The economic and social benefits synonymous with the sport industry have been well documented (Dalziel, 2011; Shilbury, Deane & Kellet, 2006). However it has become apparent that many of the organisations responsible for the delivery and development of sport within many countries have grossly underperformed and continue to do so. This study identifies and focuses upon fundamental performance dimensions that impact upon non-profit sport organisations (NPSOs) and explores ways in which these entities can manage and overcome specific performance challenges, to facilitate their prosper as key social institutions within society. The emphasis on NPSOs is justified in the first instance as it is they that represent the primary means of offering sporting opportunities and competition for citizens of a state. Thus state sport agencies and nationa1 governing bodies (NGBs) represent the principle foci of this research study whilst a comparative analysis is utilised, deploying a qualitative case study methodology, to analyse performance within selected organisations. The organisations that are afforded most attention emerge from Ireland and New Zealand; however, secondary case study organisations from other selected countries are also examined and key lessons from their governance and function drawn upon. Following a thorough review of the extant literature relating to performance management in the traditional business and sport management environments, the general tools, systems and processes that are available for use when managing organisational and individual performances within non-profit sport organisations are identified. This is followed by a more detailed examination of the literature around issues of governance, finance and industry participation. The case study organisations, referred to above, are then analysed to assess their use of traditional performance management practices, the management of selected performance dimensions and an identification of any root causes explaining underperfonnance within any of the organisations highlighted in the study. The findings of this research reveal that NPSOs have not yet fully engaged with performance management practices and, most notably within the focus afforded the situation in Ireland, in some cases there is a complete absence of any form of systematic and or identified organisational performance appraisal in place. Furthermore, the manner in which individual performance (including the performances of volunteers) finance, and participation (i.e. by the end users) are managed remains, by any international comparison, largely inadequate amongst many of the organisations addressed in this research study. Outdated and flawed governance structures are identified as the primary explanation for the often spectacular underperfonnance of these organisations with little prospect of immediate recovery for most. This has created a percolating effect within all levels of these organisations with performance failures being identified along several key organisational and performance dimensions. Consequently, the results of this study largely focus on the evaluation and re-structuring of current governance practices within NPSO bodies, specifically within the countries highlighted within this study.

