Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Tourism business networks and ICT'

This research focuses on main challenges and opportunities in developing sustainable tourism in Samui Island, one of the well-known tourist destinations in Thailand. The island is rich in environmental and cultural resources as well as being a popular coastal tourism resort generating considerable revenues (approx. GBP 700 million in 2014). However, serious environmental impacts due to mass tourism threaten not only the island‘s tourism industry in, but also the ecology of the region and the long-term well-being of its residents. Thus, this research aims to analyse the interrelationships between tourism stakeholders and how their relational networks influence (un)sustainable practices and shape tourism clusters and sustainable tourism development. This work draws upon empirical data collected in two study regions - in Samui – sub-district Bo Phud situated in the north-east, and two sub-districts of Na Muang and Taling Ngam in the south-west. The research used and applied key concepts inherent in stakeholder theory, social networks approach, and the notion of clusters, to examine the micro-dynamics underpinning (un)sustainable tourism practices in Samui Island. A qualitative approach was utilised for the research investigation through 60 semi-structured interviews and 4 focus groups. The interview participants were policy makers, such as government bodies, and public- tourism organisations, tourism businesses, tourism associations, non-profit organisation, and local communities. Key findings show the significance of existing collaborative networks between public-private sectors and non-profit organisation which demonstrate both (in) formal networks as well as strong and weak relationships. Social networks enable innovative tourism products and activities, as well as green projects. However, these collaborative networks were still limited in some particular groups such as upmarket hotels and resorts. Other groups of stakeholders were in peripheral positions in tourism networks, especially local communities which lacked connections and participations in the tourism development process. Key challenges in relation to networking included lack of trust towards government bodies, tension between outsiders (both Thai and foreigners ) and insiders (Samui local people), and lack of time and commitment. Also key challenges towards sustainable tourism implementation arise due to the lack of financial resources, and social networks that are in some cases mobilised for unsustainable practices such as corruptions, and by the networks of businesses that are not licensed or are unregulated, as well as 'dark networks' such as sex workers, pimps and clusters of drugs dealers.

The primary purpose of this study was to examine and understand the nature of Information and communication technology (ICT) supported formal women business networks (eFWBNs) and their contribution to the development of women entrepreneurs. For over a decade, studies on women’s entrepreneurship, particularly those in sub-Saharan Africa, have reiterated the importance of, and need for, women’s involvement in formal women business networks (FWBNs). In this study, FWBNs are defined as networks that have women entrepreneurs as key actors and are often affiliated with consultants, business practitioners, and government. FWBNs provide benefits and access to useful resources that are not easily accessible to women entrepreneurs due to several constraints. FWBNs have been found to be slow to leverage ICTs to facilitate and enhance their activities even in the era of globalisation. While FWBNs exist in sub-Saharan Africa, there is a dearth of research on their characteristics, structure and operation. Particularly within the information systems field, there is paucity of recearch around the integration and use of ICTs in WBNs. Thus, there is limited guidance on what makes a FWBN achieve its objectives and how these networks may leverage technology to enhance and facilitate their operations and activities. For these reasons, this study sought to shed light on the nature of eFWBNs and their use of ICTs. To achieve this objective, multidisciplinary theories were reviewed and an integrative theoretical framework developed. This revealed that an eFWBN is a configuration of distinct but inter-related elements – actors, relationships, resources, governance, external support and ICTs – which interplay to provide contributions and benefits to women entrepreneurs. This thesis proposed that the stronger the coherence among the core elements of the eFWBN, and the operating and support mechanisms, the greater will be their contribution and benefits. This proposition was tested in an empirical study involving three network cases in Kenya and South Africa, using mixed methods. The qualitative data was analysed using thematic analysis, and converted to quantitative data using the quantitisation technique. The quantitised data and the data collected using quantitative methods were combined to test the model using cluster analysis. The cluster analysis resulted in three clusters representing the three eFWBNs cases in this study. The findings revealed that the Kenyan networks had achieved coherence amongst the elements of the network and as such attained good outcomes. However, the South African network did not report good outcomes, suggesting they had not attained coherence amongst the element in the network. The findings also provided results contrary to the observations in literature about the use of ICTs in eFWBNs. In this study, not only ICTs were highly leveraged at the network-level and were an integral part to the strategy, the existence and operation of the network. This research makes significant contribution to knowledge by providing insight and understanding into an under-researched area (eFWBNs). The key theoretical contribution of this study is the integrative theoretical framework that overcomes the limitations of earlier theories used to study networks. It integrates various theories into a framework that identifies and explains more comprehensively the various aspects and operations of eFWBNs. It also advances the configurational theory as an effective approach to measuring complex relationships. This study also makes significant methodological contributions. There is currently a dearth of knowledge on how to fully integrate both qualitative and quantitative data in mixed methods research. Thus, by adopting the quantitisation technique, this study provides knowledge on how to convert qualitative data to quantitative data to achieve synthesis of both methods in a single study. Also, the adoption of realism as a philosophical stance helped to overcome the challenges of mixing methods and paradigms in one research project. The findings of this study also have practical implications. The findings showed that at the membership level, women entrepreneurs need to apply more agency in establishing relationships and translate the acquired resources within the network into benefits for their businesses. At the network-level, the evidence revealed that leaders of eFWBNs need to ensure they balance the needs of their members in order to carry the members along and preventing them from feeling excluded. The findings also asserted the importance of developmental, private and public organisations to eFWBNs. Lastly, government and practitioners can draw from the understanding provided of eFWBNs, to create and establish policies that can aid women entrepreneurs’ successes and growth. The theoretical, practical and methodological contributions are further discussed in this thesis. The study concludes with a discussion on the limitations of the study and recommendations for future research.

Theoretically, it is said that social capital encourages individuals and entrepreneurs to engage in business networks. Social capital is the sum of the resource benefits an organisation derives from its network of relationships. These external knowledge sources are particularly relevant for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) because of their lack of internal knowledge stock. Yet, social capital theories have primarily been investigated from a structural perspective to measure benefits through centrality and position in structural holes. To understand the resource benefits, however, it is first necessary to understand what knowledge is available, second the content of the relationship, and third the context and conditions that influence these inter-organisational knowledge transfer relationships. Thus, in this thesis, a relational approach is adopted to generate knowledge on inter-firm relationships at the SME level in order to explore how tourism business networks are operated and managed in such a way that enables the knowledge transfer. This study looks into the business networks in which the SMEs of the tourism industry engage, explains the meaning they ascribe to the knowledge transfer potential among these networks, how they exploit the networks, what knowledge is made available, and the managerial as well as contextual factors that influence the network operation and management. A multi-method qualitative strategy was used to investigate naturally emerging business networks in North-East Germany’s tourism industry. A snowball network sampling procedure was applied, from which two network zones emerged, a closed coordinated small network and the members’ individually built business relationships beyond this network. The research was informed by three rounds of qualitative data generation and collection. In total, 12 first-round interviews were used to enter the field, a second-round workshop and discussion group with 31 participants was used to generate preliminary findings and facilitate access, and in the third round 38 semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted to generate data for the main empirical study. This qualitative data analysis was complemented and supported with data from informal conversations and observations, collected documents and field notes, as well as a secondary data review. The study contributes to the body of knowledge on tourism SME networks and the availability and transfer of knowledge. Its original contribution is in providing a greater knowledge and understanding of the cognitive and relational component of social capital, particularly in the formation of a network. It further adds to both literature and theory on network coordinators by unpacking and circumscribing their boundaries. The study also theorises the cult of personality in a network context. In addition, it contributes to the understanding of the role of regional tourism organisations (RTO) in that it explored how different strategies lead to a collaborative environment, effective communication and member exchange. Thus, this research contributes to the conversation of SMEs, tourism business networks, coordination, and knowledge transfer.

Thesis (MTech (Business Administration))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2017.
Introduction The research looked at the application of project management tools and techniques in ICT SME projects in the Western Cape. Problem Statement Previous literature revealed that small to medium enterprises (SMEs) are vital to developing economies as they provide employment and contribute to overall sustainable economic productivity. Literature further alludes that project management tools and techniques enhance SME’s ability to innovate, grow and compete in industry. However, it is unclear if ICT SMEs in Western Cape are applying project management tools and techniques in their projects. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate whether ICT SMEs in Western Cape applied these tools and techniques in their projects. Aims / Objectives The primary objective of the research was to determine the extent to which ICT SMEs in Western Cape were using project management tools and techniques. The secondary research objectives were: to determine the extent to which ICT SMEs in Western Cape knew about the project management tools and techniques and how to use them; to establish the extent to which the ICT SMEs knew the benefits of using project management tools and techniques; and to determine the extent to which project management tools and techniques were used by SMEs to achieve success. Methodology The research was non experimental. An electronic questionnaire was distributed using Survey Monkey and Mail Chimp to collect responses. Some questionnaires were hand delivered to ICT SMEs based in the Cape Town CBD areas accessible to the researcher. The results presented in the research were based on a survey of ICT SMEs, located in Western Cape. Out of the 341 responses targeted a total of 210 responses were obtained. The results obtained represent 60- 70% of the population interviewed. The sample was chosen using stratified random sampling that classified the respondents according to organisational hierarchy, and the amount per strata was noted. The respondents within each stratum were chosen using simple random sampling thus eliminating bias.

Thesis (MBA) -- Stellenbosch University, 2011.
The use of the web-based technology to conduct business has been growing in many industries globally, this has been the case in the tourism industry. The growing popularity of the web-based technology can be attributed to the benefits it brings to the tourism industry. The study has look into the overall benefits brought by the web-based technology in the tourism industry and how it can be further exploited to benefit the organizations. The application of the web-based technology has included the introduction of the website. The website has given companies exposure to the global market and has been a platform for conducting marketing activities. The website has been used extensively in the tourism industry as a source of information. The website has enabled travel consumers purchase tourism products and services. Having a website may not be sufficient in meeting an organisation’s intended objectives. Many companies in the tourism industry are making use of the website, hence the use of website in search engines has become competitive. Companies need to implement website optimisation techniques to benefit both the travel suppliers and travel consumers. To conduct the organisations marketing activities successfully, the websites needs maximum exposure to the target audience. This can be achieved through the website design aimed at ensuring that the website is highly ranked by search engines. Added features like video, up to date information and photos add value to travel consumers. Through these features travel consumers are able to understand tourism products and services, and hence make informed decisions. The study has looked at the application of the web-based technology in four sectors of the tourism industry in South Africa. These are attraction, accommodation, tour operators and transport. Suppliers in each sector were selected for analysis and they are: - in attraction, Kruger National Park and Hluhluwe Game Reserve; - in accommodation, Hilton hotel and Southern Sun hotel; - in tour operator, Thompson Holiday and Tourvest; and - in transport, Kulula, South African Airways, Avis and Europcar. Suppliers in the tourism industry in South Africa were found to use the website for the following reasons: - Provides information about the organisation and its products and services. - Used as a marketing tool: The website is used to facilitate communication between the travel supplier and the travel consumer. It is also a platform to sell tourism products and services. - Used to enhance collaboration in the industry. Collaboration through websites has resulted in a better supply chain. Customers have been able to buy one package including the airline ticket, accommodation and car hire using one website. - Used to conduct business transactions: Customers have been able to make bookings and reservations and payments through the website. - Used to attract customers to the organisation’s products and services. Attractive features such as photos and videos have been included in the website. The Safari Company is a tour operator in South Africa. Using web-based technology; the company has changed its business model to be able to serve its customers better. The company has developed a new website that adds value to both travel suppliers and travel consumers. Travel suppliers are able to market their services and products through the website. The website provides travel consumers with the latest information and expert advice in tourism products in the Southern and Eastern Africa. The Safari Company website has been a platform for the company to communicate its social responsibility with the global community. The Safari Company donates 10% of its revenue to an organization called Touch the Land. Touch the Land is a foundation that implements projects in Southern and Eastern Africa aimed at poverty alleviation.

Most forestry machines being produced today include a PC that monitors and controls the harvester head, and an information system that stores data on every action the driver or the machine performs. ICT thus provides an opportunity to improve efficiency and competitiveness and possibly also opens up for new ways of working for actors in the forestry industry. The purpose of this study is to investigate how ICT can enable the transformation from selling products to selling services in the forestry industry. We investigate this through performing a Case Study including a number of actors from the Forestry industry in northern Sweden. First, we investigate the barriers for establishing an Open Innovation system in forestry. Then we describe the main steps to be taken and how the use of ICT can enable the establishment of such a system. The case study shows that the forestry industry is committed to working according to a traditional value chain and is committed to a closed innovation paradigm. We argue that the ICT component in Timbercut’s forestry machines constitutes a latent potential that cancaptured through changing the business model and setting up a joint venture with Rewire.

The Chinese inbound tourism market to Australia has been acknowledged as an emerging market and a major export earner. However, Australian inbound tour operators experience difficulties in establishing and developing viable partner relationships with Chinese travel agents. Recognising the size, importance and complexity of this market, the major purpose of this research is to explore and investigate the crucial process of developing Sino-Australian partnership relationships in the tourism industry, and to educate Australian tourism operatives about this process to facilitate the establishment of business relationships with Chinese travel agents. Hence, the principal research question posed in this thesis is: How might Australian tourism product suppliers and marketers establish and maintain partnership relationships with Chinese travel agents to help Australia become a preferred tourist destination for Chinese tourists? This study is exploratory in nature and draws on applied marketing, management and cross-cultural theories on networking to explore the process of developing partnership relationships in the Chinese inbound tourism market to Australia. The literature on networking, and the development of networking relationships, has been theorised drawing principally on the marketing and management literature. The impact of cross-cultural differences and the effect of guanxi (connection), a key feature of Chinese business networking, on partnership relations between Chinese travel agents and Australian inbound tour operators, is also reviewed and discussed. One of the main contributions of this research is its multidisciplinary nature, drawing on relationship marketing and network theories and applying them to tourism research. Little research has been undertaken into tourism-based partnership relations in the cross-national context. Given the limited research conducted on this topic and its cross-cultural nature, a qualitative research method was adopted for this study. Specifically, this study utilised in-depth interviewing techniques to explore the relationships between Australian inbound tour operators and Chinese travel agents. This study identifies that the process of developing partnership relationships between Chinese travel agents and Australian inbound tour operators is, as expected, highly culturally embedded but in unexpected ways. Although all the Australian inbound tour operators in the study are of Chinese descent, they have adapted to Australian culture and business ethics, giving rise to communication problems that affect partnership relationships. A new stage model of the development of partnership relationships between Australian inbound tour operators and Chinese travel agents is therefore developed by incorporating cross-cultural factors into Western theories on networking and relationship marketing. In particular, the thesis identifies important factors in each stage of the process of developing business relationships. For example, resilient trust and mutual commitment, the pricing issue, word-of-mouth, and quality of services are all considered crucial in attaining long-term stable partnership relationships. Disproving popular myths about guanxi in some of the previous literature, the findings from this research demonstrate that, in China's economic transition period, guanxi plays a significant, but not decisive role in the process of developing partnership relationships between Chinese travel agents and Australian inbound tour operators. However, guanxi relationships can provide added value to the partnership relationships of Australian operators.

Tourism and Sport
Ph.D.
Innovation in the services sector is becoming increasingly important to understanding the innovative behavior of the US economy, as more and more sectors become increasingly populated with services. Traditional goods-manufacturing sectors remain a dominant theoretical and empirical force with respect to the measurement and management of innovation activity at different levels of the economy. This includes industry, sector, and firm levels of theory and practice. As the shifting trajectory away from traditional technology-manufacturing to services, it becomes incumbent on researchers in service dominated sectors such as tourism to better understand effective ways to measure and manage innovation in services. This dissertation comprises three essays which singly and in combination, focus on the measurement and management of innovation in services with specific and increasing attention to the role of the destination management organization. The major bodies of literature used in these essays are the innovation literature, destination marketing and management, and networks. There are multiple lenses used to analyze services within the tourism context at the industry, destination, and organization levels. In addition to multiple lenses, multiple analytic methods are employed raging from latent growth modeling techniques to convergent parallel mixed methodology. The thesis contributes to the destination management and marketing literature in three ways. First, the thesis integrates tourism production industry into the comparison of between and within group trajectories. Second, the study empirically tests the mediating effect of network orchestration, and contributes mixed methods to the tourism field.
Temple University--Theses

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Kentucky, 2007.
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The thesis aims to understand the processes of entrepreneurship that try to create businesses or products with a high degree of complexity. This complexity comes from the fact that these products or initiatives can only be viable with the concurrence of a large number of heterogeneous actors (public, private, from different regions, etc..) which interact in a relational context. A case with these characteristics is the Camí dels Bons Homes. The thesis analyzes the evolution of the relational network from the point of view of its structure and content of its links. The results show and explain the observed changes in the network structure and the changes in the ties content. This analysis of the content of ties contributes to a new systematization and operationalization of ties’ content. Moreover this analysis takes in account negative ties, a less discussed issue in literature.
La tesi vol contribuir a la comprensió dels processos d’emprenedoria que tenen la finalitat de crear empreses o productes amb un elevat grau de complexitat. Aquesta complexitat ve donada pel fet que aquests productes o iniciatives només poden ser viables amb la concurrència d’un nombre elevat d’actors heterogenis (públics, privats, de diferents territoris, etc.) que interactuen en un context relacional. Un cas que compleix aquestes característiques és El Camí dels Bons Homes. La tesi analitza l’evolució de la seva xarxa relacional tant des del punt de vista de la seva estructura com del contingut dels seus vincles. Els resultats obtinguts mostren i expliquen els canvis observats en aquesta estructura així com els canvis en el contingut dels vincles. L’anàlisi d’aquest contingut aporta la novetat de fer una sistematització i operativització del contingut dels vincles que a més integra els vincles amb contingut negatiu molt menys tractats en la literatura.

