Abstract Employees experience workplace stress that can affect their health resulting in chronic diseases such as diabetes, stress, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases. Stress also contributes to staff presentism, absenteeism, and high turnover rate. The employee wellness program (EWP) yoga class at a metropolitan teaching hospital has not been evaluated for its effectiveness in employee stress reduction and improvement in employee health. The practice focus question for this project explored employees' perception of the impact of a metropolitan teaching hospital's EWP yoga class on their stress reduction and health promotion activities. The theoretical framework for this project is Lazarus' transactional model of stress and coping. This model suggests that individuals assess the stressor and find strategies for coping with the stress as it relates to them and their environment. The evidence that guided this project included a comprehensive literature review and the analysis of data retrieved from semi structured interviews with 20 participants in the yoga class who responded to an open invitation. Audiotaped interviews with the participants were analyzed and coded for common themes and revealed that participating in the EWP yoga program helped to reduce their perceived stress and improve their mental and physical well-being. The findings of this project were used to inform organizational leadership and may provide opportunities to evaluate the current yoga program regarding employee stress reduction, improving healthy activities, expansion of the program to other work sites within the organization, maintaining a healthy workforce, and reducing health care costs.

Most employers agree that the effectiveness and success of their organisations depend on the effective utilisation of their human resources. Ill health in the workplace is a threat to optimal productivity, reduced absenteeism, provision of sustainable employee benefits, a motivated workforce, staff retention and maximisation of profits. Burnout and engagement are therefore important fields of investigation in the industrial psychology field. The aim of this study was to: test a model of work-related well-being; develop and evaluate a resilience intervention programme for a large financial services institution in South Africa. Article 1 used a cross-sectional survey design. The participants were predominantly in the administrative, call centre and IT divisions (N = 192). Article 2 was the development of a resilience model, which was based on the integration of thinking from an extensive literature review by the researcher. Article 3 used an experimental design, with a control group (n=51) and an experimental group («=55). Information was collected in a longitudinal research. The research method for each of the three articles of this study consisted of a brief literature review and an empirical study. The measuring instruments used in this study were the Maslach Burnout Inventory - General Survey (MBI-GS), Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES), Job Demands-Resources Scale (JD-RS), Health subscales, Organisational Commitment subscales, the ASSET questionnaire, the Life Orientation Test - Revised (LOT-R) and a biographical questionnaire. In both article 1 and article 3, descriptive statistics were computed to describe the data; as were Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients to specify the relationship between the variables. In article 1, multiple regression analyses were conducted to determine the proportion of variance in the dependent variable that is predicted by the independent variables. In article 3, paired-samples f-tests were used to determine the difference in results for year 1 and year 2. Article 1 showed the central role that low optimism plays in contributing to burnout, and high optimism plays in work engagement. Interestingly, high social support was linked to increased cynicism, whilst low social support contributed to dedication. Burnout contributed to both physical and psychological ill health. Dedication and low cynicism contributed to affective commitment, whilst engagement and low cynicism contributed to behavioural commitment. Article 2 was the development of a multidimensional, proactive coping approach which consistently strives to develop and enhance the individual's resilience coping reservoir pools (mental, spiritual, socio-emotional and physical) leading to improved resilience, wellness and quality of life. Each reservoir pool has activities that enhance the fitness of the individual, namely physical (rest and relaxation, exercise and nutrition), mental (stimuli, reflection and empowering thinking), spiritual (coat of arms, pay it forward and gratitude), socio-emotional (breaking destructive relationships and nurturing relationships, responsibility). Article 3's results showed that the resilience intervention resulted in a statistically significant difference decrease in psychological ill health. Recommendations for future research were made. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

Most employers agree that the effectiveness and success of their organisations depend on the effective utilisation of their human resources. Ill health in the workplace is a threat to optimal productivity, reduced absenteeism, provision of sustainable employee benefits, a motivated workforce, staff retention and maximisation of profits. Burnout and engagement are therefore important fields of investigation in the industrial psychology field. The aim of this study was to: test a model of work-related well-being; develop and evaluate a resilience intervention programme for a large financial services institution in South Africa. Article 1 used a cross-sectional survey design. The participants were predominantly in the administrative, call centre and IT divisions (N = 192). Article 2 was the development of a resilience model, which was based on the integration of thinking from an extensive literature review by the researcher. Article 3 used an experimental design, with a control group (n=51) and an experimental group («=55). Information was collected in a longitudinal research. The research method for each of the three articles of this study consisted of a brief literature review and an empirical study. The measuring instruments used in this study were the Maslach Burnout Inventory - General Survey (MBI-GS), Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES), Job Demands-Resources Scale (JD-RS), Health subscales, Organisational Commitment subscales, the ASSET questionnaire, the Life Orientation Test - Revised (LOT-R) and a biographical questionnaire. In both article 1 and article 3, descriptive statistics were computed to describe the data; as were Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients to specify the relationship between the variables. In article 1, multiple regression analyses were conducted to determine the proportion of variance in the dependent variable that is predicted by the independent variables. In article 3, paired-samples f-tests were used to determine the difference in results for year 1 and year 2. Article 1 showed the central role that low optimism plays in contributing to burnout, and high optimism plays in work engagement. Interestingly, high social support was linked to increased cynicism, whilst low social support contributed to dedication. Burnout contributed to both physical and psychological ill health. Dedication and low cynicism contributed to affective commitment, whilst engagement and low cynicism contributed to behavioural commitment. Article 2 was the development of a multidimensional, proactive coping approach which consistently strives to develop and enhance the individual's resilience coping reservoir pools (mental, spiritual, socio-emotional and physical) leading to improved resilience, wellness and quality of life. Each reservoir pool has activities that enhance the fitness of the individual, namely physical (rest and relaxation, exercise and nutrition), mental (stimuli, reflection and empowering thinking), spiritual (coat of arms, pay it forward and gratitude), socio-emotional (breaking destructive relationships and nurturing relationships, responsibility). Article 3's results showed that the resilience intervention resulted in a statistically significant difference decrease in psychological ill health. Recommendations for future research were made. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

