Tourism studies and media studies both address key issues about how we perceive the world. They raise acute questions about how we relate local knowledge and immediate experience to wider global processes, and they both play a major role in creating our map of national and international cultures. Adopting a multidisciplinary approach, this book explores the interactions between tourism and media practices within a contemporary culture in which the consumption of images has become increasingly significant. A number of common themes and concerns arise, and the contributions included are divided between those: written from media studies awareness perspective, concerned with the way the media imagines travel and tourism written from the point of view of the study of tourism, considering how tourism practices are affected or altered by the media that attempt a direct comparison between the practices of tourism and the media. Incorporating case study material from the UK, the Caribbean, Australia, the US, France and Switzerland, this significant text - ideal for students of culture, media and tourism studies - discusses tourism and the media as separate processes through which identity is constructed in relation to space and place.

Major challenges for life insurance companies have been posed by an unprecedented wave of mergers and acquisitions in the insurance industry and the emergence of non-traditional competitors such as banks, mutual fund companies and investment advisory firms. This is the first book to analyze the determinants of firm performance in the life insurance industry by identifying the best practices' employed by leading insurers to succeed in this dynamic business environment. The book draws upon data from insurer financial statements as well as upon an extensive survey of life insurer management practices and strategic choices in distribution systems, information technology, mergers and acquisitions, human resources and financial strategies. Generic strategies such as cost leadership, customer focus, and product differentiation are analyzed as well as strategic practices specific to the insurance industry. Best practices are identified by measuring the economic efficiency of insurers and by comparing firms across the industry. Both cost and revenue efficiency are measured relative to best practice efficient frontiers consisting of the industry's dominant life insurance firms. Economies of scale and the effects of mergers and acquisitions on efficiency are also analyzed. Financial strategies are examined with specific reference to pricing policy, valuation of assets and liabilities, and the current state of firm-level risk management systems. The benchmarks established are the result of extensive fieldwork that identifies key financial risks and methodologies to both measure and manage them at the firm level. The results discussed in the book indicate that firm performance is significantly correlated with management practices and strategic choices. Thus, life insurers can improve profitability by adopting optimal combinations of strategies. The book contains important new material on the effects of strategic choices in product distribution systems, information technology, mergers and acquisitions, human resources, and financial risk management policies. In the area of efficiency, the methodology provides a new approach for identifying peer groups of insurers and measuring the performance of individual insurers relative to their peer group. On the topics of risk and pricing, new insights are offered relative to current methodologies and in regard to areas where improvement is clearly warranted. The book concludes with an analysis of the future opportunities and challenges in the life insurance industry facing managers, and the strategic options available to them to cope with these changes.

Examine the reasons for the rapid growth of China's tourism industry Tourism and Hotel Development in China: From Political to Economic Success is a comprehensive guide to the development of the tourism industry in Mainland China following the end of the Cultural Revolution. Conceived as a textbook but equally valuable as a professional resource for consultants, researchers, and tourist organizations, this insightful book tracks the unique circumstances that sparked the growth of China's tourism and hotel industry from a political, diplomatic activity to a burgeoning economic industry. The book includes background information on geography, culture, history, politics, and economics, and examines the evolution of tourism policies, inbound vs. outbound travel, hotel operations and trends, and the Chinese government's role in developing tourism. China may be a latecomer to international tourism development, but visitors have made it one of the world's top 10 travel destinations every year since 1994. Since historic policy shifts in 1978 opened China's doors to the outside world, inbound tourism has played a significant role in building a national economy. And the increase in disposable income among China's citizens has helped create a sizable market for domestic and outbound tourism as well. Tourism and Hotel Development in China looks at the major factors and characteristics of each type of tourism, international hotel development trends and their influence on China's hotel industry, related human resources issues, travel services, the development of hotel chains in China, compensation and incentive management, and the future of China's tourism and hotel industry. Topics examined in Tourism and Hotel Development in China include: travel and tourism, pre-and post-1949 the Asia market the intercontinental market international tourism in different regions of China popular urban tourist destinations in China approved outbound destinations outbound travel to Hong Kong challenges facing travel services local protectionism travel agencies hotel franchising foreign vs. local hotel chains outsourcing and much more! Tourism and Hotel Development in China: From Political to Economic Success follows the journey of China's tourism industry from a public relations vehicle, restricted by the economy and controlled by the government, to an important source of commerce for a country whose national economy was nearly on the verge of collapse.

