title: Travel Behavior and Expenditure Patterns of the Chinese University Student and the associated Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFRs) markets in New Zealand

authors: Ge, Liu

subjects: travel behaviour

abstract: This thesis examines travel behavior and expenditure patterns of Chinese university students and the associated VFRs in New Zealand. It also investigates the effects of socio-demographics, travel-related, and psychographic variables on travel behavior and expenditure patterns. The thesis involves both interviews and questionnaire surveys with Chinese university students. Analysis of the interviews was based on a Cat-Pac method, while analysis of survey questionnaires was using SPSS 14.0. 

From a theoretical perspective, this study contributes to the body of literature on segmentation regarding the student travel market. It shows that it is possible to segment the Chinese university student travel market based on travel motivation and activity attributes of New Zealand. In addition, this study also contributes to the body of literature in relation to travel behavior and expenditure patterns by examining the variables identified in predicting travel behavior and expenditure. The results of this study provide a more comprehensive and holistic picture in the search of travel behavior and expenditure patterns regarding the student travel market. This study finds travel motivation contributes to overall travel satisfaction directly or indirectly via travel activities, which affects the loyalty. In terms of the VFR market, the valid existence of the effect of travel inhibitors on satisfaction is confirmed in this study, which affects the likelihood of further VFR trips in the future. Moreover, this study makes contribution to the role of students as catalysts for inbound VFR tourism to New Zealand. This study also finds that a socio-demographic variable (i.e. immigration status) is the most influential variable affecting student tourism expenditure, while the socio-demographic variable (i.e. age) and travel-related variables (i.e. purpose of visit and length of stay) appear to have significant impacts on VFR tourism expenditure. Further, this study suggests the VFR market is far from homogeneous. 

From a practical standpoint, this study sheds light by providing information about travel behavior and expenditure patterns of Chinese university students and their VFRs in New Zealand, and how their socio-demographics and trip characteristics affects travel satisfaction and travel expenditure pattern. Destination marketers may use this information to better segment their target market, allocate their marketing dollars more effectively, tailor their products to compete with other destination countries and develop better strategic marketing tools to satisfy and fulfill needs of Chinese university students and their VFRs and understand certain reasons behind their travel behavior and spending patterns. In addition, because Chinese university students are a significant market segment for New Zealand's VFR tourism industry, promotional campaigns encouraging them to invite friends and relatives and informing them of activities in which they can engage with their VFRs are encouraged.

text: Travel Behavior and Expenditure Patterns of the Chinese University Student and the associated Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFRs) markets in New Zealand This thesis examines travel behavior and expenditure patterns of Chinese university students and the associated VFRs in New Zealand. It also investigates the effects of socio-demographics, travel-related, and psychographic variables on travel behavior and expenditure patterns. The thesis involves both interviews and questionnaire surveys with Chinese university students. Analysis of the interviews was based on a Cat-Pac method, while analysis of survey questionnaires was using SPSS 14.0. 

From a theoretical perspective, this study contributes to the body of literature on segmentation regarding the student travel market. It shows that it is possible to segment the Chinese university student travel market based on travel motivation and activity attributes of New Zealand. In addition, this study also contributes to the body of literature in relation to travel behavior and expenditure patterns by examining the variables identified in predicting travel behavior and expenditure. The results of this study provide a more comprehensive and holistic picture in the search of travel behavior and expenditure patterns regarding the student travel market. This study finds travel motivation contributes to overall travel satisfaction directly or indirectly via travel activities, which affects the loyalty. In terms of the VFR market, the valid existence of the effect of travel inhibitors on satisfaction is confirmed in this study, which affects the likelihood of further VFR trips in the future. Moreover, this study makes contribution to the role of students as catalysts for inbound VFR tourism to New Zealand. This study also finds that a socio-demographic variable (i.e. immigration status) is the most influential variable affecting student tourism expenditure, while the socio-demographic variable (i.e. age) and travel-related variables (i.e. purpose of visit and length of stay) appear to have significant impacts on VFR tourism expenditure. Further, this study suggests the VFR market is far from homogeneous. 

