Public Recreation Management, Reasons and Restraints

It seems that most everyone these days is interested in, and demanding better and more effective management from the public sector. After serious deceptions at the highest level of government in the early 1970\u27s citizens are somewhat more demanding in the accountability of government institutions, and individuals, on all levels. Enthusiasm and interest in good public management is one thing, however, understanding the nature of it, to say nothing of achieving it, is another. Management concepts in the public sector, including specific strategies applicable to public parks and Recreation, differ quite dramatically from management in private business and industry. These sometimes subtle variations in administrative technique, restrictions and restraints on effective management, spell the difference between good public response and poor public perception and response in many human service areas. This article discusses public vs. private management with strategic applications to public recreation

The Applicability of Management by Objectives to the Administration of Municipal Parks and Recreation

It seems that most everyone these days is interested in, and demanding better and more effective management from the public sector. After serious deceptions at the highest level of government in the early 1970\u27s, citizens are somewhat more demanding in the accountability of government institutions, and their representatives. Public recreation managers are expeditiously seeking new administrative techniques and decision making models that will ultimately get things done while hopefully increasing respect for public management strategy and still enhance the humanistic elements of job (employee) satisfaction. Management by objectives offers an opportunity to incorporate a systematic approach to organizational administration, increasing employee motivation, defining goals and offering a viable means for performance measurement

Semi-Analytic Estimates of Lyapunov Exponents in Lower-Dimensional Systems

Recent work has shown that statistical arguments, seemingly well-justified in higher dimensions, can also be used to derive reasonable, albeit less accurate, estimates of the largest Lyapunov exponent ${\chi}$ in lower-dimensional Hamiltonian systems. This letter explores the detailed assumptions incorporated into these arguments. The predicted values of ${\chi}$ are insensitive to most of these details, which can in any event be relaxed straightforwardly, but {\em can} depend sensitively on the nongeneric form of the auto-correlation function characterising the time-dependence of an orbit. This dependence on dynamics implies a fundamental limitation to the application of thermodynamic arguments to such lower-dimensional systems.Comment: 6 pages, 3 PostScript figure

Subarachnoid versus General Anesthesia in Penile Prosthetic Implantation: Outcomes Analyses

The leading patient complaint during the perioperative period for penile prosthesis implantation is postoperative pain, while emesis and urticaria also affect the procedure’s perceived success. In analyzing surgical outcomes, assessment of the anesthetic for postoperative pain and side effects should be included. This paper retrospectively reviews 90 consecutive, primary inflatable penile prosthetic operations performed by a single surgeon at one private medical center. Fifty-seven patients were included in final analysis. Patients who had more than one procedure that day or who used chronic pain medication were excluded. The type and amount of each drug used for each respective side effect (within the first 24 hours after procedure) were compared to determine relative benefit. Twenty patients received general anesthesia (denoted herein as “GA”) and 37 received spinal (or also known as subarachnoid) anesthesia (denoted herein as “SA”). Patients receiving GA had significantly greater (P<0.0001) occurrence and amount of intravenous pain treatment than those receiving SA. Patients with SA required less intravenous pain medication and less treatment for nausea/emesis

Rural young people and physical activity: understanding participation through social theory

Studies from around the world point to the inadequate participation of young people in physical activity and sport, and the consequences of this on their health. However, very few interventions to increase the levels of physical activity amongst young people have been sustainable. The aim of this paper is to use Bourdieu’s notions of the logic of practice along with habitus and capital to theorise young people’s participation in physical activities to add to the wealth of empirical material. Data is drawn from a cohort of rural participants in an Australian longitudinal, qualitative research project with young people from diverse social, cultural and geographical backgrounds. It was found that traditional rural gender roles impact on young women’s perceptions of legitimate physical activity options and practices. The role of the family in the reproduction of the social order which sustains gendered understandings of physical activity is also explored. This paper demonstrates how Bourdieu’s theories can be applied to explain gender distinctions in health behaviours. It is proposed that building bridges between epidemiological and sociological understandings of participation in physical activities will lead to the generation of more equitable and sustainable physical activity and health promotion initiatives

Deweyan tools for inquiry and the epistemological context of critical pedagogy

This article develops the notion of resistance as articulated in the literature of critical pedagogy as being both culturally sponsored and cognitively manifested. To do so, the authors draw upon John Dewey\u27s conception of tools for inquiry. Dewey provides a way to conceptualize student resistance not as a form of willful disputation, but instead as a function of socialization into cultural models of thought that actively truncate inquiry. In other words, resistance can be construed as the cognitive and emotive dimensions of the ongoing failure of institutions to provide ideas that help individuals both recognize social problems and imagine possible solutions. Focusing on Dewey\u27s epistemological framework, specifically tools for inquiry, provides a way to grasp this problem. It also affords some innovative solutions; for instance, it helps conceive of possible links between the regular curriculum and the study of specific social justice issues, a relationship that is often under-examined. The aims of critical pedagogy depend upon students developing dexterity with the conceptual tools they use to make meaning of the evidence they confront; these are background skills that the regular curriculum can be made to serve even outside social justice-focused curricula. Furthermore, the article concludes that because such inquiry involves the exploration and potential revision of students\u27 world-ordering beliefs, developing flexibility in how one thinks may be better achieved within academic subjects and topics that are not so intimately connected to students\u27 current social lives, especially where students may be directly implicated

A Case-study Approach to Managerial Decision Making

Today\u27s community recreation programs exist in dynamic and uncertain environments that are often characterized by complex stakeholder relationships and rapid change. Economic conditions, socio-political pressures, legal concerns, technological advances, and demands for accountability have placed considerable pressure on managers who are generally expected to do more with less. Successful decision making has become increasingly dependent on one\u27s ability to make efficient, effective, and equitable decisions that address the needs of internal and external stakeholders. Like any skill, decision making can be learned. This paper outlines a case-study approach to decision making within the context of an undergraduate recreation management course. Relevant background information is provided, along with a description of the activity, desired learning outcomes, and recommendations for implementation

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