Examine the reasons for the rapid growth of China's tourism industry Tourism and Hotel Development in China: From Political to Economic Success is a comprehensive guide to the development of the tourism industry in Mainland China following the end of the Cultural Revolution. Conceived as a textbook but equally valuable as a professional resource for consultants, researchers, and tourist organizations, this insightful book tracks the unique circumstances that sparked the growth of China's tourism and hotel industry from a political, diplomatic activity to a burgeoning economic industry. The book includes background information on geography, culture, history, politics, and economics, and examines the evolution of tourism policies, inbound vs. outbound travel, hotel operations and trends, and the Chinese government's role in developing tourism. China may be a latecomer to international tourism development, but visitors have made it one of the world's top 10 travel destinations every year since 1994. Since historic policy shifts in 1978 opened China's doors to the outside world, inbound tourism has played a significant role in building a national economy. And the increase in disposable income among China's citizens has helped create a sizable market for domestic and outbound tourism as well. Tourism and Hotel Development in China looks at the major factors and characteristics of each type of tourism, international hotel development trends and their influence on China's hotel industry, related human resources issues, travel services, the development of hotel chains in China, compensation and incentive management, and the future of China's tourism and hotel industry. Topics examined in Tourism and Hotel Development in China include: travel and tourism, pre-and post-1949 the Asia market the intercontinental market international tourism in different regions of China popular urban tourist destinations in China approved outbound destinations outbound travel to Hong Kong challenges facing travel services local protectionism travel agencies hotel franchising foreign vs. local hotel chains outsourcing and much more! Tourism and Hotel Development in China: From Political to Economic Success follows the journey of China's tourism industry from a public relations vehicle, restricted by the economy and controlled by the government, to an important source of commerce for a country whose national economy was nearly on the verge of collapse.

For too long the prevalent view has been that the public and private sectors differ dramatically when it comes to innovation. This book takes a radically different tack, not as a rhetorical stance, but as the basis for fruitful empirical analysis. The studies here show that public service organizations and their leaders can be innovative in their own right. The contributions made here provide insights that will productively inform future research and practice.' - Ian Miles, University of Manchester, UKThis book is devoted to the study of public-private innovation networks in services (ServPPINs). These are a new type of innovation network which have rapidly developed in service economies. ServPPINs are collaborations between public and private service organizations, their objective being the development of new and improved services which encompass both technological and non-technological innovations. The book presents in-depth empirical research from different service sectors across Europe in order to explore the nature of these public-private collaborations. It elucidates the processes of formation, entrepreneurship and management, the types of innovations ServPPINs generate, and the nature of the public policies required to support them. This multidisciplinary book will appeal to academics and students in economics, management, and the sociology of services and innovation. Managers in the public and private service sector and public authorities will also find much to interest them. Contributors: M. Bu ar, B. Dachs, G. Di Meglio, F. Djellal, L. Fuglsang, J. Gallego, F. Gallouj, L. Green, B. Heller-Schuh, A. Jakli , P. Labarthe, F. Lissoni, C. Merlin-Brogniart, O. Montes Pineda, A.-C. Moursli-Provost, A. Pyka, L. Rubalcaba, D. Schartinger, B. Schoen, M. Stare, J. Sundbo, I. Wanzenboeck, K.M. Weber, P. Windrum

Countries establish defence industries for various reasons. Chief among these are usually a concern with national security, and a desire to be as independent as possible in the supply of the armaments which they believe they need. But defence industries are different from most other industries. Their customer is governments. Their product is intended to safeguard the most vital interests of the state. The effectiveness of these products (in the real, rather than the experimental sense) is not normally tested at the time of purchase. If, or when, it is tested, many other factors (such as the quality of political and military leadership) enter into the equation, so complicating judgments about the quality of the armaments, and about the reliability of the promises made by the manufacturers. All of these features make the defence sector an unusually political industrial sector. This has been true in both the command economies of the former Soviet Union and its satellites, and in the market or mixed economies of the west. In both cases, to speak only a little over-generally, the defence sector has been particularly privileged and particularly protected from the usual economic vicissitudes. In both cases, too, its centrality to the perceived vital interests of the state has given it an unusual degree of political access and support.

