The financial viability of the fitness industry in Belgium

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 365-385 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diane Breesch ◽  
Steven Vos ◽  
Jeroen Scheerder
Keyword(s):  
Financial Performance ◽  
Strong Impact ◽  
Strategic Decisions ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Fitness Industry ◽  
Sport Industry

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze whether the fitness industry in Belgium is financially viable in its position as a growing commercial player within the framework of the European sport model where non-profit and public sport providers still have a strong impact. Design/methodology/approach – The authors evaluate the financial performance of the Belgian fitness industry using a time-trend analysis applying a cross-sectional research design for the years 2002 through 2007. Findings – The analysis shows that the Belgian fitness industry is not able to generate positive income figures despite large increases in sales revenues. In particular fitness chains generally accumulate losses. However, the Belgian fitness industry pursues an active investment policy resulting in high noncash expenses in depreciations negatively influencing accounting profit numbers. The operating cash flow generated by the Belgian fitness industry is, nevertheless, largely positive. Although no immediate liquidity problem exists, the fitness industry needs to improve its profitability in the long run in order to stay in business. Research limitations/implications – This study can be a starting point for further and more in depth financial performance evaluations of commercial actors in the field of sport. Differences and similarities between European countries should be investigated in order to generalize the findings. Practical implications – The conclusions could support regulators in policy decisions and business managers in strategic decisions relying on financial information in order to pilot their organization. Originality/value – Analyzing the financial performance of a sport industry at a national scale is challenging. However, this kind of analysis is not frequently performed for commercial sport providers such as the fitness industry. This is precisely where this paper wants to contribute.

The emergence of entrepreneurial team as a research field – way forward

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Willy Das ◽  
Satyasiba Das ◽  
Manojit Chattopadhyay
Keyword(s):  
Research Agenda ◽  
Research Field ◽  
Academic Disciplines ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Future Research Agenda ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Entrepreneurial Team ◽  
Research Stream

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to review and critique the existing literature on entrepreneurial teams (ET) by taking a multi-disciplinary viewpoint and provide a future research agenda based on the identified themes and trends.Design/methodology/approachA systematic literature review (SLR) was undertaken using “business source complete”. Further scrutiny and application of exclusion criteria led to a final sample consisting of 139 papers from 27 different journals belonging to not just entrepreneurship and strategic management but also other disciplines like OB, finance, sociology, psychology, etc. Using qualitative thematic analysis, the authors identified 11 major themes.FindingsThe paper reviews both the eleven themes and the linkages between the themes. Thereby identifying areas that have been understudied and those that have received comparatively more attention. The review revealed that the research stream possesses certain conceptual and methodological concerns apart from its cross-sectional and primarily bivariate nature. Five such main concerns have been identified and discussed in detail. Other elements of the resulting research agenda include calls for more clinical process-oriented research, further attention to context, shifting the level of analysis, and a need to integrate across disciplines.Originality/valueThis paper incorporates a broad insight of ET across academic disciplines to show how future contributions could benefit by incorporating research from other fields. In doing so, provides a starting point for more nuanced discussions around the interrelationships between the different conversations that are taking place in the ET literature.

Corporate social responsibility, visibility, reputation and financial performance: empirical analysis on the moderating and mediating variables from Korea

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 856-871 ◽  
Author(s):  
SeHyun Park
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Financial Performance ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Financial Benefit ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Short Run ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose This paper aims to substantiate the mechanism through which corporate social responsibility (CSR) affects financial performance (FP). Specifically, this paper focuses on the moderating effect of visibility and mediating effect of reputation in the relationship. Design/methodology/approach This paper investigates 175 Korean firms from 2010 to 2012 that have been listed in the Korean Economic Justice Index for all three years. The hypotheses are tested using various measures of visibility and the Korea’s Most Admired Company index as proxy for reputation. The logistics regression and the ordinary least square are used. Findings This paper initially demonstrates that the visibility moderates the correlation between CSR and reputation. On this finding, it further proves that CSR has positive effect on the long-run FP, measured in the Tobin’s Q, both directly and indirectly through reputation. However, the influence is irrelevant in the short run. In sum, visibility moderates the correlation between CSR and reputation, which mediates the CSR-FP relationship in the long run. Practical implications This paper argues for the importance of visibility in practicing CSR, especially when reputation building and financial benefit is sought through CSR. Originality/value Despite its strategic importance, the visibility of CSR has not been sufficiently studied. Moreover, as scholars have recently suggested that the CSR–FP relationship is rather indirect, there is even more significance in investigating the moderating and mediating variable. Hence, with the intuitive results, this paper lays an integral foundation in the literature.

