The Economics of Local Tourist Systems

In this paper we analyse the Local Tourist System (LTS) as a particular case of Marshallian Industrial District. The LTS allows the identification of more effective policy tools for managing tourism. First, through the concept of LTS, the policy maker can take into account the complexity of tourism, characterised by a strong heterogeneity of goods, services and subjects involved; second, LTS helps promote a stronger co-ordination between the public and the private sector, by identifying a homogeneous territory and recognising its importance in tourists' decisions; third, through the LTS the policymaker can analyze the externalities and promotes the idea of collaborating networks in a context of local development. In the LTS framework, the anticommon problem can be analysed and contrasted. As the tourist has to buy different but intertwined goods which compose the holiday package, the failure in one of the markets can lead to the overall failure of the package. A LTS policy has to: i) co-ordinate the price policy of the different firms supplying “single components” of the tourist product; ii) fix the price of the whole product; iii) impute a price to each component. We demonstrate that, through price policy co-ordination and under general conditions, the LTS can increase the size of tourism and the firms’ profits, thereby reaching a more effective and efficient target in tourism policy. The recent introduction of LTS in the Italian legislation can be seen as a positive attempt of improving co-ordination in a complex sector such as tourism.Local tourist systems, Tourism policy

Teaching students to teach patients: A theory-guided approach

Nurses in every setting provide patient teaching on a routine basis, often several times a day. Patient teaching skills are essential competencies to be developed during pre-licensure nursing education. While students learn what to teach for specific conditions, they often lack competence in how to teach in ways that individualize and optimize patient learning. The ultimate goal of patient teaching is to arm patients with the knowledge and skills, and the desire and confidence in their ability to reach their targeted health outcomes. We describe the creation of a theoretical framework to guide development of patient teaching skills. The framework, rooted in the contemporary health care values of patient-centered care, is a synthesis of four evidence-based approaches to patient teaching: patient engagement, motivational interviewing, adult learning theory, and teach-back method. Specific patient teaching skills, derived from each of the approaches, are applied within the context of discharge teaching, an important nursing practice linked to patient outcomes. This exemplar emphasizes the use of critical teaching process skills and targeted informational content. An online student learning module based on the theoretical framework and combined with simulation experiences provides the nurse educator with one strategy for use with nursing students. The theoretical framework has applicability for skill development during pre-licensure education and skill refinement for nurses in clinical practice

Comportamenti d'impresa e informazione del consumatore Un’analisi empirica sui prezzi del pernottamento turistico

The paper analyses the relationship between the average quantity of a good demanded by a consumer in a single act of purchase and the price setting behaviour of firms, in the presence of consumers’ uncertainty about prices. A decrease of the average quantity purchased leads consumers to reduce the collection of information and increases the room for larger mark-up set by firms, with a consequent higher average price and higher variance of prices. An empirical analysis on the data about hotel stays in seaside resorts in Italy during the summer seasons in the period 1988-1997 is consistent with this point

Physical functioning: the mediating effect on ADLs and vitality in elderly living in residential care facilities. “Act on ageing”: a pilot study

The present study aims at verifying whether participation in a physical activity programme has positive effects on the daily life autonomy and vitality of elderly people living in residential care facilities by the mediation of their physical wellbeing. Fifty-one institutionalised individuals took part in the study. The control group included 11 people (84.26 ± 7.4 years), whereas the experimental group was made up of 40 people (85 ± 6.6 years). The experimental group was involved in a physical activity programme twice a week. The 36-Item Short Form Health Survey Questionnaire, the Activities of Daily Living Scale, and the Tinetti Test were administered to the participants. The linear regression method as well as Sobel’s formula were used for the analysis. The results show that participation in a physical activity programme has positive effects on autonomy in bathing and on the participants’ sense of vitality due to the mediation of physical functioning. These results confirm the importance of physical activity for the elderly populations living in residential care facilities

Real and perceived physical functioning in Italian elderly population: associations with BADL and IADL

This study aimed to identify the key physical abilities (aerobic endurance, gait speed, balance, strength) and psychological variables associated with the level of basic (BADL) and instrumental (IADL) activities of daily living in an autonomous community-dwelling elderly population in Italy. 135 elderly people (63% women; mean age = 73.3, SD = 5.5) were included in the study. Stepwise regression was performed to verify the association between these variables and the level of BADL and IADL in the elderly participants. Results showed that balance (β = −0.21, p < 0.01) and perception of physical functioning (β = 0.32, p < 0.0001) were the key individual variables related to BADL scores, and IADL score was associated with perception of physical functioning (β = 0.30, p < 0.0001) and upper limb strength (β = 0.21, p < 0.05). The results demonstrate a relationship between physical functioning and ADL, both real physical functioning and perceived physical functioning

Giant viscosity enhancement in a spin-polarized Fermi liquid

The viscosity is measured for a Fermi liquid, a dilute $^3$He-$^4$He mixture, under extremely high magnetic field/temperature conditions ($B \leq 14.8$ T, $T \geq 1.5$ mK). The spin splitting energy $\mu B$ is substantially greater than the Fermi energy $k_B T_F$; as a consequence the polarization tends to unity and s-wave quasiparticle scattering is suppressed for $T \ll T_F$. Using a novel composite vibrating-wire viscometer an enhancement of the viscosity is observed by a factor of more than 500 over its low-field value. Good agreement is found between the measured viscosity and theoretical predictions based upon a $t$-matrix formalism.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Physical activity and mobility function in elderly people living in residential care facilities. “Act on aging”: a pilot study

The present study aims at investigating the changes between pre-test and post-test in mobility function, balance, and gait after a physical activity program in a sample of elderly people. Forty-four individuals living in residential care facilities were recruited, with a mean age of 85 (SD = 6.6) in the control group and 84.26 (SD = 7.4) in the intervention group. We collected baseline and post-test measurements for the Tinetti Test. The findings showed that the physical activity intervention had a positive effect on physical functions. There was a statistically significant change between the means of the two groups over time; the intervention groups showed a stable condition with respect to overall mobility function, balance, and gait while the control group showed decreased performance at the post-test. These results underline that even in critical conditions, relatively simple training may promote a more positive adjustment to old age