This is an interdiscliplinary qualitative study which uses an exploratory research design and builds on Fariclough's Critical Discourse Analysis methodology to analyze the discourses surrounding an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for livelihood development project in Jamaica, introduced by the United Nations Development Programme - the Jamaica Sustainable Development Networking Programme (JSDNP). The primary objective of this project is to provide the poor in Jamaican communities with access to, and training in ICTs. In this research, I specifically focus on the discourses surrounding the JSDNP Cybercentre Project for a group of microenterprise entrepreneurs in the Jamaican tourism industry to access the epistemological assumptions of this project. From the data collected it was found that at one level, the JSDNP Cybercentre Project encouraged specific ways of acting and organizing congruent with the configurations, processes and structures of corporate firms of industrialized countries, by representing the achievement of livelihood expansion through the use of specific ICTs in a particular way which excluded other discourses. The particular ways of acting and organizing promoted by the Cybercentre encouraged the use of non-indigenous technologies, undervalued indigenous technologies and excluded the indigenization of non-indigenous technologies. These discourses were incompatible with the operational and structural configurations of trans-temporal poor entrepretrepreneurs interviewed and were more favourable to the non-poor and spatio-temporal ones. One of the wider implications of the discourse therefore was that they play a fundamental role in perpetuating entrenched inequalities through the preservation of social practices, along with their associated systems and structures. It was also found that these modalities limited the operational processes of all microenterprise entrepreneurs who were exposed to the Cybercentre Project. These entrepreneurs have limited control over the configuration of non-indigenous technologies; their technological and creative capabilities are restricted; their ability to indigenize non-indigenous technologies impaired; and they are highly dependent on non-indigenous technologies (which themselves have a number of limitations).

As Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and social enterprises become drivers of economic growth, the nexus provides opportunities for new models of business to bring benefits to communities in developing countries. Recognising the complex dynamics and range of actors in this diverse and emerging sector, this study chooses to document the external influences, use and impact of ICT on social enterprises. The problem investigated is the potential gap between the rhetoric of the 'promise of e-business' versus the dynamics of enactment and impacts of ICT in practice in the social enterprise sector. The methodology consists of a mixed-method data collection strategy to triangulate data sources from a diverse cross-section of organisations in the social enterprise sector in Cambodia. These include a cross-sectional survey, interviews, observations, document analysis and review of artefacts. It is unclear whether the Cambodian social enterprise sector represents a unique case or is representative of other countries. Regardless, the rich dynamics of the sector and the current lack of understanding of ICT use by this sector in developing countries per se warrant such a study. It fills a significant gap in the field of ICT and development by providing an in-depth overview of the social enterprise sector in one developing country, which may also be applicable in other developing country contexts. The research maps the e-business status of Cambodian social enterprises along a continuum from precursor activity to fully integrated e-services. It finds that Cambodian social enterprises believe ICT adds value to their operation; however access to affordable and reliable local ICT resources is an important factor determining long-term uptake. It also shows that external support is seen as vital to the success of ICT uptake by social enterprises in Cambodia. Donors have the most significant influence on social enterprises' framing of ICT, whilst NGOs, associations and the private sector are also important institutional players in shaping understanding and uptake of ICT. The main contribution of the research is to identify the real development impact of ICT use by social enterprises by measuring the role of ICTs in achieving their goals. Its major finding is that social and business missions are inextricably linked within these organisations, so to measure one in isolation of the other denies the new paradigm that social enterprises present. The most active sub-sector explored that best reflects this unique value proposition is the emerging social outsourcing potential of the IT services sub-sector. The handicraft and processing sub-sectors have yet to fully engage and use ICT to their maximum benefit. The outlook for these sub-sectors is likely to require further support to best harness the potential that ICT can bring developing countries.

Individual businesses from a variety of sectors network and work together to create a successful tourist experience. The interdependencies of organisations producing this experience make cooperation a necessity in destination marketing. Despite the centrality of cooperation and networking in tourism marketing relatively little empirical research has been conducted in this area. This thesis uses the case of the development of the official NZ website www.purenz.com (purenz) to examine the role, form and process of inter-organisational cooperation in destination marketing. Drawing on in-depth interviews with thirty- five industry members involved in establishing and managing www.purenz.com between 1999 and 2006 this thesis makes a number of contributions to both the marketing and tourism literature. The thesis confirms that there are considerable difficulties in broadening the marketing role of the national tourism organisation (NTO) beyond destination promotion. The study also finds that destination marketing and destination management are still perceived as separate processes in the NZ tourism industry. In addition, the results of this study provide support for the view that the social networks in which firms are embedded have a considerable influence on inter-organisational alliance formation. This thesis contributes to the development of theoretical approaches to the study of cooperation in destination marketing by identifying five levels of cooperation in destination marketing: passive acceptance, support, alignment, contribution and pooling. The levels are based on the different types of input that may be required from stakeholders by the NTO. The level of cooperation desired in a particular context is a strategic choice to be made by the destination marketing management. This choice is affected by the existing characteristics of the tourism network; the NTO leaders’ perception of the need for and value of cooperation in destination marketing and also by the extent of shared understanding of the scope of destination marketing management among tourism stakeholders. The research points to the need to develop further the network characteristics affecting cooperation in destination marketing. Further work is also needed to develop a more complete profile of the five levels of cooperation identified by this study and the investment required to achieve each level of cooperation.

