The purpose of this study was to provide some perspective about the commercial recreation field through the conducting of a national survey of organizations involved in the field. Results give an indication about major Problems facing the field as well as some thoughts about developmental aspects

Groves, David L.

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Visions in Leisure and Business Volume 1 Number 2 Article 2 1982 A Perspective on Commercial Recreation David L. Groves Bowling Green State University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/visions Recommended Citation Groves, David L. (1982) "A Perspective on Commercial Recreation," Visions in Leisure and Business: Vol. 1 : No. 2 , Article 2. Available at: https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/visions/vol1/iss2/2 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at ScholarWorks@BGSU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Visions in Leisure and Business by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks@BGSU. A PERSPEClIVE ON COMMERCIAL RECREATION BY DAVID L, GROVES, PROFESSOR SCHOOL OF HPER BOWLING GREEN STATE UNIVERSITY BOWLING GREEN, OHIO 43403 ABSTRACT The Purpose of this study was to Provide some Perspective about the commercial recreation field through the conductinS of a national survey of orsanizations involved in the field, Results Sive an indication about maJor Problems facing the field as well as some thoughts about developmental aspects, A PERSPECTIVE ON COMMERCIAL RECREATION INTRODUCTION In an effort to obtain a better understandins about Professionals and their thoushts on the Problems and future of the field, a nationwide survey was conducted to obtain information about issues, The Primary focus was to identify those elements that will make the field more Profitable as well as have a sreater impact upon the ParticiPants in terms of social outcomes, The critical auestion is the future of the industry and how best to use the talents of professionals to help to better achieve organizational seals. METHODOLOGY An OPen-ended auestionnaire was sent to all orsanizations listed in the Commercial Recreation text by Arlen EPPerson, Many of the names and addresses had to be updated but the text served as a starting Point for individuals involved in the commercial sector. The orsanizational route was used in order to obtain a diversity of opinion on issues and form a comprehensive model. Each of the organizations was contacted and sent ten auestionnaires. The director of the or•anization was asked to distribute at random the auestionnaires to orsanizational members and return them at their earliest convenience. The cover letter was based on a Professional appeal. Sending the results of the survey was also used as a Positive incentive to increase the return rate. Several of the orsanizations (16%) returned the auestionnaires indicating that their organization was not directly involved in anY tYPe of leisure service. This, in itself, is an indication of definitional Problems when agencies who are directly involved do not see �hemselves as Part of the leisure industrY, The response rate was 46 Percent. A comparison was made between respondents and non-respondents on the basis of orsanizational type. There were not anY significant differences between respondents and non-respondents. Data were analyzed bw Percentase distributions. OnlY findings with a distribution of greater than 20% were reported. RESULTS 4 Results of the survey will be analyzed by auestion tYPe. The first auestion on the developed instrument was: Could You Please Provide a brief descriPtion of your current Job task. The followins are one-word descriPtions that will sive an indication about the tYPe of individuals and their tasks who responded to the auestionnaire: executive directors or administrators, investment or industrial developers, Prosram administrators or curators, Personnel specialists, marketins specialists, sales specialists, communication specialists, SUPPort staff, and maintenance Professionals. Over 60 Percent of the respondents were Prosram ad�inistrators. The next series of auestions was to find information about �ob preparation and educational backSround. The first auestion was: Could YOU Provide a brief descriPtion of Your Preparation for Your current Job. The response to this Particular auestion was 85 Percent on-the-Job trainins. These statements were followed in many cases by statements that they had to work their way throush the ranks to Sain their current Position. The next series of auestions related to years of experience and the two sreatest catesories identified were: 4-6 and 10-12 years. The next series of auestions was about Bachelor's and Associate's desrees, the type, and the Year. The one desree that was listed the most was the Bachelor's desree in Business with less than five Years since the desree had been conferred. There were no other consistent trends and some of the other types of desrees listed were: Music Education, Journalism, ZooloSY, Physical Eucation, and LibrdrY Science. Eleven Percent had Sraduate desrees and 46 Z had B.S. desrees and 4Z had Associate desrees. The other individuals had worked themselves into their current position throush experience or on-the-Job trainins. The next series of auestions was desisned to obtain information about current satisfaction with their Present Position and the characteristics of the Job that most or least satisfied them. Only 4Z of the sample was currently dissatisfied with their Present Position. In terms of Positive characteristics of the Position, the most freauent listed element of the Job was: the challense of workins with People and Job advancement. Other freauentlY listed responses were: Job is different every day, amiable attitudes, motivatinS others, casual atmosphere of work environment, sPorts orientation, OPPortunitY to attend activities, challense of Prosrammins, involvement of the Participants, control over Job Position, lons-ranse Plannins, ability to see results of work. The aspects of the Job that Provide the least satisfaction were: