Department of Tourism Leisure Hotel and Sport Management - Essay Example

Name: 1001HSL Foundation Studies Department of Tourism, Leisure, Hotel and Sport Management Griffith Business School 1001HSL Assessment #2 Short Essay Portfolio Date: Three Concepts of Leisure Lynch and Veal (2006) have attempted to define leisure using three concepts or dimensions - the time used for leisure, the activities or occupations that constitute leisure and the attitudes that define occupations or activities as leisure. This essay will examine Lynch and Veal’s three concept model or approach of leisure and argue that each dimension is limited in defining leisure. The essay will first analyze each concept in turn and argue that they are limited to defining leisure in a western post industrial manner and not universally across cultures. Lynch and Veal’s definition of leisure as residual time, the time that is left over after essential activities such as work, personal care and domestic chores have all been accomplished, is largely western and Eurocentric. The concept of free time varies from culture to culture and is governed by economic, social, religious and other imperatives. This definition is largely westernized and suits cultures where people have more free time in economies characterized by the use of technology to complete manual tasks that has freed up time for leisure and consumption. It discounts other cultural contexts where free time is not clearly defined. For example, while I may consider the clearly defined weekends or holidays in between work and my studies as leisure time, the same may not be true for a farmer in rural Africa whose time is not compartmentalized as such but dedicated to maximizing his food supplies dependent on weather patterns. While the concept of time is useful in certain cultural contexts, it is limited in defining leisure in other contexts. Leisure can also be defined using a number of activities such as sports and games, hobbies, entertainment and arts and socialization. While this concept is more universal than time in defining leisure, it is limited due to the different roles that different people may assume while engaging in the same activity. For example, I may earn allowances from playing for a college rugby team while simultaneously playing rugby as leisure which blurs the distinction between the various roles I assume while playing rugby. Sport can be leisure, a profession and even a form of personal care through physical activity which illustrates the limitations of activity as a concept (Trew et al 1999). Through the dimension of attitude, leisure is defined through the motivation for undertaking the leisure activity. However, this concept is limited in its application to western post industrial societies. Due to social and economic inequalities, it discounts the aspects of quality of leisure and freedom of choice. Different people face different constraints which imply that what is enjoyable and satisfying to some people is not to others. Perceptions of leisure are subjective based on social variables (Kim 2010). For me, going out to enjoy a drink or hunting may be an acceptable form of leisure but in religious societies, the former would be discouraged while in a hunter gatherer community, the latter is considered work. Therefore attitudes towards leisure are not universal. Lynch and Veal define leisure using three different dimensions- leisure time, leisure activities and attitudes towards leisure. However, while their model is useful in defining leisure in the Western post industrial sense, it is limited in its application of the concepts to various cultures. The three dimensions of leisure cannot be applied universally as it is difficult to reconcile concepts such as time, the roles while undertaking activities and attitudes towards leisure in different cultural contexts. References Kim, B 2010, ‘Measuring the perception of leisure from a social cognitive perspective’, International Journal of Leisure and Tourism Marketing, Vol. 1, No. 4, pp.309–322. Lynch, R & Veal, A. J 2006, Australian Leisure, 3rd edition, Sydney, Pearson Education. Lynch, R. & A.J. Veal (2006), “This Thing Called Leisure”, Australian Leisure cited in 1001HSL Foundation Studies custom book (2011) 2nd ed. pp. 1-29 Trew, K, Scully D, Krener, J & Ogle, S 1999, ‘Sport, Leisure and Perceived Self-Competence among Male and Female Adolescents’, European Physical Education Review, Vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 53-74. Group Work Introduction Group experiences can be positive or negative for the various members of the group. Having been involved in group related activities from an early stage of my studies, I have had some negative group experiences. In this essay, I will describe a difficult group experience I once had in completing a group assignment and how this experience fits into Tuckman’s four stage group development model. I will first briefly explain Tuckman’s model and relate it to my own experience. Group Development The four stages of Tuckman’s group development model are forming, storming, norming and performing (Tuckman 1965). In the forming stage, as the name suggests, the group is formed. Discrete individuals assemble to form a group, each bringing their own personality, experiences, perspectives expectations and outlook into a group. At this stage, members orient themselves with each other, with their shared objectives, opportunities and challenges and get to learn about and from each other on the way forward, what needs to be done, what goals are to be met (GBS 2011). In the storming stage, members react emotionally to their task functions. During this stage, friction is to be anticipated as each member applies their own emotions and understanding to what needs to be done and how it can be achieved (GBS 2011). The norming stage is usually characterized by consensus and compromise as group members form a mutual plan of action, or norms, which are to be executed at the performing stage where members try and bridge objectives and goals (GBS, 2011; Tuckman 1965). Tuckman’s model is fairly accurate in assessing group development as it basically and coherently outlines the logical progression of group. However, this