Barbara Neuhofer awarded as a winner of the International PhD Student Competition 2013

Posted . Filed under News.

Barbara Neuhofer has just returned from a two-week overseas trip to Australia where she has been invited as one of the 15 winners of the International PhD Student Competition 2013.

The School of Management, University of South Australia hosted 15 of the world’s top PhD students to participate in an interdisciplinary forum entitled “Management in the 21st Century” in Adelaide, Australia from 11th – 13th November 2013. After receiving 107 applications from 33 countries, 15 winners have been chosen through a rigorous selection process by a panel of academic experts.

Barbara presented her winning paper “The experience economy of the 21st century: Innovation through technology-enhanced tourism experiences” and participated in a stimulating discussion and knowledge exchange with the 15 PhD students in the areas of strategy, operations management, innovation and entrepreneurship as well as HR management and ethics. As a special honour, Barbara was also invited by the Associate Head of the School to give the official thank-you speech on behalf of the winners at the award ceremony.

Barbara reports that the visit to the University of South Australia (UniSA) was a fantastic experience to meet excellent PhD researchers in the field as well as meet and network with academics in the School of Management of UniSA, including Prof Graham Brown, Dr. Sunny Lee, Dr. Aise Kim and Jenny Davis. Participating in the forum has provided an excellent opportunity to not only explore ideas for future collaboration but also strengthen the existing official partnership between UniSA and Bournemouth University.

Barbara Neuhofer

Barbara Neuhofer, BU eTourismLab, Bournemouth University receiving her certificate from Prof. David Lloyd (Vice Chancellor and President, University of South Australia) at the award ceremony.

During her trip to Australia, Barbara also took the opportunity to visit two further universities, including the University of Wollongong and the University of New South Wales. In her visits to both campuses, Barbara met with faculty members including Dr. Ulrike Gretzel (University of Wollongong), Prof. Sara Dolnicar (University of Queensland) as well as Dr. Nina Mistilis and Prof. Larry Dwyer from the University of New South Wales.

Barbara reports: “It has been a fantastic experience to participate in this great forum. As the only person selected in the field of tourism, it was a special honour for me to share key insights of my research in the interdisciplinary management forum. The visits to three Australian universities allowed me to strengthen and expand my existing network and look into concrete opportunities for collaboration after the completion of my PhD.”

Sincere thanks go to all people who made this visit possible, Barbara states: “I am very grateful to the UniSA for their generous invitation to fully sponsor my overseas travel, the perfect organisation of the event and the great stay in Adelaide. I would also like to thank all Dr. Ulrike Gretzel and Dr. Nina Mistilis for their warm welcome to their institutions. Last but not least, I would also like to thank the Graduate School and the School of Tourism for their funding contribution to make this trip possible.”

Professor Dimitrios Buhalis, Barbara’s supervisor commented “I am delighted that Barbara was selected through tough competition to participate in this sponsored workshop. This is a great recognition of the excellent work that Barbara is doing for her PhD and I am very proud of Barbara’s achievements. Traveling to Australia was 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 of Tourism.”

For more information about the International PhD Student Competition 2013, visit:

http://www.unisa.edu.au/Business/Management/International-PhD-Student-Competition/

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Footnote picture: Barbara Neuhofer, BU eTourismLab, Bournemouth University giving the thank-you speech at the award ceremony.

ITCH on how to create genuine brand engagement

Posted . Filed under Guest speakers, News.

The final guest lecture for the semester was given by Michael White founder and partner of ITCH and Mona Mothadi PA & Operations Manager.

DSC_1501 smallITCH is an independent experiential event marketing agency based in central London & celebrated their 10th birthday last year. Their client roster includes: Virgin Media, Google, UEFA and Virgin Atlantic. Their visit was an opportunity for Events & Leisure students to hear more about the work ITCH does along with an opportunity to learn more about placement and graduate roles on offer.DSC_1502 small

Mike gave the audience some great insight into what makes good experiential activities. In today’s market customers are more savvy than ever before and don’t want to be sold to or talked to. They want brands that listen to them, have conversations and engage. Agencies have to get more creative and push boundaries. What clients look for are good ideas they are not so concerned with above or below the line. ITCH and other agencies have to come up with great ideas that create genuine brand engagement and also return on investment (ROI). It is important that you don’t just create a cool event but also measure the success. Examples on how to do this is through looking at digital hubs, conversations and channels where audience engage. Mike also emphasized the importance of great client service and management but also innovation and development.DSC_1504 small

Mona told the audience that ITCH are very keen to get in touch with students and graduates that are interested in the business. They are happy to discuss and find a way to work together with students as well as academic staff. She described various opportunities such as placements, graduate jobs, and dissertation and research projects. Two final year BAEM students, Stacey Crouch and Holly Wood (who did placement with them last year) were available and answered questions from students. When asked what they had learned they replied that they had gained confidence to stand on their own, trust their judgement and go for it!

