Category: Family

The hospitality industry has proven to be critical for economic growth and development across the world economies. In the UK, the hospitality business contributes significantly to the gross domestic product. Before the coronavirus pandemic emerged, such businesses as cafes, pubs, bars, catering, campsites, hotels, and other accommodation generated an estimated £59.3 billion in Gross Value Added, which is approximately 3.0% of the overall UK economy (Hutton and Foley, 2021, p. 3). These are important statistics, especially at a time when businesses are experiencing setbacks from the pandemic. The focus of this essay is on establishing how the hospitality industry impacts the UK economy. Specifically, the essay explores the role played by the accommodation business with case examples derived from Airbnb. This company operates in a novel economy dubbed home-sharing, which has been described by Bivens (2019, para. 1) as a constellation of mostly Silicon Valley-based firms using the internet as the main interface for selling and renting services. Therefore, the impacts of Airbnb on the UK economy are addressed, mostly those that are positive.

Airbnb can be described as the epitome of the sharing economy, especially because very few other accommodation businesses in this industry can match its reputation and popularity. The implications for the UK economy are largely positive based on the assumption that the growth of new businesses means more revenues for businesses, incomes for people, and an upsurge in employment. According to Destefanis et al. (2020, p. 3), the sharing economy allows people to utilize assets that would otherwise lie idle. Airbnb may be a disruptive innovation that allows house owners to charge lower prices than the hotels, but it remains critical for the hospitality industry. The argument is that more economic activity can be recorded, especially among consumers who are sensitive to prices. In other words, Airbnb and similar businesses are not necessarily a threat to the hotel businesses but a supplement. The fact that even the hotels can take advantage of Airbnb and the sharing economy means that business growth in the UKs sharing economy can be expected.

The UK can be described as a top tourist destination. Airbnb has had the effect of boosting the rise of the informal tourism accommodation sector. Airbnb comprises a trusted marketplace where people list, discover and book unique accommodation. In this case, the processes are extremely simplified, which means clients can save costs and make their travels simple. The informal tourism accommodation sector in the UK is rapidly growing, which means that the country has a new source of revenue. It means that more tourists can manage to visit the UK, including those with relatively lower incomes. This is why Airbnb has been termed a tool for inclusive tourism by Kadi, Plank, and Seidl (2019, p. 1). The argument is that Airbnb allows all people to access easy and cheap accommodation across the country. The costs involved in travel and tourism could be a major hindrance to tourism. Therefore, inclusive tourism means anyone can travel across the world with the guarantee of affordable accommodation.

The accommodation sector in the UK and across the planet often serves tourists, which explains why Airbnb is often a subject tied to tourism research and literature. Therefore, tourism is one of the elements that are most affected by the emergence of Airbnbs disruptive business model. In some studies, it has been expressed that Airbnb is highly rated by tourists because it allows them to experience the local culture by residing in local homes and participating in local events (Dalir, Mahamadaminov, and Olya, 2020, p. 5). In the UK, the promotion of local tourism experiences is a top government agenda held by national tourism bodies, including Visit England and Visit Britain. According to Watson (2019, para 1), these two entities have partnered with Airbnb to achieve this goal through a £500,000 match-funded arrangement. The partnership seeks to broaden the range of experiences available, which explains why Airbnb is a critical part of the equation.

The partnership described above has attracted media attention in the country. This is warranted considering that the UK government is keen to promote not only local cultural experiences for international tourists but also encourage local tourism. The government, through Visit England, has identified a potential market in the gap year, which can be converted into a short break. Airbnb is the key driving force for this economic activity because of the conveniences it offers its customers. Additionally, Airbnb has become a critical promotional tool for Visit England, especially with a campaign dubbed #MicroGap, which will be posted across the online platforms for Visit England and Airbnb. With this arrangement, the government hopes to create an additional 83,000 overnight stays in the country (Davies, 2019, para 4). This is an example of how the accommodation industry in the UK helps in the exploration of new markets.

In the partnership arrangement, Airbnb will be promoting local experiences, which include educational workshops, tours, and handcrafted activities. Visit Britain will be seeking to offer businesses an opportunity to generate fresh streams of revenue (Stevens, 2019, para. 3). Therefore, it can be argued that even the government considers Airbnb critical to the countrys economy as signified by the tremendous amount of trust the government bestows Airbnb as a primary tourism partner.

Much of the impacts of Airbnb discussed above focus on the tourism sector, a critical component of the UKs economy. Besides the revenue generated from tourism, it is also important to acknowledge the revenues for the hosts. Improved incomes for individuals will also reflect in the countrys GDP statistics. Additionally, Airbnb has offered an alternative business idea for homeowners. Homeowners in such cities as Belfast, Cardiff, Manchester, Newcastle, bath, and Brighton are best suited to this model of business. Cardiff has emerged as Airbnbs most profitable city where homeowners earn an estimated 86% more through Airbnb than through traditional renting (Da Silva, 2020, para. 5). The financial benefits are also experienced by ordinary landlords through the boosted incomes.

The booming of Airbnb and similar accommodation businesses in the sharing economy means there are other economic benefits in other sectors. Some of these include the construction and housing industries in the UK. From a theoretical perspective, growing tourism leads to a rise in demand for accommodation, which then causes a higher demand for homes by landlords. The high demand for houses can mean that housing prices go up and the construction industry experiences a boost. Some studies have explored how the housing prices are affected, including Shabrina, Arcaute, and Batty (2021, p. 3) who state that the London housing market has never experienced a balanced demand and supply. The argument is that supply has been insufficient with the construction of houses experiencing a dip over the past few decades. However, where it is possible to build new houses, it can be argued that homeowners are likely to invest in more buildings. Increasing commercialization of houses has been observed across the world, which has meant higher demand for housing (Todd, Musah, and Cheshire, 2021, p. 3). An effective response from the construction industry should cause a more balanced supply of housing.

