Flipping the principal-agent model to foster host community participation in monitoring and evaluation of volunteer tourism programmes

Steele, Jess; Scherrer, Pascal

doi:10.1080/02508281.2018.1457251

Cited by 13 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…Many scholars have considered P-A theory a top–down view of development. However, Steele and Scherrer (2018) examined relationships between host communities and volunteer tourism organizations from an opposite direction: they posited that the tourism organizations and hosts were agents and the volunteer tourists were principals. In this case, the tourism organizations and hosts (agents) relied on volunteers’ (principals’) donations and payments for funding.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Principal–Agent Relationship Within a Cruise Supply Chain Model for China

Chu

Hsu

2021

Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research

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Changes in travelers’ booking habits and the evolution of technology have come to threaten the existence of traditional travel agents (TAs). However, the cruise industry still relies heavily on TAs as its main distribution channel. A qualitative study was conducted to investigate the networks, relationships, and power distribution between cruise companies and TAs using a triangulation method via a tourism supply chain model. Principal–agent (P-A) theory was taken as the framework to describe various parties’ relationships and roles. Several TA business models were identified, including group blocks (i.e., guaranteed and nonguaranteed) and charter cruises (i.e., retail for resale and corporate; meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions). Results show an imbalance of power between parties due to unique business practices and customer preferences in Mainland China. Principals (i.e., cruise companies) were found to rely excessively on agents (i.e., TAs) to create demand, with the growing number of cruise lines leading agents to overpower principals. The alliance among TAs further affected the principal–agent relationship. A refined tourism supply chain model tailored to the cruise industry is thus proposed herein; this cruise supply chain model simplifies the complicated business network relationships between cruise companies and TAs in China.

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Principal–Agent Relationship Within a Cruise Supply Chain Model for China

Chu

Hsu

2021

Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research

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“…Bargeman et al, 2018) on host projects and a gap in understanding of all the main stakeholders' relations, few evaluations have addressed the whole VT supply chain. Due to the complexity of the contextual settings of host projects and the variety of different VT organisations and programmes, it is challenging to have only one approach to monitoring VT (Steele & Scherrer, 2018). To determine sustainability performance, previous evaluations examined the relations between two stakeholders, such as the sending organisation and the host project (e.g.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To determine sustainability performance, previous evaluations examined the relations between two stakeholders, such as the sending organisation and the host project (e.g. Coghlan & Noakes, 2012;Taplin et al, 2014), and another examined how the sending organisations monitor and evaluate their volunteer programmes (Steele & Scherrer, 2018). These studies conclude that future evaluations need to consider the internal and external constraints and drivers that may influence operational practices and relations among the different stakeholders.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nevertheless, little is understood about the operational practices that enable power-sharing and decision-making among stakeholders of the volunteer tourism supply chain. This study offers a rare insight into decommodified practices (Steele & Scherrer, 2018) and how equality is operationalised at a local level.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…More knowledge on cross-cultural understanding, relationships, communications, views, and perspectives among stakeholders is needed. Detailed insights into the sustainable aspects necessary for operating a programme demand further research (Mensah et al, 2021;Steele & Scherrer, 2018). Although the socio-economic divide between volunteers and host projects undermines well-intended volunteer programmes, how the contextual settings of stakeholders' impact outcomes are yet to be fully explored (Taplin et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Operationalising sustainability in volunteer tourism by power-sharing with the receiving organisation

Eckardt

Kimbu

Font

2021

Tourism Recreation Research

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The outcomes of volunteer tourism have rarely evaluated, and the sustainable practices, such as equality within this sector, are questionable. Extant research has indicated that miscommunication and poor volunteer placement management can lead to ineffectiveness and negative experiences for stakeholders such as host project staff and volunteers. Collaborative relations between the main stakeholders at a local level were evaluated and deconstructed to enable a better understanding of operational practices that influence sustainable outcomes for host projects. This evaluative study examined the role of the receiving organisation at the host destination in achieving sustainable outcomes utilising a case study in South Africa. An evaluative framework integrating realistic evaluation, collaboration theory and supply chain analysis offered in-depth insights into why the local contextual settings influence how collaborative relations among stakeholders can influence sustainable outcomes. The receiving organisation's knowledge of the local socio-economic contextual settings of each host project is critical to the successful engagement between hosts and volunteers which leads to equality. The evaluative framework offers an understanding of how and why the local contextual settings and the prosocial approach by the local agent are essential in enabling sustainability performance in volunteer tourism.

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