farming enterprises in south-east Wales to make them aware of the importance of the adoption of the Internet and Websites as a critical success factor for their survival. Conclusions indicate that a response to the Internet challenge enables small farming enterprises to gain Internet access, develop ‘user-friendly’ Websites and link to farmers' markets.
Rapid Spread of the Florido Yam Variety (Dioscorea Alata) in Ivory Coast
Authors: Doumbia Sékou , Tshiunza Muamba , Tollens Eric , Stessens Johan
Published: September 2010

This study discusses the factors that have influenced the rapid spread of the Florido yam (Dioscorea alata) in Ivory Coast. It was introduced there from Puerto Rico in the early 1970s by the Institut de Recherches Agronomiques Tropicales (IRAT) for a yam production mechanization project. For various reasons the mechanization project was abandoned, but the variety was nevertheless taken up by farmers in the late 70s. It was rapidly adopted and, since then, has spread throughout the country. The major reasons for the success of Florido among Ivorian farmers include its flexibility in the rotation cycle and planting time, the good storability and extended storage life of its tubers, and its resistance to most pests and diseases, especially the internal brown spot disease (IBS) and wilting, which usually adversely affect the production of D. alata varieties. Other advantages shown by Florido are its contribution to the farm's food security and net value added. It is clear that a variety introduced into a country for the wrong reasons can nevertheless spread rapidly if it has superior technical and economic attributes, even if it is a slowly multiplying root and tuber crop. Moreover, take-up of the crop may not require the active support of the country's national agricultural research and extension system.
Leveraging Industry Relationships in the Academic Enterprise
Authors: Blackney Kenneth S. , Papadakis Constantine N.
Published: September 2010

Drexel University has maintained a leadership role in academic technology by choosing technology initiatives wisely, timing them effectively and ensuring that they have the greatest value to the community at large while being affordable. Drexel has leveraged vendor relationships to help accomplish these initiatives, and has shared its expertise and extended vendor partnerships with smaller schools by acting as an application service provider for them, enabling them to access services without owning assets.
Developing Creative and Critical Thinking Abilities in Business Graduates
Authors: Hannon Stephen , McBride Hugh , Burns Barbara
Published: September 2010

Educational programmes should promote an ethos of lifelong learning and develop in graduates the capacity for long-term personal and professional development through self-learning and reflection. A business degree programme should seek to produce graduates who are confident, creative thinkers with the capacity to solve problems, think creatively, negotiate, make decisions and resolve conflict. The development of these capabilities should not be left to chance, but should be addressed explicitly in the programme. Whether creativity and critical thinking skills are innate or learned, there is little disagreement that experience deepens and expands these abilities. A module entitled ‘Critical Thinking’ has been introduced into a bachelor's degree in Business Studies. In this module both individual and team experiential tasks are used to develop creative thinking. These tasks are relevant to business activities in product development, marketing, and process development. Experiential exercises in decision making and conflict resolution abilities build skills necessary to face challenges from new technologies, competition or the business environment.
Developments in the Evaluation of Work-Based Learning
Authors: Murdoch Ian J.
Published: September 2010

UK higher education institutions are now expected to be able to demonstrate that they are adhering to the Code of Practice for the Assurance of Academic Quality and Standards in Higher Education in Placement Learning. The responsibility for ensuring that a placement provides an adequate opportunity for its intended learning outcomes rests with the educational institution. This paper draws on the author's experience of the management and evaluation of placements in the construction sector. In recognition of the increasingly global nature of the business, a placement programme has been developed to meet the particular challenges of students operating in multidisciplinary and multicultural environments. Participation in the European Commission's Leonardo da Vinci Vocational Training Programmes and pilot projects has enabled the identification of further criteria for evaluating and disseminating experience gained in work-based learning across the frontiers of language and culture. However, the paper also identifies problems peculiar to the UK market for construction professions and higher education programmes in construction-related disciplines. A study by Northumbria University highlighted challenges for both industry and higher education arising from economic pressures on students and the positioning of construction-related courses in the higher education market. Given the global nature of the construction business, it is clear that there are significant benefits to be gained from taking a global view of relevant issues.
University Technology and Research Parks
Authors: Chatziioanou Alypios , Sullivan Edward
Published: September 2010