Another key aspect that should not be ignored is the competition in the hotel industry. This is because the hotels offer services similar to Airbnb in the form of accommodation. When hotels feel threatened, they will find mechanisms to cope, most of which will involve better services. The UK can benefit from greater competition in the industry due to the economic benefits involved. However, it is important to acknowledge that luxury hotels offer more than just accommodation and may not feel as threatened as lower-quality hotels do (Aznar, et al., 2018, p. 8). It can also mean a paradigm shift for the hotel industry since partnering or joining the Airbnb platforms can help them survive.

In conclusion, Airbnb is one of is UKs most important developments in the accommodation industry. Many of the benefits associated with Airbnb in the UK are experienced in the tourism sector, where travelers are constantly in search of affordable short-term accommodation. Inclusive tourism means that people with lower incomes can easily travel, which sees a growth in tourism revenues. Other benefits include more revenues for homeowners, improved housing prices, and a boost to the construction sector. Overall, the economic growth and development resulting from growing business activity and the revenues generated are the main implications for the UK and its adoption of Airbnb.

Reference List

Aznar, P., Sayeras, J., Segarra, G. and Claveria, J., (2018) AirBnB Competition and Hotels Response: The Importance of Online Reputation, Athens Journal of Tourism, 5(1), pp. 7-20.

Bivens, J. (2019) The economic costs and benefits of Airbnb. 

Da Silva, M. (2020) UKs most profitable city to be an Airbnb landlord revealed .

Dalir, S., Mahamadaminov, D. and Olya, H. (2020) Airbnb and taxation: developing a seasonal tax system, Tourism Economics, 27(2), pp. 1-14.

Davies, P. (2019) UK tourist activities to be promoted via VisitBritain-Airbnb collaboration. 

Destefanis, A., Neirotti, P., Paolucci, E. and Raguseo, E. (2020) The impact of Airbnb on the economic performance of independent hotels: an empirical investigation of the moderating effects, Current Issues in Tourism, pp. 1-31.

Hutton, G. and Foley, N. (2021) Hospitality industry and Covid-19. London: House of Commons Library.

Kadi, J., Plank, L. and Seidl, R. (2019) Airbnb as a tool for inclusive tourism?, Tourism Geographies: An International Journal of Tourism Space, Place, and Environment, pp. 1-23.

Shabrina, Z., Arcaute, E. and Batty, M. (2021) Airbnb and its potential impact on the London housing market, Urban Studies, pp. 1-25.

Stevens, P. (2019) Airbnb partners with Visit Britain and Visit England. 

Todd, J., Musah, A. and Cheshire, J. (2021) Assessing the impacts of Airbnb listings on London house prices, Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science, pp. 1-7.

Watson, I. (2019) Airbnb and VisitBritain team up to promote local tourism experiences. 

Introduction: Place and Activity

A recreational activity that I have taken into consideration is camping. It happened two years ago when we were in Canada. The campsite is called Algonquin Provincial Park and is 230 km from Ottawa. More precisely, we stayed on the shores of Canisbay Lake, located near the main road leading to this park. The advantage of this place is that this park is located in an extremely scenic location, which gives people a real understanding of nature. We chose such a place because my family and I have long wanted to visit the nature of the northern country, where the plants are very different from the ones we are familiar with.

The main value of camping is that it allows the whole family to live in a clean environment for more than one day. Unlike staying in a cottage or hotel, a person is in an inseparable connection with nature on a camping site. The trip was organized in the summer because the cold weather does not always allow visitors to spend the night in tents during the rest of the year. While camping, we walked in the forest, swam in the lake, cooked on the campfire, played board games and just had a good time. The main feature of this activity was that it took place not far from our tent. Also, at the end of the trip, we noticed that there was a lot of different garbage left after a long hike. These were grocery packages, campfire coals, and food leftovers. So this was the problem that got me interested in learning how to avoid polluting the environment with a lot of trash after camping.

Impact on the Camping Site

In the current time, nature experiences a huge number of negative impacts that people caused. Camping is not is exclusion from that range. Concerning environmental impacts, I will outline three of them. Firstly, campfires are the main cause of forest fires around the world. According to scientists from Oregon, 90% of fires are caused by human actions (LeCroy, 2020). Secondly, the rubbish that indifferent visitors leave creates damage to the environment. Although the park administration imposes a $100 fine for leaving trash (Summary of Provincial Park Offences), some visitors left it, which was then removed by special services. Thirdly, there is a positive impact because the money got from visitors is spent to preserve this park. People and nature are in a mutually beneficial symbiosis: people enjoy time in nature, and nature stays clean at the expense of the funds received.

Camping also has a social and cultural impact. It gives people the opportunity to spend time together outdoors, which rarely happens in the cities. For example, camping is a good reason to meet friends and get to know each other more. Also, long-term contact with nature can convey a sense of duty and responsibility to the environment. Finally, camping provides an opportunity to learn more about the natural beauties of their country, which until then remained underexplored.

