NEGOTIA - Babeș-Bolyai Universitystudia.ubbcluj.ro/download/pdf/1211.pdf · AURELIAN SOFICĂ, SMARANDA COSMA 8 McCarthy, 2005), graduate engineers (Maurer et al., 1992). Articles

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EDITORIALBOARDOFSTUDIAUNIVERSITATISBABEŞ‐BOLYAINEGOTIA

EDITOR‐IN‐CHIEF:Assoc.Prof.IOANALINNISTOR,Babeş‐BolyaiUniversity,Cluj‐Napoca,Romania

EXECUTIVEEDITOR:Prof.dr.CORNELIAPOP,Babeş‐BolyaiUniversity,Cluj‐Napoca,Romania

CO‐EXECUTIVEEDITOR:Prof. dr. SVEN M. LAUDIEN, Macromedia University of Applied Sciences, Business School Stuttgart, Germany

EDITORIALBOARD:Prof.dr.PARTENIEDUMBRAVA,Babeş‐BolyaiUniversity,Cluj‐Napoca,RomaniaProf.dr.MASAHIKOYOSHII,KobeUniversity,JapanProf.dr.JÁNOSSZÁZ,CorvinusUniversity,Budapest,HungaryProf.dr.PHILIPPEBURNY,UniversitédeLiège,Liège,BelgiumProf.dr.MARILENPIRTEA,WestUniversity,Timişoara,RomaniaProf.dr.SEDEFAKGÜNGÖR,DokuzEylülUniversity,Izmir,TurkeyProf.dr.STANISLAVAACINSIGULINSKI,SuboticaUniversityofNoviSad,SerbiaProf.dr.DJULABOROZAN,J.J.StrossmayerUniversityofOsijek,Osijek,CroatiaProf.dr.CORNELIAPOP,Babeş‐BolyaiUniversity,Cluj‐Napoca,RomaniaProf.dr.IOANCRISTIANCHIFU,Babeş‐BolyaiUniversity,Cluj‐Napoca,RomaniaProf.dr.SMARANDACOSMA,Babeş‐BolyaiUniversity,Cluj‐Napoca,RomaniaProf.Ing.MIROSLAVSVATOŠ,CSc.,CzechUniversityofLifeScience,Prague,CzechRepublicProf.dr.SIMEONKARAFOLAS,TechnologicalEducationalInstitute(TEI)ofWestern

Macedonia,GreeceProf.UEKDr.hab.MAREKĆWIKLICKI,CracowUniversityofEconomics,PolandProf.UEKDr.hab.KRZYSZTOFWACH,CracowUniversityofEconomics,PolandAssoc.Prof.dr.IVANAKRAFTOVA,UniversityofPardubice,CzechRepublicAssoc.Prof.dr.MEDETYOLAL,AnadoluUniversity,Eskisehir,TurkeyAssoc.Prof.dr.KARELTOMŠÍK,CzechUniversityofLifeSciences,Prague,CzechRepublicAssoc.Prof.dr.BERNAKIRKULAK‐ULUDAG,DokuzEylülUniversity,Izmir,TurkeyAssoc.Prof.dr.PHAPRUKEUSSAHAWANITCHAKIT,MahasarakhamUniversity,Maha

Sarakham,ThailandAssoc.Prof.dr.OVIDIUIOANMOISESCU,Babeş‐BolyaiUniversity,Cluj‐Napoca,RomaniaAssoc.Prof.dr.ELENADANABAKO,Babeş‐BolyaiUnivesity,Cluj‐Napoca,RomaniaAssoc.Prof.dr.MARIA‐ANDRADAGEORGESCU,NationalUniversityofPoliticalStudies

andPublicAdministration,RomaniaAssist.Prof.dr.GURHANAKTAS,DokuzEylülUniversity,Izmir,TurkeySeniorLect.PETERJOHNRAS,TshwaneUniversityofTechnology,SouthAfricaSeniorLect.dr.SUSANNALEVINAMIDDELBERG,North‐WestUniversity,Potchefstroom,

SouthAfricaLect.dr.GAMONSAVATSOMBOON,MahasarakhamUniversity,MahaSarakham,ThailandAssoc.Prof.dr.OANAGICĂ,Babeş‐BolyaiUniversity,Cluj‐Napoca,RomaniaIndependentfinancialanalystELISARINASTITIMURESAN,Seattle,USA

SECRETARIESOFTHEEDITORIALBOARD:Assoc.Prof.dr.OANAGICĂ,Babeş‐BolyaiUniversity,Cluj‐Napoca,RomaniaLect.dr.MARIAMONICACOROŞ,Babeş‐BolyaiUniversity,Cluj‐Napoca,Romania

YEAR Volume63(LXIII)2018MONTHSEPTEMBERISSUE3

PUBLISHEDONLINE:2018‐09‐30PUBLISHEDPRINT:2018‐09‐30

ISSUEDOI:10.24193/subbnegotia.2018.3

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STUDIAUBBEDITORIALOFFICE:B.P.Hasdeuno.51,400371Cluj‐Napoca,Romania,Phone+40264405352;[email protected]

CONTENT – SOMMAIRE – INHALT – CUPRINS

AURELIAN SOFICĂ, SMARANDA COSMA, Extended Marketing Mix (7Ps)andHRMRecruiting.HowtoSellaJob........................................................................5

CARMENMIHAELABĂBĂIȚĂ,DAMARISGALAȚI,ANDREANAGY,DiscoveringtheRoots–AncestralTourisminRomania.APilotStudy.................................27

ADELINE‐CRISTINACOZMA,MONICA‐MARIACOROŞ,TheLocals’OpinionsandtheDevelopmentofSustainableTourisminRodnaCommune..............43

IOANAMARIATRIPON,CompetitivenessinTourism:ATheoreticalOutlook....67

STUDIAUBBNEGOTIA,LXIII,3,2018,pp.5‐26(RECOMMENDEDCITATION)DOI:10.24193/subbnegotia.2018.3.01

EXTENDEDMARKETINGMIX(7PS)ANDHRMRECRUITING.HOWTOSELLAJOB

AURELIANSOFICĂ1ANDSMARANDACOSMA2

ABSTRACT. The need to merge marketing and human resourcemanagement gained momentum in the last two decades. The paperaddressestheextendedmarketingmix,orthe7Psofmarketing,identifiesand operationalize specific HRM components that fit this framework.Employmentmarketingmix (EMM)offersa frameworkonwhich, inasocialconstructionistmanner,realandusefultoolscanbedeveloped.Keywords:humanresourcemanagement,marketing,employeebranding,marketingmix,extendedmarketingmix,employmentmarketingmix.JELclassification:M51,M31

Recommendedcitation: Sofica,A.,Cosma,S.,ExtendedMarketingMix (7PS)andHRMRecruiting.How to Sell a Job, Studia UBB Negotia, vol. 63, issue 3(September),2018,pp.5‐26,doi:10.24193/subbnegotia.2018.3.01.

1 Lecturer, Dr., Babeș‐Bolyai University, Faculty of Business, Cluj‐Napoca, Romania,[email protected]

2 Professor, Dr., Babeș‐Bolyai University, Faculty of Business, Cluj‐Napoca, Romania,[email protected]

AURELIANSOFICĂ,SMARANDACOSMA

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Introduction

Companiesshould lookat thesocial,political,economic,culturalandtechnologicaltrendsthatareshapingthemarketsandtrytopositionthemselvesaccordingly(ChartedInstituteofMarketing,2009).Thiskindof marketing strategy started to permeate the HR recruiting strategybecauseofthechallengesposedbyrecruitingtheYgeneration,agenerationthatisdescribedbyEisner(2005,p.5)inlaudatoryterms,as“themosttechnically literate, educated, and ethnically diverse generation in thehistory”.Inthiscontext,companiesthatneedvaluablehumanresourcescannotaffordtowaitforthecandidatestocometothembuttheyneedtoproactivelyidentifythem(segmentthemarketingreatdetail),designa job that fits their profile (just like designing a product or services),persuadethemtoapply for the job(advertising),selectandhirethem(closethedealandmakethesale)andengagethemcontinuously(postsalesandsupportactivities).Theneedtomergemarketingandhumanresourcemanagementgainedmomentuminthelasttwodecades.

Therelationbetweenhumanresourcemanagementandmarketingisnotanewstory,nowisalmost22yearsintothemarriage.AmblerandBarrow(1996)launchedtheconnectionbetweenmarketingandhumanresource management coining the term “employer branding” “…thepackageoffunctional,economicandpsychologicalbenefitsprovidedbyemployment,andidentifiedwiththeemployingcompany”(AmblerandBarrow,1996,p.187),aconceptthat infusedprettyquicknotonlytheacademicenvironmentbutalso theHRMpractices. (Dell andAinspan,2001).Graduallyitbecamegenerallyacceptedthat“Thelabourmarket…hasatlastbecomeatruemarket:wideopen,uncontrolledbyindividualcompanies,andunconstrainedbygeography.Andexecutivesneedtostarttreatingitlikeamarket.Nolongercanrecruitingbeviewedasareactive,largelyclerical functionburied in thehumanresourcesdepartment. Itneedstoberefashionedtolookmuchmorelikethemarketingfunctionitself.Thehiringprocess,afterall,hasbecomenearlyindistinguishable


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fromthemarketingprocess.Jobcandidatestodayneedtobeapproachedinmuchthesamewayasprospectivecustomers:carefullyidentifiedandtargeted,attractedtothecompanyanditsbrand,andthensoldonthejob.”(Cappelli,2001,p.141).Reasonsbehindtheinvestmentintheemployerbrandingisthefactthatagoodimagecreateaninertiafortherecruitingprocess, a continuum hands free recruiting campaign, responsible forgenerating candidates for the specific jobs but also spontaneous orunsolicitedcandidates, representingagood indicator for thepowerofthebrand.Thecompanies,especiallyonthisrapidchanginglabourmarketrealizedtheimportanceofproactiverecruitingattitude,especiallyintheface of the powerful influence the generational shift exert over thedemographiclandscapeofthelabourmarket.

Thepaperaddressestheextendedmarketingmix,orthe7Psofmarketing‐identifiesandstartstheprocessofoperationalizingspecificHRMcomponentsthatfitthisframework,buildingonpreviousliteratureand connecting practice with literature. According to Constantinides(2006,p.407),marketingscholarsshouldfocustheireffortsinformulatingthe conceptual foundations and marketing methodologies that betteraddresstheneedsoftoday’sandtomorrow’smarketer.ThesameneedappliestothespecificintersectionbetweenHRMandmarketingpractices.Thelongtermpurposeofthepaperistodevelopcoherenttoolshelpfulinhumanresourcessourcinginamorestructured,efficientandsustainablemanner.

Literaturereview

The link between marketing and recruiting is quite general,coveringvariousmarketingconceptsbutnotaddressingthemarketingmix. Marketing concepts were used to recruit: sports club members(McKnightetal.,2014),armyemployees(DertouzosandGarber,2006),studentsfordoctoralprograms(HoldfordandStraton,2000,Davisand


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McCarthy,2005),graduateengineers(Maureretal.,1992).Articlesthataddressthespecificlinkbetweenmarketingmixandrecruitmentarehardtofind.MitchelandTaylor(2004)andKatherineetal.(2008)recommendusing the theoretical frameworkofmarketingmix (4Ps) forvolunteerrecruiting.Extendedmarketingmix(7Ps)isusedbyGallietal.(2014)tofacilitatepeoplerecruitingfortrialsinpharmaceuticalindustryandbyIvy(2008)inordertohelprecruitingMBAstudentsinahighlycompetitivemarket.

O’Donohue & Hanson (2008), Wickham & O’Donohue (2009)seemtobethefirstonesthatstartedbuildingasoundinterdisciplinarybridge between the extended marketing mix and human resourcemanagement ‐ employee relationship. In doing so they developed aconceptual infrastructure, showinghowa central tool frommarketingtheoryandpractice(extendedmarketing‐mixorthe7P’sofmarketing)canbetranslatedintotheHRpractice(themanagementoftheemploymentrelationship).InordertoreachthetargetofbeingtheemployerofchoiceorEOC(strategyofpositioningonthelabourmarketonapollposition,inordertoattracthigh‐qualityemployees)andtoofferarealemploymentvalueproposition(EVP)orEVP(unique,specifictraitsembeddedintotheemployer brand identity, meant to set the organization apart fromcompetitorsinsomemeaningfulway),anorganizationshouldaligninacohesive manner the extended marketing mix (product, price, place,promotion,process,peopleandphysicalevidence)withtheemploymentpracticesinwhatauthorscoined,employmentmarketingmix(EMM).Thismixshouldbeableinamorecoherentwaytoattract,retainandmotivatethe targeted candidates/employees. They reframe the employmentrelationshipasaproduct/service,destinedtobeconsumedonthelabourmarketbypotentialclients,andpaidwiththeirlabour/skills.Reframingthingslikethisoffersaclearerviewoverthisfuzzydomain,solvestheimplementation issues associated with translation of the marketingconcepts in to the practice ofHR and opens a canvas for useful toolsdevelopment.


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MarketingMix(MM)isconsideredasoneofthe“mostimportantconceptualbreakthroughs”inmarketing(Shethetal.1988)andrepresentsthecoretheoryofthispaper.TheoriginalformatoftheMMwasdevelopedfromMcCarthy(1964)as4elements:Product,Price,PromotionandPlace.Theconceptwas furtherestablishedbyKotler(1967)whichdesigned amathematicalmodel allowing the optimal allocation of themarketingeffortbasedonthesefourdimensions.Duetoitssimplicityandpracticalutility,andinspiteofvariouscriticsfromtheacademicarea,themodelwasquicklyembracedbypractitioners(Constantinides,2006).MarketingmixwasextendedfewyearslaterbyBoomsandBittner(1980)fromfourtosevenbyadding3componentssuitableforservicesindustry:People,ProcessandPhysicalEvidenceandaccordingtoRafiqandAhmed(1995)accentuate the importance of this 3 newdimensions especially in theservicemarketingareaduetothelevelofsocial interactionignoredinthepreviousmodel. So, theExtendedMarketingMix (EMM) gets 7Ps:Product,Price,Promotion,Place,People,ProcessandPhysicalEvidence.

Constantinides (2006)warns about twomajor limitationof theclassicMarketingMix(4Ps):internalorientationandlackofinteractivity.Internal orientationmeans that the4Ps lacksmonitoring the externalenvironment(competition)withspecificattentiontothefrequentlychangingconsumerbehaviourandneeds(trends).Itisaprocessofinnovationandadaptationnecessarytorespondtothesechallenges.Lackofpersonalizationisbasedinthesignificantshiftsintheconsumerbehaviour(individualization,diminishingbrandpreference,valueorientation,increasedsophistication,etc.).Technologynotonlyreducestransactionandswitchingcostsbutalsoofferscustomersmorechoices,globalaccesstoproductsandservicesandnewpossibilitiesinaddressingindividualspecificneeds.Thequalityofthepersonalrelationshipbetweensellerandcustomerandsuccessfulcustomerretentionarebecomingcentral.Theacademiccontestersofthemodelidentifiedaseriesofgapsandproposednewelementsorsubstitutethe existing one (Constantinides, 2006). Because of the multiple areas/orientationsmarketingdevelopedin(consumermarketing,relationship


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marketing,servicemarketing,e‐marketing,internalmarketing,etc.),themarketingmixdimensions/variablesbecamemyriadandhyper‐specialized.

