2nd SOUTH AFRICAN WORK WELLNESS CONFERENCE

Deadline for submission of abstracts: 15 January 2004
Deadline for the submission of full papers: 10 March 2004

The research programme "Human Resource Management for Development" in the Research Unit "Decision-making and Management for Economic Development" at the Potchefstroom University is pleased to announce that it will be hosting the 2nd South African Work Wellness Conference on 25-26 March 2004 in Potchefstroom, South Africa.

The aim of the conference is to investigate individual, group and organisational factors that contribute to work wellness in a multicultural context in South Africa and to report on interventions that could be used to ensure wellness at work. Although the focus of the conference will be on occupational stress, burnout and engagement, other presentations related to work wellness are also welcomed.

We invite you to participate in this important event. The conference has been designed to provide opportunities for discussion, debate and the promotion of knowledge and skills in this area.

Conference Objectives

The conference is aimed at providing a forum for academics and practitioners in order to:

• Keep abreast of the latest international developments regarding work wellness (specifically relating to occupational stress, burnout and work engagement)
• Learn more about ways to assess occupational stress, burnout and work engagement
• Identify research agendas regarding the management of occupational stress, burnout and work engagement
• Network with other researchers on work wellness.

Keynote Speakers

• Prof. Wilmar Schaufeli, Professor of Organisational and Clinical Psychology, Utrecht University, The Netherlands, expert on burnout and work engagement
• Prof. Michiel Kompier, Professor of Work and Organizational Psychology, University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands, expert on work wellness interventions
• Prof. René Schalk, Professor of Organizational Studies, Tilburg University, The Netherlands, expert of psychological contracts and work wellness
• Prof. Hans de Witte, Professor of Organisational Psychology, Louvain University, Belgium, expert on job insecurity and stress
• Dr. Michelle Tytherleigh, Research Fellow, Occupational Stress Research Group, Plymouth University, United Kingdom, expert on occupational stress
• Prof. Ian Rothmann, Professor of Industrial Psychology and Leader of the Research Programme "Work Wellness" at Potchefstroom University for CHE

The conference venue

The conference takes place on the picturesque campus of the Potchefstroom University in Potchefstroom, South Africa.

Workshops

The following three workshops will be presented prior to the conference:

• Intervention Research. In the past, a considerable amount of research has been performed to identify important factors in health behaviour. Only recently, researchers have begun to translate these insights into prevention and intervention programmes. One of the challenges in this area has been to design interventions in such a way that they are theoretically valid and practically relevant. This workshop aim to address the most important issues related to the development and evaluation of interventions. It is directed at psychologists and researchers involved in planning and implementing work wellness interventions.
• Managing stress, burnout and engagement. The aim of this workshop is to increase participants’ knowledge of stress, burnout and engagement, to make them aware of causal factors of burnout and engagement, and to help them identify and plan interventions to manage burnout and engagement in organisations. The workshop is directed at employees, managers and employee assistance staff.
• Job insecurity and labour relations. The aim of this workshop is to identify and analyse the relationships between job insecurity, the psychological contract, work wellness and labour relations. The workshop focuses on the reasons for job insecurity, interventions to manage job insecurity, the dynamics of the psychological contract, as well as its influence on the employment relationship and on work wellness. The workshop is aimed at human resource practitioners, labour relations practitioners, union officials and managers in organisations.

Key information

Conference Office Address
2nd Work Wellness Conference 2004
School of Human Resource Sciences
Potchefstroom University for CHE
P/bag X6001
Potchefstroom 2520
Tel +27 (018) 2991397 / 2991369
Email: workwellness@puk.ac.za

The conference website is www.workwellness.co.za This will be regularly updated.
Registration forms, abstract submission forms and full conference details are available on the website.

Call for Papers
3rd International Conference on Public and Non Profit Marketing
University of Beira Interior
Covilhã, Portugal
April 1-2, 2004

We are pleased to draw your attention to the 3rd International Conference on Public and Non Profit Marketing, to be held in April 1-2
at the University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal. Please note that these dates differ from the period of previous editions of the
conference. In addition to invited presentations from practitioners, papers are invited from academics and doctoral students on any Public or Non Profit Marketing area topic.

