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Purpose: This paper aims to critically evaluate the evolution of Assurance of Learning (AoL) in business education and identify gaps and responsibilities in higher institution landscapes moving into the future. This comes amidst increasing structural reforms, an increasingly digitalised world, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic and wider scrutiny of graduate competencies for job readiness. Design/Methodology/Approach: A systematic literature review comprising 27 journal articles published between 2018 and 2022 is the methodology used in this research. This approach is justified as it provides a recent synopsis of current trends on AoL and encompasses the changes over the course of the COVID-19-induced higher education landscapes. Findings: The systematic literature review revealed a strong flavour for AoL measurement through the students' perspectives, with little emerging from faculty insights. Only six out of the 27 articles were framed in a non-English speaking background, revealing that most studies were still concentrated in a US or English environment. Also, while papers on AoL have increased in numbers from 2018 to 2022, there remains scant literature on AoL measurements related to the COVID-19 pandemic and recent digital technologies, and how these would have changed given the rapid shift to online or hybrid environments. Originality/Value: A comprehensive review of AoL literature from 2018 to 2022 is undertaken through Leximancer, which reveals conceptual and relational ties between core themes and concepts of interest. The findings inform business school leaders of the current state of AoL processes, by combining the views of students, faculty and managers.

Effective communication plays a part in the success and the sustainability of the tourism and hospitality management, including community-based tourism (CBT). In Brunei Darussalam, communication barriers have affected the growth of the CBT industry on both local and national levels. By analyzing responses from 16 local CBT operators, this investigation focuses aspects of communication and its channels in securing sustainability and empowerment of CBT industry. This study found that the CBT ventures in Brunei include (1) horizontal/lateral communication between CBT operators and surrounding communities and (2) top-down communication and bottom-up accessibility between the authority, the community leaders, and the CBT owners. This paper further discusses how bureaucracy can impede the success of CBT operations, and how a collaborative approach between stakeholders has inspired the formulation of a new Interactional Model of Leadership and Empowerment among CBT stakeholders, which can be used to measure the efficacy of communication among stakeholders in the CBT industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medical cannabis is an emerging topic of interest as stakeholders come to terms with how the demand and supply of such controlled substances are regulated across nations. Then, by extension, the provision of medical cannabis has given rise to tourism encounters where people, places, and spaces intersect. However, medical cannabis tourism has received very little attention in scholarly literature. This research note seeks to provide an overview of developments related to medical cannabis, fundamental questions that tourism scholars and practitioners need to be cognisant of, and charts avenues for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

External evaluations of curriculum and assessment design have received increasing attention in higher education. However, cross-border evaluations of programs have not yet caught up with the more significant push toward the internationalisation of global partnerships. Addressing this knowledge gap, the motivation of this study is to explore how the Australian tourism and hospitality curriculum and assessment framework is perceived in Taiwan. However, few institutions in Taiwan have embarked on this due to two main factors – lack of nationwide compliance and the perceived high-power distance that exists between academic staff of various ranks (e.g. professor vs. assistant professor). These outcomes contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the contextual differences that need to be addressed before adopting cross-national forms of external referencing involving curriculum and assessments. Insights from three focus groups and seven in-depth interviews with Taiwanese academics offer some strategies to introduce effective external evaluation outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on migrant workers (MWs) during Covid-19 in Singapore. A second wave of Covid-19 transmissions in MW dormitories in 2020 had cast a spotlight on this vulnerable population, amidst inter/national criticisms of the national government for oversight. From a critical discourse studies perspective, we examine how the national newspaper attempted to restore a positive self-image of the Singapore government, through the discursive mobilization of 'ideological circles'. These ideological circles involve, variously, positive and negative discursive presentational strategies of the Singapore government, its MWs, selected regional governments, and their MWs. The study unpacks the