Humans have been using crystals for various healing and ritual reasons for centuries. Both geographically and culturally, a diverse range of groups have turned to crystals and gemstones to address diverse needs over the millennia. While the oldest legends of crystal magic date back to the mythical ancient continent of Atlantis whose people allegedly used crystals for telepathic communication (Raphael 1985), it is believed that the crystal customs continued to perpetuate in Egypt, South America, and Tibet over subsequent centuries. Over recent decades, a renewed interest in crystals and gemstones has emerged in various New Age and mainstream contexts. In this thesis, I consider the 'explanations' for crystal and spiritual healing in the following interest areas: Great Britain, Indian Hinduism, and among various Native American groups.

The purpose of this dissertation is a formulation and analysis of a business plan for development of a new spa resort in Františkových Lázních and conduct feasibility study of proposed business case. The following work is divided into theoretical and practical part. While theoretical section of the dissertation outlines main terms and theoretical concepts, explains relevant legal and regulatory conditions and restrictions relating to offering spa services and details all factors necessary for appropriate formulation of presented business case. Practical part of the dissertation presents a real life business case together with a feasibility study of the proposal, competitor analysis, market research and planned marketing strategy, while analysing returns of invested capital in three alternative scenarios.

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An importance of spa services is especially in the medical treatment, but their economic significance is also very substantial. It significantly affects investment activities and an employment and it contributes to a regional development. Aurora Spa in Třeboň specializes in treating of musculoskeletal disorders, rheumatic diseases, post-traumatic and post-operative conditions and overall recondition of the body. Spa services in Třeboň have been, since a long time ago, associated with a natural healing source, which is abundant in this locality ? a boggy soil. Aurora Spa is not determined only for ill clients, but it is frequently visited by healthy people who undergo reconditioning and relaxation stays. The current trend heads toward to the fact that in the future the spa care covered from the public health insurance, will be in some way limited and clients will have to pay either a part or the entire treatment from their own financial funds. For this reason it is necessary to concentrate with spa service operators on a great clients´ satisfaction with their spa stay, so that they would return to the spa facility. Since I have worked for five years in the area of providing of the treatment services, I followed my bachelor thesis ?Clients´ satisfaction with spa services? by this diploma thesis, in order to re-map the clients´ satisfaction with services provided in above mentioned spa. I wanted to find out whether clients´ attitudes to the provided services had significantly changed from the research in 2009 year in my bachelor thesis. I used for the research the same questionnaire as in the research in 2009 year. 220 respondents were chosen for the research in the period of September 2011; 110 respondents had their stay covered by some of health insurance companies, either in a form of a complex or a contributory spa care and 110 respondents paid their treatment stay from their own funds as private payers. I supposed that men would be more satisfied than women and clients to whom some of the health insurance companies paid the stay, would be more satisfied than clients paying the stay from their own funds. After processing the data, there were not found out any significant differences in the satisfaction between these groups of respondents and in comparison with the research in the bachelor thesis from 2009 year there were not apparent any significant variations in the clients´ satisfaction with the services provided, which confirms, that the spa services in Aurora Spa are still on a very high level. Results of this diploma thesis can be used by employees of Aurora Spa to enhance the quality of provided spa service in all areas and to improve staff access to their clients.

The aim of the thesis is to describe and analyze comparatively spa tourism in the United States in relation to European countries. The thesis is divided into two parts, theoretical and practical. The theoretical part presents definitions and characteristics of general terms concerning spa tourism. After that there is approached importance of the spas in the tourism sector and health care. Particular attention is paid to the field of wellness, which is one of the most important components of spa tourism in the US. The practical part presents the characteristics of the United States from the perspective of basic and economic data and subsequently within the particular forms of tourism. The main part of this thesis presents a chapter devoted to the characteristics of spa tourism in the US, where is a briefly presented historical development of the spas, as well as the organizational framework and significant Spa Associations. Subsequent analysis of spa tourism, as well as the wellness area defines on the basis of statistical data the current state of spa tourism and its position in the United States to other countries. The final part presents selected spas in terms of significance of the occurrence of natural healing resources, and also in terms of tourist importance.

Accusations and persecution of witchcraft have been embedded in global culture for centuries. For as long as these persecutions have occurred, women have found themselves accused most frequently. Older women with herbal knowledge were often called on to assist with childbirth or termination of pregnancies and this “secret knowledge” often led them to be suspected of supernatural abilities, often of a satanic nature. Intrigued by these wise women who appeared to have mysterious powers and a penchant for arousing the ire of men in the legal, medical, and religious communities, I began to notice their frequent appearance in novels. Does the presence of actual or perceived magic serve to improve the women’s status in their community? I reviewed several examples of YA literature, two picture books, and four Toni Morrison novels to determine if magic, conjuring, and witchcraft were more powerful threats than sexism and racism.

The aim of this diploma thesis is to point out European Union´s goals such as low carbon economy, mainly future increasing the use of renewable sources as a potential source of energy. Slovak republic has due to its position in central Europe, rich in natural healing sources of water, which are considered as the most perspective sources of renewable energy in this country. The problem was solved as energy, economic and environmental analysis of Balneotherapy at Slovak Heath Spa Piešťany a.s. This analyzation was provided by real experimental measurement of temperature and flow rate and computational simulation of technological devices in opened natural healing water system. Experimentally measured data were afterwards use for elaboration conceptual design of new technological devices in order to increase efficiency of collection energy from potential renewable source of energy. The research shows that with help of new design technological devices connected to existing ones will be possible to cool down temperature of hot natural healing water from 67 °C to 21 °C, which decrease operation costs of Balneotherapy for more than 1 414 € per day. By Slovak republic entering to European Union it was necessary to accept global goals of low carbon economy. This diploma thesis provides an attention on potential energy in natural healing sources of water as renewable source of energy and helps Slovak Health Spa Piešťany to decrease amount of green-house gases released to atmosphere by efficient increasing the use of energy potential in natural healing source of water.