The fast development of the Chinese economy has brought tremendous impact on the growth of logistics industry in the country. China has become the hottest market for both Chinese and foreign third-party logistics companies (3PL providers), and more and more foreign and domestic 3PL providers are being involved in the Chinese logistics industry. To understand the current situation Chinese third-party logistics companies are facing and the competitive strategies they are pursuing, an exploratory investigation was conducted in the study. A multiple case-study approach was adopted as the main strategy and guidance for the study. Under the principle of multiple case studies, multiple instruments (questionnaire, telephone interviews and archive searching) were used in the data collection among three selected case study companies. Also, within-case analysis and cross-case analysis were chosen as the overall framework of data analysis, and content analysis was selected as the main method for qualitative data analysis. Through investigating a variety of aspects of the three case study 3PL companies, the study has identified that all the case study companies have established country-wide logistics networks, have provided customers a range of logistics services, and have adopted different information technology systems in their operations. All the case study companies have achieved constant increase in their sales in recent years. Generally, the competition in the Chinese 3PL industry is fierce, and sometimes chaotic, unfair, and even illegal. Foreign 3PL providers have been considered as major competitor by Chinese 3PL providers. All the case study companies have developed and pursued a number of competitive strategies to gain competitive advantages in both cost and service. The main competitive strategies addressed include distribution network developing strategy, information technological strategy, and long-term partnership strategy.

Esta pesquisa teve como objetivo principal o desenvolvimento de uma Ferramenta para Mensuração da Competitividade em Produtos Turísticos pela abordagem de redes de empresas. Para esta finalidade fez-se uso de revisão bibliográfica geral sobre as características diversas do setor de Turismo, Clusters, redes de empresas, cooperação e competitividade. A partir desta revisão, desenvolveu-se a construção de um novo referencial o qual foi construído por meio de análise bibliométrica com a utilização de palavras-chave alinhadas e delimitadas à temática da pesquisa, visando um banco de dados que fornecesse os subsídios científicos necessários ao desenvolvimento da Ferramenta. Este novo banco de dados foi gerado a partir de artigos publicados somente entre os anos de 2002 e 2012 que constavam no Portal Periódico Capes com acesso via Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná. Estas publicações embasaram, portanto, a construção do modelo aqui apresentado, o qual é composto por onze dimensões, cinquenta e cinco fatores críticos, cento e cinquenta e cinco variáveis, seiscentas e cinco premissas e quinhentos e dezeito indicadores. Para cada indicador atribui-se uma escala de zero a um, sendo que a média calculada entre todos os indicadores resultaria no desempenho da competitividade referente a cada uma das onze dimensões. Desta forma, a média calculada das onze dimensões resulta no chamado Índice Macro de Competitividade para o Turismo. Estas características estruturais da ferramenta permitiram que a mesma se caracterizasse como abrangente e direcionada especificamente para Produtos Turísticos originados da regionalização e cooperação. Ou seja, a Ferramenta possui dimensões interdependentes para análise da competitividade macro do Destino em questão, ao mesmo tempo que as dimensões são dependentes para análises mais específicas, por exemplo. Por fim, destaca-se que embora o modelo apresentado seja estruturado a partir do cálculo da média dos indicadores e dimensões, entende-se que uma nova abordagem quantitativa para o modelo é possível, visando resultados ainda mais eficazes sobre a mensuração da competitividade.
This research aimed to develop a Model for Measuring Competitiveness in Tourism Products by approach of business networks. For this purpose it was used a literature review about characteristics of the tourism sector, clusters, business networks, cooperation and competitiveness. Thereafter, it was developed the construction of a new framework which was built through bibliometric analysis with the use of keywords aligned and delimited to the topic of research, aiming a database that provides the necessary scientific equipment to the model development. This new database was generated from only articles published between the years 2002 and 2012 which appeared in “Periódicos Capes” with access at Federal Technological University of Paraná. These publications are based for building the model presented here, which consists of eleven dimensions, fifty-nine critical factors, one hundred fifty-five variables, sixty hundred and five assumptions and five hundred eighteen indicators. For each indicator is assigned a scale from zero to one, and the averaged across all performance indicators in the result of competition for each of the eleven dimensions. Thus, the averaged results in eleven dimensions called Tourism Macro Competitiveness Index. These structural features of the tool allowed the same be characterized as comprehensive and targeted specifically for tourism products originated regionalization and cooperation. That is, the tool has interdependent dimensions for analysis of competitive macro destination in question, while the dimensions are dependent for more specific analysis, for example. Finally, it is noteworthy that although the model is structured by calculating the average of the indicators and dimensions, it is understood that a new quantitative approach to the model is possible, seeking even more effective results on the measurement of competitiveness.

The tourism industry is growing and with its growth competition between destinations rises. In competition, cooperation and collaboration between tourism operators seem beneficial when creating an attractive and dynamic tourist destination.

The purpose of this study is to describe and discuss the significance and influence of tourist related networks at a tourist destination, and therefore this study aims to examine the question: What significance do the tourist related networks have at a tourist destination?

This study focuses on seven networks on Gotland that are tourism related, and the representatives of the networks were interviewed in order to get their view on the network and its significance to the destination. The study shows that networks have an important role in creating a unified tourist product of the destination, and in reaching out to the potential visitors through joint destination marketing. The study also shows that the tourism related networks helps to improve the reception of the tourist at a destination and to secure the quality of the tourist destination and its tourist products.