Depuis près de quarante ans, la recherche sur le parrainage s’inscrit dans la mouvance d’un phénomène qui ne cesse de se développer. A ce jour, plus de 55 milliards de dollars sont consacrés dans notre monde à cette pratique (Kantar, 2014). La France n’est pas en reste avec près de 2 milliards d’euros d’investissement en 2013 (FPI, 2014). Le parrainage sportif représente la majeure partie de ces dépenses, ce qui en fait l’un des secteurs les plus dynamiques de l’activité de communication marketing. La recherche porte principalement sur son impact externe (spectateurs, consommateurs,…) dans le cadre du parrainage d’entités ou d’événements sportifs au fort potentiel marketing (Jeux Olympiques, Championnats du Monde, clubs professionnels…) par de grandes entreprises. Le terrain des PME-PMI s’avère peu investi. De même, peu de recherches relatives aux conséquences de cette pratique sur le public interne du parrain ont vu le jour. Notre travail met en relief les effets de ce type de parrainage sportif sur le public interne des PME-PMI. Cette recherche base sa réflexion sur la problématique suivante : Le parrainage sportif à faible potentiel marketing et commercial par une PME-PMI engendre-t-il des effets sur les employés du parrain ?Nous développons notre réflexion autour de cette question en trois temps. Premièrement, nous précisons respectivement l’intérêt théorique et managérial de cette recherche. Une revue de la littérature sur la thématique du parrainage et du parrainage sportif est proposée. Celle-ci permet d’ériger notre définition du concept principal mobilisé dans ce travail. Puis, une étude qualitative réalisée auprès de 18 dirigeants de PME-PMI parrain confirme l’intérêt managérial du sujet et l’impact possible du parrainage sportif sur le public interne. Deuxièmement, nous réalisons une étude qualitative auprès de 16 employés de PME-PMI parrain sportif. A partir de leur discours, nous développons une data-structure qui met en relief un processus d’impact du parrainage sportif affectant leur identité organisationnelle. De plus, des effets notoires sur leur satisfaction au travail et leur implication organisationnelle sont identifiés. Troisièmement, nous confirmons l’existence de ces effets à travers une troisième étude, de nature quantitative, réalisée auprès de 421 employés de 41 PME-PMI parrains sportifs. Suite aux résultats obtenus, nous indiquons la relative méconnaissance et inexploitation du potentiel du parrainage sportif au sein de ces entreprises. Des lors, d’un point de vue managérial, cette recherche souligne les conditions optimales à mettre en place afin d’utiliser efficacement le parrainage sportif à faible ampleur marketing et commercial en tant que moyen de communication interne au sein des PME-PMI / Over the last 40 years, research on sponsorship has been growing, and so have investments in this communication instrument. Today, worldwide sponsorship investments exceed 55 billion US Dollars (Kantar, 2014), while investments in France total more than two billion Euros (FPI, 2014). Roughly two thirds of these investments concern the area of sport making sport sponsorship one of the most dynamic fields of marketing communication. In the past, research has focused mainly on the impact of sponsorship on the external targets of the sponsor, typically analyzing large multinational companies supporting large scale events with high marketing potential (Olympic games, Soccer World championships, auto racing, etc.). Very few studies have targeted the use sponsorship by SMEs. Moreover, there is a lack of research on the internal consequences of this practice. Our study focuses on the effects of sport sponsorship on the internal public of SMEs by addressing the following question: How do employees of SMEs perceive the little-mediated sponsorship activities of their employers and how are they impacted by them?This work is structured in three parts. First, a literature review about sport sponsorship highlights the theoretical and managerial interests of the research and proposes a definition of sport sponsorship. A qualitative study conducted on 18 directors of SME confirms the managerial interest of this research and sheds light on the potential impact of sport sponsorship on the internal public of this kind of company. Second, based on a qualitative study on 16 employees of SMEs, a data-structure is developed which allows to grasp the organizational identification processes that result from sponsorship activities, and the effects of these activities in terms of job satisfaction and organizational commitment. In a third part, the existence of these effects is further analyzed through a quantitative survey upon 421 employees of 41 different SMEs sponsors. Overall, results show the lack of awareness and the quite confidential use of sport sponsorship within these organizations. From a managerial perspective, our research highlights the optimal conditions required to make effective use of sport sponsorship with minor marketing and sales potential by SMEs

This thesis explores the process of elite sport policy change in three sports (swimming, athletics and sailing/yachting) in Canada and the United Kingdom (UK). The nature of policy change is a complex and multi-faceted process and a primary aim of the study is to identify and analyse key sources of policy change in four elements of elite sport programming: i) the development of elite level facilities; ii) the emergence of 'full-time' swimmers, athletes and sailors; iii) the adoption of a more professional and scientific approach to coaching, sports science and sports medicine; and iv) competition opportunities and structures at the elite level. The study focuses on the meso-level of analysis, which centres on the structures and patterns of relationships in respect of three Canadian national sporting organisations (NSOs) and three UK national governing bodies of sport (NGBs) - representing the three sports cited above. The macro-level of analysis is also considered, where the primary concern is to analyse relations of power between governmenta nd quasi-governmentasl porting agenciesa nd the respective NSOs/NGBs. A case study approach is adopted, focusing on the six NSOs/NGBs, wherein a qualitative methodology is utilised in order to elicit data in respect of policy change in the four key elements of elite sport programming set out above. Within the case study approach, the advocacy coalition framework has proved useful in drawing attention to the notion of changing values and belief systems as a key source of policy change, as well as highlighting the need to take into account factors external to the policy subsystem under investigation. In Canada, it is evident that the preoccupation with high performance sport over the past 30 years, at federal government level, has perceptibly altered over the past two to three years. In contrast, in the UK, from the mid-1990s onwards, there has been a noticeable shift towards supporting elite sport objectives from both Conservative and Labour administrations. The study concludes that it is only by exploring specific sports through a comparative-analytic framework that a better understanding of policy change, within the complex and multi-layered sport policy process, might be achieved.

