Seungmo Kim

Perceived organizational support as a mediator between distributive justice and sports referees’ job satisfaction and career commitment

ABSTRACT The primary purpose of the current study was to examine the relationships between distributive justice and sports referees’ job satisfaction and career commitment through perceived organizational support (POS). Although sports officials are a key element of sports along with athletes and coaches, little research has empirically examined such officials’ psychological well-being as critical human resources based on a vocational approach. A sample of 212 part-time and full-time paid referees from 12 sports in Hong Kong, participated in a questionnaire pertaining to distributive justice, POS, job satisfaction, and career commitment. The results of this study revealed no direct effects of distributive justice on job satisfaction and career commitment. However, the results indicated that distributive justice could indirectly influence referees’ job satisfaction and career commitment via organizational support.

Are transformational leaders a double-edged sword? Impact of transformational leadership on sport employee commitment and job satisfaction

Few areas have received more frequent scholarly attention in the business literature than leadership. However, insufficient attention had been paid to the study of leadership in a sport context. Therefore, this study examined the direct effects of transformational leadership on sport employee job satisfaction and levels of commitment (to the athletic department and athletic director). Also examined were the mediated effects of both commitment foci on the relationship between transformational leadership and job satisfaction. Participants included 325 athletic department employees in a NCAA BCS football conference. Through CFA and SEM, the direct and mediated effects of transformational leadership on sport employee commitment and job satisfaction were explored. Limited support was found for a direct effect of transformational leadership on job satisfaction. However, the results indicated support for transformational leadership directly influencing organizational- and individual-level commitment. Commitment to the athletic department also mediated the transformational leadership-job satisfaction relationship.

Parental support of children’s physical activity in Hong Kong

This study (a) presented a structural model for examining how parents’ perceptions of their children’s competence, exercise benefits, exercise barriers and neighbourhood safety influenced parental support and their children’s physical activity (PA) and (b) examined the mediating effect of parental support on children’s PA. Parents of 478 children aged 6–9 years were recruited into the study. The parents were asked to complete a questionnaire assessing the aforementioned constructs and report their children’s PA outside school time over 7 days. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was applied to examine the relationship between parents’ perceptions and the reported PA of their children. The results revealed that (a) only parental support predicted children’s PA directly and (b) parents’ perceptions of their children’s competence and exercise benefits predicted parental support and, in turn, predicted children’s PA. PA interventions for Hong Kong children should emphasize increasing parental support in addition to enhancing parents’ confidence and ability to promote their children’s PA by providing positive feedback, acting as active role models and facilitating participation in PA. Additional studies are required to examine children’s PA from the perspective of parents.

Competitive balance trends in elite table tennis: the Olympic Games and World Championships 1988-2016

ABSTRACT Competitive balance is important because it enhances outcome uncertainty and therefore it promotes spectator interest, and encourages government investment in a sport. This article analyses the distribution of gold medals, medals, medal points and top eight points amongst nations in table tennis from 1988 to 2016 at the Olympic Games and the World Championships respectively. A normalised version of the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index and a coefficient of variation are calculated for each nation’s share of these performance indicators. The key findings are that China dominates both events, with successful female players being more dominant than their male counterparts. The competitive balance for gold medals has declined, whilst there is a trend towards improved competitive balance for top eight points for women, suggesting that more teams are featuring in the top eight (but not necessarily the top three) placings. This research has implications for the development of table tennis competitions. Compared to other racket sports, the issue of competitive imbalance in table tennis is particularly thorny, which threatens the long-term development of this sport. Accordingly, some measures are recommended for the International Olympic Committee and the International Table Tennis Federation to propel a more balanced development of international table tennis.

Coverage of Sports Gambling from 2009 to 2013 in U.S. Newspapers: An Analysis of Newspaper-Article Framing

The current study is intended to examine how mass media, specifically newspaper articles, have framed the issues of sports gambling. A total of 286 U.S. newspaper articles covering sports gambling during the five years between 2009 and 2013 were analyzed in terms of three aspects of framing: (1) the types of issues covered, (2) the sources of information cited, and (3) the manner in which either episodic or thematic stories were employed. The results of the current study revealed that issues of legalization were the most commonly highlighted, that legal experts were the most frequently cited sources of information, and that thematic framing was the most commonly employed style in newspaper articles regarding sports gambling.

Divided we fall: Examining the relationship between horizontal communication and team commitment via team cohesion

The present study examined the relationship between horizontal communication (intra-team) and team commitment via team cohesion. Horizontal communication included positive conflict, distinctiveness, negative conflict, and acceptance dimensions. Team cohesion included group integration-task and group integration-social dimensions. A total of 340 intercollegiate student–athletes from several different institutions in Hong Kong, China, participated in the study. Data analysis included a confirmatory factor analysis and structural equational modeling. Several interesting results were found. The acceptance dimension of horizontal communication had a significant positive association with both group integration-task and group integration-social. The negative conflict dimension of horizontal communication also had a significant negative association with both group integration-task and group integration-social. No direct effects of horizontal communication on team commitment were found. However, the data showed that horizontal communication had indirect effects on team commitment via both team cohesion dimensions. The links between acceptance and commitment via group integration-task and group integration-social, for example, were both significant.

Event Prestige as a Mediator between Sport Involvement and Intent to Continue Participation

The current study examined perceived event prestige as a mediator between sport involvement and sport participation behavioral intent. A total of 455 participants (M age = 28.6 yr., SD = 9.1) were recruited at the 2013 Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon. The findings indicated that a model in which perceived event prestige partially mediated the relationship between sport involvement and intent to return to the event was most representative of the data. While individuals with higher sport involvement were more likely to indicate an interest in continued participation, this relationship was strongest among those who perceived the event to be particularly prestigious. Thus, those who market mass participation sporting events should use strategies designed to emphasize the prestigious stature of the event and should employ measures to increase sport involvement among participants.