ideological mechanisms at work in the restoration of the government's reputation as well as examines the implications for MWs in Singapore as perpetual 'others'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the kinship ties existing between hosts and guests, any visiting friends and relatives (VFR) host is likely to experience elevated levels of stress in preparing for such encounters because of the desire to deliver a good experience to their guests. As such, existing literature has sought to unpack VFR hosting behavior and practices, albeit mostly from an Anglo-Saxon perspective. However, little is known about the influence of East Asian cultures and gendered perspectives of VFR hosting behavior and practices, which is underrepresented within extant literature. From a sample of 91 Taiwanese hosts based in Brisbane, Australia, this research suggests that accommodation considerations are a main factor to Taiwanese VFR hosts in Australia, and that first-time VFR tourists also warrant heightened hosting efforts. These findings contribute to a more nuanced understanding of how East Asian and gendered lenses of VFR hosting behavior manifests, positions these individuals as potential destination ambassadors, and strategically launch post-COVID-19 tourism recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several destinations have jumped on the TikTok bandwagon to explore consumer reactions and motivations towards visit intentions, though these are largely limited to point-in-time surveys. Using the example of Penang, Malaysia, this research contributes to the paucity of knowledge surrounding TikTok in tourism by analysing contents generated from the destination management organisation, travel influencers, and other tourists participating in a TikTok competition for the destination. Drawing from Burke's Pentadic analysis, the findings reveal the sociological interactions where the performativity of the short videos are staged by different users with the destination as the backdrop. Theoretical and managerial implications are highlighted to inform current and future practices of TikTok (re)presentation in tourism, and how the platform can be used distinctively to socially interact with various target markets and stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The third International Conference on Responsible Tourism and Hospitality (ICRTH) took place in Bogor, Indonesia, in August 2023. The conference aimed to raise awareness of tourism as a driver of development and the preservation of culture and natural heritage. It brought together academics, government officials, practitioners, and the public to discuss responsible tourism practices. The conference also emphasized the importance of collaboration and convergence of indicators towards responsible tourism. The event left a positive legacy by engaging with the local community and promoting responsible tourism in Bogor. The conference concluded with the announcement that ICRTH 2024 will be held in Kuching, Malaysia. [Extracted from the article]

Vaping (also known as electronic cigarettes) has taken the world by storm and is now a multi-million-dollar global industry. Yet, government policies and regulations do not keep pace with the segment's explosive growth. Some countries have banned the sale of such products outright, though others have enforced rules surrounding its circulation. Nevertheless, vaping products appear easily accessible through online sales channels and often fall into the hands of a younger market segment. Vaping is considered a national issue among many countries, due to rising rates of youth adoption and addiction. The rise of vaping can be explained by its framing as a more desirable alternative to traditional tobacco products, as well as its range of flavours to suit different peer, and subculture groups. Nonetheless, this viewpoint traces the development of vaping in several Southeast Asian countries and the development of several government policies and regulations. Related to responsible tourism, this viewpoint explores the scenarios of vaping-induced tourism and support for or against such a development. Framed through the lens of a narcotics-induced tourism lens, this viewpoint argues how vaping can be classified as a form of irresponsible leisure in tourism, drawing upon its social and environmental negative outcomes. Future strategies and actions are proposed to help countries stem the tide of vaping, especially from an inbound tourism perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research provides empirical insights to reveal how value convergence occurs within Uber's sharing economy. Uber's business model is built on a digital platform that links private vehicle owners and their under-utilized assets to be economic revenue generating units for on-demand transport requests from potential clients. By analyzing adoption values for drivers and users of Uber, we identify antecedent operational and behavioral values for Uber adoption. We add to extant Industry 4.0 research and show value convergence emanating from economic and convenience motives. On the basis of our findings, we develop propositions for value convergence leveraging on cyber-physical systems embedded in Industry 4.0, and its application for theory and practice within the broader domains of the sharing economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Melbourne Cup is Australia’s pinnacle horse racing event, attracting more than 80,000 physical attendees each year (pre-COVID-19), as well as numerous others watching via live broadcasts around the country and overseas. In recent times, however, there have been growing calls to boycott the event, following concerns over the treatment of horses. New hashtag movements lobbying against horse racing have also emerged, aided by the affordances of social media. However, very little attention has been paid to these digital movements in the animal-based leisure and recreation literature. In this study, we investigate one such growing movement, namely, #Nuptothecup. We explore how horse racing is framed by digital activists, revealing their moral, socio-cultural, and political objections. Our findings suggest a societal shift towards a strong animal ethics sentiment combined with a more generalised disdain towards the racing industry and its wider societal ramifications. We argue that if #Nuptothecup and related activisms continue to gain momentum, the Cup may eventually lose its social licence to operate. Further, we consider potential opportunities for managers to reinvent horse racing’s image and practices, if it is to secure its survival as an Australian recreational institution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Widening participation has been a vehicle to facilitate access and support towards the successful completion of university studies for underrepresented groups who are less likely to pursue higher education. Yet, despite its widely accepted importance and adoption across countries such as Australia and the United Kingdom, studies to date remain largely fragmented -- often employed through the lens of a single institution, or a particular priority group. Amidst this backdrop, universities and other higher education providers are increasingly probed as to their role in supporting social capital mobility, of which widening participation plays a vital component in delivering wider societal imperatives. In addition, the COVID-19 effect has worsened university participation and completion rates, as the global pandemic has placed vulnerable students (often those involved in widening participation initiatives) in more precocious conditions than ever before. Nevertheless, the purpose of this paper is to conduct a systematic literature review comprising 102 journal articles that derive 15 meta-themes to provide a timely introspection of widening participation, show key trends over time, and chart future areas of investigation for scholars and practitioners in this space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MICE tourism legacies have become more important as these business events explore ways to give back to their respective host destinations. The purpose of this viewpoint is to unpack how such MICE tourism legacies can be operationalized, as applied to the context of an international conference. Drawing from extant literature surrounding MICE tourism legacies, the International Conference on Responsible Tourism and Hospitality (ICRTH) is an example of how such legacies can shift from a narrow focus to broader stakeholder benefits, nudge passive engagement toward more active forms of participation, mobilities from urban to rural environments, enhancing education outcomes for better empowerment opportunities, and revenge travel proclivities to a more responsible MICE tourism stance. Collectively, these exemplars inform other conferences as to how such MICE tourism legacies can manifest elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community-based tourism (CBT) is part of East Asia's tourism landscape as local communities seek to diversify their livelihoods towards tourism. However, little is known about the evolution of research surrounding CBT in the region. Through undertaking a bibliometric analysis of 401 Scopus-indexed articles, this research found that CBT practices have increasingly questioned the legitimacy and authenticity of its value to local communities. Findings also illustrated most studies centred on China, and co-authorship networks mostly occurring between research supervisors and their students. Theoretical and practical insights to advance CBT research in East Asia are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contextualises the alignment of the wicked problem of using drones as a form of leisure. The fast evolving spaces of drones and their different uses, from military, to logistics, to leisure create many intertwining structures within a larger ecosystem. This research offers new perspectives by considering the role of the media in assisting with alignment to try to tame the wicked problem associated with a drone ecosystem, the use of drones for leisurely activities. Guided by the principles of the Agenda Setting Theory (AST), the paper elucidates the way drone contents are presented across different media channels; how key themes emerge from the narratives within different media channels; and how (non)convergence of media contents relates to alignment of drone governance., Introduction In the last few years, drones have moved from their original use as military weapons of mass destruction, to their role as a form of leisure. However, the fast [...]

