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In the first decades of the twenty-first century, cities around the globe are increasingly seeking to use various branding techniques to uniquely position themselves on the world stage. They do this via points of difference they hope corporations, institutions, and individuals recognize as having value; the intention being a variety of investments in those cities, primarily economic, but, often, via the ingress of human talent. That high-performance and mega sport events (e.g., IOC Olympic Games, FIFA World Cup, and F1 Grands Prix) have often been used to provide such points of difference is very well documented. However, the use of other, less high profile, forms of community-based recreational sport and physical activity in city branding activity has not received much attention. This thesis aims to begin to redress that imbalance. Initially, the thesis describes sporting activities as taking place on a continuum, and proposes a conceptual model to illustrate the notion: the continuum’s end points are labelled ‘upper-case’ for high-performance sport, and ‘lower-case’ for more community-based activities. Subsequently, and using a sample of senior leaders involved in the management of the municipal branding of Canada’s national capital, and various other engaged individuals, the thesis examines perceptions of various modes of sporting activity in the city branding process. Results indicate lower-case community-based recreational sport and physical activity experienced in the city can serve a variety of purposes. Firstly, it can encourage citizen engagement in the city, which could further stimulate ongoing branding activity on behalf of the city via resident’s word-of mouth conversations. Such activity would necessarily reflect individual’s lived experience of the city. Secondly, the notion of quality of life amongst residents emerged from the data. This would appear to be a positive aspect of city living that could be used to actively promote the city to a wide range of corporate and individual audiences seeking to optimise their investment – be it financial or personal.

This research explores the determinants of inter-partner learning in alliances. The potential for organisations to learn from their alliance partner is well recognised in the literature. The Knowledge Based View of the Firm (KBV) posits that an organisation’s knowledge base, especially its tacit knowledge base, is a source of sustainable competitive advantage. Three key determinants of inter-partner learning are: intent to learn, transparency (i.e. willingness to share knowledge) and receptivity (i.e. capacity to learn). These three concepts are used to guide a single case study of an alliance between a National Sport Organisation (NSO) and a Professional Sport Franchise (PSF). Data was obtained through semi-structured interviews with key informants at both organisations. Each individual transcript was colour coded in relation to each of the four research questions. All relevant quotes were then copied into separate files for each organisation and categorised by research question. The results of the study suggest that 1) despite historical conflict, the relationship between alliance partners is becoming increasingly positive; 2) intent to learn was low in both organisations but higher in the NSO; 3) the NSO was more transparent than the PSF; and 4) receptivity was low for both organisations. Key conclusions of the research are that the NSO and PSF are failing to take full advantage of the opportunities presented by their relationship, but intent, transparency and receptivity remain useful concepts to explore inter-partner learning.

Författare: Lars Jennfors Titel: Sport Managers, Vad gör de? - En studie kring de arbetsuppgifter som innehas och de kvalifikationer som krävs för att arbeta som sport manager Innehåll: Sport Management är ett förhållandevis outforskat område i Sverige. Därmed är det inte alldeles självklart vilka personer som har ett arbete som kan kallas sport manager. Definitionerna som därmed blir av central roll i studien är idrottssektorn, idrottsorganisationer och sport manager. Att ta del av dessa definitioner är viktigt för att kunna ta till sig av det resultat som framkommit. Syftet med undersökningen är att ta reda på vilka kvalifikationer som krävs på idrottens arbetsmarknad inom yrket sport manager, samt vad en sport manager har för arbetsuppgifter. Detta utforskas genom två skilda men samtidigt kompletterande delstudier. Detta leder till följande två frågeställningar: • Vilka kvalifikationer efterfrågas hos den jobbsökande och vilka arbetsuppgifter anger idrottsorganisationerna att den jobbsökande kommer att få i sin managertjänst? • Vilka arbetsuppgifter och kvalifikationer krävs i det vardagliga arbetet för de personer som har managertjänster inom idrottssektorn? I delstudie ett har 25 jobbannonser undersökts för att ta reda på vad idrottsorganisationer betonar gällande arbetsuppgifter och kvalifikationer. I delstudie två har intervjuer gjorts med tio sport managers för att få deras bild av vilka arbetsuppgifter man har och vilka kvalifikationer som behövs. Resultatet från delstudie ett visar att man som sport manager framförallt jobbar med/behöver kvalifikationer inom följande femton områden: planering och organisering, leda, erfarenhet, kunskap kring idrottssektorn, ansvar, personalhantering, ekonomi, utbildning, utveckla, projekt, intresse/engagemang, samarbetsförmåga, kontakter externt, initiativrik och kunna kommunicera. Resultatet från delstudie två visar att man som sport manager framförallt jobbar med/behöver kvalifikationer inom följande tio områden: ekonomi, personalhantering, externa kontakter, projekt, utveckling, överblick över alla delar, leda, kunskap kring idrottssektorn, utbildning och erfarenhet. Ingenting från de två studierna motsäger varandra. Båda studierna visar att som sport managers anses det viktigare att ha kunskap kring idrottssektorn än att ha en formell akademisk utbildning. Samtidigt framhävs just generalistkunskapen för sport managers, dock i olika stor omfattning beroende på vilken chefsposition som besitts. Vissa sport managers kan dessutom behöva specifik kunskap inom något område.