Turismindustrin är en växande näring, vilket naturligt skapar en följd av ökad konkurrensmellan destinationer. I konkurrens ter sig samarbeten och samverkan mellan turismaktörervara fördelaktigt, för att skapa en attraktiv och dynamisk turistdestination. Samverkan kanäven vara fördelaktig då turismindustrin består av många små företag, med små resurser som ensamma har svårt att driva en hållbar utveckling av destinationen. Genom samverkan i nätverk kan olika aktörers viljor, agendor och mål på en plats samlas och koordineras för attgenomföra gemensamma aktioner. Problemfrågan som driver studien är: Vilken betydelse har turistrelaterade nätverk för enturistdestination? Fokus i studien ligger på Gotland, som är en populär turistdestination med ett stort antal turistrelaterade företag, som i stor utsträckning samverkar genom nätverk. I studien identifieras 21 stycken turistrelaterade nätverk på Gotland varav sju deltar i denna studie. Dessa nätverk är: Bo vid havet, Goda Gotland, Gotlands attraktioner, Hovleden, Marknadsrådet, Kryssningsgruppen och Vandrarhem, Pensionat och Bed & Breakfast påGotland. Studien har ett tolkande, förståelseinriktat perspektiv och baseras på intervjuer, i detta fall semistrukturerade intervjuer som kan liknas vid ett öppet samtal. Intervjuer har genomförts med nätverkens företrädare och frågorna har berört deras syn på samverkan och nätverk generellt, samt det egna nätverkets betydelse för destinationen. I studien redogörs bland annat för begreppen nätverk, turistdestination och turistprodukt, där nätverk definieras som uppbyggt av ett antal relationer mellan olika aktörer som kan bestå av organisationer, grupper eller individer. En turistprodukt kan dels vara en specifik produkt som erbjuds turisten, och dels kan turistprodukten syftas till hela destinationens sammanlagda utbud. I turisters medvetande kan destinationen i sig utgöra en turistprodukt och det ligger därmed i destinationens intresse att marknadsföra destinationen som en sammanhållen turistprodukt. Studien visar att samverkan i nätverk gynnar turisten då information kring destinationens utbud lättare förmedlas och når ut till kunden genom gemensamma aktioner. Dock visar studien en problematik med samverkan då flera nätverk verkar parallellt. Ett stortantal nätverk, som verkar var för sig, kan splittra destinationen och förvirra den potentiella besökaren. Antalet nätverk och de olika bilder de kommunicerar ut, ser vi kan likväl förvirra kunden som generera fler, eftersom olika produkter lockar olika kunder.Det är inte desto mindre samarbetet mellan de involverade i destinationsprodukten som ger destinationen framgång. Studien visar att nätverk har en betydande roll i erbjudandet av det turistiska utbudet på en destination och i skapandet av en sammanhållen turistprodukt. Nätverken verkar gemensamt med destinationsfrämjande aktiviteter, vilka exempelvis förbättrat mottagandet av turisten och kvalitetssäkringen av destinationens utbud. I nätverkskapas win-win situationer mellan turismaktörer där aktörerna kan gå samman i marknadsföring och tillsammans marknadsföra sitt eget företag, såväl som destinationen, för att locka besökare. Nätverken genererar också andra fördelar för en destination. Exempelvis kan vi i studien se att nätverken har en viktig roll i varumärkesbyggandet av destinationen.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management specialising in Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation Johannesburg, 2017
Globally, information communication technologies (ICT) have experienced rapid growth since the 1990’s. In South Africa, information communication technology now accounts for a larger percentage of the Gross Domestic Product than other sectors. Thus, ICT is an important driver of entrepreneurship, employment creation and economic development in SA. As such, one of the critical questions is how to ensure the competitiveness and performance of ICT firms. Entrepreneurship studies argue that the performance of entrepreneurial firms is affected by, amongst other things, the firms’ social capital such as formal networks. This study, therefore, examined the impact of formal networks on firm entrepreneurial performance of ICT firms in SA, paying specific attention to weak ties as well as the moderating role of the environment. The study adopted a positivist paradigm which relied on quantitative data, using a descriptive survey method. Applying probability sampling, a sample of 120 firms were surveyed from an industry database, achieving a 14% response rate. This response rate is adequate for the generalisation of the results (Urban & Sefalafala, 2015). In analysing the data, factor analysis to reduce several variables into latent factors was performed. Thereafter, statistical linear regression modelling was performed using the continuous dependent variable – Firm Entrepreneurial Performance indicated by: Growth in Sales and Market Share, and Profitability; and the continuous independent variable of Formal Networking indicated by: Network Tie Strength and Relationship Quality and Nature sub-constructs. The results demonstrate significant correlation between formal networking and firm entrepreneurial performance as well as weak ties. However, the results indicate no evidence for the moderating role of the environment. At a theoretical level, this shows that formal networking and weak ties are beneficial to ICT firms but the environment is a contingent factor. At a practical level, managers and firm owners should consider joining formal networks that promote weak tie relationships in order to access complementary assets and valuable information. Policy makers and other stakeholders should devise policies and programmes that support entrepreneurial ICT firms to engage in formal networking. The limitations of the study include the following: first, the study was cross sectional and limited to ICT firms on an industry database; second, the control variables did not include firm size. Future research should consider a longitudinal study to test the long-term impact of firm entrepreneurial behaviour as well as firm size to inform firm specific research. More studies should test the moderating role of environment.
MT 2017

Yes
Against a background of the low engagement of small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in e-business this paper investigates the significance of hosted services and firm aggregations. Based on qualitative case studies of aggregations of SMEs the research shows how e-business based innovation can occur, and identifies the extent to which the aggregation factor contributes to this innovation. The research confirms existing understanding of the importance of network based aggregations but adds to this with further detail and examples, including the `outsourcing¿ of innovation to the application service providers (ASPs).

