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1 – 9 of 9The study aimed to establish football fans' levels of social identity, team loyalty, and behavioral intentions toward sports consumption and to determine the relationship between…
Abstract
Purpose
The study aimed to establish football fans' levels of social identity, team loyalty, and behavioral intentions toward sports consumption and to determine the relationship between these variables using a structural equation model.
Design/methodology/approach
Research methods: The research model was tested by data analysis using AMOS 23.0. The study sample included 518 football fans with mean age 30.87 (±10.15) years. Data were collected using an online questionnaire delivered to football fans via social media.
Findings
The results supported the study hypotheses and showed that social identity and team loyalty had a significant effect on behavioral intention toward sport consumption for football teams. Social identity was found to have a direct effect on sport consumption behaviors. It was further established that team loyalty was a mediator in the relationship between the fans' social identity and behavioral intention toward sports consumption.
Research limitations/implications
The study planned to collect the data at the stadium entrance before the game; however, it was not possible to reach the fans face-to-face due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and therefore, the data were collected online.
Practical implications
By understanding how the extent of social identity affects sports consumption intention, sports club managers can achieve a higher level of fan loyalty to their teams.
Social implications
The present study provides additional insight into the available literature on team identification. It demonstrated that team identification was associated with social identity and that social identity had an impact on sports consumption behaviors.
Originality/value
This study is an original study in that it is a study in which the social identity scale is used together with the variables of team loyalty and sports consumption behavior intention. The findings of this study help understand the processes that shape the behavioral intentions of football fans toward sports consumption. Furthermore, the mediating role of the developed model was tested using team loyalty.
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Sebastian Merten, Nicolas Reuland, Mathieu Winand and Mathieu Marlier
In the age of nine-figure transfer fees and football stars building their own brands and follower base, a shift in fan identification in football appears to be taking place as…
Abstract
Purpose
In the age of nine-figure transfer fees and football stars building their own brands and follower base, a shift in fan identification in football appears to be taking place as athletes can build strong connections with their followers. This paper examines the level of identification shown by football fans towards both their favourite team and their favourite player, in connection with the concept of fan loyalty.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 4,707 international respondents participated in an online survey to examine the relationship between fan identification and fan loyalty, and to measure the impact of variables like country, player, club, on fan identification using multi-regression analyses.
Findings
The results underline the strong presence of team identification compared to identification of single players. Results have also revealed that the relationship between a fan's favourite team and player has a significant impact on identification levels towards both actors. Fans supporting a foreign club were found to show significantly stronger team identification than those who support a club from their own country or region.
Originality/value
This research contributes to the growing body of publications in the field of sports consumer research and underlines the importance of understanding the quality of relationships and thus the identification of fans with clubs and individual players for the stakeholders involved. International sports marketing is becoming increasingly important and an understanding of fan interests is essential for effective marketing, as information on trends in fan interests enables a more tailored strategy for clubs and sponsors.
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Sherry Hsueh-Yu Tseng, James Higham and Craig Lee
This study aims to shape the future of academic air travel practices by identifying the challenges between existing air travel-related policies and practicing responsible air…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to shape the future of academic air travel practices by identifying the challenges between existing air travel-related policies and practicing responsible air travel.
Design/methodology/approach
With increasing concern over global warming, many institutions have implemented sustainability programmes to tackle carbon emissions and create sustainable practices. COVID-19 has resulted in many universities seizing the opportunity to maintain reduced levels of academic air travel emissions. However, the outdated travel-related policies have caused much scope for tension arising from the policy gap between pre-COVID university travel policies and academics' intentions to reduce their air travel emissions. This study interviewed academics at the University of Otago (New Zealand) to elicit detailed narratives of their perceptions of the university’s air travel-related policies, generating co-created and mutually informative insights.
Findings
The present programme of in-depth interviews with academic staff revealed that while most staff accept the need to reduce air travel emissions, they face challenges concerning career advancement, equity and equality issues. Universities will need to evolve their travel-related policies to address these challenges, enabling academics to adopt new practices that do not unreasonably disadvantage themselves, their disciplines or their institutions.
Originality/value
The findings contribute to the literature by highlighting the institutional policy challenges to responsible academic air travel and the need for the current policy gap to be resolved. The authors propose directions for a responsible academic air travel future that will require both top-down and bottom-up approaches involving academics and institutions.
