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This paper aims to explore the use of websites by tourist ports to assess whether they support ports in communicating their image and provide information and services to actual and potential customers.

An analysis of 129 tourist ports websites from ten Mediterranean countries was conducted using the 2QCV3Q model, a multi-purpose qualitative evaluation tool based on experts’ judgments.

The findings show that tourist ports’ websites are typically beautiful and well-managed, give ports a clear image and link them with the local territory; however, sample websites are only partially user-friendly, offer limited room for interaction and fail to provide all the expected information and services to the visitors.

This research provides an unprecedented picture of the use and quality of websites by tourist ports located in the Mediterranean Sea and offers a robust and exhaustive assessment tool that might be of interest to researchers. The tool might also help managers of tourist ports to improve their websites by making them more business- and customer-oriented.

本论文旨在研究旅游港口网站, 以评估其宣传港口形象和为现有和未来游客提供信息和服务的支持。

研究样本是来自10个地中海国家的129家旅游港口网站。本论文以专家评估为依据, 采用2QCV3Q模型和多目的定性评估工具来进行样本分析。

研究结果表明旅游港口网站一般都具有美丽和规范管理的特点, 为旅游港口树立一个清洁形象, 并展示当地地理环境；然而, 样本网站只是具备些许用户友好界面, 很少有很好的交互特性, 因此不能很好地为游客提供所需的信息和服务。

本论文提供了一个前所未有在地中海区域旅游港口网站使用和质量评估报告, 并且提出了一个强有力的评估工具, 这对于学术研究有着显著意义。这个评估工具还能帮助旅游港口经营者通过改善网站的商业体验和消费者体验来提高其网站的各种特性。

海洋旅游, 旅游港口, 海洋管理, 网站营销, 网站评估, 网站质量

研究论文

The aim of the paper is to explore conceptually and empirically the application of the concept of IT readiness to small firms.

The approach taken was a questionnaire administered to small manufacturing business owners in the Liguria region of Italy. Data were analysed using factor and cluster analysis.

IT readiness concept appears valid with the emergence of three constructs: strategic vision; project management capability; and IT application infrastructure. The date analysis yielded four distinctive and varying profiles of small business owners.

This quantitative study exploring a cross section of small firms suggests antecedents to change have been ignored relative to IT adoption decisions.

Provision of policy and support services requires a much more nuanced approach to small businesses.

There are very few studies of IT readiness in the literature, making the paper original in its intent. The construction of the IT readiness concept appears robust when subjected to empirical testing and yields a number of specific small business profiles with respect to IT.

Drawing from the literature, the purpose of this paper is to offer an empirically validated framework for examining information technology (IT) readiness in small firms.

A conceptual framework of IT readiness for small firms is developed and validated empirically using a quantitative survey of 117 UK manufacturing small firms to identify distinct clusters of firms according to their states of IT readiness.

The survey responses are grouped according to three distinct profiles that display varying degrees of IT readiness depending upon their strategic motivation, IT processes, project management and technology complexity.

Prior studies examining IT readiness in small-and medium-sized enterprises have not offered a differentiated understanding of small firms that is grounded in quantitative data. The varying profiles of small firms discovered indicate potential paths of IT readiness which offers a basis for further research using longitudinal case studies.

Managerial motivation is not a sufficient condition for achieving IT readiness; it requires both strategic and operational capabilities that have significant implications for training and skills development in small firms. Understanding the level of IT readiness of their organisation can help managers identify areas needing improvement in their use of IT.

Findings suggest differentiated policy support is required for various small business clusters identified in the study.

The novelty of the conceptual model differs from the prior literature on IT readiness by explicitly recognising the potential effect of IT maturity on the capability of the firm to respond to opportunities in its external environment. The paper also distinguishes between internal IT processes and project management skills.

In the contemporary media landscape, gender violence has achieved great visibility. However, the media still struggle to represent the complexity of violence perpetrated by men against women in its various forms – femicide, domestic violence (DV), intimate partner violence and violence against women. The narratives that represent such violence as an expression of individual deviance or as a crime of passion are still the most widespread both in fictional and factual products. This chapter will look at a case study by applying a multiperspective methodology of femicide and DV in an Italian town. In particular, the exemplary case study presented here was constructed by analysing newspaper articles, social networks and one television broadcast. The first part of the chapter is dedicated to the analysis of literature on femicide, DV and gender violence in relation to studies and research on media coverage, with particular reference to Italian studies. The second part presents the methodology applied in the research. The third part presents the outcomes regarding the analysis of the narrative, highlighting the frames that characterise it. Finally, the fourth part shows the conclusion that can be derived.