This paper discusses the history, prospects and impacts of university technology and research parks. The main question addressed is: what are the short-term and long-term impacts of such parks on engineering education and its mission? The first technology park, at Stanford, and other early parks are used as examples to assess some of these impacts. Most of the short-term impacts are positive: the parks provide more options for academic staff and students, enable rapid technology transfer and offer improved funding for academia. The longer-term impacts however, including the potential loss of academic independence and diversity as well as a reduction in the classroom involvement and availability of academic staff tend not to be closely Monitored. Programmes, curricula and academics' interests have been observed to shift in concert with commercial priorities. A better balance between short-term success and long-term benefits should be sought in future technology park developments.
Forecasting Tourism-Generated Employment: The Case of Denmark
Authors: Witt Stephen F. , Song Haiyan , Wanhill Stephen
Published: September 2010

The empirical results from a forecasting competition show that the unrestricted vector autoregressive model is likely to generate the most accurate forecasts of international tourist expenditure in Denmark. This model is therefore estimated (using data for 1969–99) and is used to generate tourism expenditure forecasts for Denmark to 2010. The employment requirements (direct, indirect and induced) associated with these expenditure forecasts are then estimated using an input–output model. The forecasts of employment demands are shown across all industrial sectors, and linked to qualifications data in respect of the labour force. The major impacts of foreign tourist expenditure on employment in Denmark occur in the retail, hotel and restaurant sectors. Foreign tourist expenditure is also significantly associated with graduate employment.
A Stochastic Cost Frontier in the Portuguese Hotel Industry
Authors: Barros Carlos Pestana
Published: September 2010

This paper analyses the technical efficiency of a Portuguese state-owned hotel chain, Pousadas de Portugal, in order to investigate the chain's performance. A stochastic cost frontier model is used to generate hotel efficiency scores, assuming that efficiency is time-varying. The author investigates the efficiency and finds that the results are at best mixed, since the efficient scores are low and not time-varying. He therefore proposes an alteration of management procedures to enable an increase in efficiency, based on a governance-environment framework.
Fiji's Tourism Demand: The ARDL Approach to Cointegration
Authors: Narayan Paresh Kumar
Published: September 2010

This paper examines the short-run and long-run relationships between visitor arrivals in Fiji, real disposable incomes and relative hotel and substitute prices for the period 1970–2000, using cointegration techniques and error correction models. The paper uses a cointegration technique – the bounds testing approach developed within an autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) framework – that has not previously been used to estimate tourism demand models. The main advantage of the approach is that, apart from providing robust results in small sample sizes, it needs no a priori knowledge about the integration properties of the variables. The long-run results indicate that growth in income in Fiji's main tourist source markets has a positive impact on visitor arrivals while relative hotel and substitute prices have negative impacts on visitor arrivals. The findings are consistent with economic theory and proffer important policy implications.
Micro-Economic Determinants of the Probability of Tourism Consumption
Authors: Alegre Joaquín , Pou Llorenç
Published: September 2010

This paper analyses the factors involved in the decision to consume tourism services for leisure purposes. A discrete choice logit model is used, with data drawn from the Spanish Family Expenditure Survey for the period 1985–96. The results suggest that limitations on free time, cultural factors, income (with an income elasticity below one), age and the generation effect are all crucial determining factors in the probability of travel. The use of micro data leads to the detection of a high degree of heterogeneity, both among households and in the different degree to which the aforementioned variables affect travel decisions.
Long-Term Forecasts for International Tourism
Authors: Smeral Egon
Published: September 2010

Modifications of earlier versions of models to make forecasts for world tourism allow us to trace the effects of changes in income and prices produced by and in each individual country considered in this model. At the theoretical level, in using a share approach these models could be viewed as similar to partial demand models based on the assumption of a multi-stage budgeting process. The new WTTOUR-2001 model is used to generate long-term forecasts of tourism imports and exports for 25 countries for the period up to 2020. It allows a more realistic simulation of the impact of political events such as the enlargement of the European Union.
Enterprise, Management and Politics
Authors: Grey Christopher
Published: September 2010

This paper explores how enterprise and management are related in contemporary political discourse. Enterprise is seen as a guiding thread linking the New Right to New Labour, because it provides an economic and moral rationale that can be mobilized flexibly to support a range of policy initiatives and ideological positions. Management has also been increasingly valued as a strategy for presenting politics as no more than a technical exercise. However, whilst enterprise and management are favoured political tropes, the promotion of both leads to a paradox in which enterprise is the solution to the problems of management and management is a solution to the problems of enterprise. This paradox helps to explain ongoing problems in the reform of the public sector.
Enterprising Professionals
Authors: Cohen Laurie , Musson Gill , Duberley Joanne
Published: September 2010

