DSpace community: 國際觀光管理學系

An exploration of mindfulness and its experiential benefits: Taiwanese backpackers in Australia

title: An exploration of mindfulness and its experiential benefits: Taiwanese backpackers in Australia abstract: Stress in everyday life is common in our postrnodern society leading some people to seek relief and fulfilment from a range of leisure and lifestyle activities such as travel experiences. Travel in itself, even adventurous or unstructured travel does not guarantee that travellers will receive positive benefits from their experiences. However, the notion of mindfulness may play an important role in producing positive consequences from different experiences. Thus, this study explores the nature and experiential benefits of 'meditative mindful' tourist experiences that can be experienced during travel. Mindfulness is a mental state that may facilitate positive experiences. Understanding the importance of mindfulness is becoming a mainstream field of academic study in many therapeutic settings. However, there has been little discussion of mindfulness theory as it might be applied to tourism studies. Previous research in tourism has mainly focused on socio-cognitive mindfulness related to visitor learning rather than meditative mindfulness experiences. These include contexts such as tourist-wildlife encounters, appreciation of scenery, or through interaction with other people. The conceptual framework in this thesis is based on the Eastern notion of meditative mindfulness and has been used in Western therapeutic studies. In the past decade, evidence of the effectiveness and application of meditative mindfulness has grown dramatically due to a developing dialogue between Buddhist traditions and Western clinical psychology. There is a growing interest in whether meditative mindful experiences can occur outside of formal therapeutic settings, including travel. However, it is not clear how meditative mindful tourism experiences might be defined or whether they occur at all during travel. Furthermore, few studies have investigated the antecedents and consequences of meditative mindful experiences in tourism contexts. This thesis presents an exploratory study of the occurrence as well as the antecedents and consequences of the meditative mindfulness phenomenon in a tourism context. A qualitative methodology based on an interpretive constructivist paradigm was adopted for the data collection. Taiwanese backpackers in Australia were selected as respondents and snowball sampling was used to recruit participants. In total, 43 semi-structured interviews were completed, and a total of 77 instances of meditative mindful experiences were identified. The semi-structured interviews were conducted in Brisbane (at backpacker hostels) and at Uluru (Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park), as these two main sites provided the best opportunities to meet Taiwanese backpackers. Two interview protocols were used in screening and extended interviews for qualifying and exploring the three research objectives. The interviews were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. NVivo 10 qualitative analysis software was used to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the data analysis process. The fmdings indicated that meditative mindful experiences occurring in tourism contexts were characterised by three constructs of awareness ('paying attention', 'living in the present', and 'non-elaborative awareness'). An operational definition of tourist experience associated with meditative mindfulness is proposed as "paying attention to a present moment experience, without elaboration on it n. In addition, the study clarified and contrasted three related concepts (meditative mindfulness, socio-cognitive mindfulness and flow). This thesis is the first study to empirically identify tourist experiences that have been associated with meditative mindfulness. The fmdings also identified the antecedents and consequences of meditative mindful tourist experiences. The four main types of identified triggers that facilitated tourists experiencing a mindful state were labelled as travel-induced relaxation, aesthetic appreciation, atmosphere of quietness, and curiosity-developing. Natural encounters and participation in specific activities were found to foster a state of being mindful. The mental process of meditative mindfulness contributes to relaxation and tranquillity and helps to create memorable experiences. Such psychological and physical benefits were identified among backpackers. A theoretical framework to provide a better understanding of the phenomenon and mental process of tourist meditative mindful experience is also discussed. This model is considered to be a useful tool for academics and the tourism industry to scope the mental and spiritual dimensions of tourist experiences for backpackers. An examination of how mindfulness occurs and how it can be further developed in tourism experiences is expected to be useful for tourism stakeholders. Business operators or policy makers should be aware of how to design engaging experiences and, in particular, how they can enhance affective, sensory or mental experiences through encouraging an awareness of the present moment and non-judgmental thinking during on-site visits. This may help tourism industries to better understand how to design holistic engaging experiences that benefit tourists' understanding of an alternative access to personal fulfilment. A number of areas for further research are also discussed.
description: 博士論文

