Digital Commons Network^™

Examining The Relationship Between Star Player Characteristics And Brand Equity In Professional Sport Teams, N. David Pifer, Jennifer Y. Mak, Won-Yul Bae, James J. Zhang

Management Faculty Research

The overarching purpose of this study was to examine the impact of star athletes on the consumer-based brand equity of professional sport teams. Through a comprehensive review of literature and a test of content validity by an expert panel, preliminary scales were developed to measure the characteristic attributes of star athletes and the areas of brand equity that were affected by these traits. Research participants (N = 195) were professional sport fans that responded to a survey questionnaire in a classroom setting. After conducting factor analyses on the results, two factors (On -Field and Off-Field) for the star characteristic variables …

Conceptualizing Structured Experiences: Seeking Interdisciplinary Integration, Mat D. Duerden, Peter Ward, Patti A. Freeman

Faculty Publications

While consensus exists around the importance of providing structured experiences, the industries interested in offering such experiences lack a common body of shared knowledge about how most effectively to do so. Potentially complementary research on structured experiences remains fragmented across multiple fields such as leisure, tourism, and marketing. The purpose of this paper, therefore, was first to review and then integrate this scattered literature into a structured experience framework in order to facilitate experience-related research with broader applicability for both commercial and public organizations interested in providing structured experiences.

Adaptation Of An Adolescent Coping Assessment For Therapeutic Recreation And Outdoor Adventure Settings, Melissa S. Russell, Mark A. Widmer, Neil Lundberg, Peter Ward

Faculty Publications

This study addresses the need for sound assessments to measure adolescent coping in therapeutic recreation, wilderness and adventure therapy settings. Although consideration was given to developing a new measure, a well-developed general coping measure exists, and the authors indicated a need to adapt it to specific settings. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to adapt the Response to Stress Questionnaire (RSQ) for use in adventure-based therapeutic settings. Appropriate content was identified and items were adapted to create RSQ Outdoor Adventure Version (RSQ-OAV). These items were then evaluated for representativeness and relevance to provide content validity. An expert panel conducted …

Street Fights: Corporate Social Responsibility And A Dragway's Attempt To Reduce Illegal Street Racing, Amanda E. Greene, Andy Dotterweich, Gary Lhotsky, Jason Davis

ETSU Faculty Works

This study sought to explore a professional sport venue’s use of Corporate social responsibility (CSR) to promote positive social change, by addressing illegal street racing, through events designed for community participation. This study specifically looked at public dragracing events, titled “Street Fights,” held at a professional dragway. The purpose of this study was to 1) examine drivers’ awareness of the event’s social responsibility initiatives with Street Fight events and 2) determine if these initiatives are promoting behavioral changes in drivers. Drivers at Street Fight events were surveyed (n=77, 60% response rate) on their levels of awareness of the venue’s social …

Challenges, Changes, And Opportunities In Ngb Coach Education From 2003-2015, Anna Swisher, Andy R. Dotterweich

ETSU Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Nothing For Money And Your Work For Free: Internships And The Marketing Of Higher Education, Mara Einstein

Publications and Research

American universities have significantly increased their marketing expenditures over the last decade. The high cost of education, reductions in government funding, and precipitous declines in the traditional college-aged population (18-21 year olds) are some of the key factors forcing universities to be more aggressive with the promotional techniques they use to attract prospective students. In this competitive marketplace, schools promote the attributes they believe will be most compelling to high schoolers and their parents, including academics, sports, campus life, and careers. Tied into this last factor is the promotion of internship opportunities. While some of these hands-on experiences lead to …

The Influence Of Warmth And Competence Perceptions On Employees’ Attitudinal And Behavioral Responses In Casual Dining Restaurants, Diego Riva Humbert Bufquin

Theses and Dissertations

Employees in the hospitality industry continuously judge their peers and leaders in order to evaluate their work environment. Group and individual evaluations are systematic, as the restaurant industry is characterized by high labor intensiveness that typically involves substantial social interactions and task interdependence. As a consequence, employees come up with quick and broad conclusions about the characteristics of the people that they work with or for.