<p>Författare:</p><p>Lars Jennfors</p><p>Titel:</p><p>Sport Managers, Vad gör de? - En studie kring de arbetsuppgifter som innehas och de kvalifikationer som krävs för att arbeta som sport manager</p><p>Innehåll:</p><p>Sport Management är ett förhållandevis outforskat område i Sverige. Därmed är det inte alldeles självklart vilka personer som har ett arbete som kan kallas sport manager. Definitionerna som därmed blir av central roll i studien är idrottssektorn, idrottsorganisationer och sport manager. Att ta del av dessa definitioner är viktigt för att kunna ta till sig av det resultat som framkommit.</p><p>Syftet med undersökningen är att ta reda på vilka kvalifikationer som krävs på idrottens arbetsmarknad inom yrket sport manager, samt vad en sport manager har för arbetsuppgifter. Detta utforskas genom två skilda men samtidigt kompletterande delstudier.</p><p>Detta leder till följande två frågeställningar:</p><p>• Vilka kvalifikationer efterfrågas hos den jobbsökande och vilka arbetsuppgifter anger idrottsorganisationerna att den jobbsökande kommer att få i sin managertjänst?</p><p>• Vilka arbetsuppgifter och kvalifikationer krävs i det vardagliga arbetet för de personer som har managertjänster inom idrottssektorn?</p><p>I delstudie ett har 25 jobbannonser undersökts för att ta reda på vad idrottsorganisationer betonar gällande arbetsuppgifter och kvalifikationer. I delstudie två har intervjuer gjorts med tio sport managers för att få deras bild av vilka arbetsuppgifter man har och vilka kvalifikationer som behövs.</p><p>Resultatet från delstudie ett visar att man som sport manager framförallt jobbar med/behöver kvalifikationer inom följande femton områden: planering och organisering, leda, erfarenhet, kunskap kring idrottssektorn, ansvar, personalhantering, ekonomi, utbildning, utveckla, projekt, intresse/engagemang, samarbetsförmåga, kontakter externt, initiativrik och kunna kommunicera.</p><p>Resultatet från delstudie två visar att man som sport manager framförallt jobbar med/behöver kvalifikationer inom följande tio områden: ekonomi, personalhantering, externa kontakter, projekt, utveckling, överblick över alla delar, leda, kunskap kring idrottssektorn, utbildning och erfarenhet.</p><p>Ingenting från de två studierna motsäger varandra. Båda studierna visar att som sport managers anses det viktigare att ha kunskap kring idrottssektorn än att ha en formell akademisk utbildning. Samtidigt framhävs just generalistkunskapen för sport managers, dock i olika stor omfattning beroende på vilken chefsposition som besitts. Vissa sport managers kan dessutom behöva specifik kunskap inom något område.</p>