Getting to and from campus matters, especially for students who have relocated from regional and remote (RR) areas who must wrangle, often for the first time, rigid mass public transportation (MPT). Little is known about MPTs' influence on RR students' retention intentions or how MPT interacts with other known geographic proximity barriers. Interviews with ten equity practitioners from three Australian universities revealed four interconnected themes. First, MPT access and accessibility can limit university participation. Second, MPT provides a time benefit, enabling study while commuting. Third, relocation anxieties interact with MPT as accommodation further from campus requires greater MPT usage. Fourth, parents are concerned about MPT access and accessibility which adds to other "mixed messages" that they give their children, affecting participation. Efforts that address MPT access and accessibility may improve RR higher education retention and educational outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quiet quitting has emerged as an area of concern for businesses and societies in the wake of the 'Great Resignation' following COVID-19. While there is an emerging body of work surrounding the motivations of quiet quitting as a rejection of being enslaved to one's work, little is known as to the implications of this phenomenon on Asian businesses. This viewpoint provides an overview of the literature to date and explores the steps Asian businesses should take to address potential quiet quitting proclivities among the existing and future workforce. In particular, businesses need to consider how COVID-19 has changed the landscape of work and generated psychological stresses among employees working from home, who have had to deal with their professional and private lives concurrently (Liu 2023). To combat quiet quitting in this new era, it is imperative to rethink work cultures, with an emphasis on facilitating greater autonomy in how work is performed (where applicable) and accordingly re-evaluating employment contracts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Olympic bidding process prior to 2024 was altered in 2019 to provide greater transparency and reduce unnecessary work related to the preparation for each bid, of which there can only be one host. This paper analyses the process of the 2032 Olympics through the notion of a preferred candidate in Brisbane, Australia. Through a document analysis of five official documents and submissions in the lead up to the IOC announcement of the preferred bid in February 2021, this paper elucidates how the Olympic Movement is shaped and refined to offer a more nuanced perspective of how such a preferred bid could be advantageous in terms of more inclusive legacy outcomes to the IOC, as well as the destination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research note explores the under-investigated assumption that cryptocurrencies are a panacea to stimulate regional tourism demand. Through the application of Rogers' Diffusion of Innovation Theory, a case study was designed to examine the cryptocurrency effect on two adjacent towns of Agnes Water and 17 70 in Central Queensland, Australia. The findings revealed three major factors that led to merchant receptivity for adopting cryptocurrencies - First, a novelty effect perceived as a good strategy to induce consumer spend. Second, the low entry barriers for merchants adopting cryptocurrencies to conduct transactions. Third, cryptocurrencies incurred zero overhead costs. Nevertheless, the favorable attitudes of these merchants towards cryptocurrencies require a demand-side intention to use such tools during tourist visits to these regional destinations. Other regional tourism destinations will need to consider other ways of integrating such digital innovations to their landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of China Tourism Research is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

He then expanded on the idea of regenerative tourism, where tourism innovations are promoted by embedding tourism practices within local communities and ecological processes that elevate human and non-human wellbeing (Bellato & Cheer, [1]). The 2nd International Conference on Responsible Tourism and Hospitality (ICRTH) was held at UCSI Hotel Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia from 1 to 3 September 2022. The second roundtable session consisted of both international and local experts on eco-tourism where they highlighted the new possibilities and demands of eco-tourism in Asia. [Extracted from the article]

Blockchain technologies are predicted to substantially transform the tourism industry. At present, cryptocurrencies are the most advanced application of public blockchains that promise benefits such as a universal means of payment and minimal fees through the removal of intermediaries. In the tourism industry, though many tourism vendors have been accepting cryptocurrencies and the potential of using cryptocurrencies in travel-related consumption has been intensively documented, existing knowledge about travellers' intention to use cryptocurrencies for payment purposes is limited. Traditional models do not account for the idiosyncrasies of cryptocurrencies and are therefore less appropriate to foster the understanding of travellers' adoption of travel-related payments. To fill this knowledge gap, an exploratory study was conducted with 161 travellers from the Asia-Pacific region who have previously consumed travel-related services with cryptocurrencies. Their previous usage experiences are analysed and reported. Through harnessing the correspondence analysis, several technological contingency factors were identified, as well as positive and negative perceptual antecedents. Additionally, their levels of satisfaction and intention to re-use the technology in future trips were investigated. Based on these findings, several propositions are suggested for guiding future research on travellers' cryptocurrency adoption in the travel and tourism contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of China Tourism Research is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

