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  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
1

The Official Supporter's Group Section: Conceptualizing and Measuring Its Effect on Sport Consumer Satisfaction and Behavioral Outcomes

Unknown Date (has links)
Attendance at sporting events remains a vital part of sporting contests, as spectators have been shown to have a significant impact upon the atmosphere of an event (Uhrich & Benkenstein, 2012). As more attractive options for consuming sporting events continue to arise (e.g., higher-definition televisions, game watch parties, etc.), sport managers should seek to better understand what elements of in-person spectating are most important for repeat attendance. Sport stadium atmosphere researchers have identified other spectators as a positive source of influence for future attendance intentions (Biscaia, Correia Rosado, Maroco, & Ross, 2012; Lee, Lee, Seo, & Green, 2012; Uhrich & Benkenstein, 2012). However, spectators have only been studied in aggregate, as though all spectators were homogenous and part of one entire group. Through the present research I evaluated a specific sub-group, the Official Supporter’s Group (OSG) Section, of the spectating population for its effects on the non-OSG spectators in attendance at Major League Soccer games. The stated purpose of the OSG Section is to assist their team through chants, singing, and cheering. As a means of achieving this goal, those within the OSG Section attempt to involve other spectators outside the section to increase the volume and intensity of support for their team. The existence of these supporter’s groups is explained through Social Identity Theory and Complexity Theory. OSGs and the OSG Section are theorized to be sub-components of the Sport Stadium Atmosphere (SSA) framework (Uhrich & Benkenstein, 2010; Uhrich & Koenigstorfer, 2009). This framework consists of three dimensions of environmental stimuli (organizer-induced, game-induced, and spectator-induced) that have a positive, direct relationship with consumer affective responses (Uhrich & Benkenstein, 2010). This research was conducted to evaluate the impact of those making up the OSG Section as an influential aspect of the spectator-induced dimension. The two goals of this research were to add to the SSA framework (Uhrich & Benkenstein, 2010; Uhrich & Koenigstorfer, 2009) in two ways: 1) by evaluating the effect of a previously unstudied aspect of the spectating population: the OSG Section, and 2) by including satisfaction as a measure of the effects of the stadium atmosphere upon the consumer. Three stages were employed to investigate the goals above. First, a questionnaire was developed to survey spectators of Major League Soccer (MLS) games during the 2018 season. Item-development processes were undertaken, based on the recommendations of Hinkin’s (1998) scale development process, to evaluate perceived effects of the organizer-induced stimuli, game-induced stimuli, the influence of the OSG Section, and outcome variables of satisfaction, intention to return, and word-of-mouth recommendations. Second, a pilot study was conducted to evaluate the new items developed and to refine the instrument for the main study. Finally, a main study was employed to collect data from a second sample of the population (MLS spectators) using the refined survey instrument. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling techniques were used to analyze collected data and test the hypothesized relationships. The members and actions of those comprising the OSG Section were found to have a significant, positive relationship with both resulting spectator emotions and satisfaction. Further, there is evidence to further confirm the relationship between satisfaction and behavioral intentions (Kuenzel & Yassim, 2007; Matsuoka et al., 2003). Practical implications, limitations, and future research directions are all discussed in the final chapter. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Sport Management in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester 2018. / June 19, 2018. / Atmosphere, Satisfaction, Soccer, Stadium, Supporters / Includes bibliographical references. / Amy C. H. Kim, Professor Directing Dissertation; Edward Gray, University Representative; Jeffrey D. James, Committee Member; Joshua I. Newman, Committee Member.
2

