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The decision to operate BPO-IT organisational model by a business process outsourcing (BPO) service provider has far reaching benefits. The purpose of this paper is to develop a service provider’s BPO-IT framework that provides in-house IT function (software) required to process client services.

The multi-case study adopted an exploratory sequential mixed method research approach. In the first instance, seven BPO service provider organisations were investigated in the qualitative phase and 156 in the quantitative phase, respectively.

The adoption of the developed framework indicates that it could reduce failures in BPO relationships through reduced turnaround time in processing client services, improved quality of service, reduced cost, improved client and provider’s competitiveness, and confidentiality of client operations. Outsourcing clients could lay the foundation for a successful relationship by adopting a selection process that could choose the right provider.

The paper reveals BPO-IT organisation’s operation towards in-house provision of software required to process client services. A research exploring BPO service providers from a top outsourcing destination like India could provide offshore outsourcing clients the information to move towards onshore outsourcing.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how digital creative graduates develop new businesses on graduating from university, and how their creative, business and personal lives interact until their nascent ventures fail financially.

Seven digital creative nascent graduate entrepreneurs were followed for up to five years. Although independently assessed as having promise of business success, they were young and lacked business experience. They were followed through six-monthly semi-structured interviews which investigated their business, creative and personal development. The interviews were transcribed and key statements manually coded and extracted for analysis to identify issues, tipping points and outcomes.

The primary contribution is the finding that, despite a promising beginning and very generous start-up support, all seven nascent ventures failed financially and most were closed down in favour of employment, particularly when personal issues such as parenthood sharpened the need for stable levels of income. The graduates demonstrated weaknesses in their commercial skills, especially selling (human capital) and insufficient utilization of networks (social capital) so that in the mainly mature low entry-barrier markets they were entering they were at a disadvantage from the outset. The research has also demonstrated the value of a real-time longitudinal qualitative approach to investigating businesses from business start-up to eventual exit.

The insights gained have practical implications for start-up and survival support for creative graduate businesses, as well as raising issues about the effectiveness of postgraduate entrepreneurship education and cultural policy relating to this economically important sub-sector.

The longitudinal approach has brought new insights and indicates several areas where more research would be valuable, especially in dealing with the consequences of unsuccessful nascent business ventures.

At a recent inquest upon the body of a woman who was alleged to have died as the result of taking certain drugs for an improper purpose, one of the witnesses described himself as “an analyst and manufacturing chemist,” but when asked by the coroner what qualifications he had, he replied : “I have no qualifications whatever. What I know I learned from my father, who was a well‐known ‘F.C.S.’” Comment on the “F.C.S.” is needless.

Short breaks are one important segment of the overall tourism market. They provide a distinct market sector with, it appears, special competitive strategies. While the growth and value of this market sector is undisputed, little attention has been paid to the strategic nature of short break provision, or the potential of movement in strategic space. Using data gathered from personal interviews and applying the concept of strategic group clusters and strategic space, explores strategy and performance differences of companies operating in the UK short break market. Examines correlation between structural variables of market scope, company size; and sources of competitive advantage in relation to prime strategies adopted. Draws conclusions with regard to shifts in strategic space for performance enhancement, and potential future market developments.

This paper aims to investigate, through the lens of the principal–agent problem, the relationship between payment of National Hockey League (NHL) salaries and player performance during the period of 2005-2011 and explore the inherent issues within the NHL player compensation and incentive structure.

The research adopts a pragmatic philosophy with deductive reasoning. This paper focuses on the NHL season 2005-2011 and undertake analysis of historical player contracts and performance data of 670 players across 29 clubs to undertake liner regression analysis.

This paper quantifies potential inefficiencies of NHL league contracts and defines the parameters of the principal–agent problem. It is identifies that player performance generally increases with salary, is higher in the first year of a contract and despite decreasing over the life of the contract, will usually peak again in the final year of the contract.

The research is based around figures from 2005-2011 and secondary statistical data. The study captures quantitative data but does not allow for an exploration of the qualitative perspective to the problem.

