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This paper explores tourism and space-making in modern China through the lens of Sixth Generation Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke. His film Shijie (The World) features people whose lives play out in and around a Chinese theme park of the same name. Through its portrayal of theme parks and the social stratum who visit and inhabit them, Shijie depicts both the filmmaker’s opinion of China’s modernization project, as well as his evolving status within the Chinese international/national film system. As China’s interest in its global image is being transformed through its media products, its concept of global and local space is also changing. The Olympic Village created for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics can be seen as an attempt at physically and symbolically engineering China’s new global space. This paper will consider Jia Zhangke, The World, and the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games as several points along a continuum that leads toward a new envisioning of global space in China. / text

This thesis is a study that aims to understand the pre, during and post visit behaviours of theme park visitors. This study took place at Janfusun Fancyworld, which is situated at Gukeng village Yun-Lin County, Taiwan. The park was the first Taiwanese theme park to achieve ISO 9002 and has hosted over 2 million visitors every year almost since its inception over a decade ago. By these criteria Janfusun is considered the leading theme park in Taiwan. Theme parks originally emerged from medieval and travelling fairs, but the success of locations such as Coney Island in the late nineteenth century introduced the element of exciting rides. At present the definition of a 'theme park' might be said to be an 'amusement park' that possesses a central theme based on history, fiction or other core. However, it is the researcher's own observation that Janfusun focuses more on the installation of hardware facilities, but pays less attention in creating an unifying theme. This situation may have affected the research outcome since Janfusun operates more as an 'amusement park' from a western perspective but markets itself as a 'theme park' within Taiwan, and is consistent with a Taiwanese understanding of the term of being a 'theme park'. The main hypothesis adopted in this study is that satisfaction may be of two types: (1) generic, which relates to general 'push' needs such as those for relaxation, and (2) site specific, which relate to destination attraction features and 'pull' determinants. This thesis argues that the satisfaction of generic motives such as the requirement for relaxation and escape is contingent upon the ability of the attraction to meet the visit motives specific to the attraction. For example, a need for escape would not be met if a theme park visitor found the rides uninspiring, the portrayal of fantasy unconvincing and the food poor. Furthermore, researchers such as Foster (1999) suggest that some destination attributes, while considered important by the tourists, rarely act as an incentive to choose a specific destination, but the absence of these attributes can be a powerful deterrent. Some of the attributes, such as 'accessible toilets' and 'a place to rest', are considered as convenience factors in this thesis. This thesis attempts to understand the relationship of push, pull and convenience factors to the visitors' overall satisfaction. Also, this thesis tries to understand the role of socio-demographic variables in determining overall satisfaction. This thesis also includes a longitudinal study that allows the research to capture the effect of changes to visitors. For example, Janfusun has newly installed an artificial beach and wave feature that serves the social needs of its visitors. This thesis also examines the importance of repeat visitation in determining visitors' motivations and experiences. For example, it was found that visitors with high repeat visits are more aware of the 'new rides' than the first time visitors. Finally the last chapter attempts to answer two key questions, (a) why are the findings of importance to both conceptual literature and management practice, and (b) what might future researchers learn from this thesis. The objectives of this thesis are thus summarised as to: 1. Conduct a longitudinal study in Janfusun. 2. Identify visitors' pre-visit behaviour, which is associated with generic motives and push factors. 3. Identify visitors' during-visit behaviour, which is associated with site-specific features and pull factors. 4. Identify post-visit behaviour, which is associated with satisfaction and loyalty. 5. Identify the causal relationships between pre, during and post visit behaviours and conceptualise a model. 6. Identify the role of convenience factors.

Visceral [vis-er-uh l] -adj 1. of, relating to, or affecting the viscera 2. characterized by intuition or instinct rather than intellect ("visceral," def. 1-2) The above words speak to define far more than merely the word "visceral." They speak to also embody and classify a previously untitled form of theatre. Visceral Theatre: A form of theatre that uses the instinctual awareness of the audience- the audiences' perception of popular culture, societal contexts both historical and geographical, as well as their instinctual-physical aversion to danger- to cause physiological and emotional responses through the overstimulation of the senses in a non-tactile attack. For the past eight years I have been intimately involved with the creation of Halloween Horror Nights, an annual event held each September/October at the Universal Orlando Resort. The basis of the event is the celebration of the holiday of Halloween by creating Shows, Street Experiences, and Thematic Mazes in which to fully immerse hundreds of thousands of guests in various environments. This thesis will use the example of Halloween Horror nights to frame the discussion of Visceral Theatre. It will be presented through the lens of creator, designer, director, and collaborator of the entertainment offerings within the experience. It is my hope to answer the question: What is Visceral Theatre, and how HHN, as it is commonly referred to, earns the right to be defined as such. What makes this experience Theatre?

