Robert Nash

Overview of perceptions of German wine tourism from the winery perspective

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to consider how German wineries can successfully diversify into wine tourism, in an effort to support their primary business activity of producing and selling high quality wine.Design/methodology/approach – A survey questionnaire was created, collected and analysed using the software programme SurveyMonkey.Findings – Results indicate that the implementation of wine tourism by German vintners will be a significant challenge as the respondents report a lack of marketing and tourism management skill and knowledge; most are small to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) – which means they have little time or manpower available to devote to developing wine tourism; and there is a low level of reported co‐operation amongst stakeholders.Research limitations/implications – The research could have taken place over a longer period of time, in order to present more reliable data and also it could have included a more representative sample from other sectors of the industry, such as c...

Internship Design and Its Impact on Student Satisfaction and Intrinsic Motivation

This study examines the role that experiential education, in the form of internships, plays in the professional development of hospitality and tourism management students. In particular, it analyzes the internship through an evaluation of job design by both applying J. R. Hackman and G. R. Oldhams (1975) job characteristics model and developing a proposed intern version of that model. The outcomes demonstrate that dimensions of work undertaken during the internship contribute significantly to an individuals satisfaction and intrinsic motivation. A comparison of the 2 models demonstrates that the proposed intern model offers improved R 2 coefficients over the original job characteristics model by using different predictive variables and thus may be seen as a better guide for designing effective internship experiences.

Customizing Internship Experiences by Emphasis Area: The Key to Increased Satisfaction and Motivation in Hospitality and Tourism Management Students

ABSTRACT This article examines the role internships play in the development of hospitality and tourism management students. Building upon earlier research on internship design, it specifically examines the characteristics present in a student’s internship through the use of a job characteristics model. Using a combination of quantitative and qualitative data analysis methods, we propose, within the limitations of a case university, the characteristics needed in career emphasis areas that contribute to increased levels of intrinsic motivation and student satisfaction gained from participation in an internship experience.

Tourism development and the backpacker market in Highland Scotland

Backpacking is an emerging market within the tourism sector. Despite its growth limited research has been conducted in Scotland, or even Europe, in relation to this form of travel. Qualitative data were gathered utilising a combination of interviews and focus groups to help achieve the aim of understanding backpackers’ motivations for visiting Scotland. It emerged that the primary push factors were escape and knowledge seeking. Both of which can be related to the optimal arousal theory; those seeking escape as experiencing over stimulation in their normal lives, and those who were seeking knowledge as experiencing under stimulation. Pull factors for visiting Scotland included: Scotland’s scenery, positive word of mouth recommendations, geographic location, genealogy, the English language, job opportunities, outdoor activities and tangible aspects including cultural and natural features. Results suggest that the backpacker market is highly heterogeneous regarding motivations and there is a necessity for more research in this area so that backpackers’ needs are fulfilled which will help facilitate destination loyalty.

The motivations and experiences of community garden participants in Edinburgh, Scotland

Abstract This paper presents the perspectives of participants from three Community Gardens in Edinburgh, Scotland and investigates the role that food growing plays in their recreation and leisure activities, personal development, the development of their children and the impact on their communities. Thirty-eight participants were interviewed using qualitative, semi-structured questions to explore their motivations and experiences from their involvement with community gardens. Participant observation was used to better understand the importance of the gardens in their lives. The participants felt the gardens were places that fostered neighbourly engagement, increased leisure opportunities, social support, community health, connectedness, and community diversity. They were also places that promoted knowledge exchange inside the garden and in to the homes of the people and the community itself. Anxieties over land use and land reform highlighted how community gardens symbolised empowerment but also showed resistance to the hegemonic structure of local council and government. In effect, the research suggests that community gardens grow much more than just food, they grow community.

An examination of philosophical paradigms and a rationale for adopting a mixed methods approach

This article examines the ontological, epistemological, and methodological assumptions of some alternative philosophical paradigms that can inform the study on tourism. It presents logical and gradually developing arguments for the choice of the methodological stance, and the selection of analytical methods of inquiry.

Tourism destination competitiveness: internal and external comparisons of Malta and Cyprus.

Este articulo proporciona un estudio estadistico objetivo de la competitividad del destino turistico (TDC) en las dos islas mediterraneas de Malta y Chipre. Ambas islas han estado en el negocio del turismo por mas de 50 anos y comparten muchas similitudes y tambien proporcionan datos sobre el turismo muy fiables y comparables. El estudio se basa en un analisis de las publicaciones de la Oficina de Estadistica (ONE) boletines nacionales, anuales, referencias oficiales e informes especiales de los dos paises. Competitividad de Malta se evalua a traves de la interpretacion estadistica de los indicadores de desempeno. Este analisis proporciona un medio de evaluar la competitividad sobre la base de la evaluacion interna, pero una evaluacion externa tambien se proporciona mediante la comparacion del rendimiento de Malta y el de Chipre. Por ultimo, la competitividad de Malta y Chipre se evalua en un contexto global y el Mediterraneo.

Keys to success in Social Media Marketing (SMM) – Prospects for the German airline industry:

The continuous growth and economic contribution of Germany’s commercial aviation industry are directly linked to the implementation of new marketing practices. Especially in light of challenging market conditions and fierce competition within a highly segmented industry, new marketing paradigms assist airlines to overcome difficulties in order to promote their brands, products and services more effectively and in a circulated manner. In this regard, Social Media Marketing provides German airlines with a powerful set of marketing tools and multiple platforms to digitally gather, communicate, collaborate and share content with its customers. Despite a growing public awareness, an extensive review of current and relevant literature revealed that consumer perceptions on German airline organisations’ Social Media practices have not been examined. This paper aims to address this.