Search Results (8)

Background and Objectives: The pulmonary sequelae of COVID-19 and their evolution are of interest to the scientific community. We aimed to determine the radiological changes at 6 and 12 months after COVID-19 pneumonia, its evolution and its risk factors. Materials and Methods: This retrospective longitudinal study included adults admitted for COVID-19 pneumonia from 1 March 2020 to 30 April 2021 who had a high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) scan at 6 months and 12 months after hospital discharge. The primary outcome was the appearance of radiological abnormalities on HRCT and the number of lung segments affected by them at 6 and 12 months, while the main explanatory variables were about the disease course, analytical parameters and treatment. Results: This study included n = 108 patients, with a mean age of 64 years. There was a decrease in the percentage of patients presenting parenchymal (93.5% to 88.9%, p < 0.001) and reticular (63% to 62%, p < 0.001) patterns on HRCT at 12 months compared to 6, and an increase in those presenting a fibrotic pattern (62% to 63.9%, p < 0.001). Ground-glass opacities were the most frequent radiological change at 6 and 12 months (91.7% and 87%, respectively). There was a significant reduction in the total number of lung segments with ground-glass opacities (445 to 382, p < 0.001) and consolidation (158 to 136, p = 0.019) and an increase in those with bronchiectasis (66 to 80, p = 0.033) between the two moments. After multivariate analysis, high-flow oxygen therapy (HFOT), highest ferritin levels, hypertension and ≥71 years showed an association with the development of subpleural parenchymal bands, consolidation, bronchiectasis and septal thickening at 6 and 12 months. Conclusions: Parenchymal patterns seem to be more frequent than reticular and fibrotic patterns after COVID-19 pneumonia. The fibrotic pattern was the only one that worsened significantly over time, with bronchiectasis being the only change that increased at 12 months. Older age, hypertension, the need for HFOT, and high levels of ferritin may be directly associated with worse radiological outcomes after COVID-19 pneumonia. Full article

The research into Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been prolific in the last years, although few studies have focused their attention on studying its relationship with economic performance within the hotel industry, even less incorporating marketing variables as a result. This work aims to determine the relationship between the implementation of CSR policies and their influence on the Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR) in Spanish hotels, through marketing variables. A quantitative methodology was conducted using an online survey, gathering a sample of 230 hotel managers from Spain. The results of the structural model analyzed reveal that CSR has a discreet but significant role for understanding how marketing variables and RevPAR operate. CSR has a direct impact on RevPAR, but it also influences it indirectly through marketing variables. Therefore, CSR arises as a fundamental strategy to improve the results of the hotel sector in the long term. Full article

The scientific literature on tourism identifies two driving trends: the quest for experientiality and the growing connection between holidays and quality of life. The present research focuses on water-based activities practiced with a healthy purpose, capable of driving positive economic, social and environmental effects on the territory where this type of tourism is developed. Considering the growing demand of experiential tourism, it is important to assess the experiential value of these practices and their impact on the quality of life, satisfaction and loyalty. A sample of 184 customers of thermal spas and similar establishments was used to test the structural model proposed, employing the partial least squares technique. The results show the experiential value of healthy water-based activities and confirm their positive impact on the individuals’ quality of life, satisfaction and loyalty towards both the experience and the destination. Full article

This study focused on university social responsibility (USR). Corporate social responsibility is currently an extremely common strategy implemented by organizations. Higher education institutions are also introducing this strategy to enhance their performance, seeking to ensure that every university action is socially responsible and oriented toward achieving advantages over competitors. This competitive advantage is the result of a social responsibility vision, which has an ethical core, that the University has implemented or is implementing among all its stakeholders. These institutions work in four areas: instruction, research, management, and projection to society. Universities must thus strive to meet the interests of different stakeholders’ interests. This research concentrated on university students as an important stakeholder. The main objective was to evaluate university students’ participation in USR activities, as well as assessing the impact of relevant university practices. In addition, the study sought to measure the existing causal relationship between students’ participation and their university’s practices in terms of student satisfaction. The fieldwork was conducted with an electronic survey distributed to a group of University of Extremadura students in Spain. A total of 362 valid questionnaires were collected, which were processed using structural equation modeling and partial least squares. The results have implications for university management in the area of social responsibility, with regard to the new USR trends are revealed. In terms of originality and value, this research emphasized a specific stakeholder in universities, namely students, and ways their satisfaction can be achieved through USR. Full article

