Dimitra Papadimitriou

Destination Personality, Affective Image, and Behavioral Intentions in Domestic Urban Tourism

The collective influence of destination personality and affective image on overall image formation of a domestic urban destination and subsequently its influence on tourists’ behavioral intentions were examined in this study. The sample consisted of 361 urban tourists and included both past visitors and nonvisitors of the urban destination under study. Data analysis confirmed the influential role of destination personality and affective image in the formation of overall destination image in both samples. In turn, overall image was a mediator of the relationships of destination personality and affective image with tourists’ behavioral intentions (i.e., intention to revisit the urban destination and intention to recommend the destination to others). Analysis of the data supported a two-factor solution of the destination personality construct, with the personality traits of sincerity and excitement emerging in the domestic urban context to influence past visitors’ and nonvisitors’ overall destination image perceptions.

Olympic Sponsorship Activation and the Creation of Competitive Advantage

The present study explores the leveraging activities of the Grand National sponsors of the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and attempts to apply a resource-based view in their assessment. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with seven of the ten Grand National sponsors and through a systematic review of secondary sources. The more active sponsors invested in and utilized a number of leveraging methods, including advertising, sales promotions, and special events. Furthermore, they seemed superior to the less active sponsors in the use of their tangible and intangible resources as well as the capabilities of their organization. On the other hand, the less active sponsors appeared to have missed the opportunity to utilize their Olympic sponsorship to gain a competitive advantage. This article concludes with suggestions to companies investing in sport sponsorship for effective exploitation of acquired sponsorship rights.

Event sponsorship as a value creating strategy for brands

Purpose – The present research involves corporations that served as Grand National Sponsors of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games and aims to explore whether a strategic approach was employed in the acquisition and management of their Olympic sponsorship.Design/methodology/approach – A multiple case study analysis was employed, for which data were collected through semi‐structured interviews. The study sample included seven of the ten Grand National Sponsors that signed agreements with ATHOC, the Organizing Committee of the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. Data analysis was organized around five themes inspired by the existing literature.Findings – With the exception of two firms, the majority of the Grand National Sponsors reported no clear or measurable objectives and limited consideration to strategic or brand‐related initiatives in their decisions to invest in the national Olympic sponsorship program. However, they did report plans to invest resources to leverage their rights, even though in most cases no specif...

Conceptualizing effectiveness in a non‐profit organizational environment

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to empirically identify a coherent set of effectiveness measures, which attempts to accommodate the interests and expectations of the most influential constituent groups directly participating in the operation of the Greek national sports organizations.Design/methodology/approach – The multiple constituency approach to effectiveness provides the theoretical basis for developing the multi‐dimensional measure of effectiveness. A survey design was employed to collect data from 423 respondents from the 20 largest Greek national sports organizations.Findings – The analysis of the results revealed an interpretable set of effectiveness measures consisting of five dimensions, namely calibre of the board and external liaisons, interest in athletes, internal procedures, long‐term planning and sports science support. The results clearly illuminate the effectiveness‐related expectations of the five constituent groups of the particular context and appear consistent with relevant ...

Destination Image Components and Word-of-Mouth Intentions in Urban Tourism: A Multigroup Approach:

The purpose of this study was to explore differences among three distinct groups, namely local residents, past tourists, and prospective tourists, in their perceptions of cognitive, affective, and overall image of a city destination and their future behavior. Analysis of data generally confirmed previously established structural relationships of cognitive and affective image, overall destination image, and word-of-mouth intentions. However, differences were identified among the three groups in terms of their destination image perceptions and their behavioral intentions to engage in word-of-mouth communications. Specifically, residents who engaged in word-of-mouth were primarily influenced by the cognitive and affective destination image components, while tourists relied on overall image perceptions.

The impact of institutionalized resources, rules and practices on the performance of non-profit sport organizations.

