Difference In Sports News Coverage

The world of sports has evolved in the last century and in the first decade of the 21st century as a prime source of entertainment. The world has seen greater development in sports as it becomes tougher and more competitive. The reflections of the more serious approach could be seen in media and specifically in sports journalism. The sport based program became the crowd puller of leading television channels in the visual media fraternity. The tougher competition and crave for being unique, redefined the approach of media to sports, collectively sports Journalism.
This study tries to understand the impact of geographic and cultural orientation towards setting the agenda for sports programs in visual media. The study checks the impact of changing audience trends in determining the agenda of sport news .Qualitative and Quantitative research methods have been used to prove the hypothesis.
The world of sports got an enhanced pace and shape during the end of last century and early period of this century. With sports, sports journalism as well has grown over the years. Sports journalism emerged as unique, out of its old status as filler in political and socio political news.
Apart from being a prime source of dynamic entertainment, sport news now became the hot commodity with high demand in heterogeneous audience. Based on the latest trend and the dynamically changing market demands, specifically audience pulse, determine the agenda and strategy of sports news.
Whether the hot sports like cricket and American football are the children of media hype or commercialized news? This study tries to reveal how the agenda of sports news are determined by audience trend and market pulse.
Background
In 1960, the winter Olympics were held in Squaw Valley, California and the media coverage was nowhere close to that of the 2002, Salt Lake winter Olympics. The 2008 — 2009 UEFA Champions League final between Barcelona and Manchester United was the most watched live event on television history beating that year’s Super bowl. This shows the differences in the way sports journalism is active in different countries and regions. This was the first time the Super bowl was defeated by a football match. They promoted the event of the Champions League final as the match between the two best footballers in the world, Leonel Messi and Christiano Ronaldo and also the winner would be declared as the best in the world. One can see how the media uses its tactics and production strategies to promote the event.
The preset target of the producers and advertisers are the decision maker of each sport programs or sports based programs.
In most of the countries it depends with tradition and culture.
America
In America the four major sports are basketball, ice hockey, baseball and their version of football. Most of the sports played in countries apart from North America are mostly the same. The most popular sport in the world is football and not American football. In America any big news relating to any other sports would not be given much importance and even if it is, it will find very little time in the whole sports segment of a news channel.
Britain
Britain claims that they have invented most of the sports that are being played in the modern day. Their way of covering sports is different to that of America; they give all sports almost equal importance. They also focus on the four American sports and give them more coverage than what America gives to others.
India
In India, Cricket gets high coverage and telecast with high importance even in peak hours. Whereas, football or hockey are subsided and limit in the 1/5th portion of the total sports news slot.
People watching the pre and post events of any sporting events more than the event itself. The summer Olympics is an example of this case, the opening and closing ceremony of the event is watched by more people than the Olympics or any part of it. This shows how the media and journalism has changed in a massive way along with the sport itself. The market for sports journalism is by far the most improving and expanding one and the producers and advertisers know this and want to make full use of it for their benefit and the viewers will be shown what they want and not what exactly is happening, the whole thing is to make the event sell and to get the Television Rating Points (TRPs).
It has all become commercialization and deregulation of televised sport. It has become such an important commodity. In America it has always existed as a system emphasizing the entertainment values.
In many European countries it has been a model emphasizing neutrality. With the existence of exclusive sports channels like Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN), Sky Sports, etc. the news channels have to find something different to make their sports segment sell to the public. So, they use different methods of telecasting sports news. Only in sports one can find other interesting details like the lives, hobbies, relationships of the sports personalities and discuss about them in detail.

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There is politics in sports as well and the extra information attracts the people especially women to the sports. The term “Plausibly Live” was coined to describe the production of the 1996 Atlanta summer Olympics. The phrase was used as the broadcasts were not live but could have been. During any event one would get the entire extra detail one any particular team or player as the television crew would be sent to find the information. Then at any time during the show they would give out the information to the viewers. The advertisers now will decide that when there must be a break and how long it must last. Now there will be more cuts in any match as it will create more interest and make the sport much faster and better. The camera angles in modern times are such that they will enhance the event than it actually is. The sport has evolved or it has been made it evolve. That is the whole idea of sports journalism in modern times. To enhance what is there to a level that is more interesting to the viewers than it is, is the way it is in these times.
Research Problem
The study concentrates on the characteristics of sports telecasted by two different news channels and how they telecast and cover sports in their respective countries evaluated against the value of sports journalism. The two news channels are NDTV (New Delhi Television Limited) in India and CNN (Cable News Network) in USA.
The study will be based on, the relation between journalistic values in sports broadcasting, the broadcasting of sports that are prominent in the two countries.
The commercialization of sports and sporting events in broadcast media.
How the changing audience trends determine the agenda of each sports item in the sports news slot.
Geographical and cultural impact on the sports news coverage and character of sports journalism.
Methodology
The methodology for this dissertation would be of two kinds. The first will be quantitative method where there would be the analysis of all the sports segments in both news channels and how they have allocated time and news coverage to each sport and sports personalities.
Every news channel will have its own policies on telecasting any sport and how much to telecast and it will be different for every news channel. NDTV would mostly have more focus on cricket and cricketers more than any other sport.
In quantitative method the time allocated for each sport, e.g. cricket, football, hockey, badminton, etc. is very important. The time given for individuals and other sport personalities in one channel would be analyzed and compared to that of the other news channel. What is the time given for interviews and for news and features would also be analyzed. With this one can see the difference in the way both news channels differ from each other.
The news content in CNN would definitely differ from that of the Indian news channel. As they are in USA they would focus more on the sports that are famous in that part of the world. But the focus is on the news content of CNN in India and whether it would change for the Indian viewers or whether they would try and promote their sports in India. All facts and figures that would come from the analysis of these news channels would be a part of quantitative methodology.
There is also qualitative method where the main criteria for the analysis are the interpretation that comes out from what the news channels telecast. If one news channel gives more emphasis for one sport genuinely or if it gives more emphasis on a sport if a special occasion is there like the world cup, then the interpretation that comes out would be the basis for qualitative method.
Both the methods would be used for this study as it is imperative to know the facts and figures as well as the understanding as to why there is a difference in the way each of the news channels differ in the telecasting of sports news from each other. The analysis and the comparison between these news channels would be essential to determine the difference in policies and the interests of the people in that region, so, both the methodologies are highly essential.
Hypothesis
Indian news is dedicating time for personalized and sensationalized news items than that of news channels.
The language of commentary used by news casters and reporters in Indian news channels are using sensationalized and emotional words than that of US channels.
The visual language of Indian sports news is deliberately generating sensationalism.
Scope and Limitations
The scope for this dissertation is that in the future more studies can be made on more news channels. The study can be vaster as news channels from other countries can also be included. Further research can be done as news channels can be compared to exclusive sports news channels. This will help to learn the difference in cultures, traditions and interests for sports for the people in the various regions of the world.
The limitations to this study is that this study and analysis is only between two news channels, one in India and one in USA. With this it is difficult to analyze the difference between the trends in sports in both countries. By the selection of one news channel in USA one cannot determine the trends and traditions in sports there are that of the whole country. Each news channel will have its own policies and ideas, so, one cannot say that the sports news that they would telecast is the trend of that country and that is their mindset towards sports.
 

Marketing Project Sports Shoes: Reebok

Reebok is an international sports wear brand. It sells sports goods and lifestyle products. It entered the Indian market in the year 1995. When Reebok entered India, fitness was a primitive industry in India. People used to buy branded shoes only for fashion and image. Reebok started educating people about the fitness and by the time Reebok established itself in the Indian market, a significant portion of consumers started buying sports shoes for fitness activities. In year 2006, Adidas acquired Reebok for USD 3.8 billion. In India, Adidas and Reebok have integrated in the year 2011. Reebok India strategy is different from Adidas strategy.

