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Scholars, policymakers, accreditation bodies and industry leaders have called for an increased focus on scholarship that is both relevant and actionable for industry. In pursuance of this goal, many institutional solutions have been proposed. These solutions, however, have largely failed because they do not fully consider the individual and his or her background as significant factors in the choices an academic makes. To address the lack of research on individual academics, the authors conducted a two-part study that identified key issues and tested various hypotheses as to why some scholars choose to pursue actionable scholarship. Their findings show that five scholar-level factors (career stage, tenure, professional qualifications, active industry engagement and alumni affiliation) and one institutional-level factor (business school mission) influence whether or not they are likely to pursue research that is both relevant and actionable for industry.

Large-scale data has become pervasive and is used in different formats, for different purposes, and in different sectors. However, the adoption and utilization of big data is both complex and context sensitive. This study aims to empirically inform our understanding of the driving and constraining factors that are unique to professional team sports in the adoption and utilization of big data. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with practitioners in professional sports teams, who work directly with big data, from the four major leagues in North America. The findings outline five drivers and six constraints that impact the adoption and utilization of big data. The five capabilities are strategic, informational, transactional, transformational, and infrastructural capabilities, and the six constraining factors are top-management support, talent management, organizational learning culture, data integrity, data security, and window dressing. Conceptually, the work extends the Technology-Organization-Environment framework specific to professional sport. Practical implications as well as suggestions for future research are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The debate associated with the qualifications of business school faculty has raged since the 1959 release of the Gordon-Howell and Pierson reports, which encouraged business schools in the USA to enhance their legitimacy by increasing their faculties' doctoral qualifications and scholarly rigor. Today, the legitimacy of specific faculty qualifications remains one of the most discussed topics in management education, attracting the interest of administrators, faculty, and accreditation agencies. Based on new institutional theory and the institutional logics perspective, this paper examines convergence and innovation in business schools through an analysis of faculty hiring criteria. The qualifications examined are academic degree, scholarly publications, teaching experience, and professional experience. Three groups of schools are examined based on type of university, position within a media ranking system, and accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Data are gathered using a content analysis of 441 faculty postings from business schools based in the USA over two time periods. Contrary to claims of global convergence, we find most qualifications still vary by group, even in the mature US market. Moreover, innovative hiring is more likely to be found in non-elite schools.

This study explored the practices and strategies of ambush marketing via social media (SM) during the 2014 Sochi, 2016 Rio, and 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Games. An observational netnography method was adopted to investigate direct industry competitors' (of the Olympic sponsors) use of SM for the purpose of ambush marketing during the 2014, 2016, and 2018 Games. Data were gathered from the official Twitter accounts of 15 direct industry competitors over the three most recent Games. Despite a series of SM guidelines released by IOC for the 2014, 2016, and 2018 Games, the findings showed that the practice of ambush marketing via SM was evident during each of the Games. Direct industry competitors were found employing four specific ambush strategies, namely, associative, values, coattail, and property infringement. Theoretical and practical implications, as well as an impetus for future research, are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relational perspectives have influenced marketing theory and practice over the past 40 years, with a volume of relationship marketing (RM) research accumulating over this time. In sport management specifically, a number of RM research articles have been published since the late 1990s. Although an influx has been seen, a review of said literature informs us that RM is a diverse field with no single best explanation, no clear domain and scope, and no universally accepted definition and that, most particularly, the literature is a melting pot of various concepts. This circumstance creates frustration and confusion among new researchers. Additionally, as strategic communication strategies rely on clear and consistent messaging, it is pivotal to holistically address the issue. Therefore, adopting an integrative literature review approach, this commentary revisits the RM scholarship to present, brings attention to the complex nature of the RM literature, and identifies a point of departure for researchers attempting to find a fitting "home" for their research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored the frame-setting and frame-sending process of media who reported on the 2015 ParticipACTION Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth. Through the use of a case-study method employing a sequential explanatory mixed-methods approach (content analysis followed by semistructured interviews), the findings revealed a high level of frame-sending characteristics by the media, and the framing of stories was found to be influencing the message being sent, making it different from the original messaging sent by public relations practitioners charged with dispersing information. Theoretical and practical contributions are discussed along with suggestions for future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on the marketing literature, as well as the views of both marketing educators and current marketers in Canada, a survey was conducted of marketing practitioners to determine their top priorities for improvement in marketing education, as well as the key challenges in need of attention. An importance-performance analysis was carried out on these data. Findings indicate that the top current priority for practitioners is knowledge related to areas associated with measuring return-on-investment and strategic marketing. Results also support that meta-skills are perceived as high priorities for improvement, including the ability to creatively identify, formulate, and solve problems; the ability to write in a business environment; and the ability to set priorities. Some of the areas identified as lower priority in this study included design-related skills, production, and merchandising. Suggestions for changes to marketing education, future research, and considerations for practitioners are provided. (Contains 11 tables, 1 figure and 1 note.)