For further information about the 3rd International Conference on Public and Non Profit Marketing, please bookmark and visit the conference website:

http://www.dge.ubi.pt/nece/JMP/)

The submission deadline of full papers is February 15, 2004.

Further submission guidelines and procedures are also posted on the website.

The conference is promised to be a great event that will meet and even exceed the high standards set by previous editions.

For further information or questions about the seminar, please contact the organization at halves@fenix.ubi.pt.

The Fourth CPTHL Symposium

Call for Papers

Consumer Psychology of Tourism, Hospitality, and Leisure Research

Symposium Themes: Lived Experiences and Advancing Science in Lifestyle, Leisure, and Tourism
Location / Dates: HEC Montreal, Canada / 17-20 July 2005
Submission Deadline: (1) 2-page abstract, 15 January 2005; (2) 20-page paper, 15 April 2005

Following the successful 1998 (Hilo), 2000 (Vienna), and 2003 (Melbourne) CPTHL Symposia and the publications of the symposia papers in Tourism Analysis and in three volumes in the CABI International Book Series on Tourism Studies, the Fourth CPTHL Symposium will be held at the École des HEC/ HEC School of Management. Please submit your paper in a WORD file attachment to one of the five members of the Fourth CPTHL Symposium Chairs:

• Asia: Jiang Du (jiang@du.com.cn), Beijing Second Foreign Language University
• Austrailia/NewZealand: Chris Cooper (c.cooper@uq.edu.au), University of Queensland
• Canada, Central & South America: Jean-Charles Chebat (jean-charles.chebat@hec.ca), HEC Montreal
• Europe & Africa: Frank Go (f.go@fbk.eur.nl), Rotterdam School of Management
• United States: Arch Woodside (woodsiar@bc.edu), Boston College

Psychology, Sociology, Geography, Management, Marketing, Tourism, Leisure Science, Hospitality,
and Consumer Research Papers

Invited Papers are sought that contribute to advancing theory, research methods, and useful practices regarding lived experiences and behavioral science topics focusing on lifestyle, leisure, and tourism. Following the mental model that individuals interpret who they are and what they seek in life but what they have done, the Fourth CPTHL Symposium focuses on understanding ourselves deeply by interpreting the conscious, and frequently unconscious, tradeoffs made among work, family, and leisure alternatives.

In addition, the Fourth CPTHL Symposium desires to include original research reports on implemented strategies designed to influence lifestyle, leisure, and tourism behaviors; evaluation research reports of implemented destination marketing strategies; cross-cultural research on the impact of core values in lifestyle, leisure, and tourism decisions/behaviors; laboratory and field true/quasi experiments of impacts of alternative lifestyle, leisure, and tourism pursuits on individuals and household preferences; research on cognitive mapping of lived experiences in lifestyles, leisure, and tourism; consumer satisfaction and/or complaining behavior involving lifestyle, leisure, and tourism activities. For additional information on topics very suitable for paper submissions, please consult publications from prior CPTHL Symposia. For the table of contents of papers published from the previous symposia, for Volume 1 please go to:
http://www.oup-usa.org/toc/tc_0851993222.html; and for Volume 2 please go to: http://www.oup-usa.org/toc/tc_0851995357.html.

Deadlines: the organizing committee requests that you submit a two-page abstract by 15 January 2005 and/or a full paper (20-pages of text maximum with up to 10 additional pages of reference pages, exhibits, tables, figures, and appendices). Please double-space the abstract and the full page using 12-point Times New Roman and submit in WORD.

Call for Papers

4th INTERNATIONAL COLLOQUIUM ON
NONPROFIT, SOCIAL AND ARTS MARKETING

London Metropolitan University and Henley Management College are pleased to announce that their fourth joint research symposium will be held at London Metropolitan University on Wednesday 15th September 2004. The event has been designed to provide an interface between academics and reflective practitioners wanting to draw on the very latest in theoretical and empirical non-profit research. Papers are invited on any aspect of non-profit marketing. Both academic and practitioner papers are welcome and potential topics include, but are not limited to the following:

• Fundraising
• Arts Marketing
• Social Marketing
• Marketing of Healthcare Organisations
• Advertising and Promotion for Non-profit Organisations
• Branding and Positioning for Non-profit Organisations
• Cause Related Marketing
• Campaigning and Lobbying
• Database Marketing
• Retailing and Merchandising Operations for Non-profit Organisations
• Corporate Philanthropy
• Social Entrepreneurship

Authors may submit either a full paper or an abstract of their intended paper. Abstracts of papers will be made available at the event but papers will not be published in formal conference proceedings. Authors of accepted papers will however be encouraged to revise their work, consequent to the feedback they receive at the Colloquium, for submission to a special issue of the International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing.

