Search

In recent years, interest and academic debate has spiralled around the concept of 'mobility'. Drawing on research from the fields of anthropology, geography, sociology and tourism studies, this volume examines the intersection between mobility and hospitality, highlighting new themes and issues in each field. Through a series of diverse empirical accounts, it focuses on the transnational movement of people in the contexts of migration and tourism and examines how hospitality serves as a way of promoting and policing encounters, questioning how these relations are marked by exclusion as well as inclusion, by violence as well as by kindness. In addition to exploring the power relations between mobile populations (hosts and guests) and attitudes (hospitality and hostility), the book also examines spaces of hospitality and mobility, such as hotels, clubs, cafes, spas, asylums, restaurants, airports, homes and homepages. In doing so, it makes a significant contribution to the political and ethical dimensions of mobile social relations.

This paper aims to explore the factors that stimulate entrepreneurship among small hotels in a former socialist economy which experienced a turbulent economic and social transition period. The study investigates how specific aspects such as a low level of competition and position of the entrepreneurs in society, acted as facilitating or inhibiting factors for entrepreneurship. The findings from in-depth interviews with 37 hotel entrepreneurs demonstrate that institutional deficiencies influence market orientation of the entrepreneurs and that the specific social context sets the conditions by which lifestyle- related motives will exist or not. They also underscore that investigation of entrepreneurs needs to take account of a broad range of socio- cultural factors and not solely entrepreneurial agency. Inclusion of a transitional economic and social setting into the broader theoretical framework of hospitality entrepreneurial research demonstrates the value of a contextualized approach.

The aim of this article is to discuss the key issues that have had significant influence on a Ph.D. research student’s journey from positivism to interpretivism and the subsequent impact on the research methodology adopted. This journey is illustrated by briefly analysing and reflecting upon the nature of relevant accumulated knowledge in the fields of hospitality, tourism and entrepreneurship fields ; critically analysing the impact of the social setting on entrepreneurial behaviours and attitude ; and reflecting upon how the two previous points influence researcher behaviour and methodological design. Drawing upon research undertaken within the Dalmatia region of Croatia, a former socialist country, the contextual focus is on small hotel owners within the hospitality industry. The article is loosely framed within a hospitality analytical lens and furthers debate on the nature of academic hospitality (Phipps and Barnett 2007) as well as proposing steps to welcome inhospitable knowledge. This article charts moments in the intellectual journey from positivism to interpretivism travelled by a Ph.D. researcher, who critically engaged in, analysed and deliberated upon the nature of accumulated knowledge associated with the field of her studies, where the power base of the knowledge resided, and consequential issues for advancement of thought. Further, as the journey progressed she reflected on the impact of the social setting of the key actors, which is the focus of her research, and ensuing implications for the research methodological design. In addition, the researcher had to engage in a critical self-reflection that required she transform herself from a ‘dispassionate scientist’ to an ‘insider participant’. The magnitude of this revelation is given context and profound meaning within the setting of Croatia, a former socialist country that has faced severe political, economic and social turmoil and transitions, including war. In making the transformation, the researcher had to engage with inhospitable knowledge from the point of view of her educational formation. In so doing, the article highlights the importance of the boundaries of hospitality and looking at both their construction and exploration beyond.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to look at perspectives of new minority entrepreneurs towards entrepreneurship, either as a facilitator or as a barrier to the integration of minorities. The research objective is to explore the role of hospitality and tourism entrepreneurship in the integration process of new minorities. It is attempted to explore the perspectives of new minority entrepreneurs about the concept of integration, the possibility of integration through self‐employment in hospitality and the relationship between entrepreneurship and integration.Design/methodology/approachThis research adopts a subjective perspective and a social constructionist approach to understand what the new minorities perceive as their reality. An in‐depth qualitative methodology is adopted for this research as it tries to understand inductively the phenomenon of hospitality entrepreneurship and ethnic minority integration.FindingsThe findings suggest hospitality entrepreneurship can act both as a facilitator and as a barrier to integration of the new minorities. Although it facilitates economic integration of the new minorities into the host society by providing wealth for them, at the same time it acts as a barrier to their social and cultural integration. It was revealed that ultimate integration is not possible because of high cultural differences between the host and their original cultures.Originality/valueThe paper proposes that integration is a continuum rather than a predefined point to achieve. Integration happens between two extreme points of complete isolation of migrants to their complete assimilation. The respondents of this research did not locate themselves in either ends of this continuum.

