To help metal conservators search for corrosion forms and find treatment protocols, this paper describes the augmentation of the MIFAC-Metal project through its migration to the internet and the addition of the MiCorr Decision Support System (DSS). The new online version of MIFAC-Metal enables conservators to digitally construct stratigraphies that they document during their visual observations and local probing of artefacts via Bertholon’s method (Bertholon 2000). Corrosion forms are first described according to the strata structure (metal, corroded metal, corrosion layers etc) and the characteristics of each stratum (morphology, microstructure, texture etc). A graphical user interface on a personal computer allows virtual construction of stratigraphies using encoded building blocks. Conservators then use the MiCorr Decision Support System to compare their observations with corrosion forms already stored in its database. The database entries were made from comprehensive investigations of historic and archaeological artefacts. They were probed physically and analysed for their composition. One search engine uses keywords describing corrosion forms, and another uses schematic representations. The search engines represented the lengthiest and most innovative part of the project. Conservators should be able to find case studies of fully investigated artefacts showing similar corrosion phenomena which can be useful for deciding conservation protocols, e.g. diagnosing the corrosion forms or determining the location of the limit of the original surface in corrosion product crusts.
In this paper we study some structure properties of primitive weird numbers in terms of their factorization. We give sufficient conditions to ensure that a positive integer is weird. Two algorithms for generating weird numbers having a given number of distinct prime factors are presented. These algorithms yield pri- mitive weird numbers of the form mp1 ... pk for a suitable deficient positive integer m and primes p1 , ... , pk and generalize a recent technique developed for generating primitive weird numbers of the form 2n p1 p2 . The same techniques can be used to search for odd weird numbers, whose existence is still an open question.
This research uses data on distribution channels of hotels gathered through a yearly survey addressed to Swiss hotels since 2006. The authors use the evolution of Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) market share as a time series which can be modelled using different growth curve methods. These various models cross-validate the forecasted final penetration rate. The study analyses the dynamics of the evolution of OTAs and determines their final penetration rate not only on an overall level, but also segmented by hotel category, location and size. Overall, a final penetration of around 35 % is predicted by our models, but they show also that the level of final penetration of OTAs depends on the typology of the hotel. The paper sheds some light on the statistical difficulties in forecasting with a limited set of data and gives insights into the future evolution of the distribution mix which is essential for the marketing and pricing strategy of hotels.
ocial media has become a dominant subject in tourism and hospitality research. Given the importance of social media in the customer journey, destination marketing organizations (DMOs) need to understand the effectiveness of their social media activities. This paper analyses the relationship between DMOs’ marketing spending and staffing and various social media key performance indicators (KPIs). We used an online questionnaire to collect data about social media activities and respective marketing budgets of DMOs in Switzerland for the reference year 2014. We also gathered social media KPI figures of the five main social media platforms used by these DMOs (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube, and Instagram). Our results suggest that DMOs’ investments in social media (allocated resources for marketing, online marketing, and especially social media) correlate with identified metrics for measuring social media success.
In the framework of an applied research project, three examples of virtual processes on touristic innovation in Switzerland were monitored from the beginning until the end. The three case studies were the Swiss Federal Railways Real Estate in Berne, the Valais State Rescue Organization in Sierre, and the Graubünden Tourism in Chur. The aim of documenting these observations was to have an in-depth understanding of the implementation of the Open Innovation approach in the tourism sector. The different enterprises formulated a question in a form of a problem to solve. This question was put on the website www.atizo.com, for 6–8 weeks. During that period, the enterprise could collect a wide spectrum of ideas from the public, some of which were truly innovative. Prises were awarded to the best ideas. Three interviews conducted by the enterprise were performed. In the framework of this research project, one managed to derive ideas and gather results that illustrated the workings behind the innovation process conducted by Swiss tourism enterprises. This chapter also evaluates the innovation process of the Swiss tourism enterprises, especially regarding crowdsourcing, the advantages and inconveniences of Open Innovation models, and finally looks at success factors and obstacles related to the implementation of the Open Innovation projects.
The papers presented in this volume advance the state-of-the-art research on digital marketing and social media, mobile computing and responsive web design, semantic technologies and recommender systems, augmented and virtual reality, electronic distribution and online travel reviews, MOOC and eLearning, eGovernment and sharing economy. This book covers the most significant areas contributed by prominent scholars from around the world and is suitable for both academics and practitioners who are interested in the latest developments in eTourism.
Cette recherche a pour but d’étudier la construction du phénomène d ’authenticité par des artistes au travers de leur processus de création et de construction de « soi ». Au moyen d’une méthodologie qualitative, les auteurs recueillent et analysent les propos d’artistes pratiquant différentes disciplines artistiques et mettent en évidence la relation entre le parcours de vie, la création artistique , la révélation et la projection de soi dans l’œuvre artistique à destination du public. Cette analyse permet de proposer un triple paradigme de l’authenticité de l’artiste indépendant : l’interpénétration e ntre le « vrai soi » de l’artiste et son œuvre , l ’interprétation de la réalit é et l’ouverture vers le monde extérieur . Elle débouche sur une réflexion sur le possible parallèle entre la création de l’authenticité par un artiste et celle d’une marque d’entreprise, face à un consommateur en quête constante d’ authenticité.
Cet article traite de la communication externe des PME industrielles situées dans l’Arc jurassien, situé sur la frontière franco - suisse . Ces PME sont typiquement sous-traitant e s et co-traitant e s de plus grandes entreprises et groupes actifs dans les secteurs de l’horlogerie, de la mécanique et de la microtechnique. Elle s ne sont pas habituées à manier les concept s et outils de la communication, ont rarement du temps, des compétences et du budget pour cela. Cette recherche présente une revue de littérature sur ce sujet rarement abordé sous un angle académique. Il synthétise les observations, entretiens et déclarations de près de 200 PME industrielles, qui aident à comprendre leurs bonnes pratiques et leurs limites. La discussion et la conclusion de l’article proposent des pistes pour améliorer la communication externe de ces PME , qui ne porte uniquement sur leurs produits mais aussi sur les compétences de leurs employés, des événements et des relations publiques.
Les marques horlogères de luxe ont longtemps été assez méfiantes envers les NTIC (nouvelles technologies de l’information et de la communication), notamment avec Internet. Elles voyaient en effet une certaine contradiction entre les valeurs d’exclusivité, voire de rareté, qu’elles véhiculent et un média de masse. Cet article s’appuie sur le cadre conceptuel du marketing expérientiel, sur une observation d’un échantillon de marques horlogères ainsi que sur les témoignages de participants à deux focus groups . Il montre que les internautes considèrent que le site web d’une marque doit , outre véhiculer l’ADN et les valeurs fondamentales de cette dernière, procurer une expérience de visite sensorielle et émotionnelle favorable à la marque en question.
This paper examines the results of a research project the focus of which was the use of digital technologies in the higher education classroo m through the lens of adding value. Multi-phase qualitative research carried out with bachelor-d egree students (n=17), teaching faculty (n=20), administrative, and pedagogical services personnel (n=9) shows a certain incoherence in the manner in which technology is either viewed or used to enhance the overall learning experience. This highlights the need for scaffolding for both the students and the educators and more importantly supports the idea that change really needs to be driven by the institute in order that technology enhanced learning fulfils the promise of adding value to education today.
