Patricio del Sol, F. Maria Luisa Arenas and Jose Manuel Garcia
Proposes the creation of a co‐operative acquisition centre thatwould permit improved use of serials to academic users in universitylibraries. Supported by the latest…
Abstract
Proposes the creation of a co‐operative acquisition centre that would permit improved use of serials to academic users in university libraries. Supported by the latest telecommunications technology the system would permit reception of requests for journal articles in a simple and rapid manner. Outlines economic feasibility and concludes that the creation of a centre is technically and economically feasible.
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Patricio del Sol, F. Maria Luisa Arenas, W. Gabriel San Martin and L. Estela Argomedo
Knowledge Alert uses periodicals in ten Chilean universities and thelatest automated, computer and telecommunications technologiesavailable, to provide the services of…
Abstract
Knowledge Alert uses periodicals in ten Chilean universities and the latest automated, computer and telecommunications technologies available, to provide the services of co‐operative serials acquisition, and current awareness/ individual article supply. Describes the Knowledge Alert legal structure, which includes an incorporated company owned by the participating universities. Presents the procedures and software developed to produce the co‐operative acquisition and the current awareness services. When a periodical issue arrives in the serials department of a library, the table of contents is faxed to a central computer, which automatically transfers it to any user registered for the title. Users in their turn can ask for a fax of an abstract of the article, or for a fax or photocopy of the complete article. Includes the finance strategy for this company for the coming years and explains the key factors affecting its future success.
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Alan Francisco Rodríguez Jasso, Lucero de Jesús Rodríguez Jasso and Arturo Briseño García
COVID-19 has shaken every nation in the world, and its consequences have spread throughout society. The influence of the health pandemic has left a negative imprint on both the…
Abstract
COVID-19 has shaken every nation in the world, and its consequences have spread throughout society. The influence of the health pandemic has left a negative imprint on both the public and private sectors, affecting thousands of people. The objective of this literature review is to explore, summarise, and analyse the state of the art of corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices in the context of COVID-19 by identifying those that have been implemented during the pandemic. This review was developed using the narrative method to gain a broader perspective of this phenomenon by analysing 30 Web of Science (WOS) articles from 1998 to 2020. The findings suggest that the implementation of CSR-focussed practices offers the possibility to change consumer behaviour towards a socially responsible approach, thus contributing to our country’s economic recovery. The inclusion of CSR within the COVID context allows for a better understanding of the socially responsible practices that have been implemented during the health restrictions.
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Raul Gomez-Martinez and María Luisa Medrano-Garcia
Corporate diversity encompasses the different talents, knowledge, cultures, experiences and values of its employees. This diversity is reflected in multiple characteristics, such…
Abstract
Purpose
Corporate diversity encompasses the different talents, knowledge, cultures, experiences and values of its employees. This diversity is reflected in multiple characteristics, such as race, age, gender, social class, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, culture and disability. The objective of this study is to identify if diversity is a value driver.
Design/methodology/approach
We take the diversity score from the Diversity Leaders Index 2023 published by Financial Times (FT) and Statista; this will be our independent variable in linear regression models whose objective variables are relevant fundamental indicators of the Euro Stoxx 50 companies. It is, therefore, a cross-sectional sample with financial data taken as of the current date. We have 37 Euro Stoxx 50 components included in the diversity ranking.
Findings
The results indicate that diversity is not a value driver for trading volume, for its revenue, or for systematic risk measured by the beta parameter. However, it is observed, in a confidence interval of 90%, that the most diverse companies are larger (according to their market capitalization). In addition, the most diverse companies are more profitable [return on assets (ROA)] and valued by the market [price to earnings ratio (PER)] in a confidence interval of 95%.
Originality/value
These results indicate that companies should promote corporate diversity as a management strategy, as it is observed that more diverse companies are more profitable and valued by the market. This study provides a quantitative vision in the context of homogeneous companies such as the Euro Stoxx 50 Index on the aspects in which diversity is a value driver.
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Abdullah Abdulmahsan Bin Saran
The global prominence of languages and Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, which supports the necessity of German proficiency for the nation’s socioeconomic evolution, necessitate a…
Abstract
Purpose
The global prominence of languages and Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, which supports the necessity of German proficiency for the nation’s socioeconomic evolution, necessitate a deeper understanding of German teaching in Saudi international schools. This study delves into the influence of various teaching strategies on students' German writing skills. The research particularly focuses on traditional and innovative methods and considers the factors that drive these teaching approaches.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 304 students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, through a questionnaire. The relationships between teaching strategies and students' German writing abilities were analyzed using regression techniques.
Findings
The results indicate that both traditional and innovative teaching strategies positively influence students' writing skills. The regression analysis shows that the independent variables (traditional teaching strategies, innovative teaching strategies and factors influencing teaching strategies) collectively account for 68.9% of the variation in students' German writing skills. Even though a variety of techniques influence students' academic performance, the study’s findings indicate that several strategies – such as self-evaluation, pair work, oral feedback, grammar instruction and translation – have a major impact on students' German writing abilities.
Originality/value
This research brings unique insights into the German teaching realm of Saudi international schools, emphasizing the harmony between Vision 2030 goals and effective teaching methodologies. It elucidates the considerable influence of both traditional and innovative strategies on student writing outcomes. For educators in Saudi Arabia’s international educational environment, the study’s findings underline the importance of adopting student-centric approaches in the writing process, ensuring students evolve as proficient writers. Additionally, the research underscores the significant role of variables affecting teaching strategies, spotlighting their pivotal role in shaping student outcomes.
