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Article
Publication date: 26 August 2024

Tuan Nien Tran and Thuong Thuong Ho Tran

Only a small number of studies have analysed the sustainability of the socio-cultural impacts of volunteer tourism (VT). Existing research tends to focus on volunteers, the host…

Abstract

Purpose

Only a small number of studies have analysed the sustainability of the socio-cultural impacts of volunteer tourism (VT). Existing research tends to focus on volunteers, the host communities and organisations, while the interconnectedness between theories (of capitals) and concepts (i.e. empowerment and sustainability) have received minimal attention. Sustainability is considered both an effect of empowerment and a means for achieving it. Drawing on the perspectives and theoretical concepts related to multiple forms of capital, this paper aims to take an interpretive stance to examine socio-cultural impacts.

Design/methodology/approach

This research draws on 37 semi-structured interviews conducted with stakeholders on the perceived socio-cultural impacts of VT on two farm communities in Vietnam. A qualitative thematic coding analysis was used to identify themes that explain the perceptions of the stakeholders within the host communities.

Findings

The findings of this study were divided into the nine themes of educational effects, job opportunities, cultural exchanges, relationships, health, awareness of environmental conservation, physical changes, promoting local products and tourism and community resource development. The research provides additional insights into the interconnectedness between different types of capital, empowerment and sustainability of socio-cultural impacts.

Practical implications

VT organisations should provide more opportunities for local residents to become involved in decision-making regarding volunteer activities and to share their voices and concerns about how the VT programmes are set up. The government could provide support services or training and skills to locals after the volunteers leave, which would be significant in developing and maintaining the sustainability of impacts on host communities.

Originality/value

This research creates a model for connecting capital to sustainability and empowerment to study the socio-cultural impacts of VT.

摘要目的

只有少数研究分析了志愿旅游(VT)社会文化影响的可持续性。现有的研究往往集中在志工、所在社区和组织上, 而理论(资本)和概念(即赋权、永续性)之间的相互联系很少受到关注。永续发展既被认为是赋权的效益, 也是实现赋权的一种手段。研究借鉴与多种资本形式相关的观点和理论概念, 并采取说明式立场来检视社会文化影响。

设计/方法/步骤

本研究借鉴了与利害关系人进行的 37份半结构化访谈, 了解 VT 对越南两个农场社区的社会文化影响。使用定性主题编码分析来确定能够解释主办社区内利害关系人看法的主题.

研究结果

结果分为教育效果、就业机会、文化交流、人际关系、健康、环境保护意识、身体变化、推广当地产品和旅游业以及社区资源开发九个主题。该研究为不同类型的资本、赋权和社会文化影响的可持续性之间的相互联系提供了更多见解。

实际影响

旅游志工组织应为当地居民提供更多机会参与志工活动的决策, 并分享他们对VT计画如何设立的意见与担忧。政府可以在志工离开后向当地人提供支持服务或培训和技能, 这对于发展和维持对东道社区影响的可持续性具有重要意义。

独创性/价值

这项研究创建了一个将首都与永续发展和赋权联系起来的模型, 以研究 VT 的社会文化影响。

Propósito

Sólo un pequeño número de estudios han analizado la sostenibilidad de los impactos socioculturales del turismo de voluntariado (VT). Las investigaciones existentes tienden a centrarse en los voluntarios, las comunidades de acogida y las organizaciones, mientras que la interconexión entre las teorías (de los capitales) y los conceptos (es decir, empoderamiento, sostenibilidad) han recibido una atención mínima. La sostenibilidad se considera tanto un efecto del empoderamiento como un medio para lograrlo. Basándose en las perspectivas y conceptos teóricos relacionados con múltiples formas de capital, la investigación adopta una postura interpretativa para examinar los impactos socioculturales.

Diseño/metodología/enfoque

Esta investigación se basa en 37 entrevistas semiestructuradas realizadas con partes interesadas sobre los impactos socioculturales percibidos de VT en dos comunidades agrícolas en Vietnam. Se utilizó un análisis de codificación temática cualitativa para identificar temas que explican las percepciones de las partes interesadas dentro de las comunidades anfitrionas.

Hallazgos

Los hallazgos de este estudio se dividieron en nueve temas de efectos educativos, oportunidades laborales, intercambios culturales, relaciones, salud, conciencia de la conservación ambiental, cambios físicos, promoción de productos locales y turismo, y desarrollo de recursos comunitarios. La investigación proporciona información adicional sobre la interconexión entre diferentes tipos de capital, el empoderamiento y la sostenibilidad de los impactos socioculturales.

