- Title
- Exploring regional complex adaptive ecosystems (CAE): case of tourism micro-enterprise engagement
- Creator
- Keogh, Clare
- Relation
- University of Newcastle Research Higher Degree Thesis
- Resource Type
- thesis
- Date
- 2020
- Description
- Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Description
- Tourism, vital to many world economies, contributed over US$7.6 trillion globally to GDP in 2016 and comprises a high proportion of micro-enterprises (MEs) compared to other industries. Currently, tourism MEs are attracting academic interest following major worldwide industry disruption from online marketing platforms such as UBER and Airbnb resulting in millions of new ME operators. In this evolving global context, where tourism’s international body, the United Nations World Tourism Organization, calls for regional engagement of all-sizes of enterprises for sustainable tourism growth, this research seeks to explore micro-business engagement in regional tourism development programs. While the benefits of regional firm engagement are well-recognised and numbers of MEs often dominate totals of regional enterprises, many MEs have little interaction with their over-arching regional organisations. An absence of literature exists on understanding ME engagement in government and private sector regional development initiatives. This thesis addresses this knowledge gap and aims to explore ME engagement in regional business ecosystems, using a tourism context. Adopting a case study design, the qualitative framework draws on complex adaptive system theory and business relationship literature, to investigate ME business engagement interactions. The research focuses on a rapidly growing ME tourism accommodation sector, known as short-term rental accommodation (STRA) owned by private individuals, to explore the research problem: how do MEs engage in regional tourism systems? Using an interaction perspective of actor bonds, activities and resources (AAR) to understand micro-business engagement practices in regional complex adaptive ecosystems (CAE), a multi-level case study investigates the nature and perceived factors influencing ME regional tourism engagement. Three Australian case regions are investigated, to explore ME engagement in tourism initiatives, such as local tourism organisations, networks, marketing, events and skills training. Data collection focuses on in-depth face-to-face interviews with Stage 1 ‘tourism experts’ and Stage 2 ‘STRA operators’. Analysis of qualitative interviews and secondary information develops deep and rich insights of STRA interactions in regional initiatives, to help understand tourism MEs' regional ecosystem engagement. Tourism documents and website observations were analysed to provide background information and validity. Key findings identify several barriers and enablers influencing ME engagement in tourism business ecosystems undergoing disruption from sharing economy platforms, tourism power shifts and governance changes. Results highlight challenges and opportunities associated with ME engagement in complex adaptive ecosystems and provide practical guidance to government and business to improve regional tourism outcomes. This research makes a theoretical and applied contribution to academia, policymakers and practitioners.
- Subject
- tourism; micro-enterprises; online marketing platforms; UBER; Airbnb
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1420014
- Identifier
- uon:37527
- Rights
- Copyright 2020 Clare Keogh
- Language
- eng
- Full Text
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