Strategies in Theme Park Marketing Essay Example for Free

Strategies in Theme Park Marketing Essay Department of Hotel and Tourism Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong Tel: (00 852) 2766 6341; Fax: (00 852) 2362 9362; E-mail: [emailprotected] edu. hk Kevin K. F. Wong, PhD is a Senior Lecturer in Tourism and Manager of the HTM Resource Centre in the Department of Hotel and Tourism Management at the Hong Kong Polytechnic Uni- versity, Hong Kong. His major research interests focus on tourism management, tourist behaviour, tourism forecasting models and impact studies. Phoebe W. Y. Cheung is a research assistant within the Department of Hotel and Tourism. Management at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. ABSTRACT KEYWORDS: THEME PARK, THEMING, LEISURE, MOTIVATION, LIFESTYLE Theme parks aim to create the atmosphere of another world and it is essentially the theme which becomes the main part of a theme park experience. Thematic tourism has become increasingly popular where travel is motivated by an interest in a particular subject or area rather than by the more traditional motivations such as idyllic scenery and climate. The drawing power of theming is evident in the fact that it has, in recent years, become a catalyst for the growth of new destinations based mainly on thematic leisure. This study attempts to identify and describe a distinct and representative set of theme types and attributes in a theme park and examines the relationship between visitors motivation for visiting theme parks and theme preferences. Weak to mod- erately strong relationships were found between motivation for theme park visits by visitors and their demographics and lifestyle patterns. Given the fact the theme park industry is still relatively young in Asia, the  ®ndings of this study reinforce the need for Asian theme parks to focus strategically on satisfy- ing lower-level needs, such as stimulation, by developing and marketing an adventure theme comparable with Western theme parks. INTRODUCTION The theme park industry has witnessed a fairly rapid international expansion in recent years. In the US, the industry has reached maturity after 30 years of growth since the inception of Disneyland in the late 1950s, while in Europe, the industry has spread throughout Western Europe with a large concentration of attractions in Germany, France, the Benelux countries and the UK. Reports from the Economist Intelligence Unit indicate that the worldwide trend of the theme park industry is growing. 1The North American theme park industry grew at a compound rate of almost 3 per cent in attendance over the past decade while Eur- ope has become an attractive venue for corporate investment in theme park development by European consortia and large US corporations. Following Europe is Asia, which has been identi ®ed as the worlds next leading inter- national theme park market. In North Asia, Page 319 Journal of Vacation Marketing Volume 5 Number 4 Journal of Vacation Marketing Vol. 5 No. 4, 1999, pp. 319 ±332, Henry Stewart Publications, 1356-7667 at University College Birmingham on December 27, 2014jvm. sagepub. comDownloaded from like Europe, the industry has experienced a rapid growth phase spurred on by strong demand, a growth which is expected to continue over the next ten years. 2The num- ber of theme parks has been growing in the Asian region. Since 1991, for example, there have been major theme parks developed in Shengzhen, China, such as the China Folk Culture Villages, Splendid China and the Window of the World. In Singapore, the Haw Par Villa Dragon World and Tang Dynasty Village were opened in 1991, in addition to its existing Sentosa Island which features several theme parks. In terms of visitor attendance, Hong Kongs premier theme park, Ocean Park, attracted an annual attendance of 4. 1 million in 1996, a growth rate of 22 per cent over the previous year. 3 This suggests that the industrys potential is enormous in Asia and at the same time implies that theme park developers are facing increasingly keen competition. However, despite the performance of the industry and the tourism earnings contributed by its strong growth, there is still a lack of informa- tion available on theme parks performance, positioning and development in Asia. 4 Theming and theme parks A theme park is `an amusement park that has themed attractions, be it food, costumes, entertainment, retail stores and/or rides ac-cording to the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA). Theme parks are distinguished from other amusement parks in that there is a theme that runs through all or most of their attractions. These attractions might be marketed under one general idea or personality, or they could comprise a cluster of different themes at one central location. 