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Market Analysis
The market size for footwear in India is estimated to be about Rs.19,900/- crore. This sector is poised to grow at a rate of 8-10 per cent. . The sportswear industry market size in 2010 was estimated to be Rs. 3,500 crores with a CAGR at 18%.  The footwear category includes formal, semi-formal and sports shoes. It also includes sandals for men and women. 59 per cent of the market is covered by men’s segment, while the rest 41 per cent is covered by the women’s segment.  
The market is dominated by unorganized sector with organized retail having an overall share of 20 per cent. The size of organized retail sector is expected to reach 25-30 per cent by 2015. In the organized footwear sector, exclusive-brand outlets account for over 50 per cent of the footwear market followed by multi-brand outlets at 28 per cent. The overall organized sector is growing with more and more consumers preferring buying footwear from the retail outlets.
The key brands in India for footwear are Nike, Adidas, Reebok, Red Tape, Bata, Liberty, Woodland, M&B, Puma, Converse and Relaxo. Organized retail sports good market is dominated by Reebok at 46 percent. Other major competitors to Reebok are Adidas, Nike, and Puma. The market share of these brands in organized retail is shown in Appendix 1.
India is the only market where Reebok is ahead of both Nike and Adidas. In 2004, Reebok was taken over by Adidas. So, the combined market share of Reebok and Adidas is 67%. Still Adidas and Reebok continue to position their products independent of each other.2
Industry Analysis
PEST Model
Political Factors – India is the world’s largest democracy and has managed to avoid an authoritarian form of government since its inception. The multi-party system of government leads to the formation of coalition governments with regional parties having varied motives with respect to policy formation. In Q1 2012, the central government approved 100% FDI in single brand retail (with 30% goods sourced from Indian SMEs) which means foreign sports shoe retailers can now set shop more easily in India.
Economic Factors – GDP growth rate is estimated at 7.3% for the FY 2012-13, up from 6.8% for the previous year. Inflation rate has fallen to 6.8% as compared to 8.0% last year. The rupee has depreciated to record lows and the country’s high trade and fiscal deficits are pressurizing financial markets. The middle class is rapidly emerging with increase in the no. of DINK households accompanied by an increase in disposable income; this is acting as a driver for the increasing demand for new goods like branded sport shoes. (Source: MISH by NCAER)
Socio-Cultural Factors- In 2010, approximately 39% of the Indian population was in the age group of 20-44.This growing young population drives up demand for branded sports shoes. The country is steadily moving towards a more urbanized setup with a forecasted 32% of population attributed to urban India by 2015. The urban Indian middle class as a whole is slowly moving away from its unhealthy Dalda consuming habits, and is adopting a healthier lifestyle which includes exercising and playing sports.
Technological Factors – The online retail market is growing at an annual rate of 35% helped by increased internet access; added facilities like COD and easy returns by e-tailing websites like Myntra.com make it easier for the consumer to buy online. India is poised to have the third largest no. of internet users in the world by 2013.
Porter’s Five Forces
Bargaining Power of Suppliers: Sport shoes are primarily manufactured from raw materials like leather, rubber, cotton, nylon, polyurethane foam, gel or liquid silicone etc. The manufacturing processes and the shoe design add most of the value to the final product. Therefore, the suppliers have minimum bargaining power.
Bargaining Power of Buyers: Since sports shoes are slowing becoming an essential commodity in the urban population and involve high volume sales, the buyer power of an individual customer decreases considerably. Also, due to the varied categories within the sport shoes segment, there is significant differentiation from brand to brand and model to model in terms of features which increase the no. of suitable products in the market which in turn increases the no. of choices for the customer.
New Entrants: Even though government policy favors entry of new producers, high investment is required both in terms of financial capital as well as technical expertise. Considering the pace at which existing firms introduce new technologies in sports shoes, new firms will have to invest highly in design, R&D and research along with aggressive marketing campaigns to survive in this industry. Also, most sport shoe buyers are brand conscious and will find it difficult to switch to a new brand.
Rivalry Amongst Existing Firms: Large shoe manufacturers targeting the same segment are mutually dependent. Any move by one of these companies will be answered with a similar move by the others. For e.g. Reebok’s expansion of the women’s sport shoes product line pushed other companies to follow suit. The no. of competitors at any time is mostly stable due to the high barriers of entry. The competition is high amongst the existing firms and companies invest heavily in advertising and promotion to capture competitive market share.
Threat of Substitutes: The threat of possible substitutes is moderate to high in the Indian sports shoe industry. A large segment of consumers buy sport shoes for the level of comfort they provide in day to day use, this segment can easily shift to another shoe segment which promises comfort with prolonged wear. Another big threat of substitution is from the counterfeit market, where seemingly identical models are sold for 1/4th the price. This counterfeit market eats into a segment of potential consumers who are brand conscious but are not willing to pay as much for an original when given the option of buying an identical fake.
Major Competitors: Adidas, Nike, Reebok, Puma, Lotto, Spalding, New Balance, Liberty
Potential Competitors: Crocs, Vibram’s five fingers, Sparx
Industry attractiveness
The Indian sports shoe industry is growing at a fast pace which makes it attractive for well-established foreign sports shoe companies. A new company with no brand name and no differentiating factors to bank upon will find it difficult to attain profitability and will be ousted out of the industry by existing larger players. Overall the industry is unattractive for new players with no pre-established brand name (but moderately attractive to foreign players with established brand names.
Critical success factors
Brand name establishment: The brand name and brand strength is very important in the sport shoes industry coupled with the market demand for branded products.
Quality control: Proper quality control is essential for footwear in general and sports shoes specifically, to maintain existing customer base loyalty.
Economies of scope: Sport shoe manufacturers needs to have a diverse product line to cater to various consumer segments, for e.g. running shoes, jogging shoes, basketball shoes, football shoes etc. with various sub segments within these. The fixed costs of setting up a sports shoe manufacturing unit can be spread over the multiple product lines which reduces the fixed cost associated per item and thereby increases profit.
Innovation: Sports shoe companies need to innovate constantly and come up with design and technological changes in shoes which are aimed at improving the consumer experience and performance in an associated sport.
Economies of scale: The cost associated with production of a single item can be reduced by increasing the production. This also acts as a critical competitive factor as the lowest cost manufacturer becomes the cost leader in the industry.
Low Internal Cost: Companies need to minimize their internal costs while maintaining quality. Customers in India are price sensitive and low internal costs can help manufacturers target Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities with lower price range of shoes.
SWOT Analysis
Strengths
First foreign player to change its existing shoe designs to fit the Indian foot better.
1000+ stores across India – highest no. of single brand sports shoe retail stores in the country
Ensured total brand recall by cashing in on the cricket frenzy, associating itself with the ICC world cup 2011, sponsoring the KKR uniform for IPL and getting itself endorsed by M.S Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh.
Price range starts at Rs. 990 which helps it position itself competitively against national players like Liberty in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.
Weaknesses
Almost a fully franchisee based model with very few company owned stores. Franchisees do not know company retail strategies and cut costs on inventory and manpower which negatively affects the brand.
Franchisees currently work on the Minimum Guarantee model which has led to high losses for the company in wake of dipping sales.
“Factory outlets” offering discounts all year round lead to brand dilution
Alleged fraud to the tune of Rs. 870 crore by the ex-CEO and ex-COO in 2012.
Opportunities
Adidas is planning to reposition the Reebok brand in India in 2013.
Change to the Cash and Carry model from the Minimum guarantee model will drastically reduce losses in the near future.
Threats
Reebok was booked for Foreign exchange management act (FEMA) violations in July 2012.
Plan to switch to Cash and Carry model could result in the closing of more than 300 stores.
Research Methodology
Segmenting, Targeting and Positioning:
Segmenting
Reebok has been a market leader for many years in the sports shoes market of India. Reebok has been able to achieve it through its efficient and effective marketing strategies. Reebok used innovative strategies as per the Indian consumer needs and wants of a high quality international brand of shoes. Reebok segmented Indian market on the following parameters:
Geography: Reebok chose to operate on Pan India basis. Within India it segmented locations as per the consumers’ needs. The attribute requirement of the product in one region will be different from the other regions. One of the earlier strategies of Reebok India was to divide the regions as per the postal code. But this strategy backfired as there can be different consumer groups within the same postal code. For example, the Greater Kailash post office in New Delhi is a high income locality but the same post office also includes a mid-level income locality Zamroodpur.