Social Legacy of the Olympic Games from a Social Innovation Perspective

Unknown Date (has links)
Recently, cities that bid for hosting the Olympic Games have withdrawn due to public referendums and lack of political support. Although the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) efforts to underline the importance of the Olympic legacy at a series of symposiums such as “The legacy of the Olympic Games 1984-2000” and the “Olympic Agenda of 2020”, numerous media platforms and studies have presented the negative consequences of hosting the Olympics. Compared to other legacies, the social legacy of the Olympics was relatively overlooked until recently. Although the IOC has set objectives to uphold the positive aspects of its social legacy, the development of practical strategies to address the socially-driven issues caused by hosting the Olympics still remains as a challenge to overcome. In efforts to fill this gap, the purpose of this study is to analyze the current process and evaluation system for the Olympic social legacy based on the frame of newspaper coverage, as well as discussing the strategies on how to achieve social innovation through the Olympic Games based on the SIOG model. I employed the media framing as the theoretical framework and conduct a content analysis of newspaper coverage in the U.S, The New York Times, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post published between 1990 and 2016. The frame found in newspaper articles about the Olympic social legacy in the present study enabled me to investigate how the residents of the host city have experienced the social legacy of the Olympic Games and the problems behind the current process (Entman, 1993; Misener, 2012). In addition, the result of the analysis provided implications of how the Olympic social legacy needs to be planned and managed based on the SIOG model (Entman, 1993; Misener, 2012). The frames identified from the newspaper coverage revealed that there was a gap between the resident’s needs and actual provisions provided by hosting the Olympic Games. Overall, the social legacies planned by the organizers and committees did not work effectively before, during, and after the Olympic Games. In addition, By applying the social innovation framework to the social legacy of the Olympic Games, hosting the Olympic Games will provide solutions for problems focusing on needs that are unmet, which can resolve these various problems and make the integrated society sustainable. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Sport Management in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. / Summer Semester 2018. / June 18, 2018. / Includes bibliographical references. / Amy Chan Hyung Kim, Professor Directing Thesis; Joshua Newman, Committee Member; Hanhan Xue, Committee Member.
3

The Circuit of Legacy Discourse: Mega-Events, Political Economy and the Beijing Olympic Games

Unknown Date (has links)
The mega-event, or large-scale mass event, has held an enduring level of popular and political support in modern society since their creation in the late 19th century. In the current period of intense globalization, the importance placed on mega-events by national governments and global corporations has increased considerably—with hundreds of millions of dollars spent on both the bid process and the marketing, advertising, and branding of a given event. Mega-events also provide people with unique opportunities to participate in collective projects of urban regeneration, identity formation, and conspicuous consumption. This dissertation is situated within a focal area on the global phenomenon of sport mega-event. Here I draw from an interdisciplinary perspective to demystify the popular discourse on the even legacy and its related political economy implications associated with the two Olympic Games in Beijing. So far, legacy has been gaining wider currency vis-à-vis the hosting of mega-events, and there has been increased scholarly focus on related topics such as the governance, evaluation, and leveraging of legacy. In this dissertation, I examine legacy as both substantive element (e.g., urban renewal project & facility construction) and discursive discourse (e.g., the public pedagogy underpinning the circulation of certain ideological values and meanings). Being the first city ever to host both the Summer and Winter Olympics, the idea of fully capitalizing on the legacy of the previous 2008 Olympics for the future 2022 Winter Olympics has been repeatedly addressed by Beijing throughout the bidding and planning process thus far. A comprehensive evaluation of the legacy of the 2008 Olympics is beyond the remit of this project; however, by attending to the primary, publicly-promised legacies of the 2008 Olympics, an important context for post-2008 mega-events can be revealed. Thus, in this study, I consider numerous features of legacy discourse of the Olympic Games as sensitive indicators of shifting interests, power relations and ideologies at micro, meso, and macro levels in contemporary China. To do this, I structure my project within a modified “circuit of culture” model, which focuses on the articulations of interrelated moments of production, representation, and consumption (Hall, 1980; Johnson, 1986; du Gay et al., 1997). Such a framework thus provides a heuristic model to stress the situational particularities inscribing and deriving meanings and values in and through legacy discourse. As such, the analysis of each moment will be situated within a broader context of the post-2008 Olympics era and the correlative political economic landscape. In this project, I find legacy discourse as an evolving and dynamic concept that is both context-specific and influenced by multiple social actors. It is simultaneously ascribed with a variety of explicit or implicit political and economic interests. Grounded on qualitative analysis at the three moments of the circuit—representation, production and consumption—both commonalities and contradictions of the legacy discourse encountered and understood by different social groups (e.g., residents, government, and corporate) are identified. With regard to the popular legacy discourse of the 2022 Winter Olympics, an emerging neoliberal paradigm is further unveiled, which provides a viable arena to examine the political economy of sport mega-events in a post-2008 era and the associated interplays of market capitalism and state socialism in contemporary China, which have been in a state of transition. Based on the findings of this study, the appeal of mega-events to the state of China is not only underpinned by the pursuit of symbolic politics, it further entails a form of shock of spectacle that relies on the “dramatological” and “exceptional” features of modern mega-events to legitimate and further a broad spectrum of state agendas and policies (e.g., urban regeneration, economic growth, & environmental governance). Compared to the identity-politics-driven 2008 Summer Games, the legacy discourse surrounding the 2022 Winter Games is also found to be embodied with more complicated while explicit economic interests. And such economic interests are situated within an intimate interaction with consumerism, developmentalism, commercialism, with an emphasis on the rule of market. This marks a significant transition, as the previous nation-building function of the Olympic Games, appears to be complemented by, if not replaced by, a new market-building goal in the case of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. This study therefore contributes to an indigenous and more comprehensive understanding of sport mega-events in China, particularly the interactions between the global capitalism and local politics as manifest in the dynamic legacy discourse. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Sport Management in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester 2017. / July 11, 2017. / Beijing 2008, Beijing 2022, Legacy, Mega-events, Olympic Games, Political Economy / Includes bibliographical references. / Michael D. Giardina, Professor Directing Dissertation; Jennifer M. Proffitt, University Representative; Joshua I. Newman, Committee Member; Jeffrey D. James, Committee Member.
4

