Beschrijving

Recreation, Event, and Tourism Businesses: Start-Up andSustainable Operations uncovers the keys to business success in thecommercial recreation, event, and tourism sector-one of thefastest-growing segments in the tourism and recreation industry. Untilnow, students, professors, and professionals interested in this growingindustry have been limited to general business or basic recreationtexts. With Recreation, Event, and Tourism Businesses, Robert E.Pfister and Patrick T. Tierney have combined their expertise both asbusiness owners and professors to offer a comprehensive andindustry-specific textbook and step-by-step guide for business start-up.Written from both entrepreneurial and operations managementperspectives, the book provides a practical overview of the recreation,event, and tourism (RET) field and the business planning process. A newconceptual model of the RET industry is presented and related toexisting models. It explains how the industry works and examines the keycomponents of commercial RET businesses. It also describes how companiesare started, operated, and managed, including information on serviceissues, risk management, finance, and marketing. It provides examples ofhow RET businesses can be operated in a more sustainable,environmentally friendly manner. Many of the topics covered in this bookare key learning components for people wishing to obtain certificationas a commercial recreation professional from organizations such as theResort and Commercial Recreation Association and Meeting ProfessionalsInternational. Recreation, Event, and Tourism Businesses provides students withpractical business concepts and content that link to the core principlesof the RET field so they’ll be professionally prepared to deliverappropriate services. They’ll explore contemporary management practiceswhile discovering the diverse career opportunities available in the RETindustry. The following are other student-friendly features:* Tech Applications describe various specialized technologies and theirapplications to the RET industry.* Multinational case studies provide detailed analysis of recreationbusinesses, with discussions of start-up, services provided, marketing,revenues and costs, management challenges, and future plans.* Green Tips provide practical suggestions for making specific elementsof an RET business more environmentally responsible.* Spotlight On sections highlight the profiles of successfulentrepreneurs and their locations, backgrounds, and professional adviceor plans for the future.* Online Student Resource includes supplemental information, businessplan worksheets, activities, references, and Web sites that students canuse to further explore ideas in the text. Recreation, Event, and Tourism Businesses also presents newprofessionals and potential business owners with clear, easy-to-readdirections for developing and writing a business plan. A student orentrepreneur can use chapters in the book to develop sections of abusiness plan as a semester-long project or a serious business endeavor.The book’s business profiles and case studies serve as examples tofollow when working on the plan and help readers gain insight into howbusinesses are planned, started, and funded. It lays out importantstrategies for startinng a business and shares best practices based onsuccessful RET businesses. The authors also share advanced managementand marketing strategies based on their experience as business owners.The key concepts of liability, marketing, finance, and operationalstandards are not simply academic concepts but practices honed by theauthors’ 20-plus years of experience in operating recreation and tourismbusinesses.A unique feature of the book is documenting and demonstrating howrecreation, event, and tourism businesses can move toward a moreenvironmentally and socially sustainable future. While it does includediscussions of the traditional meaning of sustainability, generatingsufficient profit to propel growth, it also presents the modern evolvingconcept of triple bottom-line accounting. It describes the need toconsider environmental and social sustainability factors as well asprofit when evaluating the success of the firm, and it explains how toinclude these considerations in the evaluation process. It also showshow environmental management, green business practices, and greentechnology are important for RET businesses. Green Tips throughout thebook offer guidance in environmentally friendly and sustainable businesspractices. The book presents examples of how expenditures in greentechnology and practices can produce short- and long-term financialgains. Topics include green building certification, leave no traceprinciples, and operating carbon neutral. Finally, it shows how an RETbusiness can measure its progress in a sustainability report. Recreation, Event, and Tourism Businesses: Start-Up andSustainable Operations provides a comprehensive view of the industry,offering new insights for current practitioners and thorough preparationfor students seeking careers in the recreation, event, and tourismindustry. With its specific focus, it is the only text for current RETtheories and practical management applications. Entreprenuers andemployees alike will find this practical guide offers the businessknowledge, practical tips, resources, and valuable insights to guidetheir careers in the exciting and rewarding recreation, events, andtourism industry.