One such area adding new insight into the Marketing Mix isConsumersMarketingand themain concern is the changing nature ofconsumer’sneeds,natureandbehaviour.Thevariablesaddedfromthisareaare:•politicalpowerandpublicopinion(encapsulatingcustomers,environmentandcompetition);•servicesandstaff;•customer,competition,andcorporation;•value,viability,variety,volume,andvirtue;•product‐performance, price‐penalty, promotion‐perceptions, andplace‐process(Kotler(1984),Doyle(1994),Ohmae(1982),Bennett(1997),Yudelson(1999)ascitedbyConstantinides(2006)).

Anotherarea contributing to theMarketingMix isRelationshipMarketing–developedontheimportanceofbuildingcustomerloyaltytroughmeaningful relations. The variables added from this area are:•customer orientation 4Cs: customer needs, convenience, cost forcustomerandcommunication;•RetentionMarketingMix:productextras,reinforcingpromotions,sales‐forceconnections,specializeddistributions,post‐purchasecommunication;•dynamicsofrelationships,networksandinteraction;•pursuitofpersonalization:personalization,personnel,physicalassets, procedures; • information‐intensive strategies: communication,customization,collaboration,andclairvoyance;•MarketingRelationshiptrilogy:relationship,neo‐relationshipmarketingandnetworks(Lauterborm(1990), Rozenberg and Czepiel (1992), Gummesson (1994, 1997),Goldsmith(1999),PettersonandWard(2000),Haley(2001)ascitedbyConstantinides(2006)).

The third area contributing to the Marketing Mix is ServicesMarketinganddealswiththedifferencesbetweentangiblesandintangibles.Servicescanbeseenasseparatedbyproductsbutalsoasanaugmentedproduct dimensions that helps with the differentiation. The variablesaddedfromthisareaare:•participants,physicalevidenceandprocess;•elementsforservices:concept,cost,channels,andcommunication;•traitsneededtobeconsideredinMarketingMix:intangibility,inseparability,


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perishabilityandvariability;•differentiationbasedonmarketsegmentationandpositioning,customercontactanduniquevisiononquality;•criticalfactoristhecustomerexperience:actors,audience,setting,performance;•price,brand,packaging,relationship(BoomsandBitner(1981),Brunner(1989),RustonandCarson (1989), Fryar (1991),Groveet al., (2000),Backwith(2001),ascitedbyConstantinides(2006)).

ThefourthareacontributingtotheMarketingMixisE‐Marketinganddealswiththegreaterengagementofthebusinessesinonlineactivities.Thevariablesaddedfromthisareaare:•changesthatcommunicationcapabilities will bring in the Internet era: product – co‐design andproduction,price–moretransparency,place–directcontactswithcustomer,promotion–morecontrolofthecustomer,interaction;•E‐Marketing the5W’s:who–targetaudience,market,what–content,when–timingandupdating,where–findability,why–uniquesellingproposition;•principlesofbuildingawebsite:webplanning–definingmissionandgoals,webaccess–howtogetwebentry,sitedesignandimplementation–content,sitepromotionmanagementandevaluation–commercialandmanagerialaspects; • Internet based marketing: Potential audience, integration,marketingsupport,brandmigration,strategicpartnerships,organizationalstructure and budget; • five new P’s: paradox, perspective, paradigm,persuasion and passion; • online marketing as: community building,originaleventprogramming,convenienceandconnectivity;•endconsumercontrols themarket,networksystemsshoulddefine theorientation,anew triad needs to be taken in to account –marketer, employee andcustomer;•4Smodel:scope(strategicissues),site(operationalissues),synergy (organizational issues)andsystem(technological issues) (Peattie(1997), Mosley‐Matchett (1997), Evans and King (1999), Chaffey et al.(2000), Lawrence (2000), Kambil and Nunes (2000), Schultz (2001),Constantinides(2002),ascitedbyConstantinides(2006)).

The fifth area contributing to the Marketing Mix is InternalMarketing and this area deals with the strategy for developingrelationships between staff across internal organizational boundaries


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(Ballantyne,2002)inordertoenhancemarketperformance.The4Psareturnedinwardtowardstaff.Employeesareseenasinternalcustomersorinternalproductsbasedontheassumptionthatstaffsatisfactionisdirectlylinked to the client satisfaction. Ahmed and Rafiq (1995) propose amultistageschemabuiltaround4Pswiththreelevels(direction,pathandaction).ForInternalmarketingthe4PshaveaclearHRMconnotation.The product is considered the “attractive job” a firmmust sell to theemployee in order to attract the best people; the price refers to the“unattractivenessofajobwhenanemployeehastodealwith(aggressiveandunpleasantcustomers);theplacereferstothejob‐livingareaproximityandpromotionreferstothecommunicationtakingplacewithinorganization(Flipo, 1986). Rafiq and Ahmed (1992) stressed the importance of theextendedmarketingmixfortheinternalmarketing(product,price,place,promotion,people/participants,processandphysicalevidence).

Materialandmethod

The paper aims to provide a better alignment between theemployment marketing mix (EMM), with the marketing extended‐mix(MEMor7P’sofmarketing).Thisalignmentcanbeachievedbypinpointingthe specificHR employment practices that can be included under theumbrellaofEmploymentMarketingMix(EMM)andbyoperationalizingthesepracticestothelevelofacceptablemeasurability.

Atthebasisofthetheoreticalmodeltheclassicalmarketingmixmodelisused(Kotler,1967,2017)followedbytheextendedmarketingmodel(BoomsandBittner,1980).Anextralayerofcomplexityinsomecasesisaddedbyaddressingmoreelementsofmarketingmixgeneratedbythedebatecoveringvariousbranchesofmarketing:consumermarketing,relationshipmarketing,servicemarketing,e‐marketing(Constantinides,2006)andinternalmarketing(AhmedandRafiq,1995).


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TheEmploymentMarketingMix (EMM) componentsmirroringtheMarketingExtendedMix(MEM)discussedbeloware:Thejob(EMM1)asproductorservice;knowledge/attitude/skillsofferedbythecandidate(EMM2)asprice;place(EMM3)asplace;recruiting(EMM4)aspromotion;processofemployment(EMM5)asprocess;recruitersortalentscouts(EMM6)aspeople;andrealisticpreview(EMM7)asphysicalevidence.

ForeachEMMcomponentwetriedtoidentifyorproposeobservableandinsomecasesmeasurabledimensionsthatalloworganizationtobuildtoolsforevaluationorimplementationofHRMstrategiesbasedonthemarketingprinciples.

Resultsanddiscussions

Thejobtobesold(EMM1)Thejobrepresentstheproduct/servicesoldtothecandidateandisthefirstcomponentoftheemploymentmarketingmix.Inordertodevelopamarketablejob,accordingtoHRpractices,youneedtoanalyseit,designitandstatethetechnicalspecifications(jobdescription)inanattractivemannerforthecandidate.

Jobanalysis(EMM.1.1)istheprocessofcollectingdataaboutajobfromvariousinformationsourcesorstakeholders,usingvariousmethodstocollectinformation,inordertounderstandit3600.Sothediversityofthestakeholders involved in job analysis (EMM.1.1.1), like supervisors,subordinates, colleagues, experts, clients, family, etc. offers social andprofessionallegitimacy.Thediversityofthejobanalysismethods(EMM.1.1.2.),likedocumentanalysis,interview,focus‐group,questionnaire,employee’sjournal,experiment,observation,etc.offersmethodologicallegitimacy.


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Jobdesign(EMM.1.2)istheprocessofplayingwiththecoreaspectsofthejobidentifiedduringthejobanalysisinordertoaugmentthejobandmakeitmoremarketableforthecandidatesoremployee’sneeds.Forthispurposethefirstrecommendedstepisthelabourmarketsegmentation.Therecruitingsourcessegmentation(EMM.1.2.1)identifies:geographicalsegmentation, demographic segmentation, lifestyle segmentation,behaviouristic segmentation, segmentation by perceived benefits,appropriatesalestechniquesandpricesegmentation.Jobdesignstrategy(EMM.1.2.2.) takes in to account the four layers of design: design forperformance (industrial engineering – structuring the job in order tomaximizeefficiency),designformotivation(travelinginforeigncountries,training,leadershipopportunities,salary,mentoring,work/lifebalance,etc.),designforsecurityandhealth(ergonomicsoftheworkplace,safetylawsandregulationsembeddedintothejob)designforCSR(responsibilityfor community, environment, and economic help for disadvantagedsocialclasses)(HollenbeckandWright,2011,p.142).

Jobdescription(EMM.1.3)istheoutputdocumentofthejobanalysisandit details the core technical specifications of the actual job. The jobpurpose (EMM.1.3.1) is clear in the organizational context (job title,department, supervisors, subordinates, clients, objectives, etc.). Theworkingenvironment (EMM.1.3.2) iswellmapped ‐working schedule,annualleave,pay,physicalandsocialconditions,resourcesatdisposal,travel,authoritylimits,etc.Theduties(EMM.1.3.3)andspecificactivitiesassociatedwith the jobareclearlydescribedandhavequalitativeandquantitativeperformancestandardsattached.Thepersonnel specifications(EMM.1.3.4.)identifytheessentialanddesirabletraitsoftheemployeesoccupyingthejob‐education,certificates,experience,knowledge,skills,personalitytraits,physicaltraits,etc.


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Knowledge/attitudes/skillstobeofferedbythecandidate(EMM2)EEM 2 is the equivalent of the price in MEM and represents theexperience,knowledge,attitudes,skills,etc.thatthecandidatesarereadytopay/exchangeinreturntothejobtheywilloccupy.Inthisregardsitis important tohaveabalanced contract, understandhow themarketcondition influence the pricing and have a sound price positioningstrategy.

Balanced“contract” (EMM.2.1),consideringbothsides: thecandidate’ssideandtheemployer’sside.Whatemployersaskandwhatcandidatesofferneedstobeintheconcession/acceptancerangeofthebothparties.Theopportunitycostistakenintoaccountfrombothperspectives(employerandcandidate).Employersperceivethepriceasfair(EMM.2.1.1),allowingthemtomakeaprofit.Candidatesperceivethepriceasfair(EMM.2.1.2),allowingthemtomakealiving.Thetermsinwhichthecontractcanbemodified(EMM.2.1.3)areclearandestablishedbycommonagreement.Themarketconditions influenceoverthepriceofthe job(EMM.2.1.4)isacknowledged.Themarketisfavourableforthecandidatesandinfluencesthepriceofthejobbypullingitdown.Themarketisfavourablefortheemployersandinfluencesthepriceofthejobbypullingitup.Pricepositioningstrategy(EMM.2.2)isdoneintermsofbalancebetweenthequalityofthejobandtheprice.Bothpartiesagreeonthequalityofthe product (EMM.2.2.1.) (low quality, medium quality, high quality).Bothparties agreeon the fairnessof theprice (EMM.2.2.2) (lowprice,medium price and high price). Positioning according to Kotler pricepositioningstrategy(EMM.2.2.3–seeMatrix1):economy(lowprice&low quality); false economy (medium price & low quality); rip‐off orskimming(highprice&lowquality);goodvalue(lowprice&mediumquality);average(mediumprice&mediumquality);overcharging(high


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price&mediumquality);superbvalueorpenetration(lowpiece&highquality);highvalue(mediumprice&highquality);premium(highprice&highquality)(Kotler,1988).PositioningaccordingtoHiggsmodel(EMM.2.2.4–seeMatrix2)–advantage insegmentingthemarketandpositioningstrategically inonethefollowing:employerofchurn (lowrewardsandlowculture);employerofcash(highrewardsandlowculture);employerofvalues(lowrewardandhighculture);employerofchoice(highrewardandhighculture).(Higgs,2004)

+

Highprice&Lowquality

RIP‐OFForSKIMMING

Highprice&MediumqualityOVERCHARGING

Highprice&HighQualityPREMIUM

price

Mediumprice&Lowquality

FALSEECONOMY

Mediumprice&MediumqualityAVERAGE

Mediumprice&HighqualityHIGHVALUE

‐

Lowprice&LowqualityECONOMY

Lowprice&MediumqualityGOODVALUE

Lowprice&HighqualitySUPERBVALUEorPENETRATION

‐ quality +

Matrix1.Kotlerpricepositioningstrategy–Kotlermodel

Source:Kotler(1988)


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- rewards+

EMPLOYEROFCASHLowcommitment

High‐control,autocraticExcessivehoursLargepaypack

Buyacceptance(sales)

EMPLOYEROFCHOICEExcellentreputation

WelltreatedemployeesLargepaypack

100companiestoworkfor(professionalandfinancialsectors)

EMPLOYEROFCHURNLousytreatmentandpay

HighturnoverrateDifficultintightmarkets

Tendencytorecruitoverseas(lowskillsindustries)

EMPLOYEROFVALUESPoorpay–belowthemarket

MeaningfulworkSecurity

Compensatewithwell‐being(public&voluntarysector)

‐ culture +

Matrix2.Labourmarketpositioning–HiggsmodelSource:Higgs(2004)citedby(Taylor,2011)

Consideringtheuseof7Psinrecruiting,priceisthemostdifficultconcepttoequalizeortotransfer.Acertaindiscussionisneededhereonthenatureofthepriceduetothefactthatthepriceinthiscaseisdifficulttomonetizeandthemeaningmightdependontheperspective:customerperspective – what customer needs to pay for the product/service(Kotler,1988)orcompanyperspective–howthecompanypositionsthejobofferonthelabourmarket(Higgs,2004).

Inmarketing thereare threemajorpricingstrategies:a)value‐basedpricing(userperceptionofvalueisthekeyelement–difficulttomeasurebutimportant),b)cost‐basedpricing(production,distributingandsellingcosts,representthekeyelement–importanttokeepacloseeyeonfixed&variablescosts),c)competition‐basedpricing(competitionstrategies,costsandmarketofferingrepresentsthekeyelement)(Kotler,2017).Inthistheoreticalframeworkvalue‐basedpricingmightreferin


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HR as the value the users (current or ex‐employees) or the potentialusers(candidates)attributetothejobindependentoftheevidence.Cost‐basedpricingmightreferinHRtothefactthattheontopofthesalarytotal costs, the employee skills need to generate an added value or aprofit.Inthiscasemakingsurethattheperformancestandardsaremet,assurethatthecompanymakesaprofit.Competition‐basedpricemightreferinHRtothefactthatthelabourmarketsometimeinflateordeflatethepriceregardlessoftheorganizationspricingstrategies.

Placewheretransactiontakesplace(EMM3)The place represents the real or virtual space where the companypromotesthejobandpotentialemployeesdecidetofollowthejoboffer.It is theplacewhere those twoactorsmakecontact in the realor thevirtualworld.