MOTIVES AND ORGANIZATIONAL CITIZENSHIP BEHAVIOR: EXAMINING MODERATING ROLES OF AGE AND TENURE

title: MOTIVES AND ORGANIZATIONAL CITIZENSHIP BEHAVIOR: EXAMINING MODERATING ROLES OF AGE AND TENURE abstract: The purpose of this study was designed to investigate the relationships of three motives (i.e., prosocial motives, impression management motives, and organizational concern) with OCB and the moderating effects of age-related measures (chronological age and tenure) in the motive-OCB relationships in a sample of public park and recreation employees. Age and organizational tenure were found to be a significant moderator in the positive relationships of prosocial motives with some OCBs (i.e., altruism, courtesy, and civic virtue). In addition, organizational tenure was found to strengthen the negative relationship of impression management motives with conscientiousness and sportsmanship. Public park and recreation agencies should recognize the value of older and long-tenured employees.

The Tourist-based Formation of Destination Loyalty: from the Perspective of Qualitative Research Approach

title: The Tourist-based Formation of Destination Loyalty: from the Perspective of Qualitative Research Approach

Exploring effects of destination image on word of mouth and responsible tourist behaviour: A case of Jiaosi Township in Taiwan

title: Exploring effects of destination image on word of mouth and responsible tourist behaviour: A case of Jiaosi Township in Taiwan

Green attributes for restaurants: What really matters to the U.S. consumers?

title: Green attributes for restaurants: What really matters to the U.S. consumers? abstract: This study was designed to provide additional insight to literature and practices by identifying restaurantsâ green attributes that are deemed most important to consumers and measuring the impact from consumersâ demographic backgrounds on their preferences among various green attributes for restaurants. A total of 382 useful questionnaires from the U.S. were analyzed with repeated measures ANOVA, post hoc comparisons, and multiple regressions. The findings suggest: (a) consumers in general value environment-focused attributes more than food- and administration-focused green attributes, (b) female consumers rate higher in all three categories of green attributes than male, (c) younger consumers value food-focused attributes more than older consumers, and (d) consumersâ educational and income levels do not affect their attitudes towards different green attributes for restaurants. Drawing from the results, restaurant managers will be able to allocate their efforts on green initiatives wisely according to the preferences of their target customers.

The influence of gender on the use of accommodation booking websites: A user's perspective

title: The influence of gender on the use of accommodation booking websites: A user's perspective

Documenting business-to-consumer (B2C) communications on Facebook: What have changed among restaurants and consumers?

title: Documenting business-to-consumer (B2C) communications on Facebook: What have changed among restaurants and consumers? abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this study is to document how restaurant’s business-to-consumer communication strategies evolved on Facebook over time and how consumers’ reactions to a variety of Facebook messages changed over time. Design/methodology/approach – This study analyzed 2,463 Facebook messages posted by seven quick-service restaurant chains and three casual-dining restaurant chains in the fourth quarter of 2010, 2012 and 2014. ANOVA and post hoc t-test were used to compare the differences among four media types (photo, status update, video and hyperlink) in terms of their usage by companies and Facebook users’ reactions to these messages (measured by number of “Likes”, number of comments and number of shares). Findings – Over the three periods of time under observation, there is a substantial decrease of status updates by restaurants and a dramatic increase of photo updates. Photo remained as the most “popular” media type, receiving most “Likes”, comments and shares from consumers. Video was not considered “popular” in 2010 but experienced a slight increase in usage and slowly emerged in 2012 and 2014 as another “popular” media, which no longer had statistical difference with photo in number of comments and shares. Research limitations/implications – Some limitations include an under representable sample and its longitudinal design, but the findings provide additional insight to current literature in social media. Practical implications – A series of suggestions were advanced from the findings to help hospitality managers better engage Facebook users. Originality/value – This is probably the first time-series or longitudinal-like analysis in social media research and yields meaningful findings.