All submissions should include a cover sheet that contains a contact name and address, title, institution affiliation, email address, phone number and fax number. Authors are requested to avoid revealing the identity of themselves or their affiliations in the body of the paper. All papers will undergo formal double blind review.

Please send submissions to: Dr R. Bennett, Department of Business and Service Sector Management, London Metropolitan University, 84 Moorgate, London EC2M 6SQ. Email: r.bennett@londonmet.ac.uk.

Closing date for submissions: 18th June 2004.

54th AIEST Congress

Call for Papers
The future of SME in Tourism

19-24 September 2004
Petra, Jordan

Strategic questions

In many tourism country destinations the dominant structure is that of small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs). They are prevalent for example in the hotel trade, travel agencies, tourism transport systems and the many tourism-related attractions. In contrary, in new
destinations in emerging economies and developing countries that have strong tourism sectors the big corporations and chains are particularly well represented. Each of these sectors -- the big corporations and the chains that operate on an industrial scale on the one
hand, and the smaller type of business on the other – has its own characteristic structural advantages and disadvantages.

Small-to-medium sized enterprises are exceptionally flexible. They can adapt to the ups and downs of the market. They offer high quality personalised services. Thanks to competition at the level of the destination there is a wide variety of products. Moreover the proximity of local suppliers and their identification with the local culture gives the services offered by SMEs an unmistakeable mark of authenticity. Each of these sectors -- the big corporations and the chains that operate on an industrial scale on the one hand, and the smaller type of business on the other – has its own characteristic structural advantages and disadvantages.

Due to the almost atomic structure of the small business sector in tourism it is increasingly difficult for companies to succeed in markets that are growing at an ever faster pace. And because of their small size these businesses often fall short of the level of productivity
necessary for success in the highly competitive factor markets. Another typical problem of SMEs is their limited ability to invest in market research and the development of new product concepts. Their reliance on regular customers leads to considerable inertia. Such companies are also limited in their ability to innovate. The risks accepted by entrepreneurs is greater due to the extreme interdependency that exists in destinations. And the financing conditions are worse.

At its 54th Congress in Jordan the AIEST will discuss ways in which small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) in the tourism sector can survive in fiercely competitive markets while contributing to the development of tourism in the different regions and countries. One of the questions we shall discuss is whether or not smallness of size is an insurmountable obstacle for economic success. We shall also look at ways of improving the productivity of small-tomedium tourism enterprises, and their ability to innovate. Another question -- how can the financing of investments be improved for such companies? And can tourism-related SMEs help to stimulate development in regions with economic problems? Finally, are state incentives necessary for the promotion of the small tourism business sector, and if so what form should they take?

We shall endeavour at this Congress to discuss the future of SMEs in the field of tourism as thoroughly as possible. Priority will be given to the following themes mentioned.

The future of SME structures in tourism

The so-called “tourism industry“ in fact consists of an dazzling mixture of branches in which there are companies large and small, i.e. which produce on an industrial scale or at a much more modest personalised level. In this age of globalisation visitors from the countries of origin have created an international travel industry which makes use of local potential to achieve global strategies, while offering standardised products. A small business structure continues to dominate in the destinations of traditional tourism countries, offering products and services of the greatest possible variety. Tourism thus has a dual economic structure. Another question we need to ask is, what will the structure of the industry look like in the future.

What are the strengths and weaknesses of the international travel industry? Is it the “benchmark“ for SMEs in the tourism sector? Is there a way of mixing together big corporations and small businesses so as to create sustainable development in this sector? How can SMEs improve the products and services they offer the tourist? Should emerging tourism countries give preference to the development of the small business sector?