Resurgent interest in the life and work of the Italian Cambridge economist Piero Sraffa is leading to New Directions in Sraffa Scholarship. This chapter introduces readers to some of these developments. First and perhaps foremost is the fact that as of September 2016 Sraffa’s archival material has been uploaded onto the website of the Wren Library, Trinity College, Cambridge University, as digital colour images; this chapter introduces readers to the history of these events. This history provides sharp relief on the extant debates over the role of the archival material in leading to the final publication of Production of Commodities by Means of Commodities, and readers are provided a brief sketch of these matters. The varied nature of Sraffa scholarship is demonstrated by the different aspects of Sraffa’s intellectual legacy which are developed and discussed in the various entries of our Symposium. The conclusion is reached that we are on the cusp of an exciting phase change of tremendous potential in Sraffa scholarship.

Low cost financing in establishing economical development is very important. At this point, financial intermediaries provide great contributions to economic development by eliminating asymetrical information problem between lender and borrower. It is possible to see capital market in anglo‐saxon countries and banking system in Europe and Japan mostly from historical dimension. However, long term financing is done through capital market in most developed countries at present. It is a common characteristic in countries such as Turkey, Chile and Mexico whose economies are financed by banking system. Singh and Weisse (1998), suggests that it is because of late industrialisation 1. Developing countries are generally those where there is less capital. Therefore attracting both internal and external savings into the banking system (for these countries) is very important from economical development point. At this point, powerful banks are preferred by the investors. Because the possibilty of failure is low (for these banks) 2. The most important factor that effects banks risk structure is public’s role. Because public can effect banks risk structure both at macro and micro level. Public’s influence on bank’s risk structure at macro economic level is due to general economical structure. If the general economic structure has high volatility and is away from consistency, this situation will increase the risk for banking sector. On the other hand, fiscal dominance is one of the main problems especially in developing countries. Fiscal dominance caused by lack of enough public revenue affects banking sector negatively. Thus, a goverment which can not prepare the macro economic environment where banks can function at high productivity will increase banks’ risks. In addition, banks require strict regulations and controlling as its structure is open to fraud. That these regulations are ignored or not prepared will lead to risk accumulation in the sector. It becomes a social responsibility of the state to take necessary cautions as these kinds of issues change a large cost on the society. Within this framework, the aim of our study is to examine public’s role on fragilities in banking sector. These examinations will be conducted for Turkey which experienced a collapse in banking sector in the recent period. In the first and second part of our study, public’s influence on the sector at macro and micro level will be examined. Experiences gained through Turkey example will be presented in the conclusion.

Considering the growing momentum of online marketplaces worldwide, the purpose of this paper is to develop a model to identify the main activities impacted by the implementation of an e-marketplace in the business-to-business relationship and assess the savings on costs for the main actors involved (i.e. manufacturer, distributor and retailer).

The methodology used in the study is a quantitative one. The analytical model used to evaluate B2b e-marketplace's impacts followed three main steps: (1) model settings and general assumptions, (2) cost structure and (3) model simulation.

The findings reveal that beyond stock-out costs and inventory levels also other operating costs (i.e. transportation, penalty and administrative costs) play a significant role in determining overall impacts of B2b e-marketplace, and as such should be considered by managers in their process of e-marketplace evaluation, selection and performance optimisation. The model shows that compared with the offline scenario the B2b e-marketplace is expected to bring value to the overall supply chain, which tends to increase as the share of e-sales penetration is increased, ranging from a cost reduction of 0.1% (€ 229.2k) in the base-case of 10% e-sales adoption, up to 0.9% (€ −2.2 M) in case of full e-marketplace adoption.

This study aims to shed light and foster the adoption of B2b e-marketplace by providing some practical tools to support (1) research in future studies, filling the existing gaps on the topic, and (2) managers in the process of adoption and execution of e-sales through online marketplaces.