This research examines barriers that urban youth face which limit participation in sport. Conceptually, this work distinguishes between three categories of active (participatory) engagement: 1) those that never participated; 2) those that used to participate; 3) those that do participate; and their level of passive engagement. A set of hypotheses for urban youth sport participation incorporating external and intrinsic factors are tested and guided by the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). Based on pre-interviews with urban youth (n = 53), a large-sample survey (n = 3,003) of youth in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver was conducted. Results identified four segments of urban youth participation; a multiple regression analysis supported the TPB as an appropriate lens for understanding urban youth sport participation. The development of segments of urban youth based on sport engagement has implications for managers involved in promoting participation. The article contributes theoretically through the extension of the TPB in the context of urban youth participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Guided by a dynamic capabilities framework, this research explores the National Basketball Association's (NBA) expansion into esports. Based on the input of thirteen sport industry experts, the paper presents research on simulated professional sports (SPS) with a deep investigation of the NBA 2K League (2KL). NBA 2KL is the first esports league in North America that is owned and operated by a traditional professional sports league. Results identify both league and club level outcomes for: 1) learning dynamic capabilities; 2) integrating/coordinating dynamic capabilities; 3) reconfiguring dynamic capabilities. Practical recommendations to the NBA, extended to other professional leagues, are provided. A framework for future research, including questions to be addressed, is outlined based on the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adopting an integrative literature review approach, this study synthesized sport relationship marketing (SRM) articles to gain insight into how relationship marketing in sport-related studies is presently understood, interpreted, and utilized. Informed by two decades of SRM literature, we synthesized our findings into a conceptual model that presents the systematic dimensions of SRM. This model transforms the theoretical contributions of the field's scholars into actionable insights for both scholars and practitioners' use. The work concludes by identifying specific future research to test and refine the proposed SRM model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper extends what is known about place brand to a specific context and a particular type of tourism. Mountain-based adventure tourism and the country of Argentina's place brand are empirically assessed, building on the literature regarding Product Country Image and Tourist Destination Image using an existing integrated approach to these two areas. Argentina was selected as the location for the research due to its geography (including Mount Aconcagua, the highest point in the world outside of the Himalaya), its people, and its position as both the #1 tourist destination and the 2nd largest economy in South America. It is a place with a wealth of cultural attractions and adventure opportunities. This research builds upon previous literature to examine how adventure tourists observe place image constructs versus the views of other tourists, with the goal of improving our understanding of how place images influence the travel decisions of adventure tourists. Surveys were conducted with tourists in the Aconcagua region (n = 263) to test three hypotheses related to whether there are differential place image views and effects for adventure tourists. The hypotheses were supported, empirically validating that adventure tourists are a distinct segment for destinations similar to Argentina and that tourism marketers in these kinds of environments should focus on adventure opportunities as well as the place image dimensions that play a role in adventure tourist travel decisions, which are people character, people competence, country character, and country evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]