Financial Accounting

Management 

Financial accounting is the branch of accounting that is concerned with classifying, measuring, and recording the transactions of a business. 

Reference: https://www.oxfordreference.com [A Dictionary of Business and Management (5th ed.)] 

Technology 

Software systems have been created which greatly facilitate completion of a wide range of management and management-related tasks.  Among the numerous technology solutions are those designed for financial accounting.  They enable such things as recording financial transactions, keeping historical data and generating financial reports. 

Technologies for Recreation Management:  Practical applications 

In the field of recreation, as in other industries, financial accounting has to be performed. Recreation management software systems like RecTrac and CivicRec have been created to help recreation organizations simplify registration/reservation processes, allow community members to pay for programs and facilities online, and enable recreation organizations to track revenue and practice effective financial accounting. This is an excellent example of a case where technology has changed how practitioners in the recreation industry do their jobs. 

More to Come in the Recreation Management World – See You There! 

Advertising

Management 

Advertising is a paid initiative that an organization can take to spread information, a brand image, and create awareness of its services. It is a part of the organization’s communication and marketing plan. 

Reference: https://www.oxfordreference.com [A Dictionary of Business and Management (5th ed.)] 

Technology 

Online advertising is a marketing strategy that involves the use of the Internet as a medium to obtain website traffic and target and deliver marketing messages to the right customers. 

 Reference:  https://www.techopedia.com 

On social media platforms, you can pay to “boost” or advertise your content to a specific audience and location. Through this form of digital marketing, an organization can quickly and effectively place its services and products in front of its target market. 

Technologies for Recreation Management:  Practical applications 

Advertising via social media and other online platforms has opened new communication channels for recreation organizations looking to share information and ideas about their services, and programs—for instance, about nature, the outdoors or local recreation center activities. An organization has a greater reach through social media and other online platforms and this type of advertising could be useful as part of its marketing plan. 

More to Come in the Recreation Management World – See You There! 

Inventory

Management 

Inventory is the total accumulation of material resources within an operating system (not only what is held deliberately in stock). It includes all the transformed resources that are locked up in the system, such as work in progress, scrap, rejects, etc. All operations have some inventory, which represents locked-up capital. The task of operations is to ensure that levels are kept to the minimum without affecting the efficiency and effectiveness of the transformation process. 

Reference: https://www.oxfordreference.com [A Dictionary of Business and Management (5th ed.)] 

Technology 

Inventory software refers to business applications that are designed to track and manage product sales, material purchases, delivery of goods and other common production processes. 

Reference:  https://www.techopedia.com 

Recreation 

In recreation operations and management, inventory could include products associated with merchandise sales, sports/outdoor equipment, supplies, and more. In the case of sports equipment, an appropriate inventory will ensure that a basketball tournament can run efficiently due to the ample number of basketballs, jerseys, and nets in stock. For merchandise, a golf course can have an inventory of soda, beer, and hats to keep the pro shop stocked.  

Technologies for Recreation Management:  Practical applications 

The technology of inventory software allows convenient tracking of the inventory of the recreation organization and real-time accounting of expenses and revenue recuperated from sales. This technology can provide recreation managers and organizations the ability to quickly make data-driven decisions when it comes to placing orders for additional products as well as determining the profitability of certain products/services. 

More to Come in the Recreation Management World – See You There! 

Security

Management 

In computing, measures used to prevent or protect against: (a) access to information by unauthorized users or; (b) unauthorized destruction or alteration of that information. 

Reference: https://www.oxfordreference.com/ [A Dictionary of Business and Management (5th ed.)] 

Technology 

Protection against unauthorized access to, or alteration of, information and system resources including CPUs, storage devices and programs. 

Reference:  https://www.computer-dictionary-online.org/ 

Technologies for Recreation Management:  Practical applications 

For recreation organizations, there are times when personal/sensitive information (birthday, address, medical conditions, etc.) is collected in order to register a participant for a program and other activities. Inappropriate release, leakage or inadequate protection of this information can negatively impact the lives of those the recreation organization is serving. There is a duty to secure all personal/sensitive information that is shared with the organization. Advances in technology have made it easier and more secure to store thse data. A sense of ease is provided to participants when an organization can ensure its data is secure. 

More to Come in the Recreation Management World – See You There! 

Operations

Management 

Operations are a set of activities concerned with transforming resource inputs into desired outputs, i.e. goods or services. Every purposeful organization has desired outputs and, as every output requires inputs of some sort, all purposeful organizations are involved in operations. 

Reference: https://www.oxfordreference.com/ [A Dictionary of Business and Management (5th ed.)] 