低碳旅遊遊客動機及旅遊環境教育推廣策略之研究

title: 低碳旅遊遊客動機及旅遊環境教育推廣策略之研究 abstract: 全球暖化在近年來成為全球人們最關心的話題之一，各個產業也紛紛提出因應全球暖化，減少碳排放之策略，觀光產業也不例外。為因應氣候改變所帶來的影響，國際觀光相關組織以及許多國家，正提出許多方案推廣遊客在從事旅遊行為時，亦能考量環境問題，利用各種方式，減少他們的碳排放量，而台灣在近年來，因應國際趨勢，也提出了低碳旅遊的概念。此研究之主要探討遊客對低碳旅遊的認知與看法、他們參與低碳旅遊之動機，以及他們對於環境變遷之認知。本研究之研究對象為低碳旅遊參與者，研究者首先將運用質性訪談，瞭解遊客對低碳旅遊之看法及參與動機，再運用所得之資訊，進行問卷設計，針對較廣的遊客族群進行瞭解。此研究探討兩類型不同的動機，推力動機(push motivation)以及拉力動機(pull motivation)，有助於瞭解遊客參與低碳旅遊是受自身特質影響或是受外力影響，研究結果將提供旅遊供給者進行旅遊景點的活動規劃、遊客行為的預測。本研究亦將比較不同遊憩動機之遊客對低碳旅遊的認知及對環境態度是否有所不同，研究結果可提供教材設計之建議給環境教育或解說相關人員，進而設計適合不同遊客之遊憩行前教育或遊憩解說方案。
description: 計畫編號：NSC100-2511-S032-005-MY2 研究期間：201108~201207 研究經費：317,000

國際背包客旅遊風險決策模式之研究

title: 國際背包客旅遊風險決策模式之研究 abstract: 「文化創意產業」是一個結合體驗經濟、創意經濟、美學經濟的知識經濟產業，全世界各國家發展重要計畫策略及趨勢之一，也是城市發展之重要競爭利器。行政院投入超過二千億台幣的經費來執行六大新興發展計劃，其中又以推動文化創意產業為主軸之一，未來將以「觀光」串連各個產業，藉由國際級的觀光設施與服務，讓臺灣成為無處不可觀光的旅遊勝地。本研究針對國際背包客之旅遊風險知覺因素與準則進行深入研究。經由文獻回顧與專家深度訪談結果，從國際背包客、旅遊體驗歷程和旅遊風險理論等三方面進行探討。經由文獻回顧與專家深度訪談結果，本研究計畫採用兩階段調查方式，第一階段為行前階段，使用專家深度訪談、內容分析法與修正式德菲法獲得旅遊風險知覺因素與準則，並利用問卷調查方式，調查美國、英國、日本與澳洲等四個國家之背包客，採結構方程模式分析方法(Structural equation modeling, SEM)建構旅遊目的地風險評選模式。第二階段為現地旅遊階段，採用問卷調查方式，調查前來臺灣旅遊之國際背包客，並利用模糊網路層級分析法(Fuzzy Analytic Network Process, Fuzzy ANP)，評選各亞洲國家之旅遊風險權重。本文之研究結果可提供政府擬定觀光旅遊政策，或業者在行銷推廣時一個很重要的參考依據。
description: 計畫編號：NSC100-2410-H032-014-MY2 研究期間：201108~201207 研究經費：305,000

Taiwanese Employees’ Uniforms on Company Image, Employees’ Self-Perception and Customer Perception

title: Taiwanese Employees’ Uniforms on Company Image, Employees’ Self-Perception and Customer Perception