Entry-level or first contracts are good for all teams and players because they provide incentive to perform and a reduction of risk to the team should a player not perform to expectations. The same can be said for players at the other end of the spectrum. Although not typically used much, performance bonuses for players over the age of 35 allow clubs to “take a chance” on a player and the player can benefit by reaching attainable bonuses. These findings therefore provide contributions to the practicing managers and coaches of NHL teams who can consider the results to help shape their approach to management of players and the planning of teams and succession planning for talent.

The paper presents a comprehensive and current perspective of the principal–agent problem in NHL and extends the work of Purcell (2009) and Gannon (2009) in understanding player performance enhancement.

Through primary research based on interviews with key executives in 20 of the largest hotel groups operating in the UK short‐break market, presents the case that in the UK short‐break market complexity is deliberately being managed to enhance rewards for hotel groups and that this protects market share by raising supplier complexity and gains additional market share through lowering complexity for the consumer. Argues that the key element in managing complexity is the use of supply‐and demand‐side technology, and that as the technology develops further the concept of managing complexity as opposed to simply minimizing or adapting to it will become more widespread. Contends that such developments have key implications for the future structure of the UK short‐break market and indeed other hospitality‐based markets of the future.

With reference to the concepts of chaos theory, proposes that long‐term strategic planning is of little benefit to businesses (especially small businesses) operating in the hospitality industry, and that managerial focus should emphasize innovative and creative practices in order to sustain competitive advantage. To achieve this, organizations need to have a clear vision of where they want to be and attempt to achieve this aim by adapting to situations as they arise. Today’s hospitality organizations should not try and overcome their environment by predicting future outcomes but instead should change and adapt with the environment.

Considerable literature exists on the nature of yield management (YM) and capacity strategies. One strategy for maximizing revenue yield, rooms or supplementary spend is the provision of short breaks. Short breaks in the UK are widely recognized as a growth market. However, little literature exists on the supply or strategic dimensions of the market. Provides an overview of the supply dimension of UK short break markets, focusing on hotel operations. Examining the short break activities of 20 hotel companies in the UK, through personal interviews with key marketing executives, draws comparisons in performance between the use of various short break strategies. Explores the apparent impact of such strategies relative to supplementary spend and market segments, and draws conclusions as to how short break markets can be actively employed as a capacity management tool.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the challenges faced by the hospitality industries in developing an Islamic hospitality identity and indigenous styles of management, particularly in the context of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – especially Dubai. It also aims to identify and comprehend the socio‐cultural implications of Islamic hospitality in terms of products and marketing.

This conceptual‐based paper critically reviews and amalgamates a diverse range of literature concerning Islamic hospitality (and tourism), Arab management and leadership qualities, human capital and nationalization of employment, industry skills and educational directives in hospitality and destination and product strategies.

The work critically accounts for the changing nature of skills needed by localised hospitality managers and the industry in general, especially to keep pace with dynamic customer demands and an increasingly sophisticated market and consumer. The outcome of the paper concerns the operationalisation of soft skills and managerial expertise attuned to ethnic and religious attributes of the host society. The evaluations propose ways in which the education sector can extend the career development and progression pathways for UAE nationals. The work also indicates how product development, innovation, transformation and marketing have a crucial role to play in advancing an Islamic and cultural approach to hospitality.

This paper uniquely concerns an under‐developed area of academic study: the role Islamic‐based principles and practices of hospitality and ways in which they can be developed through an indigenous‐led workforce, and Islamic and Arab styles of management, leadership and service sector operation.

Historically, Scottish education policymaking has been implemented independently of central educational policy makers, with policymakers negotiating with a variety of interest groups and elected policy makers. The paper discusses Scotland’s research policy; the purpose of research and its possible link to teaching and learning, the function of a research policy and a critical discussion of the theory of policy networks and policy communities to establish the key players who “really” shape and set Scotland’s research policy. The paper draws on documentary evidence to support recommendations on how to enhance the policy‐making process to ensure a greater representation and more effective implementation at the “grass roots” level of Scottish researchers and their academic managers.