Technology 

Operational resilience is both a process and a characteristic of an organization to adapt rapidly to changing environments and needs. It is an organizational trait that allows it to carry out its mission or business despite the presence of operational stress and disruption. In other words, it is the organization’s ability to handle and control external factors that may hinder it from functioning. 

Reference:  https://www.techopedia.com 

Technologies for Recreation Management:  Practical applications 

The need to provide programs and services virtually grew exponentially at the onset of the global pandemic (COVID-19). Recreation organizations’ operations were forced to change – or maybe, better put – adapt to changing conditions. Technology allowed for regular operations to be modified to accommodate the restrictions set forth by state and local governments. Though social interactions were severely limited, the need for recreational activities never ceased to exist. Virtual opportunities for recreation (e.g. virtual yoga, Peloton, virtual nature education programs) flourished during this time and continue to be a valuable resource and means of operating. 

More to Come in the Recreation Management World – See You There! 

Accessibility

Management 

Accessibility is the degree to which a market segment can be reached and served. 

Reference: https://www.oxfordreference.com/ [A Dictionary of Business and Management (5th ed.)] 

Technology 

Accessibility is a measure of how useable a [technological] system is to all people, including those with disabilities. 

Accessibility includes design of both software and hardware and how they are configured to enable people with all abilities to use the technological system successfully. 

Reference:  https://www.techopedia.com/ 

Recreation 

Accessibility is an essential concept in recreation practice as well. For instance, trails are used widely in parks and recreation areas.  Trails present an accessibility problem that ought to be addressed by managers of park and recreation areas. Trails offer mental and physical benefits for users. The benefits of trails ought to be shared with everyone.  

Technologies for Recreation Management:  Practical applications 

Let us take a closer look at the example of trails mentioned above.  There are different types of trail users.  Population (or market) segments served by recreation organizations include the young, elderly, and people with disabilities, among others. A responsible manager will carefully consider a trail’s design when considering these different populations. Take, for instance, the surface of the trail. Accessibility for a user who uses a wheelchair has to be considered. Fortunately, modern technology has provided us with different materials which can be combined with design to build a trail surface that can serve a person using a wheelchair as well as a person walking. Via hard-packed surfaces (soil stabilizers, concrete, etc.), switchbacks, and more, trails can be ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accessible. When there are inclines, steps, or moderately strenuous parts of the trail, design and technology combine to provide the solution of built handrails. Advances in the materials used and designs for constructing ADA trails make nature available to people of all abilities. 

A manager in the recreation industry may find it beneficial to advocate for creating trails that use materials and technology to provide functional solutions for segments of the user population. Accessibility is useful to any recreation organization. 

More to Come in the Recreation Management World – See You There! 

Preventative Maintenance

Management 

Preventive maintenance is routine maintenance of a vehicle or other machine, intended to prevent problems from arising. 

Reference: https://www.oxfordreference.com/ [A Dictionary of Business and Management (5th ed.)] 

Technology 

Preventive maintenance is systematic control, detection, correction and prevention of faults that are still in…infancy before turning into a major breakdown. 

Reference: Bai & Satoglu, 2018, via https://www.igi-global.com/dictionary/ 

It is planned maintenance of plant and equipment that is designed to improve equipment life and avoid any unplanned maintenance activity.  

Reference: Garg, 2016, via https://www.igi-global.com/dictionary/ 

Technologies for Recreation Management:  Practical applications 

Tools of the industry consist of vehicles and equipment used to maintain and operate parks and facilities. It is not uncommon for the maintenance service of specific equipment to be tracked. For example, a lawnmower can be a fairly pricey piece of equipment. A responsible recreation manager would ensure that it is serviced frequently and maintained at a level that makes it safe and minimizes the frequency of needing to purchase pricey equipment unexpectedly.  

Modern technology offers maintenance tracking systems (digital and non-digital) that enable recording and anticipating when regular maintenance has or ought to occur to ensure the longevity and optimal use of a vehicle or piece of equipment that a recreation agency uses. 

In the long run, implementing preventative maintenance can save money and help a recreation organization run more efficiently. 

More to Come in the Recreation Management World – See You There! 

References 

Bai, A., & Satoglu, S. I. (2018).  Mathematical optimization models for the maintenance policies in production systems. In O. F. Yilmaz & S. Tüfekçi (Eds.), Handbook of research on applied optimization methodologies in manufacturing systems (pp. 252-268).  DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-2944-6 

Garg, H. (2016).  Bi-criteria optimization for finding the optimal replacement interval for maintaining the performance of the process industries. In O. F. Yilmaz & S. Tüfekçi (Eds.), Handbook of research on applied optimization methodologies in manufacturing systems (pp. 643-675).  DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-2944-6 

 Evaluation

Management 

Evaluation is the action of appraising or valuing (goods, etc.).  It is a calculation or statement of value. 