model tends to over generalize processes and ignores overlaps and transitions in group development (Sundstrom et al 1997). In my first group assignment at the Griffith Business School, we were required to come up with a reflective journal of reading materials. The group ran into problems from the very onset as different members could not agree on the very objectives of the group, whether everyone should read all the materials or whether we should segment and compile the journal in smaller groups, therefore, there was overlap between the storming and forming stage as members could not agree on whether to form a centralized hierarchical group or a decentralized one to approach the task. This created fiction and wasted a lot of time as we eventually had to rush the assignment and hand it in perilously close to the deadline with the consequent lower grades. Conclusion In light of Tuckman’s model, my experience was that not all groups develop in the linear and straightforward fashion proposed. In my experience, forming and storming may conflict and overlap as emotions can be introduced right from the onset. The nature of some group tasks, such as the one we faced, also makes it easier to approach storming and norming as continuous, interrelated processes rather than discrete stages (Sundstrom et al 1997). In my own evaluation, the failure to resolve conflict within the group at the forming stage by not being dynamic- for example allowing both proposed group structures to co-exist and flexible grade sharing, contributed to the lengthy debates and consequent low grades. References Griffith Business School, 2011, ‘Group Work’, The GBS Resources Bank on Group Work in Learning at Griffith, Griffith Business School. Sundstrom, E, Busby, P. L, & Bobrow, W. S 1997, ‘Group process and performance: Interpersonal behaviors and decision quality in group problem solving by consensus’. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, Vol.1, No. 3, pp. 241-253. Tuckman, B 1965, ‘Developmental sequence in small groups’, Psychological Bulletin, Vol. 63. No 6, pp 384-399. Factors distinguishing between tourism and other leisure; cost Leiper (2004) outlines seven factors which can be used to compare and distinguish between tourism and other forms of leisure. The seven factors he mentions are withdrawal and return, duration, frequency, socializing, cost, exclusivity and discreteness. These factors contribute to both positive and negative features of tourism. In this essay, I will discuss the cost factor and apply it to my own tourist experience, a trip to the Masai Mara Game Reserve, to distinguish between tourism and other leisure. Cost, tourism and other leisure According to Leiper (2004), cost distinguishes tourism from other leisure as tourism generally involves higher costs than other leisure. Other forms of leisure, such as attending a sports event, a concert, or even hobbies such as stamp collection, all involve a certain element of costs through expenses such as tickets, refreshments and purchase of materials. However, tourism implies spending in travel, accommodation, food and other miscellaneous expenses such as souvenirs and entry fees. Tourism is thus generally more expensive. While travelling to Kenya for the Masai Mara to witness the Wildebeest migration with my family and friends, we had to incur expenses in the form of a travel package which factored in the cost of return airline tickets, accommodation charges at a city hotel and at a game camp near the game reserve and fees for local tour guides who led us sightseeing in vans. Prior to the tour, we also had to purchase accessories such as high resolution optical cameras, trekking boots, sleeping and travel bags and mosquito repellant and sunscreen for the ladies. Once on tour, additional out-of-pocket expenses included food at the hotel, purchase of souvenirs such as t-shirts and curios and money spent on entertainment such as drinks. In light of all the costs incurred in the tour, expectations were high among the group of experiencing one of the modern world wonders. We had all read of the marvels to expect in the Masai Mara such as the bretahtaking game, the world renowned Masai tribesmen and Kenya’s vast and stunning landscape (Norton 1996). We expected to view as much game as possible as most of us had never seen a live elephant, rhino or cheetah outside of the zoo in its natural habitat. As Leiper argues, increased cost implies higher expectations of satisfaction which distinguishes tourism from other leisure such as sports or hobbies. It is this expectation that distinguishes tourism from other forms of leisure and makes it a popular choice. We all expected to come away with memorable scenery, photographs, souvenirs and generally a memorable time in one of the premier global tourist destinations. According to Neal and Gursoy (2008), the satisfaction is meant to be derived through the various experiences at different stages of the tour However, the experiences varied from person to person. Personally, I found the migration a wonderful and breathtaking spectacle which was worth the money paid for it. Conclusion As illustrated by the tour to the Masai Mara, cost distinguishes tourism and other leisure forms. Tourism generally implies higher costs through expenses such as travel, accommodation, sightseeing and other miscellaneous expenses. However, in light of the higher costs, tourists expect higher intrinsic satisfaction due to the perception of increased value (Leiper 2004). This distinguishes tourism from other leisure forms such as sports, hobbies or attending a concert or a movie in your locality and makes it a popular choice. References Norton, A 1996, ‘Experiencing nature: The reproduction of environmental discourse through safari tourism in East Africa’, Geoforum, Vol. 27, Issue 3, pp 355-373. Neal, J.D & Gursoy, D 2008, ‘A Multifaceted Analysis of Tourism Satisfaction’, Journal of Travel Research, Vol. 47, No 1, pp 53-62. Leiper, N 2004, Tourism Management (3rd edition). Frenchs Forest, AU: Pearson Education Australia. Leiper, N. (2004) “A Psychology of Tourism”, Tourism Management 3rd ed. cited in 1001HSL Foundation Studies custom book (2011) 2nd ed., pp. 170-192 Read More