Beginning in the sixteenth century, the Society of Jesus, or Jesuits, founded the first global rhetorical curriculum. Jesuit educators founded schools in Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America—all ordered on their 1599 Ratio Studiorum. Yet this organizational and educational achievement faced several challenges. The Ratio reveals an attempt to reconcile the medieval education that shaped the early Jesuits and the classical humanism that excited later generations. The Jesuits articulated a reconciliation of humanistic and Christian virtue for the vita activa. These accomplishments mark Jesuit rhetoric as a distinct tradition worthy of deeper study by contemporary rhetoricians.

Participatory research is a broad term covering a range of approaches that are characterised by a focus on ‘action-oriented’ research involving researchers and participants working in collaboration to bring about positive change. These approaches emphasise engagement with co-researchers and the development and implementation of context-appropriate strategies that seek to empower and transform at a number of levels. This article explores the dynamics of a multi-agency and multinational research programme that investigated the working practices of specialist teachers of children with visual impairment in Uganda and Kenya. The research utilised a range of participatory methods, including workshops and a dedicated practice journal, to provide opportunities for participants to record information about their practice and share their experiences with colleagues. The article analyses the effectiveness of the approach, with a particular focus on the ‘relational praxis' between the project partners. This analysis highlights the complex nature of the collaborative relationships when research is transnational and operates across cultural, social and environmental contexts. Considerations are offered for research design in this area.

This article reports on a research project investigating the role of itinerant teachers (ITs) of children with visual impairment in Uganda. The research focused on the activities of 52 ITs who recorded their work in a journal over a period of eight weeks (a new practice which was introduced to them through a workshop). Analysis of the data collected demonstrated that ITs were not able to visit all the children on their caseload as often as they had planned at the beginning of the project. Partly this was linked to a high proportion of their work being ‘community-focused’ (e.g. identifying new cases and advising the wider community about the implications of visual impairment) rather than ‘child-focused’ (linked to their caseload). In addition, they experienced other challenges, for example time-consuming travel and obtaining permission to be released from their regular teaching commitments. Whilst ITs found record keeping difficult, they felt it was a useful administrative procedure for managing caseloads ...

This article presents a findings from an investigation of the work of 38 specialist itinerant teachers (ITs) supporting the educational inclusion of children with visual impairment in Kenya. The research was designed around a participatory action research framework involving in-country researchers and participants (teachers) working in collaboration with researchers in the United Kingdom. Following an introductory training workshop, participants kept research journals over a 2-month period in which they recorded details of their itinerant duties (including the processes and content of their visits). Findings provide information about local practices of ITs support for children with visual impairment in mainstream schools and raise broader questions about the barriers to learning and development facing children with disabilities in mainstream schools in Kenya and other developing countries.

This paper explores the processes affecting tourism development following a major political conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H). The adopted critical theory analytical approach resulted in the identification of phoenix tourism, conceptualised as a distinctive period in post-conflict tourism development. Instead of locating tourism in the context of economic enhancement, tourism is located in the context of social renewal of the destination and its people. Although post-conflict tourism is usually conceptualised under dark tourism scholarship, phoenix tourism is not proposed as a type of tourism, but as a role given to tourism in a process through which conflict issues develop into a new heritage.

Postprocess theory questions the usefulness of pedagogical principles. This article proposes a casuistic pedagogy, which offers a stance rather than a method. Casuistry, the art of case-based reasoning, reframes pedagogy as a series of occasions rather than a system of thought, thus providing grounds for a postprocess pedagogy.

The intrinsic nature of small tourism business provision has rarely been captured in previous literature, but it has recently gained momentum within scholarly discourse exploring the role of the “home” in tourism and hospitality. This article contributes an examination of the commercial homestay host in New Zealand with a particular focus on the hosts’ personal relationship with their “commercial home.” The article reports the findings of in-depth interviews conducted with commercial homestay hosts in New Zealand. Findings allude to the tyranny of the homestay hosts in their tourism hosting role, their oppressive social need, self-marginalization, and distinctive identity—one that is notably defiant of other commercial hospitality and tourism business norms. In contrast, previous studies rarely showcase the personal perspectives, conscious defiance, or marginalization of commercial hospitality provision. Consequences for understanding the tourism and hospitality phenomenon of commercial home hosting are thus discussed.