D.Litt. et Phil.
The purpose of this research was to determine the status of e-readiness of Small and Medium-Sized enterprises (SMEs) in the ICT sector in Botswana with respect to information access using ICTs for competitiveness in the local and international markets. The population of study consisted of key informants from 114 SMEs in the ICT sector in Gaborone and Francistown, the capital city and the second largest city of Botswana respectively. The official list of ICT companies provided by the government of Botswana was used as the sampling frame. The research used a two-phase design - the preliminary survey and the main survey of the project. The preliminary survey consisted of two stages. During the first stage, a short structured questionnaire was administered to a census of 114 key informants from SMEs in the ICT sector. During the second stage, six focus group discussions were used to collect data from key stakeholders in the ICT sector who included representatives from: ICT companies, ICT professional body in Botswana, government utility corporations, academia and the business community. The participants in the focus group discussions involved representatives from 55 SMEs who were identified like in the first stage using the government official list of SMEs in Botswana. The quantitative data collected through questionnaire were analysed using SPSS while the qualitative data collected through focus group discussions and in-depth interviews were analysed using thematic tables. The results were represented using tables, pie charts, categories and narrations. The results of the preliminary survey of the project were used to characterise the ICT sector in terms of its size, key players, nature of businesses, products and services traded in, distribution of business by location and the issues that affected the sector. This characterisation was important in two main respects. Firstly, it provided a clear roadmap for the design of the main survey of the research since little information existed on the subject of e-readiness on Botswana in general and with respect to SMEs in particular. Similarly, the government had invested a lot of resources in ICT infrastructure development and was focusing on SMEs especially those in the ICT sector to diversify the economy from the dominant diamond mining to service industry. Secondly, the results of the preliminary survey of the project supported the development of a structured interview schedule that was used during the main survey of the project. During the main survey of the research data was collected from companies that participated in the focus group discussions. From the focus group list of participants, an alphabetical name list of 55 SMEs was created. There were 43 Small-Sized and 12 Medium-Sized enterprises that were represented during the focus group discussions. For the purpose of carrying out the structured interviews, SMEs were stratified into two (Small-Sized enterprises and Medium-Sized enterprises). From the Small-Sized enterprises stratum, 20 companies were systematically selected (from the 43) taking every other member on the list. On the other hand, in the Medium-Sized enterprises stratum, all the 12 enterprises were selected for interviews because the number of respondents was small. The data collected was analysed using categories and thematic tables because it was largely qualitative. The results were presented in the form of thematic tables and through narrations. The findings from the SMEs surveyed indicated that most of the SMEs in the ICT sector in Botswana were Small-Sized enterprises that were largely not e-ready to participate in the global electronic business environment because of several impediments such as: the lack of awareness, inadequate policy and legislative framework, poor telecommunication and electricity infrastructures, poor e-commerce infrastructure, inadequate government support, the lack of access to credit, investment barriers, the lack of critical ICT skills and more. The major outcomes of the project include an exposition of the e-readiness status of SMEs in the ICT sector in Botswana, a road map that can assist the government of Botswana to establish a strong export-oriented ICT sector. The weaknesses and strengths of Botswana’s e-readiness status with regard to SMEs are brought to the fore, thus creating awareness upon which the government can design interventions that are tailored to meet Botswana’s SMEs’ specific needs. Similarly, this project provides a framework upon which the government can benchmark against its counterparts in the rest of the world in order to define its investment priorities. The project also provides baseline information which the government could use to implement appropriate policy and legislative decisions in order to enhance the e-readiness of SMEs in the ICT sector in Botswana. Finally, the new integrated e-readiness tool that was developed in this project is the first of its kind to bring the different major components of e-readiness (such as enterprise, ICT, human resources, information and external environment readiness) into a single assessment tool with great attention paid to information access. The tool is also modular in design and thus can allow specific e-readiness assessment of individual segments of society to be modelled independently of each other. The tool also enriches the qualitative aspects of e-readiness that are only minimally addressed in a few of the existing macro e-readiness assessment tools. Among the key recommendations from the research is the need for the government of Botswana to promulgate relevant policies and implement pragmatic programmes that would enable SMEs in the ICT sector in the country to use various information technologies in order to gain access to relevant information regarding access to credit, investment opportunities, partnerships, education and training opportunities so that they can effectively participate in both the local and international markets. The policy changes and programmes to be undertaken by the government should be underpinned by an effective legislative and regulatory framework that would enable the small business firms to identify, acquire, process, organise, disseminate and apply information for competitive advantage through the effective deployment and application of ICTs.

Travel With comes from the need to have a platform that improves the authors trip planning experience. The idea is to smooth the research pase by reducing the time needed, providing a digital space where the customer can see or plan trips with cheaper prices, compare bias feedback and travel tips. By storing all the information in one place, Travel With simplifies planning and travel logistics management, and thus brings a quicker, happier, and rewarding user experience. The purpos of this study is to analyse the ideas feasibility, considering literature review on the market and customer (Millennials), led to the conclusion of which was the best business target and strategy. Customer needs and interests were analysed through quantitative and qualitative research with the goal to find market opportunities. This reasearch allowed an improvement of the original concept, supporting the creationg of aplatform that would satisfy the customers. According to the market analysis and the customer researches, obstacles where identified, and transformed into opportunities through a digital marketing strategy focusing on social networks and the importance of influencers. The results have shown that the idea brings value to the market, but its success highly depends on its strategy, which will ensure the companies survival and success in a completive market.
A ideia de negócios surge de uma necessidade do autor em facilitar a sua experiência de planeamento de viagens. De modo a reduzir as horas de pesquisa bem como as várias fontes, surge a ideia de criar uma única plataforma capaz de recolher toda a informação, onde os consumidores poderão não só criar as suas próprias viagens onde a plataforma sugere os serviços com os preços mais baixos versus qualidade, mas também a planos de viagens feitos por outros "users" com dicas e comentários fidedignos. O objetivo deste estudo teve por base a analise da viabilidade da ideia de negócio, através de uma análise de mercado e de consumidores target ("Millennials") com base em artigos e publicações, sendo posteriormente confirmada por métodos de pesquisa quantitativos e qualitativos, dos quais surgiram resultados que tiveram impacto na ideia original, tendo sido necessário realizar alterações de modo a garantir que a mesma satisfazia as necessidades dos cientes tornando-se uma oportunidade de mercado. Após as analises internas e externas foi possível identificar fraquezas que posteriormente foram transformadas em oportunidades através de uma estratégia de marketing digital baseada na experiência de redes socias e o impacto de "Influencers" nos consumidores. O estudo concluí que o mercado atribui valor à ideia, no entanto o sucesso da mesma está diretamente ligado ao sucesso de implementação da estratégia, que ajudará na obtenção de resultados num mercado de elevada competitividade onde a melhoria continua e adaptabilidade são cruciais para o sucesso e sobrevivência da empresa.