5 The theme, therefore, becomes the main part of the theme park experience. Even though theme parks were usually thought of as having a major theme, most of them in fact contain multi-themes in terms of differ- ent themed areas. Some park managers use themes to increase attendance over a period of time, say, during festivals or special events. However, even though the term `theme may sometimes be unclear, by reference to the de ®nition used by the IAAPA, the themes identi ®ed in this study may be thought of as: (i) the main theme which runs through all or most of the attractions, such as the movie theme of the Warner Brothers Movie World; (ii) the sub-themes which are found in a park in the form of different themed areas like the Frontierland, Adven- tureland, Fantasyland, Discoveryland and the Main Street USA of Disneys Magic King- dom; and (iii) the transitional themes, that is, themes that are created for special events which only last for a certain period of time to boost attendance. Some examples are the Far West Festival and Space Festival as seen in Disneyland Paris in 1994 and 1995 respec- tively. Theme parks are becoming increas- ingly attractive to the tourist who has limited vacation time, as by their very nature, they provide a condensed holiday product. 6A good example is Disneys new `Animal Kingdom in Florida which replicates a safari park in East Africa. Theme parks aim to create the atmosphere of another world7and it is essentially the theme itself that creates such an atmosphere. A theme represents a story line or framework which highlights a particular attraction at a destination. 8It at- tempts to tell a story and through this story the visitor is transported to another place and a unique experience is created. However, since theme parks are still a relatively new concept in tourist attractions,9there is a paucity of literature on success and failure of theme parks around the world. Past studies have focused primarily on theme park selection,10 visitor behaviour,11 visitor seg- mentation12 etc but not on the intrinsic value of the theme park ? the theme itself. Competitive theming Recent years have seen the emergence of many themes, only limited by imagination. For example, there have been themes that were based on the success of a product, such as Legoland in Denmark, and others that were built on the mythology of a culture like the Haw Par Villa Dragon World in Singa- pore. The more successful parks have been Page 320 Strategic theming in theme park marketing at University College Birmingham on December 27, 2014jvm. sagepub. comDownloaded from able to use the theme to create a competitive advantage over the others. Theming promotes the creation of a whole new atmosphere based on the unique experience that a theme park offers. For instance, in all the Disney properties, there is a fantasy element that allows guests to escape the urban setting and go to places they dream about. 13 Thematic tourism, in fact, represents tourism with a relatively narrow focus, where trips are motivated by an interest in a particular subject or area rather than the more traditional motivations such as the lure of idyllic scenery and pleasant climate. More importantly, theming in some ways is di- vorced from the idea of place, relegating the consideration of location to being the back- ground for a theme, rather than being the primary motivating factor. 14. There are a number of advantages in theming. First of all, theming is important for creating an initial perception of quality. 15 Secondly, themes are means to be used to help boost attendance. For example, `themed discount programmes are created to aim at certain market segments. 16 They are likely to encourage repeat visitation, as a themed environment provides a unique, memorable experience which increases the probability that guests will return. Visitors will tell friends about their visits, provid- ing effective word-of-mouth advertising. 17 Thirdly, theming is a value-adding factor. The themed retail park `Knotts Camp. Snoopy demonstrated that `the mall with a themed entertainment experience will be superior to the mall without such oppor- tunity. 18 Fourthly, theming allows coordina- tion of retail merchandise, which can in turn increase the guests retail expenditure. 19 Fi- nally, theme parks that use an easily recogni- sable and interesting theme will have a competitive advantage over those which do not. 20 This is especially so when there is very strong competition and the equipment is very similar ? the way to differentiate is by theming. 21 In addition, as the industry ma- tures and visitors become more experienced and discerning, theming may be needed for a more sophisticated market. The power of theming or thematic tour- ism is evident in the fact that it has, in recent years, become a catalyst for the growth of new destinations based solely on thematic leisure. 