Theses - Business & Management
https://research.thea.ie/handle/20.500.12065/2464
2024-03-29T05:43:08ZMotorhome tourism on the Wild Atlantic Way in Co.Clare
https://research.thea.ie/handle/20.500.12065/2613
Motorhome tourism on the Wild Atlantic Way in Co.Clare
Begley, Katherine
Motorhome tourism is a growing phenomenon throughout the developed world. The modern motorhome contains kitchen bathroom and bedroom allowing the motorhome user the freedom to tour without using the facilities offered by the traditional caravan park. This aim of this research is to investigate this niche market in terms of the facilities they require and their possible contribution to local economies.
Motorhome home users enjoy participating in outdoor pursuits and sightseeing however the installation of barriers on the WAW route in Co.Clare make it difficult to find parking preventing them from enjoying these activities. The use of social media is popular among the motorhome tourist allowing them to communicate with each other, sharing points of interest particularly suitable parking that they have found on their travels.
The research methodology consists of an online questionnaire, a participant observation element and stakeholder interviews. Results are presented in graph and pie-chart format with comments from many of the participants also included.
The author found that facilities for the motorhome tourist are underdeveloped and collaboration is needed between all stakeholders to provide suitable facilities for them. To ensure parking areas are not used inappropriately they need to be managed effectively. Byelaws should be introduced where necessary with strict enforcement by Garda and traffic wardens. Co.Clare has the potential to become the market leader in developing facilities for this niche market, it is a rural area that has not had the extensive infrastructural development that other parts of the route have had. This niche market brings its own accommodation and is interested in touring scenic routes making them an ideal market for local service providers to pursue.
2017-01-01T00:00:00ZAn exploration into the effectiveness of service collaboration between two Irish charities providing homeless support services.
https://research.thea.ie/handle/20.500.12065/2612
An exploration into the effectiveness of service collaboration between two Irish charities providing homeless support services.
O'Connor, Declan
The aim of this study was to explore the effectiveness of service collaboration between two Irish charities providing homeless support services. The objectives of this study were to explore the views of the members within the joint working group, on the effectiveness of the collaboration and their decision-making process, to examine the views of both workforces on the overall impact of the collaboration, to examine the views of the joint CEO of both organisations, on the factors that will determine the collaboration`s effectiveness, to identify the cost-sharing benefits of collaboration between the two charities, to investigate the extent to which the collaboration can facilitate a shared service and to examine the extent to which the collaboration can enhance the overall service provided to service users. A triangulation method of research was applied, incorporating both questionnaires and interviews as a means of gathering data. Questionnaires were distributed to all staff members of both organisations, while interviews were conducted with four members of the joint working group and the joint CEO also. The reason for examining the area of charity collaboration was due to the researcher’s personal and professional interest in the progress of the collaboration between Company X and Company Y. The findings from this research study show that the collaboration has been very effective to date, but if the partnership is to continue to grow and develop into the future, then a number of strategic actions need to be taken.
2017-01-01T00:00:00ZSchools in the Midlands of Ireland.
https://research.thea.ie/handle/20.500.12065/2609
Schools in the Midlands of Ireland.
Minnock, Charlene
The present study explored satisfaction levels of teachers in three second-level schools in the midlands of Ireland, concentrating on student-teacher relations, pay, contracts of employment, promotional opportunities, staff-relations and finally, examining second-level teachers views on the overall attractiveness of the teaching profession. A total of 124 hard-copy questionnaires were distributed to teachers from three second-level schools in the midlands of Ireland with a response rate of 52%. Most people who took part in this survey were aged between 24-29, female and held either temporary or continuous contracts of indefinite duration (CID). In addition, one second-level school in the midlands of Ireland participated in semi-structured interviews. The interview cohort consisted of six teachers who were divided up into three sub-groups based on experience levels: two teachers with less than five years’ experience, two teachers’ with between five and twenty years’ experience and finally two teachers’ with more than twenty years’ experience.
