scholarly journals Sustainable value creation? Entrepreneurial orientations in the football industry

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-44
Author(s):  
Mike Bull ◽  
Geoff Whittam
Keyword(s):  
Value Creation ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Professional Football ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
Business Interests ◽  
Football Clubs ◽  
Sustainable Value ◽  
Context Specific ◽  
Football Industry

PurposeIn this paper the authors investigate precarious value creation in English football clubs. They examine strategic, economic, cultural and social capital to analyse the orientations of legal owners of football clubs (entrepreneurs) and the implications for moral owners (the fans). Their research question is not if entrepreneurs create value – but whether the value created is productive or destructive.Design/methodology/approachThe research design is a case study of the professional football industry, specifically 44 football clubs in the top two professional divisions in England, namely the English Premier League and the English Football League Championship. The authors’ methodology is secondary textual data. Their approach is to examine official club statements, triangulated with regional and national press reports, fan accounts and narratives from published artefacts; fan blogs and websites.FindingsThe “opening up” of the professional football industry in England to market forces in 1983 has subsequently attracted entrepreneurs that use football clubs as artefacts to pursue other business interests. Over-grazing on strategic and economic capital at the expense and exploitation of social and cultural capital exists. As entrepreneurial opportunities to exploit a football club's assets becomes more apparent, the unique relationship between club and fan is being strained. The authors observe detachment, disenchantment and protest.Research limitations/implicationsThe data sought for this study design was necessarily in the public domain and therefore drawn from secondary sources. The scope was English football and the top two divisions, thus the findings are context specific to that region and level.Practical implicationsFor policy, the authors call for a new government inquiry into football ownership in English football, re-examining heritage, purpose and value creation.Social implicationsFootball fans are the majority stakeholder in the football industry but are under-represented in English football because of the private ownership of football clubs. Fans are, however, a barometer for how their owners are acting as custodians of their clubs and if the value created by entrepreneurs is productive or exploitative.Originality/valueThis paper has value in drawing attention to this unique and ignored industry from an entrepreneurship perspective, provoking a call for further research to explore this phenomenon. Sustainable value creation may be a useful framework for further research in this and other industries.

Gender and the #MeToo effect in Spanish professional football organizations: an exploratory qualitative approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 349-371
Author(s):  
Henriette Klavenes ◽  
Alicia Orea-Giner ◽  
Fernando E. García-Muiña ◽  
Laura Fuentes-Moraleda
Keyword(s):  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Professional Football ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Professional Career ◽  
Professional Careers ◽  
Football Clubs ◽  
Football Industry ◽  
Executive Positions

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of the #MeToo movement in the work environment of professional football organizations in Spain. It also explores the current situation of the professional career of women working in this industry to know if the opportunities are equal for men and women to reach management or executive positions. Design/methodology/approach From a gender approach and considering gender as a social structure (Risman, 2004), the authors are going to analyse men and women’s professional careers in football organizations from a three-dimensional gender perspective (individual, interactional and institutional). The objective is twofold: to know the effect of the #MeToo movement in these organizations; and also to know the opinion of both men and women of these organizations concerning gender influence for women’s career progression. The methodology implemented in this investigation is qualitative; 24 in-depth interviews (12 men and 12 women) have been carried out with professionals from different executive positions in both football clubs and organizations. Findings The gender approach improves current knowledge about women’s roles in the football industry. The exploratory analysis of the results shows that although the #MeToo phenomenon is relatively known it has had an indirect impact in Spanish football, where its consequences have not been as visible as in other sectors. Originality/value The paper provides an exploratory approach by analysing the effects of the #MeToo movement in the football sector, an area where almost no previous research has been done. Also, it presents the main factors that influence women’s professional careers in this sector and the significance of the recent #MeToo phenomenon in the football industry.

The financial impact of the financial fair play policy on Spanish football

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberto Fernández-Villarino ◽  
J. Andrés Domínguez-Gómez
Keyword(s):  
Financial Performance ◽  
Fiscal Year ◽  
Professional Football ◽  
Content Type ◽  
General Terms ◽  
Football Clubs ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Law ◽  
Compliance With The Law ◽  
Positive Effect