Demographics:
Age – Reebok India has segmented its product range as per the age of the consumers. The requirements attributes like comfort level, design is different for different age groups. The primary focus is on the age group of 21-30 years.
Gender – Initially the Reebok product range in India was primarily for men. It was because when Reebok entered India, the culture of women fitness was not that prevalent. But later it developed a variety of products as per the requirements of the women. Around 30 % of the sales of Reebok India come from the women’s segment.
Income – On the basis of Income, Reebok India has divided the Indian market into lower income level group, mid income level group and high income level group. As per one of the initial Income segmentation strategy of Reebok, it divided the consumers as car owners and non-car owners. But this strategy also backfired because at that time many car users were not the car owners. Either they were using the company car or were using government car. So, it decided to segment the market on the basis of the earnings of the consumers. Now Reebok has product range for the lower income group starting from Rs.990/- and for high end customers ranging around Rs.6000/-.
Psychographic:
Reebok has mainly focused on the lifestyle of the consumers. Reebok had collaborated with an Indian fashion designer to design very high range shoes keeping in mind the high lifestyle of high income consumers.
Benefits Sought:
Reebok shoes has placed itself such as the benefits perceived by the customers are multiple such as Reebok shoes are considered as something which can be useful when doing physical activities like running, gymming, etc. and which can also be used as a casual wear while walking on the street.
Targeting
Based on the segmentation, Reebok has targeted the Indian market on the basis of age, gender and income. It has followed the following targeting strategies:
Income – Reebok India has 10 million customers with annual household income level of Rs.450,000/- and above. The products which Reebok India offers to these customers are mid-priced products. Reebok India has 2 million customers with annual household income of Rs.750,000/- and above. Reebok India offers premium priced products to these customers.
Age Group – Understanding the market need for kids’ sportswear, Reebok India is targeting kids’ sportswear market. It has opened special outlets for kids’ sportswear. In the kid’s segment it is targeting two sub segments – kids in age group 3- 7 years and kids in the age group 7-12 years. In adults segment it is targeting 21+ and 25+ age groups.
Gender – Reebok has wide variety of product range for both men and women. For women, Reebok has introduced products like Easytone and Runtone.  
Positioning:
Since its entry in India, Reebok has positioned itself as a brand associated with fitness. It launched ad campaigns with various tag lines to show itself as a fitness brand. For example with it’s “I am what I am campaign” it celebrated the concept of individuality. This campaign promoted the athlete in a person. It came up with a campaign “Your Move”. This campaign was aimed at positioning Reebok as the brand that celebrates individuality and supports those who choose to do things their way.
The parent company Adidas, is positioning Reebok as a brand associated with making fitness fun and aspirational for everyone – by giving consumers products, experiences and inspiration to be fit for life.
To communicate the new positioning in fitness, Reebok has launched the “Sport of Fitness Has Arrived” Campaign in 2012. Reebok has partnered with the program CrossFit to give customers a new sense of approaching fitness. This partnership will help Reebok to extend beyond its current product and program offering.
Marketing Mix Elements
Product:
In the sports shoes category, Reebok has categorized products in terms of use for men, women and kids. They are usually classified under the categories such as Running, CrossFit, Walking, Basketball, Training and Classics.
Reebok footwear offers shock absorption, ideal for those who run or walk a lot every day. Reebok shoes reduce stress on feet, especially the heels, and direct the energy through the foot to make the walk or run effortless. They offer exceptional fit, traction, and strengthen the leg muscles and calves as one exercise in the gym or just walk around. Reebok shoes offered a broader forefoot, which suited the Indian consumer, in contrast to the other international competitors which offered narrower forefoot.  
There are classic Reebok footwear pieces and funky new designs like the ReeZig and ReeTone which help strengthen leg muscles and calves when one exercise or walk around. Running shoes, Basketball shoes, Tennis shoes for clay, grass and hard courts, Cricket shoes and more Reebok sports shoes are classified by sport. Reebok sports shoes aims for all health, fitness and sport enthusiasts.
Price
Reebok follows penetration pricing models for sports shoes in India as their main aim is to grow in the market. Reebok sports shoes prices start from a competitive Rs.990/- compared to Nike’s Rs.2,000/-. This pricing is maintained so as to reach the small towns and cover most of the SECs.
Premier, RealFlex, Zig-Zag, Run-Tone are EasyTone are the models of Reebok which are priced much higher. These shoes generally come with new and latest technology and are launched at high prices and they follow a maximum market skimming strategy in which they launch the product at a high price and slowly lower the prices to normal prices. Reebok estimates the new buyers of the products and maintains high price to control the demand, earn more profit and communicate to customers the high quality of the brand.
Reebok also has stock clearance sale twice a year from their stores and offers discount on the old stock in their factory outlets. It also offers discounts through vouchers and coupons. The discount sales are seasonal and last for a longer duration compared to other brands.
Place:
Reebok has over 1,000+ exclusive outlets and they operate through a franchise model compared to 650+outlets for Adidas and 300+ outlets for Nike.  Reebok also has presence in other multi brand retail outlets through dealer channels and B2B channels and factory outlets. Reebok has also opened up many exclusive retail outlets especially for men, women and kids respectively in some Tier-I cities.
The franchisees operate under the Minimum Guarantee (MG) basis in which they get fixed returns on investment irrespective of their sales.
As per the company, Reebok is up for a fresh start in India in 2013. The company has decided to reduce the number of franchisees in India by one-third. The company is moving from the present MG model to Cash-and-Carry model, in which the franchisee will have to pay for the products and they would not be given credit on the products.
The previous model had not been very profitable for the company because some of the franchisees were not working hard as they were compensated irrespective of their sales and they were in loss. The franchisees also cut down on man-power and maintenance to reduce cost which affected the brand. Due to this, the company had been effectively subsidizing these stores by the profits made by the other profit making franchisees.
Reebok is also planning to close all the factory outlets to avoid dilution of the brand as these outlets offer discount based on last year’s stock throughout the year. Consumers are motivated to purchase the shoes at the end of season from these outlets at lower prices.
Promotion
Reebok’s marketing strategies varies depending on the campaign plan and the sporting events during the year. Reebok is a well-known brand in India and has a good recall value with its target segment. They have also strategized and offered discounts on many important days like Independence Day, Christmas, regional festival holidays to promote their brand and increase sales.
McCann Erickson Worldgroup India is the new advertising agency for Reebok India. Mostly, Reebok caters to two segments of consumers – performance and fashion conscious consumer.
Reebok has tied up with talented cricketers and actors for celebrity endorsements in India. Mahinder Singh Dhoni, Bipasha Basu and Yuvraj Singh are some of the celebrities who have featured in commercials for Reebok.
Reebok uses various tools such as television commercials, print advertisements, billboards, events sponsorship, digital media and various other tools to create awareness of the product. Some of the promotional campaigns of Reebok are listed below.
TVCs – Ads featuring athletic and non-athletic celebrities are telecasted not only on sports channels such as ESPN, STAR Sports, STAR Cricket, etc. but also on other entertainment channels as it targets the performance as well as fashion conscious consumer. The ad campaigns are usually for their newly launched products and changed from time to time to create brand awareness and promote fitness. (Appendix 2)
Print Ads & Billboards – Consists of ads in newspapers, magazines, billboards, hoardings. These are done usually in national dailies of metro cities edition and Tier-I and Tier-II cities because of their presence there. (Appendix 3)
Sponsorships – Celebrity endorsements by cricketers has helped Reebok to create visibility on bats of several performing batsmen. This gives them an edge over competitors like Nike which has been the official sponsor of the Indian Cricket team and their kit since 2005. BCCI has renewed this sponsorship with Nike for 5 years again in 2011. (Appendix 4) Reebok has sponsored many teams in IPL such as Kolkata Knight Riders and many other sports such as Tennis (sponsor of Indian Team for Davis Cup) and F1-Racing (sponsor of the Force India Team).
Digital Media – www.reebok.com and www.shop4reebok.com are sites which sell the same items as sold in their stores. It helps the consumers know what they want and keeps them informed of new launches. Promotions on social networking sites like Facebook are very popular. Many apps are used to promote Reebok on Facebook. The official page of Reebok on Facebook has over 1.6 million likes. Campaigns like Flex Mob for their new RealFlex model has been successful with over 85,200 uploading their dance clips to create an online flash mob.
Appendix
Appendix 1:
 

