Onboarding handbooks constitute a very important and powerful tool in the socialization and integration processes of recruits implemented by Human Resources. As companies compete to thrive in global markets, the attraction and retention of employees have been given much attention in recent years. One of the strategies developed by companies to achieve this goal are the so-called Onboarding Handbooks given to newcomers, serving as a means of facilitating workers’ integration into the everyday processes of the company. As a consolidated research area, many HR studies have been developed around these subjects, as these manuals have been proven to be important tools in the socialization process of the former candidate, now entering the organisational culture of a given enterprise. A literature review was developed according to the main variables of the study of Organisational Socialization processes, strategies, and methods, with special emphasis on the onboarding book. To find out if these manuals correspond to the relevant literature of HR, eight of the onboarding handbooks from several public and private organizations have been analysed following the proposed structure of onboarding handbooks presented in the literature review. In addition, purposeful sampling was followed and content analysis on the handbooks was developed. The paper’s contributions are twofold: (a) the authors suggest a complete and up-to-date structure for the contents of onboarding books to be applied by HR managers and (b) compare its structure to several manuals of different enterprises from various sectors of the Portuguese economy. Findings show that the onboarding book remains an important tool and facilitator of organisational integration. Although, the onboarding processes are changing, and even the format of the onboarding books can become different (digital or not), their contents are essential for the socialization of newcomers and a means to organisational culture dissemination as well as containing functional contents such as internal norms and regulations.

Creative tourism studies remain a newly developed field, pointing to changes in the consumption of tourism and culture while influencing how creativity and co-creation differentiate tourism supply through exploring the existential dimensions of creative experiences, the latter remaining an under-researched theme in the creative tourism literature. In addition, this type of tourism is presented as more responsible and sustainable than other types of massified forms of tourism. Building on a Bourdieusian approach, an updated version of Bourdieu’s main sociological thinking tools was used to analyse the creative habitus of both the supply and demand involved in the co-creation of creative tourism experiences. The authors developed 42 semi-structured interviews with creatives and creative tourists using the Loulé Criativo network in Portugal as a case study and applied qualitative techniques for the data treatment. The results showed that the creative habitus could move successfully between fields, expressing a sustainable agency towards creative tourism consumption. Autodidactism is important for skill development and knowledge replication resulting from the co-creation of creative experiences. The creative habitus, endowed with intercultural and creative capital, is characterized by self-education and ecological awareness where co-creation and coexistence with other creative people enhance the development and replication of creative competencies outside the tourism field.

As creative tourism consolidates both as an autonomous research area and a valid sustainable form of tourism based on learning, active participation, co-creation, creative self-expression, and local community engagement, its economic models have evolved from simple creative activities to complex territorial and technological-based networks, boosting the entrepreneurship of creative communities in tourism. Seen as a means of territorial development strategy through tourism, creative networks can stem from private partnerships, the public sector, the local community, or third sector organisations. Focusing on a case study approach, this research adopts a multidimensional framework with the goal of analysing the benefits of creative tourism towards a creative tourism network. Using a quantitative approach through Likert scale statements of five items, this research aimed to study the creative supply and demand linked to a creative tourism network. Based on the principles and benefits of creative tourism and the goals of the creative network, the following dimensions were analysed: job creation; production and commerce of creative products; safeguarding of tangible and intangible heritage; development of social capital between network agents; creative and innovative images of the region; the active role of the local community in the network; and the consumption profile of the creative tourist through the network. The main conclusions of the study point to the network boosting local job creation and preserving local traditions but struggling to expand sales and increase tourist stays. While it enhances the region’s image, there is a need for stronger collaboration and community engagement.

Creative tourism has been a proficuous ground for the implementation of ICT's (Information and Communications Technology) strategies and the so-called creative industries. New cultural mediators are changing tourism consumption. Postmodern consumers have brought new perceptions to cocreation processes through user-generated content, eWOM (Electronic Word of Mouth), peer-to-peer exchange, collaborative economy, SoLoMo (social-local-mobile) tourists, among others. Booktubers and music fans/consumers in Chile constitute examples of diverse consumption through virtual and physical mediation, as capital construction enables social practices. In this exploratory study, the authors discuss how creative experiences are being consumed through cultural mediation made possible by technological developments. The creative tourism network website is analysed in the light of postmodern cultural mediation and capital construction.

Experience co-creation has received much attention in tourism, events, and festivals literature. Often shared and consumed collectively, those experiences positively affect visitors’ satisfaction, the volume of expenditure, and levels of happiness, being essential for businesses, attractions, and destinations. As add-ons, co-creation experiences can play a significant role in diversifying and differentiating the supply of cultural events while contributing to fostering events and festivals as tools of territorial development. Within this context, this exploratory research aims to analyse the characteristics of co-creation experiences developed in three cultural events. Considering participation and personalisation as two relevant dimensions of experience co-creation, this paper analyses how they can be applied in the context of cultural events. The study follows a comparative approach, describing three cases of cultural events on the central coast of Portugal (Aveiro region). The methodology was based on participant observation and documental analysis of secondary data, namely the events and festivals characteristics, cultural programs, websites, and promotional materials. Major results indicate that two of the three events analysed have better conditions for the participation of visitors and the local communities, mainly due to the considerable number of activities that provide active participation and learning. On the other hand, one of the festivals fosters better conditions for the personalisation of services and experiences compared to the others, mainly due to the venue's characteristics and the way the program is designed. In that sense, the paper highlights the potential for the inclusion of co-creation experiences in events and festivals, providing a set of good practices for events and festival organisers and other tourism agents such as tourism businesses, tourism professionals, and local communities.