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By: Maria Näs

Emma Kavanagh awarded prestigious prize at Brunel

Posted . Filed under News.

Emma Kavanagh, Lecturer in Sport Psychology and Coaching Sciences, has been awarded the prestigious Celia Brackenridge Prize for the best emerging presenter at the Brunel International Research Network for Athlete Welfare (BIRNAW) Symposium at Brunel University.

BIRNAW is a group of international researchers who are working together to promote athlete welfare through research and consultancy. The work conducted by the group focuses on investigating the antecedents, prevalence and consequences of abusive relationships in sport. The symposium brought together leading academics from around the world to present the latest research in the area.  The prize was awarded on the basis of Emma’s two presentations at the event. The first introduced a conceptual framework for understanding virtual maltreatment in sport and the second introduced a humanization framework for enhancing understanding of athlete welfare.

Emma Kavanagh

Receiving the award is great achievement given that the symposium consists of the leading researchers worldwide in the area of athlete welfare.  Celia Brackenridge is internationally acknowledged as the worlds leading academic in the field of child protection and athlete welfare and was impressed with the standard of work being completed at Bournemouth University. This achievement has really helped in putting BU on the world stage in the field of athlete protection in sport and has led to a number of potential future collaborations with international partners.

By Emma Kavanagh & Dr Ian Jones

Dr Katherine King visits Vancouver Island University

Posted . Filed under News, Research.

Dr Katherine King has recently returned from a 2 week visiting scholarship to the Faculty of Management at Vancouver Island University (VIU) which saw her take part in range of teaching, community engagement and research activities.

Dr King and Dr Vaugeois

The visiting scholar programme is an integral component of the World Leisure Centre of Excellence accredited Masters in Sustainable Leisure Management led by the Department for Tourism and Recreation at VIU. During her stay Dr King was invited to lead a public lecture for the World Leisure Centre Innovation Infusion series to discuss public policy approaches to lifestyle sport provision. Katherine also supported Dr Nicole Vaugeois in teaching case studies in sustainability and innovation which included a field study to the West coast of British Colombia to explore rural sustainability with community stakeholders.  Whilst Dr King and Dr Vaugeois delivered a public lecture at VIU’s Powell River campus entitled ‘Innovative solutions to Sustainability’ drawing upon her work with young people in rural areas to explore nature values amongst youth groups. Dr King was also invited to visit Capilano University where she met with mountain biking programme leader Lydia Watson to discuss research interests in this area.

Field Trip Sunshine Coast (183)

Dr Philip Alford in Austria to share knowledge about online marketing

Posted . Filed under News, Research.

Dr Philip Alford was invited by Bernard Wildauer of the Zillertal Tourism School to present to tourism teachers from all over Austria on the subject of online tourism marketing. The aim was to provide the teachers with specialist knowledge in the area of online marketing which they could then take back into the classroom. As part of his presentation Dr Alford talked about the Digital Destinations project, funded by the ESRC, and explained some of the insights that he had obtained through leading the project, including:

  • The lack of formal digital marketing planning at micro business level
  • Importance placed by micro players on peer to peer learning and support
  • Increasing need to consider the whole ‘customer journey’
  • Optimise use of customer reviews and advocacy through social media

The presentation was very well received and set the scene for the workshops run by Bernard Wildauer of the Zillertal Tourism School and Werner Gschwenter of TourismusTraining.

Dr Alford has been invited back next year to talk about how he uses the Google Online Marketing Challenge in his Digital Marketing Unit.

BU academic at United Nations expert meeting

Posted . Filed under News.

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Dr Maharaj Vijay Reddy from the School of Tourism was one of very few speakers invited to an Expert Group Meeting on ‘Sustainable Tourism: Ecotourism, Poverty Reduction and Environmental Protection’, at the United Nations Secretariat, New York (29-30 October 2013). This expert group meeting was organised by the United Nations Division for Sustainable Development.

Vijay’s presentation was on the topic of planning for sustainable tourism, and highlighted six emerging global challenges in sustainable tourism.