This article discusses the development of critical hospitality management research (CHMR) and explores key issues that such approaches raise. The article is split into two parts. The first reviews contemporary writings that reflect the changing nature of hospitality management research and accounts for the emergence of a critical tradition. The second part identifies eight areas that are central concerns for the future development of CHMR: criticality, ethics and advocacy, scale, claims of legitimacy and research quality, representation, audience, affiliation, institutions and institutional contexts, and the relationship between management research and pedagogy. Associated questions and challenges are surfaced and conclusions drawn.

This paper explores relationships between the diaspora and the new hosts in the context of the post-conflict setting of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The complexity of this particular relationship cannot be conceptualised through the commercial lens of the host–guest relationship due to the transformability of the roles of the hosts and the guests in this particular context. The host–guest relationship is a social phenomenon. The study therefore suggests conceptualising host–guest relationships through the hospitality social lens framework. The study adopts a critical theory perspective, which creates emancipatory knowledge, giving voice to those themes and issues usually overlooked and marginalised, i.e. understanding host–guest relationships as a social phenomenon, not just a commercial transaction. This study recovers some of those marginalised perspectives through the interviews conducted with tourism decision makers in Bosnia and Herzegovina and overt participant observations of the guided tours in which t...

This paper reports on a study which investigates the host–home relationship within the commercial home, and proposes a typology of commercial home hosts. Previous studies have identified types of small business owners and home owners and here more specifically to the hospitality context, a host categorisation is explored. The relationship of the host to their commercial home is explored using interviews, observations and discussions of the relationship facilitated by photographs of the property. Findings identify five types of commercial home hosts: the economic host, the eco-socio host, the socio-eco host, the social host and the ego host. The typology is explained and discussed.

This paper outlines the findings of a questionnaire survey returned by 125 Scottish hotels from a sample of 500 small and middle-sized enterprises. We asked questions on the level of impact that hospitality graduates have had upon human resource management practices within individual units. The research reports that, although the cumulative graduatization of the managerial workforce appears to be under way, the main route to a permanent management post still remains one of practical work experience, rather than the attainment of a hospitality-related degree. Although manpower planning is widely used by line managers for managing the conditions of local/external labour markets and operatives’ jobs, there is less evidence of a systematic approach to the management of graduate careers/skills or of the management of internal job structures and labour market processes in order to improve the quality of customer service. Our work suggests a need for smaller hotels to strike a fresh balance between traditional operationally driven approaches to people management and strategic human resource management frameworks.

This paper considers small tourism business relations within a rural tourism destination. They are examined within the context of small business (predominantly hospitality-based) networks and their contribution to destination development. A cultural understanding of relations is presented through a qualitative research framework. Findings highlight the concept of differentiation at individual, business community and destinations levels. This ideal is discussed as a means for maintaining harmony within the business and wider social community through social network norms, which are reinforced at all levels of society.

The objective of this work was to assess root traits of 19 common bean genotypes, used in breeding programs for disease resistance. Genotypes DOR 364 and G 19833 were used as deep and shallow basal root checks, respectively. The number of whorls and basal roots were assessed on five-day old seedlings grown in germination paper. Growth pouch studies were conducted to evaluate basal root gravitropism and lateral root length from primary roots, in seven-day old seedlings. The following root gravitropic traits were estimated: basal growth angle, shallow basal root length (localized in the top 2 cm), and relative shallow basal root growth. Number of whorls varied from 1.47 to 3.07, and number of basal roots ranged from 5.67 (genotype TO) to 12.07 (cultivar Jalo MG-65). Cultivars BRS MG Talismã, Carioca, BRS Pioneiro, and Diamante Negro exhibited shallow basal roots, while genotypes Vi-10-2-1, TU, AB 136, and México 54 showed deep basal roots. Cultivar Jalo MG-65 showed more lateral roots from the primary root than the other genotypes. Genotypes used on common bean breeding programs for disease resistance have great variability on basal and primary root traits.O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar características de raízes de 19 genótipos de feijão, usados em programas de melhoramento como fontes de resistência a doenças. Os genótipos DOR 364 e G 19833 foram usados como testemunhas de raízes basais superficiais e profundas, respectivamente. O número de verticilos e raízes basais foi avaliado em plântulas com cinco dias de idade que cresceram em papel de germinação. Foram conduzidos estudos em recipientes de crescimento para avaliar o gravitropismo de raízes basais e o comprimento das raízes laterais, na raiz principal de plântulas com sete dias. As seguintes características relacionadas ao gravitropismo das raízes foram avaliadas: ângulo de crescimento de raízes basais, comprimento de raízes basais superficiais (localizadas nos 2 cm superiores) e crescimento relativo de raízes basais superficiais. O número de verticilos variou de 1,47 a 3,07, e o número de raízes basais, de 5,67 (genótipo TO) a 12,07 (cultivar Jalo MG-65). As cultivares BRS MG Talismã, Carioca, BRS Pioneiro e Diamante Negro apresentaram raízes basais superficiais, enquanto os genótipos Vi-10-2-1, TU, AB 136 e México 54 apresentaram raízes basais profundas. A cultivar Jalo MG-65 apresentou mais raízes laterais na raiz principal do que os demais genótipos. Os genótipos usados em programas de melhoramento de feijão para resistência a doenças têm elevada variabilidade nas características das raízes basais e primárias.