The last 20 years have heralded a fundamental change in approach towards the UK public sector. Successive governments have enacted policy changes aimed at bringing public services closer to the market. This paper examines how this re-framing has been experienced by public sector scientists and general medical practitioners. Whereas for scientists the concept of the customer was seen to describe adequately the social relations and financial consequences embedded in their work, GPs were largely more resistant to the label. The evidence presented reveals the diversity of ‘customers’ faced by these scientists and GPs, and their wide-ranging and sometimes contradictory needs and expectations. This increased customer orientation is seen to have implications for GPs' and scientists' working practices and their sense of professional expertise.
External Influences on the Enterprising Identity
Authors: Pitt Martyn
Published: September 2010

Engineering firms both large and small have contributed greatly to the UK economy in times past, but its engineering industry has declined markedly in recent times. This article describes a study of engineering SMEs to explore the nature of the current ‘enterprising identity’ associated with these firms. It focuses particularly on the factors external to the firms that may have shaped or influenced this identity (or identities). Factors could include an awareness of historical context and the trajectory of industry development; entrepreneurial discourse and ideology; technological and professional influences; and subcultural influences such as locality, ethnicity and family. Rather than rely on members' opinions and perceptions about the influences on enterprise identity, analysis of facts and statements about its business profile and tangible achievements have been used to produce a more detached assessment. The study finds that technical influences are generally more significant than, for example, entrepreneurial discourse and drive. There is also a rather British dimension to the identity of these firms, even though the engineering industry has become increasingly global in its reach. Strategy and policy questions that merit further research are identified.
Stepping Out of the Classroom and up the Ladder of Learning
Authors: Cooper Sarah , Bottomley Colin , Gordon Jillian
Published: September 2010

Academics in the field of entrepreneurship education are increasingly aware that, while class-based knowledge input is a vital component of learning, the traditional lecture-based, didactic methods of teaching and learning alone are insufficient. In an attempt to achieve ‘real, active learning’ various interactive techniques have been developed, one of which is to provide opportunities for students to ‘see, touch and feel’ entrepreneurship at first hand by working alongside practising entrepreneurs. An example of this approach is the Venture Management programme of the Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship at the University of Strathclyde, in which students from a broad spectrum of disciplines work with an entrepreneur on a business development project. This paper presents an evaluation of the programme to date, and considers its benefits and shortcomings from the perspectives of both students and entrepreneurs. The findings of the evaluation are now shaping the future development of this programme and also of ‘Implementing Entrepreneurship’, a new elective programme in which individual students work full-time for eight weeks on a business development project with an entrepreneur. Lessons from the innovative programmes offered by the Hunter Centre will help to inform the wider debate about effective teaching and learning programmes in entrepreneurship education.
Modelling Monthly Spanish Tourism: A Seasonal Fractionally Integrated Approach
Authors: Cunado J. , Gil-Alana L.A. , de Gracia F. Pérez
Published: September 2010

The authors examine the monthly structure of Spanish tourism using fractionally integrated techniques. They propose the use of a procedure attributable to Robinson (1994) that permits the simultaneous testing of degrees of integration at both zero and seasonal frequencies. The tests have standard null and local limit distributions. However, finite-sample critical values are computed and the power properties of the tests in finite samples are also examined. The results, based on the numbers of foreigners and foreign guest nights in Spain, show that both frequencies are important, the order of integration at the long-run or zero frequency being much higher than that corresponding to the seasonal monthly structure.
Modelling a Decision Maker's Preferences, Part 2: A Tool for Pricing Decisions in the Hospitality Industry
Authors: Israeli Aviad A. , Brown J. Randall
Published: September 2010

Pricing decisions in the hospitality industry are subject to a number of different and competing considerations, including economic (profit), marketing (what price will guarantee a sale), yield, wear and tear on the facility, the owner's preferences, and the manager's preferences. Since a manager balances all these conflicting considerations in determining his or her own preferences, the manager's preferences should be used as the starting point for generating a pricing policy. Specifically, the manager's preferences for the two substitutable attributes – the number of rooms sold and the average room rate – are modelled using the Constrained Choice Table (CCT) to collect the specific preferences and the Linear-Fractional model to fit linear indifference curves with non-constant rates of substitution (unequal slopes) to the CCT data. This model combined with the marginal cost per room is used as a starting point to develop and evaluate different pricing policies. The consequences of using an average room rate, same value room rate pricing policy for two different types of managers, one occupancy level sensitive and the other average room rate sensitive, are evaluated.
Adjusted Gini Coefficient and ‘Months Equivalent’ Degree of Tourism Seasonality: A Research Note
Authors: Tsitouras Anastassios
Published: September 2010