This thesis explores creation of new themed entertainment attractions for the Theme Park Industry. The creative process of new work, centering on the devising, designing, and preproduction stages of this industry and theatre is the focus of this thesis. The product is an Equestrian/Western Production Show including live vocalists, recorded music, lighting, scenic design, and costume design. The extending goal is to begin to prepare documents for a pitch proposal to a major Theme Park/Themed Entertainment Corporation for inclusion in their Western themed entertainment offerings. This themed entertainment attraction is created to introduce people to historical Rodeo and Western Variety show traditions and spectacles. Honoring these traditions and forms of entertainment provides thrilling visual experiences for the audience. Research, development, and show content focus upon historical and present day western shows. Production concepts outlined include the show concept, soundtrack, script, lighting design, scenic design, sound design and costume design. Central to the creation of the production show is the script and full sound design which are included as a part of this thesis. Scenic Design renderings, ground plan and centerline section illustrate the layout of the performance space. Lighting research images, storyboards, renderings, plot and centerline section illustrate the further visual composition. Costume elements are presented through research morgues broken down by character, act, and clothing look. / text

The goal of this research study is to develop a model of information that will enable media conglomerates and other companies, with theme park investments, to make informed and effective decisions based on scholarly and empirical evidences. In order to do this, the following research study uses historic, scholarly, journalistic, and focus group evidences to consolidate the information necessary to create a model to support concepts and designs. The paper begins with establishing why it is important for media conglomerates, with theme park investments, to integrate cinema into the park’s design. Then it looks back through the history of cinema and theme parks, identifying the similarities and differences. Furthermore, it analyzes the development of Universal Studios Hollywood and Disneyland. The study uses the history of Hollywood from its beginning to the decentralization to parallel the development of the movie-based theme park, and how the decentralization of Hollywood and the rise of the movie-based theme park support one another. As the idea of the convergence of one media with another is not a new concept, information on media convergence is used as part of the scholarly research in this area. Because movies and movie-based attractions are each forms of storytelling, the study includes prolific information on media, film, literary, and psychological theories as supporting evidence. The empirical research method utilized in the research, specific to this study, includes four focus groups in Florida, New York City, Cincinnati, and Los Angeles and one interview with a theme park president. Throughout the study, concepts of narrative, spectacle, pleasure, character, and setting are addressed in terms of how these elements work in movies and movie-based theme park attractions.

