This study is an attempt to increase the understanding of the hunting tourism customer. The purpose of the paper is to explore the characteristics, motivations, values and…
Abstract
Purpose
This study is an attempt to increase the understanding of the hunting tourism customer. The purpose of the paper is to explore the characteristics, motivations, values and expectations of Finnish hunting tourists, and to try to distinguish between different types among them.
Design/methodology/approach
Twelve semi‐structured, narrative, face‐to‐face interviews were conducted. The study was conceived within an interpretive paradigm, in which a central aim is to understand the subjective world of the human experience. Constant comparison was used as a method of data analysis.
Findings
Several common features were distinguished among the interviewees. First, hunters' attitudes towards shooting and the importance of a bag have changed during the years. Second, a difference between an ordinary hunting experience and a hunting tourism experience was perceptible. Third, willingness to experience something new related to hunting was the most important hunting tourism motivation. The fourth common feature was the importance of the social component hunting tourism. Three different types of hunting tourists could be identified: responsible hunting tourists, adaptable hunting tourists and achievement‐oriented hunting tourists. The major distinguishing factors were the hunters' attitudes towards shooting, game farming and social relationships during the hunting trip.
Originality/value
The study is one of the few to investigate hunters as tourists.
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Michael S. Alvard and Allen Gillespie
Data are presented on the benefits and costs that accrue to big game hunters living in the whaling community of Lamalera, Indonesia. Results indicate that big game hunting…
Abstract
Data are presented on the benefits and costs that accrue to big game hunters living in the whaling community of Lamalera, Indonesia. Results indicate that big game hunting provides males a strong selective advantage. Harpooners, and to a lesser degree hunters in general, reap substantial fitness benefits from their activities. Hunters, especially harpooners, have significantly more offspring than other men after controlling for age. Hazard analysis shows that harpooners marry significantly earlier and start reproducing at an earlier age. This is not case for other hunt group members or non-hunting participants – the technicians and the boat managers. These results are consistent with data from other hunting societies that show significant reproductive benefits for good hunters. Harpooners experience other costs and benefits. Harpooners receive significantly more meat even after controlling for the effort they expend hunting, while at the same time suffer an increased risk of mortality. The results are discussed in the context of the hunting hypothesis and the current debate within human behavioral ecology concerning the role of hunting as a human male reproductive strategy.
A recently published survey found that slightly over 14 million persons age 16 or over hunted in the United States in 1991 and spent over $12 billion on hunting. By comparison…
Abstract
A recently published survey found that slightly over 14 million persons age 16 or over hunted in the United States in 1991 and spent over $12 billion on hunting. By comparison, the same survey determined there are over 35 million anglers. Another source estimates that nearly 18 million participants age seven and older hunted with firearms in 1992. That ranks hunting well below the participatory sports of swimming, bicycling, and bowling in popularity, but ahead of football, skiing, tennis, and target shooting. Estimates vary, and while these numbers are substantial, they indicate that hunters comprise well under ten percent of the total U.S. population. Hunters have come under increasing fire from animal rightists and others who claim the sport is cruel and unnecessary. Hundreds of articles and a number of books have been written in recent years on both sides of the issue, or, more accurately, all sides. Many writers as well as the population at large see hunting as not entirely “good” or “bad” but some of each, depending upon the context.
Lisa Finder, Valeda F. Dent and Brian Lym
The paper aims to provide details of a study conducted at Hunter College Libraries in fall 2005, the focus of which was how presentation of initial digital resource pages (or…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to provide details of a study conducted at Hunter College Libraries in fall 2005, the focus of which was how presentation of initial digital resource pages (or gateway pages) on the library's web site impacted students' subsequent steps in the research process.
Design/methodology/approach
A group of 16 students from English and History classes at Hunter College were recruited to participate after having had basic library instruction. They were given computer‐based key tasks to perform in a proctored classroom setting, using the library's homepage. A second group of students was recruited to participate in two small focus groups. The methodology and exercises were developed in part using guidelines from a taxonomy of user behavior developed by librarians at Hunter College, and recommendations from usability literature by Krug, Neilsen and Rubin.