An examination of the relationship between regional sports commissions and organizational structure

Bradish, Cheri L. Imwold, Charles H. January 2003 (has links)
Thesis (Ph. D.)--Florida State University, 2003. / Advisor: Dr. Charles H. Imwold, Florida State University, College of Education, Dept. of Sport Management, Recreation Management, and Physical Education. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed Feb. 27, 2004). Includes bibliographical references.
5

Managing Digital Olympism: The International Olympic Committee's Strategic Management of Olympic Broadcasting Partnerships in the Digital Age

Unknown Date (has links)
This dissertation examined the strategic management of Olympic broadcasting partnerships. In particular, the analyses were centered on the processes and practices by which the International Olympic Committee (IOC) managed Olympism through Olympic broadcasting partnerships in the digital age. Previous research has addressed the tension between the ideals and practical realization of Olympism, from which competing interpretations of Olympism as a philosophy of social reform and as a commercial brand have been proposed. An examination of the IOC's leveraging of the Olympic values within the commercial area of sponsorships has concluded that the IOC used Olympism as a commercial brand rather than a philosophy of social reform. This study further examined the tension between the ideals and practical realization of Olympism, but within the commercial area of broadcasting. A gradual shift in Olympic broadcasting has occurred with the emergence of digital media platforms, culminating in London 2012 being regarded as the first truly digital Games. This change in the 'mediascape' of sport, whereby control of content is now shared by broadcasters and consumers, has required the IOC to adjust its strategic management of their Olympic broadcasting partnerships. Accordingly, the research questions addressed in the dissertation were: (1) What are the processes and practices by which the IOC manages Olympism through its broadcasting partnerships in the digital age; (2) how does the IOC manage these processes and practices; and (3) why does the IOC manage these processes and practices in this way? To answer the research questions, a qualitative approach, based upon constructivist assumptions, was taken. A case study design was adopted, focusing on the organization of the IOC, but also considering the important role of broadcast partners in Olympic broadcasting. Data were collected from: (a) IOC documents; (b) personal written accounts from former IOC executives; (c) semi-structured interviews with a key IOC broadcasting executive, the British Broadcasting Corporation's Head of Major Events, and the IOC's former Director of Marketing and Broadcast Rights; and (d) reviews of the BBC's Sochi 2014 broadcast and the IOC's use of digital media platforms outside of Games time. These data were analyzed using a content analysis technique. The findings established that the IOC leveraged digital media platforms to execute several of its key strategies in its management of Olympic broadcasting partnerships: (a) Seeking to sustain Olympism by re-engaging the World's youth; (b) operating an access for all policy based upon achieving the widest possible reach and ensuring equitable access to the Olympic Games; (c) expanding the Olympic window (e.g., increased coverage) to enhance the Olympic broadcast; (d) seeking to transcend sport using the unique attributes of the Olympic Games; and (e) accommodating the commercial interests of their broadcast partners. The most effective strategies were those in the mutual interest of both the IOC and their broadcast partners. According to the narrative of the IOC, their raison d'être is to serve society, and their strategic management of Olympic broadcasting partnerships seeks to maximize the inspirational effects of the Olympic Games. However, a more credible claim is that the IOC's strategic management is commercially driven. Recognizing the necessity of commercial engagement for the sustainability of the Olympic Games, it is recommended that the IOC should strike a more practical balance between their social and commercial agendas. Notably, upholding of the Olympic values would bring greater credibility to the IOC's promotion and commercial leveraging of these ideals. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Sport Management in partial fulfillment of the Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2015. / November 20, 2014. / broadcasting, digital media, Olympic Games, Olympism, strategy / Includes bibliographical references. / James P. Sampson, Jr., Professor Directing Dissertation; Arthur A. Raney, University Representative; Joshua I. Newman, Committee Member; Michael D. Giardina, Committee Member.
6