Intellectual capital in Ugandan service firms as mediator of board governance and firm performance

2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 300-340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Korutaro Nkundabanyanga ◽  
Joseph M. Ntayi ◽  
Augustine Ahiauzu ◽  
Samuel K. Sejjaaka
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Financial Performance ◽  
Intellectual Capital ◽  
Predictor Variable ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Board Governance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Firm Financial Performance ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating effect of intellectual capital on the relationship between board governance and perceived firm financial performance. Design/methodology/approach – This study was cross-sectional. Analyses were by SPSS and Analysis of Moment Structure on a sample of 128 firms. Findings – The mediated model provides support for the hypothesis that intellectual capital mediates the relationship between board governance and perceived firm performance. while the direct relationship between board governance and firm financial performance without the mediation effect of intellectual capital was found to be significant, this relationship becomes insignificant when mediation of intellectual capital is allowed. Thus, the entire effect does not only go through the main hypothesised predictor variable (board governance) but majorly also, through intellectual capital. Accordingly, the connection between board governance and firm financial performance is very much weakened by the presence of intellectual capital in the model – confirming that the presence of intellectual capital significantly acts as a conduit in the association between board governance and firm financial performance. Overall, 36 per cent of the variance in perceived firm performance is explained. the error variance being 64 per cent of perceived firm performance itself. Research limitations/implications – The authors surveyed directors or managers of firms and although the influence of common methods variance was minimal, the non-existence of common methods bias could not be guaranteed. Although the constructs have been defined as precisely as possible by drawing upon relevant literature and theory, the measurements used may not perfectly represent all the dimensions. For example board governance concept (used here as a behavioural concept) is very much in its infancy just as intellectual capital is. Similarly the authors have employed perceived firm financial performance as proxy for firm financial performance. The implication is that the constructs used/developed can realistically only be proxies for an underlying latent phenomenon that itself is not fully measureable. Practical implications – In considering the behavioural constructs of the board, a new integrative framework for board effectiveness is much needed as a starting point, followed by examining intellectual capital in firms whose mediating effect should formally be accounted for in the board governance – financial performance equation. Originality/value – Results add to the conceptual improvement in board governance studies and lend considerable support for the behavioural perspective in the study of boards and their firm performance improvement potential. Using qualitative factors for intellectual capital to predict the perceived firm financial performance, this study offers a unique dimension in understanding the causes of poor financial performance. It is always a sign of a maturing discipline (like corporate governance) to examine the role of a third variable in the relationship so as to make meaningful conclusions.

Association of Ownership and System Affiliation with the Financial Performance of Rehabilitation Hospitals

1997 ◽  
Vol 10 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 13-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. J. McCue ◽  
J. M. Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Financial Performance ◽  
Regression Models ◽  
Ancillary Services ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Cross Sectional Design ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Rehabilitation Hospitals ◽  
Inpatient Basis

This study used a cross-sectional design in which regression models were used to test the association of ownership and system affiliation of private rehabilitation hospitals with profit, revenue and expense measures. The study also examined the association of ownership and system affiliation with other choice variables. The study found that new for-profit rehabilitation hospitals had higher revenues and expenses than older non-profit rehabilitation hospitals. In addition, new for-profit hospitals charged more for their ancillary services and treated more of their patients on an inpatient basis. Study findings show higher revenues and expenses per adjusted discharge for new for-profit facilities. Given the cost-based system of reimbursement for Medicare, there appears to be a strong incentive for new for-profits to maximize costs.

Peer-to-peer word-of-mouth: word-of-mouth extended to group online exchange

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 176-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anat Toder-Alon ◽  
Frédéric F. Brunel
Keyword(s):  
Online Community ◽  
Word Of Mouth ◽  
Peer To Peer ◽  
Bulletin Board ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social And Emotional ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Online Exchange ◽  
New Perspective

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate how peer-to-peer word-of-mouth (PPWOM) conversations evolve over time because of the dynamic social nature of the community in which they take place. Design/methodology/approach This study analyzed PPWOM conversations in an online community website for new and expectant mothers. Two data collection phases were undertaken during a four-year period. In phase I, messages were collected for a one-month period from five different bulletin boards (i.e. cross-sectional data) and at two points in time (i.e. semi-longitudinal). In phase II, a full longitudinal study was conducted, and the complete text of all messages of a newly formed bulletin board was captured for a nine-month period. The corpus of messages was examined in line with the basic tools of ethnomethodology and conversation analysis. Findings This research developed a typology of PPWOM genres and showed that these genres change over the community lifespan. The findings confirmed that the levels of social cohesiveness and the interaction communicative motives are the main factors that distinguish different PPWOM genres. Research limitations/implications This research has offered a new perspective into the study of PPWOM, and hopefully it will serve as a starting point for a broader dialogue regarding the social context in which PPWOM is exchanged. Originality/value In contrast to traditional word-of-mouth research, this study demonstrated that PPWOM conversations go much beyond the exchange of functional information, and instead serve numerous social and emotional goals.