Implicaciones prácticas

Las organizaciones de turismo de voluntariado deberían brindar más oportunidades para que los residentes locales se involucren en la toma de decisiones relativas a las actividades de voluntariado y compartan sus voces e inquietudes sobre cómo se establecen los programas de VT. El gobierno podría brindar servicios de apoyo o capacitación y habilidades a los locales después de que los voluntarios se vayan, lo que sería importante para desarrollar y mantener la sostenibilidad de los impactos en las comunidades anfitrionas.

Originalidad/valor

Esta investigación crea un modelo para conectar las capitales con la sostenibilidad y el empoderamiento con el fin de estudiar los impactos socioculturales de VT.

Article
Publication date: 10 May 2024

Gerardo Petruzziello, P.M. Nimmi and Marco Giovanni Mariani

This study aims to understand how employability capitals’ dynamics foster self-perceived employability (SPE) among students and graduates, which is still being empirically…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to understand how employability capitals’ dynamics foster self-perceived employability (SPE) among students and graduates, which is still being empirically explored. Building upon the Employability Capital Growth Model and the Social Cognitive Career Theory’s career self-management model, we aimed to understand how different capitals associate by testing a serial mediation model connecting career identity (reflecting career identity capital) and SPE through the serial mediation of cultural capital and job interview self-efficacy (ISE) (an element of psychological capital).

Design/methodology/approach

We adopted a two-wave design involving 227 Italian University students and graduates. We recruited participants through multi-channel communication. The hypothesised relationships were analysed employing the structural equation modelling approach with the SPSS AMOS statistical package.

Findings

The results indicated that career identity, cultural capital, ISE and SPE are meaningfully related. In particular, in line with our expectations, we observed that career identity predicts cultural capital, which is positively associated with ISE which, ultimately, impacts SPE.

Originality/value

Our work adds to existing research by advancing the understanding of employability capitals, explaining how they interact and influence SPE, which is crucial for a sustainable transition into the workforce. At a practical level, our findings call upon, and guide, efforts from various stakeholders in the graduate career ecosystem (i.e. universities and their partners) to offer students and graduates meaningful experiences to form and use their employability capitals.

Details

Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, vol. 14 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-3896

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 August 2024

Chih-Hao Chang and Yuji Utsumi

Drawing on the perspectives of cultural capital theory, this study investigated the impact of international internships on the performance of Japanese undergraduates on the Test…

Abstract

Purpose

Drawing on the perspectives of cultural capital theory, this study investigated the impact of international internships on the performance of Japanese undergraduates on the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) using a between-group pretest-posttest experimental design.

Design/methodology/approach

Students participating in international internships were compared to their counterparts in a noninternational internship control group. Using TOEIC data collected in June 2019 and September 2019, we performed t-tests and estimated a difference-in-differences model with propensity score matching to measure the impacts of participation in international internships, students’ demographic information, family socioeconomic status, and independent learning characteristics.

Findings

The study showed that students’ participation in international internships and independent learning activities had significant effects on TOEIC performance. The findings of this study also indicate that in addition to the effects of international internship experience and independent learning on students’ English performance, learner learning behavior may be important for improving students’ performance.

Research limitations/implications

This empirical research provides meaningful insights for parents, educators, and researchers not only in Japan but also in a broader context in which international internships and independent learning activities have a crucial impact on student performance. It also sheds light on our understanding of the role of activities conceptualized through the lens of cultural capital in educational stratification.

Originality/value

This study elucidates the association among cultural capital theory, international internships, and students’ linguistic achievement and makes an important contribution to the broader conceptual literature.

Details

Education + Training, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0040-0912

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 August 2024

Chandrani Samaradivakara, Robin Bell and Antonius Raghubansie

Employability is an established research theme in Western literature; however, in developing economies, the concept remains unclear and underresearched. This study addresses this…

Abstract

Purpose

Employability is an established research theme in Western literature; however, in developing economies, the concept remains unclear and underresearched. This study addresses this lacuna by exploring how Sri Lankan higher education (HE) administrators conceptualise employability and which capitals they perceive as needing development to achieve employability.