Impact of COVID-19

The spread of the coronavirus disease has led to global, crushing turning points, to an acceleration of the crisis of human lifestyle, social needs, and relations. The COVID-19 pandemic also damaged the industry of camping. Many parks in Canada were closed for a long time and were reopened only on July 16, 2021 (COVID 19, 2021). Algonquin Provincial Park, which we visited, was also closed for months and opened with some restrictions concerning social distancing, hand sanitizing facilities, and overcrowd avoiding. It was impossible to take photos of the park during the pandemic, so there are no photos that depict change in the area.

Management Strategies to Ensure Sustainability

One of the main tasks of camping environmental managers is to develop strategies that will help keep the environment clean and sustainable. The first option is to limit the place where groups can be allocated to campsite zones, while the rest of the forest will be safe. For example, this strategy is used in New Hampshires White Mountain Park by creating campsites, which separate and spatially restrict camping to minimize both resource and social impacts (Marion et al, 2019, p. 16). With such a system, a pre-booking service for campsites should be organized. In my opinion, it is a really beneficial initiative which will make every group of tourists responsible for their piece of the site. However, some visitors will not approve of that policy, as such rules will appear to be too restrictive for many.

Another strategy is to inform and educate visitors before they pitch their tent. For example, some camping workers need to describe the possible harm that visitors actions can cause. Another way is to show educative movies about the negative impacts of staying at the campsite and avoid them. Having learned about the harm they can cause, visitors will be more attentive during their visit to the park. The advantage of this educational program lies in its focus on people, not against them. These lectures do not bring on any prohibitions but make people think and change their attitude towards nature. The obvious disadvantage is the possible lack of personnel for such lectures and dialogues.

Conclusion

Time in Algonquin Provincial Park gave me a lot of food for thought about the environments challenges. Forest fires from campfires and excessive trash left by people are destroying nature. To prevent an environmental disaster, people should be more careful with using natural resources and places. Professionals must develop strategies to help reduce environmental damage to a minimum while making camping a safe and sustainable activity.

References

COVID-19. (2021). Ontario Parks. Web.

LeCroy, H. (2020). 90 percent of wildfires are human-caused, but climate change isnt helping. CBS News 10. Web.

Marion, J. L., Wimpey, J., Arredondo, J., & Meadema, F. (2020). Sustainable camping Best management practices. Virginia Tech Field Unit. Web.

Summary of provincial park offences. (n.d.). Ontario Parks. Web.

My clinical progress this semester mainly consisted of expanding my clinical knowledge base. The College of Emergency Nursing Australia (CENA) Practice Standards for the Specialist Emergency Nurse identify clinical expertise as the key domain of emergency nursing (CENA, 2020). According to the 1.1.2 and 1.3.1 Practice Standards, the diagnosis of multiple undifferentiated patients should be based on the application of theoretical and practical knowledge combined with the interpretation of all available subjective and objective data (CENA, 2020). The focus of this semester was developing my clinical expertise in specific areas of practice within a dynamic, unpredictable environment.

This semester, I broadened my theoretical knowledge concerning the care of patients presenting with cardiovascular, respiratory, and neurological compromises. In addition, I gained exposure and developed competence in managing patients requiring invasive hemodynamic monitoring and invasive and non-invasive ventilation. In accordance with the 1.1.1 and 1.1.2 Practice Standards, I learned how to identify actual and potential problems for those areas of practice and allocate clinical urgency in emergency departments (CENA, 2020). I studied how to apply advanced assessment skills to diagnose and form an appropriate care plan. Furthermore, I learned how to interpret the results of an electrocardiogram and arterial blood gas test, which are two of the most frequently used diagnostic procedures. These skills correspond to the 1.2.1 and 1.2.6 CENA Practice Standards, which involve the ability to perform nursing procedures and interpret assessment findings to inform treatment plans and care priorities (CENA, 2020). I now know how to identify cardiac abnormalities and blood imbalances. In conclusion, this semester, my main achievements included developing my ability to assess, diagnose, and treat patients with cardiovascular, respiratory, and neurological issues in emergency settings.

Reference List

College of Emergency Nursing Australasia (2020) The Practice Standards for the Specialist Emergency Nurse (4th ed.). Victoria: CENA.

Introduction

The use of sports supplements and stimulants is a sensitive topic of theoretical and applied research. The main interest is to study the stimulant effects of specific drugs that may allow athletes to increase speed, endurance, and strength performance significantly. On the other hand, maximizing athletic effects cannot but have long-term destructive consequences since the body experiences states of extreme stress at such times. In the present work, caffeine was chosen as the stimulant drug of interest for athletes. The paper answers the question of what benefits the use of caffeine can bring to athletes and also shows the potential dangers and risks that the use of this drug leads to.

Brief Overview

It should be said that caffeine is a naturally occurring plant-based substance traditionally classified as an alkaloid. Caffeine is a mild stimulant with psychoactive effects on the body (Barcelos et al., 2020). In the natural environment, plant caffeine is found in coffee, tea, mint, guarana, and cocoa. Once in the body, caffeine excites the human central nervous system, increases heart rate, and widens the lumen of blood vessels. In terms of metabolic action, caffeine molecules (Fig. 1) inhibit the enzymatic activity of phosphodiesterase, which increases the production of adrenaline. Thus, caffeine is a psychotropic compound that excites the body; therefore, the use of the drug may have a stimulating effect in sports nutrition.