Participation in risk and reward, as an alternate to conventional risk-transfer finance, is important for achieving the higher ethical objectives of Islamic finance, called maqasid al shariah, and responsible finance in general. That is why participatory finance is advocated as the ideal form of financing and the essence of Islamic banking and finance. The Participatory Islamic Finance: The Ideals, Contemporary Practices, and Innovations presents a holistic view of both theory and practice of participatory models, constraints to its applications, success case studies of the participatory finance from multiple countries, and more importantly the recent innovations in participatory finance products. These new insights makes, the Participatory Islamic Finance: The Ideals, Contemporary Practices, and Innovations is an essential read and guide, for both Islamic finance academics and practitioners.

Make the most of your online business resources The growing acceptance and use of the Internet as an increasingly valuable travel tool has tourism and hospitality businesses taking a critical look at their business-to-customer online environments while pondering such questions as, How do I get people to visit my Web site? Is my Web site attracting the 'right' kind of e-consumers? and How do I turn browsers into buyers? The Handbook of Consumer Behavior, Tourism, and the Internet analyzes the latest strategies involving Internet business applications that will help you attractand keeponline travel customers. Researchers from the United States, Europe, and Asia present the latest findings you need to make the right decisions regarding long-term e-commerce development and planning. The Handbook of Consumer Behavior, Tourism, and the Internet examines vital issues affecting the travel and tourism industry from an online perspective. This book analyzes the latest theory and research on general online buyer characteristics, the differences between online and offline consumer behavior, the differences between broadband and narrowband users, the online search process, quality and perception of lodging brands, and Web site design, maintenance, and development. Each section of the book includes a model/diagram that serves as an overview of the topic, followed by a thorough discussion on the topic from several sources. Each section ends with commentary on the areas where future research is needed. The book's contributors use a variety of research methodologies ranging from qualitative data analyses using artificial neutral network analysis, to experimental design, non-parametric statistical tests, and structural equation modeling. Topics examined in the Handbook of Consumer Behavior, Tourism, and the Internet include: the need for businesses to use internal examinations to determine and meet online consumer needs the emerging field of e-complaint behaviorconsumers taking to the Web to voice complaints about travel services how to use e-tools to measure guest satisfaction how to measure consumer reaction to Web-based technology the Internet's impact on decision making for travel products and how to use e-mail marketing, electronic customer relationship management (eCRM), Web positioning, and search engine placement The Handbook of Consumer Behavior, Tourism, and the Internet is equally valuable as a classroom resource or professional reference, providing up-to-date material on Internet applications and their impact on consumers and e-commerce.

From Carrie Bradshaw to Grace Jones, and from Nicki Minaj to Blair Waldorf, New York is the fashion 'it girl' capital of the world. Home of both laid-back street style and the luxury of the MET Gala, New York has earned its reputation as one of the most stylish capitals in the world. From the eclectic looks of Brooklyn to chic Manhattan elegance, it is a city that hums with style. This instalment of the beautiful Little Books of City Style series will explore the fashion history of the city that never sleeps, providing an exquisitely illustrated guide to dressing like a Native New Yorker.

Nonproliferation Issues for Weapons of Mass Destruction provides an understanding of WMD proliferation risks by bridging complex technical and political issues. The text begins by defining the world conditions that foster proliferation, followed by an analysis of characteristics of various classes of WMDs, including nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons. It then explores the effectiveness of arms control, discussing current nonproliferation problems, nonproliferation prior to the fall of the USSR, and weapons safeguards.
The book analyzes the future of these weapons, discussing delivery systems and potential use by states, terrorist groups, and individuals. The text concludes with a discussion of what can be done to limit the impact of WMDs. This volume enables a realistic understanding of the relative risks that WMDs present to our way of life.

