Jupiters and the Urbana Park District

A Commercial Agency And A Public Agency

Previously our group visited Jupiter’s as well as the Urbana Park District in order to learn more about the establishments and how they work to provide people with leisure activities. The two organizations have many similarities in that they accomplish their goals and intentions by releasing people of their daily stresses, however, they also differ greatly in the way they accomplish this. For example, they are different in the way they are funded, the jobs they provide, the people they target, and much more.

Jupiter's

The goal of the Jupiter’s establishment is to make a profit as well as provide people with entertainment and a fun time. Jupiter’s is funded through their profits and seeing that the establishment has a private owner, it originally gained funds from that source. Jupiter’s targets a very large range of people. It has pizza parties for younger customers, an eatery for families and gatherings, and drinking for the twenty one and older group. Jupiter’s provides many jobs. These include cooks, buss boys, game operators, bartenders, waiters, waitresses, hosts, managers, and owners. These jobs require workers to work well with people and to take orders from coworkers. They must  be above the age of twenty one in order to serve drinks, they also must be able to problem solve. 

Some strengths of the establishment are that it provides leisure for a multitude of age groups. Also, Jupiter’s provides a large variety of services. It is not simply a place for drinking but also children’s parties, family dinners, and games and entertainment. Another strength of Jupiter’s is that they provide discounts to customers. This can add to the joy that customers get out of visiting Jupiter’s. However, one of the weaknesses of Jupiter’s is that it has relatively high prices. Also its location is inconvenient for students on campus. Additionally, a weakness of the business is that it has very little advertising and therefore is not well known in the area and on campus. Even though it has some weaknesses, Jupiter’s uses its strengths to accomplish its original goal of making a profit and giving people a fun and entertaining experience. For example, Jupiter’s provides parties for young children. This adds to the profits of the business while providing the children with a fun and enjoyable experience. 

Urbana Park District

The goal of the Urbana Park District is to improve the quality of life of its citizens through a responsive, efficient, and creative park and recreation system. They also want to pursue excellence in a variety of programs, parks and special facilities that contribute to the attractiveness of neighborhoods, conservation of the environment and the overall health of the community. The park district is funded by mostly donations and fund raisings with the addition of some federal money as well as minimal fees. Urbana Park District serves the community as a whole as well as people outside of the community. They target all generations and provide activities and areas suitable for all genders and ages. 
The park district provides a variety of jobs throughout the community including volunteer opportunities as well as internships, part and full time jobs, seasonal jobs, and managerial positions such as directors and advisors. These jobs require good people skills, organization skills in order to plan events and activities. It is also advantageous to be motivational and get people involved. One of the strengths of the park district is that it provides a pleasant environment for the community. It encourages and allows people to appreciate art and nature. It also encourages people to participate in the community. Another strength is that it doesn’t cost people to participate and enjoy the work of the Urbana Park District other than the occasional minimal fee. Some of weaknesses of the park district are that funding can be difficult, acquiring volunteers can be hard, and getting people to participate can be a struggle. Although it can be a struggle, in the end the Urbana Park District accomplishes its main goals and intentions. For example, the Meadowbrook Park provides the community with an attractive part of the town and increases the overall health of the community by providing an area for activities. 

Similarities and Differences

The two agencies differ in many of the key programmatic elements. For example, Jupiter’s is a business that has a prominent goal to make a profit. In contrast, the Urbana Park District simply tries to acquire sufficient funds in order to continue to provide the community with park areas and activities. Also, they differ in that much of the Urbana Park District is run by volunteer work whereas Jupiter’s does not have volunteer workers. Another difference is that Jupiter’s establishment resides in a single location whereas the Urbana Park District covers the entire area of the community. While both agencies provide leisure to the community they do it in completely different ways. For example, Jupiter’s provides food and parties whereas the Urbana Park District provides activities and natural areas to maximize leisure. 

Leisure Defined

After learning about these two leisure agencies, we as a group have established a new and improved definition of leisure. To us, leisure can be defined as an activity that has the ability to take a person's mind off of the stresses of daily life whether it be eating , drinking, sleeping, shopping, playing sports, listening to music, etc. Both Jupiter’s and Urbana Park district provide customers with leisure time. For example, Jupiter’s take customer’s minds off of work by giving them a place to hang out with friends or family and have a good time. In a similar manner the Urbana Park District gives people places to do activities or have events that have the ability to wind down and relinquish his or her stress.