Design/methodology/approach

The research utilised semi-structured interviews with an expert panel responsible for leading the development of the employment agenda within Sri Lankan HE. The purposive sample included four Sri Lankan vice chancellors (VCs), representing leadership at 27% of the country’s publicly funded universities and the HE funding commission. The qualitative data collected were thematically analysed to identify how employability was conceptualised and the perceived employability skills and capitals required.

Findings

The findings demonstrated that employability was conceptualised as requiring transferable skills and job-specific occupational skills. This view of employability represents a narrow definition with an emphasis on skill development rather than longer-term capability building. The results show the applicability of Bourdieu’s (1986) capitals in the Sri Lankan HE context, with cultural and social capital and proficiency in the English language critical to meeting employability objectives.

Originality/value

This research addresses the shortage of research about the concept and requirements of employability in developing countries. Most employability studies have drawn on samples from students, lecturers and employers, whilst this study considers the phenomenon from the perspectives of strategic administrators in HE who guide the employability agenda in practice. These insights are important in informing policymakers to calibrate a more balanced approach by incorporating employability into the Sri Lankan HE curriculum and sector strategy.

Details

Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-3896

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 June 2023

Haobo Zou, Asad Ullah, Zubaida Qazi, Amna Naeem and Sofia Rehan

This paper examines the influence of micro-credential learning on students' perceived employability. In addition, the study aims to explore different components that will help…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper examines the influence of micro-credential learning on students' perceived employability. In addition, the study aims to explore different components that will help students to gain knowledge, enhance their careers and develop their human capital (social, cultural and scholastic capital). Hence, the study also analyzed the mediating role of human capital on the aforementioned association.

Design/methodology/approach

Explanatory research was conducted by utilizing a correlational research design. A questionnaire comprising of closed-ended items was utilized in the study. The data was analyzed by employing PLS-SEM technique.

Findings

Our findings stipulate that micro-credential learning is an essential component to improve students' perceived employability. The study identified that micro-credential programs have a positive relationship with students' perceived employability. Moreover, the findings that micro-credential learning significantly impacts students' human capital, i.e. cultural, social and scholastic capital. Additionally, human capital acts as a significant mediator in the relationship between micro-credential learning and students' perceived employability. Moreover, participation in micro-credential learning can ensure that students can identify diverse career directions, seek information about the labor market and educational system, attain relevant qualifications for their vocations, and develop a plan for their future.

Originality/value

Micro-credential programs are short and focused educational programs that offer specialized knowledge and skills in a particular area. These programs are becoming increasingly popular in the modern workforce to upskill or reskill quickly and efficiently. However, lack of empirical evidence is the ultimate gap in determining the importance of micro-credential learning; as the limited literature is unable to determine the importance of MCL on students' perceived employability. Thus, the study identifies the impact of micro-credential learning on students' perceived employability.

Details

International Journal of Educational Management, vol. 38 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-354X

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 1 March 2024

Mine Karatas-Ozkan, Renan Tunalioglu, Shahnaz Ibrahim, Emir Ozeren, Vadim Grinevich and Joseph Kimaro

Sustainability is viewed as an encompassing perspective, as endorsed by the international policy context, driven by the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We aim to…

1078

Abstract

Purpose

Sustainability is viewed as an encompassing perspective, as endorsed by the international policy context, driven by the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We aim to examine how women entrepreneurs transform capitals to pursue sustainability, and to generate policy insights for sustainability actions through tourism entrepreneurship.

Design/methodology/approach

Applying qualitative approach, we have generated empirical evidence drawing on 37 qualitative interviews carried out in Turkey, whereby boundaries between traditional patriarchal forces and progressive movements in gender relations are blurred.

Findings

We have generated insights into how women entrepreneurs develop their sustainability practice by transforming their available economic, cultural, social and symbolic capitals in interpreting the macro-field and by developing navigation strategies to pursue sustainability. This transformative process demonstrates how gender roles were performed and negotiated in serving for sustainability pillars.

Research limitations/implications

In this paper, we demonstrate the nature and instrumentality of sustainable tourism entrepreneurship through a gender lens in addressing some of these SDG-driven challenges.

Originality/value

We advance the scholarly and policy debates by bringing gender issues to the forefront, discussing sustainable tourism initiatives from the viewpoint of entrepreneurs and various members of local community and stakeholder in a developing country context where women’s solidarity becomes crucial.