Physicallocations(EMM3.1)wherethecompanypromotesthejobandpotentialemployeesdecidetofollowthejoboffer.Thesearetheplaceswherethetwomaketheinitialcontact.Organizationalspace(EMM3.1.1),followinganinternalrecruitingstrategy(e.g.skillsreview)orexternalrecruitingstrategy(e.g.opendays,internships)Potentialcandidateterritory(EMM 3.1.2), following an external recruiting strategy (e.g. recruitingagent goes to university campuses, headhunting approaches potentialcandidates directly). Neutral space or “the third place” (EMM 3.1.3),followinganexternalrecruitingstrategy(e.g.jobfairs,conferences,etc.)(Rosenbaumetal.2017)

Virtual location (EMM3.2)where the company promotes the job andpotentialemployeesdecidestofollowthejoboffer.Socialnetworks (EMM3.2.1) themajorityoforganizationsuse forrecruiting.Recruitingwebsites(EMM 3.2.2), specialized in intermediating candidates on the labour


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marketormatchmakingbetweenorganizationsandcandidates.“Glocalities”(EMM 3.2.3) are virtual spaces that transcend tangible locales ‐ chatrooms,onlinegamingcenters,openonlinecourses,onlinecommunities,etc.(Rosenbaumetal.2017).

Place attachment (EMM 3.3) represent the emotional bond the jobcandidatehasforacertainplacewherethecompanypromotesthejobandpotentialemployeesdecidestofollowthejoboffer.Acontinuumcanbe developed, ranging fromutilitarian role of the place (transactionalrole)toahighersenseofaplace,the“livedexperience”(relational,socialandrestorativeresourcesleadingtowell‐being)(Rosenbaumetal.2017).Placeutility(EMM3.3.1)meanstheperceivedvalueoftheutilitarianroleoftheplaceintermsoftransactionbetweenthecompanyjobofferandthecandidateneeds.Place“livedexperience”(EMM3.3.2)representsthequalitativecomponentof theplace thatadsa certain relational, socialandemotionallayerandcontributestothewell‐beingofthecandidate.Recruitingstrategy(EMM4)RecruitingistheequivalentofpromotioninMEMandinhumanresourcemanagement represents the „process of continuously (identifying)attractingenoughpeople,withtherightqualification,andencouragingthemtoapplyforajobwithinorganization”.(MondyandNoe,1987,p.190;HollenbackandWright,2011)

Recruiting strategy design (EMM 4.1) sources,methods, channels andmessagesareonthesamefrequency.Recruitingsourcesdiversity(EMM.4.1.1.)‐ fresh graduated students, competition’s employees, ex‐employees,employee’ssocialnetwork,etc.Recruitingmethodsdiversity(EMM.4.1.2)‐ recruiting agent, job fairs, scholarships, internships, contests, etc.Recruitingchannelsdiversity(EMM4.1.3)formal:newsletters,company’s


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website,informal:qualitycircles,teamwork,lunchtime,unofficial.Recruitingmessages (EMM.4.1.4) is targeted,attractive,viralandactionoriented,etc.

Reactive vs. proactive (EMM 3.3) deals with the positioning in time.Reactiverecruiting(EMM3.3.1)waitsfortheneedofhumanresourcesortheproblemofrecruitingtogetrealandthenstartstheprocessofrecruiting.There is a certain delay between the opening and filling.Proactiveorcontinuousrecruiting(EMM3.3.2)doesnotwaitforthehumanresourcesshortage to appear, the recruiting strategy anticipates and recruits inadvance.Thereisashortdelaybetweentheopeningandfilling.

Processcoherence(EMM5)The process represents a broad, interconnected perspective over theemployment process: pre‐purchase phase (job analysis & design andrecruiting)closingthedealphase(selection)andpost‐sales&supportphase(inductionandprobation).Itissomehowthebigpicture.Theprocessis candidate/customer centred, reduces the effort of the user, avoidsbureaucracy, provides specific information and keeps the candidate/customerhappy.

Pre‐purchase phase (EMM 5.1) represents the arrangements that aremadewiththeclienttopurchaseaproduct.Preparingstage(EMM5.1.1)represents jobanalysis, jobdesign, and jobdescription. Jobmarketingstage(EMM5.1.2)representstherecruiting.Closingthedealphase(EMM5.2)orpurchasestagerepresentsselectionandistheprocessoffilteringthecandidatesattractedintherecruitingstagebyusingaseriesofmethodsdestinedtoidentifythedegreeofmatchwiththejobandtheorganization.


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Post‐sale activities & support phase (EMM 5.3) deals with induction,probation period and careermanagement and needs to be consistentwiththepromisesmadeduringrecruitingandselection.Thecandidate/employee,doesn’tfeellikethejobwasoversoldandistreatedwiththesamecareandrespect.

Recruitersortalentscouts(EMM6)Recruiter or talent scouts mirrors the people MEM component andrepresent themulti‐layered human interface connecting the potentialcandidate (the customer), the job (the product) and the organization.StaffandsupervisorsintheHRdepartmentarethefirstlayer;functionalstaff,lineseniormanagementandpeersoutsidetheHRdepartmentbutstillinsidetheorganizationarethesecondlayerandexternalcontractorsarethethirdlayer.Theirknowledge,skills,representativeness,numberandengagementareimportant.

The degree of knowledge (EMM.6.1.1) about the job (core/actual/augmented) and organizational culture (artefacts, exposed values andassumptionsandbeliefs)thepeopleinvolvedintherecruitinghave.Thedegreeofmarketingandsalesskills(EMM.6.1.2)thepeopleinvolvedintherecruitinghave.Thedegreeofrepresentativeness(EMM.6.1.3)forthecompanyorfortheindustrythepeopleinvolvedintherecruitinghave.Therecruitersmirrortheprofileofthepeopletheyarelookingfor.Thenumberof internalplayers (EMM.6.1.4) involved in the recruiting.Thesecond layer of players (functional staff, line seniormanagement andpeers)isturnedintotalentscoutsinordertoreachaninternalsynergy.Thenumberofexternalplayers(EMM.6.1.5) involved intherecruiting.The third layer of players or the external contractors and consultantsusedtoexternalizerecruitingortoamplifytheorganizationaleffort.The


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balanceofprocessownership(EMM.6.1.6),orthedegreeofexternalizationoroutsourcingoftheHRfunctions.The locusofcontrol is internal(inhousedesignoftherecruiting)orexternal(outsourcingoftherecruitingandselection).Realisticpreview(EMM7)RealisticpreviewmirrorsthephysicalevidencecomponentofMEMandis meant to alleviate the risk the buyers perceive because of theintangiblecharacterofthejob.Acertainexperienceofthejobandinsightintotheorganizationalcultureshouldbeprovidedpriortotheemployment.Therealisticpreviewcoversthespecificprosandconsofthejobbutalsotheextendedenvironmentoftheorganization,ortheculture.

Realisticjobpreview(EMM.7.1)meanstoreachahighleveloftransparencyincommunication(print/online/phone/face‐to‐face)betweenorganizationandthepotentialemployeesbyprovidingenoughin‐depthandbalancedinformation(thestrongpointsandtheweakpoints)aboutthespecificjob,allowingthemtoexperienceit ina formoranother,beforetakinganinformed“buying”decision.Proactiveapproachindescribingthejob(EMM.7.1.1)inatransparentandbalancedmanner.Highquality,balancedinformationaboutthejobdescription,casestudies,prosandcons,etc.isprovidedinawrittenform(EMM.7.1.2),paperbasedorelectronic.Highquality and balanced information about the job (job description, casestudies,prosandcons,etc.)isprovidedinamultimediaformat(EMM.7.1.3)likevideotestimonialsfromtheemployeesandex‐employees,testimonialsfromtheclients,etc.Highqualityandbalancedinformationaboutthejobisprovidedinadirect,unmediatedform(EMM.7.1.4)likegrouprealisticjobpreview;structuredobservation;meetingswithcurrentemployeesandcustomers;socialmediainteractionwithcurrentandex‐employees.


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Realisticorganizationalculturepreview(EMM.7.2)meanstoreachahighlevel of transparency in communication (print, online, phone, face‐to‐face) between organization and the potential employees by providingenough in‐depth andbalanced information (the strongpoints and theweakpoints)abouttheenvironmentortheorganizationalculture(artefacts,exposedvaluesandassumptionsandbeliefs),allowingthemtoexperienceitinaformoranother,beforetakinganinformed“buying”decision.

Proactiveapproachindescribingtheculture(EMM.7.1.1)inatransparentand balanced manner. Direct access to the organizational artefacts(EMM.7.2.2)likeobjects,uniforms,officespaces,procedures,rulesandregulations, etc. Direct access to the organizational exposed values(EMM.7.2.3) like strategies, goals, vision, etc. Direct access to theorganizational assumptions and beliefs (EMM.7.2.4) like unconsciousbeliefs,perceptions, feelings, themainsources foraction,etc.Realisticleadershippreview(EMM.7.2.5)intermsofstyle,employeeinvolvement,conflictmanagement, teamdevelopment fordirect supervisor and fortopmanagementteam.

Conclusions

Although we aware of the classical critique aimed at themarketingmixandtheprescriptivecharacterattachedtoitratherthanevidence based research (Constantinides, 2006), we appreciate theunifyingpotentialthatitbringswhentranslatedintohumanresourcespractices. Employment marketing mix (EMM) offers a framework onwhich, ina social constructionistmanner, realanduseful tools canbedeveloped.


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The paper opens a promising endeavour in advancing themergingofMEMandEMM.Theopportunitiesthatlieaheadarejusttipofan icebergwith largeamountofchallengestobesolved.EachEMMcomponent can represent a research area in its own right. Of addedconcernisthefactthatthemarketinglandscapeisfrequentlychangingtherulesandmodifiesthecriticalfactorsaffectingthemarketingprocess,so basically it is a never ending story of adaptive and evolutionaryprocess.

The next chapter of this research will aim at developing andtestinganinstrumentcapabletomeasurethedegreeoffusionbetweenmarketingmixandhumanresourcerecruitingpracticesacrossvariousindustries.

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DISCOVERINGTHEROOTS–ANCESTRALTOURISMINROMANIA.APILOTSTUDY

CARMENMIHAELABĂBĂIȚĂ1,DAMARISGALAȚI2,ANDREANAGY3

ABSTRACT. Ancestral tourism is a less explored field in Romania,althoughithasagreatdevelopmentpotentialduetothelargemassesofRomanianimmigrantsestablishedallaroundtheworld,overtime.TheaimofthispaperistoexploreancestraltourisminRomania,toidentifywhatare themainreasons that triggeran individual’sdesire tostartsearchinghisancestorsandtoanalyzetheexperiencehehasduringthevisitinthecountryoforigin.Toreachourresearchgoals,weconductedaninterviewwithsixpersonsofRomaniandescentestablishedinseveralnon‐EuropeancountriesthathavevisitedRomaniainordertodiscovertheir roots,meet theiralive relativesor to reconnectwith theirpast.Basedon the receivedanswers,wewereable to create theancestraltourist’s profile and to identify whether the genealogical experienceachievedourrespondents’expectations.

Key words: ancestral tourism, genealogical research, genealogicalexperience,rootsexploration

JELClassification:L83,Z31

1Associateprofessor,PhD.,ManagementDepartment,FacultyofEconomicsandBusinessAdministration,WestUniversityofTimișoara,Timișoara,Romania,carmen.babaita@e‐uvt.ro.

2MasterGraduate,FacultyofEconomicsandBusinessAdministration,WestUniversityofTimișoara,Timișoara,Romania,[email protected]

3 Lecturer, PhD., Management Department, Faculty of Economics and BusinessAdministration,WestUniversityofTimișoara,Timișoara,Romania,andrea.nagy@e‐uvt.ro(correspondingauthor)

CARMENMIHAELABĂBĂIȚĂ,DAMARISGALAȚI,ANDREANAGY

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Recommendedcitation:Babaita,C.M.,Galati,D.,Nagy,A.,DiscoveringtheRoots–AncestralTourisminRomania.APilotStudy,StudiaUBBNegotia,vol.63,issue3(September),2018,pp.27‐42,doi:10.24193/subbnegotia.2018.3.02.

Introductionandliteraturereview

The genealogical data research phenomenon, both at personal

andcollectivelevel,startedtobeanalyzedinthefieldliteratureattheendofthe‘70s,whenitwasintenselydiscussedinfictionalwritingsandautobiographies(Smith,1979inMurdy,Alexander&Bryce,2018).Also,thedesiretoconnectwithoriginsorbirthplacesdeterminedvariousTVchannelsandproducerstocreatedifferentshows,moviesordocumentarieswhichallowedpeopletodiscovertheirrootsandalsoinspiredmassestostarttheirownancestralresearches.OneeloquentexamplewastheTVmini‐series“Roots”. AccordingtoIorioandCorsale(2013),oneofthemostcommonwaysapersonusestodiscoveritsoriginsisbytravelingtoandexploringthehomelandinordertomaintainandstrengthenpersonalandemotionalbonds.Therefore,peoplearemotivatedtotraveltoplacestheyassumethey originate. In consequence, nowadays we assist to an increasedinterestofimmigrantstoreturntotheplacestheirancestorscamefrominordertoexplorethefamilyhistoryaswellastofulfilltheirsenseofbelonging(Murdy,AlexanderandBryce,2018). Becauseofthefactthatmigrantsandtheirdescendantsarelongingtoconnectwiththeirhomelandandancestors’history,tourismflowscanintensifyastheydecidetotraveltoplacestheyhavepersonalinteresttoexplore,asJosiamandFrazier(2008)andIorioandCorsale(2013)statedin their studies. Hence, we can start discussing about the so‐calledancestraltourismthatbesidestraveling,alsoimplieslearningduringthetripinordertoaccomplishthepersonalneedsofdiscoveringtheroots.


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Thedefinitionsofancestraltourismcanvarymainlybecausetheconcept isnotunanimouslyaccepted in the field literature,beingalsoreferredasrootstourism,genealogytourismorlegacytourism.

AccordingtoBasu(2004and2005inIorioandCorsale,2013),anindividuals’returntorootscanbedefinedas“[…]aperformativeactofbelongingexpressedthroughvisitstoancestralheritagelocations,andamore generalized collective project of connection to the homeland”.AnotherdefinitionofancestraltourismbelongstoMurdy,AlexanderandBryce(2018)whodefinedtheancestraltourismas“anyvisitwhichmightbepartlyorwhollymotivatedbyaneedtoconnectorreconnectwithanindividual'sancestralpast”.

Severalauthors,suchasSantosandYan(2010),Savolainen(1995)or Yakel (2004) (in Bryce, Murdy and Alexander, 2017) identified thatancestralorgenealogy tourism is the typeof tourism thatmakes “thetransitionfromdesk‐basedancestralresearchtorelatedtouristconsumption”.

Intheirstudy,Poria,ButlerandAirey(2003),haveprovedthatanindividual’smotivations,behaviorandperceptionsarestronglylinkedtotheperceptionaboutacertainplaceorarea.Also,theauthorssuggestedthattouristsarenotonlydrivenbythedesiretovisitacertainplaceinordertobethere,butalsobecausetheytendtoconsidertheplaceasbeingpartoftheirpersonalheritageandtolearnmoreaboutitandthemselves.

Because ancestral tourism is anactiondoneby individuals,weconsideritisalsoimportanttoapproachinourpaperaspectsregardingancestral tourists.McCain andRay (2003)defined ancestral or legacytouristsaspersons“whotraveltoengageingenealogicalendeavours,tosearch for information or to simply feel connected to ancestors andancestralroots”.