The California Department of Fish and Game Office of Spill Prevention and Response (CA OSPR) is utilizing oil-spill fate and transport modeling to develop the time and spatial scales, and equipment needs, for a formal Dispersed Oil Monitoring Plan (DOMP). When fully implemented, the DOMP will aid in documenting hydrocarbon concentrations in the water column, potentially exposed organisms (zooplankton), and the impacts of entrained oil and dissolved hydrocarbons with and without dispersant applications. Fluorescein dye studies off San Diego, California (USA) have been completed to test the operational framework for repeated sampling of dispersed oil plumes as outlined in the DOMP, to allow evaluation of high-frequency radar (HP-Radar) for providing surface current input data to oil spill models, and to provide verification of model-predicted movement of subsurface oil (dye) by comparison with drogue movement and measured dye concentrations over three dimensions and time. Aerial photodocumentation, subsurface drogues, dye transport, and HF-Radar were used to measure near-surface current fields at varying depths. High-resolution subsurface dye-plume structure was mapped using an in situ GPS-coupled towed fluorometer equipped with pressure sensors to provide dye concentration data as a function of time, position, and depth. In addition, data from the more traditional Special Monitoring of Applied Response Technology (SMART) protocols utilized by the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) were compared with the in situ towed-fluorometer measurements, and conventional CTD data were collected to determine the mixed layer depth, an important variable in monitoring dispersion of oil in the water column. As a result of these efforts, significant progress has been made on developing and testing sampling protocols for the DOMP, and nearly continuous and synoptic data have been obtained from seven cruises conducted over a 12-month period. These data sets (available on-line through the Coastal Response Research Center (CRRC) website: http://www.crrc.unh.edu/) are being analyzed and integrated to support oil spill model development and verification with direct applicability to spill response decision making, net environmental benefit analysis, natural resource damage assessments, and educating the spill community and public.

St. Patrick of Ireland's legend suggests that he was a great rhetor: After all, he drove the snakes out of Ireland. As is often the case, however, the actual story is far more interesting and compelling than the myth. Born to an aristocratic family in fourth-century Britain, Patrick should have studied rhetoric in the Roman system. But when he was fifteen, he was captured by Irish raiders and sold into slavery in Ireland. As a result, he received a different sort of rhetorical education than his peers in Britain, an education that made him uniquely suited to evangelize Ireland.

This paper reports on research into the factors that influence the adoption of environmental measures in small hospitality firms. The research found that the decision to become environmentally involved had been a value-driven journey, influenced primarily by the development of environmental consciousness. Personal, socio-cultural and situational factors were other significant influences. The paper argues the importance of appreciating the personal and contextual circumstances of individual business-owners to understand their decision-making and operational approach. Further, it points to the value in making operators aware that going green need not involve a major change or capital outlay but can grow in accordance with the business’ needs and priorities.

This paper presents findings from a qualitative research investigation into tourism firms and the environment. It focuses on the factors preventing a sample of small environmentally accredited businesses from undertaking further action. Attitudinal, financial and operational factors are identified. It argues that in order to encourage businesses to undertake environmentally responsible practices the conditions in which they operate must be favourable; these include adequate support and infrastructure. Crucial, however, is addressing widespread scepticism towards environmental alternatives in both the public and operators, so as to make ‘going green’ commercially viable.

