Search results

In this Festschrift, written and shared to celebrate the life and work of Dr Kathy Charmaz, I draw upon both personal reflections and Kathy's extensive writings to showcase Kathy's contributions to my personal research journey and to the field of qualitative research methodology. I examine the intersection of constructivist grounded theory and social justice research, an important theme of Kathy's work and research. I discuss three components of constructivist grounded theory that support social justice research: researcher reflexivity, prioritizing participants, and the importance of context. I share examples from my own work showing how these three facets of constructivist grounded theory contributed to an unintended yet much appreciated social justice thread in my research. My hope is through my reflection, other researchers, who were not able to meet and interact with Kathy, will be able to understand and appreciate her influence and impact, and her view of research as a responsive, flexible, and meaningful process.

The Upper Toggenburg is located close to major urban areas and is used mainly for overnight tourism. The destination has an urgent need for revitalization and faces dramatic challenges in renewing its products and markets. The newly created DMO, along with political and financial management by the cantonal government, raises issues related not only to the rejuvenation and the relaunch of the destination but also for the role of particular institutions. While the destination is clearly positioned in a declining phase, there are numerous efforts to overcome the critical situation; and some projects are promising. The life cycle concept and institutional analysis are useful approaches for the discussion of this case.

Is customer service getting worse? Earlier this year Gordon Simmons Research, in association with Management & Marketing Development Ltd, interviewed a representative national sample of 1,007 adults aged 16 years and over. These adults were asked which retail types they had visited in the last four weeks and whether they had any complaints about the service received on any of their visits. The research was concerned with problems at the point of sale rather than after‐sales service. Martin Simmons' conclusion is that customer service standards are going to get worse before they get better, and that any retailer who can demonstrate a competitive edge in service levels and staff training could more than pay for his investment through higher sales and profits.