Reference:  Oxford English Dictionary at https://www-oed.com 

In management, evaluation is an assessment of effectiveness (e.g. of a training program). 

Reference:  https://www.oxfordreference.com/ [A Dictionary of Business and Management (5th ed.)] 

Technology 

Within fields of technology studies, technology evaluation is used to describe “study and evaluation of…technologies to understand their relative benefits and costs in context of their proposed implementation.” 

Reference: Gupta & Lee, 2009, via https://www.igi-global.com/dictionary/ 

While technologies undergo evaluation, some of them, in turn, serve as tools for carrying out evaluation in other domains. Phones and the internet, for example, are technologies that facilitate data collection. 

Technologies for Recreation Management:  Practical applications 

A recreation organization is only as good as the programs and services it provides, and a program/service has the potential to improve as a result of proper evaluation. Using technologies such as the phone or the internet, collecting input from users/participants about programs and services provided by a recreation agency is now easier. 

Evaluations provide feedback to enhance programs. An evaluation can tell you when to cut or add programs/services and even justify an increase/decrease in the budget. An evaluation is an integral component of a program’s life cycle.  Using the feedback from evaluations facilitated by technologies, the chances of success and longevity of recreation programs and services can be improved. 

More to Come in the Recreation Management World – See You There! 

References 

Gupta, M.., & Lee, J.  (2009).  Implications of FFIEC guidance on authentication in electronic banking. In J. N. D. Gupta & S. Sharma (Eds.), The handbook of research on information security and assurance (pp. 266-278).  DOI: 10.4018/978-1-59904-855-0.ch022 

Schedule

Management 

Schedule is a plan of activities that uses the resources made available by aggregate planning and allocates them to individual jobs, activities, or customers over a particular period. A schedule shows what has to be done, when, by whom, and with what resources. If the output of the system is being made to order, the schedule provides detailed timings for each order. If the output is being made to stock, it provides detailed timings for products. 

Reference: https://www.oxfordreference.com/ [A Dictionary of Business and Management (5th ed.)] 

Technology 

Scheduling is a method that is used to distribute valuable computing resources, usually processor time, bandwidth and memory, to the various processes, threads, data flows and applications that need them. Scheduling is done to balance the load on the system and ensure equal distribution of resources and give some prioritization according to set rules. 

Reference:  https://www.techopedia.com 

Technologies for Recreation Management:  Practical applications 

In order to properly execute operations, scheduling is a vital tool for recreation organizations to carry out duties and tasks. Scheduling technology systems assist with the tracking of time on task, which allows recreation organizations to assess productivity. They provide employees with better resources to manage their time. They afford best practices. In addition, these systems have the ability to process work orders and keep records of them for preventative maintenance planning.  

More to Come in the Recreation Management World – See You There! 

Crowdfunding

Management 

Crowdfunding is the financing of a new company or other project by selling shares or bonds directly to small private investors via the Internet. 

Reference: https://www.oxfordreference.com/ [A Dictionary of Business and Management (5th ed.)] 

Technology 

Crowdfunding is a method of raising capital in small amounts from a large group of people using the Internet and social media. Individuals are asked to make microinvestments or donations to causes and ventures they believe in, thus allowing the work to be completed. 

Reference:  https://www.techopedia.com 

Recreation 

The outputs of recreation operations are typically programs, projects, and services. Depending on your organization, it may be standard that some programs/products should be offered at a price that reflects what your audience can afford. There is a growing understanding that the recuperation of revenue via fees can be problematic for certain users and communities. However, the issue of balancing a budget at the end of the year must still be resolved, so creative funding strategies are sometimes considered. That could include crowdfunding. 

Reference:  Josefy et al. (2017) 

Technologies for Recreation Management:  Practical applications 

Crowdfunding opens doors for funding recreation programs/services and projects. Community support has significant value on the success of recreation organizations. With the use of crowdfunding, an organization can rally the community for funding that can offset project/program costs. Modern communications technologies make it easier to spread awareness of organizational needs and crowdfunding makes it easier to raise funds. 

Reference:  McCarville (2008) 

More to Come in the Recreation Management World – See You There! 

References 

Josefy, M., Dean, T. J., Albert, L. S., & Fitza, M. A. (2017). The role of community in crowdfunding success: Evidence on cultural attributes in funding campaigns to “save the local theater.” Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice, 41(2), 161–182. https://doi-org/10.1111/etap.12263 

McCarville, R. (2008). The design of financial assistance programs: Suggestions from those living in poverty. Journal of Park & Recreation Administration, 26(4), 157–168.