Along these lines, two of the most significant constructs that govern the social perceptions or evaluations of individuals and groups are people’s perceived warmth and competence. The warmth construct informs people whether a person …

The Effects Of Environmental Consciousness And Menu Information On Consumers’ Perceptions Of Restaurant Image And Purchase Behavior Related To Local Foods, Daniel A.G. Remar

Theses and Dissertations

Sustainability initiatives have become increasingly important and relevant to the foodservice industry. Despite the fact that consumer demand for sustainable restaurant practices has grown substantially over the last 10 years, consumers’ pro-environmental attitudes and behavioral intentions are not always turned into concordant behavior. Though foodservice operators continue to make progress in developing new methods and strategies for implementing sustainable practices into operations, getting consumers to behave in accordance with their demand is a major challenge.

The purpose of this quasi-experimental study is to determine if consumers’ attitudes towards local food, widely considered a sustainable restaurant practice, are congruous with their …

U.S. Collegiate Athletics: International Student Athletes Recruiting Process, Evelyn S. Jara

Theses and Dissertations

The pressure to win has grown as a result of the billions of dollars invested in collegiate athletics and the increasing national media attention, and coaches and administrators are searching for an athletic edge (Wieberg, 2008). There are a limited number of American athletes that have the skills to impact the collegiate level. Competition to attract the top domestic players is high, so coaches turn to larger, international recruiting arenas with less competition (Riley, 1997). The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) regulates collegiate Sports in the United States, which is the only place in the world that provides the opportunity …

Self-Determination Theory And Wellness Tourism: How Do Wellness Facilities Contribute To Wellbeing?, Karen I. Thal

Theses and Dissertations

Wellness tourism as a subsector is differentiated in terms of the pursuit and enhancement of wellbeing. Wellness itself is defined as holistic wellbeing and optimal psychological states. Enhanced wellbeing is cited as the motivation and outcome of travel and in terms of dedicated infrastructure, services, and amenities at destinations. Yet enhanced wellbeing following a wellness vacation is typically assumed rather than assessed. While tourism studies have focused on wellbeing as the outcome of leisure travel, a theoretical framework that might be adapted to assess wellbeing following a stay at a wellness facility was not apparent. The majority of tourism studies …

Campus Planners' Preferences For Residence Hall Project Delivery Methods, Paul E. Riel

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research determined the preferred project delivery method utilized by campus planners when building student housing on a university campus. Four key performance indicators were also evaluated to determine if they influenced the campus planner to select a particular project delivery method. The four key performance indicators were: owner input, cost, safety, and on-time completion. Campus planners identified though the Society for Campus and University Planners (SCUP), were invited to participate in this survey research method. Five research questions were explored in this study. They were:

1. What is the preferred project delivery method (PDM) when building a residence hall …

Preparation And Support Of Female Head Athletic Trainers In Collegiate Sport, Bekki Turner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Title IX of the U.S. Education Amendments of 1972 has significantly improved women's access to previously male-dominated areas of education in the United States, but few of these studies have focused on the experiences of women currently in the higher education field. This study explored female head athletic trainers' perceptions of the role of U.S. higher education institutions in preparing and supporting their achievement of leadership positions in U.S. collegiate sports: it also explored their views on potential changes in current higher education curricula and certification processes. This phenomenological study used Ridgeway's status construction theory as its theoretical lens for …

The Year, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

As years go 2014 was an interesting one in sportsworld. Some might characterize it as depressing while others may look back on it as exhilarating. Whatever the case may be we know that at some point in the future we will look back on the year 2014 with nostalgia and/or perhaps a year of pivotal change. Maybe even historic, whatever that means.

Bowling, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

Every few years I like to take inventory of the Bowl Games. Each football season concludes with these loss leaders for intercollegiate football teams. Almost without exception teams who have been honored with an invitation to a bowl game will lose money with the cost of bowling exceeding the payouts for bowlers. The theory is that the exposure is worth more than real budgetary dollars.

Penn State Football: An Analysis Of Crisis Communication Best Practices And How Psu Overcame The Ultimate Pr Crisis, Meaghan Grace Lane

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

This thesis paper is an analysis of the crisis communication response to the 2011 Pennsylvania State University child sex abuse scandal. The reputation of this iconic university and its football program was changed forever by this horrific event, which involved years of administrative cover-ups of the sexual assault of children by an assistant football coach. However, despite widespread public backlash, administrative upheaval and heavy NCAA sanctions in the months after the scandal broke, Penn State has since made major strides in image improvement.