The purpose of the current research was to determine whether goal-setting as motivational work theory influences productivity and the productivity measurement and enhancement system (ProMES) as a human resource intervention that provides feedback improves productivity in an Angolan female handball team after the implementation. Motivation and productivity are important to the success of a sports organisation. Goal-setting theory was formulated on the premise that conscious goals affect action. The ProMES approach offers a method for measuring action results, in other words team productivity, which takes this feature of typical team settings into account. Each participant completed a questionnaire toolkit and the results showed that when athletes are task oriented and collectivist they believe in goal-setting and productivity improves. The ProMES process itself, with its participative aspects and process of role clarifying and expectations can successfully be used within the sports industry. This research also reaffirms the relationship between motivation and productivity. / Business Management / M. Admin. (Business Management)

Introduction: Physical inactivity is thought to contribute to the emergence of non-communicable diseases in post-conflict settings of low-income countries. Sport-for-development (SfD) organisations in these regions claim to improve the health of programme participants. However, there is a paucity of supporting evidence. I assessed the impact of a voluntary community-based SfD intervention on the physical activity (PA), physical fitness (PF) and mental health (MH) of adolescents in Gulu, Uganda. Methods: The Acholi Psychosocial Assessment Instrument (APAI), standing broad jump (SBJ), multi-stage fitness test (MSFT) and BMI-for-age (BFA) were adapted to the local context. I tested their feasibility and reliability with a repeat-measures design (n=70). A cross-sectional analysis of a random sample was used to assess the local needs and establish the PF and MH of the adolescents reached by the intervention (n=1464). This was also the baseline assessment for the impact evaluation. It comprised a randomised control trial (n=144) nested within a cohort study (n=1400) and triangulated by cross-sectional assessment of PA using accelerometry (n=54). Results: The adapted PF and MH measures demonstrated good intra-tester reliability (ICC>0.75). Adolescents in Gulu predominantly had “healthy” BFA (>90%). They performed better than global norms for the SBJ (p<0.001), but worse for the MSFT (p<0.05). The girls who registered for the intervention had higher PF at baseline (p<0.05) and experienced no significant benefits when compared to the community. The aerobic capacity of the boys intervention group increased relative to the community (p<0.01), but was not significantly different to the trial control group whose PF also improved. The PA results concurred with this finding. Boys in the intervention group experienced a deterioration in MH relative to their peers (p<0.05). Implications: It is feasible to apply rigorous evaluation methods to SfD interventions. Although adolescents in Gulu have poor aerobic capacity, a voluntary programme may not reach those at risk. Interpreting the impact evaluation was limited by a lack of programme development theory, but suggested that opportunities for non-competitive play may confer PF benefit without harming MH. Further investigation is warranted.

The purpose of the current research was to determine whether goal-setting as motivational work theory influences productivity and the productivity measurement and enhancement system (ProMES) as a human resource intervention that provides feedback improves productivity in an Angolan female handball team after the implementation. Motivation and productivity are important to the success of a sports organisation. Goal-setting theory was formulated on the premise that conscious goals affect action. The ProMES approach offers a method for measuring action results, in other words team productivity, which takes this feature of typical team settings into account. Each participant completed a questionnaire toolkit and the results showed that when athletes are task oriented and collectivist they believe in goal-setting and productivity improves. The ProMES process itself, with its participative aspects and process of role clarifying and expectations can successfully be used within the sports industry. This research also reaffirms the relationship between motivation and productivity. / Business Management / M. Admin. (Business Management)