scholarly journals Knowledge management activities in social enterprises: lessons for small and non-profit firms

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 376-396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria L. Granados ◽  
Souad Mohamed ◽  
Vlatka Hlupic
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Social Environmental ◽  
The Uk

Purpose This paper aims to explore what social enterprises (SEs) in the UK know and how they acquire, convert, apply and protect this knowledge. This will enable them to manage their knowledge effectively and, hence, improve their practices and maximise the creation of social, environmental and economic value. Design/methodology/approach This study follows a qualitative approach, comprising 21 interviews with founders and senior members of SEs in the UK. Findings The results show that the investigated SEs have knowledge management (KM) practices similar to the already identified in SMEs, associated with informality, reliance on external sources and focus on socialisation activities, but they have unique challenges on managing their knowledge related to their hybrid mission, to include social and economic objectives and their closed relationship with stakeholders. Research limitations/implications As there is limited research on KM practices in SEs; they were defined based on previous studies in large, private and public companies. Therefore, not all practices may be included. This research is a starting point in the study of KM in SEs. Practical implications This study identifies knowledge activities that enable the creation of social, environmental and economic value in SEs. This allows SEs, small firms and non-profit organisations to review their current practices and develop plans for their further improvement. Originality/value This paper is one of the first empirical studies exploring KM practices in SEs, highlighting their informal nature as well as their impact in and on the enterprise.

Unsociable speech

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 349-369
Author(s):  
Kristin S. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
Organizational Context ◽  
Critical Dimension ◽  
Experimental Manipulation ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
Personal Experiences ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Cyber incivility is a form of unsociable speech and a common daily workplace stressor. The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of cyber incivility on non-profit leaders in Canada and share an intimate portrait of their personal experiences and perceptions. Design/methodology/approach The study advances our understanding of how qualitative methods can be introduced into the study of a phenomenon which has been broadly examined in a positivist tradition. The paper draws epistemologically and methodologically on a fusion of critical discourse analysis and auto-ethnography to present emic and experiential insights. Findings The findings offer three conceptual contributions: to introduce a novel qualitative method to a dynamic field of study; to advance a critical dimension to our understanding of cyber incivility; and to explore the challenges which emerge when qualitative research must draw largely on positivist, quantitative literature. Additionally, this paper makes three contributions to our understanding of cyber incivility: by introducing organizational context conditions which encourage incivility; by identifying commonalities between incivility and bullying, by challenging the existing taxonomy; and by examining the personal experiences of non-profit leaders in Canada (in operationalized settings). Originality/value Quantitative analysis has been limited to the relationship between supervisor and employee and consisted mostly of cross-sectional self-report designs, online surveys and experimental manipulation in simulated workplace environments. This study serves up a deeper analysis from within organizational environments.

Asian football: how corruption disrupted marketing value in the game’s largest fan market

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 585-614
Author(s):  
Muralee Das ◽  
Susan Myrden
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Behavior ◽  
Corporate Strategy ◽  
Personal Characteristics ◽  
Strong Impact ◽  
Strategic Decisions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Governing Body ◽  
Upper Echelons Theory ◽  
Academic Level ◽  
The Impact

Theoretical basis This case is focused on the allegations of corrupt practices within the strategic leadership at the board level of an international sports organization – the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The theoretical premise is that the practices and decisions of the AFC’s leadership will have a profound impact on the AFC’s performance. However, because the AFC is the continental governing body, the impact is theorized to be far larger, across an entire industry. In writing the case, the authors were guided by upper Echelons theory (UET) (Hambrick and Mason, 1984; Hambrick, 2007; Hambrick et al., 2015), which argues that an organization’s strategic direction is directly influenced by its leader’s values. The authors selected UET for the theoretical framework, as it considered a spectrum of factors from industry, leader characters (values), their choices and the results of their actions. Such a comprehensive theory aligned with the complexities of the AFC and its leadership. In constructing the case roadmap using UET, the authors first adopted an ethnographic methodology. This was motivated by the fact that one of the authors had been embedded for many years as part of the leadership team at the AFC. His career work notes based on direct interactions and observations of these leaders helped in two ways: to identify the complex set of personal characteristics of these leaders (i.e. background, their careers outside football and financial standing) as they originated from 47 different nationalities. UET refers to these as observable factors to better theorize the hidden intentions of their alleged corrupt behaviors. UET identifies this second set of non-observable factors as psychological factors. These two different sets of observations combined helped to theorize their drivers, intentions and strategic decisions (options). For the second methodology, the authors accessed archival, publicly available media news and reports to understand the consequences of their actions to the AFC and the Asian football industry. This completed the final parts of the UET framework (Yamak et al., 2014). Research methodology This case relied on information that was widely reported within international media, press announcements by various organizations, published decisions by tribunals and publicly available information on the AFC. All of the names and positions in this case are actual persons. Case overview/synopsis This case focuses on the role and influence of the AFC as the Asian football governing body. The AFC is a member of the world football governing body – FIFA. With a US$1bn budget, the AFC has a strong impact on the future of football among Asia’s three billion people. Unfortunately, the AFC has been unable to create the value in its sports events or properties that attracts fans and investors. Central to this problem is the issue of corruption and corruption allegations within the AFC, especially with regard to its leadership. This case, therefore, attempts to highlight the various issues, discusses the circumstances around these challenges and brings forth the complexities of leading a truly international organization across 47 countries. Such factors are then tied to the value of the organization’s products or services in the marketplace. Complexity academic level The case is written and designed for a graduate level (MBA) class or an upper level undergraduate class such as corporate strategy, leadership, international management, international marketing, contemporary issues in management, cross-cultural management, sports management and sports marketing. In general, the case will also be a good fit for courses that discuss leadership, organizational strategy, organizational structure, organizational ethics and organizational behavior.