The tourism sector is undergoing many very significant changes. In addition to adapting to an interactive society, the use of quality must be incorporated as a competitive strategy. It also has the challenge of promoting excellence. The Internet is an easily accessible source of information and by using it, hotel establishments can easily find out their consumers’ requirements. This document aims to explore the main factors for luxury hotels that affect tourist satisfaction by studying users’ online reviews. This research investigates the importance of opting for a competitive strategy of excellence, which specializes in total customer satisfaction. To do this, this research analyzes the comments made on Internet by tourists at luxury hotels and uses the QSR (Qualitative Solutions and Research International) qualitative analysis software called NVivo to study the comments made when the tourists are highly satisfied. From this analysis, the items that these types of tourists value most highly are identified. Full article

Food-based events and festivals are being increasingly organized around the world, both in large cities and in small towns with the aim of attracting the many benefits they provide to the destinations where they are held. While the impact of mega events is sufficiently studied in scientific literature, the works that address the effects of small events are still scarce. To close this gap, this research investigates the significance of small food-based events for tourism and the sustainable development of destinations. An exhaustive study of a renowned festival based on cheese was carried out in the Spanish city of Trujillo. A survey was used to ask non-local attendants and it explored their motivations, the event itself, the assessment of the permanent elements of the destination, and loyalty to the festival. The impact of these small festivals is not only relevant for the tourism sector and the sustainable positioning of the destination, however it is also relevant for the local economy due to the consumption of local gastronomic products. Given their role in attracting visitors, these small festivals as tourist motivators must be integrated into the communication campaigns of those destinations that seek to enhance their sustainability. Full article

Water is an important element for the conservation of ecosystems and for human wellbeing. Recently, there has been a loss of awareness about the value of this resource, which requires scientific and practical action to encourage the rise of a new cultural attitude regarding water. Tourism gives water resources great potential, because it facilitates the development of such attractive resources, combining their protection with respectful use. However, studies that have explored the water tourism–territory relationship are still scarce. The objective of this work is to explore the current, touristic use of the aquifer sites in the Spanish region of Extremadura in order to determine whether these practices have the potential to generate new sensitivity about the value of water and its importance in socioeconomic development and environmental conservation. This research uses qualitative and quantitative methodologies, obtaining results that confirm the strategic role of water in the proper management of ecosystems and for the enhancement of human wellbeing. The empirical results show the beginning of a change in water-based tourism from both a supply- and demand-side perspectives. The conclusions suggest potential new measures that will facilitate a better understanding of the value of water, enhance the quality of life for everyone, and safeguard ecosystems. Full article

Residents are an essential part of tourism destinations, which makes gaining a deeper understanding of residents’ attitudes towards tourism development necessary because their favourable attitudes can contribute to destinations’ success. This study sought to understand to what extent rural residents’ perceptions of tourism development in their region affect their intention to support further tourism development. The present research also focused on the influence of the variables of community attachment and perceived quality of life on the relationship between residents’ perceptions of and intentions to support this development. This study concentrated on the case of olive oil tourism development in the Sierra de Gata and Las Hurdes districts in Spain. To test the proposed model, the data were collected from a sample of 245 residents in this region. Partial least squares was used to assess the model’s accuracy. The results highlight the importance of residents’ perceptions and their community attachment and perceived quality of life to destination managers who plan and develop tourism projects. Full article