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Luca Daconto and Gabriele Manella
The chapter addresses the issue of contemporary public space. In the urban setting, social groups form different publics that become mutually inter-visible in public spaces…
Abstract
The chapter addresses the issue of contemporary public space. In the urban setting, social groups form different publics that become mutually inter-visible in public spaces: relational arenas, in which it is possible to learn living with strangers, recognizing the right to the city for all people. In contemporary city, some theories argue that we would assist to the crisis of public space. Indeed, the forming of a public realm is more difficult, because social groups build separate and self-segregating routes, and urban public spaces are increasingly privatized, controlled, and reorganized to be more compatible with the global city, the city-users, and the hypermobile upper classes.
Shifting the attention to Sala Borsa (a public library in the centre of Bologna), the authors argue that the changes in the socio-spatial morphology of contemporary cities do not prevent the forming of a public arena, accessible also to the marginal groups, as the homeless. Because of its centrality, its free access, its innovative and multimedia environment, Sala Borsa is a crowded, lively, and symbolic public space. In this public library, social groups appropriate different spaces and times through the production of porous boundaries. Nevertheless, the identity of public-library-user taken once in Sala Borsa produces an inclusive regime of inter-visibility, where also homeless people are present.
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Maria D. Alvarez and Meral Korzay
The purpose of this paper is to help to understand the influence of the media and political issues in the perceptions of Turkey as a tourism destination. The study is conducted…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to help to understand the influence of the media and political issues in the perceptions of Turkey as a tourism destination. The study is conducted from the perspective of Spanish people.
Design/methodology/approach
The research is based on the responses provided to a web survey. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson's correlations.
Findings
The views of the Spanish people on the Turkish political situation were not found to be related to the perceptions of the destination, except for those regarding Turkey's candidacy to the European Union. However, an indirect relationship between the political views and the perceptions of the destination through the influence of the former on the image of the host community is proposed. Television and the written press are determined as the most significant information sources, other than word of mouth and experience.
Research limitations/implications
The research points to the fact that political views regarding the country may not affect the perceptions regarding that destination. However, certain political issues seem to have a greater effect on the perceptions of the destination. Therefore, for conclusive evidence a more extensive investigation is required.
Practical implications
The difference between the destination's image and the political views of the country is of practical interest to developing countries, which are dependent on tourism, but generally suffer from political instability and image problems.
Originality/value
The dichotomy between different perceptions regarding a country is investigated. Moreover, the importance of the media in creating perceptions of a destination is analyzed.
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Antonio-Miguel Nogués-Pedregal
This paper aims to show that tourism is one of the most perfect creations of the capitalist mode of production insofar as not only does it consume places and territories and…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to show that tourism is one of the most perfect creations of the capitalist mode of production insofar as not only does it consume places and territories and perpetuate dependency relations, but in the expressive dimension, it also produces feelings and meanings and generates a new relationship of the past with the present and future (chronotope).
Design/methodology/approach
The study was carried out using a socio-anthropological approach with participant observation over several decades.
Findings
The modes of time are described and how the tourism chronotope shapes the historic centre of a consolidated tourist destination. The case study, analysed with the model of the “conversion of place through the mediation of tourism space”, illustrates the prevalence of instrumental and commercial values over one’s own aesthetic-expressive values in tourism contexts. This fact encourages the emergence of local political projects and the incorporation of uniformities outside the local place. These processes end up uprooting the anchors from collective memory. The definition of territories according to visitors’ imaginaries and expectations encourages the abusive occupation of public space and the adoption of new aesthetic attributes of urban space.
Research limitations/implications
Because of the chosen research approach and methodologies, the research results may lack generalisability. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to test both the model and the propositions further.
Originality/value
This study approaches the relationship of the idea Tourism with the idea Development based on the anchors of memory.
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This chapter discusses the main research interests and outputs in the various branches of geography that have influenced the study of tourism from a geographical perspective. It…
Abstract
This chapter discusses the main research interests and outputs in the various branches of geography that have influenced the study of tourism from a geographical perspective. It argues that the idiographic tradition has been transversal throughout, leading to the growing interest for tourism within the geography academic community in the last 10 years. There is a focus on the birth of specific research groups, mainly related to a constellation of new university curricula on tourism and—with few exceptions of territorial tradition—to an intermittent availability of public research funds. The chapter concludes with a more general picture of the place of tourism within the geography discipline in Italy and of evolving trends in terms of research results, dissemination, and evaluation.
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José-Antonio Corral-Marfil and Gemma Cànoves-Valiente
The proceedings of the 17 editions of the conference of the Spanish Association of Scientific Experts in Tourism constitute a valuable archival resource within the research on…
Abstract
The proceedings of the 17 editions of the conference of the Spanish Association of Scientific Experts in Tourism constitute a valuable archival resource within the research on Spanish tourism. But so far their contents have not been analyzed. The aim of this chapter is to examine the research that has been presented at its conference by means of a bibliometric analysis of the proceedings of 17 editions. The study focuses on the origin of the research (countries, regions, institutions, and authors), as well as its characteristics in terms of themes dealt with, geographical areas researched, methodologies, disciplinary areas, and attitudes toward tourism. Implications for the evolution of the research are discussed in terms of knowledge contributions and the shaping of major tourism research traditions.