Using the push and pull framework, this study examines the relationship between tourist activities in New Zealand and behaviours such as tourist spending, travel style (group vs. independent travel) and length of stay. Data from the International Visitor Survey were analysed for a 19-year period (1997-2015). The findings, based on 62,288 respondents, identified 9 typologies of international visitors over this period. For example, type one visitors are primarily pulled by the nature-based activities offered in New Zealand while type two is pulled by adventure activities. Some of the typologies have activities that overlap reflecting the needs of international visitors. Significant relationships were found between the nine typologies, tourist spending, travel style and length of stay. Implications for destination marketing purposes are highlighted.

Freedom camping is undertaken by diverse tourist demographics including young budget travellers, couples with children, and retirees. These tourists tend to stay longer than the pleasure traveller, but because they tend to avoid campsite fees, and make use of public infrastructure without charge these tourists are frequently labelled “freeloaders”. Freedom campers’ contributions to local economies through purchase of supplies and services have been disregarded while the larger-scale economic activity associated with RV purchases and rentals is often overlooked. Freedom campers can often visit remote regions, thus contributing to local economic development. Another argument in favour of freedom camping postulates that the funds saved on accommodation will be used for other tourist endeavours, such as activities. Quantitative evaluations of the economic contribution of freedom camping are missing in debates over its impact. Specifically, comparisons of the economic value of the activities undertaken by freedom campers against tourists staying in other forms of accommodation (e.g. hotels, motels, backpackers and B&Bs) are non-existent. In this study, we aim to determine whether freedom campers are “low value” tourists based on the activities undertaken and their spending behaviour in New Zealand. We employ a pooled cross-sectional design that uses data spanning the period from 2013 to 2018 sourced from the NZ International Visitor Survey. We find that freedom campers engage in an above-average number of free activities compared to other tourists. However, when considering medium and high expense activities freedom campers’ profiles are similar to other visitors to New Zealand.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the manner in which employees' experience of distributive justice (DJ) moderates the impact of intrinsic and extrinsic values on role engagement (RE). RE is especially important in the healthcare setting (examined here) due to the sector's complexity, changeability and emotionally challenging nature. Design/methodology/approach Using data collected from a survey of employees from a large government health district in Southeast Queensland (Australia), this study examined the determinants of RE among a group of employees working across three hospital locations. Findings The focus of the study was on the impact, both directly and in combination, of espoused extrinsic and intrinsic values and perceived DJ on RE. The authors identify strong direct effects from DJ on RE, and complex third-order effects for the combinations of intrinsic (IM) and extrinsic motivation and DJ in predicting RE. Research limitations/implications As a cross-sectional and attitudinal survey, care must be taken in relation to common-method variance. Post hoc controls were performed in relation to this.

New data and modeling approaches are improving the usefulness of Internet search data for forecasting inbound tourist arrivals. Previous research has focused on Google Trends as a source of search data to augment tourism forecasting capabilities. In the context of rapidly increasing Chinese outbound tourism Google data lacks the market penetration in China to produce reliable auxiliary data for tourism forecasting. This short paper provides evidence of the usefulness of Baidu search data in predicting Chinese inbound tourist arrivals into a specific region in New Zealand. It also compares three modeling approaches, finding a Vector Autoregressive approach the most useful.

The beginnings of the Australian TAFE system can be traced back to the early 19th century when the first Mechanics Institutes were established in Tasmania and New South Wales. Since then, a growing population and the increasing need for a skilled workforce have led to an expanding network of modern TAFE institutes across Australia. Constraints on the public purse, stakeholder demands for transparency and accountability and the ever increasing availability of data have in recent decades seen a growing trend for performance measurement in public institutions, including TAFE institutes. In this study, we investigate aspects relating to the measurement of effectiveness and efficiency in the Australian TAFE system, using predominantly publicly available data. The empirical analyses are presented in a portfolio-based format composed of three separate, but interrelated papers. Our portfolio seeks to make a contribution to the development of quantitative methods in the field of vocational education research, with a strong emphasis on practical usability of such methods.