Sports Ergogenic Effect

The known stimulating property of caffeine is also used for athletes, as the drug allows them to build up athletic performance. Athletes often use pure caffeine-based preparations to increase mental and physical performance. Some studies tend to report that small doses of caffeine (up to 6 mg/kg/body weight), when taken immediately before exercise, can increase strength and endurance (Tambalis & Arnaoutis, 2022). Notably, caffeine, although a psychotropic drug, is not considered a doping supplement, and thus its use is not a violation of athletic codes (Tabassum et al., 2021). Changes to the central nervous system in athletes, as it appears at first glance, may have an arousing effect that increases athletic potential; as a result, the athlete makes faster critical decisions and demonstrates greater endurance and strength. However, reliable evidence for the actual effectiveness of taking such a stimulant appears to be inconsistent, as a vast amount of published work is based on comparing the effects of caffeine among those groups of athletes who did not use caffeine on a regular basis (Filip et al., 2020). The lack of a standardized approach to research on the ergogenic effects of caffeine creates ambiguity in conclusions. As a consequence, there is no reliable evidence of tangible benefit from the use of this stimulant. The results of a meta-review of the articles used have demonstrated that the assertion of a universal, unambiguous ergogenic effect of caffeine is impossible. In fact, systemic caffeine use by athletes over many years develops a tolerance to the drug, so the use of caffeine stimulant supplements may not make sense in their cases (Filip et al., 2020). On the other hand, for those athletes who do not use caffeine regularly, the use of stimulants may be more beneficial; however, a systematic review provides no reliable evidence of this effect.

Negative Effects of Caffeine

Meanwhile, there is no denying the reliable destructive effects of caffeine on the body of athletes. One of the significant negative effects of caffeine consumption is the development of dependence on the drug (Tabassum et al., 2021). In developing psychological and physiological dependence on caffeine, athletes bodies are in a constant need to create an adrenaline-like sense of euphoria, during which additional energy is produced. Thus, when caffeine intake is discontinued, the body loses its usual source of energy, leading to exhaustion. Other short-term effects of caffeine include impaired heart rate, tachycardia, increased anxiety, and vomiting  these conditions are a significant limitation to athletic participation, so it is appropriate to suggest that caffeine use may be disruptive to athletic performance (Pickering & Kiely, 2019). In addition, the development of tolerance to the drug causes a blunting of the possible positive effects of the stimulant, which negatively affects the short-term excitatory effects of the drug during critical sporting events  for example, during competition. At the same time, a non-sports-related study found that long-term caffeine use may be associated with the development of depression and bronchitis, whereas the most common chronic pathologies were not associated with caffeine use (Smith, 2021). In other words, the academic literature tends to regard the stimulant caffeine as relatively safe for health.

Tolerability of Use

As has been determined through scientific sources, caffeine can indeed have short-term effects of nervous system stimulation and arousal, which may have benefits for athletes. However, there is no standardized approach to studying the actual long-term effects of caffeine, so not all of the results can be reliable. These findings, in synthesis with the fact that caffeine is not a banned doping agent, allow for its use by swimmers on college teams. Coffee can indeed increase athletes speed and strength, but this effect should not be considered universal and obvious. In addition, for some of their swimmers, coffee use may be associated with dizziness, anxiety, and vomiting, which will negatively affect athletic performance. Officially, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) lists caffeine as a non-prohibited stimulant in sports, but the agency continues to invest in studying the hidden properties of the substance (USADA, 2021). Consequently, it is possible that one day caffeine may be among the unacceptable doping substances for use in sports, but right now, there is no problem with that.

Conclusion

To summarize, athletes are constantly trying to use supplements that improve their athletic performance. Caffeine is among these plant-based products that stimulate the central nervous system and induce arousal; as a result, the athlete can demonstrate better endurance and strength results. However, the use of caffeine as a sports supplement has not been shown to be universally effective, so it may not be effective for every athlete. On the contrary, some of the drugs side effects, including increased anxiety and dizziness, can be destructive to an individuals athletic performance. Thus, the ergogenic effects of caffeine are controversial and need additional, methodologically standardized research. Nevertheless, by now, it is clear that caffeine use has a number of positive benefits for athletes, with the benefits outweighing the relative drawbacks. The use of caffeine for athletic purposes to maximize athletic performance makes sense and can be used if athletes have no contraindications.

References

Barcelos, R. P., Lima, F. D., Carvalho, N. R., Bresciani, G., & Royes, L. F. (2020). Caffeine effects on systemic metabolism, oxidative-inflammatory pathways, and exercise performance. Nutrition Research, 80, 1-17.

Filip, A., Wilk, M., Krzysztofik, M., & Del Coso, J. (2020). Inconsistency in the ergogenic effect of caffeine in athletes who regularly consume caffeine: Is it due to the disparity in the criteria that defines habitual caffeine intake? Nutrients, 12(4), 1087-1091.

Tabassum, F., Batool, I., Faiz, F., Ijaz, M., & Bashir, A. (2021). Effects of caffeine on athletes performance. PalArchs Journal of Archaeology of Egypt/Egyptology, 18(10), 680-690.

Tambalis, K. D., & Arnaoutis, G. (2022). The role of caffeine consumption on individuals health and athletic performance: An overview [PDF document]. Web.

Pickering, C., & Kiely, J. (2019). What should we do about habitual caffeine use in athletes? Sports Medicine, 49(6), 833-842.

Smith, A. P. (2021). Caffeine consumption and the prevalence of chronic disease. World Journal of Pharmaceutical and Medical Research, 10(10), 1404-1410.

USADA. (2021). Substance profile: Caffeine. USADA. Web.

