The governance of Australian nonprofit voluntary sport organisations (VSOs) was once almost the exclusive domain of volunteers. However, changes in government policy and funding levels in recent years has led to the introduction of professional staff in these organisations. Rapid changes to the political, social and economic environment have created new complexities with which VSOs and their governing boards must grapple. Boards act as the main decision making body for these organisations, and as such have a significant impact on the governance of these organisations, and therefore their ability to deliver services. While the process of professionalisation within VSOs has been well documented, very little research has examined factors that may influence the ability of the boards of VSOs to perform effectively. The fields of nonprofit governance and sport management provided a theoretical and conceptual framework for the investigation of the board performance of VSOs. Two broad themes concerning research into board performance were identified in the nonprofit literature; the structural characteristics of the board, and board-executive relations. These two themes have also been addressed to a limited extent within the sport management literature, but not in relation to board performance. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between board performance, board structures and board-executive relations in Australian VSOs. The study investigated the differences in board structure between effective and ineffective boards, and the relationship between board performance and various elements of board structure, specifically complexity, formalisation and centralisation. The differences in the nature of board-executive relations between effective and ineffective boards, and the relationship of board performance to board-executive relations were also investigated. The sampling frame for the study was state governing bodies of sport in the state of Victoria, Australia. Seven case organisations were identified by a panel of experts; four exhibiting effective board performance and three exhibiting ineffective board performance. Data were collected through structured interviews with executives, from an examination of board documents, from a self-administered questionnaire of executives, board chairs and board members, and through semi-structured interviews with executives, board chairs and board members. Data were collected on board performance, the complexity, formalisation and centralisation of the boards, power patterns within the boards, and the nature of board-executive relations. Data analysis involved both quantitative and qualitative techniques. It was concluded that effective board performance was related to a higher level of board centralisation and associated with a higher level of board formalisation. Board performance was not related to board complexity. Board power patterns that were perceived to be powerless or fragmented were related to lower levels of board performance. Elements of the board-executive relationship that were related to effective board performance were identified as establishing trust between the board and executive, the control of information by the executive, shared board leadership and the responsibility for board performance. Importantly, the study identified the central role executives have in determining the ability of VSO boards to perform effectively. The study contributed to the body of knowledge concerning the governance of VSOs, specifically the measurement of board performance, and the investigation of its relationship with board structure and board-executive relations. A number of questions were advanced for the development of theory and empirical investigation through further research. The study also extended what is known about the models of nonprofit governance and their utility in explaining the workings of VSO boards. The findings of this study suggest that there is a need to adapt such models to the organisational context of member-based organisations such as VSOs.

Read the summary in the section 00front of this document. / Dissertation (MA (Human Movement Science))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Biokinetics, Sport and Leisure Sciences / unrestricted

More specifically, it seeks to examine the making of sports policy as a field of state activity and as a process involving various projects, agents and transformations, by uncovering the underlying structures and relations in the national sports policy context. The research is informed by the premises of the Strategic Relations Approach as developed by Jessop (1990), while critical theory provides the link between the theoretical foundations and the interpretation of data. This task demands an analysis which can account for the political, social and economic environments in which sports policy is made, and also for the structures and actors involved. In doing so, the thesis challenges both the traditional Marxist approach to the state, and some of the Jessopian claims about interests, strategies and global influences on policy making. The history of the modem Bulgarian state is marked by three major transformations, and the advancement of three distinct projects - Capitalism, Communism and Europeanisation - each aiming to establish a new stateness. Subsequently, it is argued that sports policy is a strategic relation, the formation of which needs to be viewed within state-society relations at particular historical conjuncture. Furthermore, this relation constitutes a process of past and present struggles, the outcomes of which are uncertain. The study draws several conclusions regarding strategic relations in sport policy making by highlighting: the relations between state projects and sports projects; the forms of state intervention in sport in various socio-political environments; the constitution of power in sports policy and state-society interactions; and the role of transnational and local forces in shaping sports policy (e.g. international sports federations and the IOC). The conceptualising and operationalising of Strategic Relations allows for three overriding tendencies pertinent to Bulgaria's sport policy to be outlined - of continuity, statisation and incongruity. One aspect of this study of theoretical interest in that, so far as can be ascertained, it is the first time that the Strategic Relations approach has been applied to a Communist state.

