Scottish visitor attractions: a collaborative future?

Although interorganisational collaboration is increasingly being accepted as a necessary, even desirable strategy for the tourism industry as a whole, there would appear to be a number of impediments to the implementation of collaborative initiatives among operators of visitor attractions. This paper focuses on the visitor attractions sector in Scotland, where such impediments are considered to be particularly serious. For a number of reasons, however, collaboration may represent a crucial strategy for visitor attractions in Scotland as they enter the new millennium. This paper sets out to assess the potential for intrasectoral, interorganisational collaborative strategies in enhancing the long‐term viability of the Scottish visitor attractions sector. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Scottish Highland Games: evolution,development and role as a community event

This article provides an in-depth review of the Highland Games as an event that has achieved worldwide recognition, staged not just in Scotland but across the globe where Scottish Diasporas exist, although the focus here is on Scotland. Highland Games events are complex to categorise and conceptualise considering their multi-layered nature and scope, encompassing a multitude of activities each based on diverse local histories and traditions. The article commences with a detailed historical analysis of the Highland Games in Scotland to illustrate the distinctiveness and uniqueness of this type of event. A review of the event literature follows to illustrate the complexities and problems that conventional event typologies pose for seeking to classify or categorise the Highland Games, emphasising the community basis of such events as a starting point for understanding this phenomenon. The article reports the results of an empirical study of Highland Games events in Scotland and addresses a number of the current concerns and debates associated with the staging of Highland Games, including the challenges that non-profit Games organisations face in continuing the community tradition of event hosting. One particular issue that features is an acknowledgement of the dangers posed by the more commercial priorities of contemporary event management to the rich cultural heritage that underpins the Highland Games which could easily become neglected or even eradicated through more professional organisation.     

An assessment of ‘international best practice’ in visitor attraction management: does Scotland really lag behind?

This paper compares and contrasts selected management practices among visitor attractions in Scotland, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. The catalyst for the study was the growing perception that management practices among visitor attractions in Scotland are becoming increasingly outdated and that the sector needs to learn from ‘international best practice’ in this respect. A postal questionnaire was sent to all paid‐admission visitor attractions in the four countries. In total, 1022 visitor attractions replied, representing an overall response rate of 41%. Chi‐square analysis was then used to test various hypotheses relating to the uptake of these management practices. A key conclusion is that although management practices do vary significantly among the four countries, Scotland does not necessarily lag behind. Indeed, Scottish visitor attractions seem to lead the way in many respects. Meanwhile, the study finds no strong evidence to suggest that visitor attractions in the other three countries have indeed identified and are following a common ‘international best practice’. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

旅客列车列流图计算机辅助设计系统的开发与应用

针对旅客列车列流图手工绘制存在的问题,研究开发了旅客列车列流图计算机辅助设计系统,对旅客列车列流图的3个组成部分：铁路路网、列流线和图例的自动描绘,从算法、思路和步骤等方面分别进行了论述。并且利用开发的旅客列车列流图计算机辅助设计系统软件,对襄樊—石门北的近期旅客列车列流图进行了实际应用。     

“北川屋脊”上的守护者

几场冬雪后,四川省北川擂禹路上的积雪被车轮碾压后形成一层薄冰,让这条通往12个乡镇、关系6万多名民众的生命通道显得险上加难.一大早,北川县交警大队副大队长石卫贵开车前往冒火山执勤点巡查,同时给坚守在这段海拔2000米的战友们送点慰问品.     

治理客车超员还需“下猛药”

2011年783日,两辆严重超载的外地客车在京沪高速公路山东临沂段被交警查获,经过清点,一辆号牌以“苏N”打头的红色大客车核载44人,实载99人,北京号牌的蓝色客车核载35人,实载83人,均超员100％以上.两客车超载程度之严重令人瞠目结舌,不能不让人为其潜在的安全隐患捏一把汗.     

河南:启动“交广联盟”宣传国务院意见

为强力推进《国务院关于加强道路交通安全工作的意见》(以下简称《国务院意见》)的宣传,近日,河南启动了交广联盟机制,河南人民广播电台交通广播每天拿出一个小时的时间宣传解答《国务院意见》.2012年9月14日,河南省交警总队调研员苗雨露首先做客河南人民广播电台交通广播,系统的向河南广大听众介绍《国务院意见》的主要内容并回答听众提出的问题.河南交通广播和全省各地交通广播今后将把解答《国务院意见》作为今后一个时期广播的主要内容之一.     

冷漠的代价

现年39岁,已经有10年驾龄的货车驾车人廖某做梦也没有想到,本来是一起普通的交通肇事,却因自己的冷漠而使以后的人生发生了彻底改变.2011年8月1日下午,盛夏湿热的空气让人窒息,可是谁也没有料到,一场毫无预兆的车祸即将夺走刚过弱冠之年的徐某年轻的生命.徐某性情温和,与人友善,这天刚好骑着自己的摩托车去看望曾教他学开挖掘机的师父,当他行驶到长安路化机涵洞十字路口左转弯时,同方向行驶的一辆大货车也在此时左转弯,因徐某采取措施不当,造成摩托车侧滑倒在地上,倒地后的一瞬间,大货车的左后侧边护栏刮碰到摩托车体,徐某重伤昏迷,而大货车驾驶人廖某从后视镜看到摩托车倒地的一幕,却认为摩托车倒地是自行驾车不慎,与自己无关,遂继续前行驶离现场.     

醉驾后的伤痛

在租来的阴冷潮湿的平房里,张美钰端坐在镜子前,望着自己脸颊上那一道触目惊心的疤痕,忍受着腿部的疼痛,不禁潸然泪下.这一切还得追溯至2011年春节后的那起惨烈的车祸.午夜车祸2011年春节后的一个夜晚,张美钰下班后正准备离开时,一辆豪华的黑色小轿车突然出现在她面前.从车上下来的是甄鹰扬,他来请张美钰吃夜宵.吃饭间甄鹰扬提议小酌几杯,张美钰急忙阻拦:你还得开车呢,怎么能喝酒?没事,放心吧,跟你聊天我很开心,心情好就得多喝几杯!张美钰没再劝阻,便陪着甄鹰扬喝了几杯.     

Profiling road transport activity: Emissions from 2000 to 2005 in Ireland using national car test data

This work describes a methodology for determining the average vehicle kilometres travelled by the private national car fleet in Ireland and estimating the disaggregated CO₂ and NO_x emissions from private vehicles in the Irish road transport sector for the period 2000–2005 using national car test records. The developed methodology facilitates the calculation of greatly improved estimates for vehicle kilometres under a range of constraint variables and thereby enables the disaggregated analysis of specific vehicle fleet groups and their associated activity patterns to support evidence-based policy development. The results indicate that while older vehicles are contributing significantly to car NO_x emissions; newer cars produce a higher share of CO₂ emissions than older cars in the vehicle fleet.