A feeling of minor to extreme discomfort, known as embarrassment or awkwardness, is typically felt when someone does anything that is socially inappropriate or frowned upon and is seen by or made known to others. Often combined with shame and guilt, embarrassment is referred to as a self-conscious feeling and can severely affect a persons thinking or conduct. Therefore, I become humiliated once I utter foolish statements in front of a group of people (Krishna et al. 499). I perform the bizarre oh-no-after-you dance with random bystanders on the sidewalk. The same acute embarrassment I felt when speaking out of turn when I was made fun of or when I messed up could cause us to wake up in the middle of the night, so it could also be stealthy.

Days, years, or even decades may pass before one forgets how an individual felt at the wholly weak point. Therefore, if left uncontrolled, the embarrassment may develop into intense feelings of guilt or shame. Additionally, it might be challenging to admit that I felt humiliated or embarrassed about my actions at the time (Krishna et al. 499). Being embarrassed is a personal feeling frequently made worse by the worry that everyone is looking at a person and criticizing the individual when, in reality, nearly no one will even notice.

Fortunately, there are a few well-known opening lines for discussing feelings of embarrassment caused by ones behavior. There are various methods to handle this, but each must address the core issue in which relationships and individuals cannot develop, evolve, or heal if embarrassment or shame are not acknowledged (Krishna et al. 500). It may be catastrophic to allow humiliation to fester. Even worse, it may cause anger in interpersonal interactions or a reluctance to be honest in other contexts. The appropriate approach to conveying emotions is still challenging.

Work Cited

Krishna, Aradhna, Kelly B. Herd, and Nilüfer Z. Ayd1nolu. A Review of Consumer Embarrassment as a Public and Private Emotion. Journal of Consumer Psychology, vol. 29, no. 3, 2019, pp. 492516, doi:10.1002/jcpy.1086.

Introduction

Team relocation refers to moving a professional team between different geographic areas for various reasons linked with opportunities conducive to financial success or access to infrastructures. Despite promising larger profits, relocations are also fraught with challenges and resistance. Relocations have various positive and negative sides pertaining to owners, fans, media, players, stores, and cities; conducting them without announcements cannot be recommended.

Typical Reasons for Relocation

Relocations can have various reasons linked with the destination areas supposedly positive influence on the teams activities. Common causes are often related to the considerations of profitability, including the local sports organizations debt, the small size of the sports market, or the absence of sports arenas that bring substantial profits (Andon, 2021). Insufficient fan support, which can stem from the teams low popularity or demographic trends that minimize the number of active sports fans, can also fuel team owners intentions to proceed with franchise relocation. Moreover, the chance of accessing better skill development resources for the team can inform such team management moves, causing team owners to give preference to wealthier cities with tech-savvy training facilities (Andon, 2021). The relocation process can be initiated for various reasons, such as another metropolitan areas greater fan base, better proficiency development facilities, and a more profitable market for a specific sport.

Pros/Cons

Team Owners and Local/National Media

Franchise relocation decisions advantages and disadvantages can relate to both owners and media. From team owners perspective, if preceded by careful sports market analysis, relocations often prove advantageous by generating extra profits and making new collaborations possible. Thus, relocations can enable the owners to invest in new sports or business ventures and diversify their assets. As for the disadvantages, team owners may sustain reputational risks stemming from criticisms voiced by fan communities (Andon, 2021). Fans adverse reactions to relocation decisions can also create disadvantages linked to the local and national media, including spreading negativity toward the team. For instance, the fan-organized Respect Your Roots campaign to protest against Columbus Crews relocation gained recognition in the media, interfering with the owners plans (Andon, 2021, p. 14). Concerning the advantages, media at local and national levels can also be instrumentalized to spread awareness of upcoming relocations, thus contributing to building fan bases at new locations and achieving higher match attendance rates. Thus, relocations have diverse effects, ranging from profits for owners to public outrage in the media.

Players and Fans

The discussed team management decision also has pros and cons pertaining to fans and professional sports players. With regards to fans, relocations to well-networked cities are advantageous as they can generate larger fan bases, increasing the teams profits. However, some possible disadvantages pertain to disappointed local fans collective meltdowns, protests involving violence, or the need to follow the team and sustain extra expenses (Brady, 2019). For sports players, the disadvantages may include a sense of responsibility for fans reactions. The need for excellent diplomacy skills to handle pre-relocation interviews and avoid discrediting the owners strategic vision and disrespecting local fans suffering is another drawback aside from separations from families and communities. For players, the advantages of relocating to a larger and wealthier city are also numerous, including salary increases, the chances of getting new media contract offers, and better healthcare (Andon, 2021). Therefore, teams movement across various areas has profound effects on fans and team members.

Stores/Merchandisers and Current/New Cities

Other positive and negative effects of relocations pertain to stores and differences between cities. Relocation decisions may involve expanding merchandising teams and stores, which can be relatively disadvantageous due to requiring massive investments that are not always easy to handle for sports clubs in debt (Andon, 2021). Nevertheless, on a positive note, moving teams to areas with larger populations can improve their popularity, resulting in increased merchandise sales and profits. As for the current and new cities, relocations can be temporarily disadvantageous as time expenditures and rather expensive advertising campaigns are required to build trust-based relationships with the destination citys community (Andon, 2021). Regarding the positive aspects of moving between cities, competition in the new city can be more manageable for the team. Moreover, if the teams current city has small or inconveniently located stadiums, moving to a new location with a better infrastructure can bring profits while also reducing travel expenses. Overall, moving the sports team influences all elements of the sports market.