PurposeThis study aims to explore how responsible corporate behaviour, specifically self-imposed financial regulatory control, might subsequently be reflected in the financial performance of companies subject to such regulation.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, the authors aim to explore how financial compliance in the form of the Economic Control Regulation (ECR) has impacted on the financial performance of professional football clubs in Spain. To this purpose, the authors adopted a quasi-experimental before and after study design. This type of design assesses the object of study before and after a specific event in order to determine whether this event has had any effects on the object. In this case, the event was the coming into effect of the ECR in the fiscal year of 2012, and the object hypothetically affected was the clubs’ economic performance.FindingsThe authors can confirm that in general terms and for the whole set of clubs analysed, the ECR has had a strong and positive effect on financial performance.Research limitations/implicationsIn this study, the authors wish to establish a link between the idea of “compliance” and that of “responsible corporate management practice”. It is not just a matter of compliance with the law. The fact of complying with certain laws could, in general terms, or from the point of view of common sense, be qualified as “responsible behaviour”. However, under the contemporary concept of corporate responsibility, compliance with the law is a behaviour that must be taken for granted. Responsibility, therefore, would entail going beyond such expected behaviour to one that exceeds the environment's expectation of the corporate actor.Practical implicationsWhat extent improvements in financial performance have also boosted social performance. Confirming such a positive effect endorses the argument that ethical improvements in corporate culture have a general effect on business sustainability in its different aspects: economic, social, environmental and in governance.Social implicationsThe authors may foresee that the culture of compliance will spread from the finance departments to other management areas. Its connection with ethical business practice is directly linked to the more complex concept of the “citizen company”. There are suggest interesting bases on which professional football clubs might move from a traditional profit-oriented company model towards a more contemporary one oriented towards relationships of integrity with the sport's environment. This study shows that the ECR has been a starting point for the development of Spanish professional football clubs towards this type of “citizen company”.Originality/valueIt was a single-sector study whose principal value lies in the verification of whether responsible economic management (the main consequence of applying the ECR) had any effects on company profits, financial results and other important indicators. In addition to fostering responsibility, this new management model involves a special innovation, as it is based on self-regulation (i.e. on regulations not imposed by national or supranational states), designed and implemented to ensure the sector's viability.

The value creation logic and the internationalisation of internet firms

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 349-370 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denitsa Blagoeva Hazarbassanova
Keyword(s):  
Value Creation ◽  
Research Question ◽  
International Strategy ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Digital Service ◽  
Internet Firms ◽  
Value Propositions ◽  
Value Creation Process ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of the research is to put to a test the belief that the idiosyncratic internationalisation process of Internet firms is homogeneous. The research question is thus, “How does the value creation logic of Internet firms influence their internationalisation process?”. Design/methodology/approach The authors answer this question using three cases illustrating the internationalisation process of three pure play digital service firms, each falling into one value creation logic. Findings Each case company had a different approach to internationalisation, explained by a different theory. The firms differed in what their motivation was to internationalise, how they dealt with their liability of foreignness and how they learnt to internationalise. The differences were consistent with the specificities of their value creation. The contribution of this paper is to take the first steps towards linking the way firms create value with their internationalisation. What theory best explains the internationalization of IFs seems contingent on what firms do. Practical implications The message to practitioners is that international strategy not only can but also needs to be different across firms. It needs to be tailored to the concrete way a firm endeavours to generate and capture value. “One strategy fits most” is unlikely to succeed, because different value propositions demand different approaches to realising them. Originality/value In extant literature, IFs have been treated as one group, albeit distinct from “offline” firms. This paper proposes that the value creation process of IFs causes them to differ from each other, just as much as they differ from traditional firms.

Career patterns of marketing managers in top European football clubs

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Karolina Nessel
Keyword(s):  
Sports Management ◽  
Career Patterns ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Marketing Managers ◽  
Football Clubs ◽  
European Football ◽  
Main Activity ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Functional Experience ◽  
Football Industry

PurposeThe goal of this research was to explore career patterns of senior marketing managers in the best European football clubs (SMMEFCs).Design/methodology/approachThe data came from the LinkedIn profiles of current and past SMMEFCs. Firstly, the optimal matching algorithm was used to determine clusters of pathways leading to a first SMMEFC position based on the main activity of the employing organisation. Secondly, these patterns were compared in terms of variables depicting the career paths, clubs and managers. Finally, the evolution of the post-SMMEFC careers was analysed.FindingsPeople in their first SMMEFC positions are mainly male with a university degree in business and marketing, and with a predominantly functional experience in marketing. There are five ways to become an SMMEFC: through business (40% of the sample), football (32%), other sports (11%), marketing and communication (11%), and media (6%). As the majority of SMMEFCs come to their positions from outside the sporting world, the specificity of the football industry is not a serious obstacle. Instead, the careers are bounded by functional marketing experience. Among the individual sequences leading to a first SMMEFC position, only around half of the football cluster may be considered traditional careers. Football, and sports in general, seem attractive for post-SMMEFC career development for the majority of managers coming from all pathways.Originality/valueThe study is the first one to quantify career patterns in professional sports management. It provides new insights about marketing careers and practice in European club football.