scholarly journals What happens to the physical and psychosocial work environment when activity-based offices are introduced into academia?

2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 230-243 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanne Berthelsen ◽  
Tuija Muhonen ◽  
Susanna Toivanen
Keyword(s):  
Work Environment ◽  
Response Rate ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychosocial Work Environment ◽  
Psychosocial Work ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Cross Sectional Design

PurposeThere is an increased interest for introducing activity-based offices at universities. The purpose of this study is to contribute to the knowledge about the importance of the built environment for the psychosocial work environment within academia by analyzing how staff at a large Swedish university experienced the physical and psychosocial work environment before and after moving to activity-based offices.Design/methodology/approachA Web-based survey was distributed to all employees at two faculties at a university three months before (2015,n= 217, response rate 51 per cent) and nine months after (2016,n= 200, response rate 47 per cent) relocation to a new activity-based university building.FindingsIn the new premises, a vast majority (86 per cent) always occupied the same place when possible, and worked also more often from home. The social community at work had declined and social support from colleagues and supervisors was perceived to have decreased. The participants reported a lower job satisfaction after the relocation and were more likely to seek new jobs. No aspects in the physical or psychosocial work environment were found to have improved after the relocation.Research/limitations implicationsThe study had a two-wave cross-sectional design, which does not allow establishing causal relations.Practical implicationsThere is reason to be cautious about relocation to activity-based offices at universities. The potential savings in costs for premises may lead to may be followed by an increase in other costs. The risk that staff cannot concentrate on their work in activity-based university workplaces and lose their sense of community with colleagues are factors, which in the long run may lead to decreased efficiency, more conflicts and poorer well-being.Originality/valueThis paper contributes with new knowledge concerning changes in the physical and psychosocial work environment when relocating from cell offices to activity-based offices in a university setting.

The force of globalization reshaping the local institutions: evidence from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation member countries

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nahla Samargandi ◽  
Kazi Sohag ◽  
Ali Kutan ◽  
Maha Alandejani
Keyword(s):  
Government Expenditure ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Institutional Setting ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Short Run ◽  
Nonlinear Relation ◽  
Political Globalization

PurposeThe authors reinforce the existing literature on the effect of overall globalization on institutional quality (IQ), while incorporating the effects of economic, political and social aspects of globalization, human capital, government expenditure and population growth. To this end, the authors estimate panel data models for a sample of 36 member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) during 1984–2016.Design/methodology/approachThe authors employ the cross-sectional autoregressive distributed lags (CS-ARDL) approach.FindingsThe study’s investigation affirms the presence of an inverted U-shaped (nonlinear) relation between overall globalization and IQ indexes for the sample countries, which suggests no additional room for improvement in IQ. It also underpins the existence of an inverted-U-shaped (nonlinear) relation between political globalization and IQ. In contrast, economic and social globalizations have a U-shaped relation with IQ, implying more scope for improvement.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings have key policy implications. First, policy makers should consider a long-run approach for improving IQ and globalization over time. Second, quick reforms in the short run may not improve IQ.Practical implicationsThe results suggest that policy makers should approach the globalization process from a long-run perspective as well by designing appropriate strategies to provide a continuous but gradual increase in globalization so as to systematically monitor the threshold limits to IQ from improving globalizationOriginality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this work is the first to empirically investigate the overall role of globalization in promoting IQ under the conditions of short-run heterogeneity and long-run homogeneity. The authors focus on the member countries of the OIC, many of which are ruled by authoritarian regimes and suffer from a poor domestic institutional setting.

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