Small Firms in Tourism: International Perspectives

Citation

Teare, R. (2006), "Small Firms in Tourism: International Perspectives", International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 18 No. 3, pp. 269-270. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijchm.2006.18.3.269.1

Rhodri Thomas is without doubt one of the UK's academic experts on small firms in tourism. He has sustained his research focus in this area for many years and his insight and expertise is reflected in his editorship of this valuable reference textbook. The stated aim is to provide a varied collection of contemporary research relating to small businesses in tourism. In so doing, the text seeks to reflect the eclecticism of interest and method associated with the small firms literature. The topics covered range from the potential contribution of small firms to achieving social or economic goals to understanding more about business performance and growth. The book offers insights from a variety of disciplines and geographical perspectives, in some cases based on collaborative work.

The book is intended primarily for those engaged in tourism research relating to small businesses, public policy and community development. It also seeks to appeal to final‐year students and those studying small businesses more generally. Overall, the book is well positioned for these audiences. Almost all of the contributions are concisely written and appropriate to readers interesting in the details of small firms in this sector.

In his opening chapter, Rhodri Thomas sets the scene and explains and comments upon the structure, content and contribution of each chapter, ending with a summary of the strands or key themes embraced by the book. As the book features a wide mix of topics and authors, it is more helpful here to list the contents than to comment on specific chapters. The 19 chapters' titles and authors are:

1. 1.

   International perspectives on small firms in tourism: a synthesis (R. Thomas).

2. 2.

   Tourism, small firm development and empowerment in post‐apartheid South Africa (C.M. Rogerson).

3. 3.

   Factors affecting small firms in tourism: a Ghanaian perspective (W.C. Gartner).

4. 4.

   Government assistance for tourism SMEs: from theory to practice (S. Wanhill).

5. 5.

   Short‐run output and employment effects arising from assistance to tourism SMEs: evidence from Israel (A. Fleischer and D. Felsenstein).

6. 6.

   Risky lifestyles? Entrepreneneurial characteristics of the New Zealand bed and breakfast sector (C.M. Hall and K. Rusher).

7. 7.

   From lifestyle consumption to lifestyle production: changing patterns of tourism entrepreneurship (G. Shaw and A. M. Williams).

8. 8.

   Success and growth in rural tourism micro‐businesses in Finland: financial or lifestyle objectives? (R. Komppula).

9. 9.

   The interaction of community and small tourism businesses in rural New Zealand (D. Keen).

10. 10.

    Whale watching: the roles of small firms in the evolution of a new Australian niche market (N. Scott and E. Laws).

11. 11.

    Small firms and wine and food tourism in New Zealand: issues of collaboration, clusters and lifestyles (C.M. Hall).

12. 12.

    Quality homes, quality people: the challenge of quality grading and assurance in small accommodation enterprises (P.A. Lynch and H. Tucker).

13. 13.

    Overcoming the green gap: improving the environmental performance of small tourism firms in Western Australia (M. Schaper and J. Carlsen).

14. 14.

    Small firms and the principles of sustainable tourism: the case of cycle tourism (N.D. Morpeth).

15. 15.

    Accommodating the spiritual tourist: the case of religious retreat houses (M. Shackley).

16. 16.

    Small firm performance in the context of agent structure: a cross‐cultural comparison in the tourist accommodation sector (A. Morrison and R.M. Teixeira).

17. 17.

    Coping with resource scarcity: the experience of UK tourism SMEs (M.M. Augustyn).

18. 18.

    Strategic and structural variables in internationalisation: the case of Swiss tourism SMEs (A. Mungall and C. Johnson).

19. 19.

    Small tourism firms in e‐Europe: definitional, conceptual and contextual considerations (H. Matlay).

Overall, this is an excellent reference resource, covering a wide range of issues relating to small firms in tourism. The book is available in Europe, the Middle East and Africa from Elsevier, Customer Service Department, Linacre House, Jordan Hill, Oxford OX2 8DP, UK, and in the USA/Canada from Elsevier, Customer Service Department, 11830 Westline Industrial Drive, St Louis, MO 63146, USA.