Voluntary disclosure and intellectual capital: how CEOs mobilise discretionary accounting narratives to account for value creation stemming from intellectual capital

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabeth Albertini ◽  
Fabienne Berger-Remy ◽  
Stephane Lefrancq ◽  
Laurence Morgana ◽  
Miloš Petković ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intellectual Capital ◽  
Value Creation ◽  
Voluntary Disclosure ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Balance Sheet ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Customer Capital ◽  
The Media ◽  
Environmental Capital ◽  
Required Disclosures

PurposeThis research aims to contribute to the current discussion led by international accounting bodies on intellectual capital narratives. Before setting a standard, a preliminary step is to highlight intellectual capital components' sources of value. The objective of this exploratory paper is to contribute to the discussion by proposing a detailed description and taxonomy of intellectual capital based on an analysis of discretionary accounting narrative disclosures in CEO letters.Design/methodology/approachTo answer the research question, a computerised lexical content analysis was done of 241 letters from the CEOs of S&P Euro 350 companies addressed to shareholders.FindingsBeyond the required disclosures about balance sheet intangibles, this study brings to light discretionary narratives about human, digital, customer and environmental capital and their interactions. In particular, CEOs are promoting two new themes, environmental capital and digital capital, as major contributors to value creation.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitations of this study are inherent in the media studied, namely the CEOs' letters to shareholders, which were written as part of the firms' official communication.Practical implicationsThe main contribution of the research is a detailed description of the intellectual capital components that CEOs consider to be at the heart of their companies' models to create value. Human and customer capital were already familiar under the previous classification, but CEOs present digital and environmental capital as areas of opportunity or risk in their discretionary narratives.Originality/valueThe article contributes to the current international discussions on intellectual capital by focusing on discretionary accounting narratives. It seeks to provide guidelines concerning future standards in the current stage of intellectual capital research.

scholarly journals Lessons on a novel integration approach of emerging market acquisitions in developed countries

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Figueira ◽  
Rui Torres de Oliveira ◽  
Daniel Rottig ◽  
Francesca Spigarelli
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Market ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
Integration Approach ◽  
Acquisition Integration ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Context Specific

PurposeThis paper constitutes an explorative study into post-acquisition implementation of emerging market acquisitions in developed countries. More specifically, the study aims to better understand how low capability Chinese firms are able to capture value when acquiring high-capability targets in developed countries through a novel post-acquisition integration approach. In so doing, we set out to contribute to the literature on, and managerial insights into, the factors that determine the success of emerging market acquisitions, in general, and the context-specific use of post-acquisition implementation approaches, in particular.Design/methodology/approachThe study follows a qualitative analysis and multiple case study design based on a phenomenon-based research approach. Data and information were collected through semi-structure executive interviews, observations, secondary sources, company report and media accounts.FindingsBased on institutional theory, this study develops a conceptual framework for a tacit value approach toward the integration of acquisitions of developed market targets by emerging market acquirers.Originality/valueThe proposed tacit value approach of post-acquisition integration, which refers to the creation of intangible value over time, differs from the explicit value approach that is associated with the transaction-cost literature and more focused on the creation of tangible value in the short-term.

Internationalisation and branding strategy

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 747-766 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert E. Hinson ◽  
Ellis Osabutey ◽  
John Paul Kosiba ◽  
Frederick O. Asiedu
Keyword(s):  
Brand Equity ◽  
Developing Economies ◽  
International Markets ◽  
Professional Football ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Foreign Markets ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Market Expansion ◽  
Football Clubs ◽  
English Premier League

Purpose The purpose of this study is to analyse how professional football clubs have attained success with internationalisation and branding strategies in foreign markets. Design/methodology/approach Based on an inductive approach, 27 semi-structured interviews were conducted to analyse the perceptions of Ghanaian fans of four English Premier League teams. Findings The findings of this study highlight that the strength of professional football brand equity is jointly determined by the level of brand awareness, brand loyalty and perceived quality. However, increasing competition in international markets require professional football clubs to clearly define their marketing strategies to improve how fans perceive them. Originality/value This paper is one of the few studies to use country-of-origin paradigm and signalling theory to explain football brand equity building, thereby extending the earlier work of Chanavat and Bodet (2009). Its empirical focus on Africa is also unique and provides evidence to suggest that global marketers have the opportunity to capitalise on market expansion opportunities in developing economies.