22 Theme park developers have con- verted existing attractions into theme parks. To be more competitive and recover the loss of market share or pro ®t, developers have to diversify their `product offering. For exam- ple, there has been the growth in demand for attractions with a space theme. There- fore, knowing what themes guests look for is essential to both potential and existing theme park investors. New types of theme parks are being developed around the world which shift their focus away from the conventional features of a `Disneyland type attraction and further differentiate themselves. This is evi- denced a plan to develop a theme park at the site of the 1969 Woodstock music festival to recreate its counter-culture spirit and an- other based on crocodiles in Florida, named `Jungle Crocs of the World. 23 Purpose of study The purpose of the study is to examine the importance of the theme in the marketing of theme parks. Since the theme is an important factor affecting the choice of theme parks by visitors, it is important to ascertain more accurately what visitors preferences are in terms of themes and how their demographic characteristics and lifestyle in? uence such preference. More speci ®cally, this study seeks to identify and describe a distinct but representative set of theme types and attri- butes in a theme park; to  ®nd out the theme preference(s) of the theme park visitors; to examine the relationship between theme park visitors motivation (purpose of visit), demographics, psychographics (lifestyle) and their preference(s) for themes; and to exam- ine the importance of theming in the mar- keting of theme parks. Motivation for visiting theme parks Pearce and Dermotts leisure ladder provides a motivation framework to explain why people visit theme parks. 24 Five levels of need regarding theme park visitation are Page 321 Wong and Cheung at University College Birmingham on December 27, 2014jvm. sagepub. comDownloaded from identi ®ed, with the highest level of need being listed as ful ®lment, followed by the need for self-esteem and development. The next level is relationship, which emphasises the need to build and extend ones personal relationships. This is followed by the need for stimulation. People in this group are concerned with the management of their arousal levels with emphasis on fun and thrill rides. The lowest level is that of relaxation or bodily needs (see Appendix). Apart from understanding the basic moti- vation for theme park visitation, it is neces- sary to  ®nd out why one theme park is chosen over another. The theme here plays a role in differentiating the more successful parks from the less successful ones. It has a twofold signi ®cance. First, the nature of the theme chosen will have an impact on the type of customers attracted to the park. Some themes may have a broad and general appeal which caters to a wide spectrum of visitors while others may be more focused and have a narrower appeal. Secondly, them- ing allows the creation of an enhanced atmo- sphere and guest experience. These effects, in fact, create the appropriately desirable image crucial to services marketing. Service marketing The theme park industry is part of the service component of the tourism industry. Owing to the intangible nature of services, the creation of an identi ®able image is critical for service marketing. Even though the image and the theme are not identical in nature, the theme helps project an image by the sort of theme chosen and the them- ing. For example, the fantasy theme of Disneyland helps project its image of de- light, fun and fantasy. Further, the extensive theming of Disney gives a perception of high quality. The decision made by a consumer to purchase a product or service is directly in- ?uenced by the image the individual has of himself/herself and the perceived image of the product or seller. This may explain the psychological process involved when a visi- tor chooses to go to a theme park with a particular theme, say, an adventure theme; he views himself as adventurous. It can be postulated that the psychographics of consu- mers help predict the sort of theme they prefer. Moreover, the service nature of theme parks make image creation a dif ®cult task as it is intrinsically abstract. Thus, service mar- keters may be able to build the image of speci ®c reality and differentiate it from other `realities by the presentation of tangible evidences and experiences simulating reality. By promoting a theme, customers can then use these created physical facilities and props to judge service quality. For example, them- ing is often done with the careful choice of types of architecture, costumes and other settings displayed in the park. Theme preference In a study by McClung it was found that the type of theme is one of the factors affecting tourists preference for theme parks. 