AccordingtoRussell(2008),thetouristtravelingforgenealogicalpurposecanalsobecallednostalgictourist,becauseheislongingforapast experience and is driven by the desire to complete his ancestralidentitythroughtheconsumptionofculturalexperiences.Whenhevisitshis orhis ancestors’ countryof origin, thenostalgic tourist is actively


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seekingtoexplorethehomeland’sculture,beprofoundlyengagedtotheexperience and even be immersed into the new world that he isdiscovering(Escalas,2007;GreenandBrock,2000inRussell,2008).Alltheactivitiesinwhichthenostalgicorancestraltouristisinvolvedduringhisvisittothehomeland,canbebeneficialeventotheeconomyandthedevelopment of that country. In consequence, Newland and Taylor(2010)have tried to analyze the advantagesof ancestral tourism in adevelopingcountry,suchasRomania.Theyhaverevealedthatinthecaseofadevelopingcountry,thetourisminfrastructureispoorlydevelopedorlimitedtoafewtouristicareas,theconnectiontothelocaleconomiesisweakandtheemploymentrateislow.Moreover,thesetourismareasaremanaged by international companies located outside the country,thereforetheyaresendingtheirprofitsbacktothecountriesoforigin.

Despite this trend of internationalization, according toNewlandandTaylor(2010),touristswhoaretravelinginordertodiscovertheirroots,aremorelikelytobondwiththelocaleconomybychoosingsmalleraccommodationfacilities,oftenownedbythelocalsortheirownrelatives,byeatinginlocaldinnersorbyexperimentingthelocalculture.Therefore,there are higher chances that the money spent by ancestral touristsactuallysupportsthelocalbusinessesandthelocaleconomy,generatinganextremelypositiveimpactonthelocaleconomicdevelopment.

Furthermore,IorioandCorsale(2013)statedthattouristsseekingfortheirrootsarealsobehavingasconventionaltouristsandareengagingto specific tourist social practices such as landscape contemplation,photographyor filming, or souvenirpurchase.Therefore, encouragingtourismmanagers and travel agencies to create andpromote ancestraltourismpackagesthatwouldmeettheancestraltourists’expectations,canhavepositivebenefitsforthelocaltourism.Severalauthors(suchasKing&Gamage(1994),Duval(2003),Asiedu(2005)andScheyvens(2007)inIorio&Corsale, 2013), have also highlighted this aspect, asserting thatancestraltourismimpliesrelativelylongstaysandisoftenassociatedwith


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otherformsoftourism(cultural,natural,rural,mountain,seaside,etc.)invarious locations of the same country or same region, helping to theincreaseoftourismrevenues.

According to Scheyvens (2007, in Iorio& Corsale, 2013), anotheradvantage of ancestral tourism is that itmore likely resembles domestictourismratherthaninternationaltourism,havingthereforelessfluctuationsovertimeduetoastrongpersonalinterestinaparticulardestination.Also,bynothavingaseasonalparticularity,astheinternationaltourism,itcansupporta constantoccupancyalong theyearandalso fosteroff‐seasonhiringopportunities(Perez‐Lopez,2007,inNewland&Taylor,2010).

An eloquent example is Scotland. Here, most of the ancestraljourneys take place between June and September, but they are alsohappeninginothermonthsoftheyear,especiallyinthecaseoftouriststravelingonalowbudget(AncestralTourisminScotland:opportunitiesfor growth, 2013). Also, ancestral tourism can contribute to thegeographicalexpansionoftourism,mostlybecauseancestraltourists,incomparisonwithinternationaltourists,cantraveltolessvisitedplacesinordertodiscovertheirroots(Newland&Taylor,2010).

Researchmethodology

In order to examine the perspectives of ancestral tourism inRomania,westartedapilotexploratoryresearchbasedonaninterviewthatwe took to sixpersons.The intervieweeswere tourists thathavevisitedRomaniabetween2015and2018andwhosemainpurposewastoexploretheirgenealogicallegacy.Tocontactthetourists,wediscussedwith the representatives of a Romanian travel agency which is alsospecializedinorganizingprivatetoursforancestraltourists,aswellasassistingthemintheprocessoftheirgenealogicalresearch.


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Data were collected using a structured interview that wassubmitted online, by e‐mail, directly to the ancestral tourists that havecontactedthetravelagencyoverthepastthreeyears.Theinterviewhad21openquestionsthatrequiredtheintervieweestoprovidedetailsaboutthemselvesandtheirbondagetoRomania,theirmotivationsoftravelingtoRomania,thewaytheyhavetraveled,thegenealogicalresearchprocesstheyundertook,aswellastheexperiencetheyhavehadinRomania. Themaingoalofthestudywastoanalyzetheancestraltourist’sbehavior,inordertoinvestigatetheancestraltourismphenomenonandits development perspectives in Romania. To achieve this goal, ourresearchobjectiveswereto:

identify the ancestral tourist’s profile and to validated thehypothesisaccordingtowhichelderlypersonsaremorelikelytostartseekingtheirancestorsandexploretheirfamilylegacy;

identifythemotivationsuponwhichthegenealogicalresearchesrely,aswellastodeterminethefactorthattriggersthedesiretobeginagenealogicalresearch;

analyzethewaythatancestraltouristsusetotravel;

analyze the genealogical research process and to identify themeans to obtain genealogical data as well as the barriersencounteredinthegenealogicalresearch;

analyze the tourists’ genealogical experiences and to establishwhethertheirexpectationswereachieved.

Forabetterunderstandingofthe informationwegathered, the

mostrelevantstatementsofourintervieweesarepresentedasquotes.


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Results

Ancestraltourist’sprofileThe profile and behavior of a tourist traveling for genealogy

purposesdiffersfromtheoneofaregulartourist,asthefirstonehasbothaconnectionwiththevisitedplaceanddifferentmotivationsincontrastto the regular one (Poria, Butler & Airey, 2003). The six persons weinterviewed have visited Romania at least once and all stated thatgenealogy was the main purpose of their journey. They live in USA,CanadaorIsrael,buttheirbackgroundisquitediverse,asthreeofthemdescendfromRomanianJewsthatemigratedtotheUSAor Israel,onepersonfromSwabsoriginatingfromBanatregion,whileanotherpersonfromRomanianslivinginTransylvania.TheancestorsofanotherpersonareHungariansandItaliansthatsettledinValeaJiuluiformining.

Theageoftheintervieweesrangesfrom40to80years.Inaverage,their age isof56years, therefore, thehypothesis that theelderlies aremorepronetoinitiateagenealogicalresearchandundertakeatripinthispurpose,isconfirmed.

TheopinionofPrice,ArnouldandCurasi(2000,inRusell,2008)issimilartotheoneresultingfromourstudyas,accordingtothem,peopletendtodevelopmorereflexivityonlifewithagingandfeelastrongerneedforpersonalaccomplishmentthatcannotbesatisfiedwithtangiblegoods.

Moreover,studieshaveshownthattouristswhovisitimportantplacesfortheirownpersonallegacyandheritage,proveatendencytohavelongerstaysinthecountryandtospendmorethantheconventionaltourists, they have a higher income and a higher level of education(Krestetteretal.,2001&TravelIndustryAssociation,1997;inJosiam&Frazier,2008).


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MotivationsofancestraltouristsIn contrast to conventional tourists who observe “the others”,

ancestral tourists are motivated to find their own identity which isenrichedandreinforcedbytravelingtothehomeland(LoveandSheldon,1998,inRussell,2008;Bhandari,2016).Also,exploringthefamilyhistoryandseethebirthplaceoftheirancestors,aswellasvisitingtherelatives,isanotherimportantreasonfortraveling,asoneofourintervieweessaid.

“Our goal was to see the villages where our RomanianGrandparentsspenttheiryouthaswellasmeetingthedistantrelativeswewereabletoidentify.”(A.,67y,USA)

In addition, according to Highlands and Islands Enterprise

organization’sreportforScotland,publishedin2013,themainmotivationsfor genealogical traveling, besides the ones mentioned above, are thedesiretofeela“specialconnection”withthecountryoforigin,tofurtherresearchthefamilyhistoryandtotaketheparentsbackhomeortopassontotheirdescendantsthestoryoftheirfamily.Also,anothermotivationtotravelidentifiedinthereport,wasthedesiretowalkinthefootstepsoftheancestorsandtofindanewsignificanceforwhathomemeans.

Inour study,weobtained similar results in the casesof severalsubjects. Most of them stated that their main reasons for traveling toRomaniaweretocomebacktotheirownortheirancestors’birthplaces,tovisittheiraliverelatives,todiscoverwiththeirowneyesthelandscapesthey’veonlyheardofortowalkontheirancestors’footsteps.Inadditionto the reasonshighlightedabove,oneofoursubjects said that shewasdrivenby the lossofher fatherandthenostalgia toreconnectwithhismemoryandexploretheplacesherfathersaw,asshewasn’tabletofindsomeinformationonlineneitherabouthim,noraboutherlegacy.


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“The purpose ofmy travelwas to visit the placewheremyfatherwasbornandseeformyselfthethingshesaw.Whenmyfatherpassedaway, I feltadeepdesire to reconnect tohimsomehow.Ifeltthatsharingsomethingheexperiencedmighthelpmegetapieceofhimback.IwasveryinterestedinfindingoutasmuchinformationaboutmyfamilyandgenealogyasIpossibly could. I alsowanted to findmy father’s house andwhere he went to school and as many Church records aspossible.”(D.,45y,USA)

Also,anotherofourrespondentsstatedthat“Genealogywasmymainpurpose,butIcombinedthetripwithaEuropeanRiverCruise.”(J.,40y,USA)Thisresponsesupportstheideathatancestraltourismcanalsohelp

thedevelopmentofdifferenttypesoftourism,increasetourismrevenuesandenhancetheexperienceancestraltouristshavediscoveringtheirroots.

Beingaskedaboutwhattriggeredthedesiretobeginagenealogicalresearch, two of our intervieweesmentioned that their relatives werequitemysterious regarding the reason they left Romania, whichmadethemmoreeagertofindoutwheretheycomefrom.

“Mygrandmotherandhersisterswereverymysteriousaboutwhytheyleft.Iwantedtounderstandwheretheycamefrom.”(J.,40y,USA)

Anotherfactorthatmadeourintervieweesstartsearchingtheirroots,wasfindingsomelettersoraddressesbelongingtotheirancestors,findingsthatdeterminedtheirfurtherinvestigations.


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“Ihavemanycousinsonmyfather’sside.Onehadfollowedmyfather’s family and that hadme curious aboutmymother’sfamily. Iused the internetandwas frustratedby the lackofinformation until in approximately 2006 my mother wasdiagnosedwithAlzheimers.Afterwemovedmymothertoanapartmentandlateranursingfacility.Inapproximately2009wewentthroughpicturesandpapersshehadkeptwherewefoundanenvelopewithaRomanianaddressandanoldletter.”(A.,67y,USA)Ancestraltourists’waysoftravelingAccordingtoButleretal.(2002)andKlemm(2002)(inIorioand

Corsale,2013),themajorityofancestralorrootstouristschoosetotravelindependentlyinordertohavetheflexibilitytheyneedtovisittheplacesoftheirowninterest.

Tofindoutinformationabouttheirancestors,thesixrespondentsofourstudyhavevisitedcityhalls,searchedintheirarchives,orreachedtheNationalArchivesoffices.Theyhavealsovisitedchurches,synagogues,cemeteries and even contacted Romanian residents (alive relatives orelderpeoplefromtheancestors’community).

Fiveoutofoursixrespondentshavecontactedtourismprofessionalstohelpthemwiththeresearchandtoaccompanythemintheirjourney.

“Ireliedonaresearcher todo theresearch forme. ItwouldhavebeenverydifficultformetofindthisinfomyselfasIdon’tspeakRomanian.”(S.,56,Canada)


37

Often, in a genealogical trip, several family members or evendifferentgenerationsofthesamefamilytraveltogether,althoughnotallofthemhaverootsinthecountrytheyvisit.

“We traveledasa family, threesistersandmyhusband,asalifelongdreamofthesisters.”(A.,67y,USA)“I traveled with my husband and two teenage children.”(D.,45y,USA)“We traveled as a family ‐mymother, oldest brother, twodaughtersandmyself”(M.,49y,USA)Rootstouristshaveatendencytovisitseveraldestinationsduring

theirtrip,eitherbecausetheyhavefamilialbondsinmorethanonepartofthecountry,orsimply,because theywanttoseeasmuchaspossibleofRomania.Therefore,allRomanianregionshavetheopportunitytoequallybenefitofancestraltourism,asformanyoftheancestraltouriststravelingtoRomaniaisagoodopportunitytovisitasmanytouristattractionsastheycan,sincesomeofthemhavetravelledalongdistancetogettoRomania.

ThegenealogicalresearchAccording to the answers provided by our interviewees, the

genealogicalresearchprocessstartedbeforevisitingtheirhomeland,bygatheringasmuchinformationaspossibleaboutthefamily’shistory.Theysearchedonspecificgenealogywebsites(suchaswww.ancestry.comandwww.familysearch.org) and tried to find out information from familymembers.


38

“Itriedtosearchtheinternetformylastnamebutnothingcameup.ItriedAncestry.combuttherewasnoinformationavailable.IjusthopedthatIwouldfindsomething.IwasabletofindbirthrecordswhenIvisitedandthechurchrecordsregardingbaptismandsacramentswere foundbymywonderful tourguide. Iwasunable to locatewheremygrandfatherwasburiedashewasdisplaced fromAninoasa toMoldova soonafterWWII ended.IregretIwillneverknowwhereheisburied.”(D.,45y,USA)Moreover,manyof themcontactedprofessionals specialized in

genealogy, who have documented in advance about the respondents’ancestors and also assisted them whilst they began their journey.Professionalshelpedthemcontactresidentsandcloselyguidedthemforasuccessfulresearch.

Unfortunately,duringtheresearchprocess,therehavealsobeenencounteredsomebarriers,mainlybecauseoftheauthorities’indifferenceandtheirreluctanceinprovidinginformation.

“[…]whenItriedtofindaddressesoflocationthatmyfamilyowneditwasimpossible,evenwhenItoldthemthatIdonotplantorequestreturnofproperties.”(M.,80y,Israel)“Weweredisappointedwhen theywouldnotallowus to takephotosofthedocumentsbutbeingwheremygrandfatherlivedandmeetingdistantrelationsmadeupforthat.”(A.,67y,USA)

In spite of the difficulties, our subjectswere satisfiedwith the

informationtheymanagedtoobtainandpleasedtomeet theirdistantrelatives. Three of our subjects decided to continue their ancestralresearchoncetheygotbackhome.


39

ThegenealogicalexperienceBryce,MurdyandAlexander(2017),statedthatancestraltourists

are seeking for a participative experience rather than a passive one inordertosupporttheirresearch.Furthermore,previousstudiesrevealedthattouristswhoaremoreinvolvedinandareidentifyingthemselveswiththeexperience,canexpresshigherlevelsofsatisfaction(Russell,2008). Whenasked:‘whatistheiroverallopinionaboutthegenealogicalexperience they have had in Romania?’, our respondents declaredthemselves very pleased and grateful to having succeeded in findinginformationabouttheirancestorsandtoexploretheirhomeland.