The objective of this work was to test a simple method for root hair evaluation of 21 common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) genotypes, most of them used in breeding programs in Brazil. Hairs of basal and primary roots of 5-day old seedlings, produced on germination paper with no phosphorus addition, were visually evaluated by a rating scale after staining with 0.05% trypan blue. The method reveals variability among the genotypes, and the standard error of the mean is relatively low.O objetivo deste trabalho foi testar um método simples para a avaliação de pêlos radicais de 21 genótipos de feijão (Phaseolus vulgaris), a maioria deles usada em programas de melhoramento no Brasil. Os pêlos de raízes basais e primárias de plântulas com idade de cinco dias, produzidas em papel de germinação sem adição de fósforo, foram avaliados visualmente, com o auxílio de uma escala de avaliação, depois de coloridos com "trypan blue" (0,05%). O método diferencia bem os genótipos, e o erro-padrão da média é relativamente pequeno.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore issues of control, fake solidarity and breakdown in hospitality. Following Robinson and Lynch, the need to explore the subjective experience of hospitality through literature is identified as being highly important to the understanding of this social phenomenon. One poem was chosen as a means of exploring subjective dimensions of hospitality and a detailed study was undertaken.Design/methodology/approach – From a total of 60 published poems on hospitality originally identified, one poem was selected owing to the interesting conceptual issues it raised, “Coffee with the meal” by Ogden Nash. The method of analysis is a sociolinguistic study from a critical discourse analysis perspective.Findings – Issues are elicited concerning management control, the micro‐ and macro‐universes affecting hospitality (as defined in Robinson and Lynch), the significance of forms of discourse in the construction of hospitality, issues leading to a breakdown in the consumer's pe...

Ancient Ireland presents an interesting case for rhetorical study. While the island is usually considered a part of geographic Europe, it long resisted the influence of cultural Europe. Unlike Britain, for example, Ireland was never conquered by Rome, and its pre-literate culture flourished beyond the fall of the Empire. Consequently, the Irish maintained a mythopoetic rhetoric based in narrative. Their stories recounted not only the deeds of their heroes, but also their words. And, like ancient Greece, ancient Ireland also had a class of sophistic rhetors, the Druids. When Patrick arrived around the end of the fourth century, he eschewed the Ciceronian rhetoric of Augustine and instead adapted Christian theology to fit Irish rhetoric.

Commercial homes, which provide hospitality where the private home dimension is significant, blur traditional boundaries between home and work and social constructions of hospitableness versus hospitality. Drawing on interviews with owner-managers of these micro businesses and a guest-researcher's experiences and observations, this paper explores the home space as a dual-purpose site of both commercial work and domestic retreat. First, use and meanings of domestic symbols in performances on the home as stage are examined. Second, there is an exploration of social control and spatial management strategies employed by hosts and guests. The findings reveal that domestic symbols add to the construction and interpretation of negotiated normative practices within these home-based enterprises. They may adopt the role of identity markers and communication tools. Hosts employ an array of mechanisms to achieve physical or emotional distance between the domains of home and work. Social constructs may be subtle as well as explicit, including spatial as well as temporal mechanisms of social control and boundary setting, framed by unspoken protocols.

This paper contributes to a better understanding the self-catering accommodation sector by considering its nature and scope within Scotland, the UK and the international context. It reviews the available literature search and also presents an exhaustive search of the Internet. The term “self catering accommodation” typically refers to cottages and holiday flats, but also may include larger premises as well as mobile units such as boats. Student accommodation comes into this category, as do serviced apartments for business use. Self-catered accommodation is widely used for activity holidays, and courses for outward-bound or country pursuits. The sector is considered in terms of economic impact, ownership, and mode of use, and an analysis of the market shows that it has grown and changed rapidly since the 1980s driven by changes in the economy and advances in technology. During the same period demand has increased due to demographic, economic and lifestyle changes, the predominant segments being older and middle-aged customers and young couples without children. The growth of short break holidays and a growing interest in country pursuits and activity holidays favour the self-catering sector.

This paper investigates the host's relationship with their commercial home and its influences on product construction. Intangible dimensions of hospitality are explored through interviews and photographs. Commercial home hosts are interviewed using photographs taken of their property to investigate the relationship they have with their commercial home, deepening our understanding of the host—home relationship, leading to a more sophisticated and nuanced appreciation of how the commercial home ‘home’ product is constructed. The study is based on six commercial homes units. It is envisaged that in the future further issues will be identified from additional unit studies. A selection of themes is identified from preliminary analysis and areas for future research are suggested. The outcome of this research will include a deeper understanding of the commercial home product construction and the commercial home sector itself, which may lead to recommendations contributing towards the nature of quality assurance and grading systems, training and development strategies appropriate to the commercial home concept, and potential implications of marketing. This research is distinguished from what has gone before as prior studies have focused on readily accessible ‘objective’ issues, rather than below the surface issues accessing the inner self, the intangible dimensions of self, which nevertheless may determine aspects of the hospitality product.

