Determinants of attractiveness for a seniors-friendly destination: a hierarchical approach

This study explored the factors that determine the tourism attractiveness of a seniors-friendly destination drawing upon an expert panel. A list of 20 destination-specific attributes was generated through a literature review and was then classified, using the ‘4 As’ of tourism destination management practice: Attractions, Access, Amenities, and Ancillary Services. The results identified the essential components of a seniors-friendly tourism destination as barrier-free public transportation facilities, barrier-free accommodation facilities, variety of seniors-only accommodation options, barrier-free facilities along customized travel routes, and variety of public transport options. While accessibility and amenities constitute important and/or essential experiential components in a seniors-friendly destination, complementary services and tourism resources also contribute to tourism attractiveness. It is concluded that the ability of a destination to accommodate the special needs of senior travellers could be further enhanced by extending the availability and variety of both lodging- and transport-related barrier-free facilities and services. From a scholarly perspective, the study reinforces the need to address the desire amongst seniors in general for a sense of freedom and mobility, and the reality that a substantial subgroup have needs that merit special provision.     

The Literature on Piketty

The extensive critical literature on Thomas Piketty’s Capital in the Twenty-First Century is surveyed under nine headings. The first deals with the conservative argument that inequality in the distribution of wealth does not matter, since a rising tide lifts all boats. Second, it is claimed that Piketty’s prediction of continuously increasing inequality and the return of ‘patrimonial capitalism’ is unjustified. Third, the quality of the empirical evidence that he cites is questioned, on a number of quite different grounds. Fourth, some critics object that Piketty’s explanation of long-run trends in the distribution of wealth is too general and too theoretical. Fifth is the argument that he has used the correct (neoclassical) theory incorrectly, exaggerating the elasticity of substitution of capital for labour. Against this, post-Keynesian critics claim, sixthly, that Piketty is using the wrong theory, and should have drawn on the Kaldor–Pasinetti model of distribution and growth, and not the discredited neoclassical analysis. Seventh, Piketty has been criticised for ignoring the distribution of wealth in developing countries. Eighth, there is a wide range of objections to his most striking policy proposal, for a progressive global wealth tax. Finally, several critics from outside economics complain that Piketty has neglected a number of non-economic dimensions of inequality. I conclude by welcoming both the book and the critical literature, and calling for the distribution of wealth to be placed back on the political agenda.     

Measuring School Efficiency and Effectiveness to Inform the Design of a School Funding Formula

In this paper, we discuss a number of key methodological and data issues presented to researchers in determining base funding requirements for Australian schools. In particular, we outline the commonly used ‘reference school’‐ based approach to determining a benchmark level of school effectiveness and efficiency, and discuss some of its limitations. In contrast to this method, we present a new approach to estimating base funding requirements that, aided by the use of more granular data, provides a more robust approach to understanding and measuring school effectiveness and efficiency.     

Generation Z Perceptions of a Positive Workplace Environment

Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal - The most recent generation to enter the workplace, generation Z, has been stereotyped as being less engaged in the workplace, despite being highly...     

China’s government finance and food security nexus: a regime switching analysis

This paper is an empirical assessment of the government finance and food security nexus in China from 1978 to 2016. Using autoregressive distributed lag for linear and threshold cointegration, the results suggest that China’s government finance and food security have reinforced each other throughout the reform era when a structural break was allowed in the model. However, the strength of cointegration and Granger causality in the government-led food security link is stronger, hence supporting the state interventionist view that a strong state has played a dominant role in fulfilling national food security in China. China’s government finance and food security changes indicate food sector reform probabilities under fiscal constraint, as regime-switching indicators have delineated the Chinese government’s difficult fiscal periods and the main reforms in the food sector. In practice, this result implies that further policy reforms can be effective for China’s future food security.     

Nostalgia film tourism and its potential for destination development

Cinematic nostalgia can influence visitors in choosing destinations where particular films have been made or shot. Focusing on the case of Hong Kong this study investigated the incidence of nostalgia amongst Taiwanese filmgoers, and whether this generates feelings of familiarity that induce subsequent travel intentions. As an input to potentially wide-ranging destination experiences, it is found that nostalgia film tourism provides tourists with psychological benefits and constitutes a destination experience that is responsive to the ambient surroundings. The researchers identified five film nostalgia domains, namely: memories of backdrops, stories and movie stars, mimicking, envy, and culture and history. Memories of backdrops and mimicking were found to be the best predictors of perceived familiarity with the films’ origin territory and of future travel intentions. Given the continuing preference for “blockbusters” amongst contemporary filmgoers and the faddishness of audience preferences, there is some risk that fading memories may cause film destinations to lose their appeal. Film nostalgia nevertheless provides a potential medium to maintain the profile of destinations which have served as film locations.     

Regional business development policy in Central and Eastern Europe: a mechanism design perspective

This paper explains one aspect of the challenges faced by regional development policy in Central and Eastern Europe. At issue is a policy for the development and expansion of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). The causes and dynamics of difficulties with SME development policies are analyzed in a mechanism design/game theory framework, in which “policy failure” arises as an equilibrium phenomenon. The model results deliver a cautionary note: that indiscriminate application of market criteria may be counterproductive in an environment characterized by severe constraints on material wealth accumulation.     

Strike and changing workplace relations in a Chinese global factory

This article engages with the debate around global capitalism and labour politics in the context of China. Data were drawn from fieldwork on a Taiwanese‐invested factory, where a strike was staged in 2004 spreading from one department to the whole factory. After it ended, the protest encouraged further struggles in the factory and inspired workers in other factories. While the original‐place‐based networks and their attached gangsters had previously divided and pacified workers, the function of place‐based networks and gangsters were dramatically changed in favour of the workers' interests during the strike. The author further argues that the expansion of capitalism in China has raised the marketplace and workplace power of workers but their associational power is impeded by the state socialist legacy.     

Exploratory study in tourism: designing an initial,qualitative phase of sequenced,mixed methods research

Exploratory studies in the social sciences are being increasingly advocated, particularly in relation to new research themes or when addressing an existing issue from a new perspective. Although exploration is usually the starting point, it is frequently part of a sequence of research stages. However, until recently the actual process of conducting such exploratory research within the leisure and tourism field has received little attention. This is due not just to perceptions that exploration is merely the initial step in a longer research process, but significantly, because there is a lack of guidance on how to conduct such research. This paper argues that when the overall tourism research study involves the use of mixed methods, an initial exploratory stage conducted as part of a sequential research process, requires a systematic approach to achieve a reliable platform for further investigation. The paper shows how and why a systematic research design process in the exploratory stage can enhance the value of studies, when the initial qualitative stage is to be followed by a quantitative phase. Three phases of an exploratory qualitative research design process are identified: preparation, development and refinement. Criteria for assessing the suitability of qualitative data collection techniques are proposed. It is argued that careful attention to the process of designing the initial exploratory qualitative stage constitutes the necessary condition for achieving results that will form a sound basis for the next quantitative sequence of research. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.