Description:
Entrepreneurs have been characterized according to recognizable types according to attendant concerns and motivations. Within the small business sector of ecotourism, entrepreneurs must balance competing goals pertaining to business objectives, lifestyle aspirations and, most importantly, sustainable environmental practices. This study reports how ecotourism eco-entrepreneurs perceive and manage these goals, consistent with concerns and motivations, based on semi-structured interviews of small business operators. The findings show that eco-entrepreneurs’ social and sustainable characteristics are critical to overcome financially challenging and complex operating environments whilst also delivering a desired lifestyle. As a business strategy, eco-entrepreneurs were found to deliberately maintain small, low-impact ecotourism operations consistent with identified eco- values. Looking forward, eco-entrepreneurs forecast imminent threats to the ecotourism sector through uncontrolled development and mass-tourism business access to sensitive natural areas. If unresolved, this process will replace eco-entrepreneurs in small ecotourism operators with traditional profit-oriented entrepreneurs delivering undifferentiated and high-impact nature-based tourism experiences.
Description:
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how farm management and farm accounting may be improved from the accountant’s perspective. Design/methodology/approach – There has been a dearth of qualitative studies examining accountant’s attitudes to financial reports. This study therefore interviews 13 rural accountants regarding their opinions on the usefulness of financial information they provide to farmers, and what types of financial information could aid farm management. Findings – Accountants generally agree that the present financial reports provided to farmers are of little decision-making value, since they are made for the purposes of compliance. In response, the accountants suggest a number of management accounting reports can better aid farmers. Practical implications – Accountants are important to the success of farms, yet in-depth responses have not previously been sought on the reports that accountants produce for farmers. This research provides accountants’ opinions on how reports could be more useful for farmers and how more focused management accounting reports can assist decision-making. Originality/value – The qualitative approach used in this research provides a fresh and richer perspective on the usefulness of accounting to farm management. Interviewing the adviser rather than the business owner is relatively uncommon in agricultural organisations. The interviews have allowed the thoughts and concerns of accountants to come to light in a manner not previously achieved in organisational studies which relate farming and accounting.
Description:
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how farm management and farm accounting may be improved from the accountant’s perspective. Design/methodology/approach – There has been a dearth of qualitative studies examining accountant’s attitudes to financial reports. This study therefore interviews 13 rural accountants regarding their opinions on the usefulness of financial information they provide to farmers, and what types of financial information could aid farm management. Findings – Accountants generally agree that the present financial reports provided to farmers are of little decision-making value, since they are made for the purposes of compliance. In response, the accountants suggest a number of management accounting reports can better aid farmers. Practical implications – Accountants are important to the success of farms, yet in-depth responses have not previously been sought on the reports that accountants produce for farmers. This research provides accountants’ opinions on how reports could be more useful for farmers and how more focused management accounting reports can assist decision-making. Originality/value – The qualitative approach used in this research provides a fresh and richer perspective on the usefulness of accounting to farm management. Interviewing the adviser rather than the business owner is relatively uncommon in agricultural organisations. The interviews have allowed the thoughts and concerns of accountants to come to light in a manner not previously achieved in organisational studies which relate farming and accounting.