25 Results also indicate that there is a correlation be- tween themes and attractions so that consid- erable multi-segmentation strategies can be devised to cater to different market seg- ments. For example, wet and wild themes correlate highly with family attractions. This type of theme can be used to attract younger people and families with children looking for thrills and excitement. Moreover, research has revealed that inter- national tourists with different cultural backgrounds exhibit distinct patterns of preference when they travel. Caucasians were found to be different from Asian visitors in terms of preference for theme park attributes concerning the nature of the attraction, activ- ities and themes. 26 Furthermore, the impor- tance of the cultural element in planning and designing theme parks has been emphasised by Gorder, who stressed the need to seek an appropriate philosophy of concept that re- ?ected Eastern thought and traditions for a park located in the Orient. 27 These important differences point to the need for more theme park studies to provide data for theme park developers catering to international tourists from diverse cultural backgrounds. Page 322. Strategic theming in theme park marketing at University College Birmingham on December 27, 2014jvm. sagepub. comDownloaded from METHODOLOGY Theme types and attributes A detailed review of tourism and theme park literature and promotion brochures was con- ducted to  ®nd out the theme attributes of theme parks. Words used to describe the theme or general atmosphere associated with the theme parks that appeared more than once were recorded. A list of descriptions was generated by a review of promotional literature, and was expanded by conducting interviews with  ®ve experienced theme park professionals who were asked to list all the theme types used by theme parks around the world based on their experience and know- ledge. Speci ®c theme attributes were derived and content analysis was used to sort out the adjectives used. Obvious duplication and overgeneralised descriptors were eliminated and a list of 75 attributes was compiled. As the list contained many descriptors that were similar to each other, the latter were reduced to a smaller number and regrouped into attributes that were more likely to re- present one single theme. Content analysis was to distinguish different theme types and, after regrouping, the resulting attributes were classi ®ed into seven main ones. These theme types were then shown to the  ®ve volunteers who had past experience in theme park settings to obtain further feed- back for  ®nalising the grouping of theme types. Table 1 shows the  ®nal grouping into seven theme types used in this study. Motivation for theme park visitation To ascertain the motivation for theme park visiting, ten statements were constructed, based on Pearce and Dermotts leisure ladder for theme park settings, each stating visitors different reasons for visiting to theme parks. Table 1: Theme types grouping Type Attribute Type Attribute Adventure Excitement and action Fantasy Animation. Frightening Cartoon characters Mysterious Childhood enchantment Thrill rides Childrens play park Futurism Advances in society and technology Fairy tale Magic Discovery Make believe Exploration of science and technology History and culture Myths and legends Aboriginal Laser Authentic Robot Cultural heritage Scienti ®c Ethnic appeals Science  ®ction Gold Rush International Flavours of the world Historic ambience International village Movie American Wild West show Miniature replicas Comedy Scenic spots Motion picture World expositions Show business Nature Animals Stunt show Floral displays Horticultural gardens Landscaping. Marine life Natural wonders Ocean Wildlife Page 323 Wong and Cheung at University College Birmingham on December 27, 2014jvm. sagepub. comDownloaded from These were in the form of questions which represented the  ®ve levels of the leisure ladder model as shown in the Appendix. Psychographic (lifestyle) Twelve statements pertaining to the person- ality, behaviour and interests of the respon- dents, such as I am a dreamer and like to fantasise; I am adventurous and look for excite- ment in life etc, were developed to investigate their preferences for particular themes. These statements were developed based on past literature and comments from a group of  ®ve volunteers. Demographic variables Demographic variables such as gender, country of origin, age, life cycle, occupation and post, household income and education level were selected to test whether any of them had a relationship with visitors theme preferences. Data collection An undisguised structured questionnaire was designed to  ®nd out information pertaining to visitors demographics, psychographics and their preferences for themes. It consisted of  ®ve sections, with the  ®rst section consist- ing of questions relating to general travel behaviour, such as frequency of travel and number of theme parks visited. In the second section, respondents were asked to indicate the degree of importance of each of the seven themes, with 1 being very unimpor- tant and 5 being very important. Following this, they were asked to rank their prefer- ences for these themes, with 1 being the most preferred