The Gini coefficient is shown to be a suitable summary measure for tourism seasonality. It is a well-behaved index, takes values in a linear fashion and, when adjusted to a reference uniform distribution, it produces a ‘months equivalent’ degree of seasonality.
Sustaining Corporate Entrepreneurship
Authors: Kuratko Donald F. , Hornsby Jeffrey S. , Goldsby Michael G.
Published: September 2010

This paper seeks to develop an exploratory model illustrating the critical elements needed for a sustained corporate entrepreneurship. Specifically, the model integrates and extends previous models that have examined the organizational or individual components of entrepreneurial activity. The proposed model provides additional theoretical foundation emphasizing the importance of perceived implementation/output relationships at both the individual and organizational level. The perceived satisfaction of these relationships provides the basis for whether or not a corporate entrepreneurial activity will be sustained.
Academic Entrepreneurship
Authors: Zhao Fang
Published: September 2010

The aim of this paper is to explore issues associated with the commercialization of university research through an empirical study of the development of research commercialization in Australian public-funded universities. Extensive interviews were conducted with academic entrepreneurs and commercialization managers from 19 universities in Australia (hence more than 50% of Australian public universities were involved in the study). The paper identified and discussed the key issues raised in the study and proposed a series of recommendations to enhance the overall performance of university research commercialization.
Unbundling Enterprise and Entrepreneurship
Authors: Atherton Andrew
Published: September 2010

Enterprise, entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs are terms that are subject to particular depictions and representations that do not always reflect their actual nature. Publicly held and shared perceptions and preconceptions tend to lead to stereotypes, caricatures and distortions that preclude or obstruct real insight into these phenomena. A case is made for a reconsideration of the key terms, particularly via a grounding of analysis and experience in actual events and conditions. The paper concludes by defining entrepreneurship as being both a state – of being an entrepreneur, and a behaviour – of being entrepreneurial. From this perspective, entrepreneurship extends beyond limited conceptualizations of its close association with business start-up and growth to incorporate enterprising activity and dynamics across society and its institutions.
Tracking Policy on the Web
Authors: Edmondson John
Published: September 2010

‘Internet Review’ provides critical commentary on entrepreneurship, small business and innovation information available on the Web. This issue's article visits a selection of governmental and intergovernmental sites and extols the virtues of the modest press release as a tool for researchers in pursuit of entrepreneurship-related policy statements and background documents.
Genomics and the Genetic Improvement of Broiler Chicken
Authors: Vignal Alain
Published: September 2010

Thanks to the efforts of many research groups worldwide, a wealth of information has been produced in the last decade concerning the chicken genome. This is primarily information about the genetic map, the basic and invaluable tool used to search for quantitative trait loci (QTL), but there are also physical maps of the genome, and more recently its complete sequencing has been accomplished. Together with this progress in the field of maps genomics, more recent advances have been made in functional genomics, with the sequencing of large numbers of expressed sequence tags (EST) representing the expressed genes from which DNA chips can be designed. These can be used to define networks of genes involved in the expression of phenotypic traits. The combination of data on QTL and on gene expression will help scientists to understand the molecular mechanisms involved in the expression of variations in traits of economic importance and provide new tools for the selection of chicken, through marker-assisted selection (MAS).
Introduction and Development of New Production Systems with Non-Traditional Animal Species
Authors: Eilers C.H.A.M. , Koops W.J.
Published: September 2010

This study aims to compare the development of iguana production systems in Panama with the development of other new production systems involving non-traditional animal species. Experts on new production systems using pacas, grasscutters, deer, eel, catfish and ostrich were interviewed about their experiences with the development of these systems. The study revealed six key factors for the introduction and development of new production systems. These factors are identified in conditions that are needed to start a new production system, ie the biology of the species, institutional support and the market; and in limitations that can impede the development of new production systems, such as information, social conditions and legislation. Comparing the key factors among production systems, therefore, enables the authors to explore the development of production systems and their prospects and constraints. All key factors were negative for iguana production. If the conditions for iguana production do not change, its development will reach a plateau or even decline.
Vertical Integration in the Food Industry and Contract Farming
Authors: Rehber Erkan
Published: September 2010