amount of startins PaY and havins to deal with budsetarY problems. Some of the other more freauentlY listed characteristics were: more than 8 hours of work a day, inter-departmental Problems, Job too Political, paper work, attitude of the Public, Professional level of Peers, no money to do Job risht, repetition of �ob assisnment, unable to use knowledse obtained in school, and public demand. The next series of auestions were composed of two parts about the value of a business backsround and the auestions were: 1) If YOU have a business backsround, has it helped you Perform Your Job better? If so, how? and 2) If You do not have a business backsround, would it have helped you to better Perform Your Job tas�.? If so, how? Only 4Z of those with business backsrounds indicated that it was not a helP. Of those makins Positive statements, the most freauent listed responses were: the administrative asPect of the Job, Job 85 Z business skills, communication and manasement skills, budsetins skills, and learninS how to deal with people in the business world. The three most listed responses from individuals who did not have a business backsround were: budsetins, fundins, and orsanizational skills. Of those not havins a business backsround, over 65 Z of the sample indicated that it was extremely imPortant to the development of these Job competencies. Those with the business backsround related communication skills in their explanations and those without the business backsround identified financial competencies in their explanations. The next series of auestions was related to havins a recreation and leisure backsround and its relation to Job Performance. The followins auestion was as�ed: 1) If �ou had a recreation and leisure backsround, has it helPed You Perform YOU Job better? If so, how? and 2) If You did not have a recreation and leisure backsround, would it have helPed YOU better to perform Your Job task. If so, how? The three Primary skills listed for those who have a recreation and leisure backsround were: how to deal and relate with People, knowins how to ProSram for a leisure setting, and aPPreciation for the world of Practice. For those who did not have a recreation and leisure background, the two most common responses were: ·seasier to answer auestions and how better to market Your Program. The basic explanation for those who had a recreation and leisure backsround focused on the abilit� to Provide Perspective. For those that did not have a recreation and leisure backsround the focus was on how to better understand the audience. The next auestion was: What is the future of the leisure industr�? About half of the samPle answered this Positivelw and saw Srowth, The other half answered it nesativelY and saw a decline. The most common explanations for the Positive or nesative responses were: comPetition for the entertainment dollar, leadership abilitw, increased business because of loss of services from the Public sector, lack of Professionalism, corporate fitness open, inflation bad, economic impact, expansion exPensive, and growth Potential Sood. The next auestion asked the respondent to identify the maJor Problems facing the commercial recreation institution in the next five and ten wear Periods. Some of the most common responses foreseeing Problems in a five-wear framework were: fluctuation in PoPulation dwnamics, financins, saturation of the industrw, People movins South, economic conditions, zero POPulation growth, attitudes of the people toward economic conditions, Professional level of staff, low sovernment SUPPort, utility costs, choice of activities, cost �f gas, limited income, and limited growth Potential, There was no distinction made between five and ten Years and most of the same responses that were listed at five wear were listed at ten-year interval. The only one that was listed in the ten-�ear interval and not the five-year was that leisure is a luxury, not a necessity. The last auestion in the series was: What are the solutions to the current Problems? The following were more common solutions given: better management, need new marketing emphasis, need to emPhasize aualitY as well as numbers, emPloYment skills, education Prosram to chanse People's attitudes to be willing to Paw for services, prosram Justification, finance and budsetins skills, have more OPPortunities for alternatives, better long-range Plannins, reinvesting Profits, emPloY more senior citizens and less collese students, and enerSY conservation. CONCLUSION Results suggest that ideas about the leisure industry are fragmented. Each interest has isolated itself and developed its own Philosophy as well as its own Program style. Interests are defended and barriers established. The leisure disciPlines in this context may be a factor which may helP these various Parts understand the common base of the leisure science. Leisure PreParation Programs must underso drastic chanse to include business skills so that the Professional is in a better Position to intesrate business functions in relation to leisure trends. The common theme was there needs to be a marriase between leisure, that is Prosramming skills, and the business institution. The mandate is clear but the Primary auestion is, "where does responsibility for imProvement belons?" Is it with the industry or is it with the educational Prosram? Results indicate those that have a dual backsround in both fields have advanced more raPidlY, been haPPier with their emPlowment, and have an overall better understanding of the Profession and its OPeration. This twPe of interdisciPlinarY aPProach is needed to weld a SrouP of Professionals tosether who can siSnificantlw increase the aualitw of the Profession, esPeciallY that is soins to be demanded in the future with the current state of the economy. The Primary auestion is aualitY of the Prosram as well as innovative approaches to fulfill needs in a limited resource economw. 6 

A Perspective on Commercial Recreation

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A Perspective on Commercial Recreation

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