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The South African wool industry is integral to the country's agricultural sector, particularly sheep farming and wool production. Small-scale farmers play a vital role in this industry and contribute to employment and food security in rural communities. However, these farmers face numerous challenges, including a lack of funding, poor farming practices and difficulty selling their wool at fair prices. This study aims to address these challenges, the University of Free State launched a wool value chain project for small-scale farmers.

In this project, one of the studies conducted assessed the effectiveness of different detergents suitable for traditional wool scouring methods for small-scale farmers who lack access to sophisticated machinery. The investigation was conducted by scouring 160 wool samples using three different detergents and filtered water as a control. The wool samples were then evaluated for their cleanliness, brightness and fibre properties through a combination of scanning electron microscopy, spectrophotometry and statistical analysis at different scouring times (3, 10, 15 and 20 min, respectively).

The results showed that the combination of scouring time and the type of scouring solution used could significantly impact wool quality. It was found that using a combination of standard detergent or Woolwash as a scouring solution with a scouring time of 10–15 min resulted in the best outcome in terms of fibre property, wool colour and scouring loss.

This study demonstrated that traditional wool scouring methods could be an option for small-scale farmers and anyone who want to learn how to scour wool without expensive machinery to make wool products.

South Africa has a large social housing scheme to provide primary housing for less privileged citizens who obtain an average monthly income of less than R 3,500.00. The government seeks to promote an integrated society by developing sustainable human settlements and quality housing within a subsidy system for different income groups. This study aims to examine whether quality management is applied to the reconstruction and development programme (RDP) housing programme during construction.

A quantitative survey approach was selected for this study. This involved using a close-ended questionnaire to collect data amongst 1,893 households who are currently residing in government housing units in the city of Bloemfontein, in the Free State province. The questionnaires were self-administered amongst randomly selected respondents based on their availability at the time of the visit to the above area. However, only the occupants of a household were included in the study. The data gathered were analysed by making use of R-programming software.

The findings revealed that a low level of quality is evident in the already constructed RDP housing units. Most of the inspected units were built with low-quality building materials or were not well-constructed, with derelict structural frames and finishes being evident in most houses. Respondents also indicated that they were not satisfied with the quality of some aspects of the units, such as the plaster and paint finishes, door frames built into walls and uneven floors and floor finishes. These complaints indicate that little to no quality management was applied at the time of construction or even afterwards during the latent defects period.

The survey was limited to responses amongst randomly selected government RDP housing occupants in seven communities in Bloemfontein’s periphery, in the Free State Province of South Africa.

The empirical results from the findings indicate that the South African Government should ensure that quality management is applied during the housing units’ construction. This may mean that a new strategy for verifying the units’ quality will need to be developed, considering the respondents’ concerns by improving the quality of the construction materials and methods used to erect these units. The government should also consider improving contractors’ tender selection criteria to ensure higher quality construction methods, materials and management.

The study has identified quality challenges in constructing the social housing and stated recommendations that will address the identified issues if implemented by the programme implementers. This will help achieve the programme's objective, which is to improve the living conditions of previously disadvantaged individuals through social housing scheme.

The concept of government reconstruction development programme (RDP) social housing in South Africa was rolled out in 1994 after the African National Congress Government came to power when the apartheid rule was abolished. The main aim of the government was to enhance the lifestyles of the poor in society through the provision of houses that they could not afford in the open market. However, many concerns have been reported about the social housing project in terms of poor project implementation and the delivery of deliverables that do not befit the need of the end-users. This study aims to assess the flaws in the application of project management (PM) principles in the construction of these social houses.

A quantitative approach was adopted for the study by making use of closed- and open-ended questionnaires to collect data from 1,893 social housing inhabitants in Bloemfontein, Free State. Descriptive statistics and R programming language software were used to analyse the data collected.