Description:
In order to inform strategies to increase levels of physical activity (PA) for a healthier society, it is important to understand participation trends in leisure-time physical activity (LTPA). Little is known about the context of LTPA participation, particularly from the perspective of "sport and recreation" (S&R) categories such as organised and club-based activities. The primary aim of this study is to contribute to the sport management literature by specifically examining PA participation levels and trends in Australia over a decade, for those aged 15 years and older, through the lens of S&R. This paper also discusses the potential synergy between the public health and sport management domains with regard to LTPA/S&R. The Australian Sports Commission provided data from the Exercise, Recreation and Sport Survey (ERASS), a population survey conducted quarterly from 2001 to 2010 by computer-assisted telephone interview. Participation in LTPA was analysed by year, gender and age, in three hierarchically related categories: (1) any LTPA participation, (2) participation in an organised context, and (3) organised participation in a club. Participation rates in any LTPA increased significantly over the decade. However, this was not matched by increases in organised and/or club participation, which largely remained steady over the 10-year period. Much of the organised participation was within a club setting, and participation in this context is more likely among males than females. There is some evidence that the overall level of LTPA is increasing, which is positive for health, but there was generally no increase in club-based participation, resulting in sport contributing relatively less to overall population LTPA. However, the depth of information available from population surveys regarding club-based LTPA is insufficient to draw definitive conclusions, or make important strategic decisions about sport and health policy. There is a critical need for more comprehensive sport participation data to provide the evidence for improved programme and policy development. An avenue for this to occur may be through the integration of participation data from peak sport organisations. (C) 2014 Sport Management Association of Australia and New Zealand. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Description:
In order to inform strategies to increase levels of physical activity (PA) for a healthier society, it is important to understand participation trends in leisure-time physical activity (LTPA). Little is known about the context of LTPA participation, particularly from the perspective of "sport and recreation" (S&R) categories such as organised and club-based activities. The primary aim of this study is to contribute to the sport management literature by specifically examining PA participation levels and trends in Australia over a decade, for those aged 15 years and older, through the lens of S&R. This paper also discusses the potential synergy between the public health and sport management domains with regard to LTPA/S&R. The Australian Sports Commission provided data from the Exercise, Recreation and Sport Survey (ERASS), a population survey conducted quarterly from 2001 to 2010 by computer-assisted telephone interview. Participation in LTPA was analysed by year, gender and age, in three hierarchically related categories: (1) any LTPA participation, (2) participation in an organised context, and (3) organised participation in a club. Participation rates in any LTPA increased significantly over the decade. However, this was not matched by increases in organised and/or club participation, which largely remained steady over the 10-year period. Much of the organised participation was within a club setting, and participation in this context is more likely among males than females. There is some evidence that the overall level of LTPA is increasing, which is positive for health, but there was generally no increase in club-based participation, resulting in sport contributing relatively less to overall population LTPA. However, the depth of information available from population surveys regarding club-based LTPA is insufficient to draw definitive conclusions, or make important strategic decisions about sport and health policy. There is a critical need for more comprehensive sport participation data to provide the evidence for improved programme and policy development. An avenue for this to occur may be through the integration of participation data from peak sport organisations. (C) 2014 Sport Management Association of Australia and New Zealand. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Description:
Learning and development (&) practitioners draw on a distinctive range of knowledge, skills and techniques in their work. Over the years, there have been attempts to capture this range and identify typical & roles. The research presented here was undertaken to identify characteristic areas of expertise () of & practice in ustralia, and to collect data about roles and organizational settings in which these are deployed. The research was commissioned by the Australian Institute of training and development. Literature relating to & was consulted, and Australian & experts were interviewed to draft a list of &. Responses to a survey by 589 Australian & practitioners were used to appraise the model. A principal components analysis of perceptions of the importance of the different types of expertise revealed that practitioners tended to rate one of three ‘clusters’ as important to their work: a strategy and analysis cluster, a learning facilitation cluster and a design and systems cluster. This analysis raises the question of contemporary & roles with implications for strategic policy and professional associations. The typology may be utilized to target professional & activities, and provides impetus for further research to investigate the internal relationships between cluster components.
Description:
Learning and development (&) practitioners draw on a distinctive range of knowledge, skills and techniques in their work. Over the years, there have been attempts to capture this range and identify typical & roles. The research presented here was undertaken to identify characteristic areas of expertise () of & practice in ustralia, and to collect data about roles and organizational settings in which these are deployed. The research was commissioned by the ustralian nstitute of raining and evelopment. Literature relating to & was consulted, and ustralian & experts were interviewed to draft a list of &. Responses to a survey by 589 ustralian & practitioners were used to appraise the model. A principal components analysis of perceptions of the importance of the different types of expertise revealed that practitioners tended to rate one of three ‘clusters’ as important to their work: a strategy and analysis cluster, a learning facilitation cluster and a design and systems cluster. This analysis raises the question of contemporary & roles with implications for strategic policy and professional associations. The typology may be utilized to target professional & activities, and provides impetus for further research to investigate the internal relationships between cluster components.
Description:
One of the significant potential benefits of e-procurement technology is reducing opportunities for corruption in public procurement processes. The authors identified anticorruption capabilities of e-procurement through an extensive literature review and a theoretical model representing the impact of three latent variables: monopoly of power, information asymmetry, and transparency and accountability upon the dependent variable, the intent-to-adopt e-procurement. This research was guided by the Principal- Agent theory and collected the perceptions of 46 government officers of the potential of public e-procurement to reduce corruption in public procurement processes. Results were analysed using the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) approach. The findings suggest that the intent-to-adopt e-procurement has a positive and significant relationship with the independent variables that might inform developing countries in strategies to combat corruption in public procurement.