Anotherimportantpartofthegenealogicalexperienceistomeettheancestraltourists’expectations,asthesecanbeverydifferent.Arealchallengecanberepresentedbythesocial,culturalandphysicalchangesthatcanoccur inthevisitedplace.Therefore,a fullyturnbackintimemightnotbepossiblebecauseofthestronghitofrealityandthechangedimageoftheirhomeland(Brah,1996;Read,1996;Levy,2004;Markowitz,2004inIorioandCorsale,2013).

Regardingtheexpectationsofourinterviewees,allofthemsaidthatthesehavebeenmetduringtheirvisitinRomania,whichwasfullyworthed.

“Ibelievethatevenifwehadnotfoundinformationandmetdistantrelatives itwouldhavebeenworththetrip.Everyonewe met, regardless of where we were, was friendly. Thecountryside issobeautifuland I felt likemyhearthadcomehome.”(A.,67y,USA)Anotheraspectdiscoveredinourstudywasthatourrespondents

feltanemotionalbondtoRomania.


40

“Ifeltconnected,likeIwashomeinasense.”(J.,40y,USA)Beside these findings, all of our respondents said that the

experiencegavethemastrongfeelingoffulfillmentandforsomeevenasenseofbelonging.

“Theexperienceabsolutelygavemeafeelingoffulfillment.Idonot feel like I“belong”,but Ialsodonot feel likeanalienorstranger.The longingtosee formyselfwheremy fatherwasborn,went to school,played,hikedwas fulfilled,and IhavegainedasenseofpeacethatIhaveseenwithmyowneyeswhatheoncesawandthatmakesmysoulhappy.ThecountrysideinTransylvaniaseems justas itwas70yearsago.Itwasn’ttoohardtoimaginewhatlifewaslikein1949whenmyfatherleft.That’sthebeautyofRomania.Youcangetaglimpseintowhenlifewassimplerandmorepure.”(D.,45y,USA)

Conclusionsandrecommendations

After conducting our research and discussing with severaltouriststhatwantedtodiscovertheirroots,wewereabletoidentifytheancestraltourist’sprofile.Wenoticedthattouristswhousetotravelinordertodiscovertheirrootsareusuallyelderpersons,whohavemoreleisuretimeandahigherincome.Also,theyhavethetendencytospendmoretimevisitingthecountryoforiginsaswellastouseorbuyseveraltouristservices. Another aspect thatwe focused onwas tourists’motivation totravel.We foundout thatour interviewees’mainpurpose tomakeanancestraljourneywastoexploretheirhomelandandtodiscovermore


41

informationabouttheirancestors.Theyusedtotraveltotheirhomelandontheirown,usuallyaccompaniedbyfamilymembersandreachedoutto professionals only to help themwith the research process and thefieldtriporganization. The overall genealogical experience our interviewees had inRomaniaofferedthemahighlevelofsatisfaction,aswellasfulfillment,afeelingofbelongingandconnectiontotheirhomeland. TodeveloptheancestraltourisminRomania,tourismauthoritiesshould focus on promoting this niche tourism by attracting personsinterested in genealogy, who at their turn will attract more touristsinterestedornotingenealogy.Also,todevelopancestraltourism,itcouldbe helpful to create a network with travel agencies and touristprofessionalsspecializedingenealogy,aswellastodevelopthetourisminfrastructureinmoreRomanianruralareas.

REFERENCES

1. Bhandari,K.(2016),“ImaginingtheScottishnation:Tourismandhomeland

nationalisminScotland”,CurrentIssuesinTourism,Vol.19,Iss.9,pp.913‐929.2. Bryce,D.,Murdy,S.,Alexander,M.(2017),“Diaspora,authenticityandthe

imaginedpast”,AnnalsofTourismResearch,Vol.66,pp.49‐60.3. Iorio, M. & Corsale, A. (2013), “Diaspora and Tourism: Transylvanian

Saxons Visiting theHomeland”,TourismGeographies, Vol. 15, No. 2, pp.198‐232.

4. Josiam, B.M.& Frazier, R. (2008), “Who am I?Where did I Come from?Where do I go to Find out? Genealogy, the Internet and Tourism”,Tourismos:AnInternationalMultidisciplinaryJournalofTourism,Vol.3,No2,pp.35‐56.


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5. McCain,G.&RayN.M. (2003), “Legacy tourism: the search forpersonalmeaninginheritagetravel”,TourismManagement,Vol.24,pp.713–717.

6. Murdy,S.,Alexander,M.&Bryce,D.(2018),“Whatpullsancestraltourists‘home’?Ananalysisofancestraltouristmotivations”,TourismManagement,Vol.64,pp.13‐19.

7. Newland,K.&Taylor,C.(2010)HeritageTourismandNostalgiaTrade:ADiasporaNicheintheDevelopmentLandscape,Washington,DC:MigrationPolicyInstitute.

8. Poria, Y., Butler, R. &Airey, D. (2003), “The Core ofHeritage Tourism”,AnnalsofTourismResearch,Vol.30,No.1,pp.238‐254.

9. Russell, D.W. (2008), “Nostalgic Tourism”, Journal of Travel & TourismMarketing,Vol.25,No.2,pp.103‐116.

10. *** Ancestral Tourism in Scotland: opportunities for growth, 2013,publishedbyHighlandsandIslandsEnterprise,availableathttp://www.hie.co.uk.


THELOCALS’OPINIONSANDTHEDEVELOPMENTOFSUSTAINABLETOURISMINRODNACOMMUNE

ADELINE‐CRISTINACOZMA1,MONICA‐MARIACOROŞ2

ABSTRACT.Thisstudyreferstosustainability,amuchdebatedconceptatgloballevel.Becauseofthehighlevelsofpollutionandlimitedresources,sustainabilityhasbecomeaninternationalgoal.Furthermore,oneoftheenginesfordevelopmentinemergingeconomiesis,ofcourse,thetourismindustry,whichisalsoRomania’scase.Combiningthesetwoelements,the authors find that sustainable tourismdevelopment is both a long‐termgoalandadynamicconcept.Thisconceptisrepresentedbythreepillars:growingthelocaleconomy,protectingandpromotingtheculturalheritage,andincreasingthesocialwell‐being.

Thepresentpaperconsistsofa case study that focusesonRodnacommune,abeautifulTransylvanianruralsettlement,locatedinBistrița‐NăsăudCounty.Theresearchmethodsusedaresecondarydataanalysis(basedonthestudyofdifferentstatistics,guides,andspecializedsites),comparisons, analogies and syntheses, primary qualitative research(based on face‐to‐face interviews with the locals), and induction anddeductionmethods,whichallaimatidentifying:thecurrentpositionofRodna commune from the socio‐economic point of view, the locals’opinion related to the sustainable development of the destination’stourism industry, and also the ways in which this objective can beachieved.Thesubjectsinterviewedwereselectedinordertorelevantly

1Masterstudent,MasterprogramofBusinessAdministrationinInternationalHospitalityand Tourism, Department of Hospitality Services, Faculty of Business, Babeș‐BolyaiUniversityofCluj‐Napoca,[email protected].

2 Lecturer,PhD,Department ofHospitality Services,Faculty ofBusiness,Babeș‐BolyaiUniversityofCluj‐Napoca,[email protected].

ADELINE‐CRISTINACOZMA,MONICA‐MARIACOROŞ

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cover most of the local population: honor citizens, teachers, priests,doctors and students, each of them representing stakeholders in thedevelopmentofthetourismindustry.

Theresearchresultsshowthatthelocalsareawareofthestrongconnection between the development of tourism and the economicwell‐beingofthecommune,theyhelpedidentifyingthemajorproblemsthatneed tobe addressedand solved in order for thisprocess tobeefficientbutalsothefactthattheyarenotyetawareoftheirroleanddonot acknowledge the ways in which they can make a difference forthemselvesandforthecommune.

The conclusions reveal the current situation ofRodna communefrom the subjects’ points of view and their proposals for achievingbetterlivingstandards.Also,theinterviewsshowthelackofimplicationcausedbythefactthatthesubjectsareneitherawareoftheirstakes,noroftheirpossibilitiestohelpdevelopingthelocaltourism.Keywords:Rodnacommune,locals,sustainabledevelopment,tourism,interviews.

JELClassification:L83,Q01,Z32.

Recommendedcitation:Cozma,A‐C.,Coros,M‐M.,TheLocals’OpinionsandtheDevelopmentofSustainableTourism inRodnaCommune, StudiaUBBNegotia,vol.63,issue3(September),2018,pp.43‐65,doi:10.24193/subbnegotia.2018.3.03.

IntroductionandLiteratureReviewRodnaisoneofthetwovillagesthatconstitutethecommunewith

thesamename,whichusedtobecalledRodnaVecheorRognaVeche.ItislocatedinBistrița‐NăsăudCountyanditisveryclosetoRodnaMountainsNationalPark,thesecondlargestprotectedareainRomania,beinginfactoneoftheaccesspointsofthePark.ThetwovillagesinRodnacommuneareRodnaandValeaVinului,coveringanareaof224km2andbeinghome


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formorethan6,000inhabitants.ThelocalpopulationismainlyRomanian;at the 2011 census the main minorities were Hungarian and Rromacitizens. From the religious point of view, most of the inhabitants areOrthodox,theminoritiesbeingRomanCatholic,PentecostalandJehovah'sWitnesses (according to the same census). Politically, the commune ismanagedby theMayorValentin IosifGrapini,who is part of the SocialDemocraticPartysince2016;theLocalCouncilconsistsof15councilors,8fromtheSocialDemocraticParty,5fromtheNationalLiberalPartyand2fromtheAlliancePartyLiberalsandDemocrats(accordingtotheresultsofthe2016localelections).

Amongthetouristattractions,themostrelevantman‐madeoneistheruinsofSt.Mary'sChurch,aRomanesquebasilicadatingbacktothefirst half of the 18th Century and theOrthodoxChurch, theMuseumofEthnographyandMininginthevillageofRodna,aswellastheHouseofWritersfromthevillageofValeaVinului.Naturalresourcesandattractionsprovideseveralhighlyattractiveandvaluabletouristresources,suchas:theRodnaMountainsNationalPark,thePoianacuNarciseNatureReserve,themountaintrailstoLalaMareandLalaMiclakes,andtheIneuPeakintheRodnaMountains.

RegardingRodna'seconomicactivityovertime,miningplayedaveryimportantrole.Itisnotknownpreciselywhenthisactivitystarted,butagoldringfoundbyarchaeologistsisproofofthefactthatminingispracticedinthecommune'sterritorysincetheBronzeAge.Păiuş(2013)explores various documents and historical writings in his work andstates:“ItisverylikelythattherewasametallurgicalcityoftheDacians”.

Inthisarea,justlikeinmanyotherRomaniandestinations,mininghasexperiencedupsanddownsduetomacroeconomicfactorsovertheyears,buthasforalongtimebeenaveryimportantsourceofincomeforthecommune.In1992,E.M.Rodnawastransformedintoatradingcompanybydecisionno.184/1992oftheAutonomousAdministrationofLeadandZincBaiaMare,beingsubordinatedtotheGuraHumoruluiMiningBranch.In 1997 the National Company of Precious and Non‐ferrous Metals


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“REMIN”S.A.BaiaMare,E.M.Rodna transforming itself into theRodnaMiningBranch,whichatthattimecounted812employees.Onthe30thofDecember2006,miningprocessingoperationsceasedtobecarriedoutfortworeasons:theactivitywasnolongerprofitable,thecostsbecomingveryhigh,and inorder toreduce them,pollutingand toxicsubstancesweresupposedtobeusedintheordinaryactivities,whichwouldhaveledtopopulation illness and environmental pollution in the medium term.Between2007and2010thenecessaryactivitieswereperformedinorderto close the galleries, and from 2011 the existing objectives in thepatrimonyoftheunitarepreserved.

Thus,after theclosureof themine, theunemploymentratehasgrownenormously,intheabsenceofotherindustriesdevelopedinthearea.Peoplewhohavebeenabletoleavetheareaoreventhecountryinsearch of a job have taken advantage of those opportunities, but thenumberofpeoplewithoutjobsisstillhightoday.

Thecurrenteconomicsituationofthecommunecanbeanalyzedconsidering thenumberofcompanies thathave theirregisteredofficeandoperatewithinthecommune.TheirstructureaccordingtothesectorofactivityispresentedinTableNo1.

Table1.CompaniesinRodnavillagegroupedbyactivitysector

Forestry

companies

Accommodation

units

Breeding

animalsBars Restaurants

Car

services

14 6 5 4 2 4

Supermarkets MixedshopsGas

stationsBakeries Others Total

4 20 1 1 59 120

Source:PrimăriaComuneiRodna,2018.


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Thus, there isapreference for the forestrysector,as the forestresourcesoftheareaarestillhardlynegligiblefortheentrepreneurs,butnotforthehospitalityindustry,thepotentialofwhichwillbeoutlinedthroughoutthispaper.

Furthermore, according to the National Institute of Statistics(INS), intheRodnavillage,arrivalsamounttoa littlemorethan1,000touristsperyear(seeTableNo2).

Table2.TourismactivityinRodnaCommune

Year 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Arrivals 25 517 620 654 1,300 1,343

Overnights 43 597 664 701 3,243 2,316

Averagelengthofstay 1.72 1.15 1.07 1.07 2.49 1.72

Source:NationalInstituteofStatistics,2019.

The indicator of the average length of stay shows a rather low

attractiveness of the tourist offer at the commune level and a poorcapitalizationofthepark'stouristpotential;thevaluesofthelengthofstaysuggestingtransittourismandsomebusinesstourism.However,perhapspartlyduetothepromotionoftourismatnationallevellatelyandpartlyduetolocalaction,thecurrenttrendisontherise,whichconfirmsabettercapitalization on the destination’s great natural resources and nature‐basedtourismpotential.

Aspreviouslymentioned,Rodnacommuneispartofthenearbyareasof theRodnaMountainsNationalPark.Theconservation for theareawheretheparkistodaybeganin1932,whenthe183hectaresofalpine pit in the Pietrosu Mare Peak were recognized as a scientificreserve,thisareabecomingthefirstsuchreservationinRomania.


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Obviously, theRodnaMountainsNational Park is an importantprotected area that contributes to the preservation of the Carpathianbiodiversity, a highly valuable resource both at European and globallevels. This great value is proven by the Carpathian Convention, aconventionsignedin2007,whichincludesRomania,togetherwithother6Carpathiancountries(CzechRepublic,Poland,Serbia,Slovakia,Ukraineand Hungary). This partnership aims to facilitate the collaborationbetweengovernmentalandnon‐governmentalorganizations,specializedinstitutes,internationalexpertsandfinanciers.Thegoalofthepartnershipis,of course, toprotect theCarpathianbiodiversityand to facilitate thedurableandsustainabledevelopmentofthearea.