The Need for Announcing

As a team owner planning a relocation, I would feel responsible for making the citys community and fans aware of the plans prior to proceeding with the move. There are two interconnected reasons for choosing this option over implementing the plan without notice. First, announcing the change would be required to express respect for the city and the local fan base by reducing uncertainty. As the teams success is often fuelled by the citys support, moving without notice would be extremely disrespectful. Second, announcing the upcoming relocation would be required to start social media communication and advertising events targeted at sports fans at the new location. The opportunity to engage in such endeavors would facilitate the teams adaptation to a new socio-political climate, but doing it without explaining the move to the citys authorities and fans would be unethical.

Conclusion

Finally, relocations in sports are inseparable from positive opportunities and the risks of uncertainty, making pre-implementation analysis crucial. Such decisions cost-effectiveness when it comes to the outcomes for owners, players, merchandise structures, and the teams environment must be carefully evaluated. Relocation announcements and polite communication with local fans are also essential, as moving teams without warning fan clubs is a risky move with regard to long-term reputation.

References

Andon, S. P. (2021). From save the crew to saved the crew: Constitutive rhetoric, myth, and fan opposition to sports team relocation. Communication & Sport, 1-25.

Brady, J. (2019). Just how badly would the most diehard NFL fan bases react if their team relocated? SB Nation. Web.

The religious roots of the ancient Olympics have left a lasting impression on the current games. Greeks placed a high value on the Olympic Games because of the reverence with which they held Zeus, their patron deity (Perrottet). In the beginning, the Olympiad was more about honoring the gods than competing. Olympic competition was highly esteemed, and champions were held in high esteem, much as they are now (Perrottet). At least from a spectators vantage point, the Olympics have served as a unifying force for many years of competition and enjoyment. When the Olympics first began, only Greek males wore nothing but sandals.

The ancient Greeks celebrated the Olympic Games at least since legendary times; however, the exact date of their inception is unknown. Starting with the year 776 BCE, when the first Olympiad was conducted, we have our earliest reliable chronology of Greek history (Perrottet). Why? Following that day, the names of all Olympic victors were entered into a central database (Perrottet). A chef named Koroibos from Elis made history by being the first person to win the Olympics in the One-Stade race (Perrottet). Every four years, on the night of the second (or maybe the first) full moon in August, there were athletic competitions, and the celebrations lasted a whole week.

The games were only open to all independent male Greeks, and they attracted travelers from all across the Mediterranean, such as the colonies in Magna Grecia and the Pontus. As a sign of mutual respect for one another and, most importantly, for the regulations, athletes competed without clothing (Perrottet). Everyone, even enslaved people and women, was strictly forbidden from entering the sanctuary (Perrottet). Female sponsors were accepted for all activities, including teams, athletes, and votive offerings (Perrottet). Each Olympian cycle had separate athletic competitions for women and men. Starting in the year 632, the mens competitions also had special events for boys.

The Olympic Games, from their inception, essentially represented the principles that were to define Greek society for the following 500 years. All hostilities between warring Greeks were suspended for the duration of the games since attendance at the peaceful gathering was compulsory (Perrottet). So that everyone could make it to the sanctuary without fear of being attacked, Olympian officials went on a three-month tour around Greece before the assembly to spread the word and declare the ekecheiria, a halt to all hostilities (Perrottet). The Greek ideal of the free person who strives for perfection in an agon (conflict or contest) guided by reasonable rules was mirrored in the games and will continue to earn the Greeks respect for millennia. Similar to the games, the Greeks daily lives were full of fierce competition between various groups, including in the political sphere, the economy, and the battlefield (Perrottet). They competed by recognizing that the rule of law is supreme and placing a premium on the worth of each person.

There was only the sprint performance race in the first games. However, by the eighth and seventh centuries BCE, other events such as wrestling, boxing, and equestrian competitions had been added, in addition to the pentathlon, which merged running, long jump, discus, and javelin throwing with combat sports, and the pancration, a brutal form of boxing with few, if any, rules (Perrottet). Writing and poetry contests were part of the ancient Olympic Games, which also served as a neutral meeting place for the Greeks to negotiate important political, economic, and military deals. The ancient worlds version of the Super Bowl was chariot racing (Perrottet). There may be as many as 40 chariots in a race, and collisions are frequent. Since only the affluent could afford to keep a chariot and horses, only the elite could ride in them. According to Homers Iliad, chariot races were initially staged at the burial games of heroes. Chariots had been used to transport soldiers into combat. Greek aristocrats and people in business were eager to take first place in the competition. They occasionally took the wheel themselves but often hired a charioteer (Perrottet). The Hippodrome was the venue for these contests. The turning point was perilous because chariot wheels might lock together and cause accidents.

As the chariot races forward, the painter of this vase has done a fantastic job of conveying the sensation of speed. The image depicts a quadriga chariot pulled by four horses, with the charioteers hair and tunic blowing back in the wind. A post, which might mark either the turn or the end of the race, is approaching the chariot (Perrottet). Both of those points would be dramatic high points. The risky and thrilling chariot race was followed by the equally thrilling horse race (Perrottet). Neither stirrups nor saddles had been manufactured at this time; thus, the jockeys rode without protection. The track was already in disarray. Riderless horses that finished first in their heat were also recognized for their accomplishments alongside the winning equine and its owner. Wrestling, boxing, and the all-out style of wrestling known as pankration were huge draws in every Greek game (Perrottet). After proving themselves at Olympia, experts in sports may earn enormous amounts of money across the Greek world.

In order to oversee the events planning and execution, Olympia appointed a group of officials known as Hellanodikai. Ten months were devoted to training for the events, with the last month before the games spent living and training in Olympia. It was a busy picture as thousands of spectators descended on Olympia for the games (Perrottet). People camped wherever they could find a spot to set up their tents. Since the stadium only held so many people, most people could not even see the games (Perrottet). The current Olympic Games are a packed circus, but advancements in transportation, sewerage, design, and crowd management are seldom unbearable for spectators (Perrottet). However, the historic meeting has to be an intense experience.

