Sightseeing Buses: Cruising,Timing and the Montage of Attractions

Abstract

This article focuses on spatial performances, modes of vision and touring practices enabled by sightseeing bus‐tours. Thereby, three aspects of the process by which these buses transform urban space into destination space are discussed. First, bus‐tours delineate, as they move, a unique geography of routes and stops, which is based on structured improvisation. Second, guiding practices of tour guides are crucial for assembling together a destination and their success depends on timing. Third, tourist experiences enabled by sightseeing bus‐tours involve a ‘cruise‐ship‐like’ style of movement and a mode of vision reminiscent of the ‘montage of coming attractions’ characteristic of film‐trailers. The article concludes by stressing the multiple spatial displacements involved in bus‐tour production of destination space.     

论旅游业的关系营销

文章探讨了新兴的关系营销模式在旅游业中的应用问题。结合江西省上饶市旅游业发展规划,针对旅游产品特点,提出旅游业关系营销的中心是形成顾客友好。为此提出实行全面质量管理、提供额外的服务和多样化奖励、实行"回头客"优惠制、产品开发与游客互动、开展顾客化营销、建立旅游服务链、建立信息系统和参与慈善活动等,并且提出了实行旅游业关系营销的10个技术要点。     

团办“素质训练学校”与大学生素质训练体系构建的探索

必须以创新的思路推进"大学生素质拓展计划",弘扬高校共青团工作的主旋律.素质拓展的关键在于素质训练体系的构建,把团办"素质训练学校"作为大学生素质训练体系的有效载体和有机组成的探索实践是有益的.湖南师范大学团办"楚源素质训练学校"已经凸显出成功的个性特色课程设置市场化;管理方式弹性化;教学手段多元化;评估机制效能化;强操作性、强实用性与强适应性.加强与企事业单位及相关行业资格培训中心的结合,是改进与完善的二大亮点.     

Evaluating the impact of utility company billing plans on residential energy consumption

Many utility companies offer their customers the choice of participation in an average payment plan, which enables them to pay a fixed sum for their utility bill each month (with final settlement at the end of the billing year), instead of the conventional “pay as you go” billing procedure. Because customers on average payment plans are protected from paying large bills during peak energy-use seasons and because the information about monthly energy use and its cost is perhaps less salient to them, it was hypothesized that customers on the average payment plan would use more electricity than customers not on the plan. Using a nonequivalent control group design, the electricity consumption of a selection of customers of two utility companies (Ns = 475 and 74) was examined. The results showed that there was no evidence to support the hypothesis. Since the logic of hypothesis testing does not permit the ready acceptance of the null hypothesis, several procedural, methodological, and statistical points were made to buttress the conclusion that the average payment plans had no effect on electricity consumption.     

庐山旅游经济开发的几点思考

庐山旅游经济的开发首先应深读庐山历史,核准旅游特色.目前庐山旅游经济开发的滞后因素主要有三管理体制不顺,宣传机制不全,旅游定位不准.因此,庐山旅游经济开发可以从以下方面着手理顺管理体制,强化整体优势;突出会议特色,打造东方"日内瓦";彰显文化品位,盘活传统工艺;做大山水文章,奏响四季之歌;保护生态环境,发展绿色经济.     

Lapses,infidelities, and creative adaptations: Lessons from evaluation of a participatory market development approach in the Andes

Participatory approaches are frequently recommended for international development programs, but few have been evaluated. From 2007 to 2010 the Andean Change Alliance evaluated an agricultural research and development approach known as the “Participatory Market Chain Approach” (PMCA). Based on a study of four cases, this paper examines the fidelity of implementation, the factors that influenced implementation and results, and the PMCA change model. We identify three types of deviation from the intervention protocol (lapses, creative adaptations, and true infidelities) and five groups of variables that influenced PMCA implementation and results (attributes of the macro context, the market chain, the key actors, rules in use, and the capacity development strategy). There was insufficient information to test the validity of the PMCA change model, but results were greatest where the PMCA was implemented with highest fidelity. Our analysis suggests that the single most critical component of the PMCA is engagement of market agents – not just farmers – throughout the exercise. We present four lessons for planning and evaluating participatory approaches related to the use of action and change models, the importance of monitoring implementation fidelity, the limits of baseline survey data for outcome evaluation, and the importance of capacity development for implementers.     

Civic Engagement Among Older Adults in a Rural Community

Abstract

This is a report of the second and final stage of a research project evaluating courses for community activists in Israel. We compared 286 graduates of Schools for Community Activists, of whom 198 were still active in their communities and 98 were not, with 138 activists and 131 non-active residents of the same neighbourhoods who had never participated in courses for activists. We noted no significant socio-economic or demographic differences between the graduates and the non-graduates. However, on a range of variables, we found consistent and generally significant differences between the graduate and non-graduate activists: the former reported higher levels of activism, knowledge and skills, higher community involvement and deeper community roots, and assessed more highly the prestige of community involvement. Few differences were noted on their assessment of the benefits and losses of community activity. Since the graduates and non-graduates come from similar backgrounds, we conclude that the courses made a significant contribution to the development and socialization of those activists who participated in them.     

Assessing program impact using latent growth modeling: a primer for the evaluator

Latent growth modeling (LGM) has emerged as a flexible analytic technique for modeling change over time because it can describe developmental processes at both the inter- and intra-individual levels. The LGM method can also provide a means for testing the contribution of other variables in order to explain variability in growth trajectories. This paper didactically illustrates the use of LGM as an analytical tool in program evaluation. Specifically, a hypothetical evaluation of a high school drug prevention program was used to demonstrate: (a) how LGM can be used to assess the longitudinal impact of a prevention program by comparing treatment and control populations with respect to individual differences in initial status and in rate of change; and (b) how predictors of initial status (post-intervention) and growth selected on the basis of a particular program theory can be incorporated in the model to explain program impact. Some advantages and limitations of using LGM in program evaluation are highlighted.     

“多元整合”程序教法在球类教学中的运用研究

通过教学试验，研究了“多元整合”程序教法在球类教学中的运用效果，结果表明：“多元整合”程序教法以整合练习带单项技术，符合球类技术的掌握规律和学生的学习心理。     

明确定位，差异培养，推进实践性教学体系建设——广州城市职业学院实践性教学改革与实践

广州城市职业学院自组建以来，在明确学院各专业办学定位的基础上，实行差异化的人才培养战略，不断改革人才培养模式，探索工学结合的有效形式，突出学生实践能力培养，进行专业与课程体系重构，加强实习实训基地建设。经过三年的改革与实践，取得显著成效。