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1 – 10 of over 1000Damián Macías Rodríguez, Blanca Del Espino Hidalgo and María Teresa Pérez Cano
The purpose of this paper is to represent the conflict of touristification in the central district of Seville to evaluate the dimension of the problem. Therefore, it focuses on…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to represent the conflict of touristification in the central district of Seville to evaluate the dimension of the problem. Therefore, it focuses on the diagnostic representation of the conflict between citizens and tourists, to help define the coexistence of opposing interests and to bring solutions in favour of a liveable urban landscape.
Design/methodology/approach
The research has implied a detailed analysis beyond the observation of data and statistics, which facilitated a complex diagnosis for decision-making. This has led to consider as an initial framework the main tourist resources, official agreements and civil manifestations regarding touristification. Then, factors of tourist density and one in-depth case study of changes in use have been mapped.
Findings
First, an analysis of the urban spaces affected by the tourist dynamics following the degree of habitability of the resident citizens has been led. Second, of the conflict resulting from a relationship between economic activities, the attractiveness of the urban landscape and the tourist use of the space has been mapped.
Originality/value
Through the study of the central district of a city of great heritage value where conflicts begin to occur as a result of tourism, it is intended to contribute to the development of the spatial syntax of the tourist conflict, what could lead to improve responsible urban and social city policies.
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Since the Great Exhibition of London (1851) approx. 75 Expos have been held worldwide. They are regulated by the BIE in Paris. An Expo is a show case of technological progress…
Abstract
Since the Great Exhibition of London (1851) approx. 75 Expos have been held worldwide. They are regulated by the BIE in Paris. An Expo is a show case of technological progress, represented in pavilions. Until 1873 a unique building hosted the exhibits. Later the Exposites were located extramuros, and sometimes afterwards redeveloped into a leisure or science park or a multifunctional urbanised area. Mostly Expos have a positive effect for the city and the region on income, employment and infrastructure. The impact on culture, science, technology and tourism is also very important. However, Expos can generate an increase in prices, overcrowding and even environmental damage. Several Expos were even a financial disaster! The post‐event depression was certainly the case for many Expos. Expos still bear witness to their era and that they have tried to maintain the harmony and peace between people. Still they have opportunities for communication, investments, development, trade and tourism. The case study focus on the successsfull Expo 1992 in Seville.
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Ana Ma Castillo Canalejo and Juan Antonio Jimber del Río
The main purpose of this research was to develop a universal model to evaluate the perceived value of tourism services and satisfaction with, and loyalty to, destinations from the…
Abstract
Purpose
The main purpose of this research was to develop a universal model to evaluate the perceived value of tourism services and satisfaction with, and loyalty to, destinations from the consumers’ perspective and demonstrated the model’s applicability in this context.
Design/methodology/approach
Using the structural equation model, cause and effect relationships were identified between the proposed model’s constructs, and indices of quality, satisfaction and loyalty among tourists were estimated. This system was applied to a large set of data collected with a structured questionnaire distributed to tourists visiting the city of Seville through a non-probabilistic sampling by intentional quotas method. In total, 922 valid surveys were obtained.
Findings
The indices show that tourists who visit Seville report a high level of loyalty to, and satisfaction with, this place because of the perceived quality of a variety of services. It is observed that the perceived quality index is much higher (17.95 per cent) than the expected quality index, so the quality of the service received by the tourist during his/her visit to Seville is described as excellent.
Research limitations/implications
Regarding this study’s limitations, other variables could have been included that influence tourist satisfaction, such as the climate, the effect of advertising medium, the prices and the emotional components. In addition, surveying tourists’ expectations before their visit is virtually impossible, as is surveying the same tourists again about their perceived value and satisfaction after their visit. Future lines of research could focus on the intersection of information between tourism offer and demand, providing information about an appropriate balance in specific markets. The proposed model can also be applied to other tourism places that are similar to Seville’s tourism offer, allowing useful comparisons and identification of critical points and ways to improve customer satisfaction continuously.