Media Coverage of Women’s Sports

Women and Sports
Introduction
Media coverage of sporting activities performs a role in shaping attitudes of the society with regards to women’s sports. This is largely attributed to the thousands of hours or sports recording undertaken by the television network record each year. But for many decades, men’s sports activities have dominated the airwaves (Carlisle et al.). The domineering nature of men’s sports has led to women sports receiving little to no airplay; this is in large parts attributed to the lack of equal coverage between the two genders. A recent survey in the United States affirmed that women sports only received 1.6 percent airplay across all television network as compared to 96.3 percent given to men’s sports. This paper takes the position that the mass media is not doing enough when it comes to encouraging women sports (Messner and Cooky). The lack of adequate media coverage with respect to women sports has dealt a negative impact on the growth of the game. Even after the enactment of the Title IX legislation, women are yet to be treated in the same way as their male counterparts (Www2.ed.gov). The legislations ensure that men and women are treated equally when it comes to any activity that is federally funded, sports included.

Problem definition

Mass media companies don’t accord women the same prominence in their sports segments only relegating a small portion of the airtime. Some of the reasons women get little airtime on mass media companies include:
Sexual Objectification
Female athletes are still targets of being sexualized and objectified by the commentators. Despite the commentator not speaking about the athlete in a sexual manner, the inclusion of visual images of the women diverts attention from what is really important (Tanner). This is not an entirely new phenomenon, in the 1920s women basketball players’ pictures were used to draw the cognitive attention of the male audience to come and watch games. The women were being fitted with short shorts and tight t-shirts. Studies conducted in the United States revealed that women objectification has not changes even in the twenty-first century. The revelation was informed of the fact that most television networks were still portraying women in humorous and sexual as compared to their male counterparts. The objectification of women is further aggravated by the comments made by the sports commentators. Most of the commentators are male, as such they take most of the time to objectify women by putting sexual visuals and making trivial jokes that demean women sports (North).
Gender marking
Another impediment faced by female athletes is the gender marking on their game titles. For instance, when an advert is being put up to announce the finals of the feminine game it is always marked as “Women’s Finals Tournament” (Tanner). This is in contrast to their male counterparts when men are playing there are no gender markers in the advertisements. Most broadcasters and mass media companies assert that they use gender markings to differentiate games that are being played at the same time. For instance, In the United States Tennis opens, all the games are played on the same day and at most times simultaneously. Some mass media companies use visuals that reinforce gender difference in games played (Tanner). For instance, CBS’s coverage of the 1989 NCAA basketball tournaments used the pink color to denote women’s matches while using the blue color to denote men matches. The mass media companies ought to drop the genders markers for women games since it gives the notion that women games are in the “others” category (Tanner).