The paper focuses on the external pressures and constraints which impinge upon the performance of non-profit sport organizations. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected from 20 Hellenic national sport organizations, which operate in a highly institutionalized context as they are regularly funded and controlled by the state agency for sport. The results demonstrate a restrictive resource dependence on the state, which is accompanied by a lack of performance inducements, poorly defined technical arrangements and state intervention in sport-related activities. The low performance of the sport organizations is explained in terms of the influence of the institutional processes on their internal organizational behaviour.

Sport event-sponsor fit and its effects on sponsor purchase intentions: a non-consumer perspective among athletes, volunteers and spectators

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to explore how event volunteers, athletes and onsite spectators perceive the impact of sport event sponsorship on future purchase intentions of the event sponsor brand. Design/methodology/approach – The research problem was based on propositions by Novais and Arcodia (2013) and proposes relationships between sponsor–event fit, brand attitude, perceived brand quality and sponsor brand purchase intentions. Data were collected from 352 Greek sport event consumers from the 2013 Classic Marathon event, in Athens, Greece, using onsite surveys targeting non-sponsor brand consumer spectators, volunteers and athletes. Findings – The results reveal that sponsor–event fit indirectly influenced sponsor brand purchase intentions via brand attitude and brand quality across all three groups. However, the fit did not directly influence perceived brand quality of the sponsor across all three groups and directly influenced purchase intentions of the athlete group. Research limitations...

Meanings and Functions in Olympic Consumption: A Study of the Athens 2004 Olympic Licensed Products

Abstract This is an exploratory study of the meanings and functions of one aspect of Olympic consumption, the purchase of Olympic licensed products. More specifically, the present study attempted to examine the value Olympic licensed items hold for their owners by uncovering the meanings attached to those items. Using the Athens 2004 Summer Olympic Games as the setting, 280 consumers responded to questions regarding their reasons for purchasing Olympic licensed products as well as how they intended to use those products. Furthermore, an effort was made to assess what those products meant for their owners. The findings of this study point to the highly symbolic meanings embedded in the consumption of Olympic licensed products. The symbolic meanings revealed centered around three main themes: the Olympic Movement, national identity, and national political history and achievement. To a lesser extent, experiential and functional meanings attached to Olympic licensed items were also identified.

Cultural Orientations of Sport Managers

Abstract Various interpretations of sport management are cultural constructs underpinned by core assumptions and values held by members of professional communities. Sport managers world wide share common problems, but differ in how they resolve them. These universal differences emerge from the relationships they form with other people, and their attitudes to time, activities and the natural environment. This paper examines the role of cultural orientations of sport managers in the interpretation and practice of management. Using a multiple dimension model it presents the cultural profiles of 15 sport managers from 7 countries. A combination of methods was employed including questionnaires and ethnography. It is contended that sport management concerns a social process by which managers get involved in reconciling seven fundamental cultural dilemmas in order to perform tasks and achieve certain ends. Thus, a knowledge of the cultural meaning of sport management in a particular country would equip sport managers with a valuable tool in managing both the cultural diversity of their own work forces and in developing appropriate cross-cultural skills needed for running international events, marketing campaigns, sponsorship deals and joint ventures.

Service quality components as antecedents of satisfaction and behavioral intentions: the case of a Greek carnival festival.

The main research objective of the author in this study is to investigate the strength of the interrelationships among performance- and experience-based variables of perceived service quality with satisfaction and behavioral intentions. Attributes of service quality (performance and experience) are set as antecedents of satisfaction and, behavioral intentions—namely loyalty and willingness to pay more. Results from a survey on 452 festival visitors in Patras, Greece provided evidence that festival experience significantly affects behavioral loyalty and willingness to pay more, as well as satisfaction. The results extend previous knowledge on festivals by strengthening assertions that service quality dimensions are stronger predictors of visitor behavioral intentions than satisfaction. They also signify the key role of festival experience in bringing about favorable behavioral intentions in a festival context.