We are proud to announce that Barbara Neuhofer, who is one of ST’s excellent PhD students and also won the ITT PhD Student of the Year 2013 Award, has been selected as one of the winners for the International PhD Student Competition 2013.
The School of Management, University of South Australia will host 15 of the top PhD students from around the world to participate in a forum on the future of management in the 21st Century in Adelaide, Australia from 11th – 13th November 2013. After receiving 107 entries from 33 countries, 15 winners have been chosen through a rigorous selection process by a panel of academic experts.
Barbara will depart on her trip this Friday 8th November to participate in the forum, network with academics and strengthen the existing collaboration between Bournemouth University and the University of South Australia. While Barbara is in Australia, she will also take the opportunity to visit and meet academics at the University of Wollongong and the University of New South Wales.
Barbara said: “I feel very honored to have been selected as one of the winners in the competition to travel to Adelaide and participate in the interdisciplinary management forum. It will be a fantastic opportunity to share my PhD research and discuss cutting-edge management issues of the 21st century with other top PhD researchers in the field and visit a total of three Australian universities for networking and future collaboration. I look forward to a great experience.”
Professor Dimitrios Buhalis as Barbara’s supervisor, commented “I am delighted that Barbara was selected through tough competition to participate in this sponsored workshop. This is a recognition of the excellent work that Barbara is doing for her PhD and is well deserved. I am delighted that the work we do at the School of Tourism eTourismLab in Bournemouth University is recognised externally. Traveling to Adelaide is a great opportunity for Barbara to extend our existing partnership with the University of South Australia and winning the competition is a real accolade for Barbara and the school.”
Below is the abstract of the research paper Barbara submitted to enter this competition, entitled:
“The Experience Economy of the 21st Century:
Innovation Through Technology-Enhanced Tourism Experiences”
The creation of unique, meaningful and memorable consumer experiences constitutes a key concept in today’s business environment. With products and services having become increasingly interchangeable, the consumer society has undergone a shift, away from material commodities towards the pursuit of experiences. The experience economy of the 21st century is however currently undergoing a dramatic change. Experiences are transforming as a) active consumers have become increasingly empowered to co-create their own experiences and b) information and communication technologies (ICTs) have become implemented as a catalyst of change revolutionising experiences. In order to act upon this change, a rethinking in strategic management is needed for businesses to embrace these opportunities and take experience creation to a new level. By implementing the plethora of ICTs, experiences will become more dynamic, interconnected, social and ubiquitous and technology will be the driving force for innovation and competitiveness of consumer experiences of the 21st century.
For more information about the International PhD Student Competition 2013, visit:
http://www.unisa.edu.au/Business/Management/International-PhD-Student-Competition/