The idea and goal of the present dissertation aims at filling the gap in the literature, based on a case study, regarding the relevance, application and management of networks as an enabler of the internationalization process of a Portuguese hotel company. More specifically in the context of tapping and stabilizing foreign markets for the importation of business to the Portuguese properties. To obtain the answer and draw conclusions on the proposed research question, a qualitative methods approach was performed, using techniques such as interviews and observational experience as collection sources of primary data and other internal and external documentation as secondary data. The findings show that for this company networks are vital. The managerial method this company uses on the network is effective and an added value to the value chain of this firm. Being a hotel, this company depends a lot on business from foreigners, thus, findings show that without having built and managing their own strong network of business partners, it would have been difficult for this company to have had the same international performance and results it observed so far. The study shows that for an efficient internationalization strategy, the company needs a deep knowledge about each foreign market, elucidating further that without the contribution of the network this company would not be able to achieve such goals, failing in the mission of diffusion of the brand and stabilization in foreign markets.
O objetivo da dissertação que aqui se apresenta é o de preencher uma abertura disponível na literatura para ao desenvolvimento de um caso de estudo baseado na relevância, aplicação e gestão de redes como um facilitador do processo de internacionalização de uma cadeia hoteleira portuguesa. Mais especificamente no contexto de perfuração e estabilização em mercados estrangeiros para aumentar a importação de visitantes estrangeiros aos hotéis desta cadeia. Em vista a obter resposta à pergunta de pesquisa, foi utilizado o método de pesquisa qualitativa, em que foram utilizadas técnicas de entrevistas e experiência observacional como modo de coleção de fonte de informação primária e documentação interna e externa como modo secundário. As conclusões deste estudo apontam para que de facto a existência de networks é vital. A maneira como o Martinhal escolhe gerir a rede, mantendo uma relação próxima com os seus parceiros de negócio, representa um método eficaz para gerar resultados positivos no processo de internacionalização e, ainda, os resultados demonstram que de outra maneira, dificilmente os conseguiria atingir. Os resultados mostram que para uma a estratégia de internacionalização eficaz é necessário um conhecimento profundo de cada mercado estrangeiro e para tal, o método utilizado demonstra ser a maneira mais eficaz.

No
This book examines prominent issues in the Emerging Markets (EM) from a variety of disciplines in order to make useful societal contributions through knowledge exchange. EMs offer enormous opportunities, but realizing them is both challenging and risky due to inherent uncertainties of such markets. EM’s also have unique characteristics that makes them different from developed countries. This causes implications for both theory and practice. These markets necessitate substantial adaptations of developed theories and approaches employed in the Western world. This book investigates problems specific to emerging markets, and identifies new theoretical constructs, hypotheses (re)development, and emphasizes institutional contexts. The chapters in this book establish new conceptual and theoretical paradigms from multidisciplinary perspectives concentrated in the areas of information systems, electronic government, and digital and social media matters. The book focuses on topics in these areas such as digital enterprises, sustainability, telemedicine, and Information Communication Technology (ICT) and surveys the potential challenges and opportunities that may arise. These concepts and topics covered in this book are vital for making the global economy more equitable and sustainable.

Current demographic trends suggest that people are living longer, while the ageing process entails many necessities, calling for care services tailored to the individual senior’s needs and life style. Personalized provision of care services usually involves a number of stakeholders, including relatives, friends, caregivers, professional assistance organizations, enterprises, and other support entities. Traditional Information and Communication Technology based care and assistance services for the elderly have been mainly focused on the development of isolated and generic services, considering a single service provider, and excessively featuring a techno-centric approach. In contrast, advances on collaborative networks for elderly care suggest the integration of services from multiple providers, encouraging collaboration as a way to provide better personalized services. This approach requires a support system to manage the personalization process and allow ranking the {service, provider} pairs. An additional issue is the problem of service evolution, as individual’s care needs are not static over time. Consequently, the care services need to evolve accordingly to keep the elderly’s requirements satisfied. In accordance with these requirements, an Elderly Care Ecosystem (ECE) framework, a Service Composition and Personalization Environment (SCoPE), and a Service Evolution Environment (SEvol) are proposed. The ECE framework provides the context for the personalization and evolution methods. The SCoPE method is based on the match between the customer´s profile and the available {service, provider} pairs to identify suitable services and corresponding providers to attend the needs. SEvol is a method to build an adaptive and evolutionary system based on the MAPE-K methodology supporting the solution evolution to cope with the elderly's new life stages. To demonstrate the feasibility, utility and applicability of SCoPE and SEvol, a number of methods and algorithms are presented, and illustrative scenarios are introduced in which {service, provider} pairs are ranked based on a multidimensional assessment method. Composition strategies are based on customer’s profile and requirements, and the evolutionary solution is determined considering customer’s inputs and evolution plans. For the ECE evaluation process the following steps are adopted: (i) feature selection and software prototype development; (ii) detailing the ECE framework validation based on applicability and utility parameters; (iii) development of a case study illustrating a typical scenario involving an elderly and her care needs; and (iv) performing a survey based on a modified version of the technology acceptance model (TAM), considering three contexts: Technological, Organizational and Collaborative environment.