From the point of view of destination management, theAdministration of the Rodna Mountains National Park (APNMR) wasestablished in May 2004, when the Ministry of the Environment andWater Management, the current Ministry of the Environment andForests, has entrusted the National Forestry Directorate of Romsilva,throughtheBistriţaForestryDirectorate,onthebasisofthemanagementcontractNr.734/22May2004,theresponsibilityoftheparkmanagementattributionsandoffinancingitsproperfunctioningandactivity.Thus,theRodnaMountainsNationalParkAdministrationhas itsheadquarters inRodna – Bistrita‐Năsăud County, and in Borșa –Maramureș County, aworkingpointhasbeensetup.Someofthemainobjectivesofthepark’sadministrationinclude:

“toimplementtheactionsforeseeninthemanagementplan,

tomakeprojectproposals,

toaccessvarioussourcesoffinancing,

tostartattractivetouristprograms,

togeneraterevenuefortheparkadministrationandtheneighboringlocalcommunities,facilitiesfortourists(refuges,stopswithbanks,parking lots, informationboards),maintenanceand renovationof


49

existingones,carryingoutscientificanddiversevolunteeractivitieswithin the park, mapping of habitats and species of communityinterestbydigitizingsatelliteimageryoraerialphotographyontheparkrangeandtheirverificationinthefield,thecalculationofthepopulationoptimumforanumberofkeyspeciesoffloraandfauna,steps to include the park within international networks thatpromote ecological tourism and harmonious communion of manwithnature(PANPark,MABUNESCO),

theestablishmentofmanagementlinesforanumberofconservationpriority habitats, exchanges of experience with other protectedareasinthecountryandabroad,and

thedevelopmentofadequateinfrastructureforthepark,bysettingupsightseeingcenters,informationpoints,mountainhikes,offeringvisitors and tourists the opportunity to enjoy information andsafetyduringthevisitofthepark”(Jauca,2013).ThisbriefpresentationofthecurrentsituationofRodnacommune,

based on secondary data, reveals that tourism represents a viablealternative to stimulate the local economy, to increase the livingstandards,andtosupportthelocalwell‐being.ItcaneasilybeshownthatRodnaoffersaverylargeconcentrationofnaturalandtouristresources,butalsohasserioustourisminfrastructureproblems.Ofcourse,havingamountainreliefandbeingclosetoprotectednaturalareasrepresentanopportunity formountainandrural tourism. In thiscontext,aquestionmay be raised:What about sustainable development? Through the jointworkofIUNC(InternationalUnionforNatureConservation),WWF(WorldFederation for Nature Conservation), EFNNP (European Federation ofNationalandNaturalParks),sustainabletourismhasbeendefinedas“thedevelopmentofallformsoftourism,tourismmanagementandmarketingrespectingthenatural,socialandeconomicintegrityoftheenvironment,


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ensuring the exploitation of natural and cultural resources both in thepresentandforthefuturegenerations”.Therefore,anyformoftourismmustrespecttheprinciplesofsustainabledevelopment.

Regardingthedevelopmentofsustainabletourism,CucculelliandGoffi(2016)stateintheirpaperthatalthoughitisveryhardtocomeupwithadefinitionwhichappliestomostcases,andsinceeachdestinationhasitsspecificattributes,whatcanbesaidwithoutbeingwrongisthatthedevelopmentof sustainable tourism is a long‐termgoal and adynamicconcept. The unique characteristics of sustainability are to minimizenegativeimpactsontheenvironment,toprotectculturalheritage,andatthesametimetocontributetothesocialwell‐being.

ResearchMethodologyThisresearchispartofalargerandmorecomplexstudywhich

aimed at analyzing the impact of the development of a sustainabletourismofferintheneighboringareasoftheRodnaMountainsNationalPark.Another researchpaper, entitledTheDevelopmentofTourism inRodnaMountainsNationalPark:PublicAdministration,CentralActor,waspublishedbythesameauthorsin2017;itaimedatanalyzingthekeyroleplayedbythepublicsectorinstimulatingthegrowthofthelocaltourismindustry,butalsotheentrepreneurs’pointofviewandtheirresponsetothepublicsector’sactionsandopinions.

The present paper aims at establishing the current position ofRodnacommunefromthesocio‐economicpointofviewandatidentifyingthelocals’opinionrelativetothesustainabledevelopmentofthetourismindustry,andalsoatuncoveringcertainmeasuresthatcanbeadoptedinorderforthisobjectivetobeachieved.


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Thefollowingresearchmethodswereusedforthispurpose:

the analysis of secondary data by processing different statistics,guides,specializedsites,comparisons,analogiesandsyntheses;

qualitativeresearchbasedoninterviewingcertainrepresentativelocalsofRodnacommune(honorcitizens,teachers,priests,doctorsand students); the interviewwas consideredappropriate for thecurrentresearchdueofthefactthatbythewayofitsapplication,the opinions of locals could be properly captured and notrestrainedbyalmostanycommunicationbarrier;

quantitativeresearch,basedonquestionnaires(fortourists);and

inductionanddeduction,whichareinterdependentandcontributetotheinterpretationofthecurrentsituationofthecommuneandtotheidentificationofthepossiblefuturesituationifthetourismindustrywillrise.

Besidestheentrepreneursandthepublicadministrationrepre‐sentatives,otherpersonswereconsideredrelevantandrepresentativeforthedestination’spopulation.TheyarepresentedinTableno3.

Tableno3.Detailsregardingtheinterviewedlocals

Initials Profession,qualifications,titles

L.P. Honorcitizen,teacherandmanofculture

M.L.M. Highereducationprofessorandmanager

L.C. SportsteacheratRodnaSchool

L.N. PriestintheRomanianOrthodoxParish

D.U. DoctorGeneralPractitioner

D.A.G. Student

M.H. Student


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ResultsandDiscussionsThepreviousresearchpaper(Cozma&Coroș,2017)revealedan

incompletedevelopmentofRodnaCommune“averyhighunemploymentrate,lowlivingstandards,apoorlydevelopedinfrastructureandapoorvalorizationoftouristareas,butalsoanimprovementinprogressofthissituation”. One of the interviewed entrepreneurs suggested that “theencouragementand intensificationof tourism in thewinter season, thedevelopmentofasustainableinfrastructure,theimplementationofsomemorestrictrules,theestablishmentofvisitingfeesforcertainareas,andthemarkingmountaintrails”wouldbeappropriateactionsforthepublicsector to take in order to stimulate the growth of the local tourismindustry.ItisalsoshownthattheCityHallcreatedadevelopmentstrategywithhighpotentialforjobgrowth,adequatecapitalizationoftouristareasandplacestovisit,improvementofinfrastructureandattractionofnewinvestorsinthearea.OneofthefinalconclusionsofthefirststudypointedoutthatbecauseforeigntouriststendtobemainlyorientedtowardsactivemountaintourismintheRodnaMountainsNationalParkarea,itisobviousthattheencouragementandthesupporttowardsthedevelopmentofthisformoftourismwithintheRodnacommuneisnecessary. Apartfromthebusinessownersandthelocalauthorities,inordertohaveacompletepictureofthemannerinwhichthecommuneispresentedintermsoftourism,itisalsonecessarytoanalyzetheopinionsofthelocals,whichhaveaninfluenceeitherinrelationtothetouristsorfromthelaborforceperspectiveinthisindustryorevenaspotentialinvestors.

The following paragraphs present the opinions of the localpopulationrelatedtothefurtherdevelopmentofRodnaCommune.MostofthoseinterviewedhavelivedinRodnasincetheywereborn.Onlythepriest and the sports teacherwere not born in the village. The priestarrivedhere in1990, asdid the teacher in1997.The studentsattendfaculties in Cluj‐Napoca and comehome onweekends and during the


53

holidays.Infact,averysmallpartofthelocalscomefromotherpartsofthecountry,whilemanyoftheyoungpeoplestudyeitherinBistrița,Cluj‐NapocaorTârguMureș,andonlyafewofthemreturn.Theelderliessaythattheydidnotleavethevillage,becausethereisahabitofoneofthechildren taking careof theelderlyandnot leaving theparentalhome,whilethemiddle‐agedpeoplesaytheyhavefacedcertainadministrativebarriersspecifictocommunismwhentheytriedtoleavethevillageintheiryouth,andthentheystayedbecausetheyhavemadeafamilyhere.

Askediftheyhaverelativeswhohavegoneabroadtowork,6ofthe7localrespondentssadlyansweredthatyes,someoftheirrelativeshavegoneabroadforabetterlivingandforhigherwages.Morethanthat,L.P. believes that: “The possibility of exploiting agricultural land hasneverbeensufficienttosupportthelivesofpeopleinthecommune.Thisistheonlyandmostpainfulproblemthatcausedpeopletomoveawayfromtheiroriginalhome.Evenifoneortwolocalscomeanddevelopasmallbusiness,thisisstillanexception”.

AnotherperspectiveispresentedbyM.L.M.:“Freedomofmovementisagoodthing,especiallyforyoungpeople.Goingoverdesertedcustoms,crossingbordersthatturnedintosimpledrawingsisthegreatestgainthatyoungpeoplecanhavetoday.Theyouthoftendonotcomebackbecausetheyfeelthatduringthelast27yearstherehasbeendoneverylittleworkforthem.Jobsarenowintheparishoftheprivateenvironment,butifthisprivate environment is not supported by governmental and specificpoliticalfactors,then,insteadofdealingwithamultiplicationofsmallandmediumenterprisesthatcouldcreatenewjobs,wearedealingdailywiththeirmassivefalling,unfortunately,becausetheyarenotencouraged.Andthen,implicitly,someyoungpeoplewhohaveaplaceandapurposeunderthesuninsomeothercountryanddonotwhattogoback”.Infact,manyoftherespondentsarguethatthemajorfaultforthesignificantemigrationofthepopulationlieswiththenationalauthorities.Itisobviousthattheissueofjobsandtheopportunitiesofferedtotheworkforceisasrealaspossible,atleastlocally.


54

The cultural activities undertaken over time or attended by theintervieweesare indeednumerous.L.P.managed topublish15printedworks,8editedworks,andclaimsthat“Rodna’sMonography”istheresultofa60‐yearworkthathasover520bibliographicsourcesandover1,000A4pages.Also,M.L.M.wasinvolvedinRodna’spastresearch,publishingaseries of articles and studies about the destination, including researchpapersinISIindexedjournals.L.C.managedtoformateamofstudentswho perform traditional dances, and organized for 15 years in a rowcamps for children at the seaside and in themountains, in the home‐country and abroad. Together with the town hall and the fanfare, thechurchannuallycommemoratestheheroesofthenationontheoccasionoftheAscensionDay.D.U.participatedinvariousvolunteercampaignstotreatpatientsandconductedvariousdonations forneedychildren.TheyoungpeoplewereverypleasedwiththeeventsorganizedbytheCityHallonTheDays ofRodna Commune.One can therefore see an attempt topreservethepastofthecommune,butalsotoeducateyoungpeoplebyinvolvingtheminvariousculturalactivitiesorganizedforthem.

Another aspect examined concerns how the locals relate to thecurrentstateof thecommune.Amongthepositiveaspects listedbytheinterviewees there are the natural resources (the “Terrarium Paradisesequence”ofM.L.M.,therelief,thebeautyofthearea,thetranquility,thelandscapes, the clean air) and the proximity to the Rodna MountainsNationalPark.Negativeaspectsarerepresentedbyeconomicdecline,lackofanadequateeducationsystem,stateofroadinfrastructureandthesmallnumberofrestaurantsandplacesofentertainmentforyoungpeople.

LocalssayRodnaisdistinguishedmainlybylandscapesandrelief.A truly impressive description of the commune is made by M.L.M.:“Withoutanydoubt,thelandscapehaselementsofuniqueness,ofacertainpersonality,butalsowhen itcomes to theanthropic touristicpotential,RodnahascertainvaluestoshowtotouristsbecauseithasoneofthemosttumultuoushistoriesontheUpperSomeșValley.Rodnahaslongbeentheportrayaloftheinterestsofalltheupstreamanddownstreamsettlements


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of the Someș Valley human habitat. Rodna has been a center of localpolarizationsincetheearlyMiddleAges,becauseminingactivitieswereverypresenthereandgold‐silvercubeshavebeenexploitedbeforetheyear1,000.Thereisclearevidenceinthisregard.Rodnawasformedinageo‐demographic diffusion basin where inhabitants climbed upstream,and downstream, over thewater hills, whenever the geo‐demographicpressure appeared on the restriction of agricultural space.Most of thelocalities upstream and downstream of Rodna and over the hills arebasedonRodna’score.Anotherbeautifulthingthatthevillagehasisaseriesofextremelyinterestinghistoricvestiges.Herewecantalkaboutastratificationofmedievalcivilizations.HerearetheruinsofaDominicanbasilicaofthe13thCentury,demolishedduringtheMongol‐Tatarinvasionof1241‐1242,butitseemsthatunderthisbasilicatherearetheremainsof a basilica that was originally Benedictine. There have been somereligiousordersthathavebuiltelementsofcivilizationandecclesiasticalcultureatRodna,soherewecantalkaboutastratificationofcivilization.Keeping the proportions accurate, we can talk about a formidablestratification of urban civilization in Cluj‐Napoca, there is medievalRomanandDaco‐RomanNapoca,thenmedievalClujandcontemporaryCluj‐Napoca.Rodnahasthesameminiaturestratification”.Besidestheseaspects,otherlocalslistelementsoftourismpotentialthroughhistoricalandnaturalaspects.Thelocals’lovefortheircommuneisobvious,butsoistheawarenessoftheculturalandtouristresourcesithas.

Desiring to identify the local people's vision related to how thestateofthecommunecanevolveandhowthiscanbeaccomplished,theywereaskedtodescribehowtheythinktheirwayoflivingcanbeimproved.

WhileL.P.arguesthat“thestandardoflivingcanonlybeimprovedby developing an industry and, in particular, the mining and loggingindustry”,M.L.M.saysthatnoneoftheseindustriesprovideaviablesolutionin the future; he identifies tourism as a solution and explains how thecommunitycanfurtherdevelop“iftheauthoritieswouldcometotheforceto support large projects for this purpose”. He also states that “tourism


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couldrepresentthedayaftertodayfortheyouth”andbelievesthatonlyRodna“canhealitsownwoundsfromwhichitsuffersnow”.Furthermore,L.C.considersthattherehabilitationoftheroadinfrastructureandthustheincreaseinthecapitalizationofthedestination’stourismpotentialcanlead to a better standard of living, as “there would be more peopleinterestedinopeningtheirownaccommodationunits,andsurelytheywillbringrevenuestothisvillage”.

Thus, the link between the development of tourism and theeconomic situation of the commune is acknowledged by the locals.Anotheraspecthighlightedbythem,besidestherehabilitationoftheroadinfrastructure and the development of the hospitality industry, is thecreationofmorejobs,aproblemtowhichthedevelopmentofthetouristsupplycanrespondsuccessfully.Thus,L.C.statesthat“thecurrentmayorhasvisionandopennesstocreatingasmanyjobsaspossibleandshouldfindasolutiontoinformandeducatecitizensaboutagro‐tourism”.