Overall, findings of the present study indicated that teachers were generally satisfied in their teaching profession. According to the results of the analysis, teachers were satisfied with both student-teacher relations and staff-relations in their second-level school. Furthermore, most teachers were satisfied with their contracts of employment, even though only very few teachers held permanent teaching contracts. This could be attributed to the finding that half of teachers held contracts of indefinite duration (CID), which means that teachers have similar privileges as permanent teachers (ASTI, 2017) and they experience a sense of job stability. In addition, one unanticipated finding of the present research indicates that teachers were satisfied with their pay. On the contrary, less than half of teachers agreed that their wages were sufficient to pay their important expenses and bills. In support of this, interviewed teachers cited that a number of teachers in their schools did not having full-time hours and
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this could result in a below par average weekly wage. In addition, many teachers disagreed that their wage levels reflected the level of effort they provided in their teaching jobs. Teachers views suggested that this could be due to the increase in demand for extra-curricular activities from students and school-management. Most teachers who took part in this study did not hold any promotional posts of responsibility and furthermore they were not satisfied with the level of promotional opportunities available within their school. In addition, findings indicated that ‘career ladder progression’ was the least important benefit associated with second-level teaching. Although teachers were unhappy with the level of promotional opportunities, it seems that it didn’t affect teacher’s overall satisfaction levels as ‘job satisfaction – love of teaching’, followed by ‘holidays’ and finally ‘working with young people ranging in ages from twelve to eighteen’ were the most important benefits associated with the teaching profession. Surprisingly, the present research indicates that just over a third of teachers would recommend teaching as a profession. Some teachers specified in the semi-structured interviews that if the Irish Government improved pay issues and promotional opportunities in the teaching profession only then would they consider recommending teaching as a career.
2017-01-01T00:00:00ZEmployer attractiveness and employee commitment: the case of a large multinational software company in Ireland.
https://research.thea.ie/handle/20.500.12065/2559
Employer attractiveness and employee commitment: the case of a large multinational software company in Ireland.
O'Driscoll, Eimear
This research succeeds in two aspects. Firstly, it gauges the attractiveness of a multinational
software company in Ireland (Company X) from the perspective of Masters and undergraduate
software engineering students at an associated third level institute (College Y). Secondly, it
gauges the commitment type held by existing employees within this company who have
graduated from the same third level institute, based on their psychological contract fulfilment.
Five recognised dimensions of employer attractiveness, consisting of numerous organisational
factors, were adopted in order to identify the factors of most importance to College Y students
when evaluating a prospective employer. These five dimensions of employer attractiveness
were again used in relation to Company X, as comparative parameters to evaluate how well the
students believed Company X succeeded in providing such factors. As empirical research
emphasises, employer attractiveness is a result of a process known as ‘employer branding’.
Therefore, Company X’s employer branding effectiveness was also evaluated in this context.
Findings revealed that considerable importance was placed on all organisational factors under
the five dimensions, especially development factors, by College Y students. However, some
negative beliefs around Company X existed regarding its provision of certain organisational
factors, as well as the effectiveness of its employer branding processes and practices to attract
College Y students.
Additionally, a number of existing employees’ perspectives were included in terms of their
commitment towards Company X, based on the extent to which their implicit expectations had
been met post-employment. These implicit expectations, developed prior to and during
employment, are otherwise known as the ‘psychological contract’. Based on whether or not
their psychological contracts had been fulfilled, and additional reasons given for their
commitment, these employees’ commitment types (affective, continuance, normative) were
identified. Both the primary and secondary findings revealed that a presence or absence of
affective commitment (wanting to stay with an organisation) is strongly influenced by the
extent to which a psychological contract is fulfilled. Furthermore, unfulfillment of a
psychological contract during employment results in a lack of affective commitment.
Research on both the prospective and existing employees’ perspectives in this context has not
been previously carried out and posits a 360-degree view of one multinational company in the
Irish software industry. This serves as a basis for filling future gaps in the Irish research field,
particularly by focusing on a larger and different sample.
The method of analysis adopted was a sequential mixed methods approach to include
distribution of online surveys to 111 College Y students of which a 49.5% response rate was
achieved. This gauged the attractiveness of Company X as a potential employer as well as its
employer branding effectiveness. Following this, five semi-structured interviews were carried
out with Company X employees who had also studied in College Y, which succeeded in
gauging their commitment type.
The recommendation put forward by the current research is for future researchers to adopt a
similar strategy for evaluating the attractiveness of an organisation and the commitment to it
by a specific sample group. However, focusing on a different and larger set of students within
a different industry in Ireland would posit greater results. The need for such research is
supported by the limitations posed by the small sample size and scope of the current research
and the lack of similar research carried out in Ireland, where there are multiple third level
colleges.
2017-01-01T00:00:00Z