Search results

Foreseeable worldwide development can be characterized by social destabilization, urbanization, and increasing migration. These trends are global, even if regional and cultural characteristics differ markedly and often progress at varying paces. The social processes indicated are interdependent. That is, they greatly influence each other in numerous ways, yet can rarely be explained only as clear and simple cause‐and‐effect relationships. The link between an economic situation and population growth is uncontested, as is the link between world trade prices of farm produce and the poverty within the countries of origin. But such general statements are not very suitable for analysis of specific regional and topical problems. More essential than aspects of worldwide social change, which can be quantified with relative ease, are their repercussions on social structures, the imbedding of local societies in a global network, the invisibility of change, and the further expansion of latent social conflicts.

The incredible tempo of the ongoing process of social change in the People's Republic of China has led to profound shifting and reorganization in society. The social structure has become more complex and diversified, new social groups have emerged such as private business people and migrant workers. The gap between the wealthy and the poor is increasing and structures determining status and income are widely divergent.

Processes of anomie are affecting more and more societies. Anomie has become endemic, individual, and social. No society and no community appears to be immune to this process. We are at present witnessing the world‐wide degeneration of social bonds and social structures. We are witnessing a re‐barbarization of political conditions. Ex‐Yugoslavia is a nearby example. At the same time we are witnessing anomic conflagrations in Africa. Insidious anomic processes are also evident in the territories of the former Soviet Union. You may judge for yourself the extent to which the virus of anomie has also infected the social body in the core countries of the West.

In fall 1994 a group of social scientists from different parts in the world met in Switzerland. The Swiss Academy for Development (SAD) organized a symposium to discuss problems of contemporary developmental policy and research. The meeting focussed on the upcoming World Summit of Social Development in Copenhagen in 1995 and so the participants intended to present themes of international interest that would be introduced to a greater audience. The important contributions and propositions of this symposium are found in this publication.

The shortcomings of lobbying in respect of tourism policy are a frequent topic of discussion in tourism circles which lament that there is virtually no voice — and therefore no ear — for tourism policy matters in the Swiss Parliament. Is this really the case, or is it merely the customary reaction of a branch that is undergoing major structural change? A review of the achievement record on tourism policy affairs in recent years comes to the conclusion that the successes — at federal level, at least — are actually quite creditable: Innotour has been rejigged and a qualification offensive launched, the special VAT rate — that controversial regulatory policy issue — has been extended, the Schweizerische Cesellschaft für Hotelkredit (Swiss Society for Hotel Credits) was given a new credit, despite considerable opposition, and Switzerland Tourism's federal subsidy looks set to be higher than ever before. And all this at a juncture when savings and cuts are being made on all sides. So there is every indication that tourism lobbying in Switzerland is better than its reputation. It was in this context that tourism lobbying was investigated. The corresponding study, conducted by Brigitte Zaugg (2004), took its lead from the principles of the New Political Economy (Public Choice Theory), which uses as its essential point of departure that the ever‐more‐complex relations between politics and industry generate higher information requirements in all political bodies. Lobbyingprovides a tool for reducing information deficits. Here, information is understood as a swap commodity, because well informed circles can intensify their influence. What is more, with the help of lobbying, it is possible to develop viable legislation characterized by a high degree of acceptance and a broad consensus. Thus, despite certain image problems, lobbying is increasingly perceived as an indispensable form of basic democracy and a legitimate factor in shaping political will. If the influencing of tourism policy decision‐making processes in order to push through specific interests is further increased, the question arises of how lobbying could be modified to make it even more successful. In this connection, the study identifies four focal approaches: 1) the development and nurture of a sustainable network of contacts, 2) the permanent readying of sound information geared to public welfare and a regular exchange of information, 3) the preparation of suggested improvements that are as practical as possible and include own inputs, and 4) the creation of strategic partnerships and the grouping of tasks.

The economic benefits flowing from tourism have been largely ignored by the United States until recently. The pre‐occupation with the large, persistent annual balance‐of‐payments deficits has led American economists to examine all components of our international accounts. Tourism, it has been found, has been a major contributor to the outflow of dollars. To correct this imbalance both positive and negative proposals have been set forth. My contention is that the American economy has more to gain by attracting foreign visitors and their foreign exchange than by restricting foreign travel of American citizens. If the United States economy is to benefit from tourism promotion it can learn from the experience of other countries, such as Italy, which have successfully exploited their natural and historical wonders. A positive step taken by the United States has been the establishment of the United States Travel Service in 1961. This agency must be credited with the great strides already made in foreign tourism. In 1964, the United States welcomed over one million tourists from overseas for the first time.

Die Besonderheiten der Standortproblematik für den Fremdenverkehr in Österreich ergeben sich aus vier Faktoren: Lage, Grösse, Figur, Gestaltung des Staatsgebietes.

As a result of two closely related problems, namely the population problem in almost all parts of the world and the serious effects on the environment, thinking relating to development has taken a new direction. Development is more and more closely linked to the question of population and the form of production which to a great extent affects technology and resources.

The development of a sociological theory is a process which can often only reach a temporary conclusion. A new theory's potential and an old theory's stagnation are invariably a matter either of solved problems which require a new theoretical construction or of the old theory failing which means that a new one is needed. The anomie theory finds itself precisely in that stage of its development in which the old concept for explaining the current “social facts” is considered unsatisfactory, yet more promising prospects are not yet clearly in view. This, therefore, is our objective, to attempt to provide the anomie theory with new insights and meaning.

This paper aims to deliver a detailed understanding about the dynamics of entrepreneurial networks along the enterprise life cycle of hospitality enterprises.

Case study research was conducted, using in-depth interviews with hospitality entrepreneurs and additional material (e.g. website information). The data were analyzed applying the qualitative method GABEK (GAnzheitliche BEwältigung von Komplexität – holistic processing of complexity) which enables researchers to reveal concepts and attitudes of interviewees.

Networks of hospitality entrepreneurs shift from local ties to industry-specific actor groups to local and non-local ties to actor groups inside and outside the industry. Throughout the enterprise life cycle, entrepreneurs prefer strong ties. The transition from one family generation to the next and changes in the competitive environment are important triggers of network configurations.

Future research should reproduce the findings and investigate the proposed relationships in representative samples from different regions and industries. The influences of different actors within networks provide fertile research opportunities.

Networks provide viable means for tackling the challenges of growth in the hospitality industry. The research provides managerial implications for how networks should be configured for meeting resource dependencies of different development stages.

Building on resource dependency theory, this research emphasizes which challenges the enterprise life cycle imposes upon network management in the hospitality industry. While past research has focused upon the early stages of the enterprise life cycle, this study investigates also later stages. Furthermore, triggers of network management are identified.