Brian A. Turner

Challenge Is Key: An Investigation of Affective Organizational Commitment in Undergraduate Interns

In this study, the authors investigated factors related to affective organizational commitment in undergraduate interns. They examined job challenge, supervisor support, and role stress as antecedents to commitment. Results based on a sample of senior undergraduate students (N = 71) showed that the 3 work variables explained 35% of the variance in affective organizational commitment. The authors discuss implications for educators and managers in charge of designing and implementing quality internships.

The Feasibility of Single-Item Measures for Organizational Justice

Researchers in a number of disciplines have examined the utility of single-item measures for both affective and cognitive constructs. While these authors have indicated that, under certain circumstances, the use of single-item measures is appropriate, there remains concern regarding the reliability and validity of single-item measures. This study attempts to address these concerns by comparing the reliability and validity of single-item and full-scale measures for three dimensions of organizational justice. There are an increasing number of studies in organizational behavior, as well as sport management, that have explored the importance of justice and its influence on various attitudes and behaviors. However, to date there have been no attempts to develop single-item measures for each of the dimensions of organizational justice. The development of single-item measures for organizational justice could provide researchers with practical and psychometric advantages compared with full-scale measures. Two separate methods were used to test the reliability of single-item measures while concurrent validity was measured with a global measure of job satisfaction. Single-item measures demonstrated comparable concurrent validity, and, with one exception, the reliability estimates were all above .70.

Rule violations in intercollegiate athletics: A qualitative investigation utilizing an organizational justice framework

Cheating and rule violations in intercollegiate athletics continue to be relevant issues in many institutions of higher education because they reflect upon the integrity of the institutions in which they are housed, causing concern among many faculty members, administrators, and trustees. Although a great deal of research has documented the numerous rule violations in NCAA intercollegiate athletics, much of it has failed to combine sound theory with practical solutions. The purpose of this study was to examine the possible extensions of the organizational justice framework to the problem of rule violations in intercollegiate athletics. In doing so, the current study examined (a) perceived areas of injustice among coaches at NCAA Division I institutions, (b) avenues by which coaches resolve these injustices, and (c) potential solutions for resolving injustices in an attempt to reduce NCAA violations. Six NCAA Division I basketball coaches from various parts of the country (four from mens teams and two from womens teams) were interviewed using a semi-structured format. Despite the NCAAs efforts to create parity, results showed that coaches perceived several areas of inequities in recruiting, including financial resources and academic standards. The interviewed coaches described several means that are currently used to resolve these inequities and offered recommendations for changes to reduce injustice in the future.

The effects of second screen use on sponsor brand awareness: a dual coding theory perspective

Purpose – Advances in technology allow fans to consume live broadcasts of sports events almost anywhere via personal computers, tablets and smartphones. These devices are also frequently utilized as “second screens” to communicate with fellow fans on social media, access additional content, or otherwise multitask during televised game consumption. The purpose of this study is to investigate how simultaneous use of these devices impacts sponsors that receive brand integration during the broadcasts.Design/methodology/approach – A 3x2 between-subjects design based on the theoretical framework of dual coding theory was utilized to advance understanding of the influence of second screens on brand awareness and attitudes toward the sponsors of televised events. Findings – Results demonstrated that brand recognition and recall was reduced by second screen activity across nearly all audio or visual consumption experiences. Further, while second screen use in an audiovisual setting did not interfere with consumers’ ability to recognize brands, it inhibited their ability to recall brands from memory, providing empirical evidence that second screen use may interfere with elaborative rehearsal and reduce cognitive capacity.Practical implications – Given that marketers are investing more resources than ever to achieve brand integration during televised sports events, these findings suggest that brands face challenges in achieving a requisite return (in the form of brand awareness) on their investments. Originality/value – This study represents the first empirical investigation of the impact of consumers’ use of “second screens” in the academic literature, and has important implications for advertisers during live sports broadcasts.

A Comparative Analysis of Perceived Benefits of Participation Between Recreational Sport Programs

This study examined recreational sports, with a focus on a comparative analysis of the overall, social, intellectual, and fitness perceived benefits associated with participation in three separate recreational program areas: group fitness, intramural sport, and sport clubs. A survey instrument, based upon the Task and Ego Orientation in Sport Questionnaire (TEOSQ) and Quality and Importance of Recreational Services (QIRS) perceived benefit scale, was administered to 1,176 students at a postsecondary institution. Results revealed a significant difference in perceived benefits between recreational program areas, with sport clubs reporting the greatest mean in all four perceived benefit groups (overall, social, intellectual, fitness). The study also found a significant positive correlation between all perceived benefit groups. These findings have implications for practitioners in terms of perceived benefit differences, suggesting advantages of the sport club program structure and the potential multiple effects of enhancing a perceived benefit group.

