AUT Research Institutes, Centres and Networks

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https://hdl.handle.net/10292/10767
AUT Research Institutes, Centres and Networks bring focus to research activity. The objectives are to:
  • Ensure that resources are concentrated in areas where AUT has capability
  • Be the key concentration of research activity
  • Provide an education, mentoring and training role for postgraduate students
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Browsing AUT Research Institutes, Centres and Networks by Supervisor "McIntosh, Alison"

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    Analysing the Rhetoric of Accessibility: How Well Do New Zealand’s Hotel Restaurants Meet the Needs of Customers With Disabilities?
    (Auckland University of Technology, 2020) Shetty, Eshwar; McIntosh, Alison
    The concept of “accessible tourism” enables people with access requirements/disabilities, including mobility, vision, hearing and cognitive dimensions of access to function independently with equity and dignity through the delivery of universally designed tourism products, services and environments (Darcy and Dickson, 2009). Using case study methods, this research aims to investigate the best practices in accessibility among hotel restaurants in New Zealand. The study has two objectives: (1) Identify the strategies and tactics used by the three case study hotel restaurants considered as champions of accessibility, and (2) Critically analyse the rhetoric of accessibility communicated online by the three case study hotel restaurants. The three cases chosen for the research were Sudima Hotels, CQ Hotels and The Rydges Auckland hotel. The three cases are noted champions of accessibility. The website communications of these three cases were analysed to be able to answer the objectives of the research aim. The reason why best practices in accessibility implemented by these champions are being investigated is because research indicated that information on accessibility of restaurants in order to improve the dining experience for people with disabilities (PWDs) is scarce in hospitality and tourism scholarship. A three phase methodology with an interpretivist paradigm was implemented in this research for the exploratory study of the websites of the three hotel restaurants. The three phases in the methodology included a categorical analysis which was used to analyse visual design elements across the websites. The second phase was the content analysis which was used to provide a descriptive analysis of commonalities of content. The third phase, which was the rhetorical analysis, used phase 1 and phase 2 data, as well as company quotes and statements from the websites for a more critical view of first and second order meaning of the visual design elements, not only in relation to each other, but also in the context of the specific organisational settings, the research question and the researcher (Greenwood et al., 2019). Through the findings of the three phase methodology, the best practices implemented by the three cases were found out. The categorical analysis findings showed the best practices in terms of accessible display of content and visual design elements on the website. This included the use of high colour contrast for display of information on the websites, the use of two-step click process to access accessible information, and provision of a common central tab present on the top of the page consisting of links to subsequent webpages. Through the content analysis certain strategies and tactics implemented by the three cases to bring about accessibility were identified. The strategies identified through the content analysis included (i) Accreditations with social change organisations (ii) Inclusion of PWDs in the workforce (iii) Use of persuasive language and the effective (iv) Use of imagery. Similarly, multiple tactics in terms of accessible facilities that were implemented by the three cases were identified. Examples of common tactics found included provision of Braille menus and availability of trained staff to support PWDs in the restaurant. The rhetorical analysis findings showed how the three cases used quotes and statements indicating themes around (i) Accessibility is for all (ii) Persuasion for the Inclusion of PWDs (iv) Validity and (v) Persuasion for social change. This dissertation concludes with certain practical recommendations originating from the findings of the research and implications for imagining and moving towards a more moral, inclusive and accessible society.
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    Online Information for Visitors About the Accessibility of Museums in New Zealand
    (Auckland University of Technology, 2021) Upson, Laura Dannielle; McIntosh, Alison; Gillovic, Brielle
    Research attests to the reality that people with disabilities are not provided for, or offered the same opportunities as those without disabilities; nor are they seen as a valued market segment of the tourism sector. Accessible tourism is viewed as the opportunity to enable people with disabilities equal opportunity to participate in tourism services and environments, with the same level of independence, equity, and dignity. For museums within the tourism sector, it is important that they consider the importance of accessibility and information provision, because if they do not, people with disabilities miss out on the museum experience as a whole, so they are not capturing or providing for an important market. The aim of this research was to examine the current provision of online information for visitors about the accessibility of five selected museums in New Zealand: Auckland Museum, Puke Ariki, Te Papa, Canterbury Museum, and Otago Museum. The research had two key objectives. Firstly, it aimed to critically examine the online website content of selected museums in New Zealand to determine the extent to which they communicated information about the accessibility of a museum visit. Secondly, it aimed to benchmark the website content provision of the selected museums against international tourism accessibility standards. This was achieved through the implementation of a content analysis and a case study methodology; the research adopted a qualitative and interpretive approach. The findings of this research revealed conclusions about website navigation, the inclusive approach of website communications, content about accessibility, and access to the museum experience, in the five selected museums. This research concluded that there are multiple gaps between the international accessibility standards of best practice, and the practices of the selected museums in New Zealand. To meet international accessibility best practice, it is important that New Zealand guides or sets recommendations for accessibility standards to which tourism organisations can refer. The contribution this research brings is that it identifies and highlights the online information provision and accessibility problems that museums in New Zealand are not solving for people with disabilities.
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    Stakeholders’ Perceptions of the Future of Accessible Beach Tourism in New Zealand: A Case Study of Mount Maunganui and Pāpāmoa
    (Auckland University of Technology, 2021) Hayden, Sophie; McIntosh, Alison; Gillovic, Brielle
    This research intends to contribute an understanding of a significant type of tourism for New Zealand for a segment of the population that is consistently underserved; that is, access to beaches for tourists with disabilities. The research follows an interpretive paradigm and uses face-to-face semi-structured interviews to gather the perspectives of stakeholders in a case study beach destination in the North Island of New Zealand. Content analysis reveals critical findings about the need for ‘inclusion,’ ‘information,’ and around ‘public perceptions and assumptions,’ ‘designing for access,’ and the ‘expense of access.’ The findings reveal barriers which prevent beach access, and therefore, tourism participation, for tourists with disabilities. The importance of New Zealanders being able to access the beach is seen as an inherent national right due the country’s strong beach culture. The importance of active provision of information is highlighted as essential to ensure tourists with disabilities know what facilities and amenities are available to them at the beach. The attitudes of the public are identified as a hindrance, as well as attitudes to cost. This research is the only study in New Zealand that has investigated beach access for tourists with disabilities. It has generated some recommendations for the tourism industry and local and national governments in New Zealand which may help to further scope the accessibility market in the country and enable greater participation in a popular tourism activity.
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