The aim was to propose a study of the Moravian Wine Center. It is a hotel with a congress, wellness and wine lounge. This newly designed hotel is located in an area called Hrůdek in the cadastral area of Velké Pavlovice. The marginal design also solves the connection with the path on the south side of the hotel, which also serves as a cycle path. Here is a cyclo landing with the possibility of a small snack and of visiting the wine exhibition, which is then connected with the wine lounge in the hotel.

The diploma thesis is elaborated as an architectural study on Moravian Wine Center. The project deals with the design of a wine hotel with a wine presentation. The building is located in the open countryside, in the Velké Pavlovice wine region. The hotel is conceived as a cultural center. There are congress halls, a wellness center, wine tasting areas with wine cellars. But also the exhibition area, which ensures the presentation of wines. There is also a restaurant with a terrace, with beautiful views of the countryside and significant landmarks.

The master´s thesis proposes a project financed from the EU funds. The proposal is focused on building an indoor swimming pool with wellness center in Kyjov. It analyses the current regional situation in Kyjovsko region and characterizes project´s usefulness and availability. This proposal follows the structure of formal project application. It emphasizes market, financial, economic and environmental views and assessments of the project.

This thesis is focused on the suggestion of Marketing Plan for Hotel Prestige**** in Znojmo. The work is divided into theoretical part, analytic part and proposal part. In the analytic part were used known analysis, specifically PEST analysis, Porter Five Forces Analysis, extended marketing mix for tourism – 8P, marketing research by questionnaire survey and SWOT analysis. Proposal part contains the determination of key customer segment based on performed analysis, suggestion of residence wellness package for key customer segment and another opportunity for the further development of marketing in this hotel.

No description available.

In the Department of Correctional Services (DCS), as the role of workers in the workplace changed after demilitarisation in 1996, the needs of the employees also changed. The changing work environment placed different demands on them, unlike those that they had been used to in the past. Because of the growth of personal problems at the workplace, the EAP was introduced in the DCS in the late 1990’s. The EAP in the DCS has been formally in existence since 2000 and has not been formally evaluated according to the EAPA SA standards. The EAPA SA standards are the benchmark against which all EAPs in South Africa could be measured. This research attempts to ascertain whether the EAP in the DCS has been implemented according the prescripts of the EAPA SA standards. The research approach involved both the qualitative as well as the quantitative approaches. The qualitative approach was used in documenting the processes followed in the conceptualisation, introduction and creation of the EAP in DCS. The quantitative approach was used to evaluate the EAP in DCS using the EAPA SA standards as a benchmark. In the first chapter a general orientation to the study as well as the researcher’s rationale and structure for the research is provided. The literature review in chapter two took a retrospective look at the developments in the EAP industry by focussing on the most modern interventions in the EAP field initially and moving to the origins of the EAP later. Chapter three focussed on the evaluation of the EAP in the DCS which included a systematic collection of information about that programme. In chapter four each standard as it appears in the standards document and brief comment on each standard was presented. The standards were also reviewed in relation to recent literature on the subject. The empirical analysis in the following chapter included a quantitative analysis followed by a qualitative analysis of the responses. The first phase included the development of a questionnaire based on the standards. The distribution and completion of the questionnaire were part of phase two. In the final phase the questionnaire was analysed by the Department of Statistics at the University of Pretoria, under the leadership of Professor Smith and Dr. Mike van der Linde. In the final chapter a consolidation of all the chapters as well as recommendations for further research is presented. The formulated problem was addressed through the choice of different approaches, strategy and design during the research process. The researcher was able to combine the research approaches to compare and subsequently verify the findings. Based on the findings the following conclusions can be made: firstly that the DCS does not comply fully with many of the standards as set out by EAPA SA, secondly that the DCS is understaffed when attempting to deliver EAP services and finally that there is a resounding plea for EAP services in the DCS. In addition to the proposals a revised standards document has also been integrated into the findings. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

Increasing level of public concerns about ageing and obesity problems accompanied by the advent of more and more health conscious consumers have put a priority on the health and wellness industry development which has started transformation from a niche category towards the mainstream. As a human being is an individual with unique known characteristics (like age, gender, health state, lifestyle) and less known characteristics like a genetic predisposition, the nutrition plan should be designed around these characteristics. Being aware of genetic predisposition of an individual allows to develop the appropriate health strategy for the particular individual. A systematization of these individual programs would support the development of a new generation of health practitioners. Russia is experiencing serious demographic problems with decreasing population and low life expectancy; high mortality rate from heart diseases and quite high obesity rates. It is expected that nutrigenomics concepts can be successfully developed in Russia due to its solid scientific base, relatively high level of medicine and the ever increasing awareness of the need for a healthy quality life especially within young generation. The goal of the thesis therefore is to analyze the key trends in the global and Russian food industries and develop a business idea of commercializing the personalized nutrition concept in the Russian food service market.