Question

In your own words submit a narrative (200 words/2 paragraphs for each) and explain each of the following seven (7) operational philosophies found in leisure-service agencies. Include an example to illustrate each philosophy. Which mix of these seven orientations would be most compatible, in your opinion, to a typical municipal recreation and park department's philosophy?

Quality-of-Life Approach

Marketing Approach

Human Services Approach

Prescriptive Approach

Resource Manager/Aesthetic/Preservationist Approach

Hedonist Approach

Benefits-Based Approach

Answer 1

• Quality of life approach:

This is an approach that combines opportunities, human needs and also well being. Improving the quality of life can be a major goal for any individuals, nations and the world as a whole. This is a concept that contains both interacting objective and subjective elements. The quality of life can be related to the opportunities that are available to meet the needs in the form of human, social and natural capital and the options that are available to increase these opportunities.

The quality of life doesn’t depend only on wealth but also on other factors like physical and mental health, education, social well being. The quality life depends more individuals view point of viewing things from their perspective.

• Marketing approach:

Marketing approach can be defined as a plan that a business adopts for reaching people to turn them to company’s customers by making them to buy their product or service offered. The marketing approach of the company usually consists of a document that gives details of various marketing activities to be carried on by the company and also their timing.

Examples of marketing approach can include bringing more new customers, increasing the sales, making the existing customers to buy more, introducing a new product or service etc.

Hence a marketing approach mainly aims at focusing on what can be achieved on the business and it is a plan that provides the details and how these goals can be achieved.

• Human services approach:

The human service approach is mainly focused on helping the co human beings to overcome the adversity through energy based approaches which empowers the receivers to make choices that would create a positive impact in their life and helping them to reach their highest potential.

There are many human service providers existing in this world whose service help others and also develop a positive attitude in the minds of other beings.

Examples of these people can include nurses, social workers, people working for the welfare of the children etc.

This type of service approach can be applied to any kind of people irrespective of they are individuals or group or communities etc. the main approach of this service to take the people or the target group out of stress and helping them to perform at their highest possible capacity.

• Prescriptive approach:

A prescriptive approach is nothing but guiding and telling people what has to be done rather than simply suggesting or commenting on what they have done.

The prescriptive approach is a strategic decider and they establish the objectives in prescriptive approach.

In an organization, the prescriptive approach is usually top down. The main advantage of this approach is that there is clear definition of the objectives and an organization has complete understanding of them. However the disadvantage of this approach from an organization perspective is that they are more rigid and they don’t respond to the challenges and opportunities that come on their way.

• Hedonist approach:

This approach of philosophy deals with pleasure which is considered to be the major pursuant for any human being and the only thing that is good for the individual.

There are two types of hedonism prevailing:

Psychological hedonism - in this case the human beings are in such a manner that the pleasure is desired exclusively. The other type is:

Ethical hedonism – under this the fundamental obligation is to increase he pleasure or the happiness.

Hedonist approach is usually associated with the particular individual’s egoism in which individuals are always concerned of their own good.

• Benefits based approach:

Benefits based approach is nothing but identifying the positive outputs in the organization and communicating them to the management to provide for these benefits.

The benefit based approach deals with providing recreation that add value to the lives of the people and this should be the primary goal of the managers in the organization.

The benefit based approach includes providing benefits of recreation to a individual and how it motivates him to take part in an activity of the organization.