Co-operation as the way to overcome disadvantages of size for SMEs

It is a fundamental truth that the market resists gigantism. Growth beyond the optimum size often leads to an implosion of the structures and to new fragmentation. Companies that grow too big can find themselves frustrated by disabilities at the operational level. They often lack the necessary flexibility. In many cases they have to be reorganised into small units. If properly planned, co-operation is one way SMEs can overcome the disadvantages that go with small size. This can be accomplished either by cooperation between small-to-medium enterprises or the break-up of big corporations into more functional units. Finding the right form of co-operation is one of the most important business decisions SMEs can make.

Whatever the field of activity it is always worth considering the possibility of co-operation as a way of creating new opportunities.
What is the most appropriate way of co-operating in terms of content, degree, and type of coordination on the basis of different scenarios? What factors determine the success of efforts to co-operate? How can the co-operation process be organised most effectively?

Positioning SMEs in the market under the umbrella of the destination

The classical approach to co-operation for small businesses in the tourism sector is vertical co-operation at the level of the destination. This requires partnership in the marketing of a multiplicity of products and services, backed by quality assurance. A concerted and well
focused approach not only increases the destination’s market muscle but can also enhance its productivity. The effectiveness of the market approach will depend to a great extent on the organisation of co-operation in the areas of promotion, public relations work and marketing, at the level of the destination.
What tasks in the area of communication and marketing should be handled by the SME itself? What tasks should be the responsibility of local and national tourism organisations?

Increasing SME productivity with the help of information technology

The management of co-operation has become more efficient thanks to the increasing use of information technology. Even the smallest company can make use of the information highway to be virtually present around the clock in markets all over the world. The bookability of products and services is no longer a problem at the technical level. Internet and the online services have restored some of their former market power to small-to-medium enterprises in tourism-related sectors and in the traditional destinations.
The introduction of information technology can also make the “back office“ production of SMEs more efficient. Management and marketing tasks can be outsourced, allowing the companies to focus on the core business of providing personalised services to their clients. The networking of small tourism businesses, both on the supply and the demand side, in any case requires the development of management, information and reservation systems at the level of the destination. And these are costly. The ability to make optimal use of such systems is essential for tourism SMEs, and yet they often fail to do so due to lack of the necessary “know how”.

What contribution do information and communication technologies make to the development of the small business sector? How can SMEs improve their capabilities in this area? What are the factors that determine success in the deployment of information and communication technologies?

Investments and financing of SMEs

The more capital-intensive these small companies are, the harder it is for them to finance their investments in installations and equipment. The small business sector of tourism, with its personalised services, must overcome not only the cost disease but also seasonal demand fluctuations and a great many exogenous factors of uncertainty. There is a fundamental problem at the level of revenues. Small businesses in the tourism sector are increasingly viewed by banks as being “high-risk and low-yield” ventures. The basic financing of investments is therefore hard to find and the cost of credit is in any case high. Raising capital in the stock market is far from easy. In the light of these difficulties it is increasingly important for SMEs to learn about business models and plans that would enable them to succeed in their efforts to obtain credit.

Are there alternative financing instruments available to SMEs? What factors and instruments determine the success of financing?

SME contributions to regional development

Tourism is increasingly seen as an instrument for the creation of endogenous growth, and in particular for the solution of the problems faced by remote regions, neglected and abandoned city centres and industrial zones that no longer serve their original purpose. In
this context the fundamental question for the small tourism businesses is what contribution can they make to the development of such problem areas. Here it is a question of using the resources, skills and networks available, and what kind of organisation should the countries which wish to promote tourism as a strategic sector of the economy develop.

How can the concept of the learning region be developed? How can suitable clusters be created with SMEs in the regional economy?

Labour market and training for SMEs

Heavily influenced as it is by seasonal fluctuations in tourism demand, the labour market in tourism regions poses a major challenge to SMEs, with their reliance on personalised services. The size of staff must be adapted to the degree of utilisation of installations and
equipment. This means a cost-oriented labour market policy is required, allowing for seasonal work, part-time employment and the use of foreign labour. The lack of possibilities for rationalisation and standardisation must be offset by the high quality of services, which means a considerable investment in human resources. Careful management of staff costs while at the same time ensuring the necessary quality is one of the big challenges facing small-to-medium enterprises.

How can staff costs be adapted to tourism demand? How can intercultural human resource management be achieved at the level of the SME? How can entrepreneurship be encouraged and the launch of new small businesses?

