Kalotina Chalkiti

Staff turnover in the Greek tourism industry: A comparison between insular and peninsular regions

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the occurrence and implications of staff turnover in the Greek tourism industry as well as looks into the current and future strategies adopted by Greek enterprises for addressing this unavoidable and unpredictable phenomenon.Design/methodology/approach – A survey research instrument was distributed both online as well as through e‐mails over a period of four weeks for collecting primary data from a convenience sample of Greek tourism enterprises. This process yielded 63 usable responses.Findings – The findings revealed that the Greek tourism industry faces similar staff turnover impacts that are also found in other countries. Enterprises reported to experience similar staff turnover levels irrespective of their tourism sector, i.e. travel agents, hotels etc.; staff turnover levels were not found to be homogeneous across organizational hierarchical levels; respondents claimed that staff turnover is mainly instigated by factors that are beyond management control and tha...

Investigating the exploitation of web 2.0 for knowledge management in the Greek tourism industry: An utilisation-importance analysis

The paper investigates the role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and specifically of the web 2.0 in supporting knowledge management (KM) processes. A literature review analyses how the web 2.0 transforms the implementation of KM by supporting conversational and collaborative KM processes that in turn divert KM from a technology-centric to a people-centric approach. The discussion also reveals how different ways of exploiting web 2.0 reflect different levels of technology supported KM practices. The study also investigated the type and the level of web 2.0 exploitation for KM purposes in the Greek tourism industry by collecting empirical data from tourism professionals. The data was analysed by performing an utilisation-importance analysis that compared data measuring the actual utilisation of web 2.0 with the perceived utilisation importance of web 2.0 for KM purposes. The analysis identified several gaps and opportunities in relation to web 2.0 exploitation for KM purposes. The paper concludes by providing practical and theoretical implications for enhancing the exploitation of web 2.0 for KM purposes.

Information sharing and idea generation in peer to peer online communities: The case of `DIALOGOI'

This paper provides a case study illustrating how information sharing, knowledge creation and learning processes might be fostered in the tourism industry via the peer to peer virtual community of DIALOGOI of the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises (SETE). Primary data were collected through observation of postings on DIALOGOI (desk study) and questionnaires administered to community participants. The primary data collection of the research paper found that: the virtual community promoted information sharing and idea generation; and members geographically dispersed and working for different sectors managed to communicate asynchronously thus initiating both a social network and yielding usable information which can develop into knowledge once applied in a business context. This research could not comment on the knowledge creation potential of the community as information needs to be applied in a business context to become usable. The authors therefore propose further longitudinal studies of the virtual community.

Information sharing and knowledge creation in online forums: the case of the Greek online forum 'DIALOGOI'.

The information intensiveness of service firms coupled with the necessity to manage knowledge in the new economic era, render knowledge management initiatives critical for achieving competitive advantage. This case study identifies and analyses the social networking and knowledge creation capabilities and affordances of online forums to support tourism professionals. After reviewing the literature on knowledge creation, social networking and virtual communities, the case presents the social networking, information sharing, knowledge creation and idea generation capabilities of peer-to-peer virtual communities. The research methodology is explained, and the findings are presented. Finally, the practical implications are discussed and directions for future research are also provided.

Knowledge sharing in dynamic labour environments: insights from Australia

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to understand how knowledge sharing takes place in the dynamic labour environment of Darwins hospitality industry in the Northern Territory of Australia.Design/methodology/approach – Three hotels, part of the same hotel chain, were used as a case study. Data were acquired through 76 semi‐structured interviews and validated through two focus groups over an eight‐month period.Findings – The research revealed that organisational and individual factors supported knowledge sharing in the dynamic labour environment of Darwins hospitality industry. Noteworthy were the participants attitudes to knowledge sharing as well as the role of social interactions and social networks as they enabled peers to familiarise with one another both professionally and non‐professionally. The product of this familiarity was people knowledge that enabled their adaptation to multiple levels (place, industry, hotels, and peers) and in turn helped them to share knowledge with peers irrespect...

New Service Development: Preliminary Findings on Process Development and Assessment from the Greek Hotels

Despite the competitive necessity of New Service Development (NSD), research into NSD and specifically within hospitality is scant. As tourists are becoming more sophisticated and less loyal, hotels need to continuously innovate to address the dynamically changing tourists’ demands and the fierce competition. This study aims to explore the level, type and processes of NSD efforts that Greek hotels undertake for creating, assessing and further improving their NSD practices. To achieve that, literature on NSD is critically reviewed and expanded. Data from the Greek hotel sector revealed not only that hotels need to substantially increase their NSD activities, but findings also confirmed the fact that, in contrast to manufacturing, NSD in services should consider the ad hoc nature of processes in service development as well as the role and participation of guests and other stakeholders in NS processes.

Challenges of conducting systematic research in Australia's Northern Territory

This paper explores the challenges of conducting systematic research, using our experiences of conducting a study to evaluate the effectiveness of ABRACADABRA, an online tool for early childhood literacy instruction as the contextual framework. By discussing how the research team resolved such perennial issues as high teacher turnover, low or erratic Indigenous student attendance, difficulties with collecting reliable data on student outcomes, and the time and funding required to travel long distances, we show how rigorous research might still be conducted, to counter the usual proffering of such challenges as reasons why experimental research should not be attempted. Without minimizing the dimension of the logistical and funding challenges facing the conducting of experimental research in regional and remote settings, we end with an appeal that such work be prioritized, lest already disadvantaged education settings suffer further neglect in terms of national research priorities.

Profiling Samuel Cunard: An Assessment of His Contributions to the Contemporary Cruise Sector

introduction Samuel Cunard’s life achievements have been motivated by one dream: to bridge Britain and America with an ocean railway. Cunard’s name is linked with the personality of a hard working innovating thinker who has been the contributor of several breakthroughs that we currently experience in the worldwide cruise industry. Specifically, Cunard is widely recognized for his three major contributions as follows: • Transforming the navigation of the world’s oceans due to innovative technologies, vessels, management practices and the introduction of new on board services and products; • Introducing and making cruising a highly competitive global travel tourism activity; and • Revolutionizing commerce and communications between continents. The aim of this paper is to sketch Cunard’s personality for identifying and in-depth analysing his features and life achievements that have established the pillars and bases for the contemporary cruising sector.