Psychological Contracts and Student-Athlete Retention

Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine the impact that perceived breaches of psychological contracts have on student-athletes’ affective outcomes. Based on a sample of 258 NCAA Division I student-athletes at a large, Midwestern university, the results reveal that coaches and student-athletes do form transactional and relational psychological contracts. Coaches and student-athletes also form psychological contracts related to training obligations. Breaches of psychological contracts related to training obligations were found to have significantly lower student-athletes’ trust in their coaches and affective commitment to their teams. Breaches were also found to increase student-athletes’ intentions to leave their schools.

The influence of organisational justice on Perceived Organisational Support in a university recreational sports setting

Using a sample of 152 student employees, the authors examined the relationship between organisational justice and Perceived Organisational Support (POS). Specifically this study examined the degree that distributive, procedural, and interactional justice influenced student employee POS. Additionally, the authors explored whether perceptions of justice differed based on sex, tenure of employment, and type of supervision. All three dimensions of organisational justice were significantly related to POS, with distributive justice demonstrating the greatest effect. Based on findings from this study, it appears that employee perceptions of workplace fairness serve as an important determinant of POS.

Forecasting Sponsorship Costs: Marketing Intelligence in the Athletic Apparel Industry

Purpose – Due in large part to the proprietary nature of costs, there is a dearth of academic literature investigating the factors influencing the costs for sport marketing investments, such as sponsorship. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to provide an analytical framework for market intelligence that enables managers to better predict and forecast costs in today’s ever-changing sport marketing environment.Design/Methodology/Approach – Given the dynamic and ultra-competitive nature of the athletic apparel industry, this context was chosen to investigate the influence of four distinct factors on sponsorship costs, including property-specific factors, on-field performance, and market-specific factors. A systematic, hierarchical procedure was utilized in the development of a predictive empirical model, which was then utilized to generate predicted values on a per property basis. Findings – Results demonstrated that both property-specific and performance-related factors were significant predictors of costs, while variables reflecting the attractiveness of the property’s home market were non-significant. Further analysis revealed the potential for agency conflicts in the allocation of resources towards properties near the corporate headquarters of sponsors, as well as evidence of overspending by challenger brands (Adidas, Under Armour) in their quest to topple industry leader Nike. Originality/Value – Though the context of apparel sponsorships of U.S.-based intercollegiate athletic programs limits the generalizability of the results, this study represents one of the few in the literature to empirically investigate the determinants of sponsorship costs, providing much-needed guidance to aid decision-making in a highly volatile, unpredictable industry.

What if statisticians ran college football? A re-conceptualization of the football bowl subdivision

Abstract Conference affiliation is an important consideration for institutions of higher learning, both athletically and academically. Traditionally, conference affiliation in the NCAA has been determined based largely on geography. However, recent events beg the question of what would be the result if conference affiliation, and classifications such as being a Bowl Championship Series Automatic Qualifier, were re-configured based not on traditional aspects of geography, tradition and like-mindedness, but solely on the financial and on-field performance of an institution’s football program. This paper utilizes a multivariate statistical technique (cluster analysis) to re-conceptualize conference affiliation, as well as the current Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) hierarchy, based solely on data reflecting the performance of each FBS institution’s football programs. The analysis results in a total of 23 programs being relegated from their current status, while several programs (such as Boise State, Louisville and Rutgers) have been promoted into the highest tier of the FBS based on their performance. The paper also presents a new clustering of four “super” conferences based on this same performance data, resulting in four conferences consisting of programs with similar on-field and financial performance over the past 10 seasons.

Collaboration in Sport Research: A Case from the Field

Faculty members mindful of the ticking tenure and promotion clock seek ways to balance the competing and sometimes overwhelming demands of research, teaching, and service. One way to balance these demands is to fi nd opportunities for collaboration with colleagues, especially in the area of research. There are several compelling reasons to pursue joint research projects with colleagues; however, there are also diffi culties inherent in the collaboration process. This article will discuss the benefi ts and challenges of working on collaborative research projects with colleagues from the same discipline as well as across disciplines. As members of a team actively involved in several research projects and presentations, we use our own experiences to discuss effective strategies of collaboration.