Tourism course proposal for a social science curriculum

As the economic and environmental impacts of mass tourism grow, it becomes vital that information concerning the industry is disseminated to as wide an audience as possible. Since many of the future opinion leaders attend university, one area where a balanced assessment of tourism is required is within the social science curriculums of universities. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate some issues and challenges involved with the introduction of a tourism course during this era of fiscal restraint and accountability. It is suggested that a new course proposal should include a comprehensive definition of tourism and its component parts; that it should consider its scholarly significance and operational feasibility within the university community; and that its place within and contribution to a specific discipline be demonstrated, since it is easier to innovate within the existing university structure.     

A Theory of Trade Union Membership Retention

The retention rate of unemployed members can vary substantially between trade unions and may not particularly reflect the structure of the labour market within which a union operates. This raises the issue of whether retention of these members is due to supply-side factors characterised by individuals or to the policy of trade unions towards their unemployed members.     

Monetary Policy in Australia: The Conflict between Short-Term and Medium-Term Objectives

This article argues that the recent implementation of monetary policy in Australia has been dominated by the response to a large range of unanticipated shocks. In the process of trying to minimise the adverse effects of such shocks, considerable uncertainty has been created about likely outcomes in the medium term. This makes medium-term objectives harder to achieve. Taking the reduction of inflation as an example of an appropriate medium-term objective, simulations are presented using the Murphy model of the Australian economy. The simulations demonstrate that a tightening of monetary policy will reduce inflation more slowly if private agents believe that the tightening is unlikely to be sustained for long. Under uncertainty, monetary policy will have to be tighter and real GDP significantly lower to achieve a given reduction in inflation. A confingency rule of medium complexity is suggested as one way in which appropriate medium-term objectives might be achieved while allowing some flexibility to react to unexpected outcomes in the short run.     

GP PRACTICE BUDGETS: AN EVALUATION OF THE FINANCIAL RISKS AND REWARDS

This paper considers the progress to date of those GP practices which have decided to become fundholding practices. We note that already, within the first year of operation, both GP fundholders and District Health Authorities have developed a number of budget ploys. As part of our work we report on the findings of a pilot survey of GP budget holders in the Kent Family Health Service. We conclude that if budget holding becomes the normal pattern of general practice, there will need to be a considerable development of the financial skills and managerial capabilities of the practices and it may be time for the new GP practice manager to come of age.     

Rationales for Industrial Policy Based on Industry Maturity

This paper proposes a framework for thinking about industrial policy based on the maturity of a given industry in a country contrasted to the maturity of the industry in a global sense. Existing models for industrial policy tend to be based on the issues faced by emerging economies. By providing a coherent framework for rationales for industrial policy that spans both developed and developing economies, we can assess various industries and discuss the merits of providing support on a comparable basis. The paper provides examples of using the framework to discuss how it can be used and how it could be developed as a strategic tool for policy makers in leading economies.     

Prior Knowledge and New Product and Service Introductions by Entrepreneurial Firms: The Mediating Role of Technological Innovation

Most research on new product and service development by entrepreneurial firms takes an individual‐level, prelaunch perspective or firm‐level postlaunch perspective. Our study examines two components of the new product and service introduction process: how entrepreneurs' prior knowledge underpins (1) firm technological innovation prior to the introduction of new products and services (prelaunch) and (2) postlaunch viability of those new products and services. Our findings, based on a series of analyses of data from 158 entrepreneurial firms, show that formal technological innovation fully mediates the relation between prior knowledge and the introduction of viable new products and services.