Findings
Results from the computer‐based key tasks exercises were bifurcated. Completion rates for computer‐based key tasks using the in‐house developed Hunter College Library database grid, with less than 80 percent (37 percent‐73 percent) students successfully completing all the tasks, was inferior compared to performance using the Serial Solutions access page and the Academic Search Premier database, both commercially‐developed products, with most of the tasks successfully completed by at least 80 percent of the students.
Originality/value
This study is unique in that the focus is not on the usability of an entire library web site, rather, on the presentation of select, highly visible gateway pages that get a lot of use.
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Danielle Andre Becker, Ingrid Bonadie-Joseph and Jonathan Cain
The purpose of this paper is to discover how many of the authors' own university students own internet-enabled mobile devices and how they use them. That information will be…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to discover how many of the authors' own university students own internet-enabled mobile devices and how they use them. That information will be incorporated into the design of a user-centered library mobile web site.
Design/methodology/approach
SurveyMonkey was used to create a web based survey which was distributed through a stable URL hosted on the Hunter College Libraries' web site.
Findings
This study illustrates that Hunter College students are increasingly using their mobile devices for educational purposes. Students are reliant on these devices even when other internet-enabled devices such as laptops and desktops are available.
Research limitations/implications
The principal tool used, SurveyMonkey, did not enable high level restrictions on potential participants. As a result, multiple demographic questions were used to establish a respondent profile.
Practical implications
The findings of this study provide a framework for the creation of a mobile survey to discover users' habits and preferences. The data collected may also give an indication of what users may desire in a mobile library web site. Further investigation is needed to explore the relationship between commuting and how students use their mobile devices.
Originality/value
This is the only study which provides data on the devices urban college student library users own, and how they utilize these devices.
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Michael Gurven, Kim Hill and Felipe Jakugi
Commonly studied hunter-gatherer traits, such as grouping and sharing, may require special attention when self-selection introduces bias into typical analyses. We therefore…
Abstract
Commonly studied hunter-gatherer traits, such as grouping and sharing, may require special attention when self-selection introduces bias into typical analyses. We therefore re-examine forager sociality by asking a series of nested questions: (1) To what extent are foraging groups random samples from the larger population? (2) What social and economic factors might explain the composition of foraging groups? (3) If certain groups of individuals preferentially forage together, do these same groups also preferentially share with each other when resident at their permanent settlement? (4) To what extent can we understand behavior in the foraging context without consideration of other contexts in which individuals live and work, and vice versa? Among the Ache of Paraguay, we show that foraging treks are not representative of the larger population, individuals vary in the kinds of treks in which they participate, and those who tend to share together at the reservation are more likely to forage together on trek.
Thunusha Pillay Lottan and Caren Brenda Scheepers
The learning outcomes for this case study are as follows: learning outcome 1: evaluate the environmental context of Youth Employment Service (YES) and ascertain whether YES is a…
Abstract
Learning outcomes
The learning outcomes for this case study are as follows: learning outcome 1: evaluate the environmental context of Youth Employment Service (YES) and ascertain whether YES is a social enterprise. Students will provide an analysis of what is happening around the business, and why addressing youth unemployment is an urgent matter to address; learning outcome 2: apply basic financial principles to evaluate the basic profit and loss statement of YES. In a business management class, students need to recognise the importance of applying basic financial principles to ensure the financial sustainability of a business. Therefore, the objective is for students to evaluate the basic profit and loss statement in the case’s exhibit. The focus is not necessarily on the numbers, but rather on the insight that students will gain into the organisation’s strengths and development areas; and learning outcome 3: create recommendations by considering the exploitation of existing opportunities and the exploration of new opportunities to innovate. Students should understand the principles of organisational ambidexterity and provide suggestions on how they can be used by organisations to reshape their desirable future.
Case overview/synopsis
On 31 March 2022, Leanne Emery Hunter, the chief operating officer of the YES, was considering how YES could increase their impact. Hunter considered how to convince more corporations to sponsor their efforts in creating work experiences for South African youth. In addition to exploiting these efforts that they were already involved with, YES could explore new opportunities to increase their impact, such as focusing on the community hubs and the innovative products they were developing. Expanding YES’s community hubs to serve as support to the youth would require a capital investment in technology and specific skills within the next six months. Hunter, therefore, faced the dilemma of managing the tensions between focusing on YES’s existing offering, which had a social impact, while paying attention to secure their future by focusing on the financial sustainability and expansion of YES. Its ceremonial inauguration in March 2018 was ushered by President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa, followed by its registration in October 2018. YES was challenged to look for new ways of creating a proactive growth strategy. YES had a social mission to address youth unemployment, students will, however, need to ascertain whether YES is a social enterprise. The case shares financial results and students have an opportunity to calculate profit and loss and offer recommendations on the financial viability of YES while fulfilling their social mission of contributing to youth employment. Students must give recommendations to resolve the dilemma of Hunter in managing the tension between their existing social impact and the future financial sustainability of the business.