Regarding the local people's openness towards future tourismprospects,theissueoftourismdevelopmenthasbeendiscussedinmoredetail.Whenaskedabouttheimpactthattourismdevelopmentcouldhaveonthecommune,exceptforL.P.whoconsidersthisprocesstobedifficultand lackingpotential, the intervieweesmainlyhighlighted the financialbenefits, in termsof developing the commune's economic conditionbycreatingjobs,addingrevenuestothelocalbudget,anddevelopingrelatedactivities such as crafts, public catering and guidance services tourism.Moreover, the aspect of the cultural enrichment of the commune'sinhabitantsasaresultoftheinteractionwiththetouristswasalsobroughtup by some respondents during the interviews. Asked about the agro‐touristpotentialofthearea,whichcombinesthepreservationofculturalheritageandtheimprovementofthelocaleconomy,allinterviewedlocalsstatedthatthispotentialexists,butthereisnoeducationinthisdirection.M.L.M.providesmoredetails related to this aspect: “In2012 I [M.L.M.]participatedinaninvestigation,whereIfoundenoughhouseholdswillingtopracticeagro‐tourismspecificactivities,buttheysaidthatuntil their


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grandchildrenorrelativeswhoknowaforeignlanguagecomehome,theyare notwilling to receive strangers, but only Romanians, because theycouldonlycommunicatewiththeforeignersbythemeansofgesturesandsigns. There is, therefore, this barrier of language skills, the culturaldifferencesand,lastbutnotleast,theyarenotconvincedthatwhatevertheycanprovidewilleventuallybeappreciatedbythetourists,especiallyintermsofcomfort”.

Themainargument that supports the touristicpotentialof thisdestination is represented by the cultural and natural resources thatRodnamanagestoconservebetter,comparedtotherestofthecommunesinthearea,whichareevenbetterrepresentedandmoregenerousinthiscommune.

When approaching the aspect related to the proximity of thecommune to theRodnaMountainsNationalParkand theadvantage itpresentsforthedevelopmentoftourism,apart fromL.P.whobelievesthatthisisnotanadvantagebecause,hesays,“theparkhasnootherrolebuttopreservetherichnessofthefaunaandfloraofRodnaMountains”,therestofthelocalsseeitas:“themostsuitableplaygroundforpracticingandpromotingeco‐tourism”(M.L.M.),“theadministrationdefinitelytriesto capitalize on this potential” (L.C.), “the specific flora and fauna arehighlyvaluable,especiallymountainpeonies,butalsotouristattractionssuchasLakeLalaandIneuPeak”(L.N.).

An equally important role in this process is played by theAdministrationoftheRodnaMountainsNationalPark,whichiswhythedirectoroftheparkadministration,Mrs.DoinaJauca,wasalsointerviewed.Shestatesthat30,000touristsarriveannuallyinthepark,20%ofthembeingforeigntourists,mainlyfromHungary,theCzechRepublic,FranceandtheUnitedKingdom.Theparkvisitorsarriveespeciallyduringthespringandsummerperiod.There isalsoa concordanceregarding thedissatisfaction of the visitorswith the tourist infrastructure, which isintendedtobeimprovedby“creatingpathsandthematicroutes,creatingtouristinformationpointsandvisitingcenters.Uptonow,fivethematic


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routeshavebeencreatedintheareasmostfrequentlyvisitedbytouristsandwe[theparkadministration]willcontinuetoplacesuchfacilitiesinother areas of the park”. In terms of awareness related to the touristpotentialofthearea,thedirectorsays:“theinfluxoftouristsinRodnawouldbringanumberofmaterialbenefitstothelocals.Forthis,itwouldbenecessarytomodernizeandrehabilitatetheroadinfrastructureandtoinvolvelocalandcountyauthorities,togetherwiththeparkadministration,to access financial resources”. Thus, it can be noticed that the parkadministrationseesacloselinkbetweenthedevelopmentoftourismandthe development of the local economy as long as all stakeholderscooperateinthisrespect.

Another aspect revealed by the responses offered to thequestionnairefortouristsisrelatedtotheactivitiesforwhichtouristsoptduring amountain holiday. Among their preferences the following aremost commonly mentioned: hiking, tourist orientation, barbeque andskiingontheslopes.Theseresponsesareinlinewiththeconclusionsoftheinterviewswiththeentrepreneursandtheparkadministration,whichidentifymountain hiking as an activity preferred by the greatmass ofvisitors and tourists, and moreover, their ski preference supports theproject of opening the slopes in the village of Valea Vinului, whichrepresentsaviablesolutiontotheproblemoflocaltourismdevelopment,eventuallycontributingtothediminishingoftheimpactofseasonality.

Ithasbeenobserved,however, that locals consider it absolutelynecessarytodevelopandimprovethewayinwhichthepromotionofthearea andof the park is being carriedout, but also to organize a largernumberoftourism‐relatedeventsandbuildaclosercooperationbetweenlocal authorities. In terms of the barriers that underlie insufficientpromotion,besidesthelackofanefficientandlargeenoughbudget,duetothesubordinationoftheNationalForestAdministration–Romsilva,whichinturnisfurthersubordinatedtotheMinistryofWatersandForests,andwhichisanywayaproblematthenationallevel,therealsoisalackofopenlabor‐positions in the administration to cover these responsibilities;


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furthermore,thestaffoftheorganizationismadeupoftheparkmanager,the park manager assistant, the community relations environmentaleducationprovider,theinformationtechnologyspecialist,aneconomist,abiologistand12 fieldagents (rangers).Thus, theproblemofbudgetingmoreextensivepromotionalactivitieshas thesolutionatahigher levelthanthatofthelocaladministration.Regardingtheabilityofthelocalstoreceive largernumbersof tourists, the intervieweessay that its level islow, but there are various programs which focus on the exchange ofprofessionalexperienceandcampsfortrainingthebeneficiariesinorderto develop the much needed skills. Locals also proposed that localauthoritiesorganizefreeEnglishcoursesaimingatovercomingthewell‐knownlinguisticbarriersatlocallevel.

The need for proper marking of tourist trails, more intensepromotionofprotectedareasandimprovementofaccessinfrastructurewerementionedboth inthe interviewswiththeentrepreneursandthelocals, but also in the results of the questionnaire addressed thedestination’s tourists. The awareness of these issues and their stage ofsolvingwerediscoveredintheinterviewswithlocalauthorities,butthesocial education of the tourists has not been discussed so far. Thus, inordertoobservethecivicresponsibilityofthetourists,theywereaskedifthey took part in one of the most extensive forest waste collectionprograms,namely“Let'sdoit,Romania!”,Butalsothereasonswhytheyhad participated or not. The results show that the vast majority ofrespondentsdidnotparticipateduetothepoorpromotionoftheeventatlocallevel(Idonotknowtheprogram)andtherespondents’lackofsparetime(loadedprogram);however,amongthereasonsthatpromptedthemto participate in the cases of those who had attended “Let's do it,Romania!”, they remind them of the desire to actively participate inpromotingchangeandreducingthelevelofpollution.

Inordertobeabletounderstandwhetherlocalsareoptimisticorpessimisticabouthowthecommunewilldevelopinthefuture,theyhavebeenaskedhowtheythinkthecommunewillevolveinthenextfiveyears.


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Theseparationwasveryclearintwoequalsides.Ononehand,therearethose who believe in the vision and the determination of the localauthoritiestotakeadvantageofthecurrentandfutureopportunities,and,ontheotherhand,thosewhobelievethatpoliticalinstability,corruption,andhowpublicissuesaremanagedatnationallevelwillnotallowRodnacommunetoevolve,andevenhaveamajornegativeimpact.Ithasalreadybecomeobviousthatlocalsbelievethatbothlocalandnationalauthoritiesareprimarilyresponsibleforsolvingthecurrentlocalproblemsandforimprovingthelevelofthelivingstandards.

The last aspect discussedwith the locals aimed at highlightingtheir general perception of tourismdevelopment inRodnaCommune.With the exception of L.P., which considers tourism to be a positiveaspectonlyifthecommuneistobecomeastrongindustrialarea,therestof them see in this development several positive aspects, once againconditioned by solving the same shortcomings previously listed:improving road infrastructure, greater involvement of the authorities,andmoreintensepromotionofthearea.

M.L.M. recalls that: “an example for this is the small touristobjectiveintheMăriaValley,wheretherewasthePoianaZânelor,amini‐mountain resort conceived and realized through private initiative. Butcreditswere takenexcessivelyandwithout coverage, and thebeautifulinitiative fell. Poiana Zânelorwas in vogue at onepoint.My colleaguesfromClujCountywereaskingmeaboutthisplace.InIlvaValleytherewasequestriantourism,stagedbytheEnglishmanJulianRoss,whohadahorsestudatLuncaIlveionapieceoflandhehadbought,whichpassedthroughtheLuncaIlveianddescendedontheMăriaValleyandwanderedtoPoinaZânelor.TherewereAmerican,English,Spanishtourists.Eightypercentoftouristswereforeigntouristsandmanycamefromoverseas.Anefficientmarketingmixcreatedbytheformerownerwasthekeymeansbywhichhemanagedtoattractandkeepaclienteleofatleast100Americanswhocame each summer. So things can move, but some appropriate andefficient formulas must be found, more challenging than what is


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happeningnow". Inaddition to theseexamples,whichgivehope to thetourismdevelopment outlook,D.U. enumerates an impressive series ofpositive effects this developmentmight have: "tourism can generate apositive development for Rodna as it leads to job creation, increasingdemandforlocalproducts(vegetables,fruit,meatordairy),developmentonahorizontalbasis,developmentofservicesandtheemergenceofnewservices, capital influx due to the (higher) spending of the tourists,stimulatingnew investments suchasmultiplyingor renovatingholidayhomes,pensions, tourist routes, ski slopesand the rowingactivitiesonSomeşriver,butalsotheincreaseoftheCityHall’sincome”.

It can easily be observed that the locals are aware of thecommune’stouristicpotential,theyhavebeautifulideasfordevelopingthisindustry,buttheylackdirectinvolvementandinitiative.Moreover,mostofthem,astheintervieweespointedout,arenoteducatedenoughinordertohavethenecessaryskillstosupportthegrowthofthetourismindustry.Thisisaproblemthatcanbesolvedbothbythecooperationofthe public or private actors interested in improving the destination’sattractivenessbyorganizingEnglishclassesandbasicmanagementandleadershiptrainings.

Moreover, as revealed by the questionnaire responses, touristsreportaproblemofmajorimportancefornatureprotection,namelytheproblemofwaste‐management,asobservedbythemajorityofthesurveyrespondents.However,theirlevelofinvolvementinsolvingthisproblemisverylow,inferredfromtheverylowparticipationintheevents“Let'sdoit,Romania!”;thissituation’smainmotivationisthepeople’slackofinterest.Itis,therefore,theissueoftheclandestinepassengerinthesensethattheywantotherstostriveandenjoytogethertheresultandcommonbenefitsinthesensethattheinvolvementinconservationactivitiesisreducedduetothefactthatthepoweroftheexampleisnotproperlyunderstood.Alackoftourism education results from the fact that activities such as theobservation of fauna and flora are preferred, but at the same time, theoverwhelmingmajorityofrespondentsdonotaddresstouristguides.One


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positiveaspect is related to the fact that theRodnaMountainsNationalParkisoneofthemostpopulartourists.Furthermore,thequestionnairerespondents revealed: a good general impression about the interactionwiththemountainandtheprotectedareas,theirpreferenceforinternaldestinations compared to the foreignones regardlessof the season, thebudgetstheyallocatepernight,perstayandannuallyformountaineeringactivities are quite high, so the purchasing power seems to be great.Consequentlythisprovidesasolidfoundationforthedecisionstakenforthefuturetouristdevelopmentofthearea.Theneedforholidaysandthesavingsthattouristsmakethroughouttheyearinordertobeabletogoonholidays,regardlessoftheirincomelevel,leadthisopportunitytoviability.

Both tourists and locals are dissatisfied with the level ofinformationandpromotionoftheparkandproposeraisingthislevelasa solution for the development of tourism demand. However, masspromotion of these areasmay jeopardize their protection, sincemasstourismdoesnotallow for sustainabledevelopmentand isnot in linewiththeareaprotectionmeasures.However,anappropriateandbalancedpromotion,midwaybetweenthecurrentpromotionandmasspromotion,can lead to the desired results and a development that respects theprinciplesofsustainability.

ConclusionsTheconclusionsoftheinterviewstakenwiththelocalsledtothe

identificationofthemajorproblemsfacedbythearea:poorinfrastructure,insufficient promotion, high unemployment rate, reduced professionalopportunities. The link between the development of tourism and thesocio‐economicdevelopmentofthecommuneiswelldrowninthemindsofthelocals.Abigcontributionfromtheintervieweesisrepresentedby


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theproposalofvariousmethodsthroughwhichthisdevelopmentcanbeachieved, in particular with the support of the local authorities: therehabilitationoftheroads,anintensivepromotionofthearea,thecreationofjobsbyattractinginvestors,especiallyinthehospitalityindustry,andthedevelopmentandimplementationofprogramstoeducatelocalsandtoovercomelanguagebarriers.

Some proposals of the local people refer to increasing theirengagementinorganizinglocalevents,inpromotingthemonline(giventheindisputableadvantagesofonlinemarketingactivities),inproposingneweventsthathavethepotentialtoattractmanytourists,and,whynot,thelocals’involvementintheorganization,conservationandprotectionof cultural heritage and natural resources. Some forms of a proactiveattitudecanbeidentifiedindisseminatingpiecesofinformationrelatedto the benefits of agro‐tourism activities and how local people canprovidesuchservicesorintheestablishmentofnon‐profitorganizationstohelpfamiliesanddisadvantagedpeoplebysellinghandicraftitems.Ofcourse, it is compulsory that the locals show support to the localauthoritiesbyinvolvingasmanypeopleaspossibleintheiractivities.Abig positive impact in promoting the destination can achieve by thecreationofanonlineplatformandbytheopeningofatravelagencythatfocusesespeciallyonthisissue.Basically,theestablishmentofaTourismDestination Management Organization can provide the institutionalsolutionforsustainabletourismdevelopmentinRodna.

Furthermore, the reactive attitudes among tourists, locals andadministratorsoftheaccommodationunits,theconcordanceinpointingoutproblems(suchasthepoorconditionoftheroadinfrastructure,theinadequate marking of routes, the lack of adequate marketing andpromotionactivities),thelackofinvolvementandsupportfromnationaladministrative bodies and an attempt of the local authorities to startactionsandthinkaboutprojectsfortourismdevelopmentrepresentthehighlightsof this research. Locals, local authorities andentrepreneursarefullyawareofthebenefitsofsuchadevelopment,bothineconomic


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andfinancial terms,aswellas intermsofcultureandeducation.Civicresponsibilityandthestrengthofone’sownexamplearestillissuesthatneed to be solved. Some macro‐economic factors, especially politicalinstability,areseenbythoseinvolvedasthreatsforthegoalstheyhaveproposed.However,theoptimism,thebeliefsandtheclearevidenceofthoroughattemptstoachievethesegoalscannotbeoverlooked.

In the end, the more categories of actors act in a commonframework and take proactive attitudes, the more exponentially theresultswillgrow.Itiswell‐knownthatthepowerofone’sownexampleandthequestion“whyme?”arewell‐rootedinthenationalmentality,butitdoesnotmeanthatchangeisnotpossible.Theacknowledgementofalltheseaspectsisthefirststeptowardschangeandthisisthetruepurposeandthetruemeaningofthiswork.Thisfirststepwilleventuallyleadasmany other subjects as possible to the common end goal, namely theimprovement of the living conditions and capitalizing on naturalresources, and the further development of Rodna Commune as asustainabledestination.