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James W. Douglas and Ringa Raudla
The purpose of this article is to challenge the balanced budget practices of U.S. state governments and offer alternatives that may lead to better fiscal, economic and policy…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to challenge the balanced budget practices of U.S. state governments and offer alternatives that may lead to better fiscal, economic and policy outcomes. We contend that the norm of balance may be leading U.S. states to make fiscal decisions that result in less-than-ideal outcomes, especially during economic downturns.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a normative article. We examine the scholarly evidence regarding balanced budget practices to assess the appropriateness of balanced budget norms. We also examine the fiscal rules followed by Eurozone countries to draw potential lessons for U.S. states.
Findings
We conclude that state governments should move away from strict norms of budget balance and seek more flexible approaches. We suggest that instead of following strict rules and norms of balance, U.S. states should consider implementing escape clauses, debt and deficit ceilings, and fiscal councils. We also suggest that the Federal Reserve be open to lending directly to states during fiscal crises to ensure that states have access to affordable credit.
Originality/value
The balanced budget norm has become ingrained in U.S. state budgeting practices, so much so that public officials and scholars alike rarely question it. The novel contribution of our article is to question this practice in a systematic way and propose alternative approaches.
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Kelly R. Hall and Ram Subramanian
This secondary source case is based mainly on legislative documents (that tracked the initiation and progress of the Parental Rights in Education bill that later became an Act)…
Abstract
Research methodology
This secondary source case is based mainly on legislative documents (that tracked the initiation and progress of the Parental Rights in Education bill that later became an Act), corporate documents (published by The Walt Disney Company) and news articles from publications such as The New York Times and Bloomberg. All sources are cited in the case narrative and as end notes.
Case overview/synopsis
In April 2022, The Walt Disney Company and its CEO, Robert Chapek, were at the center of a controversy over the company’s opposition to the State of Florida’s Parental Rights in Education bill. The bill, dubbed “Don’t Say Gay” by its critics, prohibited instruction on sexual identity and gender orientation in the state’s elementary schools. The controversy stemmed from Disney’s initial non-reaction to the bill and its later strident opposition and call for its repeal. Chapek was pressured by negative media publicity and employee disgruntlement on the one hand and adverse economic consequences for opposing the bill by the state’s Governor, Ron DeSantis. Chapek and the Board had to respond to the political threats to Disney’s economic well-being while appeasing its employees and other stakeholders who wanted the company to be a corporate champion in diversity, equity and inclusion.
Complexity academic level
The case is best suited for advanced undergraduate or graduate leadership, strategic management and marketing courses. From a leadership and strategic management perspective, the case is well-suited for demonstrating the evolving expectations of leaders and corporate social responsibility, as well as the concepts of issue framing and nonmarket management. Instructors may also leverage the case in marketing courses (e.g. brand management), as CEO activism (i.e. messaging and practice) is one characteristic of brand activism (Animation Guild, 2022).
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Heath McDonald, Steven Dunn, Dominik Schreyer and Byron Sharp
The purpose is to review literature on sports season ticket subscriptions to distil current knowledge and guide future research and practice.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose is to review literature on sports season ticket subscriptions to distil current knowledge and guide future research and practice.
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic literature review is conducted of research on sports season tickets, a long-established and innovative subscription category.
Findings
In-depth examination of 28 papers showed a focus on drivers of satisfaction, churn and renewal causes, and product utilisation rates. Subscription markets typically involve many “solely loyal” consumers, most purchasing one or two subscriptions in a category. From reduced barriers to entry and exit to “curated” subscriptions, subscription marketing is changing very quickly. Sports marketers build relationships with subscribers using behavioural data, tier benefits to distinguish between casual and subscribing customers, and create recall and scarcity around key aspects of subscription to combat churn and increase utilisation.
Research limitations/implications
Scarce research on subscription marketing practices remains the primary limitation. Existing research suggests that strong connections between subscriber and organisation, heavy product utilisation and/or strong barriers to switching drive customer satisfaction and retention.
Practical implications
Rapid expansion of subscription products should reduce “excess loyalty”, meaning that subscription models' main benefit will be limited to reoccurring revenue. Exceptions occur when consumers are heavily connected to the product or have little provider choice, so allocate their category buying exclusively. New subscription products face myriad challenges. Guidance on effective subscription marketing from sports marketing research and practice is outlined.
Originality/value
By combining research on market structure, marketing empirical generalisations and subscription marketing, this paper guides future research and practice.