and 7 the least preferred, as an indication of their ordinal partiality. The third section of the questionnaire, which sought to reveal the respondents lifestyle patterns (attitude, interest, behaviour) was achieved by seeking their level of agreement with a series of statements which related to these aspects on a scale which ranged from 1 to 5, with 1 indicating strong disagreement and 5 indicating strong agreement. The fourth section focused on the motivation for theme park visitation. Respondents were asked to indicate their level of agreement with ten statements which related to the  ®ve levels of Pearce and Dermotts leisure ladder model for theme park settings. The  ®nal section gathered general demographic data on respondents gender, country of origin, age, marital status, occupation, household income and education level. The survey questionnaire was pre-tested on a small group of ten volunteers to ascer-tain the validity, clarity and appropriateness of the questions asked, particularly in the sections pertaining to motivation and life- style patterns. Based on the comments re- ceived, some rewording was considered and the layout of the questionnaire restructured. The sample in this study were Asians (not necessarily international tourists) in Hong Kong who had visited a theme park before and those who had not visited one but ex- pressed an intention to visit. The survey was conducted in a popular tourist shopping area in Kowloon, Hong Kong on a weekend to obtain a good cross-section of people. Re-spondents were randomly intercepted and requested to complete the survey question- naire. Interviewers were instructed to clarify to respondents the de ®nition of a theme park where necessary and give examples. FINDINGS Demographic pro ®le of respondents The basic pro ®le of respondents showed a mix of men (44 per cent) and women (56 per cent) across all age and income categories. The majority (52 per cent) of them were between 25 and 39 years of age and single. In terms of income group, slightly more than one-third reported middle to upper middle class incomes. This may be explained by the fact that 44 per cent of the respondents were white-collar workers and 39 per cent re- ported having attained a secondary education level. In terms of respondents nationality, most of them were from Hong Kong, with the rest originating from the Philippines, China, Korea, India, Japan and Singapore. Page 324 Strategic theming in theme park marketing at University College Birmingham on December 27, 2014jvm. sagepub. comDownloaded from Visitation pattern Of the 105 respondents who provided usable data for this study, 95. 2 per cent have been to a theme park before while 4. 8 per cent have not. About one-third (32 per cent) of the respondents may be considered as non-frequent theme park visitors as they visited theme parks only once every two to four years. Another 30 per cent visited theme parks once a year whereas 22 per cent visited three times or more a year and once every six months. In terms of the number of theme parks they had visited, the majority of the respondents (46 per cent) had been to be- tween one and two different theme parks while 33 per cent of them had visited be- tween three and  ®ve theme parks. About 12 per cent had been to six to nine parks whereas only 9 per cent had been to ten or more different ones. The pattern of visitation may be attributed to the fact that there is a relatively small number of theme parks exist- ing in Asia. Ocean Park in Hong Kong was found to be the most visited park by those respondents who had been to theme parks before (97 per cent) followed by Disneys Magic Kingdom (30 per cent). Table 2 shows the list of theme parks visited by the respondents. Theme preference of respondents Seven theme types were examined to deter- mine which theme was most preferred by respondents. The nature theme (66. 7 per cent) was most frequently ranked among the higher ranks (ranks 1 ±3), followed by the fantasy theme (46. 7%) and adventure theme (44. 8%). Futurism (44. 7%), history and cul-ture (37. 1%), and international (32. 4%) themes came fourth,  ®fth and sixth respec- tively. The least preferred theme was the movie theme with only 27. 7% of respondents ranking in the top three ranks (see Table 3). To some extent the overwhelming prefer- ence for the nature theme may be explained by the limited theme park experience of some respondents. Ocean Park, an oceanarium (nature) type of park, was found to be the most visited park (97%) and almost half of these respondents have only visited one or two different parks. Thach and Axinn noted that consumers with a greater depth of ex- perience in one park only may be more likely to use the park they are familiar with as the standard for the industry and their expecta- tions of other parks are shaped by this limited knowledge. 