Ken Simpson

Co-operative business practices in the competitive leisure destination: lessons from the wine tourism industry in New Zealand

The generic management literature on ‘clustering’ among small businesses is centred around the co-operative efforts of firms within single product industries that have a progressively linear production model; there has been comparatively little attention paid to the role of clusters in developing a region, as opposed to the individual firms that conduct business in that region. This paper uses a case study of the wine tourism industry in New Zealand to examine some of the ways in which small firms may co-operate in establishing a regional image and branding, while remaining competitive in terms of their individual product lines. The main conclusion is that the clustering concept offers significant advantages to participating firms but that co-ordinated leadership is an essential component of long-term success.

The Impact of Community Attachment on Host Society Attitudes and Behaviours Towards Visitors

This paper describes an empirical research project undertaken to address a significant gap in the tourism impacts literature. Noting that previous research has emphasised the importance of host, guest, and destination characteristics as significant influences over visitor experience quality, the paper proposes that one important relationship that emerges from that circumstance has been largely overlooked—local peoples attitudes towards life in their own communities. The paper analyses the views of 575 residents of three small city communities in three different countries, in an attempt to establish the nature of relationship between perceptions of life in those communities and attitudes towards temporary visitors. Results indicate that residents are generally able to distinguish between the appeal of community as a place to live and as a place to visit, and that the character of this distinction can present as a paradoxical contrast between a clear intention to recommend as a visitor destination, and a degree of ambiguity towards the prospect of increased visitor activity. These findings will be of value to those regional and local government agencies that are responsible for the long-term planning of visitor facilities, and for the enhancement of the visitor experience in a manner consistent with local resident support and endorsement.

Reconciling Expert Advice and Community Opinion in a Local Government Strategic Planning Process

This article proposes that the eventual outcomes of local government strategic policy deliberations can often reflect the interplay between “expert” administrative staff, democratically elected politicians, and the community they jointly serve. A multi-site case study approach, to examine the generation of local government strategy related to a niche economic activity concludes that broadly conceptualized opinion congruence can sometimes be threatened by substantial pockets of stakeholder vested interest. As such, “expert” and “political” opinion reflects a caution based on both historical experience and political expediency; while community opinion displays an optimism based on eager anticipation of an unknown future.

Organisational change management through effective internal communication

This article takes a case study approach to analyse the effectiveness of internal communication policies and processes during a period of significant organisational change caused by the introduction of new technology into a firms core business activity. Results indicate that effective internal communication practices can positively affect organisational culture, and therefore contribute to the overall effectiveness of the change process. As a result, staff shows increased support for managements goals and strategies, and demonstrate increased commitment to subsequent change initiatives.

Evolution and Tourism Education-A Multi-Sectoral View

Abstract The volume of published tourism literature has grown exponentially over the past forty years, though its content has yet to constitute an established theoretical framework. One common theme has been the proposal of a series of descriptive models which ascribe an evolutionary process to some aspect of tourism development. This paper investigates the extent to which industry sector evolution has influenced the future roles of teaching and research involvement by academic staff interested in tourism. The results of a small survey of tourism academics are reported, before a formula is offered by which two divisions within tertiary education may maximise their ability to adapt to future requirements.

Community understanding of the impact of temporary visitors on incidental destinations

Influential changes in global economics have posed important survival and sustainability questions for small urban communities. In response, many such communities have turned to the tourism industry as a potential economic saviour, and have thus embarked on a developmental journey that has been exhaustively examined in the tourism literature of the past thirty years. However, this literature is all but unanimous in examining the benefits and costs of community tourism after the event, when those costs and benefits have become clearly evident and significantly entrenched. In seeking to evaluate the extent to which residents of four small cities are aware of potential costs and benefits, before the advent of any significant tourism activity, this paper analyses the content of 782 responses to a written survey procedure. Results indicate a generally realistic local awareness of the economic aspects of increased tourism activity, but an over-optimistic assessment of environmental impacts, societal impacts, and the ability of local stakeholders to successfully manage the process of tourism industry development.

Forms of Adjustment

ABSTRACT In the increasingly competitive field of tertiary education in New Zealand, characterised by strong levels of institutional competition for a numerically limited pool of students, there has been an almost belated recognition of the importance of student retention strategies. In this context, the literature indicates that transition to the tertiary institute lifestyle can often result in a period of major personal re-adjustment for first year students, which sometimes manifests itself in early academic results that are below expectations-these twin factors can contribute to early perceptions of alienation and, in some instances, can result in unac-ceptably high dropout rates. This paper describes an intervention that attempted to increase rates of retention in a tourism study programme, through a process designed to facilitate easier assimilation into the tertiary education culture, and to consequently improve the academic results obtained in early course assessment. The nature of this approach, intended to alleviate adjustment problems and provide students with appropriate coping mechanisms, is described in outline, and the results of subsequent student evaluations discussed. The paper concludes by assessing the benefits of this intervention, and by highlighting the implications for future student intakes.