The Influence of Sport Specific Social Organizations on the Development of Identity: A Case Study of a Professional Golf Management Program

Unknown Date (has links)
In 1951, the Professional Golfer's Association (PGA) code of ethics included a passage describing the necessity for a professional golfer to uphold the sport of golf above material gains in order to serve the game, fellow golfers, the industry of golf. Coupling five years golf experience with industry knowledge and respect for fellow professionals and golfers formed the foundation for the PGA professional. Clearly, the PGA, for many years, has held a position that the professional golfer must develop a specific identity that enables him or her to uphold the role of golf professional in the eyes of the PGA and in the eyes of the golf consuming public. Beginning in 1975 at Ferris State University, the PGA, and the university, formed a partnership and curriculum to develop future PGA professionals known as the Professional Golf Management University Program. Building from the success of the Ferris State Program, the PGA expanded the PGM University program to an additional 19 institutions within the United States. Since its inception, the PGM University Program has produced hundreds of graduates and boasts a 100% job placement rate (PGA Education, 2013). Through the use of qualitative research methods (i.e., ethnography, participant observation, autoethnography, and interviews), I investigated the impact that a PGM University program has on the identity development of its students. Guided by theories of identity (Brown, 2000; Burke & Stets, 2009; Hogg & Terry, 2000; Hogg et al., 1995; Tajfel, 1974; Tajfel & Turner, 1979), the social theory of Pierre Bourdieu (1978, 1984, 1988) Ericsson and colleagues' theory of deliberate practice (1993), and theory pertaining to self-presentation (Leary, 1996), I provide a conceptual model of golf professional identity formation that is cognizant of personal histories, economic realities, and the influence of deliberate sport practice. Resulting from eighteen months of participant observation and interviews with ten students, I found that the PGM program had a distinct impact on both the role and social identities of the students, and that they formed a PGM influenced social identity prior to a PGM influenced role identity. I also found that deliberate practice was important for the group and was utilized to attain the skill level necessary to pass the Playing Ability Test (PAT); however, the use of deliberate practice tapered off after the completion of the (PAT). Emanating from the results of the project, I offer theoretical and practical implications for the study of identity, and deliberate practice. I conclude by offering future research directions and by offering an informed critique of the focal PGM program. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Sport Management in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester 2015. / May 28, 2015. / Deliberate Practice, Identity, Socialization, Sport / Includes bibliographical references. / Michael D. Giardina, Professor Directing Dissertation; K. Anders Ericsson, University Representative; Joshua I. Newman, Committee Member; Jeffrey D. James, Committee Member.
7

What Is the "Team" in Team Identification?