28 Hence, the preference for the nature theme may very likely be a re? ection of the in-depth experience obtained at Ocean Park as 70 per cent of the companys guests were in fact on a repeat visit. On the other hand, the movie theme, a popular theme found in the West with the success of Universal Studios and Warner Brothers Movie World, was the least pre- ferred theme. This points to the need for the consideration of cultural in? uence on theme Table 2: Major theme parks visited by respondents Theme Park % Ocean Park 97 Disneys Magic Kingdom 30 Sung Dynasty Village 29 China Folk and Culture Village 29 Splendid China 24 Sentosa Island 17 The Window of the World 16 Haw Par Villa Dragon World 15 Warner Bros Movie World 11 Jurong Bird Park 10 Lotte World 10 Sea World 9 Dream World 8 Universal Studios 6 (n ? 100) Table 3: Theme preferences of respondents by frequency of higher ranking Theme % Rank Nature 66. 7 1 Fantasy 46. 7 2 Adventure 44. 8 3 Futurism 44. 7 4 History and culture 37. 1 5 International 32. 4 6 Movie 27. 7 7 Page 325 Wong and Cheung at University College Birmingham on December 27, 2014jvm. sagepub. comDownloaded from preferences. Another interpretation may be that as the breadth of experience in terms of the number of different parks visited was limited, the respondents in this study did not have much exposure to the movie theme. For example, only 11 per cent and 6 per cent of the respondents have been to Warner Brothers Movie World and Universal Stu- dios respectively. Demographics and themes A one-way ANOVA was conducted to test the relationship between the demographic variables and visitors preferences for themes. The results are as follows. ? The results of the ANOVA revealed that visitors preferences for the adventure theme was affected by their marital status, with those being single showing a higher preference for this theme (mean ? 3:84) as shown in Table 4. ? The importance of the fantasy theme was also found to be affected by marital status. Those who were single preferred the theme, with a relatively high mean of 3. 51 in contrast to those who were mar- ried with no children (mean ? 2:30). Table 4 presents these results. ? Younger groups of respondents did not consider the history and culture theme important (mean ? 2:88) compared to those in the age group of 40 ±54 years (mean ? 4:07). Students also reported a lower mean (mean ? 2:63) towards this theme whereas the blue-collar workers and the middle-income group (HK $10,000 ±$30,000) regarded it as impor- tant. These results are presented in Tables 5, 6 and 7 below. ? The importance of the movie theme differed signi ®cantly by respondents age, marital status and occupation. Those aged between 10 and 24 years (mean ? 3:46), being single (mean ? 3:40) and students (mean ? 3:63) preferred the movie theme (Tables 4, 5 and 6). These results are consistent with the  ®ndings in an earlier study by Pearce and Dermott pertaining to the matching of demographic groups (young children, single adults and families) with the motivations for theme park visitors. The 13 ±16 year olds and the solos representing the single group viewed the rides or thrills as more important than did the family groups. Given that age and marital status are somewhat related it is not surpris- ing that respondents who are single would prefer the fantasy theme which has attributes like childhood enchantment, childrens play park, cartoon characters etc. This probably also explains why other groups such as those Table 4: Comparison of the importance of the theme to respondents by marital status Theme importance Group 1 (Single) Group 2 (Married, no child) Group 3 (Married, children at home) Group 4 (Married, children left home). ANOVA Main effect probability Adventure 3. 84 3. 10 3. 03 3. 00 . 0092A Fantasy 3. 51 2. 30 3. 26 3. 20 . 0213A Futurism 3. 49 3. 60 3. 71 2. 60 . 2191 History and culture 3. 40 3. 70 3. 65 4. 20 . 3598 International 3. 40 3. 30 3. 35 3. 80 . 7696 Movie 3. 40 3. 10 2. 68 3. 36 . 0271A Nature 3. 95 3. 90 3. 85 4. 20 . 9127 Results are presented as the mean, on a 5-point scale where 1 indicated the theme was very unimportant and 5 indicated the theme was very important. ADenotes signi ®cance at the . 05 level. Page 326 Strategic theming in theme park marketing at University College Birmingham on December 27, 2014jvm. sagepub. comDownloaded from married with children who stay with parents and married with children who do not stay with parents, with the exception of empty nesters (married with no child), tend to prefer the fantasy theme. This may be attrib- uted to the fact that families with children may be more desirous of seeking entertain- ment opportunities for their children. As for the movie theme, it was found that the preference for this theme was in? uenced by several related demographic variables. Younger people, who are more likely to be single and are students, preferred going to cinemas to spend their leisure time. It seemed that the more movies they saw, the higher the probability the movie theme would be attractive to them. However, it