scholarly journals The learning organization as a context for value co-creation

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 291-303
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Mastio ◽  
Eng Chew ◽  
Kenneth Anthony Dovey
Keyword(s):  
Learning Organization ◽  
Value Creation ◽  
Social Economic ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Content Type ◽  
A Value ◽  
Sustainable Value ◽  
New Perspective ◽  
Relational Capabilities

Purpose This paper aims to explore the relationship between the concept of the learning organization and that of the co-creation of value. Design/methodology/approach The paper is conceptual in nature and draws on data from a case study of a small highly innovative Australian company. Findings The authors show that, from a value co-creation perspective, the learning organization can be viewed as an open, collaborative, social/economic actor engaged in social/economic activities with other interdependent actors (organizations or stakeholders) in a network or ecosystem of actors to serve its mission/purpose and the well-being of the ecosystem. Research limitations/implications As a conceptual paper, the authors rely primarily on previous research as the basis for the argument. The implications of the findings are that, as value co-creation practices are founded upon the generation and leveraging of specific intangible capital resources, more research located in alternative research paradigms is required. Practical implications There are important implications for organizational leadership in that the practices that underpin value co-creation require the leadership to be able to work constructively with multiple forms of systemic and agentic power. Social implications In increasingly turbulent and hyper-competitive global operational contexts, sustainable value creation is becoming recognized as a collective achievement within a broad eco-system of collaborators. This has implications for the relational capabilities of all collaborators. Originality/value The authors introduce a new perspective on the role of power management in the facilitation of the co-creation of value. Arguing that value creation is becoming recognized as a “collective achievement”, they focus on the collaborative practices that enable such an achievement.

Mobile device use at festivals: opportunities for value creation

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 201-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine M. Van Winkle ◽  
Amanda Cairns ◽  
Kelly J. MacKay ◽  
Elizabeth A. Halpenny
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Device ◽  
Value Creation ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Comprehensive Examination ◽  
Human Capability ◽  
Device Use ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand mobile device (MD) use in a festival context. Festivals offer a range of opportunities and activities to use a MD making this context ideal for understanding digital experiences during leisure. The guiding research question asked how do festival attendees use MDs at festivals. The Typology of Human Capability (THC) provided a framework to enhance the understanding of digital experiences at festivals. Design/methodology/approach This research involved six festival case studies where semi-structured interviews were conducted with attendees on-site. Interview questions focused on how festival attendees used MDs during the festival. Data were analyzed using directed content analysis guided by the THC. Findings On-site interviews with 168 attendees revealed that data support the THC dimensions and constructs (sensing, linking, organizing and performing). This typology advances the understanding of the range of digital customer experiences currently available at festivals. Research limitations/implications The addition of context to the THC is recommended to enhance its utility in application. As a limited number of festivals were included, the specific findings may not apply to all festivals but the implications are relevant to a range of festivals. Practical implications Operational definitions of the THC constructs within the festival setting were identified and provide opportunities for developing digital experience offerings. Originality/value This study provided the first comprehensive examination of MD use in festival contexts and in so doing offered data in support of Korn and Pine’s (2011) THC. The findings reveal opportunities for modifying the THC to increase its applicability in a range of settings.

Scoring goals in multiple fields

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 197-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petros Parganas ◽  
Roman Liasko ◽  
Christos Anagnostopoulos
Keyword(s):  
Team Performance ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Profit Maximization ◽  
Economic Research ◽  
Professional Football ◽  
Linear Modeling ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Professional Team Sports ◽  
Football Clubs

Purpose Professional football clubs currently strive for a number of concurrent goals, ranging from on-field success to profit maximization to fan expansion and engagement. The purpose of this paper, theoretically informed by the social penetration theory, is to analyze the economics behind such goals and examine the association between team performance, commercial success, and social media followers in professional team sports. Design/methodology/approach A data set relating to 20 European professional football clubs that combines financial (revenues and costs), sporting, and digital-reach measures for three consecutive football seasons (2013/2014 to 2015/2016) was used. In addition, to elaborate on this data in terms of a descriptive study, the study constructs a range of correlation statistical tests and linear modeling techniques to obtain quantitative results. Findings The results indicate that all the three main sources of club revenues (match-day, commercial/sponsorship, and broadcasting) are positive drivers for Facebook followers. Staff investments (staff costs) are also positively related to Facebook followers, albeit to a lesser extent, while higher-ranked clubs seem to follow a constant approach in terms of their revenues and cost structure. Originality/value This study seeks to bridge the communication and sport economic research, providing evidence that Facebook followers are part of the cyclical phenomenon of team revenues and team performance. In doing so, it initiates a debate on the relationship between the digital expansion of a football club and its sports and financial indicators.

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