This paper compares two localities of marked social, cultural and economic difference in relation to small tourism business networking and formalization of tourism destination development. The methodological process involves in-depth interviews, supplemented by participant observation. Template development and network-depth analysis are used to interpret the findings. Through ‘thick’ description and analysis of social, communication and exchange networking behaviours, an original cultural understanding of the community embeddedness of informal small business networking behaviours is provided in the context of a developed and a developing country. The study finds that the destination with a more formalized tourism development is less reliant on horizontal networking. This results in a less directly significant contribution to destination development. However, destination size, social network density and cultural differences are also key issues in relation to networking contributions.

Different approaches to the study of small accommodation enterprises emanating from outside of hospitality are identified and a new hospitality-derived approach described: the commercial home enterprise (CHE). The commercial home sector is a numerically important yet often neglected part of the commercial accommodation sector and is briefly described and associated statistical problems highlighted. A critical review is undertaken of key studies concerning the commercial home host, identified as an integral part of the commercial home product, and inferences drawn out. Finally, broad characteristics of the CHE are summarised and areas for future research suggested.

PurposeTo report on an investigation amongst small firm owner‐managers in the service sector into potential demand for an MBA.Design/methodology/approachRelevant recent literature is critiqued concerning small firms and learning, and MBAs and small firms. A description is given of the research methods employed involving a mail questionnaire sent to 600 small and microenterprises eliciting 99 completed questionnaires, and follow‐up interviews with a sample of 20 respondents.FindingsIdentifies a potential market for an MBA tailor‐made to the requirements of a “learning segment” of small firm owner‐managers. Finds owner‐managers have sophisticated product requirements to be satisfied which would necessitate significant changes in higher education course provision and processes.Research limitations/implicationsThe research was not concerned with investigating price. Bridging the gap between meeting the educational needs of small firms and higher education provision would help to address issues of social exclusion and potentially enhance the competitive economy.Practical implicationsHigher education institutions need to make significant changes to course provision and teaching, learning and assessment processes in order to develop an MBA product appropriate for the small firm market.Originality/valueAssists with planning and designing a small firm MBA. Furthers debate concerning small firms and lifelong learning in order to develop a more competitive economy.

Tourism networks are an increasingly important tool for economic development. At a local destination level, such networks have a potentially significant contribution to make towards sustainable tourism embracing community and commercial interests. This paper describes an instrumental case study that analyses the realities of a young local destination tourism network. It reflects upon tensions among the membership arising from community and commercial value systems, and how these affect aspects of its operation such as goals, plans, activities and relationships with support agencies. The network is understood in the context of its lifecycle and considers how it could be more effectively developed. Existing theory on tourism networks is developed in relation to their life cycle, benefits and contributions, support and management.

Qualitative research approaches in hospitality are underdeveloped. As a contribution to addressing this shortcoming, sociological impressionism—a form of autobiographical sociology—is described and associated issues are examined. The methodological discussion is contextualized within the homestay sector and historical developments in qualitative research. An overview of previous significant investigations of commercial and private homes is supplied and their research methods are appraised. A synopsis of the principal findings from the current study employing sociological impressionism is provided. Methodological issues considered include selectivity, host-guest matching, and the autonomy of qualitative work. The potential of this research theme in exploring intangible dimensions of hospitality is highlighted.

This article argues for the potential use of lifestyle segmentation in order to achieve psychographic matching between hosts and guests in Bed and Breakfast and homestay accommodation. The discussion draws on research conducted in home-hosted accommodation in New Zealand and Scotland that highlighted the central role that the host-guest interaction plays in guest experience and satisfaction. The idea is then developed as to the potential for tourism boards and other promotional bodies to conduct psychographic profiling on homestay hosts so that potential guests might match themselves for potential compatibility with hosts. Whilst points of caution are noted, it is argued that such profiling could increase the possibilities of successful host-guest interaction and thus the quality of experience of both guests and hosts.

