Abel Correia

Expectations, satisfaction and loyalty in health and fitness clubs.

The study of satisfaction has been the focus of much research in the area of marketing, in particular, on the nature of the relationships fostered by satisfaction between the service and the consumer. In the present study, global satisfaction, measured in the long term, is evaluated with respect to three constructs: expectations, facilities and loyalty. Expectations are considered as an innovative construct in their relationship with the consumer satisfaction in the Health and Fitness Clubs (HFC). Facilities are measured in the short term in order to evaluate the satisfaction by attributes, that is, all of the aspects encountered in using the various services provided by the HFCs. Loyalty is analysed by means of repeat purchases, recommendations to third parties and the frequency of use. The sample from a questionnaire comprises 463 respondents who are clients of two HFCs in the Greater Lisbon suburb of Oeiras, Portugal. The results suggest that satisfaction is an intermediate variable that is positively related to various other constructs and of crucial importance in determining the loyalty in HFCs.

An exploratory study of spectators' motivation in football.

Football matches in Portugal attract a large number of spectators every week of the season. In this study, we investigate spectators motivation to attend live football events, by submitting a questionnaire at a major final. An analysis regarding the latent variables, sex and age differences is undertaken. Conclusions and remarks on possible marketing strategies are suggested.

Political factors in the decision-making process in voluntary sports associations.

ABSTRACT This paper analyses the political factors related to the decision-making process in sports associations in the Autonomous Region of Madeira, Portugal. Documentary analysis, observation of board meetings and qualitative interviewing of the presidents of the associations boards were employed. From an external perspective, the findings highlight the sport policy of the Madeira government as the most significant factor determining the strategies of the associations, followed by the interests of the affiliated clubs, the accumulation of posts by directors and the power over the regulations and fixtures held by the national federation of each sport. From an internal perspective, the establishment of alliances and the knowledge and experience of the directors and sport co-ordinators are determinants of decision making and governance of these associations.

Governance in Sports Clubs: Evidence for the Island of Madeira

Abstractn This paper analyses the pay and performance of the managing director (MD) of sports clubs on the island of Madeira, focusing on the role played by the economic performance of the club, together with that played by the structure of the board and the individual characteristics of the manager. If the MD can influence the board structure, agency problems arise, which in turn allows the MD to extract rent and demand remuneration in excess of the equilibrium level. The policy implication is derived.

Segmenting fitness centre clients

This study segments the clients of fitness centres in the Portuguese island of Madeira based on cluster analysis. A questionnaire with 121 observations is used to examine the motivation profiles. The findings reveal that there are three segments in the data: the first is denominated as the happy consumer segment. The second segment consists of the unhappy consumers and the third are composed of the unmarried, unattached consumers. The managerial implications of the results are derived.

The industry of wellness: the improvement of well-being

The purpose of this article is to analyse the dynamics of the well-being market. We also intend to describe the main tendencies of this industry and the need to develop a healthy lifestyle, in order to inspire all those who are interested in turning a good opportunity into an excellent business. In this context, health plagues such as sedentary habits, obesity and tobacco smoke will be referred to as well.

Factors and focuses in the strategic decisions of sporting organisations: empirical evidence in sports associations.

The aim of this study is to gain insights into the factors and focuses guiding the strategic decision-taking process in the sports associations of the Autonomous Region of Madeira (Portugal). Based on a qualitative research methodology, three techniques of gathering data are used in triangulation: analysis of the contents of documents; observation of the board meetings; and qualitative interviews with presidents. Our findings suggest that the associations should adopt strategies to revitalise and develop the regional competitions and the quality of the representative teams, in addition to fostering active and systematic cooperation with the directors and coaches of the regional clubs, with the objective of creating projects to further develop the sport. The papers limitations are considered and recommendations are made.

Marketing and sponsorship in French football league

This paper seeks to analyse the production function of the French league, using a quantile regression in order to be able to extend the study along the whole production distribution aiming to investigate whether the relationship between production and financial and marketing variables is homogenous and stable through the distribution by running regressions for average total wins. Policy implications are derived.