Ones life would be forever changed if one won an Olympic gold medal. At the end of each competition, a herald would declare the victors and present them with a simple wreath as their prize. All the victors were celebrated in the Prytaneion, and those who triumphed in three or more contests were allowed to have a statue dedicated to their image in the Altis (Perrottet). Winners extended families and hometowns were treated with the utmost respect (Perrottet). The communities of these Olympic champions reveled in their newfound notoriety and heaped upon them honors and privileges such as free meals for the rest of their lives. It is customary for communities to symbolically tear down a section of their city walls to welcome back Olympic champions. After Tiberius victory in the chariot race in 4 BCE, the 211th Olympiad was delayed until 69 CE so Emperor Nero could participate in the chariot race and a special music competition (Perrottet). He had ten horses in his stable, whereas his rivals could only bring four (Perrottet). After the day, he was still named the winner even though he had dropped out of the race, but the results were subsequently erased.

The games were outlawed by Emperor Theodosius I in 393 CE as part of his campaign to eradicate Pagan festivals because of their association with the worship of Zeus. After he ordered the sanctuaries of Olympia to be destroyed, the temple and the Olympic Games were quickly forgotten (Perrottet). However, the contemporary Olympic rebirth started in 1896, 1500 years after Theodosius prohibition. Under the sponsorship and direction of French Baron Pierre de Coubertin (Perrottet), the first modern Olympics were held in Athens.The games were held in Athens, where the Hellenistic Panathenaic Stadium was refurbished for the occasion (Perrottet). Spyridon Louis, a water vendor, became the first Greek to win an event in the modern Olympics when he took home the gold in the Marathon competition.

The Olympic Games were largely influenced by the Greek value society placed on athletic competition. At the Olympics, athletes from the Greek Peninsula converged to test their mettle. The Olympic games have evolved over time. Subsequent Greeks would not have recognized the Olympic Games since they were held many centuries after the first. Over two thousand years have passed since the first Olympic games, according to historians. It was a competition where athletes showed off their skills in honor of Zeus, the supreme deity of the Greeks.

Works Cited

Perrottet, Tony. The Naked Olympics: the true story of the ancient games. Random House, 2004.

Introduction

The modern world is constantly changing and extremely quick: amounts and information flows are significant and continually increase. Increasing the information and its unification is globalization: it leads to the interference of various information flows and results in the modern global culture. Globalization breaks existing borders and creates new; this process is both connected with opportunities for progress and dangers of degradation. Cultural diversity results from globalization and the interconnection of various cultures and values: nations, religions, ideologies, races, sexual orientations. They all are involved in cultural exchange; its results may be good, such as the search for mutual understanding, and bad, such as segregation and violence.

The hotel industry is directly affected by globalization, and destination image and diversity maintenance are its important challenges. QT Hotels, a network of luxury hotels located in Australia and New Zealand, appreciated various tools to create a diverse space where everyone will feel themselves as themselves: safe and comfortable (Heney 2019). They are friendly to everyone, support LGBT+ culture and cultural exchange, and often host various events, from art performances to kinky parties (Junker 2016). In that way, the network creates a destination image where each of their clients obtains a good treatment for them personally and may feel themselves at home. QT Hotels maintains diversity, providing everyone to choose the experience they want and facilitating communication between various cultures and views (Lenoir-Jourdan 2021). However, wrong sides of globalization, diversity, and destination image are also present in the networks activity; they will be discussed below.

Destination Image

This term describes a set of emotions, feelings, and other forms of experience that travelers may get when traveling to their destination place. It may be divided into a cognitive and affective image: the former is connected with thoughts and ideas inspired by the place, while the latter is about emotions and feelings (Woosnam, Stylidis, & Ivkov 2020). Cognitive image is, thus, the rational part of the destination image: it will be good if the place is safe, stable, and has a good reputation. Affective destination image is connected with the clients emotions in the moment of staying (Huete Alcocer & López Ruiz 2019). Together, they create a complete image in the customers head, which defines whether the experience from the place will be positive or negative.

Positive Consequence: Increasing a Touristic Value and Loyalty

When working with destination image, one improves the quality of experience obtained by travelers in their destination place. Tourists will more likely choose those that feel familiar, trustworthy, and warm. Emotional closeness with the hotel, restaurant, or resort will make the stay there much more comfortable and inspiring for the customer, and they will be happy to stay there (Woosnam, Stylidis, & Ivkov 2020). When they feel stability, safety, relaxation, and positive while staying, they will probably be happy to pay even more just for additional stay; thus, making the hospitality business much more successful.

Hotels concerned by their destination image are usually more successful than those that ignore it. QT Hotels, for example, uses various elements for providing a unique experience for each of their clients: more than 100 different character-filled rooms are available for them, enabling them to choose the one most suitable (The Life Style Edit 2019). Its hotels are often located in specific heritage places, such as the Sydney hotel being among the State Theatre and the Gowings building (Junker 2016). Such elements facilitate a good experience for QT Hotels clients, which is one reason for the networks success.

Negative Consequence: Bubble of Serenity

Destination image, while increasing the chances of good communication and decreasing xenophobia and hostility between representatives of various cultures, decreases sincerity as well. It leads to the situation when people leave behind their opinions and views, such as political and religious ones, to not abuse anyone by expressing them. QT Hotels network presents various entertaining, colorful, and exotic; even its staff members have many unique uniforms, and their work looks like performances (Junker 2016). However, it seems very playful and skin-deep; while it is suitable for relaxation and non-personal talks, deep, thoughtful conversations become harder in such conditions, as the playful environment is not conducive for them.