Practical implications
By establishing indices of expected and perceived quality and satisfaction and loyalty among tourists, tourism authorities and different economic agents involved in this sector can receive objective information about the results and quality of tourism services. Tourism managers, thus, can set objectives for improvements and competitiveness, as well as building and maintaining customer loyalty. At the same time, these indices allow comparisons with other organisations and places. By facilitating greater transparency in the measurement of quality and satisfaction, service providers connected to tourism can create a platform on which to articulate clearly their contributions to interested parties and local communities.
Social implications
These results constitute strategies and findings that any tourism place has to consider in the planning and development of its products. Therefore the model can help to encourage a long-term market perspective among tourism sector regulators, investors and agencies. With the information obtained with this model, areas needing improvement can be identified and the appropriate procedures can be put into practice to improve the tourism offer, adjusting it to meet travellers’ needs according to their motivations to travel to the destination. Residents also can benefit from these measures, as their quality of life will improve through upgrades of the city’s tourism facilities.
Originality/value
The unique contribution of the present study lies in how the indices or indicators of quality of, satisfaction with and loyalty to destinations among tourists are easily measured by applying structural equation modelling. A new approach to measure satisfaction, loyalty and quality is used based on a scale from 0 to 100, and the index results are very useful for comparing different tourist places.
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Antonio Jesús Sánchez-Oliver, Pablo Gálvez-Ruiz, Moisés Grimaldi-Puyana, Jesús Fernández-Gavira and Jerónimo García-Fernández
The purpose of this paper is to present a project called EmprendeSport, whose aim is to increase knowledge in entrepreneurship and sports in students, professors and professionals…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present a project called EmprendeSport, whose aim is to increase knowledge in entrepreneurship and sports in students, professors and professionals through seminars carried out from 2015 to 2018. This study summarises the experience and data extracted throughout these seminars with the purpose of helping to design policies that stimulate business activity of the universities that seek to promote entrepreneurial spirit within a higher educational context.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a descriptive paper of the experiences of the seminars done during four years, with a regularly assistance of 200 people. The profile of the assistants was, mainly males, studying a degree on sports or entrepreneurship and working.
Findings
There is a lack of knowledge and interest in entrepreneurship. The realisation of the seminar resulted to be a useful incentive for the public to develop new ideas to innovate in their daily lives, some of them also, because of the seminar through of creating their own business. From the organisation perspective, in order to increase the entrepreneurial culture between the females.
Originality/value
The main contribution of this document could be to help design policies that stimulate business activities of universities and, therefore, stimulate their contribution to the development of the modern knowledge economy.
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F. Barrero, S. Toral and S. Gallardo
The purpose of this paper is to present a remote lab and a web‐based teaching environment which provides access for remote control of Digital Signal Processors (DSP device) and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present a remote lab and a web‐based teaching environment which provides access for remote control of Digital Signal Processors (DSP device) and real instrumentation. The framework, named eDSPLab, has been designed using LabVIEW for debugging and testing Digital Signal Processing (DSP) experiments in a real lab without physical and temporal restrictions, and it has been integrated as a service in a modern e‐learning application domain and a Learning Management System (LMS) to reinforce its utility.
Design/methodology/approach
A literature review is presented to provide background to the progressive role that DSP and DSP devices play in Information and Communications Technology (ICT)‐demanded job profiles, and the role that a computer‐mediated environment plays in modern teaching methodologies. The web service access control architecture is defined.
Findings
The paper provides new insights into the use of the Internet for laboratory teaching.
Research limitations/implications
This research was limited to one particular remote lab. Results could be extended if students' perceptions and their acceptance of the new e‐learning technology are examined using an information system theory, such as the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM).
Originality/value
This paper fulfils a need for adapting the teaching methodology applied in an undergraduate Advanced Microprocessor course of the Telecommunication Engineering degree at the University of Seville, Spain, allowing the development of laboratory experiments anywhere and anytime, avoiding one of the problems in lab training: the low number of laboratory working places in relation to the high number of enrolled students. The system developed has been successfully used during the last academic years in a course involving more than 200 students.