The findings reveal that there was a profound failure in the application of PM principles in the construction of the social houses leading to the provision of deliverables that do not meet the needs of the beneficiaries. There are also poor project deliverables and lack of consultations that could have probably been prevented had proper PM systems been put in place by the government throughout the project lifecycle. This lack of proper PM philosophies has generated dissatisfaction among the beneficiaries leading to numerous complaints about the social housing programme.

The survey was done in only RDP housing communities in Bloemfontein in the Free State Province of South Africa; however, the result may be applicable in other RDP housing programmes.

The empirical results indicate that the government has been providing houses with disregard to project objectives by not instituting an appropriate PM systems; hence, the main objective of providing befitting houses to the less privileged to enhance their living conditions has woefully failed, as the inhabitants do not see any improvement of their social standings after receiving the houses. This means the government might have wasted resources as a result of ineffective PM throughout the project implementation.

This study has identified PM flaws in the construction of the RDP houses, which have led to poor project deliverables. This study thus gives recommendations with regard to proper PM strategies for the implementation of the same or similar project in the future to achieve project objectives.

In general, literature recognises that co-creative experiences add value to the tourism experience, yet empirical research within food-and-wine context remains scarce. This study aims to analyse the tourists’ perceptions of the co-creation construct, their food-and-wine tourism experiences and their willingness to actively co-create in this type of experiences.

Departing from general co-creation theoretical concepts, this research explores how they can be applied in a specific food-and-tourism context. The end goal is to formulate a model that can be applied by food-and-wine managers when they create their tourism experience. A convenience sample of 19 tourists composed by 1 focus group (5 participants) and 14 face-to-face semi-structured interviews provided data for the qualitative research to explore tourists’ perceptions of co-creation and how these perceptions can be used to create engaging and successful food-and-wine experiences.

Results reveal that co-creation is perceived by tourists as one or a combination of seven categories: social interaction, novelty, creativity, social sustainability, environmental awareness, enjoyment and memorable experiences. Respondents have participated in food-and-wine activities while travelling as a complement to their tourism experience displaying more willingness to actively participate in food rather than wine experiences.

This study is exploratory in nature which makes the data not generalisable. The findings need further quantitative validation. Although the food-and-wine experiences were created based on existing experiences, they are composed of a different number of stages (without standardisation), which may make further statistical analysis (comparisons) difficult.

By conceptualising the co-creation construct, tourism managers may use the outcome of this study to turn their experiences more environmentally friendly and to improve the creative process of the experiences. The research findings not only emphasise the significance of understanding tourists’ co-creation conceptualisation, but also indicate the importance of integrating creativity and environmental awareness dimensions into experiences. Particularly, the study develops a theoretical model supportive of the co-creation dimensions that can be applied on food-and-wine tourism contexts.

This study fills a gap in the literature between co-creation in tourism and its application in food-and-wine settings by highlighting the significance that co-creation has in developing tourism business experiences.

“美食+红酒”式体验实现旅游共创

总体而言, 历史文献表明共创可以增加旅游业的价值, 然而, 以美食和红酒为研究背景的实证研究还很少。该探索性研究旨在分析游客对共同创造结构的看法、游客的”美食+红酒”式旅游体验以及他们在这种类型的体验中积极共创的意愿。

基于共创理论概念, 该研究探讨如何将共创理论运用到具体的”美食+红酒”模式背景中, 该研究的最终目的是为美食和红酒领域的管理者提供一套模型, 用于开发旅游体验。该文章采用质化分析方式, 针对19名游客, 采用焦点小组（5个参与者）与面对面、半结构式采访（共14个）的方式收集数据, 从而探索游客对共创的理解以及如何结合这些看法开发富有吸引力且成功的”美食+红酒”旅游体验。

研究结果表示, 游客认为共创由以下七大要素组合而成：社交互动、新颖性、创造力、社会可持续性、环保意识、享受和难忘的经历。为丰富旅游经历, 受访者在旅行途中参与了”美食+红酒”活动, 他们表示相比较红酒类的体验, 更愿意积极参加和美食相关的活动。此外, 该研究揭示了开发环保类体验的重要性。