Details

Central European Management Journal, vol. 32 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2658-0845

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 21 August 2024

Zelda S. Bisschoff and Liezel Massyn

The paper aims to close a literature gap by proposing a comprehensive conceptual soft skills competency framework for enhancing graduate intern employability through the…

Abstract

Purpose

The paper aims to close a literature gap by proposing a comprehensive conceptual soft skills competency framework for enhancing graduate intern employability through the cultivation of employability capital.

Design/methodology/approach

The study employed a theoretical inquiry and delved into the existing literature on employability, soft skills competencies and employability capital to establish a comprehensive foundation to formulate the conceptual framework. A content analysis of existing empirical studies was conducted to derive a generic list of employers’ required soft skills. A Delphi technique was employed to harness expert consensus and insights into the derived framework.

Findings

Employability capital can be cultivated in the setting of work-integrated learning programmes and synergised through emotional and social intelligence interventions to enhance soft skills competency and graduate employability.

Research limitations/implications

The soft skills identified may overlook other important skills required by employers. Increasing participation in the Delphi study could yield additional valuable insights. Validation of the framework is needed in practical settings to understand its effectiveness and applicability to real-world organisational needs.

Practical implications

This study significantly enhances understanding of the role of employability capital in soft skills competency development and graduate employability through work-integrated learning programs and self-development. In addition, the framework has the potential to positively impact the employer-employee relationship.

Originality/value

The key theoretical contribution is a soft skill development framework that offers employers and graduates a means to identify and address deficiencies through WIL and self-development.

Details

Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-3896

Keywords

Open Access

Abstract

Details

The Intersections of a Working-Class Academic Identity: A Class Apart
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83753-118-9

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 April 2024

Yuheng Wang and Paul D. Ahn

This paper aims to offer insight into how strategies within the accounting profession, which has been becoming more global, might be changed by the recent outbreak of the Second…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to offer insight into how strategies within the accounting profession, which has been becoming more global, might be changed by the recent outbreak of the Second Cold War between the West and the Rest of the World.

Design/methodology/approach

We explore the strategies of those who called themselves “Confucian accountants” in China, a country which has recently discouraged its state-owned enterprises from using the services of the Big 4. We do this by employing qualitative research methods, including reflexive photo interviews, in which Big-4 accountants, recognised as the most Westernised accounting actors in China, and Confucian accountants are asked to take and explain photographs representing their professional lives. Bourdieu’s notions of “economy of practices” and “vision-of-division strategy” are drawn upon to understand who the Confucian accountants are and what they do strategically in their pursuit of a higher revenue stream and improved social standing in the Chinese social space.

Findings

The homegrown Confucian accountants share cultural-cognitive characteristics with neighbouring social actors, such as their clients and government officials, who have been inculcated with Confucianism and the state’s cultural confidence policy in pursuit of a “socialist market economy with Chinese characteristics”. Those accountants try to enhance their social standing and revenue stream by strategically demonstrating their difference from Big-4 accountants. For this purpose, they wear Confucian clothes, have Confucian props in their office, employ Confucian phrases in their everyday conversations, use Confucian business cards and construct and maintain guanxi with government officials and clients.

Originality/value

This paper is the first attempt to explore Confucian accountants’ strategies for increasing their revenue and social standing at the start of the Second Cold War.

Details

Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-3574

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 20 August 2024

Jesús Heredia-Carroza, Javier Reyes-Martínez and Fátima Gigirey

The purpose of this chapter is to explore the attendance at museums of disabled people in Chile. To address this issue, we propose a logistic regression analysis by type of…

Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to explore the attendance at museums of disabled people in Chile. To address this issue, we propose a logistic regression analysis by type of disability (i.e., physical or mobility difficulty, muteness or difficulty in speech, mental or intellectual difficulty, deafness or difficulty hearing, blindness or difficulty seeing) and severity of disability (i.e., two or more conditions in one individual). We use the National Survey of Cultural Participation in Chile 2017 (N = 12,151), a study whose main aim is to explore cultural participation and the factors that influence disabled people. Preliminary results indicate that only some disabilities negatively influence attendance at museums (e.g., physical disabilities); furthermore, the severity of the disability is also a relevant factor, considering it shows a negative influence on attendance at museums. These results suggest several implications for the infrastructure in museums, as well as repercussions in policies, procedures, funding, and financial management in museums that, if addressed, would foster inclusive environments for all individuals in Chile.

Details

Accessibility, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Cultural Sector
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83753-034-2

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 5000