Corporate social responsibility (CSR) in sports: antecedents and consequences
(a) Purpose: The purpose of this research is to identify the types of CSR initiatives employed by sports organisations; their antecedents, and their consequences for the company and society. (b) Design/methodology/approach: This study is exploratory in nature. Two detailed case studies w...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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AfricaJournals
2011-01-01
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| Series: | African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure |
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http://www.ajhtl.com/uploads/7/1/6/3/7163688/athanasopoulou_p___douvis_j__and__kyriakis_v__article_8_vol__1_4.pdf
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| _version_ | 1818411689146580992 |
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| author | P. Athanasopoulou J. Douvis V. Kyriakis |
| author_facet | P. Athanasopoulou J. Douvis V. Kyriakis |
| author_sort | P. Athanasopoulou |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | (a) Purpose:
The purpose of this research is to identify the types of CSR initiatives employed by sports
organisations; their antecedents, and their consequences for the company and society.
(b) Design/methodology/approach:
This study is exploratory in nature. Two detailed case studies were conducted involving the football
team and the basketball team of one professional, premier league club in Greece and their CSR
initiatives. Both teams have the same name, they belong to one of the most popular teams in Greece
with a large fan population; have both competed in International Competitions (UEFA’s Champion
League; Final Four of the European Tournament) and have realised many CSR initiatives in the past.
The case studies involved in depth, personal interviews of managers responsible for CSR in each
team. Case study data was triangulated with documentation and search of published material
concerning CSR actions. Data was analysed with content analysis.
(c) Findings:
Both teams investigated have undertaken various CSR activities the last 5 years, the football team
significantly more than the basketball team. Major factors that affect CSR activity include pressure
from leagues; sponsors; local community, and global organisations; orientation towards fulfilling their
duty to society, and team CSR strategy. Major benefits from CSR include relief of vulnerable groups
and philanthropy as well as a better reputation for the firm; increase in fan base; and finding sponsors
more easily due to the social profile of the team. However, those benefits are not measured in any
way although both teams observe increase in tickets sold; web site traffic and TV viewing statistics
after CSR activities. Finally, promotion of CSR is mainly done through web sites; press releases;
newspapers, and word-of-mouth communications.
(d) Research limitations/implications:
This study involves only two case studies and has limited generalisability. Future research can extend
the sample and validate concepts with quantitative methods.
(e) Practical implications:
Results indicate that for successful CSR activities team management should deal effectively with the
pressure from various entities (community; sponsors; leagues; global organisations); balance the
social and corporate benefits of CSR; integrate CSR in their strategy; measure the effects of CSR on
major performance indicators such as brand equity; reputation; attendance figures; and fan loyalty,
and create an effective promotional plan for their CSR activities. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T10:35:24Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ca66853b0f9f4e2381b5f50d6f53e52a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2223-814X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T10:35:24Z |
| publishDate | 2011-01-01 |
| publisher | AfricaJournals |
| record_format | Article |
| series | African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure |
| spelling | doaj.art-ca66853b0f9f4e2381b5f50d6f53e52a2022-12-21T23:05:57ZengAfricaJournalsAfrican Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure2223-814X2011-01-0114article_8_vol_1__4__2011Corporate social responsibility (CSR) in sports: antecedents and consequencesP. Athanasopoulou0J. Douvis1V. Kyriakis2 University of Nicosia University of Nicosia University of Nicosia (a) Purpose: The purpose of this research is to identify the types of CSR initiatives employed by sports organisations; their antecedents, and their consequences for the company and society. (b) Design/methodology/approach: This study is exploratory in nature. Two detailed case studies were conducted involving the football team and the basketball team of one professional, premier league club in Greece and their CSR initiatives. Both teams have the same name, they belong to one of the most popular teams in Greece with a large fan population; have both competed in International Competitions (UEFA’s Champion League; Final Four of the European Tournament) and have realised many CSR initiatives in the past. The case studies involved in depth, personal interviews of managers responsible for CSR in each team. Case study data was triangulated with documentation and search of published material concerning CSR actions. Data was analysed with content analysis. (c) Findings: Both teams investigated have undertaken various CSR activities the last 5 years, the football team significantly more than the basketball team. Major factors that affect CSR activity include pressure from leagues; sponsors; local community, and global organisations; orientation towards fulfilling their duty to society, and team CSR strategy. Major benefits from CSR include relief of vulnerable groups and philanthropy as well as a better reputation for the firm; increase in fan base; and finding sponsors more easily due to the social profile of the team. However, those benefits are not measured in any way although both teams observe increase in tickets sold; web site traffic and TV viewing statistics after CSR activities. Finally, promotion of CSR is mainly done through web sites; press releases; newspapers, and word-of-mouth communications. (d) Research limitations/implications: This study involves only two case studies and has limited generalisability. Future research can extend the sample and validate concepts with quantitative methods. (e) Practical implications: Results indicate that for successful CSR activities team management should deal effectively with the pressure from various entities (community; sponsors; leagues; global organisations); balance the social and corporate benefits of CSR; integrate CSR in their strategy; measure the effects of CSR on major performance indicators such as brand equity; reputation; attendance figures; and fan loyalty, and create an effective promotional plan for their CSR activities. http://www.ajhtl.com/uploads/7/1/6/3/7163688/athanasopoulou_p___douvis_j__and__kyriakis_v__article_8_vol__1_4.pdf Corporate social responsibility sports football basketball |
| spellingShingle | P. Athanasopoulou J. Douvis V. Kyriakis Corporate social responsibility (CSR) in sports: antecedents and consequences African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure Corporate social responsibility sports football basketball |
| title | Corporate social responsibility (CSR) in sports: antecedents
and consequences |
| title_full | Corporate social responsibility (CSR) in sports: antecedents
and consequences |
| title_fullStr | Corporate social responsibility (CSR) in sports: antecedents
and consequences |
| title_full_unstemmed | Corporate social responsibility (CSR) in sports: antecedents
and consequences |
| title_short | Corporate social responsibility (CSR) in sports: antecedents
and consequences |
| title_sort | corporate social responsibility csr in sports antecedents and consequences |
| topic | Corporate social responsibility sports football basketball |
| url |
http://www.ajhtl.com/uploads/7/1/6/3/7163688/athanasopoulou_p___douvis_j__and__kyriakis_v__article_8_vol__1_4.pdf
|
| work_keys_str_mv | AT pathanasopoulou corporatesocialresponsibilitycsrinsportsantecedentsandconsequences AT jdouvis corporatesocialresponsibilitycsrinsportsantecedentsandconsequences AT vkyriakis corporatesocialresponsibilitycsrinsportsantecedentsandconsequences |