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Federico Barrero, Sergio Toral, Manuel Vargas, Francisco Cortés and Jose Manuel Milla
Intelligent transportation systems (ITS) are defined as new infrastructures that combine people, roads and vehicles over the basis of modern embedded systems with enhanced digital…
Abstract
Purpose
Intelligent transportation systems (ITS) are defined as new infrastructures that combine people, roads and vehicles over the basis of modern embedded systems with enhanced digital connectivity. ITS is fast becoming a reality, favored in their development by the use of the internet. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the feasibility of road‐traffic management systems, using the internet as the communication link.
Design/methodology/approach
A literature review is presented to give a background in the progressive role that ITS and road safety and control applications play in society. The combination of internet and the ITS architecture is covered, and an electronic prototype providing web services for road‐traffic management is designed as an example. The scope of road traffic security research is extensive, and the use of artificial vision systems in road‐traffic analysis (technology which is on the basis of the developed prototype) is also discussed. The hardware and software characteristics of the prototype are defined.
Findings
The paper provides new insights into the use of the internet for road‐traffic management applications.
Research limitations/implications
The research is limited to one particular road‐traffic management system. Results could be extended if more real equipments were analyzed. Also, end‐users' perception and their acceptance of the new technology could be examined using an information system theory like the technology acceptance model.
Originality/value
The paper shows the utility of the internet in the development of novel ITS.
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A. Crespo Márquez, P. Moreu de León, J.F. Gómez Fernández, C. Parra Márquez and M. López Campos
The purpose of this paper is to define a process for maintenance management and to classify maintenance engineering techniques within that process.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to define a process for maintenance management and to classify maintenance engineering techniques within that process.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper presents a generic model proposed for maintenance management which integrates other models found in the literature for built and in‐use assets, and consists of eight sequential management building blocks. The different maintenance engineering techniques are playing a crucial role within each one of those eight management building blocks. Following this path it characterizes the “maintenance management framework”, i.e. the supporting structure of the management process.
Findings
The paper offers a practical vision of the set of activities composing each management block, and the result of the paper is a classification of the different maintenance engineering tools. The discussion of the different tools can also classify them as qualitative or quantitative. At the same time, some tools will be very analytical tools while others will be highly empirical. The paper also discusses the proper use of each tool or technique according to the volume of data/information available.
Practical implications
As a consequence, of the implementation of advanced manufacturing technologies and just‐in‐time production systems, the nature of the production environment has changed during the last two decades. This has allowed companies to massively produce products in a customized way. But the increase in automation and the reduction in buffers of inventory in the plants clearly put more pressure on the maintenance system. The present maintenance management framework has been proposed in order to diminish this pressure. Whatever the model an organization adopts, it has to be evolving to continue being useful against the fast changes that occur in business, communications and industry. A key to achieve this could be the incorporation of the techniques proposed in this paper besides the integration of platforms known as “next generation manufacturing practices” This implies the use of e‐maintenance as a sub‐concept of e‐manufacturing and e‐business.
Originality/value
This paper presents not only a process but also the framework and techniques to manage and improve maintenance effectiveness and efficiency. This paper will be useful to researchers, maintenance professionals and others concerned with maintenance management.
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Francisco J. Caro González, Virginia Guarinos and Sergio Cobo-Durán
Accordingly, this paper aims to perform a diagnosis on the inclusion of gender skills in all of its official degree programmes, for the purpose of drafting a best practices guide…
Abstract
Purpose
Accordingly, this paper aims to perform a diagnosis on the inclusion of gender skills in all of its official degree programmes, for the purpose of drafting a best practices guide that may serve as motivation to include mainstreaming and specific skills in “teaching practice”.
Design/methodology/approach
This research analyses how European standards have been transferred to the teaching programmes of a Spanish university with more than 60,000 students, the University of Seville (US), the third largest in Spain. A content analysis of 4,643 undergraduate degree programmes has been carried out for all branches of knowledge.