The Study of mainland Chinese Travel Motivation in Taiwan

title: The Study of mainland Chinese Travel Motivation in Taiwan

The Study of Japanese Tourists’ Travel Motivation in Taiwan

title: The Study of Japanese Tourists’ Travel Motivation in Taiwan

Development Optimal Site Selection Factors of Hostels

title: Development Optimal Site Selection Factors of Hostels

How Old I Feel Matters: Examining Age-Related Differences in Motives and Organizational Citizenship Behavior

title: How Old I Feel Matters: Examining Age-Related Differences in Motives and Organizational Citizenship Behavior abstract: Organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) is characterized by discretionary acts, such as helping colleagues, voluntarily taking initiatives, or showing exceptional commitment to work. Employee engagement in OCB is a building block for public park and recreation agencies to respond well to the demands for flexibility, adaptability, and innovation that characterize the volatile business environment. Alternatively, it is estimated that by 2018, nearly one quarter of the U.S. workforce will be comprised of workers age 55 and older (Toossi, 2009). Therefore, motivating an age-diverse workforce to engage in OCB might emerge as a compelling issue to public park and recreation agencies and require an astute understanding of age-related effects. Will the aging workforce make managing OCB more complicated? This question deserves empirical examination; and thus, the purpose of the current study was to explore the role of chronological age and subjective age identity in shaping OCB-specific motives (prosocial and impression management motives) and OCB among public park and recreation employees. Moreover, the mediating effects of the motives in the relationship between the age measures and OCB were investigated. Chronological age has been the most prominent operationalization of the age construct in existing research; however, it is argued that subjective age identity, which reflects one’s actual feelings of his/her aging experiences, may provide useful insights into effects of aging on OCB-related motivational processes. A cross-sectional survey design was used to collect data from full time employees at municipal park and recreation agencies in the state of Illinois. The data from 571 usable responses suggests that younger employees are more driven by impression management reasons for OCB as opposed to their older counterparts. However, a positive relationship of age with prosocial motives was not confirmed. In addition, employees with greater prosocial motives tended to report greater levels of OCB, whereas employees with greater impression management motives tended to report lower levels of OCB. Greater impression management motives observed among younger employees were found to provide an explanation for their lower engagement in OCB. The mediation analyses also suggest that employees with a more youthful identity may perform greater levels of OCB because of their greater emphasis on prosocial reasons and less concern for impression management reasons. The findings of the current study have several implications for managing employees in municipal park and recreation agencies. For example, managers should consider age differences in motives and behavior when managing and communicating expectations to employees. Based on the findings of subjective age identity, strategies that could help employees to secure and maintain a more youthful identity may foster prosocial motives and OCB. To reach this end, managers could develop a positive, energetic work climate or ensure that established policies or benefits programs provide timely assistance for employees to better manage their physical and psychological well-being.

The signaling effect of online numerical information on the customers’ reservation decision making

title: The signaling effect of online numerical information on the customers’ reservation decision making abstract: Purpose of the study: Based on Cialdini’s principles of social influence, numerical information like the number of people viewing the hotel’s website and the number of people who have booked lodging at the hotel, once available to OTA users, is expected to have an impact on their reservation decisions. Design/methodology/approach: A 2x2 experimental design is employed. Two independent variables are the number of people currently viewing and the number of people who booked (in the past 24 hours). These four treatments are randomly assigned to the participants who log onto a simulation OTA website. Customers’ binomial reservation decisions (i.e., yes or no) are the dependent variable. The sample size of 500 was recruited from the Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk), an integrated participant compensation system that allows a large participant pool. Findings (Buhrmester, Kwang, & Gosling, 2011) indicate that MTurk can be used to obtain high-quality data inexpensively and rapidly. Findings: The study made the following hypotheses: (1) The more people who are viewing the same hotel web page that the buyer is viewing, the more likely it is that the buyer will make the reservation. (2) The greater the number of people who have booked the same hotel that the buyer is viewing, the more likely it is that the buyer will make a reservation. (3) The cross-signaling effect of current event (i.e., the number of people viewing) is bigger than the past event (i.e., the number of people who have booked). Originality/value: OTA used to offered information that was not transparent to buyers. Specifically, due to the practice of dynamic pricing, customers have limited information regarding the price change over time and the inventory. However, this asymmetric information matrix no longer exists. This study explores the very up-to-date online reservation mechanism that signals scarcity and social proof to buyers. Research limitations/implications: With the increasing reservations made through these OTA and the updating features on these web sites, this study is the first attempt to understand the social proof and scarcity theory applied in the OTA signaling. Practical implications: The most crucial expected empirical implication is that the tourism and hospitality market practitioners may understand the importance of transparent (yet unintentional) signals in avoiding the market failure.

