Thomas A. Baker

Impact of core and peripheral service quality on consumption behavior of professional team sport spectators as mediated by perceived value

Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine the structural relationship of core service quality and peripheral service quality factors to the consumption of professional team sport games while considering the mediating influence of perceived value. This study simultaneously incorporated core service and peripheral service quality factors into one study and examined their direct and indirect relationships with game consumption behaviors. Participants (N=222) responded to a survey at various metropolitan areas. Adopting the two-step structural equation modeling approach, the proposed measurement model and the structural model were found to have good psychometric properties. In the structural relationship analyses, home team, opposing team, game promotion, game amenities, venue quality, and perceived value were found to be predictive of behavioral intentions. Venue quality was the only factor that had an indirect relationship with behavioral intentions through perceived value. The findings are interpreted in the contexts of theoretical and practical implications.

Air Qiaodan: An examination of transliteration and trademark squatting in China based on Jordan vs Qiaodan Sports

Purpose For this study, the Jordan case provided the context for investigating Chinese trademark law with the purpose of answering how and why Jordan lost the legal rights to the Chinese version of his name in China. The results from that investigation were used to better explain the phenomena of transliteration and trademark squatting in relation to sport brands and athletes. The purpose of this paper is to formulate suggestions for protecting sport brands and athletes from trademark squatting in China. Design/methodology/approach The authors used traditional legal methodology to investigate the influence of transliteration on trademark squatting in China based on the real-life context provided by the facts in Jordan. First, all reported materials from Chinese courts on the Jordan case were collected and analyzed by the research team, which included an investigator who is fluent in Chinese. Second, the authors conducted a collection, review, and analysis of China’s trademark law, the international trademark law that controls court decisions in China, and the literature on trademark squatting in China. The results from the investigations were used to formulate a description of Jordan that details how the process of transliteration facilitates trademark squatting in China. Findings The findings revealed a loophole within the Chinese administration of trademark regulation through which trademark squatters use the process of transliteration to infringe on trademark rights belonging to senior, foreign brands. Furthermore, the findings lead us to suggest that sport brands are particularly vulnerable to this type of trademark squatting in China. In Jordan, Qiaodan Sports exploited the transliteration loophole to obtain trademark ownership of Qiaodan to the detriment of Brand Jordan and, to a lesser extent, Chinese consumers. Research limitations/implications This study contributes to the literature by conceptualizing a “transliteration loophole” that facilitates trademark squatting in China. Further, this is the first study to focus on how the concepts of transliteration and trademark squatting influence celebrity athletes and sport brands. Practical implications For foreign celebrity athletes and sport brands, the case should alert them of their vulnerability to trademark squatting of transliterations assigned to them by sport broadcasters or sport consumers in China. For instructors of sport law and sport marketing courses, the Jordan case provides teachable lessons on the value of trademark, the process of trademark squatting, and the process of transliteration and its relation to trademark squatting in China. Social implications Socially, studies in trademark squatting and Chinese trademark law are needed as China continues to expand its intellectual property regulations. The People’s Republic of China started regulating trademarks in the 1980s and since then, there have been three major modifications. Still, controversies exist in terms of trademark squatting of foreign brands and research is needed to better understand why this happens, and how it can be avoided. Originality/value The focus on sport as well as the suggestions offered for sport brands and celebrity athletes makes this study the first of its kind within the literature on trademark squatting in China. The importance and impact of the Jordan case is one that attracts attention and should result in significant impact in the literature and practical impact for the field.

A cross-cultural study of purchase intention of sponsored products based on American and Korean spectators of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is: to explain the relative influence of attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control on purchase intention of the 2010 FIFA World Cup sponsored products; and to compare the purchase intention of American and Korean spectators toward sponsoring products of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that subjective norm and perceived behavioral control were predictors of purchase intention. Further, multiple group analysis revealed that the path coefficient between subjective norm and purchase intention for the two groups was significantly different. Design/methodology/approach – A self-administered questionnaire was developed to measure the four constructs of the theory of planned behavior (TBP) as well as demographic information. Upon completion of the psychometric properties test of the TPB, a SEM was conducted to examine the proposed hypotheses. The same fit indices as with the measurement model were adopted to evaluate th...

Developing a Scale of Perception of Sexual Abuse in Youth Sports (SPSAYS)

A scale was developed to measure perceptions of sexual abuse in youth sports by assessing (a) the perceived prevalence of sexual abuse committed by pedophilic youth sport coaches, (b) the perceived likelihood that a coach is a pedophile, (c) perceptions on how youth sport organizations should manage the risk of pedophilia, and (d) media influence on participant perception. Two studies were conducted for (a) the formulation of the conceptual framework, (b) the development of preliminary items, (c) an exploratory factor analysis, and (d) a confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation modeling. The first data set (n = 223) was used for exploratory factor analysis, and four factors (i.e., Management, Prevalence, Influence, and Likelihood) with 15 items emerged. With an independent sample (n = 209), confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were conducted and found strong support for the scales psychometric properties, including, convergent validity, predictive validity, and reliability. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed along with study limitations and suggestions for future studies.

