Estudia

Dades generals

Curs acadèmic:

2017

Descripció:

This course is divided into two parts. The first part deals with more qualitative aspects of network theory and tourism while the second one focuses in the more quantitative approaches. The aim of the first part of the course provides an overview of the social and management theory relevant to understanding the operation of people in extended groups which are here viewed as networks. It provides a history of network thinking, some applications of network theory and analysis to tourism and an introduction to the basic concepts of network analysis. The course will cover the history, classic literature and basic concepts of social networks. It will discuss a number of related topics and issue such as that of stakeholders in a network, their importance and how many issues of tourism destination marketing and management may be considered from a network perspective. The course will also examine the usefulness of network theory for understanding the diffusion of innovations and knowledge, the concept of social capital and inter-organizational collaboration and competition. The focus of this part of the course is on networks within tourism destinations and a variety of examples from Australia and other countries will be discussed. The aim of the second part of the course is to offer an overview of the theory of complex networks and to provide examples of application to the field of tourism. The interest in complex networks, in the last decades, has followed the growth of computer networking on a global scale (e.g. Internet and the Web). New interdisciplinary work, carried out by a wide range of scientists with different backgrounds (physics, mathematics, economics, sociology, biology etc.) has led to the study of a large number of applications which have developed a wide range of analysis techniques and models and provided important insights. The characteristics of tourism make it a very difficult subject to be defined with a reasonable accuracy. Terms such as complex, dynamic, networks, information intensive and others are very often used to describe the area. Network analysis techniques look especially suited for the study of a tourism destination. After an introduction to the tools and methods of network science and its situation in the more general framework of chaos and complexity theories, this course will address the outcomes obtained in the analysis of a tourism destination. The implications of these results will be examined and discussed. A number of practical exercises will be proposed in order to better illustrate the major issues. Finally the course objectives can be summarized as: To make participants aware of the importance of social networks and their implications for the tourism sector. To discuss the history and theories underpinning the study of social network. To acquire, with hands-on sessions, familiarity with software tools used in network science. To stimulate discussion on the future direction of social network analysis and its impact on the tourism sector.

Crèdits:

6

Grups

Grup A

Durada:

Semestral, 1r semestre

Professorat:

Jaume Oscar Guía Julve

Idioma de les classes:

Anglès (100%)

Altres Competències

• Understand the principles of sustainable management
• Have a proactive and prospective vission
• Work within a context of social responsibility
• Read, understand and analyse scientific texts
• Diagnose opportunities and threads for a tourism destination
• Understadnd the tourism destination as a system
• Understand the relevance of networks in the management of tourism destinations
• Know how to represent the organization
• Make relationships with the actors involved in the development of a tourism product
• Use data recollection and analysis techniques
• Know the fundamentals and apply scientific methodologies
• Analyse complex situations and find strategies for their resolution, both individually and in group
• Use IT
• Use the English language

Continguts

1. DAY 1: WHY SOCIAL NETWORKS ARE IMPORTANT

2. DAY 3: KNOWLEDGE AND GOVERNANCE OF NETWORKS

3. DAY 2: NETWORKS AND TOURISM

4. DAY 4: ORGANIZATIONAL NETWORKS IN SMALL BUSINESS

5. DAYS 5 TO 8: COMPLETION OF THE FIRST PART OF THE COURSE FINAL ASSIGNMENT

6. DAY 9: INTRODUCTION TO COMPLEX SYSTEMS AND ELEMENTARY GRAPH THEORY

7. DAY 10: GRAPH VISUALIZATION AND COMPLEX NEWORKS MODELS

8. DAY 11: INTRODUCTION TO PAJEK SOFTWARRE

9. DAY 12: NETWORK ANALYSIS OF A TOURISM DESTINATION

10. DAYS 13 TO 16: COMPLETION OF THE SECOND PART OF THE COURSE FINAL ASSIGMENT

Activitats

Tipus d’activitat	Hores amb professor	Hores sense professor	Total
Anàlisi / estudi de casos	70,75	79,25	150,00
Total	70,75	79,25	150

Bibliografia

• Noel Scott, Rodolfo Baggio and Chris Cooper (2008). Network Analysis and Tourism: From Theory to Practice. Channel view publication.

Avaluació i qualificació

Activitats d'avaluació:

Descripció de l'activitat	Avaluació de l'activitat	%

Qualificació

Students will be required to complete two assignment, one regarding the first part of the course and the other the second. The quality of the assignments together with the participation in the discussions en the classroom will result in the mark points obtained.

Participation

Class participation is a very important part of the learning process in this course. Thirty percent of your final grade will be based on an assessment of the quality of your contributions to class discussions. Quality of contribution and insights is important to enhance our class. Quality comments possess one or more of the following attributes:

They offer a unique, relevant perspective on the issue being discussed.
They bring the conceptual issues treated in the readings to the analysis of the case
They contribute to moving the discussion and analysis forward.
They build on others’ comments. Too often managers and students fail to listen to what others are saying; simply repeating a previous comment is not participation.

Observacions

This first part of the course will cover a number of concepts and ideas from the social sciences and management theory. Some prior knowledge or study in these areas is useful but not compulsory. It is expected that all students will contribute to the class discussion.

The second part of the course is accessible to open-minded students with basic mathematical skills. Some familiarity with calculus, differential equations, linear algebra, and statistical methods is highly beneficial but not compulsory. An average computer literacy is also valuable for the hands-on sessions.