System of state incentives

The process of globalisation has resulted in a tremendous extension of the market and a proliferation of destinations. The new destinations are distinguished by soft currencies and low wages. The international travel trade takes advantage of these favourable framework conditions. It benefits from the funds which the international community makes available to emerging destinations.
In such conditions of imperfect competition the question that arises is whether or not there is need of a policy specifically aimed at small tourism businesses, and if so what form it should take. State-funded incentive systems are necessary to help create partnerships for the
production and marketing of complete packages of products and services, since the cooperation this requires inevitably leads to high transaction costs.

What economic policy motives justify state assistance for SMEs? What are the best instruments and in what conditions should they be used?

Timetable

The selection of papers is made in accordance with a double blind review process based on international standards. This involves the following steps for contributors:

• Submission of an abstract of two pages max. by the end of December 2003 to the AIEST Secretariat aiest@unisg.ch
• Decision on the basis of a double blind review process by 15 February 2004
• Submission of full papers by the end of May 2004
• Decision on the basis of a double blind review process as to which contributions are to be accepted for presentation at the plenary session.

The papers to be presented at the plenary session of the conference will be published in the AIEST publication of the year 2004 “The future of the SME in tourism”. The remaining papers will be presented at workshops devoted to specific themes as well as on a CD Rom, and some cases will be published in the discussion forum section of the Tourism Review.

Scientific Committee

• Prof. Peter Keller, Ecole des HEC, University of Lausanne, President (Switzerland)
• Prof. Norbert Vanhove, Collège de l’Europe/University of Antwerp, Vice-President (Belgium)
• Prof. Richard Butler, University of Surrey (United Kingdom)
• Dr. Abderrahim Daoudi, Ministry of Tourism (Morocco)
• Prof. William Gartner, University of St. Paul, Minnesota (United States)
• Prof. Harald Pechlaner, University of Eichstätt (Germany)
• Dr. Heinz-Rico Scherrieb, Handelshochschule Wien (Austria)
• Dr. Egon Smeral, WIFO, Vienna (Austria)
• Dr. Sanda Weber, Institute for tourism, Zagreb (Croatia)
• Prof. Klaus Weirmair, University of Innsbruck (Austria)
• Prof. Thomas Bieger, University of St. Gallen (Switzerland)
• Dr. Christian Laesser, Editor “Tourism Review”, University of St. Gallen (Switzerland)

For more information, please visit the AIEST website: http://www.aiest.org

SEMINAR SERIES
in
Relationship Marketing: Theory, Applications and Future Research Directions 
www.rm.mgt.uea.ac.uk
funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC-UK)

Aims and objectives of the seminar series:

• To consider how different theoretical perspectives have contributed to the development of our understanding of relationships among companies and with their customers and other stakeholders.
• To examine the reasons underlying the limited success of relationship marketing in practice and create a pool of knowledge that can drive success based on the lessons learnt by companies trying to implement this approach.
• To assess whether or not this approach can benefit non-profit and governmental organisations.
• To disseminate pluralistic perspectives, acknowledge and reflect on substantive contributions in the field, and outline theoretical (research) and practical direction for the further development of the field from a research, as well as, teaching and learning perspective.

The findings of the Research Seminar Series will be diffused widely. A special issue with articles emerging from the seminar will be hosted by the Journal of Marketing Management. Scholarly articles will also be submitted to other leading refereed journals. Visit our website to learn about current and forthcoming seminars as well as participate in useful dialogue and discussion with people interested in relationship marketing.

Seminar topics include:

SEMINAR 1:  Conceptual foundations of Relationship Marketing (December, 2003)
SEMINAR 2: Interdisciplinary Relationship Marketing: Industrial, Services and Consumer Perspectives (March 2004)
SEMINAR 3:  Making a compelling case for RM: What is its value for customers and how it can be measured?
SEMINAR 4:  Customer Relationship Management and IT: The operational manifestation of RM
SEMINAR 5:  Citizen Relationship Marketing: The case, the process, the outcome
SEMINAR 6:  Conclusions and Evaluation of the Series: Guidelines for teaching and training people in RM.

Contact details:

Dr. Andrew Pressey, Email: a.pressey@uea.ac.uk
Professor Nikolaos Tzokas, Email: n.tzokas@uea.ac.uk
Web address for registration & information: www.rm.mgt.uea.ac.uk