Cause of the problem

This section highlights the different reasons why women are not accorded the same prominence in the sports segment in all major media houses. Some of these reasons include:
Society
Society is another impediment to women’s sport and also gives mass media an excuse to reduce women sports coverage. Society defines that there are games that are lady-like which women can participate, these games include tennis and golf. But when women attempt to play games that are seen to be masculine in nature, the society shuns them. The main point as to why it is difficult for women to participate in such sporting activities is because it is seen as though they are going against social norms and customs. The stereotype with respect to the types of games women should play can be attributed mostly to media framing. Media framing can be defined as pieces or exhibits a journalist, or a news editor considers to be most important (Shaller). Through media framing, the editors bring about the most important characteristics of a story and highlight them; it is also an opportunity for both the editor and the journalist to stress the most important things they consider to be more important to their audience. The use of this tactic has been detrimental to women’s sports coverage; this is because most journalists and editors emphasis on masculinity as compared to femininity (Shaller). Media framing manipulates the audience’s psychology and makes the audience follow what the editor and journalist are putting across. Media framing one of the reasons why men sports are given prominence over feminine games in mass media. Another critical aspect is male hegemony; this can be defined as the process of male domination in the society. The mass media promotes male hegemonic beliefs when it comes to their domineering tendencies in the sports realm (Shaller).
Commentators
The field of commentators is largely dominated by men. A study of all major sports media companies indicated that there was an increasing incorporation of racial diversity in their news coverage (Messner and Cooky). But there was little progress with respect to women being given archonship positions or commentator positions. Most of the women in the sports scene are not regular anchors and used as auxiliary reporters. Despite the accomplishments that have been made with respect to women’s sports participation, there is still sexual segregation with respect to women holding influential positions on the sports desk. The commentator makes remarks that do not reflect women’s professionalism in sports. For instance, a commentator said, “the new mom Candace Parker leads the Los Angeles Sparks,” this was to reinforce the societal stereotype of women. This segregation ensures that the amounts of women sports feature being aired on these main mass media companies would largely remain the same (Messner and Cooky). As already attested to earlier, having more women on board and in positions of making decisions enable them to cover women feature stories better; as they tend to give their female counterparts better airtime as compared to male reporters in the same field. Racial diversity has not yet been emphasized in with regards to women anchors. The study confirmed that women anchors were still largely white, this means that women from all different ethnic backgrounds need to join. This will ensure that women from all walks of life would be able to participate in sporting activities or develop an interest in watching sports feature, this will mirror the accomplishments that have been done by their male counterparts (Messner and Cooky).
Gatekeeping
A study performed in America showed that mass media companies with female reporters as editors tend to shed positive light to women’s sports. The coverage was seen to be more positive with regard to the progress women have made since the introduction of the Title IX amendment. Despite these the positive indicators, the survey also affirmed that female reporters did not offers equitable coverage to women’s sports as their male counterparts (Kian and Hardin). But women reporters were apt to giving women athletes airtime as compared to their male counterparts. The study also confirmed that when an editor wanted a women’s sport story to be aired, he/she would assign the story to a female reporter; but this assignment is largely considered as trivial as compared to male sports (Kian and Hardin). The study also expounded on the decision-making process editors embroil in when trying to make a story coverage assignment; these factors include work routine, expectation of readers, organizational demand and also the editor’s attitudes and biases with respect to the a women’s sports. All these factors encourage editors to further neglect and put aside women sports in their coverage features (Kian and Hardin).

The effects of seclusion

The constant neglecting of women in sports has an effect on consumer utilizing the mass media. It impairs their psychology in that they become bias with respect to what games they can watch and which ones not to. These effects can be explained through:
Cultivation theory
This theory explores the impact the comments made by sports commentators have on their audience (Tanner). This theory is highly applicable to those members of society that are considered to be big consumers of television content. The way these individuals experience the real world would be greatly influenced by the content they have been exposed to while they watched television. The act of cultivation occurs by the continuous accrual of images and voices they pick up while watching television; these pictures and stories that have accrued over time will thus have the ability to skew an individual to be biased against a particular social issue. With respect to sports, people are exposed to sporting actions most of the time during the day; this means they collect images and stories from commentators and store them in their minds. Most of the time, people are exposed to information that does not accurately portray the real image of female athletes. Some of the stories are exposed to suggest women to be sexual objects and does not highlight their competencies as athletes. The continuous accumulation of negative portrayal of women in sport greatly impacts the ability of the audience to be objective when it comes to female athletes; in the end, they dismiss media coverage of women games (Tanner).

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Another effect of cultivation theory is the mainstreaming notion. With respect to mainstreaming, heavy consumers of television content are not affected by the gains made by women in the fields of sports. The events happening in social realities have little impact in influencing these types of individuals; factors like politics, regional differences do not resonate with their belief systems (Tanner). Over the decades, women’s participation in sporting activities has increased. But heavy television users are most time oblivious to these facts while watching television (Tanner). They hold the notion that women are sexual beings and are emotional but do not appreciate their prowess when it comes to sporting actions. These types of individuals also believe that women sports are still second tier as compared to men’s sports; this is further encouraged by the use of gender markers while advertising the sporting actions that are going on. Such individuals in society will always view women as sexual objects first before considering them as competent athletes (Tanner).
Advertisement revenue
Studies indicate that there is a vested interest when it comes to sports journalism. Male athletes are considered to produce the highest turnover with respect to sponsorships, advertisement revenues, and television viewership. In retrospect, mass media companies will gravitate toward covering stories that would culminate in them getting more advertisement revenues. The stories are designed to draw male viewers and increase the advertisement revenues from companies that advertise products while the sports news are commencing. This form of bias against women’s sport relegates women to waiting until the Olympics when they receive considerably better media coverage. In advertising, male athletes are usually chosen (Jones). The reason is because they are more recognized all over the world; this, in essence, means that the advertisement revenue would be higher as compared to when female athletes are on the magazine. Due to the low recognition of women as compared to their male counterparts, media companies are skewed to favor male sports as compared to women’s sports due to the advertisement revenue generated. In most magazines in the United States, men get almost 13 times more photographs in newspapers and sports journals as compared to women athletes (Jones).
Agenda Building
Through agenda building, mass media conglomerates advertise events they believe are important and the audience should be waiting for (Tanner). This is done by carefully choreographic what events to give airtime to and what not to. As already asserted in the earlier, they do this because they have vested interest in the game. By giving prominence to a particular game and neglect, other sends out a message to the audience that some games are far important as compared to the others. This is what happens to women’s games. The media corporations ensure that they give a lot of airplay to games like Nation Football League as compared to women’s soccer (Tanner). This undoubtedly tells the audience that women sports are second tier to men’s games, the corporations also stand to make a lot of income with respect to advertisement that would be brought to them when they will start airing the games. Another factor that leads to poor advertisements for women’s games is the general lack of interest from viewers. The mass media conglomerates assert that the production of women’s events is below average (Kane). The producers of such events do poorly with respect camera work and graphics editing; the combination of these factors renders women’s events as less attractive to the majorly male dominated viewership. They also assert that some features in men’s games are missing, features like slow motion and broadcasting prowess that is in tandem with men’s games (Tanner). Another factor that diminishes the position of women’s sports in media conglomerates is the fact that men are present in all levels of management; this means that they have a say with respect to what stories to highlight and how the stories are going to be shown. Male dominance ensures that all male sporting events are flashier and more glamorous as compared to women’s sporting events (Tanner).

Possible solution

For the mass media companies to make positive change with regard to women sports they need to hire more women. As already cited previously, when women are given the opportunity to interview athlete, they stand a better chance of giving fellow women more airtime as compared to their male counterparts (Kian and Hardin). The second possible solution is the media companies changing their agenda-setting strategies. As mentioned earlier, media companies turn viewers focus towards men’s games, it would be fruitful if the same tenacity is provided towards women sports. This will ensure that more fans gravitate towards women’s sports. These companies ought to invest the same amount of technology with respect to graphics like the ones in men’s sports. It has been cited that people dislike women’s sports due to poor graphics and lack of glamor. If this equipment is put in place, the game stands a better chance to gain more following both locally and abroad. Media companies ought to hire more women commentators who should work alongside their male counterparts (Messner and Cooky). Women commentators will ensure that the use of derogatory phrases and sexually objectifying visuals while depicting female athletes (Kian and Hardin).
Another front to improve women sports is the disbandment of gender makers in games. This phenomenon has been cited to relegate women’s games to the “others” category. The disbandment of gender makers would shed a positive light on women’s sports and make people more willing to watch the games. Finally, media companies have to use media framing in equal proportions; previously it has been used to incline audiences to watch male games as compared to female games. With positive media framing to women’s games, the audience’s psychology towards women’s games would be changed to a less bias one (Shaller).