Ready to accommodate emerging senior tourism and hospitality market? Younger generation’s perceptions about older adults and knowledge of aging

title: Ready to accommodate emerging senior tourism and hospitality market? Younger generation’s perceptions about older adults and knowledge of aging abstract: The study investigates university students’ perceptions about senior citizen and knowledge of aging via a mixed method approach. The qualitative evidence in this study suggests that younger generation in Taiwan tends to hold negative perceptions about the older adults and that, men are more likely to show negative perceptions than women. The quantitative evidence in this study indicates that younger generation in Taiwan has low level of aging knowledge. Negative perceptions about the senior citizen and low level of aging knowledge among younger generation present a challenge to accommodate the emerging senior tourist market in Taiwan.

MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE OPERATING COMMITTEE IN INTERNATIONAL BRAND HOTELS IN MAINLAND CHINA: THEIR PROFILES AND ASPIRATIONS

title: MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE OPERATING COMMITTEE IN INTERNATIONAL BRAND HOTELS IN MAINLAND CHINA: THEIR PROFILES AND ASPIRATIONS abstract: This study aims to identify hotel executive operating committee (EOC) members profiles that include both demographic characteristics and career paths in international brand hotels in Mainland China; and identify the relationship between profiles of hotel EOC members and their aspirations for hotel general manager (GM) position. After dealing with the missing data and outliers, 165 valid questionnaires are retained. This study adopts career analysis technique to analyze hotel EOC members profiles. The results identify that the hotel EOC members in international brand hotels in Mainland China are middle-aged men with bachelor's degrees and an annual income lower than RMB 250,000. They have worked in the hotel industry for 14.5 years, and they took 11.5 years to become hotel EOC members. They have worked for 4.3 hotels on average; and most of them have never worked outside the hotel industry over the course of their careers. The self-organizing-map (SOM) was adopted to cluster hotel EOC members based on their profiles. Three segments of hotel EOC members were produced via SOM: Rookie, Supportive Veteran and Generative Veteran. Rookie is younger female hotel EOC members with less hotel experience, higher level of education, and lower personal annual income. Supportive Veteran is older male hotel EOC members in supportive departments in hotels, such as Human Resources and Finance & Accounting, with more hotel experience, with a higher level of education, and higher personal annual income. Generative Veteran is older male hotel EOC members in the revenue-generating departments, such as F&B, Rooms, and Sales & Marketing, with more hotel experience with a lower level of education, and higher personal annual income. An aspiration model was developed from the aspiration theory and was tested in each hotel EOC member segments. For Rookie and Supportive Veteran, their enacted aspiration depends on their desire aspiration; and their desire aspiration depends on their perceived self-GM congruence. For Generative Veteran, their enacted aspiration depends on their perceived advancement prospect. Generative Veteran has the highest perceived self-GM congruence, perceived advancement prospect, desired aspiration, and enacted aspiration among hotel EOC members. Supportive Veteran has the lowest perceived advancement prospect among hotel EOC members. Rookie has the lowest perceived self-GM congruence, desired aspiration, and enacted aspiration among hotel EOC members. Statistically, Generative Veteran has a significantly higher perceived advancement prospect, perceived self-GM congruence, and enacted aspiration than the Rookie group; Generative Veteran has a significantly higher perceived advancement prospect and enacted aspiration than Supportive Veteran. The practical contributions of this study benefit both hotel employees and hotel companies in Mainland China. For hotel employees, the findings in the career paths of hotel EOC members may benefit their individual career management. The hotel EOC members have the top positions of each functional department in the hotel so their career paths can serve as a map and timeline of career progression in each department. Based on this map and timeline, junior hotel employees may have a better idea on how to plan and manage their careers to reach the top. For hotel companies, the findings of this could enable hotel companies to better design organizational career management strategies for different hotel EOC members. For theoretical contribution, the findings of this study indicate that although individuals have similar desires, it does not necessarily mean that they can transform their desire into action. This result indicates the importance and necessity of the dual-faced construct of aspiration, which should contain both desire and action. This research also proves the general applicability of the SOM, which can be valuable in the worldwide hospitality industry. This study is unique in that it provides a comprehensive view of the profiles and aspirations of hotel EOC members in international brand hotels in Mainland China.