This project delves into what defines best crisis communication practices, using Penn State as a case study. …

Success With Social Responsibility Local Retailers' Perspectives, Danielle Marie Razalan

Theses and Dissertations

This research examines a specific sect of small business—the local retailer—in order to gauge owners’ understanding and implementation of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Guided by the Enlightened Self-Interest Model (ESIM), the purpose of this study is to gain further insight into how local retailers in Columbia determine what is socially responsible, and what CSR practices they are utilizing. Additionally, this research aims to understand why local retailers are motivated to act in a socially responsible way and the benefits they perceive from CSR. Results reveal that owners of local retailers are motivated to act in a socially responsible way by …

The South Has Not Risen In Nhl Attendance Numbers Compared To The North, Kyle Stich

Sport Management Undergraduate

This research looked at attendance capacity for traditional and non-traditional hockey markets. The aim was to attempt to determine the extent the attendance capacities differed between the two markets. Previously, there had not been any quantitative analyses done comparing traditional and non-traditional hockey markets so this study aimed to add new knowledge to that area. The National Hockey League (NHL) grapples with the validity of some of the current markets, with many observers calling for some teams to relocate to new markets. This research aimed to attempt to determine how justified those criticisms were.

Kim, Trail, & Magnusen (2013) have …

Syracuse University Basketball: To Renovate The Carrier Dome Or Build A New Arena, William P. Commisso

Sport Management Undergraduate

This study looked at how Syracuse University basketball fans’ spectator motives impacted their preference on whether to renovate the Carrier Dome or to build a new arena. The purpose of this research was to find out if these Syracuse University basketball fans differed from prior knowledge regarding sport spectator motivation. It was known that fan enjoyment is influenced by convenience of concessions and restrooms (Wakefield, 1995). However, it was also known that fans’ team identification affected resistance to change (Wu, 2012) and sense of home had a positive impact on stadium satisfaction (Lee, 2012). The sample for this study consisted …

Job Satisfaction In Minor League Baseball, Justice L. Hoyt

Sport Management Undergraduate

Every individual in the sport industry spends a substantial amount of time at work. Hence the satisfaction of an individual’s job is important. The purpose of this study was to look at the satisfaction levels of full time minor league baseball employees in the International League. This study was the first study in the field of minor league baseball which tried to determine if the satisfaction levels were worth the demand of the work. It is known across the workforce that the more time demanding a job is the less freedom you have for family and leisure. This study was …

The Objectification Of Professional Female Athletes In Print Advertisements And The Consumers' Response, Angela L. Wallin

Sport Management Undergraduate

Abstract

As female athletes gain more recognition in the sports world, researchers continuously debate on whether the reason behind this is due to their athletic performance or their hyper sexualized appearance in media outlets such as print advertisements (Fink, Cunningham, & Kensicki, 2004). This raises the question on how consumers interpret advertisements that contain female athletes promoting both sport and non-sport products. Since this research is the first examine how consumers view and react to the use of professional female athletes in advertisements, this research further develops the literature of women’s role in both the advertising and sport world. Both …

Ncaa Division I Lacrosse Expansion: Has It Changed Recruiting?, Michael Widay

Sport Management Undergraduate

In liue of an abstract, here is the paper's first paragraph:

Lacrosse was one of the least popular sports in the United States. As time has gone on Lacrosse grew to be one of America’s fastest growing sports in the entire country, grow was seen throughout all levels from the professional and collegiate, and especially at the high school and youth levels (Vivirito 2012). As the game grew at the collegiate level their started to be more competition within recruiting as more teams expanded into the collegiate ranks. Previous research had examined what the factors that student athletes in lacrosse …

Special Olympics’ Employee Response To Organizational Change, Katelyn Disbrow

Sport Management Undergraduate

The purpose of the research study was to explore how Special Olympics’ staff groups differ in response to organizational change. The study was conducted in order to determine if there was a relationship between employees holding various positions within Special Olympics and their level of job satisfaction, specifically during times of change in the organization. Previously, there has been minimal research conducted in the non-profit sector, and Special Olympics exclusively, in terms of linking job satisfaction and organizational change. Thus very little was known on this particular topic. A survey was used in order to collect primary, quantitative data based …

How Does Retention Rates Of Division Iii Football Programs Differ Based On The Type Of Institution?, Adam Hausfelder

