COGNITIVE MAPS IN THE APPREHENSION OF PROCESSES IN THE TOURISM INDUSTRY

deepan — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 04:07:39 +0000

In the discussion of knowledge transfer the concept of cognitive maps plays an itnportant role. We believe that the processes of construction or re-construction of reality in the individual mind and within
organizations-where we have difficulties to localize physically the place of the tnind-<:an be described and represented with the concept of cognitive maps or cause maps. Both words and concepts have been in
use for more than twenty years (Taylor & Lerner, 1996: 260). This concept is used in different relations and levels of analysis, so we have to refer to four different concepts or views of cognitive maps.
In the first view-and il was the only one in the beginning and it is the basic view for all the other concepts-”cognitive map” is a metaphoric description of all the processes involved in obtaining, storing, retrieving
and adapting knowledge and of the structure of knowledge, which is emerging and continuously varying. These processes and structures contain models of description, models of explication and decision models
which initiate action (Kahle, 2001: 18). The analogy of “map” is quite limited, because the cognitive map contains much more than a nornial map. Il contains rttles of observation, interpretation and action and often gives explanations. These mental processes and structures are the “real” or “original” cognitive map.

Knowledge Intensity As a Core Attribute of Tourism

deepan — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 03:34:36 +0000

The travel industry or tourist industry is a very heterogeneous area of service production. The first denomination is used more for business travellers, whereas the second one is used for leisure traveling. Both will be included iti the following discussions although the writer respects the great differences in the kitids of services required in each group. This is a cotnplex field with different areas of production distributed in different countries and regions. The products and the processes of operation. which are used for the achievetnent ofthe resulting services, are related to different types of industries, but they have one cointnon denominator: They are knowledge-based or knowledge-intensive service processes. The tourism system consists mainly of five areas, within which differing elements compete and co-operate with each other. These areas are (Boiincketi, 2000: 91) the Agency, the Tour Operator, the Carrier, the In-Cotning-System and the Hotel. There may be additional areas like Entertainmetit, Shopping and the like for the support of the travellers at Ihe destination. The special attributes of the travel industry as a service process, the intangibility ofthe product atid the simultaneity of production and consumption (Corsten, 1985: 173; Langeard, 1981: 233), have been discussed widely elsewhere (Bouncken, 2000: 91-93). The focus of this paper lies in the touristn service as a knowledge-based process, which is greatly influenced by the developments of information and communication technologies. Within each of the main areasof tourism, there are a large number of participants as suppliers and purchasers of services, which partly cooperate and partly compete with each other. These cooperative and competitive relations are embedded in flows of knowledge and information. The elements of these systems are contiected in various ways with others in the system, which results in quite different configurations of elements.

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COGNITIVE MAPS IN THE APPREHENSION OF PROCESSES IN THE TOURISM INDUSTRY

Knowledge Intensity As a Core Attribute of Tourism