Positive Consequence: Increased Opportunities

Globalization means increasing the information flow: thus, opportunities are also increasing, intensifying the competition and creating all conditions for progress and success. It is the process of expanding the communication between various parts of the world: countries, regions, communities, corporations. It leads to an active exchange of knowledge, values, cultural heritages, breaking the borders between cultures and creating new ones. For businesses, it opens opportunities to scale their presence in the world, using open borders and new cultural ties (Lukianenko et al. 2019). QT Hotels successfully uses those opportunities, quickly scaling the network among Australia and New Zealandias cities.

Negative Consequence: Disintegration and Cultural Loss

Rapid changes brought by globalization are often devastating for local cultures and even for ordinary people. Eventually, it leads to the weakening of cultural bonds, decreasing the importance of the family, and loss of values and ethics. If new values are not created, the culture may be doomed for decay and be consumed by quick changes made by globalization. New borders created by globalization are usually based on the unequal distribution of money and power; it leads to suppression, segregation, and violence. Not only are cultures vulnerable to globalization, but individuals too: they are in danger of losing their sense of life in the rapid flow of information. While providing various character-filled rooms and extraordinary stays, QT Hotels presents them as a game, not as an authentic cultural experience (The Life Style Edit 2019). While it is suitable for those who appreciate the global culture and feel good in its extreme information flow, it may be uncomfortable for people unfamiliar with them: their accustomed worldview will possibly be destroyed.

Diversity

The presence of various cultures in one place, intensifying various communications between them, and cultural exchange are inevitable subsequences of globalization. Communities become diverse, as multiple nations are brought together, attracted by similar views or expected benefits. Digital technologies are the strong driving force for expanding diversity, as they create connections between various parts of the world via the Internet (Shestakova & Polanski 2019). Diversity management means a set of measures directed at maintaining the balance and comfortable co-existing of all members in diverse communities; it is an essential element of modern hotel businesses.

Positive Consequence: Tolerance

More cultural representatives mean more intense communication between them and, thus, tolerance toward various cultural peculiarities. QT Hotels are open for LGBT people, representatives of all cultures, and often hosts various feasts, such as LGBT prides (Heney 2019). Its openness creates a comfortable and safe space, where violence is almost impossible, as everybody feels themselves happy. Thus, the network applies diversity management successfully, enabling representatives of various views and cultures find the place and entertainments personally for them

Negative Consequence: Unequal Distribution of Power

While diversity leads to increased tolerance, due to the constant presence of various cultures representatives, it also increases tensions in society. When those interested in cultural exchange are communicating, those interested in power use the situation to strengthen their power and control. QT Hotels are acting in the luxury segment of the hospitality industry; it means that their hotels are not available for those who do not have a high income or live in developing countries (Lenoir-Jourdan 2021). Such inequity leads to segregation: those who share QT Hotels values but cannot pay for them are not allowed to join their events and services.

Conclusion

Globalization, diversity, and destination images are modern processes that are necessary to be considered by the hotel business if it wants to be successful and widescale. Globalization creates opportunities, leading to rapid and intense information flows. Companies may catch them and use them to develop new and more attractive services, which will make their hotels unique and more valuable for customers. Diversity means the coexistence of various cultures, views, opinions, and values in one place; multiple reasons attract them due to open borders and globalization. Diversity management is essential for modern businesses, as they usually attract various people and their success depends on how well they deal with them. Lastly, destination image is the creation of a good experience for those who visit the hotel or resort, which is also an integral part of their success.

QT Hotels is widely using all benefits of globalization, culture diversification, and destination image, which may be seen on the companys official website. Its hotels have various character-filled rooms: they unite various cultures and ideas into unique mixes, available for their customers. In that way, globalization benefits, such as cultural exchange and a big field of possibilities, are adapted by QT Hotels; the diversity, which is the consequence of globalization, is also highly appreciated. People of all cultures, orientations, races, and nations are welcome in QT Hotels. The only requirement is that they should have enough money to pay for the hotels service.

Reference List

Heney, P 2019, A queer Q&A with Australias QT Hotels brand, TravelPulse. Web.

Huete Alcocer, N & López Ruiz, VR 2019, The role of destination image in tourist satisfaction: the case of a heritage site, Economic Research-Ekonomska Istra~ivanja, vol. 33, no. 1, pp. 118.

Junker, U 2016, How QT Hotels became Australias hippest hotel group, Traveller.

Lenoir-Jourdan, N 2021, QT hotels announce a new collection of extraordinary stays, First Class Magazine.

Lukianenko, D, Poruchnik, A, Stoliarchuk, Y & Liutak, O 2019, Globalization of the tourism industry: scales, levels and institutional formats, Problems and Perspectives in Management, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 563574.

Shestakova, I & Polanski, S 2019, Digital civilization and problems of cultural diversity: political actors or infocommunication technologies, Proceedings of the International Conference Communicative Strategies of Information Society (CSIS 2018).

The Life Style Edit 2019, News for Newcastle: QT Hotels have arrived!, the-life-style-edit.

Woosnam, KM, Stylidis, D & Ivkov, M 2020, Explaining conative destination image through cognitive and affective destination image and emotional solidarity with residents, Journal of Sustainable Tourism, vol. 28, no. 6, pp. 119.