This volume deals with the competitive structure of football. It examines the relationship between sporting success and economic variables, the structure of European competitions, financial problems in football, their origins and options for reform, racial discrimination in English football, and the economic impact of the World Cup --Provided by publisher.

First published in 1979, this classic study of the development of rugby from folk game to its modern Union and League forms has become a seminal text in sport history. In a new epilogue the authors provide sociological analysis of the major developments in international ruby that have taken place since 1979, with particular attention to the professionalism that was predicted in the first edition of this text. Sports lovers, rugby fans and students of the history and sociology of sport will find it invaluable. Rugby football is descended from winter 'folk games' which were a deeply rooted tradition in pre-industrial Britain. This was the first book to study the development of Rugby from this folk tradition to the game in its modern forms. The folk forms of football were extremely violent and serious injuries - even death - were a common feature. The game was refined in the public schools who played a crucial role in formulating the rules which required footballers to exercise greater self-control. With the spread of rugby into the wider society, the Rugby Football Union was founded but class tensions led to the split between Rugby Union and Rugby League. The authors examine the changes that led to the professionalisation of Rugby Union as well as the alleged resurgence of violence in the modern game.

* Comprehensive and reader-friendly introduction to managing intercollegiate athletics * Combines theoretical concepts with practical guidance, examples and insider perspectives * Includes interviews with successful practitioners * Fully revised and updated new edition with new data and cases throughout * New edition includes expanded coverage of professional development plus ethics and social justice * Features examples from institutions, conferences and associations of varying sizes

Originally written by a team of Certified Protection Professionals (CPPs), Anthony DiSalvatore gives valuable updates to The Complete Guide for CPP Examination Preparation. This new edition contains an overview of the fundamental concepts and practices of security management while offering important insights into the CPP exam. Until recently the security profession was regarded as a "necessary evil." This book is a comprehensive guide to a profession that is now considered critical to our well-being in the wake of 9/11. It presents a practical approach drawn from decades of combined experience shared by the authors, prepares the reader for the CPP exam, and walks them through the certification process. This edition gives revised and updated treatment of every subject in the CPP exam, encourages and outlines a three-part program for you to follow, and includes sample questions at the end of each area of study. Although these are not questions that appear on the actual exam, they convey the principles and concepts that the exam emphasizes and are valuable in determining if you have mastered the information. The book also includes a security survey that covers all facets of external and internal security, as well as fire prevention. The Complete Guide for CPP Examination Preparation, Second Edition allows you to move steadily forward along your path to achieving one of the most highly regarded certifications in the security industry.

Winner, 2010 Association for Jewish Studies Jordan Schnitzer Book Award 2011 Honorable Mention for the American Sociological Association Culture Section's Mary Douglas Prize for Best Book Since 1999 hundreds of thousands of young American Jews have visited Israel on an all-expense-paid 10-day pilgrimage-tour known as Birthright Israel. The most elaborate of the state-supported homeland tours that are cropping up all over the world, this tour seeks to foster in the American Jewish diaspora a lifelong sense of attachment to Israel based on ethnic and political solidarity. Over a half-billion dollars (and counting) has been spent cultivating this attachment, and despite 9/11 and the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict the tours are still going strong. Based on over seven years of first-hand observation in modern day Israel, Shaul Kelner provides an on-the-ground look at this hotly debated and widely emulated use of tourism to forge transnational ties. We ride the bus, attend speeches with the Prime Minister, hang out in the hotel bar, and get a fresh feel for young American Jewish identity and contemporary Israel. We see how tourism's dynamism coupled with the vibrant human agency of the individual tourists inevitably complicate tour leaders' efforts to rein tourism in and bring it under control. By looking at the broader meaning of tourism, Kelner brings to light the contradictions inherent in the tours and the ways that people understandtheir relationship to place both materially and symbolically. Rich in detail, engagingly written, and sensitive to the complexities of modern travel and modern diaspora Jewishness, Tours that Bind offers a new way of thinking about tourism as a way through which people develop understandings of place, society, and self.