should be noted that the number of movies watched does not necessarily correlate with the importance given the movie theme (coefficient ? :1246, p ? :210). Likewise, the educational nature contained in the his- tory and culture theme was less appealing to the younger group who are usually students, and tend to perceive history and culture as less stimulating. This study also revealed that the blue- collar section showed a preference for the history and culture theme. While the basic motivation for travel may be to achieve `a more profound appreciation of society and culture,29 blue-collar workers who earn a Table 5: Comparison of the importance of the theme to respondents by age Theme importance Group 1 (10 ±24) Group 2 (25 ±39) Group 3 (40 ±54) Group 4 (55 ±65? ) ANOVA Main effect probability Adventure 3. 92 3. 50 2. 86 3. 36 . 0587 Fantasy 3. 58 3. 25 2. 93 3. 36 . 3889 Futurism 3. 29 3. 67 3. 57 3. 27 . 4619 History and culture 2. 88 3. 65 4. 07 3. 82 . 0029A International 3. 29 3. 36 3. 36 3. 82 . 4406 Movie 3. 46 3. 05 2. 50 3. 10 . 0371A Nature 3. 79 3. 93 4. 07 4. 00 . 8699 Results are presented as the mean, on a 5-point scale where 1 indicated the theme was very unimportant and 5 indicated the theme was very important. ADenotes signi ®cance at the . 05 level. Table 6: Comparison of the importance of the theme to respondents by occupation and post Theme importance Group 1 (Business owner/self- employed/manager/ white collar) Group 2 (Blue collar) Group 3 (Student) Group 4 (Housewife/ retired/ unemployed) ANOVA Main effect probability Adventure 3. 52 3. 56 3. 69 3. 13 . 5597 Fantasy 3. 41 2. 81 3. 38 3. 31 . 3273 Futurism 3. 55 3. 75 3. 13 3. 63 . 4156 History and culture 3. 59 4. 00 2. 63 3. 88 . 0009 A International 3. 27 3. 75 3. 25 3. 63 . 1819 Movie 2. 84 3. 19 3. 63 3. 50 . 0271A Nature 3. 89 4. 19 3. 88 3. 81 . 7355 Results are presented as the mean, on a 5-point scale where 1 indicated the theme was very unimportant and 5 indicated the theme was very important. ADenotes signi ®cance at the . 05 level. Page 327 Wong and Cheung at University College Birmingham on December 27, 2014jvm. sagepub. comDownloaded from low to middle household income have lim- ited travelling opportunities and, therefore.

Comparison of Hemingways Hills Like White Elephants and Cat In The Rai

Comparison of Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants" and "Cat In The Rain" "Cat In The Rain" is set in an Italian hotel where we meet an American couple. Outside a cat is trapped in the rain, and the wife wants to save it. When she goes to get it, it is gone but the maid later brings her one. The point of view in the story is a third person narrator, but the perspective changes going from the wife to the husband and an objective narrator who tells it like it is. The story is told retrospectively in the past tense. The narrator is omniscient - that is 'he' knows all but judges nothing. On the first page it seems it is the waiter objectively telling us what is going on whereas the second page is told by the wife and the last paragraphs of the third and fourth [and last] page in our story is told to us by George (the husband). In his composition of "Cat In The Rain", Hemingway frees the story from narrative interpretation and leaves it up to us, his readers, to interpret what is going on. The story seems strangely ambiguous in its narrative nature. This is apparently due to the objective narration and the no-judging attitude in it's style. The people we meet in this story are the couple (George and the nameless wife), the padrone, the waiter, the maid and the rain coat man. We are not supplied with any information about the waiter (who appears on the first page and seems to voice the first part of the story), nor are we supplied with information on the rain coat man. The padrone is attentive and seems to be everything her husband is not. Putting the couple up against each other reveals something quite interesting and gives us the impression that they are total opposites. The wife symbolizes natu... ... nameless and the man in "Hills" is nameless. I think the couples in the two stories are one and the same couple. Again the two stories are about having someone to care for - in "Cat" she wants to have a baby, and in "Hills" I think her wish is about to come true. Jig is pregnant, but the man (George?) does not seem at all excited and pleas with her in this story to have an abortion. He tells her "it's a simple operation" but that she should not do it if she does not want to. It is not hard to see that she does want to have the baby, and if you believe the two women are actually the same, you can surely understand why she wants her long-desired wish to come true. The themes in the two stories are also close to being the same - the lack of love and the lack of communication. So - are the two stories an 'evolutionary tale' about a couple? I do not doubt it.

Do i consider myself a leader or a manager?

