Chronic fatigue syndrome

Objective. To acknowledge the dinical syndrome chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and outline the diagnostic criteria and reasonable management.Outcomes. Attempt at containment of treatment cost and improvement of the quality of care of patients with CFS.Evidence. Delphi-type commentary from 20 expert clinicians and appropriate organisations. Limited literature survey.Values. To clarify the reasonable management of CFS amid conflicting clinical opinion on a condition qf concern to patients, funders and doctors, An adaptation:of an existing guideline was sent to organisations and individuals for comment. Comments received were included in this guideline where possible.Benefits, harms and costs. To acknowledge a clinical syndrome with a reasonable approach to management considering the cost implications. No cost analysis was done.Recommendations. To recommend the following: (I) diagnostic criteria for CFS; (il) potential differential diagnoses and possible investigations; and (iil) management protocol.Validation. The draft guidelines were subjected to external review by individual doctors who are acknowledged CFS treaters, doctor groups and the patient support group. There were major disputes about the content, with the responses falling into two groups: thosewho do not believe CFS is a distinguishable illness, and those who do.Developer and funding. The Committee for Science and Education, Medical Association of South Africa, Endorsements. Medical Association of South Africa and national health care organisations (see list at the end of the document)

Is This for Real? Authentic Learning for the Challenging Events Environment

This article explores a set of emerging competencies that education providers will be increasingly compelled to consider and, more importantly, embed in their event management course offerings. The undergraduate event management program offered at Victoria University, Melbourne, provides a case study of the efforts of teaching staff to iteratively and reflectively integrate these emerging competencies into course curriculum, many of which will be required for graduates to successfully transition to work in their career sector of choice-the events industry. The competencies of sustainable development, creativity and innovation, and networking are all seen as vital to graduate outcomes and employability. The fundamental responses to this process are discussed and lead to a distillation of the implications for teaching practice associated with embedding emerging competencies in event management education. © 2012 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC

Managing customer expectations: a study of two four-star hotels in Malaysia and Singapore

Successful management of customer expectations is an extremely important factor in achieving customer satisfaction. A hospitable culture and user-friendly technology are required to meet customers' expectations. While technology can have a major impact on customer satisfaction, the various cultural backgrounds of guests also have a significant influence. In the paper, the hotel guests’ cultural backgrounds were studied to understand this aspect's influence on their expectations and satisfaction. Three major cultural factors, namely brand identity (domestic vs. foreign), customers’ native language, and their country of residence, were observed and analyzed to determine guests' expectations. The research study used a qualitative design to analyze the data, collected from field observations at two hotels: a Singapore hotel and another in Malaysia. Reviews were also collected from hotel booking websites, in order to understand how the hotels satisfy guest expectations