Conclusion

Since the enactment of the Title IX act, women have made incredible strides in bringing their sports to the mainstream media. The act ensured that everyone participating in any form of sport funded by the federal government should not be discriminated against with reference to gender or race. But there is a considerable amount of resistance from the mass media companies. In tandem with other factors such as the objectification of women as sexual beings rather than considering their athletic prowess are major roadblocks. It is important and necessary that the media organizations put equal emphasis on the way the share out airtime. The media framing used for the men should also be used to women; this will ensure that the public perception of women’s games is gradually changed. This will ensure that the stereotype associated with women in sports is dispensed with, and a culture of professionalism is cultivated. Commentators are also supposed to refrain from making comments that are deemed derogatory to women in sports and also refrain from using visuals that don’t represent the professionalism of women participating in sports.
References
Bernstein, Alina, and Neil Blain. “Sport and the media: The emergence of a major research field.”Sport in Society5.3 (2002): 1-30.
Carlisle, Margaret Duncan et al. ‘Gender Stereotyping In Televised Sports – LA84 Foundation’. LA84 Foundation. N.p., 2015. Web. 28 May 2015.
Cooky, Cheryl, Michael A. Messner, and Robin H. Hextrum. “Women Play Sport, But Not on TV A Longitudinal Study of Televised News Media.”Communication & Sport1.3 (2013): 203-230.
Hanson, Valarie. “The Inequality of Sport: WomenJones, Dianne. “Women’s sports coverage: online images of the 2008 Olympic Games.”Australian Journalism Review32.2 (2010): 89-102.
Kane, Mary Jo. “Media coverage of the female athlete before, during, and after Title IX: Sports Illustrated revisited.”Journal of sport management2.2 (1988): 87-99.
Kian, E. M., and Marie Hardin. “Framing of sport coverage based on the sex of sports writers: Female journalists counter the traditional gendering of media coverage.”International Journal of Sport Communication2.2 (2009): 185-204.
North, Louise. “The gendered world of sports reporting in the Australian print media.”JOMEC journal(2012).
Messner, Michael A., and Cherly Cooky. “Gender in Televised Sports.”Center for Feminist Research(2010).
Tamir, Ilan, and Yair Galily. “Women’s Sports Coverage in Israel: Perception Versus Reality.”International Journal of Sport Communication3.1 (2010): 92-112.
Shaller, Jessica. “Female athletes in the media: Under representation and inadequacy.”Undergraduate Review: a Journal of Undergraduate Student Research8.1 (2013): 50-55.
Tanner, Wendy. “Marginalization and Trivialization of Female Athletes and Women’s Sports through Commentator Discourse A Study of ESPN’s SportsCenter.” (2011).
Women’s Sports Foundation,. ‘Women’s Sports Foundation’. N.p., 2015. Web. 28 May 2015.
Www2.ed.gov,. ‘Title IX And Sex Discrimination’. N.p., 2015. Web. 28 May 2015.
 

Sports Direct SWOT and Organisational Analysis

Introduction
In the evolving
market today, it is necessary for an organization to be unique if it desires
sustainability. It is important for an organization to develop such missions
and policies which assist in the progression of an organization and to bring their
theories into practice (Gottlieb, 2007). The most effective way to do that is by
implementing methods that aim to bring change. The report is focused on what
strategies are adapted by an organization for the live up to its requirements
and accomplish its missions. The organization which is enlightened in this
report is the SportDirect.com, this British sports goods Retailer was
established in 1982 by Michael James Wallace commonly known as Mike.

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The report
highlights the concepts of transferable skills and how they are important to be
implemented for the fulfilment of organization’s missions. Furthermore, the
report is based on the values, mission statement, strategies and aims and
objectives of the organization SportsDirect.com. The company is currently
operating worldwide and has 670 store across the globe, 470 of which are only operating
in the UK. The clothes and accessories that the company trades and offers are
all related to sports. The report also focuses on the customer expectations
regarding this organization and what role do the employees play in it.
Literature Review
According to
Gottlieb (2006) the steps that can help an organization to evolve and add value
to their products is by planning the goals that are to be achieved, plan out
the target market, engage with the known and unknown people for the recognition
of brand, create plans and strategies to implement and by supervising progress
and upholding the relations with stakeholders. It must be the core strategy of
an organization to add value to their products which can be done by being in
good terms with the community (Barnes, 2001). It is believed by Gottlieb and
Panepento (2008) that when an organization is motivated to achieve its targets,
it strives to make its vision and mission statement strong and is able to do
more with less when faced with the hard times.
Customer Analysis
Customer
identification is very important for a business. By identifying who are their
customers, a company can easily then advertises their products accordingly.
With the help of knowing their targeted people, Sportsdirect.com can be able to
only channel their products to them. Selling sports gear and items such as
trainers for runners shows that their target customers will be people either
into sportswear, sports, health and fitness as well as casual wear.
The chief focus
of an organization must be to satisfy its customer’s need and to find out
different ways to attract the customers (Zeithaml et al., 2006). The company SportsDirect.com has never been much
able to fulfil the desires of its customers. Providing best customer services
has never been the focus of the company. The employees there look just as
confused as the customers. The company has lack of order in the workplace which
does not satisfy the people as they come to shop for the relaxation of mind and
to get what they desire but after taking in the disturbed service it all goes
away (Wallop, 2015). It has also been in the lists of complaints by the customers
that there wasn’t even any a place to sit in the shoe area making everyone
think how to try the trainers they want? (Portas, 2013)
Apart from all
these issues that the Sports Direct possesses, the main thing that satisfies
the customers at maximum and makes them ignore all the negative parts is that
the company offers the expensive brands in lowest possible price which is satisfactory
for the customers. According to Ojasalo (2001) managing of customer’s
expectations in the professional area is the main duty of the workers and it is
the main task of the managers to spread awareness regarding customer
satisfaction in the workplace.
SWOT Analysis
The SWOT analysis is used to thoroughly detect the strengths, opportunities, weaknesses and threats to determine the situation of an organization. By this internal analysis the company can focus on its internal operations and functions and come up with new ideas to progress.
Strengths 
The strengths of
the company Sports Direct include the wide network of stores all over the
world. It is a liable brand which has been operating over decades. The company
has tied up with the most famous brands as Adidas, Reebok and Nike which is one
of a solid strength. The staff in Sports Direct tends to stay put with the
organization because the get paid with high bonuses and gets additional
benefit.  
Weaknesses
The slow growth
in market share is one of the most notable weakness of the company. The company
has always been working in low profit margins which can have a great effect on
the future profitability. The lack of customer dealing skills in workers within
the organization is also a potential weakness by which an organization can face
great loss in profitability and competitive advantage. 
Opportunities
The company
tends to acquire brands across Europe which is a great opportunity in order to
reach more customers. The increasing economic problems in Europe provide an
opportunity to Sports Direct to lay its foundation in Western and Eastern
Europe. It is chiefly important for the brand to expand because the stores in
UK have been settled for over decades which gives it a broad opportunity to
reach out for more customers in different countries and attract the brand
conscious customers so that the company can be stable and sustained. 
Threats
The functioning
of the company can be affected by the continuously fluctuating policies in
Europe. The evolution in technology is also causing problems for the company
and more advancement in it can be a potential threat for the company. If
advanced technology is used by the rivals of Sports Direct, it can be a great
threat to its progress.
Employee Roles and Responsibilities
The employees
roles and responsibilities matters the most for the functioning of an
organization. The moods and expectations of the customers depend upon the
attitudes of the employees. If the employees work responsibly with the role
they are allocated with then there would be lesser problems relating to
customers in the workplace. The employees in Sports Direct are famous for their
confused behavior, though the customers are attracted to the cheaper prices of
the desired brands but also get disappointed by the employee behavior towards
them. The company provides flexible working hours to the employees. The Sports
Direct has been striving to change the policies related to employment. It is
important to recognize the needs of the employees so that they can concentrate
more on their roles and responsibilities towards the company.
Training and Development programs in organizations
Training and
development programs provide opportunities to the organizations to train the
minds of employees according to their targets and missions (Noe, 2002). If the
employees are trained according to the intensity of desired goals of the
organization they can live up to the expectations of the organization and this
can result in better performance. Most of the employees that apply to work in
organizations aren’t much aware of what the organization is targeting at, the
fresh and young employees lack workplace skills which are important to be
delivered to them. By the help of training and development programs the company
can bring each and every employee to the same level of intellect.
The idea of
training and development in an organization shows the workers that they are
valuable which motivates them to participate actively in these programs
consequently creating workplace a better environment to work in (Noe, 2002).
Staff members should have exposure the information related to the safety,
administration etc. When a training program is properly structured it helps an
organization to operate comprehensively (Jehanzeb and Bashir, 2013). The
workers in an organization must be treated as valuable assets and the managers
must know how to deal with them and take the required work from them. Thus, the
training and development programs have a great value towards organizations
which the company must invest in.
Customer Service Assistant
The primary
point of interaction between the customers and the firm is through the customer
service assistant. The first person that the customer communicates and gets
interacted is the customer service assistant which gives out information about
the brands on sale by the company. The customers approach these assistants in
order to get advices, information relating the brands and products, to complain
or return any purchased item. This job is done in person, online or by
telephonic contact.
The customer
service assistants provide online help to the customers who demand it while
making purchases. The main role of this job is to handle the complaints by the
customers it is a great responsibility to thoroughly go through the complaints
and try to resolve it or transfer it to the responsible area. It is important
the customer service assistant listens to the issues calmly and don’t react in
a harsh way either on phone, online or in face as a bad behavior can be an
element of destruction for the company’s image and reputation. In Sports
Direct, the role and duty of the customer service assistant is quite hard, they
are ought to carry out a lot of work because the managers there are quite
skilled and knows how to make employees work (Wallop, 2015). Though the customer’s
assistants of this company have observed to be as confused as the customers but
they do have patience and politeness in their attitudes (Portas, 2013). In some
companies it is important to note down and make a report of the very own
activities performed all day, this helps in the supervising of both the person
on job and the progress of the company.
The skills that
are required to be a good customer service assistant includes being polite with
the customers, being capable of handling the sudden situations and ability
resolving issues rapidly so that the customers don’t have to wait. Further, the
person must be aware of the information technology and administrative skills in
order to carry out the tasks which are to be done using online services. Also,
the person has to be attentive and have good customer service skills.
Recommendation
Further are the
recommendations for the company to focus on in order to address the weaknesses
and threats. By focusing on the recommendations Sports Direct can easily gain
competitive advantage. Firstly, the company must focus on the training and development
programs and invest in this area in order to deliver the aims and targets of
the company to the employees so that each of them would have similar skills and
can deliver efficient work. Secondly, the company must focus upon expanding
more outside the Europe due to the increasing issues in its economy the company
is facing loss in market share. Furthermore, the company must consider
increasing the wages of the customer’s service assistants so that they would be
motivated to work hard and strive for the progression of the company. It is
also necessary for the company to arrange sitting areas in the shoe department
in most of the stores so that people would not complain about the absence of
place to sit and try shoes on.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the company must thrive to overcome its weaknesses and threats in order to rise as an exceptional brand. Sports Direct must establish itself and evaluate exceptional strategies address the issues in the workplace. If the company focuses on the training and develop program more it can acquire sustainability. The stability for the company lies within the strategies it implements for its success. Thus, the theories and policies of the company must be brought to practice so that this could result in excess profitability and be a way to achieve competitive advantage as well. Sports Direct can achieve its motives by focusing on the recommended ideas.
References
Barnes,
J.G., 2001. Secrets of customer
relationship management: It’s all about how you make them feel. McGraw-Hill
Companies.Gottlieb,
H. and Panepento, P., 2008. Doing More With Less in Hard Times. The Chronicle of PhilanthropyGottlieb,
H., 2003. Founders’ Syndrome? Who Me. Internet:
http://www. help4nonprofits. com/NP_Bd_FoundersSyndrome_Art. htm, 7, p.2009.Gottlieb,
H., 2006. Introduction to community engagement. Community-Driven Institute Library.Gottlieb,
H., 2007. 3 statements that can change the world: mission/vision/values. 3 Statements That Can Change the
World: Mission/Vision/Values.Jehanzeb,
K. and Bashir, N.A., 2013. Training and development program and its benefits to
employee and organization: A conceptual study. Training and Development, 5(2).Noe,
R.A., 2002. Employee training and development.Ojasalo,
J., 2001. Managing customer expectations in professional services. Managing Service Quality: An
International Journal, 11(3),
pp.200-212.Portas.
M. 2013. Mary Portas visits Sports Direct. [ONLINE] Available
at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/journalists/mary-portas/9987818/Mary-Portas-visits-Sports-Direct.html. [Accessed 29 March 2017].Ulrich,
D., 2013. Human resource
champions: The next agenda for adding value and delivering results. Harvard
Business Press.Wallop.
H. 2015. The Secrets of Sports Direct review: along with cheap
trainers, Sports Direct is also known for its giant mugs – the customers.
[ONLINE] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/apr/28/the-secrets-of-sports-direct-review. [Accessed 29 March 2017].Zeithaml,
V.A., Bitner, M.J. and Gremler, D.D., 2006. Services marketing: Integrating
customer focus across the firm.
 

Gender Analysis of Sports Presenters

CHAPTER 5
DISCUSSION
The mindset of public towards the gender roles in sports
Based on the findings in Chapter 4, the mindset of public in Kuala Lumpur towards the gender roles in sports is more open-minded in general. This means that the public in Kuala Lumpur believed that sports are not only males’ roles but it could be belonged to females too. However, there is only Gunther et al.’s (2011) study to support that the mindset of the public towards gender roles in sports is generally open-minded.

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From the findings, it is shown that the mindset of public disagreed that females are less knowledgeable and less competitive in sports as compare to males. This is supported by the study of Gunther et al. (2011), whereby the results shown that the public do not agree that females are less knowledgeable than males in sports. However, the findings of this study is contrasted by the study by Short (2012), in which it was mentioned that female sports broadcasters were seen as less competent and less knowledgeable in sports which showed contrast with the results of this study. In an interview, Kremer (2011) also mentioned that public often criticized that women do not know about sports, which also contradicted with the findings of this study.
Although the mindset of public in Kuala Lumpur is open-minded, they believed males are the dominants and males are stronger in sports. This is supported by the outcome in the study of Centre for Gender Equality in Iceland (2006), which has clearly stated that sports have practically predominated by males or to say the attention is traditionally focused on males. Besides, the public in Kuala Lumpur also agreed that females show less interest in sports as compared to males. It is supported by the statement in Shine’s (2013) article where women are perceived as not interested and do not have the skills in sports. This could be because gender discrimination in sports has not been eliminated, which caused females not reaching a certain status in the public’s eye.
In sum, the knowledge and the competency level of females in sports are not criticized in terms of their sex; however, males are still perceived as stronger and the dominants in sports.
The reasons of males dominate in sports profession
As the public perceived males are the dominants in sports profession, some reasons have been find out in this research. Based on the findings in this research, the reason of males dominates in sports profession is highly because males are biologically stronger than females. This is supported by the study conducted by Paulas (2013) where males are biologically stronger because of the structure of their body which differs from women. The research by Centre for Gender Equality in Iceland (2006) stated that biological nature is part of the consideration for males and females in participating sports. As sports emphasize a lot on physical strengths, females might be physically incompetent to participate in some sports because they are weak in strength. Toro and Sargent (2013) also concluded that males have the muscularity and superiority in sports because they run faster and jump faster than females. Males are overall more superior in sports.
The public in Kuala Lumpur think that traditional gender roles are another major reason which leads to domination of males in sports profession. McMahon (2011) had given a statement that the nature of sports is masculine which is hardly related to feminine. Thus, this could be the reason that the public in Kuala Lumpur perceived sports as males’ gender roles. According to the research by Centre for Gender Equality in Iceland (2006), males have traditionally practiced to predominant in sports while females are not.
In contrast, the public in Kuala Lumpur showed very slightly disagreed-to-neutral that sports show masculinity is the reason of males dominate in sports profession. According to Wilde’s study in 2007, sports are traditionally associated with males, masculinity and mainly dominated by the males. In the eyes of the public in Kuala Lumpur, sports maybe show masculinity, but that is not really a reason of why males dominate in sports profession.
Moreover, the public in Kuala Lumpur does not perceive males as more superior in sports. In other words, both females and males are equal in sports. In the study of Paulas (2013), an argument has been raised up by saying that men are better than women in playing sports, which relates to the inherent biological features. However, females can be as skillful as males do because one’s skillfulness is related to how much instruction has taught to one in playing sports. In Grahame’s (2012) article also mentioned that, the biological differences in males’ body have made them more superior in most of the sports which differs from the opinion of the public in Kuala Lumpur.
Besides, the public in Kuala Lumpur disagreed that the reason of males dominating in sports profession is because females are discourage to play sports. It is supported by Swanson (2009) where more females are encouraged to play sports after the enactment of Title IX in 1972 as compared to the past. 2012 Olympic Games, the women athletes have almost equal number as men and the ratio for athletes now is 50:50 male-female ratios (Gee, 2013). As Olympic Games is a worldwide sports, this could mean that females nowadays are encouraged to play sports universally.
Furthermore, sports are not mainly designed for males in the view of the public in Kuala Lumpur. However, in the study by Paulas (2013), he found out that sports were designed for men at the first place. Sports such as basketball, football and baseball were created during the era where women were expected to stay in the kitchen and take care of the family. Sports were designed particularly based on males’ strengths and advantages where females can hardly beat males.
As for most, the public in Kuala Lumpur do not believe that females are not competent in sports is the reason which caused males dominate in sports profession. Baiocchi-Wagner and Behm-Morawitz (2010) cited in their study that the public might be wrongly accused that females are less competent than males because males are better in playing sports. Also, Short (2012) also mentioned that women were seen as weak and less competent as compare to men which is not proven to be the truth. As nowadays more and more females started to step into sports profession, in which has proven that they are competent to compete with males in sports.
Based on the open-ended data provided, the public perceived males are the dominant in sports because it is men’s interest. They are more passionate, enthusiast and willing to contribute their time in playing sports. In contrast, females do not like sports because they do not like to be exposed to the sun and sports are dirty and sweaty for them. In previous studies, it is shown that males show higher interest in participating, watching, and excelling in sports (Deaner et al., 2012). It concludes that males are more motivated to involve sports related activities which lead to the dominance of males in sports.
An interesting reason that is concluded in the findings of this research is social and media influence. The preference of the social and media plays an important role in influencing the dominance of males in sports profession. The media coverage is more likely to focus on men’s sports than women’s sports. According to the study by Centre for Gender Equality in Iceland (2006), women’s sports are often treated as less important than men’s sports in media coverage. As a result, the public is able to be exposed to men’s sports more than women’s sports and to see males in sports has become a social expectation. In the study by Deaner et al. (2012) it was stated that sports interest is influenced by the societal gender roles, peers pressure, parents and so on. Thus, males will be more interested in participating sports while females have the social pressure to eschew sports.
In the opinion of the public in Kuala Lumpur, education and parents’ influence also could be a reason of why males dominate in sports profession. As in the report by Garner (2012) stated that girls were being put off in Physical Education (PE) lesson because they have negative experience in participating PE such as being labeled as tomboy or unfeminine. Wetton et al. (2013) mentioned that the schools that favored boys’ sports activities have discourage girls’ attendance in participating sports. Other than that, parents do hold an important role in encouraging their children to involve in sports (Quinton, 2013). In the study by Wetton et al. (2013), the family background of the children and stereotypical view of parents do influenced children’s decision to not take part in sports. As the traditional mindset of gender roles in sports, parents might be more supportive for their sons to participate in sports but not for their daughters. Thus, there are more males involving themselves in sports than females due to the education and parents’ influence, in which has caused the dominance of males in sports profession.
The level of opportunity of females to become sports broadcasters
As concluded from the total scores of the level of opportunity for females to become sports broadcasters, the public in Kuala Lumpur believed that females have slightly high opportunity to become sports broadcasters. This has supported by Shine (2013) by saying that some organizations have started to hire talented female sports broadcasters because females can bring aspiring changes in sports broadcasting field.
The public in Kuala Lumpur think that the opportunity is now given to females and females should be given equal opportunity to become sports broadcasters as males do. However, in the studies of Gunther et al. (2011) and Short (2012) showed that there are still inequalities in sports broadcasting field and this industry is lagging in creating equal opportunities for both males and females in becoming sports broadcasters. Although both of these studies are carried out in United States and England, but the public in Kuala Lumpur might be influenced by these leading countries.
Besides, from the findings, it is shown that the public in Kuala Lumpur agreed that the opportunity for females on becoming sports broadcasters should be based on qualifications and skills rather than physical appearance. However, in the study of Gunther et al. (2011) found out that many stations are hiring attractive women regardless of their qualifications and skills just simply to retain their broadcasting license.
The public acceptance of female sports broadcasters
Moreover, this study has found out that the level of public acceptance of female sports broadcasters in Kuala Lumpur is high. The public did not particularly favored female or male sports broadcasters because they believed professionalism and knowledge of a sports broadcaster are important than one’s gender. Even for those major sports or male-dominated sports such as basketball and football, they do not think that only male sports broadcasters are good in reporting it. However, it is not supported by Shine (2013), where stated in her research that even though females are knowledgeable in male-dominated sports, the public will perceive females as do not have the skills to cover male-dominated sports. As in the study by Baiocchi-Wagner and Behm-Morawitz (2010) stated that women need to prove themselves twice to the public that they are worth as sports broadcasters. This has reflected that the acceptance of female in sports broadcasting field is very low.
Many of the researchers have found out that the acceptance of female sports broadcasters were remaining low which contradict with this study. According to Futterman (2011), it has taken a long time for female sports broadcasters to be only partially accepted by the public. As long as gender discrimination and harassment still occurred, the acceptance of female in sports broadcasting will still low (Ebel, 2012). As time goes by, the difficulties or barriers for females have reduced, but the perception of the public on female sports broadcasters is stubbornly unchanged (Starphoenix, 2008).
 