The relationship between farmers and the food industry ranges from carrying out spot market transactions to complete integration, characterized as vertical integration. In this study, the relationship between farmers and the food industry has been investigated focusing on contract farming. The Turkish food industry is a promising sector, but still has a dual structure with some small-scale manufacturing alongside larger plants employing modern technologies. The two main cooperative associations of Turkey, Trakyabirlik and Marmarabirlik, have considerable interests, especially in sunflower, olive and vegetable oil processing. Balikesir, Bilecik, Bursa and Canakkale provinces, the regions where the present investigations were conducted, have well developed vegetable, fruit, hop and sugar beet processing, tomato paste and frozen food industries. In the dairy, olive and vegetable oil industries, most firms have relied upon open market purchase to provide raw materials, whereas one of the widespread means of vertical coordination in this sector is contract farming. The share of contract farming, especially in tomato and pea growing, may be anywhere between 1 and 100%, with an average of 75%. Sixty per cent is more typical for hop production. Sugar beet growing can only realistically be accomplished via contract farming. Contract farming is potentially beneficial, especially for small farmers, providing various services, credit facilities, etc, although there are some inherent problems in implementation. Farmers could, however, solve many of the problems involved in contract arrangements by establishing organizations to undertake cooperative bargaining on their behalf.
Homosexuality and Entrepreneurship
Authors: Schindehutte Minet , Morris Michael , Allen Jeffrey
Published: September 2010

Attempts to understand the heterogeneous nature of the population of entrepreneurs are relatively few in number, and focus largely on gender, race, ethnicity, age and educational differences. The experiences of many other key cohorts have been ignored, including those of gay, lesbian and bisexual (GLB) individuals. This paper examines the concept of ‘gay identity’ within an entrepreneurial context, and investigates underlying patterns in the structure of the GLB entrepreneurial community. Results are reported of a cross-sectional survey targeted at a sample of GLB entrepreneurs. The study represents the first national sample of these entrepreneurs. Overall trends are identified in the motives, attitudes, perceptions and management practices of GLB entrepreneurs. Cluster analysis is then employed to identify and characterize two distinct subgroups of GLB entrepreneurs, labelled ‘identifiers’ and ‘independents’. A number of theoretical and managerial implications are drawn from the findings.
Supporting SMEs through Government Purchasing Activity
Authors: Loader Kim
Published: September 2010

As major consumers of goods and services, governments have an opportunity to support SMEs directly through their purchasing policies. This study examines the experience of SMEs in the north-east of England in their attempt to supply UK public sector organizations, and finds that, despite recent initiatives, barriers are being experienced by the majority of SMEs surveyed. The findings suggest that both government and small business sectors face challenges, such as resolving policy conflicts, managing resource demands and facilitating organizational change, in overcoming these barriers. Further investigation is required to inform the resolution of these demands.
The Dimensions of Graduate Skills following SME Employment Experience
Authors: McLarty Roy
Published: September 2010

Academic researchers are increasingly recognizing the potential of graduates to influence management decisions in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This paper focuses on a detailed qualitative study which looked at graduates who had obtained employment in SMEs in the East Anglia region of England. It examines the skills, competences and attributes that the graduates had to deploy in their jobs. A listing of 31 skills was used as the basis for ranking the main demands of the jobs and a short-list of ten was developed from this. Each of these ten skills is considered and discussed and comparisons are made with previous top-ten listings made by the graduates at the job search stage. The opinions of SME managers are also evaluated. The article concludes with the recommendation that educationalists, policy makers and government departments need to pay greater attention to generic skills and should focus less on transferable and core skills if the impact of graduates on SMEs is to be more effective.
Exploring Graduate Entrepreneurship
Authors: Hannon Paul D. , Collins Lorna A. , Smith Alison J.
Published: September 2010