This research explores the determinants of inter-partner learning in alliances. The potential for organisations to learn from their alliance partner is well recognised in the literature. The Knowledge Based View of the Firm (KBV) posits that an organisation’s knowledge base, especially its tacit knowledge base, is a source of sustainable competitive advantage. Three key determinants of inter-partner learning are: intent to learn, transparency (i.e. willingness to share knowledge) and receptivity (i.e. capacity to learn). These three concepts are used to guide a single case study of an alliance between a National Sport Organisation (NSO) and a Professional Sport Franchise (PSF). Data was obtained through semi-structured interviews with key informants at both organisations. Each individual transcript was colour coded in relation to each of the four research questions. All relevant quotes were then copied into separate files for each organisation and categorised by research question. The results of the study suggest that 1) despite historical conflict, the relationship between alliance partners is becoming increasingly positive; 2) intent to learn was low in both organisations but higher in the NSO; 3) the NSO was more transparent than the PSF; and 4) receptivity was low for both organisations. Key conclusions of the research are that the NSO and PSF are failing to take full advantage of the opportunities presented by their relationship, but intent, transparency and receptivity remain useful concepts to explore inter-partner learning.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has an ever-increasing role in the way commercial businesses operate. Team sport organisations are not immune to this trend. CSR is a strategic issue for sport organisations, with professional teams across a range of sports and national contexts now modifying their organisational structure by establishing charitable foundations tasked with delivering their CSR content. These structural changes inevitably bring in new organisational actors who, in varying degrees, influence ̀the actual implementation of CSR in the professional sports team context. Organisational complexity is therefore increasing regarding CSR, as is the need to capture its elements at both cross-organisational and individual levels. This is especially important given that, unlike mainstream (corporate) foundations that deal directly with a ‘parent’ company, professional sport leagues often mandate the implementation of CSR through central funding mechanisms. This in turn emphasises the intricacy of the process and the dynamics amongst organisational actors at various levels. To date, no studies have attempted to address this complexity. The present thesis aims to help fill the gap by examining the managerial decision-making process in the organisational context of charitable foundations established by English professional football clubs. The current study employs a grounded theory methodology as it aims to develop a substantive theory of how managers responsible for the formulation and implementation of CSR-related programmes in English football make professional decisions. The research utilises the Straussian variant of grounded theory, which accepts that humans shape their institutions as much as institutions shape people. The study also seeks cognitive similarity, a concept that implies some form of similar attribution of meaning, understanding or interpretation amongst individuals in multiple organisations. Although its purpose was to develop an individual-based substantive theory grounded in the way managers make decisions regarding CSR, throughout the focus has been on decision-making itself rather than on the individuals who facilitate this process. The study is populated with the top two divisions of English football and employs two data collection techniques: organisational documents and semi-structured interviews. The fieldwork took place in three different phases, with the first ̀consisting of two sub-phases. Phase 1a emphasised the analysis of organisational documents (a total of 25 documents from 16 football organisations), while the following phases of the fieldwork were based on constant comparative data analysis from 32 interviews. The theoretical framework that emerged from this study is one of assessable transcendence; in a conceptually abstract fashion, ‘assessable transcendence’ concerns a process that, fortified ̀by passion, contingent on trust, sustained by communication and substantiated by factual performance, enables the formulation and implementation of CSR-related programmes in this context. The social process that emerged from this study, therefore, consists of an intrinsic (that is, passion) and an extrinsic (that is, trust) stimulus, both of which are central components of the micro-social process transcending. These two stimuli, however, require the support of both internal and external communication (abstractly expressed through the micro-social process manoeuvring), and thus all three together form a ‘coalition’ which can enhance both business and social performance (largely expressed by the first ̀two micro-social processes, namely safeguarding and harmonising). Accordingly, two interrelated aspects of the decision-making process constitute a common thread in this research: (a) the recognition that social consciousness stimulates the process of assessable transcendence in an indispensable and limitless way, and (b) an understanding that transcendence cannot occur without either continuous achievement or the dissemination of concrete ‘CSR impact’ in social and business forms alike (hence assessable). The significance of this doctoral thesis for the sport management literature is four-fold. First, it focuses on the individual level of analysis, thereby offering a framework that explains the decision-making of those individuals responsible for the application of CSR in professional team sport organisations. By doing so, it bridges the micro/macro divide by integrating the micro-domain’s focus on individuals (i.e., foundation managers) with those of the meso- and macro- domains. Second, it moves away from mono-theoretical approaches that have been mainly used for the examination of CSR in the sporting context. By doing so, it illustrates that different, and often opposing, theoretical approaches may be needed in order to fully capture and theoretically explain the way in which the CSR practice occurs. Third, it shifts the focus of scholarly activity away from CSR content-based research towards more process-oriented approaches. CSR content research does little to explain how professional teams achieve and maintain such positioning through deliberate and trial-and-error CSR actions initiated by the individuals therein. Fourth, an in relation to the previous point, it employs a process-oriented methodology (namely, grounded theory) whose utilisation in sport management research has been either non-existent or a ‘pick and mix’ practice. By doing so, the current thesis responds to calls for internal consistency and methodological coherence, thereby adding to the limited number of studies that have utilised this methodology in a rounded manner. The theoretical framework presented in this dissertation has emerged from exploratory study. As such, the four micro-social processes, their associative meanings and, more importantly, the four principal concepts that hold assessable transcendence are regarded as tentative and require substantiation through further research. To this end, a number of research propositions are offered that can serve as a starting point towards a continued exploration of those moderating and mediating factors on the formulation and implementation of CSR in team sport organisations.

