IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/touman/v33y2012i3p553-561.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Business elites, universities and knowledge transfer in tourism

Author

Listed:
  • Thomas, Rhodri

Abstract

Policy-makers charged with enhancing the competitiveness of tourism, sometimes draw attention to the potential contribution of universities to strengthening innovative behaviour in the private sector. Business elites (very senior managers of large enterprises) play a key role in determining the propensity of organisations to participate in knowledge transfer with higher education institutions. This paper examines the process of knowledge acquisition among ten British business elites, who between them employ tens of thousands of workers, and the (potential) contribution of universities to that activity. Qualitative data are interpreted using concepts from the literature on knowledge transfer and Mezirow’s theory of adult learning. The findings suggest that business elites not only operate within communities of practice but also tend to learn within their own ’meaning perspectives’. As a result, initiatives aimed at strengthening engagement are not likely to succeed unless they are able to influence how elites approach their own learning.

Suggested Citation

  • Thomas, Rhodri, 2012. "Business elites, universities and knowledge transfer in tourism," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 33(3), pages 553-561.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:touman:v:33:y:2012:i:3:p:553-561
    DOI: 10.1016/j.tourman.2011.06.009
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0261517711001208
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.tourman.2011.06.009?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Detelin S. Elenkov & William Judge & Peter Wright, 2005. "Strategic leadership and executive innovation influence: an international multi‐cluster comparative study," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(7), pages 665-682, July.
    2. Hjalager, Anne-Mette, 2010. "A review of innovation research in tourism," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 31(1), pages 1-12.
    3. Michael Hall, C., 2011. "Publish and perish? Bibliometric analysis, journal ranking and the assessment of research quality in tourism," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 16-27.
    4. Nooteboom, B. & Vanhaverbeke, W.P.M. & Duijsters, G.M. & Gilsing, V.A. & Oord, A., 2006. "Optimal Cognitive Distance and Absorptive Capacity," Other publications TiSEM eb5155cb-c888-4301-a667-9, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    5. Yusuf, Shahid, 2008. "Intermediating knowledge exchange between universities and businesses," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(8), pages 1167-1174, September.
    6. Nooteboom, Bart & Van Haverbeke, Wim & Duysters, Geert & Gilsing, Victor & van den Oord, Ad, 2007. "Optimal cognitive distance and absorptive capacity," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(7), pages 1016-1034, September.
    7. A Cochrane, 1998. "Illusions of Power: Interviewing Local Elites," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 30(12), pages 2121-2132, December.
    8. Welch, Catherine & Marschan-Piekkari, Rebecca & Penttinen, Heli & Tahvanainen, Marja, 2002. "Corporate elites as informants in qualitative international business research," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 11(5), pages 611-628, October.
    9. Aldebert, Bénédicte & Dang, Rani J. & Longhi, Christian, 2011. "Innovation in the tourism industry: The case of Tourism@," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 32(5), pages 1204-1213.
    10. Patrick Cohendet & Patrick Llerena, 2003. "Routines and incentives: the role of communities in the firm," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 12(2), pages 271-297, April.
    11. Xiao, Honggen & Smith, Stephen L.J., 2010. "Professional communication in an applied tourism research community," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 31(3), pages 402-411.
    12. Wright, Mike & Clarysse, Bart & Lockett, Andy & Knockaert, Mirjam, 2008. "Mid-range universities' linkages with industry: Knowledge types and the role of intermediaries," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(8), pages 1205-1223, September.
    13. Roel Rutten & Frans Boekema, 2009. "Universities and Regional Development," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(5), pages 771-775.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Manuela Presutti & Marco Savioli & Vincenza Odorici, 2020. "Strategic orientation of hotels: Evidence from a contingent approach," Tourism Economics, , vol. 26(7), pages 1212-1230, November.
    2. Thomas, Rhodri & Ormerod, Neil, 2017. "The (almost) imperceptible impact of tourism research on policy and practice," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 379-389.
    3. Thomas, Rhodri & Wood, Emma, 2015. "The absorptive capacity of tourism organisations," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 84-99.
    4. Thomas, Rhodri & Wood, Emma, 2014. "Innovation in tourism: Re-conceptualising and measuring the absorptive capacity of the hotel sector," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 39-48.
    5. Andreea MANOLIU & Adina-Gabriela CROITORU, 2014. "Management Of Ict – Viable Business Strategy For The Romanian Tourism Market," Revista de turism - studii si cercetari in turism / Journal of tourism - studies and research in tourism, "Stefan cel Mare" University of Suceava, Romania, Faculty of Economics and Public Administration - Economy, Business Administration and Tourism Department., vol. 18(18), pages 49-52, December.