The Australian aquatic theme park segment is a vibrant and significant part of the Australian tourism industry because as a tourism generator it is a direct contributor to the economy and to employment growth. Research in this area can provide a deeper understanding of the complexities of the industry and its future effectiveness. Tourism organisations, such as aquatic theme parks, need to rely on the commitment and performance of a well-trained, multi-skilled workforce in order to achieve a competitive position, especially in terms of providing high quality customer service. This suggests that tourism organisations need to adopt effective organisational practices that enhance the motivation of employees and improve organisational effectiveness by providing the level of quality customer service required to become and remains competitive. Although the tourism industry in general and the theme park segment in particular make an important contribution to the Australia economy, minimal research has been undertaken to determine the factors that contribute to the effectiveness of organisational practices that influence work-related outcomes (commitment, job satisfaction and employee performance). As a related issue, no research has been undertaken to examine the perception of professionalism of employees undertaking marine science activities within Australian aquatic theme parks. Accordingly, one of the objectives of the present research was to examine the impact of organisational practices (training and communication) on affective commitment, job satisfaction and employee performance within the Australian aquatic theme park segment. The second objective was to examine whether the impact of such organisational practices on these work-related outcomes varies between employees designated to undertake marine science related activities and other theme park employees (salespersons, food and beverage and administrative). The final objective of this research was to examine whether employees designated to undertake marine science related activities perceive themselves as professionals. The Meaning of Working Theoretical Framework (based on the Meaning of Working (MOW) model developed by Westwood and Lok, 2003) is used in this research as a conceptual framework to enable a better understanding of the meanings and significance that aquatic theme park employees attach to their work roles. Understanding the basic meanings that individuals attach to their work roles provides relevant insights into the nature of employee commitment, job satisfaction and employee performance, given the apparent impact of perceived work significance on employee attitudes and behaviours. Application of the Meaning of Working Theoretical Framework therefore broadened the conceptual framework of the present research to include and clarify the central constructs of commitment, job satisfaction and employee performance in Australian aquatic theme park workplaces. The present study was undertaken with employees from three Australian aquatic theme park companies, including 'marine science employees' and 'other theme park employees', with a particular emphasis on the former group of employees. The nature of the current study suggested the value of using both quantitative and qualitative methods (mixed methods methodology) and so, the adoption of the pragmatist paradigm was appropriate in framing and answering the thesis’ research questions. Quantitative and qualitative methods in this study were conceptualized, designed and implemented sequentially. Quantitative methods (e.g. survey) were conducted first in order to develop a level of generalisation that not only added knowledge to the theory but also enabled a prediction in understanding levels of commitment, job satisfaction and employee performance. Qualitative methods (indepth interviews and focus group discussions) then provided in-depth information and insights into the link between organisational practices (e.g. training and communication) and work-related outcomes and perceptions of professionalism for marine science employees. The findings of this study have broadened the scope of the MOW model developed by Westwood and Lok (2003) in a number of significant and original ways. In particular, consideration of the relationship between employees and customers and analysis of the values maintained by the organisational culture and their influence on the particular subcultures within the organisations studied proved to be essential in understanding the work meanings patterns in this study. The present study further developed the MOW model by clearly demonstrating the critical role played by training and communication in influencing patterns of work meanings. In addition, this study also expanded the Westwood and Lok’s (2003) MOW model by including issues related to professionalism. The findings of the present study highlighted the pivotal role played by a key HRM practice (on-the-job training), which is more relevant in influencing work-related outcomes than the impact of communication processes, as demonstrated in the study data and analysis. Contrary to expectations, the findings suggested that communication processes play an indirect role in influencing organisational effectiveness, in terms of providing high quality service because of an identified ‘gap’ in beliefs and behaviours regarding customer service. Both training and communication processes appeared to be relatively ineffective in reducing this ambiguity regarding customer service for both group of employees within the aquatic theme parks studied. This should lead to a re-thinking of both training and communication practices to enhance the focus on, and delivery of quality customer service. A number of suggestions are canvassed. Another major finding of this thesis indicates that marine science employees not only perceive themselves as professionals but their status (job/occupation) within the tourism community supports a perception of emerging professionalism. The results revealed in the present study have the potential to impact positively on the tourism industry in general and on the aquatic theme park segment in particular. However, it is clear from the present research that the vibrancy of the tourism industry and the aquatic theme park segment can only be enhanced with more attention to communication and training, with an emphasis on improving employee self-efficacy, especially in the area of customer service.

This study seeks to find the impact of theming on the willingness to pay of con- sumers for amusement parks. Guests of Finnish amusement park Särkänniemi were asked about their preference for themed attractions and about the price they were willing to pay per ride by means of a questionnaire. Variables concerning both the stated as well as the revealed preference for theming, immersive experience, and previous visits to the park were tested in relation to the willingness to pay for amusement parks. Not all these variables have shown to play an important role; however the variable concerning the revealed preference did have a very strong significance on the willingness to pay in the proposed model. In conclusion the study suggests that the willingness to pay for an attraction is positively influenced by theming because people, as it turns out, are willing to pay more for an attraction when it is themed.

<p>This study seeks to find the impact of theming on the willingness to pay of con- sumers for amusement parks. Guests of Finnish amusement park Särkänniemi were asked about their preference for themed attractions and about the price they were willing to pay per ride by means of a questionnaire. Variables concerning both the stated as well as the revealed preference for theming, immersive experience, and previous visits to the park were tested in relation to the willingness to pay for amusement parks. Not all these variables have shown to play an important role; however the variable concerning the revealed preference did have a very strong significance on the willingness to pay in the proposed model. In conclusion the study suggests that the willingness to pay for an attraction is positively influenced by theming because people, as it turns out, are willing to pay more for an attraction when it is themed.</p>

This study investigates the image of a theme park by determining the relative importance of factors tourists rely on in their evaluations of a theme park and their assessments of that theme park in satisfying these motives. The analytical framework of the importance- performance technique is used in analyzing the data. The SantaPark in Rovaniemi, Finland serves as the study setting. Study results and their implications are discussed.