Unknown Date (has links)
For decades, sport consumer behavior scholars have been interested in understanding individuals' psychological connection to sport teams. Through their efforts--including the development of concepts such as team identification--scholars have provided a foundation for subsequent research into various consumer thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors in relation to identification with or attachment to a team. However, scholars have not studied how sport consumers construct the team in regard to their psychological connection to it. Moreover, sport consumer behavior scholars have not addressed the potential fluidity and/or partiality of the sense of self one derives from supporting a team. These scholars have also often overlooked the contextual circumstances in which sport-related identities are negotiated and maintained. Collectively, the preceding shortcomings are what led me to the research I conducted in this dissertation. Given the complexity of the research aims, I conducted qualitative research with sport consumers, utilizing Syracuse University Men's Basketball as a case to study. I utilized phenomenological interviews and concept mapping to understand the meaning of team in the mind of consumers and how individuals derive a sense of self from such an entity. In conducting the research, I remained cognizant of the situational aspects of the research environment, acknowledging the temporal sensitivity of the research act. In pursuing of Research Aim 1 (i.e., to understand the meaning of "team" in team identification), I discovered that the individuals interviewed consider the coach, current and former players, fans, facility, geographic location, rivalry, and a history of success part of the "team" they identify with. I also found that the meaning of "team" varies based on its use in regard to psychological connection (i.e., identification) versus performance. Finally, I discovered that the meaning of "team" is continually changing and thus, relatively unfixed. Considering Research Aim 2 (i.e., to understand the stability and sources of identity associated with supporting the team), I discovered that the group identity of Syracuse University Men's Basketball is constructed in both a social and cultural sense, and largely influenced by history. Essentially, the sense of self individuals derive from supporting Syracuse University Men's Basketball is continually changing based on the life-world of the individuals and changes in the program; this allowed me to highlight the importance of context in studying fan identity. In addition, I discussed the enmeshed nature of group identity regarding Syracuse University Men's Basketball and Central New York. In pursuing Research Aim 3 (i.e., to understand how construction of "team" influences micro and macro consumer behavior), I found that fans, facility/location, rivalry, and history/success are all influential in thoughts and behaviors toward Syracuse University Men's Basketball, as well as the social well-being of fans. Collectively, the research I have conducted in this project allows me to contribute to the sport consumer behavior by illustrating the complex meaning of team in regard to individuals' psychological connection to sport teams. This research should be of interest to scholars and practitioners in regard to branding, targeted marketing, and consumer well-being. Future research into this area should allow scholars and practitioners to understand how the meaning of team and team-related group identities may change over time and in varied sport environments, and the influence of such on behaviors. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Sport Management in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester 2015. / May 15, 2015. / attachment, consumer psychology, identity, team identification / Includes bibliographical references. / Jeffrey D. James, Professor Directing Dissertation; Gerald R. Ferris, University Representative; Michael D. Giardina, Committee Member; Joshua I. Newman, Committee Member.
8

‘Unprecedented’: A Study of the National Football League’s Regulation of Labor Through Punishment

Unknown Date (has links)
The contemporary National Football League (NFL) now sits atop the zenith of American sport business, with unmatched economic growth and popularity. Its success can be measured in terms of revenues, in high television ratings, and in live attendance for its games each week. This dissertation looks into the extent to which the NFL's success--in maintaining a marketable brand image and spectacular corporeal commodity form--is attributable to its distinctive three-pronged system of player governance and punishment: mechanisms for the adjudication of off-field player behavior; mechanisms for the adjudication of on-field player behavior; and mechanisms for the adjudication of player use of proscribed substances. This study will incorporate juridical policy analysis to understand the mechanisms through which such punishment is enacted and enforced, and Foucauldian discourse analysis to disciplinary power imbedded within, and activated by, popular governance rhetoric. It is concluded herein that the NFL's success is attributed to a paradox of liberal economic governance--cartel-structured laissez-faire economic relations--and authoritarian governance of labor activity (on and off the field). / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Sport Management in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester, 2014. / November 10, 2014. / collective bargaining agreement, discipline, National Football League, policy, risk, spectacle / Includes bibliographical references. / Joshua I. Newman, Professor Directing Dissertation; Michael D. Giardina, Committee Member; Ryan M. Rodenberg, Committee Member.
9