Sport Management Undergraduate

Abstract The focus of this research was to take a look at the retention rates of Division III football programs over a four year period. The purpose of this study was to show how some schools are struggling to keep their retention rate up year to year. A second reason was to see which type of institution had a higher retention rate and to see if there is a connection between retention and the type of institute. At the Division I level there many articles about retention rates and student athlete adjustment, while at the Division III level there is …

Fantasy Football: The Relationship Between A Participants Financial Investment And Time On Task For Team Management, Brendon L. Lamphear

Sport Management Undergraduate

Within the past decade since the use of the Internet came bout about, the sports gambling industry, specifically fantasy football, has become a multi-million dollar industry. In particular, the increase of all factors in fantasy sports such as the amount of money, number of hours and amount of leagues are increasing at a rapid rate. Due to this intriguing circumstance, this study investigates the relationship between a participant’s financial investment and time on task for team management. This study was given to participants via email and Facebook, which consisted of an online survey. In addition, this study looked at factors …

Fearsome Foursome, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

The much anticipated day of revelation has arrived. No, not the second coming of Bear Bryant, but rather the announcement from the Committee of Justice that yesterday revealed the top four teams in college football. In case you were being held in solitary confinement and missed it, let me reveal to you, in order of quality, the four chosen ones: Alabama, Oregon, Florida State, and Ohio State, sorry, The Ohio State University.

The Perceptions Of Marijuana From College Athletes, Michael A. Magnarelli

Sport Management Undergraduate

The study that was conducted examined the perceptions and the relationship college athletes have towards marijuana. As time progresses and more people become used to the idea of marijuana being fully legalized in the United States, institutions like the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) will have to deal with the fact that a vast majority of their college athletes use marijuana regardless of it being on the banned substance list. A survey that featured 14 questions was sent out to over 200 male and female student athletes at St. John Fisher College which 60 of the 200 agreed to partake …

Fans Use Of Twitter In College Athletics, Clayton V. Stanley

Sport Management Undergraduate

Abstract

Fans use of social media to follow athletes is becoming more and more popular these days and fans often use this as a way to attempt to get recruits to attend schools that they themselves are a fan of. The reasoning behind the research is that not a lot has been done on this topic and with social media becoming more and more popular looking into the fans usage of social media towards recruits is worth looking into. The fact that professional leagues and the NCAA have attempted to implement and enforce a policy against the illegal tweeting practices …

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Perceived Leadership Behaviors, Perceived Team Cohesion And Team Performance, Alvin Miles

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects (Full IR Collection)

In an effort to help explain more of the variance in team performance, studies examining the effects of leadership upon team performance have included a limited number of contexts (Antonakis, Avolio and Sivasubramaniam, 2003; Tejada, Scandura and Pillai, 2001). This study is the first to empirically examine the relationship of leadership styles to team cohesion, and team cohesion to team performance utilizing the nine-factor version of the full range of leadership theory (transformational leadership, transactional leadership, and no leadership typologies) in the context of professional sports. Further, it empirically measures the perceptions of official members of the sports league ecosystem …

Brand Equity Perceptual Mapping: Competitive Landscapes And Consumer Segments In Brand Equity Space, Brian Parker

Journal of Applied Marketing Theory

This study advanced a technique to map brand metrics and theoretically derived diagnostics that depict the relative positions of competitive brand sets and audience segments in a perceptual consumer-based brand equity space. Survey research collected brand equity ratings for two sets of competitive brands (Nike, Converse, Reebok and Toyota, Nissan, Pontiac), used to construct a pair of twodimensional maps that illustrate the brands’ position on brand equity dimensions relative to competitors and demographic-based segments. Paired brand equity indicators resulted in eight map quadrant areas that characterize a brand positioned in that space. The mapping techniques facilitate the strategic application of …

Is Dynamic Pricing Viable For Small Market Collegiate Athletics?, Steve Chen, Kenneth Henderson, Cassandra Smith, Nicholas Mason

Journal of Applied Marketing Theory

Sport organizations use dynamic ticket pricing (DTP) strategies to generate extra revenues. DTP is based on demand and occasions. This exploratory study reported the results of the online survey data collected from 48 mid-west college/university athletic directors and marketing managers. The participants shared responses regarding their perceptions of the use of DTP by regional and private smallmarket collegiate athletic programs. Specifically, the study examined the perceived benefits and shortcomings of DTP. Past experiences implementing the strategy are also discussed. The results concluded that the majority of respondents were receptive to DTP although they questioned whether the strategy could deliver excessive …