A Progressive Multilevel Model for Selecting Medical Tourism Destinations: A Qualitative Study

Introduction: The overall objective of this study was to design a progressive multilevel model using the Delphi method for selecting a medical tourism destination which includes three levels of decision making: the destination country, then the destination city, and finally, the healthcare center in the selected city. This model can be used as a new area of research for further planning in Iran’s growing medical tourism industry. Methods: This study is a descriptive, practical research using a qualitative approach. In the preliminary stage, an extensive review of the literature was performed, and the Delphi method was used to identify factors influencing the selection of Iran as a medical tourism destination. Experts participating in the Delphi panel reached consensuses after applying three rounds. Analysis of the data from the Delphi panel resulted in the construction of a multilevel model for selecting a medical tourism destination. Results: The outcome of this research was a constructed multilevel model for selecting a medical tourism destination. The model indicates all factors influencing the selection of each level of destination. It also includes two stages of decision making (medical tourism and information search), which come before the selection of three levels of destination. Conclusion: Iran’s political and economic situations after the imposition of sanctions and its problems in providing banking services for medical tourists are among the factors influencing medical tourists not to choose Iran as their destination. Government support, planned promotional activities, and JCI accreditations could increase the attraction of medical tourists to Iran

Toxicopathological effects of endosulfan in female Japanese Quails (Coturnix japonica)

Background: The current study was planned to investigate the toxico-pathological effects of endosulfan in female Japanese quails.Methods: A total of 120 quail of 4 weeks old were divided into six equal groups (A-F) and administered endosulfan in feed at dose rate of 0, 5, 25, 50, 100, and 500 mg/kg feed, respectively for 90 days. Parameters studied included clinical signs, feed intake, body weight and mortality. Hematology, serum biochemistry, hatchability and fertility were also determined. Gross and microscopic changes on different organs were recorded.Results: The quails of the group B did not show any clinical signs and had significantly lower values of feed intake, testes relative weight and leukocyte number than those of the control group A. The quails of group C and D had mild depression while those of the group E and F showed nervous excitation following ingestion of endosulfan. There was a dose related delay in onset of crowing, appearance of foamy material in the droppings. The feed intake, erythrocyte and leukocyte counts, hematocrit values, and serum total proteins of endosulfan fed quails were significantly (p < 0.05) lower than that of the group A. The total egg production in groups A, B and C was significantly higher from group D, E and F.  The hatchability in group A and B was significantly higher from groups C, D, E and F. The difference of dead in shell % and early dead among different groups was nonsignificant. Infertile egg percentage was significantly higher in group E compared with all other groups except group F. The necrotic changes were observed in all parts of oviduct in high dose groups, similarly necrotic changes and vacuolar degeneration was observed in hepatic parenchyma in high dose groups D-F.Conclusion: It may be concluded that endosulfan leads to dose dependent changes in the quails.Keywords: Body weight; Coturnix japonica; Endosulfan; Haematological values; Histopatholog

Tourism as an Economic Develpment Tool

Probably the greatest single deterrent to tourism development is the lack of appreciation and enthusiasm for tourism by civic and business leaders. When tourism is not understood and its behefits are unclear, planning and implementation of measures to improve the industry are often lacking. Global tourism has become the largest industry in the world, with nearly 500 million consumers of tourism services per year spending hundreds of billions of dollars. The industry provides employment to over 100 million peopel worldwide. In view of tourism's increasing role in economic activity, the factors affecting its performance should be analyzed. An understanding of these factors is crucial to determine the ways in which national and international financial institutions, NGOs, and other entities can play the most value-adding role. This paper provides a brief profile of key factors and trends in tourism and their economic effects at the global, national and regional levels

The Impact of Statistical Graphics in Data Analysis

The history of statistics has become interesting in recent decades to a remarkably diverse group of scholars, and for an equally wide-ranging unwieldy set of reasons, Among them: (1) The incorporation of chance, and of statistical reasoning, into the sciences has involved some fundamental intellectual changes, perhaps even a kind of scientific revolution. (2) As a social technology, statistics is a form of information that is also an important medium of power. (3) Statistics joins the human sciences to the physical and natural ones. More than that, it has come to involve in a particularly striking way an ideal and an ethic of objectivity, meaning, among other things, control of the subjective. (4) Statistics has become an indispensable language of public discussion, with immense credibility even if it is also sometimes condemned. The history of statistical graphics and the rise of statistical thinking are  intertwined with each other throughout the 19th century. Over this time, social, behavioral, medical, and economic statistics began to be gathered in large and periodic series, and the usefulness of these bodies of data for planning, for governmental response, and as a subject worth of study in tis own right, began to be recognized, Graphical methods were in widespread use in the second half of 19th century. The birth of statistical thinking was also accompanied by a rise in visual thinking: a desire to make these numbers - their trends, tendencies, and distributions - more easily communicated or accessible to visual inspection. This paper brings together topics representing notable landmarks in historical developments in statistical graphics. William play fair invented the pie chart in 1801. In the following two centuries, this serviceable and likeable little graph has found many uses and users. Ever since John Tukey's graphical representation has drawn interest as a form of visualization and a means of communication, and these roles are important enough, But its significance extends still further

Defining the Profile of Noruz Tourists in Mazandaran Province; A Pathological Approach

Domestic tourism, with so many negative and positive social, cultural, economic and environmental impacts, is important part of internal travels. Studying tourists' attitudes, motivations and behaviors in destinations is very significant in identifying these impacts and contributes greatly to enhancing the strengths and removing the weaknesses. It also enables the managers to come up with applicable solutions and helps them in decision making. The findings of this article are extracted from 100 questionnaires filled in 3 different locations on Haraz Road on March 2007. This paper tries to outline a profile of the tourists in Mazandaran Province in light of the gathered data

