Performance Measurement and Leisure Management

The issue of performance measurement in the leisure industry is increasingly important, from both theoretical (academic) and applied (practitioner) perspectives. Managers need accurate indications of how their organisations are performing, to inform their decisions. Policymakers need an evidence base for their decisions regarding public leisure services. Students and researchers in leisure management are increasingly turning their attention to the principles and evidence of performance measurement, as an aid to management decision-making.

The chapters in this text each present a different case study of performance measurement. They cover a wide range of sectors in the leisure industry including public recreation centres, theme parks, play facilities, sport organisations, hospitality, and the Olympic Games. The evidence from these cases covers examples from three different continents and five different countries.

All the chapters report empirical research and all the cases explore managerial implications. However, results are presented with clearly explained statistical analysis, which can be easily understood by a non-academic audience. The book will be useful for leisure management students, researchers and practitioners. The chapters provide both reviews of the relevant literature and propose new measurement models based on original data.

This book was previously published as a special issue of Managing Leisure.