Visiting academic from the UK

Prof Davidson is a leading author and international speaker on the topic of business tourism. He presented a lecture to the second- and third-year BCom(Tourism Management) students on the topic of conferencing for the Generation Y.

The lecture started with the quote from Hira, 2007: “Bye, bye Baby Boomers – We are moving away from the values, attitudes and lifestyle of the once influential Baby Boomers (born 1943 to 1960) toward the values, attitudes and lifestyles of the younger generations”.

During his lecture, Prof Davidson highlighted the characteristics of the Generation Y, namely

• seeking work-life balance (socialising and work);
• becoming global citizens;
• being life-long learners (personal development);
• being technically competent (two-way communication and multi-tasking); and
• seeking instant gratification (shorter attention spans, require constant feedback and loves options).

“The Generation Y care more about corporate social responsibility and green issues than the Baby Boomers,” said Prof Davidson.