Complexity academic level
The case is suitable for post-graduate courses in business management in business administration programmes.
Supplementary materials
Teaching notes are available for educators only.
Subject code
CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.
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Anita Ondrusek, Valeda F. Dent, Ingrid Bonadie‐Joseph and Clay Williams
This article seeks to provide an overview of the development, construction and evaluation of an information literacy testing instrument connected with the VOILA! online…
Abstract
Purpose
This article seeks to provide an overview of the development, construction and evaluation of an information literacy testing instrument connected with the VOILA! online information literacy tutorials, developed by librarians at Hunter College libraries for students enrolled in the college's first‐year orientation seminar (ORSEMs).
Design/methodology/approach
The VOILA! online information literacy tutorial, developed by librarians at Hunter College, has a test as one of its components. All incoming students registered in the college's orientation seminars (ORSEMs) are required to go through the VOILA! tutorials and take the test. The longitudinal development and evaluation of the test are reviewed, including initial statement of competencies, test creation, test construction (assessment type, question formulation and question type) and test evolution. Validity and reliability are also discussed in detail. Finally, a review of the test results including general statistics and the connection of student performance to test construction is provided.
Findings
Test construction was given a great deal of attention during the development of VOILA!, as librarians wanted an instrument that was valid and reliable. The importance of iterative test design and attention to the details of test construction is stressed in the article, and the methodology used to determine validity and reliability is presented. Those interested in testing information literacy skills must be able to examine the instrument, the results and the design process in a way that contributes meaningfully to the preparation of students to undertake research at the college level.
Research limitations/implications
Librarians will continue to modify the VOILA! test in keeping with evaluation results, and the assessment will continue. Thus the results presented may not fully represent the final evaluative outcome.
Practical implications
This research is useful for information professionals who are interested in test design, construction and evaluation. The longitudinal study presents clear, practical information that can be used as a case study for other libraries interested in this area. The VOILA! test itself is included as an Appendix, and can be used as a model for other libraries to consult.
Originality/value
A literature review revealed a number of articles about testing and information literacy, but very few, if any, articles approached the discussion from a longitudinal test construction standpoint. In this way, the study presents information that is original. The study would be valuable for information professionals who are interested in test design, construction and evaluation.
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Human presence tends to decrease biodiversity and often results in the local extinction or even global extinction of megafauna. The focus here is on how humans have affected wolf…
Abstract
Human presence tends to decrease biodiversity and often results in the local extinction or even global extinction of megafauna. The focus here is on how humans have affected wolf populations in what are now known as the contiguous 48 United States. While the arrival of indigenous peoples to the region produced the extinction of some species and a reduction in wolf populations, the cultural values and economic system, i.e., capitalism, utilized by the European invaders led to anthropogenic decimation of wildlife species on an unprecedented scale and the near local extinction of wolves. Although capitalism almost led to the local extinction of wolves in the contiguous 48 US states, it also produced an educated, affluent urban class concerned with protecting endangered species. Unlike farmers and ranchers, this urbanized class does not view wildlife as a potential economic threat. The vast majority of contemporary Americans, i.e., 96%, do not engage in sport hunting, so most do not view apex predators as unwanted competitors for game species. Moreover, many individuals who belong to the urban affluent class, even those who do not engage in wildlife viewing or other forms of outdoor recreation, value biodiversity. Since the late twentieth century, this has resulted in the preservation of existing wolf populations and reintroducing wolves to some of their historical ranges. These trends are likely to continue in the coming decades. However, capitalism should not be viewed as a system that initially decimated wolf populations and eventually created an economic class that saved them. It is argued that, due to its growth imperative, if left unchecked, capitalism will ultimately destroy wolves and many other species that have been granted temporary reprieves from extinction.