An in-depth inquiry into destination loyalty

title: An in-depth inquiry into destination loyalty

Travel opinion leaders' perceived importance of destination and accommodation information

title: Travel opinion leaders' perceived importance of destination and accommodation information

Exploring the impact of hospitality companies' Facebook messages on consumers' electronic-word-of-mouth intentions

title: Exploring the impact of hospitality companies' Facebook messages on consumers' electronic-word-of-mouth intentions

The Customer-based Destination Brand Equity of Jiaoxi Township in Taiwan

title: The Customer-based Destination Brand Equity of Jiaoxi Township in Taiwan

Information Sources for Trust Judgments in Managerial Relationships over Time: A Conceptual Analysis

title: Information Sources for Trust Judgments in Managerial Relationships over Time: A Conceptual Analysis abstract: This article presents a conceptual analysis concerning which factors influencing interpersonal trust are subject to change in their informational utility over the course of a managerial relationship and which factors are more likely to remain salient. Based on existing literature, the authors examine the utility of social categories, trustors’ moods and emotions, third party influences, direct experiences, and shared perspectives as sources of trust-related data over time. A set of propositions are formulated to encourage future intellectual dialogues on trust development in vertical dyads and render a framework for empirical research in this area.

Tourism image of 2010 Taipei international flora exposition

title: Tourism image of 2010 Taipei international flora exposition abstract: This purpose of this study was to investigate the research on image of 2010 Taipei international flora exposition, tourism service quality toward behavioral intension as the researching object and through the empirical study could verify the relationship among the image of 2010 Taipei international flora exposition, service quality and behavioral intension. In this work, a structure questionnaire is used in an on-site interview with the visitors of 2010 Taipei international flora exposition and the statistic analysis including descriptive statistics, factor analysis, correlating analysis and regression analysis are adopted.

Sport internet usage motivation and gender

title: Sport internet usage motivation and gender

宜蘭縣社會環境教育歷程與發展雛議

title: 宜蘭縣社會環境教育歷程與發展雛議

Perceptual difference in hotel accessibility between hotel staffs and people with disabilities

title: Perceptual difference in hotel accessibility between hotel staffs and people with disabilities

探討遊程內容之滿意因素 - 以肢體障礙者為例

title: 探討遊程內容之滿意因素 - 以肢體障礙者為例 abstract: The population of disabilities is increasing every year in Taiwan, the majority is people with physical disabilities. There were many studies value the participation of people with physical disabilities in tour, but most researches focused on exploring travel constraints and motivation, travel satisfaction during the tour was rarely explored. Therefore, this study investigated the decisive factors that affected the satisfaction and dissatisfaction for people with physical disabilities during the tour. This research used the questionnaire to find out the decisive factors of tour satisfaction for people with physical disabilities, researcher then explored the reasons using in-depth interviews. A total of 443 questionnaires were collected, and 11 subjects were interviewed which included people with physical disabilities, the chairman and secretary of Spinal-cord injury association, and the volunteers who participate the tour. The results indicated that the most decisive factor was physical environment and facility; women who had bad condition, cared the company with volunteers; young adults who were more likely to participate exciting and challenging tour; use mobile wheelchair considered transportation as an essential part of tour; frequent travelers cared physical environment and facility more than others. Finally, implications and future development of accessible tourism were discussed.