There is a strong interest in knowledge-based economies in increasing the levels of graduate entrepreneurship. The role of higher education in this context is crucial in enhancing the motivation and capability of graduates to engage in entrepreneurial activity. However, traditional pedagogical approaches in business and management as applied to entrepreneurship education may be limiting the opportunities for students to develop entrepreneurial skills, knowledge and behaviour. If the need for increased levels of graduate entrepreneurship is to be met, it is important to develop more innovative and entrepreneurial approaches. Shifting the underpinning paradigm to one derived from a humanist philosophy suggests a co-learning approach in which both learner and educator participate in the learning process. This paper highlights the need for innovation in the supply of entrepreneurship education in UK higher education institutions to enhance graduate entrepreneurship. The authors reflect on and examine the experience of piloting a collaborative co-learning approach to entrepreneurship education that engages university students from a range of disciplines, local entrepreneurs and educators in the learning and development process. Finally, they explore the challenge that embedding such an approach poses to the development of entrepreneurship education in UK HEIs. The paper adds to the body of knowledge in the area of graduate entrepreneurship and raises important issues for policy makers, practitioners, educators and entrepreneurs.
Evaluating the Prince's Trust's Young People's Business Start-up Programme, 1994–1999
Authors: Koutsoukos Stratis , Shutt John , Sutherland John
Published: September 2010

The authors were the principals in the evaluation of the Prince's Trust's Young People's Business Start-up Programme, 1994–1999, as it operated nationally in the UK and in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. In this paper they report the methodologies used in the evaluation and the key findings. They then use their reflections on both the research process and its outcomes to comment on small business policy.
Graduate Employment and Small Businesses in China
Authors: Li Jun , Matlay Harry
Published: September 2010

In contemporary China, there are two far-reaching developments that impact directly on graduate employment: (a) a highly entrepreneurial and rapidly growing small business sector and (b) a rapidly expanding higher education sector. Paradoxically, while the small business sector continues to suffer from acute skills shortages, new graduates are still reluctant to seek employment in smaller firms. The attitudes of Chinese graduates are not unusual, and most tend to perceive employment and promotion prospects as significantly better in larger organizations. Competition for jobs in China is increasing and there is growing pressure on new graduates to consider smaller firms as a viable and long-term career option. The authors argue that it is necessary to take a holistic view of graduate employment issues and to facilitate better and closer linkages between small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and higher education institutions. This article highlights the need of the Chinese small business sector for a better qualified and more dynamic graduate labour force to help sustain the momentum of rapid growth experienced in recent years. It highlights specific areas in which the higher education sector could make a significant contribution to the long-term competitiveness of SMEs in China. The scope and direction of further research are identified and discussed.
Comparing the Performance of Distance-Earning and Traditional Students in a Business Simulation Exercise
Authors: Kotey Bernice , Anderson Philip H.
Published: September 2010

The performance of distant students in a simulation exercise for a Small Business Management (SBM) course was compared with that of internal students and the demographic and psychological variables associated with the performance of each student group were examined. Distant students matched or exceeded the performance of internal students in spite of the setbacks associated with distance learning. Work experience and rational information processing were associated with the performance of distant students but not with that of internal students. Distant students proved more able to achieve the multiple learning objectives of the course. Effective online interaction among students can help reduce the setbacks associated with independent learning for distant students and the work experience gap for internal students.
Graduate Employment and Training in SMEs in Northern Ireland
Authors: Harris Richard , Reid Renee S.
Published: September 2010

Using the UK Labour Force Survey, this paper considers whether graduate employment is more important in the small and medium-size enterprise (SME) sector in Northern Ireland than in other regions of the UK. The authors disaggregate their analysis by gender, occupation and industry to provide a detailed breakdown. The issue of whether graduates are more or less likely to receive on-the-job training is also considered, both by comparison with non-graduates (matched by industry and occupation groups) and graduates in other UK regions. Finally, given that company size, firm location, industry and occupation groups are all related to the proportion of graduates employed in the labour market, the authors use a multivariate approach to disentangle the extent to which there are differences associated with graduate employment in the Northern Ireland SME sector (having controlled for other factors). The policy implications of their findings for graduate employment are then considered.
Riparian Habitats (Mallines) of Patagonia
Authors: Utrilla Victor , Brizuela Miguel , Cibils Andres
Published: September 2010

Riparian-like habitats of arid Patagonia (Argentina), known locally as mallines, play a key role in providing forage for domestic herbivores and adequate habitat for native wildlife. Because these systems are driven by localized abundant water availability, their forage production can be of an order of magnitude higher than that of the surrounding dryland and, when properly managed, can considerably improve livestock and sheep production. Unfortunately, improper grazing management has caused extensive degradation of soils and vegetation of these habitats in the past. Until recently, very few local studies had addressed questions related to the complexities of ungulate–plant interactions in relation to sustainable management of this critical grazing resource. Fortunately, this trend is changing rapidly and since the early 90s there have been a number of grazing studies with sheep and cattle, investigating animal responses to controlled-grazing management systems. Many of the results of this research have been published locally and are not readily accessible. In this article, the authors review much of this research and provide a synthesis of the current state of knowledge regarding the functioning and grazing management of riparian-like habitats of Patagonia.
Competitiveness Indicators in the Travel and Tourism Industry
Authors: Gooroochurn Nishaal , Sugiyarto Guntur
Published: September 2010