COVID-19 has flipped traditional face-to-face exchanges. This quickly prompted involuntary changes that required appropriate pedagogical strategies suited to online courses. This study explored the experiences, interactions, and social presence (SP) of participants involved in the 2020 spring term postgraduate program in a Taiwanese university. Through the interviews with instructors and students, SP was analyzed in terms of affective association, community cohesion, instructor involvement, and interaction intensity. Results showed that SP was perceived favorably by students while teachers have attempted to enhance the learning environment by augmenting the SP indicators. This study advances the understanding that despite having low perceptions on community cohesiveness and interaction intensity, there is some emerging evidence to suggest that SP has been observed by learners even under the pressures and limitations imposed by COVID-19 on HEIs. Theoretical and practical contributions are provided to assist universities navigating their way out of COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study probes the ethics of intrusive technologies for experimental research in tourism, through the lens of collaborative ethnography. Amidst the increasing uptake of technology to assess participant responses, the role of ethics in an experimental setting has received scant attention in tourism and hospitality. While intrusive technologies such as eye tracking, skin sensors and neuroscience headgear become more ubiquitous, the ethical boundaries of using such equipment are increasingly blurred and inconsistently approved. Seeking convergence of ethics concerning intrusive technologies is complicated when framing political spaces, target audiences and management of data obtained. Rather than view the role of intrusive technologies as a dichotomous outcome of ethical or unethical approaches, this paper argues that ethics needs to be contextually embedded with increased collaboration and co-creation in the application preparation and approval process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research note highlights eclectic approaches to analyze recreational cruise sustainability. Whilst recreational cruising have become increasingly popular, studies to date are largely fragmented, often adopting an economically centric perspective based on a particular cruise market or specific destinations. This research note advances cross-disciplinary perspectives to analyze recreational cruise sustainability via novel data-collection methods such as geographical information systems (GIS), remote sensing data, along with underwater and surface audio recording of cruise-related and marine biology (dolphins, humpback whales) activities. These methods may prove extremely effective to inform contemporary and future theory and management practices related to sustainable real-time impacts on visitor mobility to manage parks and recreational zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Finally, all participants stated their intentions to revisit Iran as a medical tourism destination post COVID-19, with the vast majority keen to undergo medical tourism once the COVID-19 pandemic is controlled. While the tourism industry has faced numerous crises in the past, few studies have explored if medical tourism can be a strategy for post-crisis destination recovery. The unfolding COVID-19 crisis has severely impacted the tourism industry through a combination of business and health regulations (Ayittey et al., [2]). [Extracted from the article]

Liminal spaces of medical tourism remain under-investigated. To address this gap, liminal spaces of Azerbaijani, Armenian and Iraqi medical tourists to Tabriz, Iran are explored. Using a mixed-method approach employing direct observations, interviews and 150 questionnaires of medical tourists, data were collected and analyzed using AMOS (Analysis of a Moment Structures) software. Among the range of factors tested, appropriate infrastructure and medical tourist monitoring had the highest influence on shaping medical tourists' liminal spaces. Theoretical and managerial outcomes of this research contribute toward a nuanced understanding for destinations catering to existing and future medical tourists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While social media receive considerable scholarly attention, studies reveal mixed outcomes in relation to its influence on tourists' destination choices. There is nonetheless a persistent perception that social media has a fundamental influence on destination choice. However, those studies that do find a social media influence are in contexts where tourists are predisposed to be influenced (the contexts were selected due to social media presence or influence). These studies also have limitations in terms of social media types, tourists and destinations. This research responds to the challenges and explores social media influence across diverse destination choice contexts. Through face-to-face interviews conducted with 39 Australian tourist decision-makers, the findings reveal that social media influence is only apparent when specific context-conditions are co-present. Instead, most destination choice contexts are likely to result in low levels of social media influence. The findings advance theory by identifying three contextual dimensions for social media influence: level of social media engagement; destination novelty or familiarity; and complexity of the planning decision. This research importantly demonstrates the need to illuminate context when conceptualising social media influence on tourists' destination choices. Practically, destinations should utilise social media to demonstrate ease of visit planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extant literature has emerged to shed light on Indigenous tourism peoples, places and partnerships. These studies to date have uncovered a rich diversity of contexts and collaborations, but likewise raise the challenges and complexities of working with stakeholder groups that feature diverse, and sometimes divergent interests. However, it has been acknowledged that studies in and about Indigenous tourism have been conducted from an 'etic' perspective. In other words, Indigenous tourism is often objectified, and appropriated through the lens of Western-centric paradigms. In addition, there remains scarce knowledge as to the bricolage of Indigenous tourism experiences from and by ethnic communities in the Asia Pacific region. This paper presents a review of new scholarly work that have advanced new insights to this body of work, and chart future avenues for communities of practice in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Leisure/Loisir: Journal of the Canadian Association for Leisure Studies is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)