Business models among SMTEs: identifying attitudes to environmental costs and their implications for sustainable tourism

This paper examines how environmental resources and costs feature in business models of small- and medium-sized tourism enterprises (SMTEs). Several studies have pointed to the generally positive nature of the relationship between the economic and environmental performance of tourism firms. Yet, although business models act as a vector between these aspects of firm performance, they have been overlooked in sustainable tourism discourse. The paper reports findings from discussion groups of SMTE businesses in South West England during the global economic downturn. Environmental costs and cost control were afforded relatively little importance in terms of value creation; conversely, there was a strong and predictable emphasis on revenue generation. Indirect tactics emerged for dealing with guests’ environmental behaviours which reflected this prevailing commercial logic. Green credentials were routinely de-emphasized, sometimes regarded as liabilities, in a form of greenhushing. Responses were framed by reference to social media and how online reviews may negatively impact on future value capture. Conceptually, the business model emerged as an important lens for understanding how environmental resources and costs were valourized. The paper highlights the need to ensure that contemporary approaches to environmental management in SMTEs reflect the current and fast-changing conditions that frame business models.     

The Fuchsia Destination Quality Brand

SUMMARY

Quality has been widely recognised as a source of competitive advantage in tourism (Poon, 1993; Fayos-Sola, 1996; Laws, 2000). Given the shift that has taken place from interfirm competition to interdestination competition (Go and Govers, 2000; Crouch and Ritchie, 1999), a need to focus on the quality management at the destination level has been identified (Laws, 1995 and 2000; Woods, 2003). In an attempt to address this need, a case study of the Fuchsia destination quality brand, West Cork, Ireland, was carried out. The findings revealed that whilst the Fuchsia brand did not appear to function as a powerful signal of quality to the customer, it did provide a support system which fostered an environment conducive to knowledge sharing amongst the tourism service providers applying for brand membership. This was mostly as a result of the policy of compulsory training for brand applicants. The paper reveals the way in which policies and programmes undertaken to overcome reluctance to participate in a destination quality assurance system also helped remove obstacles to knowledge sharing amongst tourism suppliers at the destination.     

基于企业生命周期的科技型中小企业技术创新模式选择与对策研究

科技型中小企业的技术创新是经济增长的动力和源泉,是构成国家竞争力的重要因素之一。文章从企业生命周期的视角,分析了科技型中小企业在不同生命周期技术创新的障碍,探讨了其适宜采用的技术创新模式,并在此基础上提出克服技术创新障碍和改革技术创新模式的可行对策。     

Examining tourism SME owners’ place attachment,support for community and business performance: the role of the enlightened self-interest model

This research examines how support for the local community by small tourism businesses influences their enterprise performance, and the extent to which the owners’ place attachment influences the level of support that they provide to the community. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling were used to analyse the responses from the owners of 298 small and medium tourism enterprises (SMTEs) operating in regional South Australia. Results of the analysis provide support for the validity of a structural model. The place attachment of tourism business owners has a significant positive effect on their support for the community which in turn has a significant positive effect on enterprise performance. The robustness of the structural model was tested through a series of invariance (equality) tests. Results demonstrate that the causal relationships among place attachment, support for community and enterprise performance hold true (are invariant) irrespective of the gender of the business owner, the size of the business, and/or the length of time the business has been operating. These findings have implications for research scholars in developing more robust tests of model relationships between and across groups, and for tourism policymakers aiming to support the sustainable development of regional tourism destinations.     

旅游业中小企业的划分标准及其适用性分析——以饭店和旅行社为例

旅游业中小企业是我国旅游业发展中的重要力量,但是至今,没有明确的划分标准。因此,只能依据统计上大中小型企业的划分标准,作为现有旅游业中小企业划分的参照。以饭店和旅行社为例分析了现行中小型旅游企业划分标准的适用性,提出可行的划分标准应该在依据统计上大中小型企业的划分标准的基础上,结合旅游业的特点来制定,旅游业中的各类企业的划分标准也要结合各自的特点进一步细化。     

Professional Development Barriers and Benefits in a Tourism Knowledge Economy

This study investigates small to medium tourism enterprise (SMTE) owner–managers' intentions to seek professional development. SMTEs in a regional tourism destination were surveyed, and an exploratory factor analysis identified barriers to, and benefits of, professional development factors. Logistic regression analysis was used to predict SMTE owner–manager's intention to pursue professional development based on perceived benefits of and barriers to training factors, education level and business size. ‘Staff performance benefits’ and ‘time/cost barriers’ of owner–manager's intention to seek professional development opportunities for staff. ‘Business performance benefits’ predicted owner–manager's intentions to seek professional develop for themselves. Implications of the findings are discussed. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hungry for Growth? Small and Medium‐sized Tourism Enterprise (SMTE) Business Ambitions,Knowledge Acquisition and Industry Engagement

Differences are identified between the preferred information and learning channels of small and medium‐sized tourism enterprise (SMTE) proprietors, who have an interest in business operations (growers) or who have relatively less interest (lifestylers). Lifestylers sign up frequently to tourism industry associations, whereas growers have a tendency to join generic business groupings. The most common information for both groups is marketing related, and intensive use is made of online information to support day‐to‐day business operations. In aggregate, SMTE proprietors are avid information seekers, attaching importance to the advice provided from experienced and trusted sources. Growers proactively gather information about general management as well as tourism‐specific knowledge. Adopting a ‘one size fits all’ approach to providing information for the SMTE sector is unlikely to be effective. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.