Search results

Previous research has highlighted women’s unequal status in relation to management within a range of service sector industries. Leisure services, however, has remained an under‐researched sector in spite of its growing significance to the economy and its increasing importance as an employer of women. This paper reports selected results from recent research examining gender equity in leisure management. The research, examined gender equity in leisure management and within the professional institute itself. The results demonstrate that women experience both structural and cultural constraints in attempting to secure management careers in leisure but that they remain optimistic about the future. Analysis of the results indicates that this optimism may be misplaced in an industry where women are encouraged to accept large amounts of senior management responsibility for middle management salaries, where routes to promotion remain unclear, and where organisational culture is informed by the dominant “locker room culture” of male sport.

To provide a critique of the strategies that the UK Government employed at that time of the closure of the countryside during the foot and mouth disease (FMD) and their subsequent effects upon leisure and tourism providers. The work evaluates the sector's responses to the FMD crisis and considers their significance and influence in relation to the strategies deployed. Possible alternative strategies are presented which both government and industries can consider.

The complete sector of tourism and leisure providers within the market town of Keswick was surveyed twice over a two‐year period. The initial survey was undertaken in 2002 and the second survey occurred in 2004. Keswick is situated in the northern sector of the English Lake District National Park, which is situated within the county of Cumbria. This area was seen to be the most affected by the foot and mouth crisis both in terms of severity and duration of infection. In addition to the survey conducted, key personnel from government agencies and voluntary organisations were also interviewed using a semi‐structured approach. Additional information was accessed from a FMD discussion web site.

The impact of the foot and mouth crisis devastated the rural tourism and leisure industries. The governmental policy utilized was myopic in its outlook and ineffectual in that it concentrated mainly upon the consequences to, and the needs of, the farming industry. The current proposals acknowledge to some degree that the town's tourism and leisure industry are a valued part of the rural economy, but the authors question if these are effective enough.

The originality of the study has enabled the evaluation of the strategies put in place immediately after the FMD crisis. It not only critically appraises proposed policies (i.e. limited closure of the countryside in future) but uniquely proposes a number of alternatives.

This paper seeks to analyze government survey data on what concerns leisure and hospitality employers most when considering hiring people with disabilities, as well as what hiring practices best alleviate these concerns. Special attention is to be given to the theory of planned behavior in these aims.

US government survey data of leisure and hospitality employers' perspectives were disaggregated and examined using F‐, T‐, and Z‐tests.

Employee abilities and workplace accommodations raised substantial concerns, while financial incentives and practices addressing workplace attitudes were seen as especially helpful solutions. Employer concerns toward hiring varied significantly by employer size, with employers with more workers being more likely to hire those with disabilities than those with fewer workers.

Future research should work to overcome limitations inherent in the source data used by further disaggregating business types within the leisure and hospitality industry, and to examine how socio‐demographic factors impact employer perceptions.

This is the first study to statistically test and apply the theory of planned behavior to the most recent nationally representative and randomized survey data of leisure and hospitality employer perceptions on hiring people with disabilities.

The study aims to investigate the relationship between aggregate and individual dimensions of sustainability and financial and stock market performances of the firms in the travel and tourism industry (TTI) across different geographies.

The sample under study consists of 146 firms belonging to TTI that have consistently obtained environmental, social and governance (ESG) rating over the period 2011–2017 as a part of Thomson Reuters Asset 4 ESG database. An empirical multivariate panel data model is developed to analyse the impact of sustainability (ESG) on firm profitability and market value within three tourism-related industries (transportation, hotel and leisure).

The study extends the existing literature by investigating the impact of each of the vital dimensions of sustainability performance – ESG – and examines how each dimension would affect financial performance and market value among firms within three tourism-related industries (transportation, hotel and leisure). Among the three tourism industries, hotel industry is observed to have the highest ESG compliance, followed by the transportation industry. Based on the agency and stakeholder theory, the authors hypothesized all ESG components to have significant positive effect on the financial and stock market performance; however, the results reveal that each dimension has different impact on financial performance and market value of firms in the tourism industry.

The study could help firms in the travel and tourism industries to understand which of the dimension of ESG activities is significantly important for their financial and stock market performance.

The unique contribution of this study is that it considers wider definition of the term “Sustainability” and examines the relationship between financial and stock market performances of the firms and each component of ESG. This is one of the few studies at the global level that provides much needed evidence in the area of sustainability performance by the travel and tourism firms.

In 1979, the UK set the standard on which the universally recognised ISO 9000 series was based. Part of the rationale for the creation of a generic quality assurance standard was that it would supplant the need for independent customer inspections, avoid duplications of audits, and coordinate the various national approaches to quality standards. Ironically, however, as the award has grown internationally, there has been a corresponding growth in the number and type of quality standards available to UK organisations. This paper reviews the development of sector‐based quality assurance standards in the UK leisure, hospitality and food industries and draws conclusions on the extent to which the various standards can be aligned. It is found that whereas industry‐specific standards in the food industry dovetail with generic standards, there is a degree of overlap in the hospitality and leisure sectors.

Suggests research themes and conceptual extensions which may be useful to researchers of the leisure industry in the marketing context who are trying to increase commencial productivity or disciplinary relevance of their work. Examines two disparate issues which arise when the meaning of marketing and leisure is considered: the meaning of leisure in the context of marketing; and the meaning of marketing in the context of leisure. Concludes that researchers in the leisure marketing area should be aware of the extent to which consumer behaviour in general can be conceived of as leisure; local authorities can make use of the principles of commercial marketing; and knowledge of either of these areas can make organizations more responsive to the needs of their customers.

Traces the diversification of some of the major companies in the brewing industry into leisure‐based interests. Identifies how current social and economic trends, coupled with some dramatic changes in the legalities of the brewing industry have forced brewers into a clarification of their long‐term objectives.

Tourism degree courses aim to meet the needs of students, employers and government funding bodies, but there is no agreement on how best to do this. Should courses aim to enable graduates to operate within the industry today, or to shape its future development? To what extent should these managerial goals be combined with those of a traditional liberal education? Is the business management focus of most tourism courses the best preparation for the future development of tourism? The relationship between education and industry is charted through past changes to the current debate on future directions. In the future, tourism will be part of the “experience economy” with a new theatrical metaphor replacing the current “military” strategy model. To succeed in this economy, graduates need to draw on qualities of self‐awareness, imagination and creativity. Higher education in tourism may need to rediscover these liberal humanistic values in order to fulfil its managerial objectives of creating successful business managers.

Public leisure service providers have become increasingly conscious of the need to improve the quality of their service provision as a result of increasing customer expectations, growing competition and government legislation. This paper presents the findings of a survey carried out in the UK, investigating the role of quality schemes in public leisure services. The study shows that a significant proportion of public leisure service providers are using quality schemes to manage the quality of their facilities. In addition, the findings show that managers are using quality schemes to improve customer satisfaction and improve management effectiveness. Finally, the study provides evidence of the positive effect of quality schemes upon service delivery aspects of these facilities, but little evidence of the financial advantages of such schemes.