During the past few decades, the sport industry has experienced immense pressure to commercialise its operations and conform to traditional business practices (Chadwick 2009:191). With this evolution from a pure leisure activity to a multimillion dollar industry, it has become evident that the unique characteristics and deeply rooted historical culture of sport pose significant challenges for the sport manager during the process of commercialisation and the application of strategic management. The aim of this study was to analyse the current business environment of Cycling South Africa (CyclingSA) in such a way that the factors in the micro-environment, market environment and macro-environment that impact on the organisation‟s strategic decisions could be identified. The results should allow sport organisations to engage more effectively in strategic management by focusing on factors that influence the sport organisation‟s business environment in particular. A survey of CyclingSA members‟ perceptions of the organisation‟s current effectiveness in the business environment revealed a strong focus on financial and marketing elements. The study also found that factors such as loyalty programmes, talent identification and sport science support, safety in the physical environment, antidoping regulations, transformation and black economic empowerment and environmental friendly practices play a key role in CyclingSA‟s business environment. It is evident from the study that sport organisations, with specific reference to CyclingSA, should engage in strategic management by adapting traditional business principles to suit each organisation‟s unique needs. / Business Management / M. Comm.(Business Management)

During the past few decades, the sport industry has experienced immense pressure to commercialise its operations and conform to traditional business practices (Chadwick 2009:191). With this evolution from a pure leisure activity to a multimillion dollar industry, it has become evident that the unique characteristics and deeply rooted historical culture of sport pose significant challenges for the sport manager during the process of commercialisation and the application of strategic management. The aim of this study was to analyse the current business environment of Cycling South Africa (CyclingSA) in such a way that the factors in the micro-environment, market environment and macro-environment that impact on the organisation‟s strategic decisions could be identified. The results should allow sport organisations to engage more effectively in strategic management by focusing on factors that influence the sport organisation‟s business environment in particular. A survey of CyclingSA members‟ perceptions of the organisation‟s current effectiveness in the business environment revealed a strong focus on financial and marketing elements. The study also found that factors such as loyalty programmes, talent identification and sport science support, safety in the physical environment, antidoping regulations, transformation and black economic empowerment and environmental friendly practices play a key role in CyclingSA‟s business environment. It is evident from the study that sport organisations, with specific reference to CyclingSA, should engage in strategic management by adapting traditional business principles to suit each organisation‟s unique needs. / Business Management / M. Comm.(Business Management)

M. Tech. (Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Management Sciences), Vaal University of Technology. / Volunteering is a core component of sport service delivery and remains essential to the viability of the sport system in many sport organisations and communities. To this end, it has become incumbent for them to ensure that a sufficient pool of volunteers exists. Despite this assertion that volunteers in sport organisations are considered such a valuable resource, they are increasingly scarce and there is a considerable debate about the underlying structure or dimensionality of volunteer motives. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to examine motives for volunteering in sport organisations within Gauteng province and its relationships with volunteer commitment and volunteer satisfaction. This research drew from the convergence of the social exchange and self-determination theories that were used in this study to provide a theoretical understanding as to why people engage in volunteer work and the outcomes thereof. In order to achieve the primary objective of the study, a quantitative research approach was adopted and a cross-sectional descriptive survey was utilised. A non-probability convenience sampling procedure was also adopted. Prior to the main survey data collection, a pilot study was undertaken by administering a questionnaire to 40 participants who did not form part of the main survey. The main survey data was thereafter acquired from 270 volunteers from conveniently selected sport organisations within Gauteng province through a structured self-administered questionnaire. The data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS version 26.0) and the reliability and validity analysis yielded satisfactory results in terms of the measuring instrument. Descriptive statistics were also computed to summarise the data into usable information by making use of frequencies, means and standard deviations. Exploratory factor analysis was used to statistically aggregate the large number of observed measures (28 items) relating to independent variable (volunteer motives) into a smaller set of three unobserved (latent) variables called factors while regression and correlation analysis were undertaken to establish the relationships among the study constructs in line with the objectives of the study. Results fromcorrelation and regression analysis respectively (r = 0.440; β= .410) revealed that volunteer motives significantly contribute towards enhancing volunteer commitment among volunteers in sport organisations. Furthermore, the study’s results indicated that volunteer commitment, in turn, contributes towards volunteer satisfaction of volunteers in sport organisations (r = 0.561; β= .561). Based on these results, this study recommends, among others, that management of sport organisations should explore the effectiveness of implementing an internal system of self-evaluation as a starting point to examine motives for volunteering. Furthermore, it is recommended that sport organisation management should develop an organisational culture which assigns authority and responsibility to sport volunteers. The study concludes by affirming the achievement of the study’s objectives, highlighting its limitations as well as identifying future research opportunities.