國際背包客到訪台灣之旅遊動機研究

title: 國際背包客到訪台灣之旅遊動機研究

休閒農場消費行為之研究

title: 休閒農場消費行為之研究

Developing a Model: An Application of AHP techniques for Backpackers

title: Developing a Model: An Application of AHP techniques for Backpackers

The Study of a Backpackers Travelling Risk Model

title: The Study of a Backpackers Travelling Risk Model

The Study of a Backpackers Travelling Risk Decision Making Analytic Model

title: The Study of a Backpackers Travelling Risk Decision Making Analytic Model

公有公園之私營觀光產業

title: 公有公園之私營觀光產業 description: 譯自 Private Tourism Development in Public Parks: History, Models and Outcomes

Connection to Nature: Children's Affective Attitude Toward Nature

title: Connection to Nature: Children's Affective Attitude Toward Nature abstract: A connection to nature index was developed and tested to measure children’s affective attitude toward the natural environment. The index was employed through a survey that investigates students’ attitude toward Lagoon Quest, a mandatory environmental education program for all fourth-grade, public school students in Brevard County, Florida. Factor analyses were conducted to explore and confirm different factors in the connection to nature index. A path analysis was conducted to examine the association among variables. The results suggest four dimensions in the children’s connection to nature index: (a) enjoyment of nature, (b) empathy for creatures, (c) sense of oneness, and (d) sense of responsibility. Children’s connection to nature influences their intention to participate in nature-based activities in the future. Children’s connection to nature, their previous experience in nature, their perceived family value toward nature, and their perceived control positively influenced their interest in performing environmentally friendly behaviors.

Synergy between fractal dimension and lacunarity index in design of artificial habitat for alternative SCUBA diving site

title: Synergy between fractal dimension and lacunarity index in design of artificial habitat for alternative SCUBA diving site abstract: Because dive tourism is now a major commercial use of marine protected areas worldwide, the impact and damage to natural reefs caused by intensive diving are now an important eco-environmental issue. Redistributing divers to substituted natural reefs area is one management strategy recently used to solve the crisis. Lan et al. proposed the first deterministic fractal-based model to address the optimal design problem of habitat patterns in marine environments. Their model not only considered a finite project budget, but also applied the fractal dimension (FD), a commonly used index in landscape ecology, to assess the spatial complexity of the habitat. However, a problem with lots of landscape indices is that different spatial patterns can be realized for any single value of the respective index. The FD is no exception. Specifically, different fractal sets may share the same FD values but have different appearances. To select simulated artificial habitats patterns that meet the needs of decision makers, the overriding objective in this study is to enhance the performance of conventional fractal-based habitat model. Therefore, we introduce the index, lacunarity, as second stage index to characterize different spatial patterns that have the same FD value, since lacunarity has been verified to solve the problem effectively. Its application by ecological engineers and managers as a quantification tool for evaluating fractal-based artificial habitats is also demonstrated.

遊客參與低碳旅遊之政策意涵：一個實證性初探

title: 遊客參與低碳旅遊之政策意涵：一個實證性初探

宜蘭縣國中小教師戶外教學認知研究

title: 宜蘭縣國中小教師戶外教學認知研究

School teachers' perception and attitude of outdoor environmental education

title: School teachers' perception and attitude of outdoor environmental education

School teacher's perceptions on outdoor activities

title: School teacher's perceptions on outdoor activities

School children's recreation experience at Chouchai Wetland Park

title: School children's recreation experience at Chouchai Wetland Park