The competitiveness of tourist destinations is important, especially as countries strive for a bigger market share. However, competitiveness is a complex concept, encompassing various aspects that are difficult to measure. This paper discusses an innovative approach for measuring tourism competitiveness using eight main indicators – price, openness, technology, infrastructure, human tourism, social development, environment and human resources – for over 200 countries. Weights for each theme are derived using confirmatory factor analysis in order to compute an aggregate index, and it is found that the social and technology indicators have the highest weights while the human tourism and environment indicators have the lowest. Cluster analysis is used to group destinations according to their performance level. The USA, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Australia are found to be the most competitive destinations, while Burkina Faso, Chad, Benin, Ethiopia and Cambodia are the least competitive.
International Tourism Forecasts: Time-Series Analysis of World and Regional Data
Authors: Papatheodorou Andreas , Song Haiyan
Published: September 2010

Forecasting is an essential analytical tool in tourism policy and planning. This paper focuses on international tourism arrivals and receipts at nominal, real and per capita levels. It uses modern time-series techniques based on the period 1960–2000 to produce forecasts for 2001–2010 in the six major World Tourism Organization regions and the world. The initial diagrammatic analysis of existing data suggests that, despite conventional wisdom, evolution in the mass tourism era has not been rosy. Performance differs dramatically among the regions, fluctuations are sharp and negative tourism growth is not unusual in real and per capita terms. Similarly, the subsequent forecasts occasionally have negative signs. Policy makers should, therefore, take action to increase revenue generation but not at the expense of sustainable tourism development.
Tourism Competitiveness: Price and Quality
Authors: Mangion Marie-Louise , Durbarry Ramesh , Sinclair M. Thea
Published: September 2010

The price competitiveness of tourism destinations is examined at the national level using the Almost Ideal Demand System model. The extent to which changes in the characteristics of package holidays in destinations contribute to a change in the price of the packages is then examined using hedonic pricing models. The results show that the price sensitivities of tourism demand vary considerably between destinations, so that monitoring relative price competitiveness is important. The characteristics that have significant effects on package prices are identified, assisting policy makers in their choice of which characteristics to enhance with a view to increasing the returns from tourism.
Meeting the Knowledge Needs of the Academy and Industry
Authors: Cele Mlungisi Gabriel
Published: September 2010

This case study examines the evolution of the 21-year research partnership between the University of Cape Town (UCT) and the South African Coal Oil and Gas Corporation (SASOL). The study finds that an individual academic has played a significant role in steering transformation research activities and culture in the university's Chemical Engineering Department. The UCT-SASOL partnership has led to human resource, technology and infrastructure development. A strong link has been maintained between basic disciplinary Mode 1 teaching and research, and multidisciplinary Mode 2 applied and strategic research and training. There is also a strong link between academic, research and postgraduate activities – the department's industry-oriented research cross-subsidizes academic and postgraduate activities.
Government Incentivization of Partnerships in South Africa
Authors: Letseka Moeketsi
Published: September 2010

Worldwide, innovation policy is perceived to be at the heart of economic growth and global competitiveness, and nations invest vast amounts of money to give effect to innovation. Higher education institutions, in partnership with industry, are expected to play a key role in supporting the national system of innovation and developing the nation's global competitiveness. This paper draws on the audit of higher education-industry partnerships conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) of South Africa during 2002–03. It plots the South African government's programme of incentives for industry-higher education partnerships through two funding programmes: the Technology and Human Resources for Industry Programme (THRIP) and the Innovation Fund. It argues that, notwithstanding considerable outputs, such as publications, patents/artefacts and the involvement of postgraduate students, it is vital that the incentivization of higher education-industry partnerships is managed in such a way that past relations of inequality among higher education institutions and in the broader society are not reproduced.
Applied Research Centres at South African Universities
Authors: Cooper David
Published: September 2010

