Global sport business: Community impacts of commercial sport is an attempt to show that the burgeoning business of sport can create and sustain a variety of community and social benefits. This titl...

Understanding and conveying the benefits of providing visitor experiences in national parks is critical for their survival, but to date has received relatively little attention. This paper uses a series of semi-structured interviews and an online survey with senior/executive managers from three Australian parks agencies, as well as an analysis of corporate and strategic documents, to identify each agency's strategic focus with respect to benefits associated with the provision of visitor experiences. Results reveal 39 personal and community-wide benefits that mattered for managers across the three Australian parks agencies. Key benefits identified by senior/executive-level managers included accessing natural experiences, connecting with nature, and appreciating scenic beauty and the protection of biological diversity. These findings can help inform communication designed to reposition national parks, which is critical if agencies are to remain viable as providers of recreation and leisure experiences in the twenty-first century.

Previous research revealed that sport clubs increasingly experience problems regarding the recruitment and retention of members. Demographic shifts in Western societies (e.g. low birth rates, more females, and old people) and an increasing number of leisure substitutes and sport providers on the market contribute to decreasing club memberships. Also, the pay as you play trend combined with increased opportunities to play sport in a more non-organised fashion intensifies pressures on clubs to sustain their viability. By applying the sport development processes framework, this study examined the attraction and retention processes of cycling members in Australia. Data were gathered via interviews with cycling representatives at a national, state, and club level. The results suggest that cycling clubs experience difficulties offering value for money. The findings have implications for club management. Club managers should actively engage in marketing activities that highlight the social value of sport clubs as well as skill development.

Today, with the aim of gaining competitive advantage, as well as achieving customer satisfaction, health and fitness clubs seek ways to expand their services. However, understanding the importance and influence of the services on customer satisfaction becomes very important, when making managerial decisions about the priority of numerous service attributes. Therefore, the present study identifies the service attributes of a fitness club by using the Service-Quality Assessment Scale and compares the results of importance-performance analysis (IPA) which adapts symmetric influences; and the Three-Factor Theory of Customer Satisfaction which adapts asymmetric influences of the attributes. Findings show that many of the attributes are classified differently, because of the distinct perspectives of the two techniques. For example, “Workout Facility” is a “needs to be improved” attribute in the IPA results, although it is classified as a basic factor when the asymmetric influence is taken into account. The only service element that both techniques highlighted is the “Staff” according to its importance and influence on overall customer satisfaction.

The purpose of the current study was to develop a theoretical understanding of the concepts and relationships that describe the local sports council as a mechanism for community sport development through a case study of one such organization. This paper presents a grounded theory study of a local sports council whose mandate reflects ‘sport for all’ by promoting, developing, and coordinating opportunities for sport and recreation in the community. Based on interviews (n = 16) with key stakeholders (board chairs, executive directors, municipal government representatives, and community sport clubs), the study reveals factors that enable and constrain the Council from contributing to community sport development. A model is derived that illustrates the impact of citizen-based leadership within an arm's-length organization, and how its philosophy and activities drive community sport development. Factors that enhance or jeopardize the Council's ability to contribute to community sport development include awareness of the Council, citizen engagement based on self-interest, and financial sustainability of the organization. The case study offers an in-depth understanding of the nature and role of a local sports council and discusses the challenges faced in promoting and achieving community sport development.

The purpose of this research is to analyze the sense of community derived among charity sport event participants by exploring and applying the six structural and cultural properties of Gemeinschaft among participants: dense and demanding social ties; social attachments to and involvement in institutions; ritual occasions; small group size; perceptions of similarity with others; and common beliefs in an idea system, moral order, institution, or group. Specifically, an assessment of the structural and cultural properties of community was made allowing for an initial exploration of the extent to which this community can achieve desired social outcomes on behalf of a charitable organization. Semi-structured interviews (n = 46) were conducted with 2009 Lance Armstrong Foundation LIVESTRONG Challenge participants. Results reveal that five of the six properties of community were present among participants. While a sense of community was found to be present, challenges within this community are identified that may constrain the charity from achieving the desired social change. These concern consistency in participant involvement with the charity as well as similarities and common beliefs creating too much sameness within the community. Suggestions are made for charitable organizations to provide training and mentoring to event participants to facilitate consistent and effective advancement of the charity's mission. Specific actions are outlined to confront these challenges and assist the organization in advancing social change.

Review of a book which seeks to understand the relationship between television representations of the world of business on UK television. The book is based on research funded by an Arts and Humanities Research Council grant. The review highlights a transition from a genuine documentary approach to business television programming, to its incorporation into the contemporary programme format known as 'reality television'. The review highlights the ways in which this kind of television programming has merged with a pervasive celebrity culture.

Non-profit sports clubs in many countries experience problems relating to the recruitment/retention of members, volunteers, and coaches. The purpose of this study is to explore the critical determinants of these organisational problems. The analysis is undertaken using quantitative data from the Sports Development Report 2009/2010, a nationwide online survey of sports clubs in Germany (n = 19,345). Given the large number of cases and variables, the application of data mining techniques, which have a more explorative character than conventional statistical analyses, seems useful. The decision trees reveal that a club's approach (e.g. the club has a strategy), the number of members, football, and the share of members participating in social events are the critical determinants of organisational problems. Based on these findings, it can be recommended that sports clubs elaborate a strategy for their development and invest in social events when they want to reduce organisational problems.

Managing Sport Business: An Introduction Authors: Linda Trenberth and David Hassan (Eds) Publisher: Routledge, London 2011. 470 pp. ISBN: 978-0-415-57029-9, £35 (paperback – also available in hardb...

According to the resource dependence theory, organisations draw upon interorganisational relationships to address the need for additional resources. The purpose of this study was to analyse whether sport clubs with serious resource problems regarding members, human resources (volunteers and coaches), infrastructure resources (sport facilities), or financial resources would be more likely to have a relationship with another non-profit sport club, a school, or a commercial sport provider. As previous research on interorganisational relationships has been mainly based on qualitative approaches, this study used quantitative data from sport club surveys in two Western European countries, Germany and Belgium (Flanders). The results of the correlation analyses showed that sport clubs in both countries experiencing serious problems regarding the availability of sport facilities were significantly more likely to have relationships with a school or a commercial sport provider. The study provided quantitative evidence that serious resource problems are correlated with interorganisational relationships.