REFERENCES

1. Cozma, A.‐C., & Coroș, M.‐M. (2017). Tourism Development in Rodna

MountainsNationalPark:thePublicAdministration,aKeyStakeholder.Revistadeturism‐studiișicercetăriînturism,89‐94.

2. Cucculelli, M., & Goffi, G. (2016). Does sustainability enhance tourismdestination competitiveness? Evidence from Italian Destinations ofExcellence.JournalofCleanerProduction,370‐382.

3. Istrate, I.,Bran,F.,&Roșu,A.G. (1996).Economia turismului șimediulînconjurător.


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4. Jauca,D.(2013).Rezervațieabiosferei‐Prezentaregenerală.InL.Păiuș,Monografia comunei Rodna Veche (pp. 273‐287). Bistrița: EdituraCharmides.

5. National Institute of Statistics. (2019, February 10). TempoOnlineDatabase.București,Romania.Retrievedfromhttp://statistici.insse.ro/shop/.

6. Păiuș, L. (2013). Monografia comunei Rodna Veche. Bistrița: EdituraCharmides.

7. PrimăriaComuneiRodna.(2018).Internalsources.Rodna.


COMPETITIVENESSINTOURISM:ATHEORETICALOUTLOOK

IOANAMARIATRIPON1

ABSTRACT. Present‐day, tourism is declared as one of the leadingsectorsofdevelopment,amajorsourceofrevenues,jobsandprosperity.Competitivenessisakeyelementofthetourismindustry.Theabilitytocompeteinarapidlygrowingworldtourismmarketisaprimeconcern.Understandingcompetitivenessandperformanceintourismandmeasuringit ischallenging.Althougha largeamountof literatureabout tourismdestinationcompetitivenesshasbeenproduced,includingmeasurementmodelsapplied,itisatopicthatstilloffersanimportantrangeofdebate.

Thispaperaimsatpresentingtheprogressofresearchontourismcompetitiveness term and tries to provide a general framework thatcouldbeexpandedto furtherstudy.Sincethe1990s,researcheffortshavebeenconductedtowardsdevelopingatheoreticalandconceptualbasisforcompetitivenessassessment.Manyresearchershaveappliedthe competitiveness theory as a critical concept to explain tourismdevelopment,destinationmanagementandtourismstrategies.

Thepaperconcludesthat,inspiteofthevariousattemptstoexplainthecompetitivenessintourism,theliteratureisstillconfrontedwiththeambiguityoftheconceptandthecomplexityofitselements,whicharedifficulttomeasure.Keywords:Tourism,Destination,Competitiveness,DestinationAwarenessJELclassification:L83,M31

1PhDstudent,Babeş‐BolyaiUniversity,Cluj‐Napoca,Romania,[email protected]

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Recommendedcitation:Tripon,I.M.,CompetitivenessinTourism:ATheoreticalOutlook, Studia UBB Negotia, vol. 63, issue 3 (September), 2018, pp. 67‐78,doi:10.24193/subbnegotia.2018.3.04.

Introduction In the lastdecades, travelandtourismandtherelatednetworkhaveproventobesignificantfactorsofeconomicgrowth,contributing10.2%toglobalGDPin2016,anincreaseforthesixthconsecutiveyearand accounting for 1 in 10 jobs in the world (WTO, 2018). Researchshowsthatforevery30newtouriststhatgotoadestination,anewjobiscreated.(WEF,2017) Destinationcompetitivenessisoneofthemainareasofinterestandresearch,akeyconceptofthetouristindustry,overwhichresearchersandpractitionershavenotyetreachedaconsensusonhowitshouldbedefined.Thetermcompetitivenessisusedonalargescale,bothintheprofessionalandacademicenvironment.Today,thenotionofcompetiti‐venessisstrongandwidespread,withoriginsinthewritingsofMichaelPorter(1980,1985,and1990).

Thenotionofdestinationcompetitivenessshouldbeconsistentwiththeconceptofcompetitivenessineconomics.Itiswidelyacceptedthateconomicgrowthandcompetitivenessinvolveacomplexinteractiveprocessofsocial,politicalandinstitutionaldevelopment(DwyerandKim,2003).ScottandLodge(1985)viewedcompetitivenessas“acountry’sabilityto create, produce, distribute and/or service products in internationaltradewhileearningrisingreturnsonitsresources”.Theyalsoconsiderthatthisability is“moreandmoreamatterofstrategies,andlessandlessaproductofnaturalendowments”(RitchieandCrouch,2003).ForNewall (1992), competitiveness “is about producingmore andbetter‐qualitygoodsandservicesthataremarketedsuccessfullytoconsumers”.


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Dwyer and Kim (2003) present competitiveness as a multi‐facetedconceptassociatedwiththreemajorgroupsofthoughtthatare:

a) Comparativeadvantageand/orpricecompetitivenessperspective,

b) Astrategyandmanagementperspective,

c) Ahistoricalandsocio‐culturalperspective.

The World Competitiveness Yearbook (IMD, 2000) examines

competitivenessintermsoffourfundamentalforcesthat“areoftentheresultoftradition,historyorvaluesystemsandaresodeeplyrootedinthe‘modusoperandi’ofacountrythat,inmostcases,theyarenotclearlystatedordefined.”Thefourdimensionsusedareattractivenessversusaggressiveness, proximity versus globality, assets versus systems, andindividual risk taking versus social cohesiveness (Ritchie and Crouch,2003). Many researchers have applied the competitiveness theory as acrucial approach to explain destinationmanagement and performance,tourismstrategiesanddevelopment.Theliteratureonthecompetitivenessoftourismdestinationshasfocusedonthesustainabilityoftheplacewhilemaintaining a favourable market position towards other destinations.AccordingtoOECD“tourismcompetitivenessforadestinationisabouttheabilityof theplace tooptimise itsattractiveness forresidentsandnon‐residents,todeliverquality,innovative,andattractive(e.g.providinggoodvalueformoney)tourismservicestoconsumersandtogainmarketshareson the domestic and global market places, while ensuring that theavailable resources supporting tourism are used efficiently and in asustainableway”(OECD,2013). Themainpurposeofthisstudyistoreviewtheprogressofresearchontourismcompetitivenesstermandtooutlinethemultipleaspectsthatinfluence it. There are several issues that need to be addressed inunderstandingandmeasuringthecompetitivenessoftourismdestinations.

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Anauditoftheliterature(empiricalstudies,literaturereviewarticles,casestudies,books,conceptualpapersandsoon)reveal the importanceandevolutionofthetourismcompetitivenessconcept.

TheevolutionofcompetitivenessintourismOvertheyears,theresearchershavetriedtoexplaintheconcept

ofcompetitivenessinrelationtothetourismdestination.Studiesonthedevelopment andmanagement of tourist destinations havemultipliedlately,withtheaimofprovidingviewpointsandguidelinestosomeofthequestions and challenges that destinations encounter. Since the ‘90s,researcheffortshavebeenaimedatdevelopingatheoreticalandconceptualbasis for understanding competitiveness. However, the literature stillfaces the unclearness of the concept and the puzzling of its elements,whicharedifficulttomeasure.

Thediscussiondatesbacktothefirststudiesthatcameoutinthemid‐1970sbyGoodrich(1977,1978),MayoandJarvis(1981)andgoesuntilnowadays,withanincreaseinthenumberofstudiespublishedonthesubjectofcompetitivenessofthedestinationanditselementsaroundthe years 1990s. Although a large volume of research about tourismcompetitiveness has been produced over the last two decades, theliteraturereviewrevealsthatthereisnocompletedefinitionofcompete‐tiveness that iscommonlyagreedandhas fullandperfectcontent.Anevaluationoftheliteratureindicatesthatmuchhasbeenwrittenaboutthe competitiveness between different tourist destinations, either atregional, national or international level. According to Bordas (1994),competitiveness is established between destinations and tourismorganisations rather than between countries, because of the differentaspects and characteristics of destinations in a country. This depends


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entirely onhowmuchadestination ismorepopular than its country.However,accordingtothisapproach,eachgeographicalpartofacountrymaybeinindividualcompetitionwithothersimilarforeignregionsonthebasisof facilities,culturalandnaturalheritageandhistory.(KozakandBaloglu,2011)

However,a fullanalysisof thecompetitivenessofadestinationdidnotreceivewidespreadrecognitioninthetourismliterature(Pearce,1997).Anearlydefinitionof the competitivenessof thedestination isgivenbyChonandMeyer (1995)asa reformulationof theconceptofcompetitiveness in the economy (taken fromGlobal Competition:TheNew Reality. Report on the President’s Commission on IndustrialCompetitiveness,1985),asfollows:"thecompetitivenessofthedestinationis the degree to which it can, under free and fair market conditions,produce services that meet the taste of international markets, whilesimultaneouslyexpandingthereal incomeof itsemployees(citizens)”.This assertion shows that both quantitative andqualitative indicatorsareessentialindefiningthetermofdestinationcompetitiveness.(KozakandBaloglu,2011).

Competitiveness in the tourism industry has moved frominternationalcompetitivenessandbetweencompaniestocompetitivenessamongdestinationsdue to the impactof globalisation.Unlike as for acertainmanufacturedproduct,competitionbetweentourismdestinationshas a different structure. The competitiveness can be influenced bycustomer expectations, motivation, past experiences, location andaccessibility(KozakandBaloglu,2011).

Linkedtothenotionofdestinationcompetitivenessarenumerousvariables.Theseincludeobjectivelymeasuredvariablessuchasvisitornumbers,marketshare, touristexpenditure,employment,valueaddedbythetourismindustry,aswellassubjectivelymeasuredvariablessuchas“richnessofcultureandheritage,qualityofthetourismexperience,etc.(DwyerandKim,2003)

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The destination competitiveness research considers two mainapproaches:conceptualandempirical.Theliteraturerevealsavariationin defining, understanding and measuring competitiveness. The firsttourismcompetitivenessstudies,between1977until2000,focusedtheirresearchmainlyontourists’perceptions(regardingfacilities,attractions,accessibility, prices, etc.). Beginning with researchers Enright andNewton in 2004 and Lopez, Navarro and Domingues (2004), theyevaluated the destination competitiveness based on the performance,analysing several economic factors and indicators. Currently, there islimited information regarding the connection between the tourismperformanceandthedestinationcompetitiveness.

Over the years, competitiveness studies were carried out byseveral researchers (e.g. Goodrich,1977; Haahti and Yavas, 1983;Edwards,1993; Driscoll, Lawson and Niven, 1994; Chon and Meyer,1995;Pearce,1997;Dwyer,ForsythandRao,2000;Kim,2000;Buhalis,2000; Dwyer and Kim, 2001; Yoon, 2002; Ritchie and Crouch, 2003;EnrightandNewton,2004;BaharandKozak,2007;Kozak,BalogluandBahar,2010),butthemostcomprehensivestudysofaristhatofRitchieand Crouch (2003) who applied the competitiveness of the servicesindustry to the context of tourism destinations based on countries,industries,productsandcompanies.Inthisrespect,thepossibilitiesofadestinationthatensuresahighstandardof livingfor itscitizensisthecompetitivenessofthatdestination.

To better illustrate the variety of tourism destinationcompetitivenessapproaches,fewofthemarepresented,inchronologicalorder,inTable1:


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Table1.Tourismcompetitivenessapproaches

Author Definition

Pearce(1997) ‘Destinationdevelopmenttechniquesandmethods

thatcansystematicallyanalyseandcomparethe

differentattributesofcompetingdestinationswithin

aplanningcontext.’

Hassan(2000) ‘Thedestination’sabilitytocreateandintegrate

value‐addedproductsthatsustainitsresources

whilemaintainingitsmarketpositionrelativeto

competitors.’

d’Hauteserre(2000) ‘Theabilityofadestinationtomaintainitsmarket

positionandshareand/ortoimproveuponthem

throughtime.’

GoandGovers

(2000)

‘Competitivenessisanarisingstrategicvalueand

thedestinationcompetitivenessrepresentsthe

successinintegratedqualitymanagement.’

Dwyer,Forsythand

Rao(2000a)

‘Tourismcompetitivenessisageneralconceptthat

encompassespricedifferentialscoupledwith

exchangeratemovements,productivitylevelsof

variouscomponentsofthetouristindustryand

qualitativefactorsaffectingtheattractivenessor

otherwiseofadestination.’

Yoon(2002) ‘Competitivenessrepresentsinnovationand

continuouschange.’

DwyerandKim

(2003)

‘Destinationcompetitivenessislinkedtotheability

ofadestinationtodelivergoodsandservicesthat

performbetterthanotherdestinationsonthose

aspectsofthetourismexperienceconsideredtobe

importantbytourists.’

Source:OwnelaborationbasedonKozak&Baloglu(2011)andDwyer&Kim(2003)

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Somestudieshavetriedtoestimatethecompetitivepositionoftourismdestinationsfromtheperspectiveofusingquantitativemeasures(i.e.Papatheodorou,2002;Mangion,DurbarryandSinclair,2005).Thisgroup of researchers analysed the secondary data, such as prices,numberof tourist arrivals, durationof stayand revenues.The secondgroup of studies examined the tourism competitiveness by usingqualitativemeasures(e.g.socio‐economicandsocio‐demographicprofilesoftourists,levelofsatisfactionorcomplaints,qualityofstaffworkingintourism,thequalityoftourismfacilitiesandservices)andapplyingdirectcomparison(i.e.Driscoll,LawsonandNiven,1994;Yoon,2002;EnrightandNewton2004,2005).Itisalsonecessarytomentiontheexistenceofstudies using both quantitative and qualitative assessments (Campos‐Soria,GarciaandGarcia2005).

Thedefinitionsofferedintheliteratureprovidebothamicroanda macro connotation of competitiveness. Crouch and Ritchie (1999)believethatmicroandmacro(global)environmentarethegeneralfactorsthatinfluencethecompetitivenessofadestination.Theadvantageofthismodelisitssuperiorityinconsideringtheroleofdestinationmanagementandentrepreneurs.(KozakandBaloglu,2011) Conclusions The brief review of the literature on tourism destinationcompetitiveness revealed that none of the definitions that have beenassertedisentirelysatisfactory,astheydonotprovideacomprehensiveapproach of the various aspects that the notion of competitivenessencompasses. Within this research stream, the authors explored thepossibilityofapplyingconceptsandtheoriesaboutthemanagementoforganisationstothestudyofdestinations.Understandingandmeasuring


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thecompetitivenessintourismraisesagreatinterest,buttheavailableinformationshowsthatthereisstillaneedtoexploretheconceptfromthedifferentperspectivesrelevanttothespecificcontexts. Someresearchersfocusedonthemethodologywhileotherstriedto expand the competitiveness theory using different attributes andresearch criteria. However, a major issue involves the integration ofobjective and subjective features of competitiveness. An importantaspectforfurtherresearchistoexplorethepossibilityofincorporatingqualitative factors into the construction of competitiveness models.There seems to be a common opinion that economic prosperity andtourismperformanceare important issues for further researchon thecompetitivenessoftourismdestinations. Basedonthestudiesoftheresearchersitcanbeconcludedthatthecompetitivenessoftourismdestinationsisamulti‐faceted,evolvingconceptinfluencedbymanyfactors.

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