From a practical standpoint, this study sheds light by providing information about travel behavior and expenditure patterns of Chinese university students and their VFRs in New Zealand, and how their socio-demographics and trip characteristics affects travel satisfaction and travel expenditure pattern. Destination marketers may use this information to better segment their target market, allocate their marketing dollars more effectively, tailor their products to compete with other destination countries and develop better strategic marketing tools to satisfy and fulfill needs of Chinese university students and their VFRs and understand certain reasons behind their travel behavior and spending patterns. In addition, because Chinese university students are a significant market segment for New Zealand's VFR tourism industry, promotional campaigns encouraging them to invite friends and relatives and informing them of activities in which they can engage with their VFRs are encouraged.

year: 2008

title: Measured impact of crooked traceroute

authors: Luckie, Matthew John

subjects: computer science

abstract: Data collected using traceroute-based algorithms underpins research into the Internet’s router-level topology, though it is possible to infer false links from this data. One source of false inference is the combination of per-flow load-balancing, in which more than one path is active from a given source to destination, and classic traceroute, which varies the UDP destination port number or ICMP checksum of successive probe packets, which can cause per-flow load-balancers to treat successive packets as distinct flows and forward them along different paths. Consequently, successive probe packets can solicit responses from unconnected routers, leading to the inference of false links. This paper examines the inaccuracies induced from such false inferences, both on macroscopic and ISP topology mapping. We collected macroscopic topology data to 365k destinations, with techniques that both do and do not try to capture load balancing phenomena.We then use alias resolution techniques to infer if a measurement artifact of classic traceroute induces a false router-level link. This technique detected that 2.71% and 0.76% of the links in our UDP and ICMP graphs were falsely inferred due to the presence of load-balancing. We conclude that most per-flow load-balancing does not induce false links when macroscopic topology is inferred using classic traceroute. The effect of false links on ISP topology mapping is possibly much worse, because the degrees of a tier-1 ISP’s routers derived from classic traceroute were inflated by a median factor of 2.9 as compared to those inferred with Paris traceroute.

text: Measured impact of crooked traceroute Data collected using traceroute-based algorithms underpins research into the Internet’s router-level topology, though it is possible to infer false links from this data. One source of false inference is the combination of per-flow load-balancing, in which more than one path is active from a given source to destination, and classic traceroute, which varies the UDP destination port number or ICMP checksum of successive probe packets, which can cause per-flow load-balancers to treat successive packets as distinct flows and forward them along different paths. Consequently, successive probe packets can solicit responses from unconnected routers, leading to the inference of false links. This paper examines the inaccuracies induced from such false inferences, both on macroscopic and ISP topology mapping. We collected macroscopic topology data to 365k destinations, with techniques that both do and do not try to capture load balancing phenomena.We then use alias resolution techniques to infer if a measurement artifact of classic traceroute induces a false router-level link. This technique detected that 2.71% and 0.76% of the links in our UDP and ICMP graphs were falsely inferred due to the presence of load-balancing. We conclude that most per-flow load-balancing does not induce false links when macroscopic topology is inferred using classic traceroute. The effect of false links on ISP topology mapping is possibly much worse, because the degrees of a tier-1 ISP’s routers derived from classic traceroute were inflated by a median factor of 2.9 as compared to those inferred with Paris traceroute.

year: 2011-01

title: Te tuangi (the clam): A metaphor for teaching, learning and the key competencies

authors: Simpson, Mary Louisa

subjects: Early childhood

abstract: This article explores the shift from “essential skills” to “key competencies” in the school curriculum. Drawing on information gathered from teacher interviews and observations at a New Zealand primary school, this article suggests that culture and context strongly shape and influence the interpretation of key competencies. The authors develop a metaphor—te tuangi—to theorise the relationship between a learner (akonga) and a teacher (kaiako) in a cultural and social context.

text: Te tuangi (the clam): A metaphor for teaching, learning and the key competencies This article explores the shift from “essential skills” to “key competencies” in the school curriculum. Drawing on information gathered from teacher interviews and observations at a New Zealand primary school, this article suggests that culture and context strongly shape and influence the interpretation of key competencies. The authors develop a metaphor—te tuangi—to theorise the relationship between a learner (akonga) and a teacher (kaiako) in a cultural and social context.

year: 2011