This article considers the way in which applied research centres and units at South African higher education institutions enhance their networks with industry, government and community organizations. The findings from 12 case studies of research groupings at higher education institutions in Cape Town support the author's argument for a more fundamental approach: weak structures of centres and units (their internal bases) need to be solidly constructed before a superstructure of external networks can grow strongly. It is suggested that an internal transformation towards ‘application-oriented’ research centres and units has been taking place, especially at universities. Smaller units tend to be more stable because they are constructed around a traditional professor. Larger centres require functional, innovative structures, including a layer of what are termed ‘senior scholar-researchers’ between the centre director and postgraduates. A more secure, new career track for senior scholar-researchers alongside the traditional professor-lecturer track is thus implied, impacting not only on university professor identities but also on funding systems.
Power and Knowledge
Authors: Godfrey Shane
Published: September 2010

This article deals with the power wielded by the primary industry partners in knowledge-intensive networks in the new materials development technology field. Industry partners have a disproportionate influence on the structure and functioning of networks. The power can be explicit or invisible and is mediated and reshaped by factors such as the nature of the process being researched, the ‘distance’ to commercialization, the competitive strategy of the industry partner and its research and development capacity. These factors do not, however, detract from the industry partner's dominant role in the network.
Making University Departments More Entrepreneurial
Authors: Todorovic William Z. , McNaughton Rod B. , Guild Paul D.
Published: September 2010

The concept of an ‘entrepreneurial orientation’ is well established in the literature on the strategic posture of firms. Increasingly, large public and non-profit organizations are also turning to entrepreneurship in their efforts to become flexible and respond to pressures to ‘do more with less’. Government rhetoric encourages universities in particular to become more entrepreneurial, increasing the commercialization of research and contributing to economic growth. To understand what it means for university departments to be ‘entrepreneurial’, interviews with 40 faculty members explore the issue. Transcripts of the interviews were analysed using content-analysis software. The results suggest that risk taking is the most important dimension in developing an entrepreneurial university, and may be a prerequisite for commercialization.
Philosophies of Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Education and Challenges for Higher Education in the UK
Authors: Hannon Paul D.
Published: September 2010

This conceptual paper presents critical thoughts and observations on the recent phenomenon of entrepreneurship education in higher education in the UK. The key challenge the paper emphasizes is the need for greater insight into the conceptual and theoretical development of that phenomenon and a more robust locating of the philosophical foundations of entrepreneurship education within a higher education institution (HEI) adult-learning context. Although concepts and models of entrepreneurship abound, it is difficult to find related concepts and models of entrepreneurship education and, in particular, their underpinning philosophical foundations. Philosophies of adult education have emerged, but there appears to have been no attempt to locate entrepreneurship education within these contextual theoretical paradigms. This is somewhat surprising, as the underpinning philosophy of an educational programme will partially determine the outcomes of the educational process and influence the educational experience. However, this insight may help to explain why, conceptually, entrepreneurship education has mixed meanings and a conflicting discourse. The paper introduces a framework of adult-learning philosophies as a foundation for reflecting and analysing current approaches against philosophical beliefs. The application of the framework leads to a discussion about the potential contrasts and conflicts between underpinning foundations and purpose-in-action. The paper concludes with various perspectives on the building of an emerging robust concept of entrepreneurship education within an HEI adult-learning context.
Heterogeneous Preferences for Greek Heritage Attractions
Authors: Apostolakis Alexandros , Jaffry Shabbar
Published: September 2010

The paper uses the method of discrete choice modelling to evaluate tourists' preferences for two heritage attractions in Greece. This methodology offers the opportunity to gain useful insights regarding the direction of future policy actions in this important area of revenue generation. The paper provides empirical justification for the frequently cited argument in favour of the adoption of a more market-oriented rationale for an optimal use of heritage resources. Overall, the authors support the claim that Greek heritage tourism manifestations will be substantially better off if they divert attention away from the exhibits and towards specialization in accordance with visitors' preferences.
Seasonality in Crete: Problem or a Way of Life?
Authors: Andriotis Konstantinos
Published: September 2010

The tourism industry worldwide faces seasonal fluctuations of demand. These fluctuations are attributed to diverse factors – mainly climatic conditions, human decisions, inertia or tradition and supply restrictions – and result in various problems for tourist-receiving destinations, such as seasonal environmental congestion, low return on investment for tourist enterprises, overuse of facilities and off-season unemployment. Most of the strategies adopted by both private and public sectors to overcome seasonality fall into one of three main categories: diversification of the product mix, change of the customer mix and aggressive pricing. This paper reviews these issues taking the case of the island of Crete, and examines whether seasonality poses a problem for the island and the islanders or whether it is simply a way of life.