Description:
One of the significant potential benefits of e-procurement technology is reducing opportunities for corruption in public procurement processes. The authors identified anticorruption capabilities of e-procurement through an extensive literature review and a theoretical model representing the impact of three latent variables: monopoly of power, information asymmetry, and transparency and accountability upon the dependent variable, the intent-to-adopt e-procurement. This research was guided by the Principal- Agent theory and collected the perceptions of 46 government officers of the potential of public e-procurement to reduce corruption in public procurement processes. Results were analysed using the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) approach. The findings suggest that the intent-to-adopt e-procurement has a positive and significant relationship with the independent variables that might inform developing countries in strategies to combat corruption in public procurement.
Description:
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore the issues arising for women and men in senior management in New Zealand and Australian universities where life course and career trajectories intersect, and analyses how the stereotypical masculinist culture of universities can create additional problems for women. Design/methodology/approach - The data presented here comes from 47 interviews undertaken with women (27) and men (20) senior managers - a total of 26 interviews from New Zealand universities and 21 from Australian universities. "Senior Management" was defined in this study as those academic managers with university wide responsibilities, who were currently in senior management positions. Findings - Life-course issues for women aspiring to senior management roles in universities are framed around hegemonic constructions of masculinity; notions of academic careers subsuming personal life in professional roles; and structural constraints making rational choice impossible for many women. Furthermore, the excessive hours worked in such roles equate with the definition of extreme jobs. The paper concludes that the way in which women and men in senior HE endeavour to balance work and family life differs but creates issues for them both. Research limitations/implications - The structure and operation of Australian and New Zealand universities make gender diversity and management difficult to operationalise, given the competing imperatives of work and other life course trajectories. It is crucial to reframe life course and career intersections are conceptualised to ensure that diversity can be maximised. Originality/value - This paper focuses on women and men in senior management positions in New Zealand and Australian universities, but the findings can be generalised to other countries with HE systems based on the British University model. In discussing how institutional culture affects the intersection of career and life course trajectories, this paper highlights the detrimental outcomes for individuals and the resultant lack of diversity in the sector.
Description:
The debate around corporate governance has been particularly vigorous in this part of the 21st century. Theoretical frameworks have been tested by spectacular corporate failures that also raise questions as to the effectiveness of different approaches. Empirical, contextually-based research into how governance theory informs practice assists in understanding these questions. This paper explores findings from empirical research conducted into the make-up of boards of directors in New Zealand, an export focused economy dominated by small and medium-sized enterprises. These findings are revealing in demonstrating that despite the challenges faced by the New Zealand industry in a volatile global environment, the skill-sets and other characteristics present in, and sought from, directors appear to be both narrow and traditional. However, there is also evidence to suggest shifting expectations and requirements are to some extent and will continue to propel change in both boards and in contributions expected of individual directors.
Description:
A partial latent structural regression analysis was used to evaluate the role of coping resources, depression, diet and exercise on mental and physical health status. The sample consisted of 113 participants (59 females and 54 males) with a mean age of 59.38 years (SD = 10.52). Coping resources, depression and exercise explained 52 and 26% of the variance in mental and physical health status, respectively. Fewer coping resources predicted higher levels of depression and both predicted worse mental health. Only higher levels of depression predicted worse physical health status. There were also significant indirect effects of coping on mental and physical health status through depression. The development of cognitive, social and emotional coping strategies is important for managing depression and supporting positive mental health. These results highlight the important role of health psychologists in the care of individuals with chronic illness. Additionally, the management of depression is important in maintaining positive physical health.
Description:
The current study used confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), latent profile analysis (LPA), and factor mixture modeling (FMM) to examine the co-occurrence of the childhood syndromes using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and Teacher Report Form (TRF). Parents and teachers completed the CBCL and TRF, respectively, for a clinic-referred sample of 720 children, ages 7-12 years. For the CBCL, the analyses indicated most support a 2-class 2-factor FMM, and for the TRF, there was most support for a 2-class 3-factor model. The classes were all syndromes at average levels and all syndromes at high levels. The findings indicate high syndrome co-occurrence. The implications of the findings for understanding syndrome co-occurrence in the CBCL and TRF, theories of syndrome co-occurrence, and the clinical use of the CBCL and TRF are discussed.