Stay ahead of your customers as their service expectations change In Current Issues and Development in Hospitality and Tourism Satisfaction, experts from the field explore customer satisfaction strategies, examining both the long-term and short-term results. This vital tool shows you new and effective approaches for understanding customer satisfaction and providing quality service at all levels of the hospitality and tourism industry. Hospitality and tourism faculty and students as well as professionals will find this book useful for improving and providing quality service management. This book illustrates the complex relationship between customer and service provider, offering practical advice and techniques for maximizing consumer contentment. Current Issues and Development in Hospitality and Tourism Satisfaction contains models for meeting-and even surpassing-consumer expectations to increase the value of the customer's experience. This essential resource includes various methods for managers to anticipate consumer needs and perceptions, reducing dissatisfaction. This book helps you: incorporate existing and alternative measurements of satisfaction measure and improve service quality create and maintain social interaction linkages between staff and customer identify the destination performance of your hotel and other destinations or attractions evaluate consumer satisfaction with lodging services increase cross-cultural service satisfaction and much more Tables and figures throughout the text help demonstrate the strategies, and bibliographies at the end of each chapter offer further reading. While there are other books that focus on customer satisfaction, Current Issues and Development in Hospitality and Tourism Satisfaction is rare in that it covers satisfaction issues as they apply to both hospitality and tourism.

Stay ahead of your customers as their service expectations change!
In Current Issues and Development in Hospitality and Tourism Satisfaction, experts from the field explore customer satisfaction strategies, examining both the long-term and short-term results. This vital tool shows you new and effective approaches for understanding customer satisfaction and providing quality service at all levels of the hospitality and tourism industry. Hospitality and tourism faculty and students as well as professionals will find this book useful for improving and providing quality service management.
This book illustrates the complex relationship between customer and service provider, offering practical advice and techniques for maximizing consumer contentment. Current Issues and Development in Hospitality and Tourism Satisfaction contains models for meeting--and even surpassing--consumer expectations to increase the value of the customer's experience. This essentialresource includes various methods for managers to anticipate consumer needs and perceptions, reducing dissatisfaction.
This book helps you: incorporate existing and alternative measurements of satisfaction measure and improve service quality create and maintain social interaction linkages between staff and customer identify the destination performance of your hotel and other destinations or attractions evaluate consumer satisfaction with lodging services increase cross-cultural service satisfaction and much more! Tables and figures throughout the text help demonstrate the strategies, and bibliographies at the end of each chapter offer further reading. While there are other books that focus on customer satisfaction, CurrentIssues and Development in Hospitality and Tourism Satisfaction is rare in that it covers satisfaction issues as they apply to both hospitality and tourism.

Have you ever wondered why states invest so heavily in sports mega-events? Ever considered who benefits from these (mostly publicly financed) 'mega' events? Part of the rationale of this edited collection is to go beyond the positive discourse that attends sports 'megas'. The volume of essays from a stellar international cast of experts offers a panoramic and interdisciplinary view of the growing field of Sports Mega-Event studies. The contributions cover discussion of the key concepts and debates in cutting-edge research, examples of leveraging strategies and the legacies from previous sports megas (such as London, Seoul, Sydney, Vancouver) and examples and analyses of recent and future 'emerging' states and their hosting strategies (such as India, China, Qatar and Russia).

Many places around the world are being produced, converted, interpreted and made fit for tourist consumption. This fascinating book analyzes tourist performances such as walking, shopping, sunbathing, photographing, eating and clubbing, and studies why, and indeed how, some places become global centres whilst others don't. Arranged in four distinct parts, Sheller and Urry consider: Performing Paradise Performances of Global Heritage Remaking Playful Places New Playful Places. Incorporating a wide array of empirical research and innovative international case studies, this fascinating book illuminates the tourist performance phenomenon: from Eco-tourism on the beach to shopping in Hong Kong, from the making of 'Cool Reykjavik' to tourism in high-rise suburbs in Paris, and from Inca heritage to medical tourism. Edited by two world authorities in tourism studies, this revealing book deploys a range of theories related to the 'mobility turn' in the social sciences in order to analyze the contingent and networked nature of how places are stabilized as fit for playful performances. Well-written and researched, with coherent analysis and presentation, this book will appeal to academics, students and those interested in the complex character of global change.