This report has two sections. The first section presents the findings of an analysis of UGC from Trip Advisor and Expedia for the year 2013 to 2018 with the aim of identifying trends and patterns in the words that occur most frequently in online reviews on New Zealand and the Canterbury region. The second section presents an analysis of the environmental practice ratings in the IVS from 2014 to 2018.

Budgetary constraints on the public purse have led Australian Federal and State governments to focus increasingly on the efficiency of public institutions, including Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutes. In this study, we define efficiency as the relationship between financial and administrative inputs and educational outputs. We employ stochastic frontier analysis in determining the efficiency of Australian TAFE institutes using data sourced from institutional annual reports, the Student Outcomes Survey and administrative databases. We found significant economies of scale effects and conclude that increasing institutional size for very small institutions may result in increased efficiencies.

Purpose - Whistle-blowing has the important role of reducing the prevalence and impact of wrongdoing in organisations. The purpose of this paper is to utilise a very large survey of Australian Public Service (APS) workers to replicate the findings of previous studies in relation to whistle-blowing likelihood and to extend the quantitative findings in relation to whistle-blowing antecedents to include ethnicity or cultural marginalisation and occupational and professional role and affiliation. Design/methodology/approach - The authors utilise the 2014 APS Census, a large data set containing 100,000 observations relating to employee engagement, leadership, health, satisfaction and general impressions of the public service. Logistic regression is employed to obtain estimates and marginal effects in respect to predictors for whistle-blowing. The authors determine the Bayesian information criterion to assess the impact of ethnicity on the probability of whistle-blowing. Findings - The findings support the notion that organisational "outsiders" tend to report perceived wrongdoing less than those who feel assured of their cultural or organisational status. The authors further find support for the notion that membership of small organisational groupings, primarily measured by organisational size, also tends to reduce the whistle-blowing likelihood. Opportunities for further research and potential policy and practical issues are discussed briefly in conclusion. Originality/value - While confirming the predictors seen in many previous studies, the authors identify groups who report more or less than expected that have not been reported in previous research. These include employees from a non-English speaking background and various occupational and professional groups "at risk" of low reporting.

While previous studies applying the push-pull framework have contributed to improve our understanding of the underlying motivation of visitors and their destination choice, these studies are based on cross-sectional data that offer a limited perspective of how motivation to visit a destination evolves overtime. There is currently no pooled cross-sectional study of either the push or pull factors of a destination. Accordingly, the purpose of this study is to examine the influence of the pull factors of a destination, New Zealand, over a 19-year period (1997-2015).

Purpose: In Australia, the vocational education and training (VET) sector accounts for approximately A$8 billion of public spending, of which around A$6.6 billion is spent on government providers that include Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutes. The TAFE institutes in Australia are large, public VET providers, generally funded and managed by state government. Measuring the efficiency and effectiveness of TAFE institutes is of great interest to policy makers, regulators, consumers and to the institutions themselves. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach: In this study the authors use data relating to student cohort demographics, institutional characteristics and educational outcome data, while employing stochastic frontier analysis, to develop two distinct efficiency measures and models. The first model examines institutional efficiency in the transformation of financial resources into teaching loads. The second model evaluates efficiency in the transformation of institutional resources into post-study employment outcomes. K-means cluster analysis is used to establish groupings of similar institutes and subsequent canonical discriminant analysis is employed to develop a typology of these clusters. Findings: In both models the authors find significant inefficiencies in the Australian TAFE system. The relationship between both efficiency measures is then assessed. While there is no direct linear relationship, a distinct pattern could be detected. Finally the authors develop a typology of efficient institutions. Originality/value: This study contributes to the existing research by defining efficiency in vocational education in two distinct ways and by the utilisation of the derived efficiencies in the development of a typology of efficient institutes. In doing so, this research makes an original contribution to the understanding of the drivers of efficiency in vocational education.