Title: Doping and management in elite sport Objectives: The main aim of this diploma thesis is to find the opinions of the cardinal representatives from professional sport, i.e. top sports officials and elite sportsmans, to doping, who may have the different attitudes to this issue from their position and roles. Methods: In this diploma thesis were used two methods for collection of data. Specifically, the method of questionnaires and semi-structured interview method. Mixed type of research was selected due to deeper into the issue. In the diploma thesis was also used the method of analysis or comparison, mostly to gather sufficient information for the development of theoretical foundations of work. Results: Results of mixed research are interpreted in the research of this diploma thesis. The results of this study found the opinion of the cardinal representatives from professional sport, sports managers and the elite sportsmans, to doping. The results can serve as a basis for future research in this area, for example, when comparing the sports company to the general public, as to whether individuals who show more willingness in the use of doping, they have a different attitude to their body and health than individuals who do not want to show this willingness. Keywords: doping, management, sports...

TThis study is focused on Czech Flying Disc Association. The theoretical part of the study explains theoretical background of business process management and project of transition of organizations to process management, otherwise the reengeneering of business processes. The second chapter of theoretical part of the study deals with the specific characteristics of sport organizations. Specified as sports associations in non- profit sector of economy, particularly in the context of Czech Republic. These organizations have the legal form of a civic association and belong to a group of nongovernmental organizations. The methodical part of the study describes the procedure chosen for application of process management in the selected organization and methods used in the practical part. The practical part includes a detailed description of the organization. This section summarizes the history of the organization, a mission, which was established roofing and sport events. Enter the organizational structure of the organization, operational structure of the Executive Body, the most important sources of finance and human resources organizations. It ranks the organization in the context of international sports federations and the institutional framework of sport in the country. The situational analysis of the organization has used a survey of sports federations, which forms an important part of the practical part. The survey is argued, described and evaluated. The paper summarizes findings from a survey in perspective of sports associations in general and in perspective of the particular organization. At the end of the survey the methodological note gives recommendations on methods used to polling sports federations. The situation analysis examines in detail the cost position of an organization and its customers. Situational analysis findings are summarized in the SWOT analysis. An important starting point for management of the organization is a vision and clear definition of the hierarchical structure of the organization's objectives. The objectives of the organization structure are listed and divided into sports, economic and social goals as the next section of the study. The final part of the study describes the different stages of process application project management in the organization in. Based on knowledge gained about the organization in the situational analysis are proposed goals for application of process management. These are adjusted according to the desire and capacity to project team of the organization. There is described method of obtaining data for process analysis. There are also specified processes in the organization, with particular emphasis on key organizational processes. Based on knowledge of processes and thanks to deep insight into the functioning of the organization are identified weaknesses in the organization. Selected key process is optimized. They formulated recommendations for management changes organization for further progress in the transition to the process management of the organization. At last method of evaluating the success of the organization is proposed.

With sport organizations venturing into the global realm, it is important to discover sport management students' interest in studying abroad in sport. Previous research has attempted to discover career intentions using the social cognitive career theory (SCCT). SCCT focuses on the interaction of several factors which include personal behaviors such as self-efficacy, outcome expectations, choice goals, barriers, and supports. The purpose of this thesis was to identify barriers and supports to studying abroad, the relationship between the barriers and supports and one's study abroad self-efficacy, and the relationship among study abroad self-efficacy, outcome expectations, interests, and choice goals (i.e., intent). Two different studies were administered with Study One taking a qualitative approach to better analyze supports and barriers, while Study Two incorporated the results from Study One, providing a quantitative aspect to the research. Data were collected from sport management undergraduate students from a southwestern Division I institution for Study One (n = 19), as well as for Study Two (n = 71). Questionnaires for both studies were developed using the basic tenets of SCCT to measure self-efficacy, interest, intent, supports, barriers, and outcome expectations to studying abroad in sport. Data analysis included coding data into themes and calculating percentages for Study One, while items for Study Two were analyzed for reverse coding, and descriptive statistics for the study variables were performed. Means, standard deviations, and bivariate correlations were included with the statistics in Study Two. Likewise, linear regression and bivariate correlations were performed to evaluate the basic relationships between all the study variables within Study Two, while reliability estimates (Cronbach's alpha) for each study variable were assessed. The results revealed that barriers (e.g., cultural differences) and supports (e.g., further education) were correlated with self-efficacy. Furthermore, there were correlations between interest and intent, self-efficacy and interest, self-efficacy and intent, and self-efficacy and outcome expectations. Recommendations and implications were provided for sport management academia followed by limitations and future directions of this study.