Dr Jenny Suno Wu
About
My research project
A realist evaluation on SMEs in sustainable tourism: how can the socialization of learning re-shape institutional frameworks?This study aims to investigate local SMEs’ engagement with sustainability practices from the point of view of organisational learning and behaviour change as a result of government interventions. Specific research objectives are:
1 – to understand the motivations and/or barriers for SMEs to engage in sustainability practices, and develop an institutional theory framework to shed light on the value of the socialisation of sustainability learning
2 – to design and conduct experiments by making changes in the current programme in order to develop mid-range theories that will be tested
3.1 – to monitor the implementation of the subsequent sustainability practices by these firms and their impact in the destination, so as to identify causality paths between specific and individual sustainability behaviours and changes in a global frame
3.2 – to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the government intervention, by means of using a realist evaluation approach as a theoretical framework
Improve organisational learning and tourism SMEs commitment to sustainability practices can facilitate the development of effective training from policy-makers. We need strategies that help organisations and destinations achieve sustainability efficiently, and foster collaborative work in a way that tourism sustainability becomes the norm rather than an out-of-reach goal.
Supervisors
This study aims to investigate local SMEs’ engagement with sustainability practices from the point of view of organisational learning and behaviour change as a result of government interventions. Specific research objectives are:
1 – to understand the motivations and/or barriers for SMEs to engage in sustainability practices, and develop an institutional theory framework to shed light on the value of the socialisation of sustainability learning
2 – to design and conduct experiments by making changes in the current programme in order to develop mid-range theories that will be tested
3.1 – to monitor the implementation of the subsequent sustainability practices by these firms and their impact in the destination, so as to identify causality paths between specific and individual sustainability behaviours and changes in a global frame
3.2 – to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the government intervention, by means of using a realist evaluation approach as a theoretical framework
Improve organisational learning and tourism SMEs commitment to sustainability practices can facilitate the development of effective training from policy-makers. We need strategies that help organisations and destinations achieve sustainability efficiently, and foster collaborative work in a way that tourism sustainability becomes the norm rather than an out-of-reach goal.
Publications
Useful lessons can be drawn from realist evaluation and appreciative inquiry for the evaluation of tourism interventions in complex contexts. We combine the strengths of these two approaches to design a participatory learning-focused evaluation with an emphasis on co-created intervention improvement. We apply this proposed ‘Realist Appreciative Evaluation’ on a government-led intervention aimed at supporting tourism firms to improve their sustainability practices. While realist evaluation introduces causal thinking within a framework of contexts-mechanisms-outcomes, appreciative inquiry enables participants to be solution-oriented. The study shows how evaluation can constitute a constructive, dynamic learning process for participants, rather than something to fear. Our methodology promotes collaboration and real-time change, within the rigorous theory-based realist evaluation approach, to improve the evaluation of tourism interventions. [Display omitted] •We bring together good practices from realist evaluation and appreciative inquiry.•Stakeholders are empowered through participatory evaluation.•Ongoing collaborative evaluation facilitates real time changes to a programme.•Evaluation is used as a learning process with positive connotations.
Linear logic models are insufficient to understand how interventions work in complex areas such as sustainable tourism. We present Participatory Systems Mapping (PSM), a novel method to develop shared understandings and collective management of complex policy issues among stakeholders. We use PSM with stakeholders in Barcelona to support the design of an upcoming evaluation of an existing sustainability programme. Discussion during workshops, and analysis of the PSM map produced, suggest sharing best practices and improving peer-to-peer learning are pivotal to improving sustainability. We show how a complex systems approach, implemented via PSM, can provide a more holistic understanding of the contexts and interactions of tourism policy. We offer learning and guidance on how the method can be used by others.
Additional publications
Rackauskaite, N., Al Kindi, F., Rabess, N., Sidorova, V., Suno Wu, J., & Ebanks, S. (2016). Services Industry: An Assessment of Social Media Campaigns and the Importance of Consumer Engagement. Iscontour 2016 Tourism Research Perspectives: Tourism Research Perspectives, 43.