Female student athletes’ perceptions of acceptability and the occurrence of sexual-related behaviour by their coaches in India

ABSTRACT The current study assessed the perceptions of acceptable sexual behaviour of coaches and the occurrence of sexual harassment among female student in India. A sample of 180 Indian female student-athletes at intercollegiate and inter-university levels with male coaches participated in this study. A questionnaire on sport-specific Touch and Behaviour versus Unwanted Intimacy from coaches (Vanden Auweele et al., 2008), consisting of 41 items on a 5-point rating scale was used. The participants were asked to indicate the acceptability of specific coaching behaviour as well as the occurrence of the behaviour represented in each item. The acceptability of the behaviour was determined by means and standard deviations, while the occurrence was determined by frequencies. Factor analysis was performed to determine the structure of the coaches’ behaviour and athletes’ acceptability thereof, which yielded four factors. Cronbach’s alpha was used to determine the internal consistency of the extracted items on each factor. Two factors, namely, unwanted sexual behaviour and inappropriate verbal and physical sexual behaviour, were regarded by athletes as very serious and unacceptable coach behaviour, while a third factor represented context-dependent suspicious behaviour (a grey area in which athletes differ in their opinion) and was perceived to be serious and unacceptable. A fourth factor represented acceptable behaviour. The occurrence of very serious and unacceptable behaviour was reported by 31% of the female athletes.

Re-conceptualizing reverse meaning transfer: the moderating influence of meaning type

The purpose of this paper is to determine whether negative meanings consumers attribute to a corporation transfer to the endorser and to examine the moderating effects of corporate-specific and product-specific negative meanings on an endorser’s credibility.,Following a protocol designed by Till and Shimp (1998), two experiments were conducted to examine if meaning transfer exists (experiment 1) and if meaning type moderates reverse meaning transfer (experiment 2). A doubly repeated multivariate analysis of variance was conducted to investigate changes in the endorser’s credibility and attitudes toward the brand.,The results revealed that the negative meanings consumers associated with these corporate crises influence consumer perceptions of the endorser as well as attitude toward the brand.,This finding supports the position that meaning type moderates reverse meaning transfer and may explain variances in the literature on the significance of reverse meaning transfer. Based on these findings, brand crises have a negative effect on the endorser’s credibility.,The results lead the authors to suggest that endorsers as well as marketers should closely scrutinize brand partnerships, as the relationship may positively and negatively influence consumer perceptions of the athlete endorser.,Based on the findings from this study, brand managers need to appreciate differences in brand crisis type by tailoring brand image remediation strategies to fit the type(s) of meaning(s) associated with a specific controversy.,The results from the current study add, significantly, to the literature by being the first to evidence that different meanings associated with different types of brand crises produce different attitudes toward the brand.

To tweet or not to tweet: the effects of social media endorsements on unfamiliar sport brands and athlete endorsers

Unfamiliar sport brands are consistently searching for ways to gain the interest of consumers and to differentiate the brand’s messages from the huge amount of advertising communications consumers receive on a daily basis. One of the most powerful methods used to distinguish one brand from others is an alliance with athlete endorsers. Companies are actively courting athlete endorsers and their social media accounts to reach consumers. However, little is known about the effects of these alliances. Therefore, two studies were conducted: (1) to explore the effectiveness of Twitter endorsement campaigns for unfamiliar sport brands, and (2) to investigate the influence that Twitter endorsements for unfamiliar sport brands have on athlete endorsers. The study revealed that attitude toward the unfamiliar sport brand was positively influenced by the athlete endorser’s Twitter message and that trustworthiness was the dominant characteristic influencing credibility of an endorser through Twitter.

An Analysis of Automated External Defibrillator Implementation, Related Risk Management Practices, and Constraints to Implementation in Florida's Municipal Recreation and Park Agencies

Abstract In the United States, sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) strikes 250,000 people per year and less than 5% survive; however, the use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) could prevent approximately 50,000 of these deaths per year. The potential for SCA to occur in sport and recreation settings is well documented. One study showed that sport stadiums, golf courses, and health/fitness facilities are among the top 10 public places with the highest incidence of SCAs. This study examined AED implementation, related risk management practices, and perceived constraints to AED implementation in Floridas municipal recreation and park agencies. Municipal recreation and park administrators in Florida (N=96) participated in this study. The majority (71%) of respondents were male between the ages of 40–49 (37%), CPR certified (65%), had worked in their current position less than 6 years (48%), served a community with a population less than 75,000 (79%), and were interested in learning more about AEDs (70%). The majority (69%) of agencies did not have an AED. Results revealed that many agencies with an AED were not following American Heart Association AED program implementation guidelines, and some agencies were not fully complying with Florida AED immunity provisions which may afford them certain liability protections. The primary perceived constraints to AED implementation were (1) they were not needed due to the proximity of local emergency medical services, (2) the cost of purchasing an AED, (3) a lack of information about protection from liability, (4) concern that having an AED was not a current standard industry practice, and (5) a lack of knowledge about AED certification and training. Given the importance of AEDs as lifesaving devices, these results may assist educational and promotional efforts targeted towards recreation and park agencies.

The Selection of Areas for Physical Activity

Abstract Lightfoot v. School Administrative District No. 35, Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 816 A.2d 63, February 28,2003