David L. Groves

Impact of Industrial Recreation Upon Job Satisfaction and Productivity

An important issue to the future growth of employee recreation will be the benefits and impacts that a program has upon the individual in relation to company outcomes. This study examined the relationship between a health and fitness program in a major company and its influence upon job satisfaction and productivity. Findings indicate that employee services have a major impact upon job satisfaction and productivity and service as a device to develop leadership and organizational skills to the benefit of the employee and the company.

Commercial Recreation and Tourism: A Component Analysis of Customer Satisfaction

Customer satisfaction is a primary element related to profits in commercial recreation. Consumers who are satisfied return and spend additional dollars. The purpose of this article was to explore the potential of a different evaluation system to help developers of tours to improve their programs, services and facilities. This study was conducted on a senior citizen tour into an historical resort area. The approach being used was that instantaneous measures of mood and quality were correlated to an overall index of satisfaction. The data were analyzed using a stepwise regression format and there was a different equation for each of the scheduled components. Results suggest that this type of assessment process helps to improve the design of tours to the point of increasing satisfaction with trips significantly. Customer satisfaction is one of the primary elements related to profits in commercial recreation [1 ,2] . Customers who are satisfied return and spend additional dollars. Another extension of this concept is being satisfied with a program, service and facilities enough to recommend it to friends and acquaintances. Word of mouth is one of the strongest factors, either positive or negative, that influences overall participation in an attraction [3, 4] . The classic example is where the advertisement for an attraction is good but the quality of the programs, services and facilities is not worth the entrance fee or the time of the experience. The use of word of mouth has spread rapidly with a resulting loss in volume of business. This has happened to several major attractions in the past two or three years and has reduced their potential for profit. Quality programs, services and facilities are directly related to the amount of money a customer or patron will spend [5 ,6 ] . The question is one of customer satisfaction in relation to programs, services and facilities to be provided

The Business-Education Interface: A Problem of Competing Social Values?

Harvey Kahalas is Assistant Professor of Management at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He received his Ph.D. degree from the University of Massachusetts and has published extensively in the areas of business and society, education, and manpower. The educational system of any society may be viewed in terms of its impact upon the development and maintenance of a culture. Additionally, it may be viewed as the subsystem of the society which must, and can, provide the population with the information needed to deal with a rapidly changing world. In either case, the educational factor of any society plays an important developmental role. _