This article uses a case study of the transfer of a social firm model from Scotland to Poland for the development of two social firm hotels in order to illustrate an international voluntary–public–private sector partnership in action, and to propose a toolkit for the development of such enterprises. Social firms are defined and their principle characteristics described, located against attempts in European countries to provide employment for people with mental health problems who are disadvantaged in the workplace. Drawing upon an action research approach, key issues associated with the firms’ development are discussed illustrating the distinct characteristics of international voluntary–public–private sector partnerships. This leads on to a proposed toolkit to guide further such industry developments.

Methylprednisolone (MP) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) are tissue protective acutely after spinal cord injury (SCI); their combination offers additive protection (Takami et al., 2002a). Our study examined if acute administration of MP (30 mg/kg i.v. at 5 min, and 2 and 4 h after injury) and IL-10 (30 mg/kg i.p. at 30 min after injury) increases the efficacy of Schwann cell (SC) or SC plus olfactory ensheathing glia (SC/OEG) grafts transplanted into rat thoracic cord 1 week after contusive injury. Efficacy was determined by histology, anterograde and retrograde tracing, immunohistochemistry for gliosis and specific nerve fibers, and several behavioral tests. Administration of MP/IL-10 or SC or SC/OEG transplantation significantly increased the total volume of a 9-mm segment of cord encompassing the injury site at 12 weeks. The combination of either SC or SC/OEG transplantation with MP/IL-10 most significantly reduced cavitation. The individual treatments all significantly increased the volume of normal-appearing tissue compared to injury-only controls; however, significant decreases in the volume of normal-appearing tissue were seen when MP/IL-10 and cell grafts were combined compared to MP/IL-10 alone. SC/OEG grafts were effective in promoting serotonergic fiber growth into the graft and led to more reticulospinal fibers caudal to the graft; combination with MP/IL-10 did not further increase fiber number. Only the combination of MP/IL-10 with SC/OEG transplants significantly improved gross locomotor performance (BBB scores) over injury-only controls. MP/IL-10 given prior to SC-only transplants, however, worsened behavioral outcome. Because beneficial effects of MP/IL-10 were not always additive when combined with cell transplantation, we need to understand (1) how tissue protective agents may transform the milieu of the injured spinal cord to the benefit or detriment of later transplanted cells and (2) whether neuroprotectants need to be re-administered at the time of cell grafting or less invasive transplantation techniques employed to reduce damage to tissue spared by an earlier protection strategy.

Much of tourism development is predicated on the successful working of organisations alignment in the form of partnerships or “networks”. However, tourism networks have been relatively neglected as an area of academic study. This paper presents findings of research focusing on international tourism networks and draws out learning points from the examination of relatively successful examples. A review of relevant literature considers the definition and description of networks, their benefits, and identifiable success factors, and the research methodology applied is described. Discussion follows as to the main functions and benefits of tourism networks in relation to learning and exchange, business activity, and community. Key issues that emerge include: structure and leadership, resourcing, engagement of participants, inter‐organisational learning, and sustainability. The paper concludes by identifying significant success factors and consequential management implications with specific references to tourism destinations as learning communities.

This paper reports on the preliminary findings of an exploratory study on environmental decision making in the context of largely small serviced accommodation establishments. It focuses on the motivations of owner‐managers for becoming environmentally involved and their reasons for joining an environmental accreditation scheme. The study was conducted in Scotland using face‐to‐face in‐depth interviews with members of the Green Tourism Business Scheme, an environmental accreditation scheme for tourism businesses. Initial analysis suggests that involvement in environmental activities may be driven by economic as well as ethical considerations. The results point to the role played by personal values and beliefs in small firms’ decision making and the need to gain a greater understanding of the complexity of motives that drive the small hospitality business owner.

The correlation between historical and realized volatilities is studied empirically for a large range of time intervals. Similarly, the correlation between the volatility changes and the realized volatilities is studied. Both quantities measure the response functions of the market participants. These correlations show explicitly the heterogeneous structure of the market according to the characteristic time horizons of the different agents. It reveals a volatility cascade from long to short time horizons, with a structure different from the one observed in turbulence. A comparison is made with several theoretical processes used in finance, allowing a better understanding of the role and interactions of the market participants (intra-day trader, portfolio manager, central banks, pension funds, …). Moreover, we have developed a new ARCH-type process that incorporates the different groups of agents, with their characteristic memories. This process reproduces well the empirical response function, and ...