    6. Raisi, Hossein & Baggio, Rodolfo & Barratt-Pugh, Llandis & Willson, Gregory, 2020. "A network perspective of knowledge transfer in tourism," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    7. Tho, Nguyen Dinh & Trang, Nguyen Thi Mai, 2015. "Can knowledge be transferred from business schools to business organizations through in-service training students? SEM and fsQCA findings," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 68(6), pages 1332-1340.
    8. Li, Yanning & Wood, E.H. & Thomas, R., 2017. "Innovation implementation: Harmony and conflict in Chinese modern music festivals," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 87-99.
    9. João M. Lopes & Márcio Oliveira & Jorge Lopes & Umer Zaman, 2021. "Networks, Innovation and Knowledge Transfer in Tourism Industry: An Empirical Study of SMEs in Portugal," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-17, April.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Villani, Elisa & Rasmussen, Einar & Grimaldi, Rosa, 2017. "How intermediary organizations facilitate university–industry technology transfer: A proximity approach," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 86-102.
    2. Caroline Hussler & Rachel Levy & Pierre Triboulet, 2020. "Les PME dans le réseau d’innovation des pôles de compétitivité français : position et structuration des collaborations récurrentes," Post-Print hal-03215059, HAL.
    3. Delorme, Donatienne, 2023. "The role of proximity in the design of innovation intermediaries' business models," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 188(C).
    4. Anna Comacchio & Sara Bonesso & Claudio Pizzi, 2012. "Boundary spanning between industry and university: the role of Technology Transfer Centres," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 37(6), pages 943-966, December.
    5. Lee, Hsing-fen & Miozzo, Marcela, 2024. "Beyond complementarity and substitutability? Understanding relational governance and formal contracts in university-industry collaborations for innovation," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    6. Roel Rutten & Frans Boekema, 2009. "Universities and Regional Development," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(5), pages 771-775.
    7. Avimanyu Datta, 2016. "Antecedents To Radical Innovations: A Longitudinal Look At Firms In The Information Technology Industry By Aggregation Of Patents," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 20(07), pages 1-31, October.
    8. Matthias Firgo & Peter Mayerhofer, 2015. "Wissens-Spillovers und regionale Entwicklung - welche strukturpolitische Ausrichtung optimiert des Wachstum?," Working Paper Reihe der AK Wien - Materialien zu Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft 144, Kammer für Arbeiter und Angestellte für Wien, Abteilung Wirtschaftswissenschaft und Statistik.
    9. Fang Li & Sheng Zhang & Yuhuan Jin, 2018. "Sustainability of University Technology Transfer: Mediating Effect of Inventor’s Technology Service," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-17, June.
    10. Thomas, Rhodri & Wood, Emma, 2015. "The absorptive capacity of tourism organisations," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 84-99.
    11. Tom Broekel & Matthias Brachert, 2015. "The structure and evolution of inter-sectoral technological complementarity in R&D in Germany from 1990 to 2011," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 25(4), pages 755-785, September.
    12. Bruna P. F. Fonseca & Elton Fernandes & Marcus V. A. Fonseca, 2017. "Collaboration in science and technology organizations of the public sector: A network perspective," Science and Public Policy, Oxford University Press, vol. 44(1), pages 37-49.
    13. Vanhaverbeke, Wim & Li, Ying & Van de Vrande, Vareska, 2009. "The dual role of external corporate venturing in technological exploration," MPRA Paper 26488, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 2010.
    14. de Jong, Jeroen P.J. & Freel, Mark, 2010. "Absorptive capacity and the reach of collaboration in high technology small firms," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 47-54, February.
    15. Lorenzo Cassi & Anne Plunket, 2014. "Proximity, network formation and inventive performance: in search of the proximity paradox," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 53(2), pages 395-422, September.
    16. Marte C.W. Solheim & Ron Boschma & Sverre Herstad, 2018. "Related variety, unrelated variety and the novelty content of firm innovation in urban and non-urban locations," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 1836, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised Oct 2018.
    17. Jianghua Zhou & Rui Wu & Jizhen Li, 2019. "More ties the merrier? Different social ties and firm innovation performance," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 36(2), pages 445-471, June.
    18. Munshi Muhammad Abdul Kader Jilani & Luo Fan & Mohammad Tazul Islam & Md. Aftab Uddin, 2020. "The Influence of Knowledge Sharing on Sustainable Performance: A Moderated Mediation Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-18, January.
    19. Kaihuang Zhang & Qinglan Qian & Yijing Zhao, 2020. "Evolution of Guangzhou Biomedical Industry Innovation Network Structure and Its Proximity Mechanism," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-20, March.
    20. Aschhoff, Birgit & Sofka, Wolfgang, 2008. "Successful Patterns of Scientific Knowledge Sourcing: Mix and Match," ZEW Discussion Papers 08-033 [rev.], ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:touman:v:33:y:2012:i:3:p:553-561. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/tourism-management .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.