It is said that a leader is â€Å"someone who people naturally follow according to their own choice, whereas a manager must be obeyed.   Leaders are people who do the right thing, and managers are people who do things right. Leaders are implored to do the right or moral or ethical thing to do, while managers, though not necessarily immoral or unethical in their actions and decisions, are more concerned with doing things in the right manner. In business sense, the right manner would be the most cost-efficient, effective, and also, most profitable. Hence, there is blurry boundary between managers and leaders. (The Difference Between Management And Leadership). How do I consider myself—a leader or a manager? I think I function well in both roles. To start off managers keep things moving, leaders are more visionary, looking at things differently† (Miller) Author Miller reinforces the first view that managers are more focused on doing things right; thereby saying that managers take care of the daily grind of the operations of the organization. Leaders, on the other hand, are far-sighted, in such that they are more of visionaries, always looking towards the far-off rainbow. They inspire people to recognize this rainbow as a beautiful and noble vision, worth working for as a result and a process. Using this rainbow symbol, the managers do see, appreciate and recognize the rainbow as a vision worth reaching, but afterwards they get down immediately to planning, goal-setting and the whole gamut of organizing and management to start things moving. Managers prioritize on how things are done, while leaders emphasize on what should be achieved in the long run. Meanwhile, Farr comments on how some business writers and consultants remark that â€Å"leaders as more creative and valuable to an organization than managers† (Farr, 1997). Some managers are perceived to be too inclined in focusing on managing daily organizational activities, and making sure things are being done correctly.   However, some managers overlook opportunities, threats and trends, or external factors that affect the organization. As for me, looking at all these, I can say that I have tested myself on both roles. I have the vision and foresight of a leader in initiating projects, and at the same time, I am able to look into the simplest office procedure and manage people and the daily flow of operations since I am also meticulous by nature. In the end, it is helpful to keep in mind from moment to moment that it is not so much the stressors I face as a leader or a manager but how I see them and what I do with them that determine how much they are in my control. If people can change the way they see, they can change the way they respond. It is not only the major turning points in our lives that require us to adapt. Every day, in functioning as a manager and a leader, I face a range of moderately important to trivial obstacles and occurrences which I have to deal, and which may turn into a much larger problem than they need to be if I lose my perspective and balance of mind. REFERENCES Farr, J. Leadership Vs. Management: Do You Know the Difference? Business Leader Online. 1997. Sep Retrieved Oct. 13, 2006 at Miller, P. What's The Difference Between Leaders and Managers? High Beam Research. Retrieved Oct. 13, 2006 The Difference Between Management And Leadership. University of Edinburgh: School of Engineering and Electronics. Retrieved Oct. 13, 2006 at: ;http://www.see.ed.ac.uk/~gerard/MENG/ME96/Documents/Intro/leader.html; ; ; ; ;

Americ The Columbian Exchange - 1180 Words

During the early 16th century, physical encounters between europeans and natives of the American continents resulted in a vast diffusion of food, livestock, technology, and diseases. This later became known as the Columbian Exchange. Two of the most influential things to be traded between the groups was horses, used for hunting and agricultural improvement, and diseases, such as smallpox, measles, yellow fever, typhus, and malaria. Diseases depleted many Native American populations, destroyed American Indian societies , and allowed europeans to conquer indigenous land much more easily and change its demographics. Horses, on the other hand, were a valuable asset to the Native Americans because it gave them a new source of transportation,†¦show more content†¦As Tindall and Shi put it, â€Å" tribal cohesion and cultural life disintegrated, and efforts to resist European assaults collapsed† (15). The Spanish and Portuguese immediately began to enslave the surviving Indi ans and put them to work in mines and on sugar plantations under a system they called the, â€Å"encomienda system†. Many of the elite American Indians who survived disease did not fare any better, as their legitimacy as chiefs and religious leaders was stripped away from them. This system was meant to colonize, subjugate, and forcefully assimilate the Native Americans to cruel and harmful condition, all in the name of profit (Parker 54). Soon, however, the European empires faced a problem regarding the low amount of laborers due mainly to the smallpox epidemic. This caused the Spanish and Portuguese empires to switch from American Indian labor, to African slave labor. Bringing the African slaves to the Western hemisphere began a long history of bondage that would continue in the American continents until Brazil finally abolished slavery in 1888. To add to all of that, the African slaves brought their own diseases that not even the white europeans were immune to such as, mala ria, yellow fever, and cholera among others. The diminution of American Indian populations continued even after the fall of the Incan and Aztec empires. As the