Abstract

EL CONCEPTO DE BRECHA DIGITAL (en inglés digital divide) se ha aplicado hasta la fecha para señalar las diferencias existentes en el acceso a la Sociedad de la Información entre países pobres y ricos, atendiendo fundamentalmente a la disponibilidad de infraestructuras de telecomunicaciones y de equipamiento informático.

Abstract

Tourist destination managers must design effective communication strategies as part of their promotional tasks. In order to do so, destinations need to know what sources of information tourists actually use during the stages of a trip. Previous studies have partially addressed this issue but only used a limited list of sources analysed or only focused on three stages (pre-, during and post-). Our study considers a fourth stage –destination choice–, and also 27 sources of information were included in the questionnaires sent to our sample of analysis composed of 1,621 tourists from the four main countries visiting Spain: France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom. The results confirm the prevalence of Internet search engines for destination choice and trip preparation phases, but also point out to the importance of recommendations from friends and family in the destination choice stage, of maps and plans during the trip, and of Facebook in the post-trip stage. It is also shown that, among the official channels of the destinations, only the website stands out as one of the most consulted sources.

Abstract

Budget visualization tools facilitate the communication of complex technical information. In this paper, we analyse the main technical, individual and organizational factors that affect its implementation and use. Through a questionnaire survey we have collected data from those responsible for the web application “Dónde van mis impuestos” (“Where do my taxes go?”) in 23 Spanish regional and local governments. Our findings show that these tools have a small number of users but that their main target are not citizens but specific groups, mainly media and political groups. Its adoption is neither a budgetary nor technological problem, although the free software license gives clear advantages. The impulse for adoption is mainly political with the main focus on financial and budgetary transparency but sometimes also on participatory transparency or microtransparency. Finally, we detect a serious risk of governance generated by the lack of clear transparency and accountability strategies in the administrations, as well as an absence of operational procedures to adapt to the changing budgetary structure.

Abstract

Tourist destination managers must design effective communication strategies as part of their promotional tasks. In order to do so, destinations need to know what sources of information tourists actually use during the stages of a trip. Previous studies have partially addressed this issue but only used a limited list of sources analysed or only focused on three stages (pre-, during and post-). Our study considers a fourth stage –destination choice–, and also 27 sources of information were included in the questionnaires sent to our sample of analysis composed of 1,621 tourists from the four main countries visiting Spain: France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom. The results confirm the prevalence of Internet search engines for destination choice and trip preparation phases, but also point out to the importance of recommendations from friends and family in the destination choice stage, of maps and plans during the trip, and of Facebook in the post-trip stage. It is also shown that, among the official channels of the destinations, only the website stands out as one of the most consulted sources.

Abstract

The web is central to the work and social lives of a substantial fraction of the world’s population, but the role of popular websites may not always be subject to academic scrutiny. This is a concern if social scientists are unable to understand an aspect of users’ daily lives because one or more major websites have been ignored. To test whether popular websites may be ignored in academia, this article assesses the volume and citation impact of research mentioning any of twenty major websites. The results are consistent with the user geographic base affecting research interest and citation impact. In addition, site affordances that are useful for research also influence academic interest. Because of the latter factor, however, it is not possible to estimate the extent of academic knowledge about a site from the number of publications that mention it. Nevertheless, the virtual absence of international research about some globally important Chinese and Russian websites is a serious limitation for those seeking to understand reasons for their web success, the markets they serve or the users that spend time on them. The sites investigated were Google, YouTube, Facebook, Baidu, Wikipedia, QQ, Tmall, Taobao, Yahoo, Amazon, Twitter, Sohu, Live, VK, JD, Instagram, Sina, Weibo, Yandex, and 360.

Abstract

El objetivo del trabajo es analizar los valores que orientan las decisiones y la práctica profesional de los bibliotecarios de las universidades públicas españolas, así como la forma en que los comunican a través de sus sedes web. La búsqueda de estas declaraciThe article aims to shed light on the values that guide professional practice in Spanish university libraries and the strategies deployed to publicise them on library websites. Identifying the statements that inform each library staff’s behaviour called for analysing the corporate documents published on such sites. Value visibility and accessibility were assessed on the grounds of the length of the route from the home page. The prominence of the corporate document containing theThe article aims to shed light on the values that guide professional practice in Spanish university libraries and the strategies deployed to publicise them on library websites. Identifying the statements that inform each library staff’s behaviour called for analysing the corporate documents published on such sites. Value visibility and accessibility were assessed on the grounds of the length of the route from the home pagThe article aims to shed light on the values that guide professional practice in Spanish university libraries and the strategies deployed to publicise them on library websites. Identifying the statements that inform each library staff’s behaviour called for analysing the corporate documents published on such sites. Value visibility and accessibility were assessed on the grounds of the length of the route from the home page. The prominence of the corporate document containing the information was also studied. The analysis initially revealed values relating to the administration of public assets, such as engagement with the institution, its services and users. That was followed by professional values such as defence of access to information, data and science. The values most frequently espoused were innovation and professionalism. Libraries are encouraged to define their values which, along with their mission and vision, are a significant component of their internal and external strategy and communication policy. Their publication, in turn, redounds to transparency and enhances the relationship with their target audience. e. The prominence of the corporate document containing the information was also studied. The analysis initially revealed values relating to the administration of public assets, such as engagement with the institution, its services and users. That was followed by professional values such as defence of access to information, data and science. The values most frequently espoused were innovation and professionalism. Libraries are encouraged to define their values which, along with their mission and vision, are a significant component of their internal and external strategy and communication policy. Their publication, in turn, redounds to transparency and enhances the relationship with their target audience. information was also studied. The analysis initially revealed values relating to the administration of public assets, such as engagement with the institution, its services and users. That was followed by professional values such as defence of access to information, data and science. The values most frequently espoused were innovation and professionalism. Libraries are encouraged to define their values which, along with their mission and vision, are a significant component of their internal and external strategy and communication policy. Their publication, in turn, redounds to transparency and enhances the relationship with their target audience. ones que enmarcan el comportamiento del personal de cada biblioteca conllevó el análisis de los documentos corporativos publicados en la web. Para evaluar la visibilidad y la accesibilidad que cada biblioteca otorga a los valores, se tuvo en cuenta la ruta de acceso desde la home de la biblioteca. Asimismo se consideró el nivel de relevancia del documento corporativo elegido para su difusión. Fruto del análisis se detectaron, en primer lugar, valores vinculados a la administración de lo público como el compromiso hacia la institución, los servicios y los usuarios. A continuación valores propiamente identitarios de la profesión como la defensa del acceso a la información, a los datos y a la ciencia. Los que más se repiten son la innovación y la profesionalidad. Se recomienda que las bibliotecas definan y comuniquen los valores por ser, junto a la misión y la visión, elementos de gran interés estratégico y comunicativo, tanto interno como externo, porque aportan ventajas a cualquier organización, al mostrarse transparente y permitir la identificación con su público objetivo.