'Advances in Tourism Economics' follows his predecessor 'Advances in Modern Tourism Research' (2007) in providing a thorough assessment of state-of-the-art economic research in this rapidly developing field. The authors start by analyzing the recent upsurge of model-based economic research in the field, which builds on powerful tools in quantitative economics, such as discrete choice models, social accounting matrices, data envelopment analyses, impact assessment models or partial computable equilibrium models including environmental externalities. The volume originates from this novel research spirit in the area and aims to offer an attractive collection of operational research tools and approaches. It forms an appealing record of modern tourism economics and positions the field within the strong tradition of quantitative economic research, with due attention for both the demand and supply side of the tourism sector, including technological and logistic advances.

Diasporas result from the scattering of populations and cultures across geographical space and time. Transnational in nature and unbounded by space, they cut across the static, territorial boundaries more usually deployed to govern tourism. In a vibrant inter-disciplinary collection of essays from leading scholars in the field, this book introduces the main features and constructs of diasporas, and explores their implications for the consumption, production and practices of tourism. Three sets of mutually reinforcing relationships are explored: experiences of diaspora tourists the settings and spaces of diaspora tourism the production of diaspora tourism. Addressing the relationship between diasporic groups and tourism from both a consumer and producer perspective, examples are drawn from a wide spectrum of diasporic groups including the Chinese, Jewish, Southeast Asian, Croatian, Dutch and Welsh. Until now, there has been no systematic and detailed treatment of the relationships between diasporas, their consumptions and the tourist experience. However, here, Coles and Timothy provide a unique navigation of the nature of these inter-connections which is ideal for students of tourism, sociology, cultural studies.

This book examines the cutting-edge concept of gamification in tourism. It provides a theoretical foundation for tourism gamification and discusses the concepts of gaming and gamification and their application in the tourism and hospitality industry. The chapters offer valuable insights by showcasing examples of best practice from different countries and addressing key issues of game mechanism and game design principles. They focus on areas such as game design elements, game player types and their motivation, location-based games, augmented reality and virtual reality games. The volume will be useful for students and researchers in tourism marketing, digital tourism, smart tourism and tourism futures. It also serves as a helpful tool for tourism industry practitioners looking to increase customer engagement, enhance loyalty and raise brand awareness.

The 2003 World Cup was of vital importance to the participating countries. For India, a world cup triumph would make cricket the nation's leading industry; for the host, South Africa, a successful campaign might realize its dream of political unity.
Dealing with themes of racial/political unification, commercialization, the media and globalisation, this book explores the role of cricket and sport in each of the competing nations.
Looking at recent developments such as match-fixing, the abolition of the quota system and the performances of the South African national team, the collection examines the importance of the Cricket World Cup in providing a unified political, social and economic stage from which a united South African identity can finally emerge. The book also explores the role of the Cricket World Cup in relation to West Indian unity, Pakistani economic regeneration, Sri Lankan, Kenyan and Zimbabwean peace.

Graduates undertaking the RICS Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) often find that, in addition to the general information provided by the RICS, guidance is needed on specific areas of their work as general practice surveyors. How to Pass the APC: Essential Advice for General Practice Surveyors has been built around the needs of general practice surveyors, and guides you through the APC process in line with your own competencies - including valuation, marketing, landlord and tenant, estate management, rating, and planning and development work, together with more specialist areas. The author highlights the essentials, showing you how to approach the presentation and interview, providing a bank of examples of real APC questions, together with illustrative responses to demonstrate how the interview process works. Accessible and easy to use, this book gives you comprehensive coverage of the fundamental elements and is a must read for anyone taking the APC.