Findings
The authors have established the scant presence of the gender perspective in the teaching projects of the US. Over 80% of them do not comply with the regulations in this regard. The second hypothesis, namely, that there are differences between fields of knowledge when complying with the mandatory transversal application of the gender perspective, has also been substantiated. This is especially the case in the natural sciences and engineering and architecture.
Originality/value
The results illustrate the little echo of the regulations in the teaching projects and the existence of important differences when it comes to the gender perspective according to the branches of knowledge. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first research to carry out a study of this nature in all the degrees taught at a university and provide evidence of the need to modify equality policies in the university environment.
Rocío Ortiz, Juan Manuel Macias-Bernal and Pilar Ortiz
The purpose of this paper is to present research on vulnerability and service life indexes applied to cultural heritage buildings. The construction and rehabilitation industry is…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present research on vulnerability and service life indexes applied to cultural heritage buildings. The construction and rehabilitation industry is concerned with the maintenance of monuments and reducing the economic costs of urgent interventions by taking preventive conservation action in historic cities. By applying a vulnerability index or analyzing the service life of buildings, it is possible to reduce risk and optimize the identification, evaluation and prioritization of urgent monument restoration tasks in a city or a region to establish preventive conservation policies.
Design/methodology/approach
This research sets out the concepts of vulnerability and service life, focusing on their methodologies in comparison with other techniques for building diagnosis, discussing the differences between indexes that measure the vulnerability and service life of buildings.
Findings
The vulnerability of three churches in Seville (Spain) was studied by means of their vulnerability index, based on Delphi analysis, and the service life of these buildings was also assessed, based on artificial intelligence tools. Delphi and artificial intelligence tools allow us to compare and dovetail different scenarios and expert opinions. The degree of each monument’s conservation is defined as its vulnerability index, which is an indirect function of deterioration levels. The service life of buildings, on the other hand, includes the assessment of vulnerability and hazards.
Practical implications
This study is useful for stakeholders, including small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and policymakers, as an important reference on diagnosis, including updated, inexpensive and sustainable methodologies to manage the conservation of monuments, which are easy to implement in developed and developing countries. The application of vulnerability and/or service life indicators is crucial to ensuring the sustainability and improvement of maintenance carried out on cultural heritage buildings.
Originality/value
This study details new approaches based on artificial intelligence and Delphi analysis to prioritize preventive conservation actions in a city or region.
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M.R. Martínez‐Torres, Sergio L. Toral, Beatriz Palacios and Federico Barrero
Web sites are typically designed attending to a variety of criteria. However, web site structure determines browsing behavior and way‐finding results. The aim of this study is to…
Abstract
Purpose
Web sites are typically designed attending to a variety of criteria. However, web site structure determines browsing behavior and way‐finding results. The aim of this study is to identify the main profiles of web sites' organizational structure by modeling them as graphs and considering several social network analysis features.
Design/methodology/approach
A case study based on 80 institutional Spanish universities' web sites has been used for this purpose. For each root domain, two different networks have been considered: the first is the domain network, and the second is the page network. In both cases, several indicators related to social network analysis have been evaluated to characterize the web site structure. Factor analysis provides the statistical methodology to adequately extract the main web site profiles in terms of their internal structure.
Findings
This paper allows the categorization of web site design styles and provides general guidelines to assist designers to better identify areas for creating and improving institutional web sites. The findings of this study offer practical implications to web site designers for creating and maintaining an effective web presence, and for improving usability.
Research limitations/implications
The research is limited to 80 institutional Spanish universities' web sites. Other institutional university web sites from different countries can be analyzed, and the conclusions could be compared or enlarged.
Originality/value
This paper highlights the importance of the internal web sites structure, and their implications on usability and way‐finding results. As a difference to previous research, the paper is focused on the comparison of internal structure of institutional web sites, rather than analyzing the web as a whole or the interrelations among web sites.
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