Relationships as Strategic Assets: Sport Fan Equity

Unknown Date (has links)
Given the impressive growth and soaring popularity of watching live sporting events, sport organizations continue to search for ways to maintain or even improve this trend. Indeed, one significant and increasingly advocated approach--that of ensuring that sport organizations remain competitive and can sufficiently meet the demands of the sport marketplace--is a consumer-oriented paradigm. In the growing shift toward such a consumer-oriented paradigm, consumers are viewed as the most valuable assets for an organization. However, in the valuation of sport franchises, very little research has focused on or evaluated the asset value of sport consumers. Therefore, through this dissertation I conceptualize and endeavor to measure sport fan equity (SFE) in order to provide a better understanding of the evaluation of sport consumers. A three-fold study was undertaken to validate the measurement of SFE, generate the overall SFE index, and examine the hypothesized relationships between key marketing drivers and SFE. In the first study, a first-order confirmatory factor analysis was employed to assess the overall factor structure and validity of the SFE model. Based on the results of the study, which was based on a sample of FSU Seminoles Baseball fans (119 = pilot test; 314 = main study), a seven-factor model consisting of (1) Customer Lifetime Value, (2) Positive Word of Mouth, (3) Learning, (4) Display of Team Affiliation, (5) Trust, (6) Commitment, and (7) Self-Connection was developed by the author. These seven factors were represented by financial, behavioral, and relationship-based components of SFE. In the second study, a Simple Additive Weighting (SAW) method was implemented to obtain a comprehensive index to evaluate the asset value of a sport consumer. Prior to the use of the SAW method, a Customer Lifetime Valuation (CLV) estimation method was employed to calculate the projected financial contribution of individual sport consumers. The average SFE of the FSU Seminole Baseball fans was estimated as 43.2 out of 100. The average SFE is the sum of the average scores of individual SFE components: financial value (8.5 out of 55.25), behavioral value (15.3 out of 22.37), and relationship value (19.4 out of 22.37). In the third study, a structural regression model, a two-step approach, was employed to examine the hypothesized relationships between key marketing drivers and SFE. The results from an empirical examination of the hypothesized model confirmed a positive and significant relationship between Value Equity and SFE, as well as between Relationship Equity and SFE, as reported in previous studies. However, Brand Equity was found to have a non-significant impact on SFE. The asset value of sport consumers surveyed as part of this dissertation provided essential criteria for estimating overall sport franchise value from the consumer's perspective. In particular, the study provides a comprehensive/simultaneous measurement of customer profitability, behavioral contributions, and psychological commitment, all of which are vital to sport practitioners' more complete and applied understanding of how to better estimate the true value of sport consumers. The results of this dissertation further advance our knowledge of the overall mechanism of SFE and also provide more research opportunities to extend the SFE literature, thereby undergirding the knowledge of SFE in the field of sport management. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Sport Management in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester, 2014. / July 30, 2014. / Fan Equity, Relationships, Sport Fan / Includes bibliographical references. / Yukyoum Kim, Professor Directing Dissertation; Jeffrey D. James, Committee Member; Insu Paek, Committee Member.
10

The Influence of Marketing Mix Variables on Taekwondo Participants' Satisfaction and Post-Purchase Behavior

Unknown Date (has links)
Taekwondo (TKD) is a popular form of martial arts. The number of TKD academies has increased in the U. S., and there is intense competition among the academies. To compete in a challenging environment, a marketing mix is recognized as a key element in management of a TKD academy. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of select marketing mix variables on the satisfaction of TKD trainees and their post-purchase behavior. Questionnaires were distributed as part of the study; the questionnaires consisted of seven marketing mix variables (product, price, place, promotion, participants, process, and physical evidence), satisfaction, and post-purchasing behavior (word-of-mouth and intention to continue participation). The questionnaires were derived from preexisting instruments and developed to assess the determinants of TKD participants' satisfaction and their post-purchase behavior in relation to the marketing mix variables. A total of 300 questionnaires were distributed through convenience sampling at TKD academies located in San Diego, Oceanside, Irvine, Murrieta, California; Tampa, Florida; Duluth, Georgia; Raleigh, Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina; and Midlothian, Virginia. A total of 265 questionnaires were analyzed using statistical methods with PASW for Windows 20.0 program and Amos 18.0 program. The data analysis was included: frequency analysis for the demographic characteristics; assessment of normality, linearity, multicollinearity, and homoscedasticity for the assumption tests of multivariate analysis; computation of Cronbach's alpha coefficients and item-to-total correlations for evidence of reliability; Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient for evidence of discriminant validity; confirmatory factor analysis for evidence of construct validity; and path coefficient analysis to verify the research hypotheses. I concluded from the findings of this study that the product, promotion, participants, and process variables positively impacted trainees' satisfaction. On the other hand, price, place, and physical evidence did not impact trainees' satisfaction. Furthermore, trainees' satisfaction positively impacted their post-purchase behaviors which are intention to continue participation and word-of mouth. One implication is that TKD academy managers should continue developing the product by providing programs such as demonstration or sparring classes for adult trainees. In addition, offering social media services could be effective as a promotional tool. TKD instructors should develop physical abilities and have good personalities. Hiring interns could strengthen the fluency of TKD instruction processes. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Sport Management in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. / Fall Semester, 2014. / November 4, 2014. / marketing mix, post-purchase behavior, satisfaction, Taekwondo / Includes bibliographical references. / Jeffrey James, Professor Directing Thesis; Joshua Newman, Committee Member; Amy Chan Hyung Kim, Committee Member.

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