Application of MIS in Tourism

Whatever  the  activities  of a  community  or  business,  they  each communicate something about the community or business to consumers. Consumers receive this information through many different sources, or channels. These channels combine to form information systems, which are always functioning, regardless of whether you are managing them or not. If you represent a  community or business,  it  is extremely important  to know how to  manage information  systems  to make them work  for you. This article identifies the opportunities and needs of a  tourism information and reservation system for tourism marketing organization and national tourism  industry as a whole. In general, an information  system consists of all  the ways that people communicate with others.  Systems are composed  of information channels. These channels  may be formal or informal,  personal  or impersonal, and public or private. Different people, businesses, and communities use information channels in different  ways  and combinations. A tourism information system  is a specific type of information system. It consists of all information channels used in a  business or community to promote itself as a tourism attraction. These information channels include commercials,  ads, brochures,  repeat visitors.  employees,  friends,  and relatives. Information  and Communications  Technologies  are  having a  big impact on all  aspects  of  tourism.  Introducing  and  using  advanced  Management     Information Systems to transportation, travel, hospitality and entertainment will  bring many  benefits and changes to  the  tourism industry. In particular, the  Internet,  is  playing  an  increasingly significant role in  travel  and  tourism. It  has  also been discussed that  there are  three characteristics  that  all   effective  tourism information  systems  have:   1) Each channel the system has its own function. Travelers use different channels to  get  different kinds  of  information.  An  example  is deciding  where to  go  on  vacation. A  person may consult  a  friend  or family  member for that decision, but in deciding what to do when he/she gets there,  the  person may talk with  a repeat visitor or employee at the  destination site. 2) All  the  information  channels used  in the  system  relate  to each  other.  A   tourism information  system is  like  a novel  because  it  has many different  parts tied  together by the theme.  Even  though a system's channels serve different functions  in providing information, they  are  all  tied  together by the  projected message. 3) All  channels  used in  the  system  are  interdependent.  A  tourism   information  system  functions like  a puzzle.  The  different  pieces  of the system, the channels, are used to communicate with tourists. If any of the puzzle pieces are missing, the puzzle's picture is incomplete.  If one or more of the channels used is not dispersing information effectively, or if the information dispersed does not relate to  the  rest of the system,  then the system will not effectively  communicate  its whole  message.  If one or more of these characteristics  are missing from  a tourism  information  system, then its message  will be  inconsistent and  ineffective

Impacts of tourism development on Global Peace Index

Tourism is a global multidimensional phenomenon with profound impacts, which countries face when opening their borders. According to many researchers, tourism has the potential to affect international relations and is a means to promote peace in the world. It is a medium for public diplomacy and international outreach, and a powerful response to the challenges of globalism and terrorism. Previous studies suggest that tourism is not only a beneficiary of peace but also a vital force for promoting peace among nations. The main purpose of this study is prioritization of tourism development impacts on global peace index, and comparison of the impact intensity at the global level with the internal level. To answer the research questions, 44 individuals were interviewed using questionnaires. These groups of individuals were selected from among experts and managers of various sectors of tourism industry in Tehran. Data collected were analyzed using statistical methods of inference. Results depict global impacts of tourism, and its high potential of impacting the global peace index (3/3). Moreover the prioritization of tourism influences on global peace index, places the two indicators of respect for human rights and relations with neighbouring countries at the top

Effective tourism management model (case of a religious destination-Mashhad)

Mashhad stands out as one of the major pilgrimage destinations of Iran, for accommodating the Holy Shrine of Imam Reza, – the 8th Imam of Shiites – which attracts floods of pilgrims and religious tourists every year during the vacations (holidays and memorials). However, mismanagement of tourism facilities and services causes much damage to the industry of the city. As the proper management of tourism destinations and the organization of tourists’ affairs, are two of the most important challenges for governments, defining a suitable pattern for the effective management of this pilgrimage destination seems to be an unavoidable necessity. To achieve this objective, destination management process was studied initially in this research, success factors were identified, and finally the pattern for effective management of destinations was outlined. By comparing the current models of destination management, the Kerach & Richi’s (2003) was found the most suitable for this study. A questionnaire was developed to ask experts their views on the ideal and the current situations of the model’s factors in Mashhad. Obtained results demonstrated a gap between the ideal and the current situation in all the investigated parameters. At the end, based on the data analysis findings, some remedies for improvement of the current situation were offered

A Fuzzy Blannced Scorecard Approach for Evaluating the Performance of Services Offered by the Selected Group of Hotels in Yazd Province

The aim of this research is to evaluate the performance of hotel services with Fuzzy BSC approach. Identification of the strengths and weaknesses of the hotel services from the financial, costumer, internal procedures, and growth and learning aspects are among the key aims of this research. The other aim of this study is to use the research findings in order to compile and formulate strategies for the survival of hotels in the future. As data gathering tool, this research has made use of questionnaires which were filled by university professors and the hotel managers and senior employees working in Yazd Province’s 3 and above stared hotels. Mixed BSC / FANP / FTOPSIS approach was used in order to evaluate the service provided in the hotels. Additionally, the critical indices of hotel performance were identified via the ratio of importance-performance and Pareto rule. Results manifest that the service provided in the selected hotels are desirable in the costumer and internal procedures aspects; while the hotels have weak performance in both financial, and growth and learning aspects. Also, eight components of hotel service performance assessment (including: uniqueness of the hotels’ services, capital return, room occupancy rate, employeeproductivity, effective usage of marketing information by the staff, bilateral relationship with costumers, ratio of net interest to total income and new servicing procedure) were identified as the critical indices of success. The costumer and internal procedure aspects were proved to be in the first and fourth place of importance respectively