Holiday performances in the socio-cultural practices of the present: festival tourism

The purpose of the article is to analyze the main features of the holiday spectacle in the context of the popular socio-cultural practice of today - festival tourism. The research methodology is based on an interdisciplinary combination of methods integrated with culturology, management, history. General scientific methods such as analysis, synthesis, deduction, induction, the method of connecting the abstract and the concrete are also used. The scientific novelty lies in the analysis of the peculiarities of holiday spectacles that shape the popularity of festival tourism. Conclusions. Festivals are the main form of presentation of the cultural and entertainment program of modern travel within the festival tourism. Their main advantages that determine the popularity are the creation of a festive spectacle, taking into account culturally historically determined worldviews; a variety of organizational and artistic means; variability; originality; openness and dialogic; continuity and adaptability; situationally and improvisation; interactivity; humor, irony, and self-irony. Keywords: holiday spectacle, holiday, festival tourism, festival, event, traditional culture.

James G. March and management history: the case of government reorganizations

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine March and Olsen’s 1983 study of American Government reorganization attempts between 1904 and 1980 in relation to three debates in management history scholarship. Can explorations of the past yield innovative interpretations of the present and future organizational activities? What is the role of multiple perspectives in understanding complex reality? How should management historians react to the differences in power held by various actors in historical scenarios and to the absence of documented evidence of the stances of many traditionally underrepresented groups? Design/methodology/approach The paper analyzes March and Olsen’s 1983 historical study on federal government reorganizations in relation to twentieth-century political science/public administration scholarship from 1919 to the present showing the unique focus and conclusion of March and Olsen’s work. The paper relates this focus and conclusions to three management questions. Findings This analysis shows that March and Olsen’s interpretation of American reorganization has had a significant impact on the work of political scientists studying programs that did not exist in 1983; this impact suggests how historical scholarship can invigorate understanding of current programs. The analysis also gives evidence to support March and Olsen’s focus on the importance of considering multiple perspectives to interpret complex realities. The analysis concludes that despite March’s acknowledging the importance of anti-establishment scholarship, March and Olsen’s 1983 work did not explore the role of power differentials or the voices of the oppressed in government reorganizations. Originality/value The value of this paper is that it seeks to relate March and Olsen’s work to a scholarship domain where it has not often been considered. Management historians lament that their work and concerns have often been considered peripheral by the greater management field. By showing how a major management theorist such as March used historical analysis to further understanding of contemporary organizations the paper heightens the visibility and importance of management history work.

Seventy-year history of management using low-intensity harvesting methods: weak impact on biodiversity of hemiboreal Scots pine forests

Less intensive harvesting methods (e.g., selection cutting, shelterwood cuttings) are recommended as alternatives to clearcutting for maintaining mature forest biodiversity in the process of forest regeneration. However, the long-term impact of low-intensity harvesting methods has rarely been studied. Our aim was to clarify the long-term effects of repeated selective cutting, thinning, and shelterwood cutting on the richness, abundance, and species composition of vascular plants, bryophytes, and lichens in Scots pine forests (Pinus sylvestris L.). Data were collected from 25 mature stands located in dry Podzols in southwestern Estonia with a known management history for the last 70 years. Altogether, 35 vascular plant, 41 bryophyte, and 78 lichen species were recorded, including five species with conservational value. Generally, the management history was not related to species richness, except a negative correlation with the species number of epiphytic lichens on conifer trees. In addition, the abundance of two lichen species from the genus Chaenotheca was lower in more frequently managed stands. Species richness and composition were most strongly affected by soil pH and light conditions. We conclude that long-term, low-intensity harvesting of Scots pine forests on nutrient-poor Podzols maintains suitable habitats for vascular plants, bryophytes, and lichens, confirming its suitability for sustainable forest regeneration.