该研究从本质上来说是一次探索性的研究, 其数据不具普遍概括性。研究结果还需进一步的定量验证。尽管”美食+红酒”体验是基于现有体验而创造开发出来的, 但它们由一系列不同的步骤构成（没有标准化）, 这使得未来的数据对比分析更加艰难。

通过概念化共创的构架, 旅游管理者可以利用该研究的研究成果使旅游体验更具环保性, 同时可以优化体验的创造过程。

该研究成果不仅强调了解游客共创概念的重要性, 而且表明将创造力和环保意识融合到旅游体验中的重要性。特别是, 该研究开发了支持共创维度的理论模型, 该模型可用于”美食+红酒”旅游模式。

该研究通过强调共创在发展旅游业务体验过程中的重要性, 填补了旅游共创及其在”美食+红酒”模式中的应用之间的研究空白。

关键词 共创, “美食+红酒, ” 体验, 旅游, 需求观点, 内容分析

研究论文

La experiencia gastronómica y enológica: hacia la co-creación en turismo

En general, la literatura reconoce que las experiencias co-creativas añaden valor a la experiencia turística, pero la investigación empírica dentro del contexto gastronómico y enológico sigue siendo escasa. El presente estudio exploratorio pretende analizar la percepción de los turistas sobre la construcción de la co-creación, sus experiencias en turismo gastronómico y enológico y su voluntad de co-crear activamente en este tipo de experiencias.

Partiendo de los conceptos teóricos generales sobre co-creación, esta investigación explora cómo pueden aplicarse al contexto específico de la gastronomía y el turismo. El objetivo final es formular un modelo que puedan aplicar los gestores gastronómicos y enológicos cuando creen su experiencia turística. Una muestra de conveniencia de 19 turistas compuesta por un grupo focal (cinco participantes) y catorce entrevistas semiestructuradas en persona, proporcionaron los datos para la investigación cualitativa con el fin de explorar las percepciones de co-creación de los turistas y cómo se pueden emplear para crear experiencias gastronómicas y enológicas atractivas y exitosas.

Los resultados revelan que la co-creación es percibida por los turistas como una o una combinación de siete categorías: interacción social, novedad, creatividad, sostenibilidad social, conciencia ambiental, disfrute y experiencias memorables. Los encuestados han participado en actividades relacionadas con la gastronomía y la enología mientras viajaban, como complemento a su experiencia turística, mostrando una mayor disposición a participar activamente en las experiencias gastronómicas que en las enológicas.

Este estudio es de carácter exploratorio lo que hace que los datos no sean generalizables. Los resultados necesitan una mayor validación cuantitativa. Aunque las experiencias gastronómicas y enológicas se crearon a partir de experiencias existentes, se componen de un número diferente de etapas (sin normalización), lo que puede dificultar el análisis estadístico posterior (comparaciones).

Implicaciones prácticas: Al conceptualizar el concepto de co-creación, los gestores turísticos pueden utilizar el resultado de este estudio para convertir sus experiencias en más respetuosas con el medio ambiente y para mejorar el proceso creativo de las mismas.

Los resultados de la investigación no sólo subrayan la importancia de entender la conceptualización de la co-creación de los turistas, sino que también indican la importancia de integrar la creatividad y la conciencia medioambiental en sus experiencias. En particular, el estudio desarrolla un modelo teórico que apoya las dimensiones de la co-creación que pueden aplicarse en el contexto del turismo gastronómico y enológico.

Este estudio llena el vacío existente en la literatura sobre la co-creación en turismo y su aplicación a entornos gastronómicos y enológicos, destacando la importancia de la co-creación en el desarrollo de experiencias en los negocios turísticos.

co-creación, Experiencias gastronómicas, Turismo, Perspectiva de demanda, Análisis de contenido

Trabajo de investigación