The UN General Assembly, at its 67th session (2012-2013), adopted a resolution on the promotion of ecotourism for poverty eradication and environmental protection, which further elaborated on the close linkages and potential for ecotourism to contribute to poverty alleviation and sustainable development. In this regard, the United Nations invited the UN system and other relevant international organizations, the public sector, private companies and other stakeholders to create capacity for well managed ecotourism with minimal negative environmental and cultural impacts, through dissemination of good practice, tools and guidelines. The conclusions and recommendations emanating from this meeting will be of value to UN member states aiming to develop eco-tourism potentials, including, among others, Small Island Developing States as well as other countries with coastal, mountainous or forest, lake or desert tourism resources.

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Vijay commented that “the meeting was a big success and it concluded well. The participants of this expert group meeting delivered many cutting-edge presentations addressing the global challenges and the opportunities that sustainable tourism offers. The key areas we discussed at the UN include: the need for global engagement, the situation of Small Island Developing States and LDCs, developing the market for sustainable tourism services, assessing socio-economic benefits, employment generation and poverty reduction from sustainable tourism and initiatives related to Green Economy transition”.

The organisations represented include the World Bank (IBRD, IFC), UNWTO, UNEP, the European Commission, UNESCO, the World Trade Organisation and representatives from China, Costa Rica, India, Indonesia, Isl. Rep of Iran, Madagascar, Morocco, Samoa (Pacific Islands), Rep. of Korea, Thailand, or Southern Europe and the Caribbean region. The experts attended the UN NY expert group meeting aim to continue working together to advance sustainable tourism goals.

 

BU Lecturer wins ‘Best Emerging Presenter’ award

Posted . Filed under News.

Congratulations to Emma Kavanagh, Lecturer in Sport Psychology and Coaching Sciences, who has been awarded the prestigious Celia Brackenridge Prize for the best emerging presenter at the Brunel International Research Network for Athlete Welfare (BIRNAW) Symposium at Brunel University. BIRNAW is a group of international researchers who are working together to promote athlete welfare through research and consultancy. The work conducted by the group focuses on investigating the antecedents, prevalence and consequences of abusive relationships in sport. The symposium brought together leading academics from around the world to present the latest research in the area.

The prize was awarded on the basis of Emma’s two presentations at the event. The first introduced a conceptual framework for understanding virtual maltreatment in sport and the second introduced a humanization framework for enhancing understanding of athlete welfare.

Receiving the award is great achievement given that the symposium consists of the leading researchers worldwide in the area of athlete welfare.

Winner of International PhD Student Competition

Posted . Filed under News, Research.

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.

ITT Summer Cocktails 2013.

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/

STUDENTS RESEARCH CLOSE FINN-ISH!

Posted . Filed under News.

The prestigious British Rally Championship was decided in favour of Finland’s Jukka Korhonen and Marko Salminen in Poole last Saturday in their Citroen DS3 R3T.

Behind the scenes final year Sports Management students of the School of Tourism were undertaking an economic impact survey on behalf of the organisers of Rallye Sunseeker, the final round of the 2013 British Rally Championship.

Such surveys are vital to the organisers and competitors as a justification for sponsorship deals and to gain the support too of the local community.

Lecturer in Sports Management research supervisor Paul Boyce said, “Consultancy projects such as this allow the application of academic areas, such as research methodology, to the benefit of real-life industrial partners. We have been very lucky over the years to have had the close co-operation of the Rallye Sunseeker organisers, headed by Event Director Rick Smith. He has personally gone out of his way to make it possible to poll spectators, competitors and officials to establish accurately what such a large event contributes to Poole as well as the region’s economy.”

Dr Bruce Grant-Braham, head of the School’s Motor Sport Research Group is also Chair of Poole Tourism. “I wear two hats,” he said. “Whilst it is absolutely great to see our students getting so involved, Rallye Sunseeker is a core element in extending Poole’s tourist season into the shoulder periods. I look forward to receiving the results in the near future which will demonstrate to Dorset’s local authorities and the wider tourism industry how an events-based marketing strategy can work and what it can tangibly generate. Dorset would have been much quieter this weekend if Rallye Sunseeker had not been in town. I can’t believe, how many Finns I met over the weekend!”

On the overall benefit of student consultancy projects, Lecturer Andrew Callaway, who is Consultancy Project Coordinator in the Centre for Event and Sport Research said, “We are pleased to be running a dozen student led projects this year. They all act so professionally working on real projects that make a difference to the organisations involved. These range from Rallye Sunseeker through to how to develop a National Governing Body and setting up and running major events for them. They all put their research and theory into practice in a big way, they all get something out of this learning experience, and, as a helpful by-product it looks amazing for them from an employability angle as well.”

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The champion’s Citroen DS3 RT at speed in Dorset’s Forests with Finnish flags in the background!

 

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Jukka Korhonen and Mario Salminen celebrate in Finnish-style on Poole Qu