In Fundamentals of Leisure Business Success, you'll sidestep the theoretical, overly academic jargon that often bogs down books dealing with leisure and recreation and discover many revolutionary, practical ways that these theories translate into the everyday realities of market share, employee management, and all-out business survival. You'll have the benefit of 20 years of actual experience in the leisure and recreation field at your disposal so you can master the importance of contemporary business and management techniques.

Discover the practical tips to make you an effective, customer-oriented manager! Focusing on the pervading belief that everything a manager does must be customer oriented, The Concise Handbook of Management: A Practitioner’s Approach gives you an overview of everything you need to know about managing in one practical, concise book. This plain-talking guide not only explains management theories, but also presents commonsense suggestions on the best ways to effectively manage people and things, no matter what type of business you are in. Taking a practitioner’s approach of discussing management issues with customers ultimately in mind, this practical book motivates, is easily understandable, and is entertaining to boot. The Concise Handbook of Management: A Practitioner’s Approach uses succinct chapters with several real stories and case studies designed to clearly illustrate each concept and suggestion. Written with the busy manager in mind, each chapter is compact, clear, true-to-life, and is always aimed at the bottom line. The book includes a small business marketing and promotion checklist, a helpful bibliography, and a useful glossary of terms. The Concise Handbook of Management: A Practitioner’s Approach explores: the first three steps in becoming a good manager understanding the importance of customers getting the most from employees management competencies and styles organizational structures and cultures managing change managing conflict and stress managing teams and workgroups ethics leadership managing time written business communication mastering the skills of a presentation dealing with people in the workplace a small business marketing checklist project or program planning the marketing basics—product—strategy—marketing—pricing developing external and internal customers The Concise Handbook of Management: A Practitioner’s Approach proves the adage that less is more, and has already been called the undergraduate/graduate student’s or practicing manager’s best all-in-one source and reference for simplified management theory and skills.

Gaining an understanding of the recreation and parks profession is crucial to success in the field and to effective leadership within the field. Recreation and Parks: The Profession is a one-of-a-kind resource that delineates the components that make this complex field a profession. Written by well-known recreation authority Betty van der Smissen, this book: defines the marks of the recreation and parks profession and identifies the steps involved in becoming a professional in the field; profiles 62 professional organizations within the profession; outlines a comparative history of 15 categories of the recreation and parks field in the United States and Canada; and presents a classic-to-contemporary bibliography of resources that showcases an inclusive body of knowledge on the profession. Part I describes recreation and parks as a profession and provides students with steps to lay a solid foundation to become a professional. Part II grounds readers with a comparative historical overview of the recreation and parks field from the 1500s to the present day. The author divides the field into 15 categories and offers suggestions on how to use the time line. Part III profiles 62 professional organizations. Each profile includes the organization's mission, goals, structure, history, publications, services, and professional credentialing information. In addition, it lists the organization's Web sites, contact information, and other vital information that students use in completing course work, in applying for internships, and in researching various aspects of the profession. Part IV contains a bibliography of selected resources on recreation and parks, from classic to the present. Recreation and Parks: The Profession is a unique resource for students, professors, and professionals in recreation and parks. The text brings together the important aspects of the field as a profession.

"Recreation, Event, and Tourism Businesses: Start-Up and Sustainable Operations reveals the keys to business success in the commercial recreation, event, and tourism sector. Until now, students, professors, and professionals interested in this growing industry have been limited to general business or basic recreation texts. In this book the authors have combined their expertise as both business owners and professors to offer a comprehensive and industry-specific course textbook and step-by-step guide for business start-up." "Recreation, Event, and Tourism Businesses presents new professionals and potential business owners with clear, easy-to-read directions for developing and writing a business plan. The book's business profiles and case studies serve as examples to follow when working on the plan and help readers gain insight into how businesses are planned, started, and funded. It also lays out important strategies for starting a business and shares best practices based on successful recreation businesses."--BOOK JACKET.

In "an integrated system of practical ideas and solutions to help burdened leaders," Bradshaw--founder of a leading consulting firm and adjunct professor of management (Wake Forest U., NC )--articulates his model of the success factors of organizational leaders linked to the purpose of trade, strategic identity and the four levers of change, the management of self-esteem, and customer satisfaction. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR