https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/81117 2026-04-16T07:27:09Z 2026-04-16T07:27:09Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/81344 2021-09-22T09:13:56Z 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Innovations in the culinary industry in Malta : an exploratory study Abstract: The primary aim is to research and understand innovations in the culinary industry by seeking to address a gap in the literature, since to date, there is no research that compares the innovations that have taken place in international fine dining restaurants with those in Malta. Although the culinary industry includes various sectors, this study focuses only on fine dining since a lot has been written about chefs in the international scene and there is enough material for research to compare with chefs in Malta. This dissertation is addressed by asking two research questions: (i) What are the main innovations that have contributed to the dining experience in the top ten fine dining restaurants overseas? (ii) To what extent do these innovations compare to the state of the culinary art amongst the top ten fine dining restaurants in Malta? Interviews using open-ended questions were conducted with the chefs of the top ten restaurants in Malta and the results from the overt observations were used to compare with the desk based research carried out on the top ten international restaurants. One of the main findings, is that the majority of the top ten fine dining restaurants in Malta use local fresh seasonal produce as their basis to innovate on their dishes, similar to their international counter-parts. This is critically important and relevant since as claimed by Ottenbacher & Harrington (2009), product quality and seasonality is the most critical aspect of successful fine dining innovations. The top ten international restaurants are situated in larger countries having vast amount of farmland. Lack of land is a limiting factor in Malta that hinders innovation, as some Maltese chefs note. One alternative may be to focus more on fish, since Malta is surrounded by sea. The study concludes by providing a few recommendations for future research and one recommendation would be to update this study and compare international restaurants having the same Michelin stars as those in Malta. Description: M.CREATIVITY&INNOVATION

2020-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/81328 2021-09-22T08:05:58Z 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Teaching for creativity : exploring opportunities to teach for creativity in early childhood education in Malta Abstract: The aim of this study was to explore teaching practices which Maltese Year 1 and Year 2 teachers engage in when teaching for creativity. Two main research questions were asked: i) What practices do Maltese Early Childhood Educators engage in when teaching for creativity within the research school? ii) What barriers to teaching for creativity can be identified within the school? After reviewing the extant literature and identifying a relevant conceptual framework, a case study within a Maltese State School was designed. This case study comprised of two stages. The first stage involved document analysis, whereby the Schemes of Work for Year 1 (age 5 years) and Year 2 (age 6 years) were examined. These determined the extent to which creativity is being taught in practice at the selected school. During the second stage, 3 Year 1 and 3 Year 2 teachers were interviewed, together with the Head of School and an Education Officer for the Early Years, with a total of 8 interviewees. The findings suggest that while in theory teachers view creativity positively, classroom opportunities to develop it are generally lacking, with only a few of its aspects being effectively considered in practice. A number of challenges leading to this creativity gap’ emerged from the interviews, namely the quality of professional training and a fragmented education system. It is recommended that early childhood educators are provided with a holistic support system to teach for creativity, integrating professional training, school-based support and policy-level support. Description: M.CREATIVITY&INNOVATION

2020-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/81325 2021-09-22T08:03:11Z 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Social innovation in Maltese SMEs Abstract: Social innovation is considered as a new and emerging field, which has been given more prominence during the last decade. It is defined as the practical application of ideas for the development of new and improved products, processes, methods and/or services to resolve social problems while creating value for shareholders (Herrera, 2015; Sinnergiak Social Innovation, 2013) and other stakeholders. Within the Maltese context, social innovation is barely spoken of. Thus, the purpose of this research was to better understand social innovation within Maltese SMEs. Three research questions were addressed, namely: (1) To what extent are local SMEs engaged in social innovation? (2) What are the factors that influence the engagement of social innovation in local SMEs? (3) How can local SMEs be supported to engage in social innovation? Rogers’ (2003) Diffusion of Innovation (DoI) Theory and the Social Entrepreneurial Orientation (SEO) Scale (Kraus et al., 2017) were used to address the research questions. A mixed methods approach was adopted, and data collection was divided into two phases. First, an online survey was distributed amongst local SMEs focusing on their knowledge, attitudes and practices of social innovation. The survey was fully completed by 71 respondents who fell within the targeted population. The second phase of the research project involved five semi-structured interviews with relevant stakeholders in the business sector, to delve more deeply into current and prospective efforts in the business ecosystem to promote social innovation. The survey data was analysed using SPSS, and the interviews with thematic analysis. Findings show that there is lack of knowledge amongst participants, whereby SMEs do not invest much effort to engage in social innovation. This could be due to the gap between resources required for social innovation and those available for SMEs. With regards to Rogers’ (2003) Attributes of Innovation, observability was found to have a significant positive impact on the engagement with social innovation. Finally, a collaborative environment is considered to encourage the diffusion of social innovation amongst SMEs. Description: M.CREATIVITY&INNOVATION

2020-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/81320 2021-09-20T10:59:59Z 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Nomadic entrepreneurship : heading out for international business opportunities Abstract: The concept of digital nomadism is gaining increasing attention as a lifestyle and mainstream approach to working. This study seeks to gain an initial understanding of the nomadic entrepreneur, a new emerging social figure within digital nomadism. Nomadic entrepreneurs are location-independent entrepreneurs exploiting business opportunities within the digital ecosystem to support a lifestyle of geographical, personal and economic freedom. There is limited research in the field of digital nomadism and the concept of the ‘nomadic entrepreneur’ or ‘nomadic entrepreneurship’ has not yet been widely studied in mainstream academic entrepreneurship journals. The aim of this study is to develop an initial understanding of the nomadic entrepreneur and to stimulate research on this form of entrepreneurship and this emerging lifestyle. First, this study explores the characteristics of this new emerging type of entrepreneur to garner an initial understanding of the ‘digital nomad’ within entrepreneurship. The study then sets out to understand how nomadic entrepreneurs identify business opportunities within the digital ecosystem. The issues are explored using a qualitative approach guided by the framework of digital entrepreneurial entrepreneurship (Susan & Acs, 2017) and the opportunity identification framework (George et al., 2015). Thirteen in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with nomadic entrepreneurs. The collected data was then analysed using a thematic approach. The interviews revealed that nomadic entrepreneurs constantly identify new opportunities and that traveling influences this, mainly through the varying social contacts and changing environments. The findings suggest that nomadic entrepreneurs are motivated to pursue nomadic entrepreneurship because it allows them to maximise their freedom, flexibility in lifestyle design and stimulate their high need for stimuli by a constant flow of new experiences and social contacts. Nomadic entrepreneurs mainly travel for lifestyle purposes. It appears that once their current business fulfills the nomadic entrepreneur’s needs, they will not pursue the exploration of new ventures, despite the recurring recognition of novel opportunities. The study concluded that for nomadic entrepreneurs, ventures serve as means to support a certain lifestyle and therefore economic growth is prioritized after lifestyle design. Description: M.CREATIVITY&INNOVATION

2020-01-01T00:00:00Z