Translation mechanisms in socio-technical niches: a case study of Dutch river management

This paper makes three contributions to the field of transition research. First, it sheds light on how the concept of translation can contribute to a better understanding of agency in niche development. Second, it articulates how the local–global distinction in the strategic niche management (SNM) approach relates to the levels in the multi-level perspective. Third, the article is empirically novel by presenting a radical sustainable innovation in Dutch water management (‘New Rivers’).     

Distribution of responsibility in socio-technical networks: the Promest case

The aim of the present paper is to show how (informal) responsibility issues within the context of a network are essentially related with the way networks are organised in order to pursue their objectives. We conceive of organisations as having at least three relevant dimensions: power, coordination and control. The case of the Dutch manure processing factory Promest is analysed in terms of these three dimensions. The analysis provides an illustration of how the dimensions enable actors to discharge their responsibilities, thereby offering insight in responsibility issues within a group of actors and contributing to the prevention of the problem of many hands.     

Factors determining UK album success

This article uses a recently compiled dataset on the UK album sales to determine which factors contribute to best-selling album sales success. We control for factors including length of time since release, nationality of artist, artist type and album type, testing the increasing returns to information hypothesis. Information on general public online review scores for the albums in the dataset allows for a strong test of the accuracy of online reviews in predicting music sales, as online reviews are a relatively recent phenomenon, while the release of many of the albums predates the widespread use of Internet.     

The Fatter the Tail, the Fatter the Climate Agreement

International climate negotiations take place in a setting where uncertainties regarding the impacts of climate change are very large. In this paper, we examine the influence of increasing the probability and impact of large climate change damages, also known as the ‘fat tail’, on the formation of an international mitigation agreement. We systematically vary the shape and location of the distribution of climate change damages using the stochastic version of the applied game-theoretical STACO model. Our aim is to identify how changes to the distributional form affect the stability of coalitions and their performance. We find that fatter upper tails increase the likelihood that more ambitious coalitions are stable as well as the performance of these stable coalitions. Fatter tails thus imply more successful, or ‘fatter’, international climate agreements.     

Data Mining For Hotel Occupancy Rate: An Independent Component Analysis Approach

The recent global financial crisis and the threat of a worldwide H1N1 influenza epidemic have greatly affected the tourism and hospitality industries around the world. Both hospitality practitioners and researchers are interested in finding analytical methods that enable forecasts to be made of hotel room demand under the uncertain conditions likely to affect the industry. In this article, a novel data mining technique called independent component analysis (ICA) is proposed to establish the major factors determining the hotel occupancy rate in Hong Kong. Then, extension of the model is suggested, incorporating these factors to decompose hotel occupancy rates and examine the effect of each factor on the hotel occupancy rate. Empirical findings show that outbreaks of infectious diseases, economic performance, and service price were the major determinants of the hotel occupancy rate in Hong Kong over the period studied.     

A Review of Personality Research in the Tourism and Hospitality Context

Most commentators agree that human relations are central to tourism and hospitality. Different personalities thus display different reactions to the same task. This article provides an overview of prior studies on personality in the context of tourism and hospitality. Using EBSCOHost's Hospitality & Tourism Index, the largest online database for tourism and hospitality research, we analyzed published articles on the topic. Broadly speaking, prior studies can be grouped into the seven dimensions of disposal, biological, intrapsychic, cognitive, social, and adjustment in personality research, plus brand personality. Interestingly, our results show although the Internet has become one of the major marketing channels for hospitality and tourism, only a small number of published articles are related to consumers' online behavior. We thus propose that this area be further researched in the future.     

International conference on competitive success and challenges in tourism Taipei,Taiwan, June 25–26, 2004

The International Conference on Competitive Success and Challenges in Tourism was held in Taipei, capital city of Taiwan on June 25–26, 2004. Organized by the Department of Tourism at the Shih Hsin University (SHU) and sponsored by Ministry of Education, the Conference attracted about 100 attendants from education institutes, industrial organizations, and official bodies. Like similar events, Conference participants were able exchange and share their knowledge and research findings. In addition to the hospitality offered by the Conference organizer, participants were impressed by the digital offset color printing of the Conference proceedings.