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Lucía Rodríguez-Aceves, Marcia Lorena Rodríguez-Aldana and
The study aims to explore the influence of conscious business practices (CBPs) on the reputational capital (RC) of SMEs with the generation of the manager (X/Y) as a moderator of…
Abstract
Purpose
The study aims to explore the influence of conscious business practices (CBPs) on the reputational capital (RC) of SMEs with the generation of the manager (X/Y) as a moderator of such relationships.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted empirical research based on a cross-sectional survey on 115 Western Mexican SME managers using PLS structural equation modeling to test the proposed hypotheses.
Findings
SMEs RC is nurtured by adopting two CBPs. The effect on RC may differ according to managers’ generation. In Western Mexican SMEs, Gen X managers perceive that a higher purpose is more important for building RC, while conscious culture comes first for millennials.
Research limitations/implications
The generalisability of the findings is decreased, given that the study relied on convenience and non-probabilistic sampling in one economy. The lack of previous studies on SMEs, and the difficulty in conducting research in an emerging economy, gives the findings an importance in furthering research.
Practical implications
It contributes to strengthen SMEs’ RC through CBPs.
Social implications
It broadens the perspective of SMEs in emerging economies to adopt CBPs for increasing their RC. This relationship varies depending on the managers’ generation.
Originality/value
The study used the quantitative approach to explore the perception of Mexican Gen X managers and millennials on the relationship between CBPs and their effects on RC.
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Ryszard Kłeczek and Monika Hajdas
This study aims to investigate how art events can enrich novice visitors by transforming their practices.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate how art events can enrich novice visitors by transforming their practices.
Design/methodology/approach
This research uses an interpretive case study of the art exhibition “1/1/1/1/1” in the Oppenheim gallery in Wroclaw. It draws on multiple sources of evidence, namely, novice visitors’ interviews, observation including photo studies and content analysis of art-makers’ mediation sources. This study is an example of contextual theorizing from case studies and participatory action research with researchers as change agents.
Findings
The evidence highlights that aesthetic values and experiences are contextual to practices and are transformable into other values. The findings illustrate the role of practice theory in studying how art-makers inspire the transformation of practices, including values driving the latter.
Research limitations/implications
The findings provide implications for transformations of co-creating contextual values in contemporary visual art consumption and customer experience management.
Practical implications
Practical implications to arts organizations are also provided regarding cultural mediation conducted by art-makers. Exhibition makers should explain the meanings of the particularly visible artefacts to allow visitors to develop a congruent understanding of the meanings. The explanations should not provide ready answers or solutions to the problem art-makers suggest to rethink.
Social implications
The social implication of our findings is that stakeholders in artistic ventures may undertake adequate, qualified and convergent actions to maintain or transform the defined interactive practices between them in co-creating contextual aesthetic values.
Originality/value
The study provides new insights into co-creating values in practices in the domain of contemporary art exhibitions by bringing the practice theory together with an audience enrichment category, thus illustrating how novice visitors get enriched by transforming their practices led by contextual values of “liking” and “understanding”.
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Chen Zhu, Timothy Beatty, Qiran Zhao, Wei Si and Qihui Chen
Food choices profoundly affect one's dietary, nutritional and health outcomes. Using alcoholic beverages as a case study, the authors assess the potential of genetic data in…
Abstract
Purpose
Food choices profoundly affect one's dietary, nutritional and health outcomes. Using alcoholic beverages as a case study, the authors assess the potential of genetic data in predicting consumers' food choices combined with conventional socio-demographic data.
Design/methodology/approach
A discrete choice experiment was conducted to elicit the underlying preferences of 484 participants from seven provinces in China. By linking three types of data (—data from the choice experiment, socio-demographic information and individual genotyping data) of the participants, the authors employed four machine learning-based classification (MLC) models to assess the performance of genetic information in predicting individuals' food choices.
Findings
The authors found that the XGBoost algorithm incorporating both genetic and socio-demographic data achieves the highest prediction accuracy (77.36%), significantly outperforming those using only socio-demographic data (permutation test p-value = 0.033). Polygenic scores of several behavioral traits (e.g. depression and height) and genetic variants associated with bitter taste perceptions (e.g. TAS2R5 rs2227264 and TAS2R38 rs713598) offer contributions comparable to that of standard socio-demographic factors (e.g. gender, age and income).
Originality/value
This study is among the first in the economic literature to empirically demonstrate genetic factors' important role in predicting consumer behavior. The findings contribute fresh insights to the realm of random utility theory and warrant further consumer behavior studies integrating genetic data to facilitate developments in precision nutrition and precision marketing.
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