Issues of Discrimination in Sports

There are many different aspects that define the culture of a group of people. Whether it is the food or the music or the traditions, every single person in this world lives based on the culture that surrounds them. One vital part of a culture is sports. Games are a source of revenue, income, careers and entertainment. They create bonds between people who would otherwise have nothing in common, whether fans, athletes or administrators. A chance of healthy competition between individuals of a society is the basis for the games in which a select few participate and millions watch. Especially for the population of the United States, sports are so ingrained into the culture that it would be hard to imagine a country without them.

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Sports have been praised for their ability to be a melting pot (Lumpkin), an idea easily understood by the United States, which holds the same nickname. They are considered to be the “great equalizer” because more attention is given to the abilities of a person than to who they actually are (Humara). Most people believe that sports provide equal opportunities for both majorities and minorities alike (Kahn). But what if this is not true? Just as minorities are discriminated against in everyday society, there is speculation and debate that discrimination occurs in sporting institutes as well.
Economists and the general public have become more interested in the issue of discrimination against minorities in professional sports (Kahn). This topic is easily pursued and assessed considering statistics are readily available for the public, such as the gender, age, race, ethnicity and salary of players in professional sports such as baseball, football and basketball (Kahn). A growing number of sports sociologists are focusing on these inequalities and trying to discover if there is an actual problem and if so how it can be corrected (Eisen 127).
The general issue of discrimination in institutions was addressed by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This article prohibits employment discrimination based on “race, color, religion, sex and national origin” (Hanna). Some people argue that there is still evidence of racial discrimination in sports today, though. Despite laws, the situation becomes sticky when it comes to racial discrimination. Is it really possible to prove that someone was not hired based on their race? In some cases, yes, but in others, no. The government cannot force people to hire certain candidates, but their ability to punish institutions for denying a position to a candidate based on race is limited (Hanna).
Within the institution of sports, there are several ways that a person can be discriminated against, such as during the hiring process, what position he or she is allocated, or how much he or she is paid in salary (Kahn). Discrimination can come from employers, coworkers, customers, and people who hold prominent positions such as sportscasters, Hall-of-Fame selection committees, sports executives and franchise owners (Leonard). Discrimination not only affects if someone is able to be a part of a team, but how they are treated while on that team.
Minorities are said to experience discrimination during the hiring process simply based on their origin and the fact that those in decision-making positions are more inclined to hire those who are similar to themselves. Since several administrators are white males, they are more likely to hire white males when given the chose between several well-qualified candidates. Those who are hired could possibly experience discrimination through the allocation of their positions; minorities may be given less-prominent leadership and critical-thinking positions such as pitchers and quarterbacks (Kahn). Salary is a difficult area to determine discrimination due to the fact that numbers may be biased, figures may be omitted, players perform different positions at different skill levels, veterans are paid more than rookies, and contracts may differ based on the number of years and the salary to be paid (Kahn). Customers may show their own form of discrimination by refusing to attend games or purchase certain merchandise, as well as racial slurs said during taunting or trash talking (Lumpkin).
The three sports that are voted as the most popular in the United States are baseball, basketball and football. These three only offer a handful of positions: 737 in Major League Baseball (MLB), 245 in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and 1400 in the National Football League (NFL) (Eisen 230). The chances of someone securing a position on a team in these institutions is miniscule, with four out of every 100,000 Caucasians, two out of every 100,000 African Americans and three out of every 100,000 Hispanics successfully doing so (Egendorf 95).
Professional sports organizations are required to submit a Racial and Gender Report Card to “assess the hiring practices of women and people of color” in each organization. These assessments ensure that minorities are justly represented in such prominent organizations by considering the composition of the players, coaches and administration. For example, if African-Americans represent twenty-four percent of the population then twenty-four percent of the positions held in a sports organization must be held by African-Americans. In the 2010 Racial and Gender Report Cards, the MLB, NBA and NFL each scored an “A” in racial hiring practices, with the MLB and NFL improving from an “A-” and the NBA dropping from an “A+” in 2009 (“CBA”).
The color barrier in baseball was broken by Jackie Robinson in 1947 when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers and ended segregation in professional baseball (Kahn). At the start of the 2010 season, minorities composed over forty percent of the players in the MBL, including African-Americans, Latinos and Asian-Americans. Nine people of color (three African-Americans, five Latinos and the first Asian-American) hold the title of manager in the MLB, bringing the total managers of color to thirty percent. Thirty-two percent of coaching positions are held by minorities, and they are also well represented in administration positions as well (“CBA”).
The National Basketball Association employs the highest percentage of minorities with eighty-two percent of their players being African-American, Latinos and Asian-Americans. Seventy-seven percent of those players are African-American. International players hold eighteen percent of positions on NBA teams. Michael Jordan is the only African-American majority owner of a professional sports team, but there are four African-American presidents in the NBA. Thirty percent of the head coaches are of a minority, with one American-Asian and eight African-Americans holding positions, while forty-one percent of the assistant coaches are of color (“CBA”).
Administration in the National Football League hosts many positions for minorities as well, with twenty-five percent of the positions being held by African-Americans, Latinos, Asians and Native Americans, but no person of color has ever held majority ownership of an NFL team. The representation of minorities is relatively high for African-Americans at sixty-seven percent, but Latinos and Asian-Americans are only represented with one and two percent, respectively. Out of all of the professional sports organizations, the NFL has the smallest percentage of international players with two percent. The coaching staff of the NFL boasts six African-American coaches and one hundred fifty seven assistant coaches of color (“CBA”).
Based on the data collected from the Racial and Gender Report cards of Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association and the National Football League, minority representation fares well in these professional sports. Certain measures, such as this report card, have been taken to ensure that minorities are represented in sporting institutes (“CBA”). One such measure is the Rooney Rule, enacted by the NFL in 2002. The Rooney Rule was headed by Dan Rooney of the Pittsburgh Steelers and states that “any NFL team seeking to hire a head coach must interview one or more minority applicants” (Hanna). This rule is most likely accountable for the fact that one fourth of NFL teams have a minority coach. Measures like these enable minorities to have an equal opportunity to be represented in the sporting organizations in the country in which they reside.
While the numbers show that discrimination is very low, if not nonexistent, in sporting organizations in the United States, they can only go so far. Discrimination is not just about how many players of color are on a sporting team, but what they had to do in order to achieve their position and how they are treated once they are a part of the team. Blacks were excluded from professional sports all together until the 1940s, after World War II (Kahn). Before this time, African-Americans began their own “black leagues” that mirrored the white-only versions of the sport. For example, Rube Foster founded the National Negro Baseball League in 1920 that “offered an alternative for black athletes excluded from the major leagues” (Eisen 138). These leagues were a chance for African-Americans and other minorities to play sports they loved, although they were far from equal to their white counterparts.
Once minority players were allowed to become a part of professional sports alongside white people, it was an uphill battle. African-Americans were striving for success in institutions that were controlled and defined by white standards (Eisen 135). They had to face the fact that they were both black and American playing “white” sports (Eisen 133). They wanted to be classified equally with their teammates, but they were defined by their color and not their ability (Eisen 138). These players strove to gain acceptance but never completely broke away from being defined by their race (Eisen 136). Wins symbolized “symbolic nails in the coffin of racial inferiority” but losses were evidence of their limits as minorities (Eisen 133). Many prominent minority athletes used their social status to help those in their race that were less fortunate while they pursued their careers (Eisen 136).
Some may argue that discrimination exists in sporting organizations in the United States today. Qualifications and abilities may be overlooked because of the race of the applicant (Egendorf 103). Since many controlling positions in both professional and collegiate sports are held by white males, minorities have less of a chance of being hired due to the fact that the employer is more likely to hire someone similar to themselves (Egendorf 99). Athletes who have played the sport should be awarded leadership positions, but more often than not whites are hired over minorities (Egendorf 98). Minority athletes, many of whom grow up in lower-income areas, are denied equal training facilities during high school and are therefore at a disadvantage compared to their white counterparts when it comes to trying out for spots on professional sports teams (Kahn).
Others do not see discrimination present in organizations such as the MLB, NBA and NFL. These people look at the statistics and notice that minorities are represented more in sports than they are in the entire population (Kahn). They also notice trends, such as the fact that the NBA is representative of more minorities than whites and that the NFL is increasingly composed of Pacific Islanders and Latinos (Egendorf 97). Since white players have more opportunities in society after retirement, they are more likely to retire earlier and therefore will not be as valuable as a minority who will play for a longer amount of time (Kahn).
Either way the situation is looked at, minorities are “fast becoming a majority” (Justice Reader 2). Since the United States have been considered a melting pot for people from so many cultures and the country offers so many more opportunities, more and more people are immigrating in search of a better life. Although America has been defined as “white”, that is slowly beginning to change (Justice Reader 2). So how is justice ensured to minorities wishing to pursue a career in professional sports? The principle of distributive justice should be followed, or “rewards, rights, opportunities, services and treatments because of who that person is, what he or she has done or to which group he or she belongs” (Justice Reader 40). If an African-American athlete and a white athlete train equally for a position on a team, they should be given an equal opportunity to try out for that position. Their chances should be fair and consistent. Justice should be understood as “merit focused on what is owed a person by virtue of his or her actions, efforts and impacts” (Justice Reader 49).
In the Old Testament of the Bible, we are told that God loves justice (Isaiah 61:8). The sin of humanity creates injustice in the world, yet we are called to live just and righteous lives (Micah 6:8). A reoccurring theme in the Old Testament is the law that God calls His people to live by. When the law is followed, we are able to live in harmony with God and other humans. This law has been broken, though, creating the injustices that we are dealing with in our day and age.
One of the main focuses of the New Testament is the teachings of Jesus. In these teachings, He calls us to love our neighbors as ourselves (Mark 12:31). By treating our brothers and sisters in just ways, we are loving them as we love ourselves and treating them how we would want to be treated. The New Testament also tells us that we are all one body of Christ and therefore everyone is equal (Galatians 3:28). Why should some have privileges over others or be treated with injustice?
Sporting organizations are very prevalent in the culture and society of the United States. The issue of minority representation has always been a controversy in the sporting world due to the fact that a successful career in athletics leads to success away from the athletic world (Eisen 221). Not only is minority representation important since they are a large part of the culture, but minorities are given more opportunities through a career in sports. Creating a system that gives equal opportunities and treatments to both majorities and minorities is one way to solve injustices in sporting organizations. Some actions to begin this system have been started, such as the Rooney Rule in the NFL. Individuals can voice their opinions when it comes to sporting organizations, such as protesting unjust actions and treatments. One voice may not be a lot, but many voices together can make a loud sound.
 

Applications of Humanism in Sports Psychology and Applied Practices

Using one philosophical approach to applied sport psychology critically review its impact on applied practice. Use both theory and research to support your answer.

Sports psychology has four main Philosophical Approaches: Psychodynamic, Cognitive, Behavioural and Humanistic. An applied Sports Psychologist should adopt an approach to underpin their practice as a practitioner. Poczwardowski, Sherman, and Ravizza (2004) suggested that the professional philosophy, which a practitioner holds, significantly shapes their approach in consultations. Building rapport with clients, assessment and interventions are all underpinned by the professional philosophy of the practitioner. They suggested there are five interrelated aspects of professional philosophy: the theoretical paradigms in psychology, a model of practice, consultant role, intervention goals, and intervention techniques and methods. Practitioners need to pick a philosophical approach that aligns with their core personal values and beliefs; Corlett (1996) states that it is important for a sports psychologist to clarify their professional philosophy as it defines their whole practices with their clients.

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Corlett (1996) recommended that practitioners adopt either one of two approaches – either the Sophist and Socratic approaches. Sophist approaches focus on skill-development and instruction-based interaction with clients. This approach aligns with the cognitive and behaviourist approach that is more practitioner-led. The Socratic approach involves a broader knowledge base into the wider life of an athlete and how they understand themselves as an individual. This approach aligns with a Humanistic approach and is driven by the client. I am going to critically review the use of the Humanistic approach in sports psychology practise.

Humanistic psychology began after many psychologists, including Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow, thought that the deterministic thinking of Behaviourism and Psychodynamic approaches failed to fully understand humankind. The Humanistic approach encourages free will, and suggests everyone is unique in the world, so each case will be different. When people are given free will, they decide the direction of the session and this helps develop creativity and increased motivation to achieve their potential (Shaw,2005). Athletes will be more motivated to adopt techniques to help performance if they have chosen them themselves. Humanistic psychology sees people as self-actualized, and motivated towards goals and holding themselves accountable for their own development (Nesti, 2004; Orlick, 1990).Self-actualization has been defined by Couture et al (2007) as “the psychological process aimed at maximizing the use of a person’s abilities and resources. This process may vary from one person to another.” (p.11). Within a sports psychologist-client session, the practitioner is non-directive and the approach is very much client-led. It involves asking questions about the individual and involves a career-long personal development. Lombardo’s humanistic model of coaching (1987) suggested that the athlete is the driver of their goals, not the coaches.

One of the main theories within Humanism is ‘hierarchy of needs’, which were devised by Maslow in 1943 when he suggested that people are motivated to fulfil certain needs. This is done through personal fulfilment and personal growth. A person who is completely fulfilled is self-actualized. For Maslow motivation is best understood through five needs: physiological, safety, social, esteem, and self-actualisation (Bagozzi, Bergami, & Leone, 2003). Each person is unique in their motivations for self-actualization so will go in different directions (Kenrick et al 2010). In elite sport someone maybe self-actualised if they are a Commonwealth champion, while others may not be fulfilled until they are an Olympic champion, as their motivations are different. People who aspire for self-actualization strive to reach their full potential in every way they can.

Maslow’s work on ‘Peak Experience’ plays an important role in self-actualization. A peak experience is a highly valued experience, which is characterised by feelings of euphoria that is significant for the individual and stays with them (Leach,1962). This experience is not solely for self-actualized people. A study by Privette (2001) on the characteristics of peak experience found three key characteristics:

–    Significance: peak experience increases awareness that can serve as a pivotal point for individuals.

–    Fulfilment: peak experience generates positive emotions that are intrinsically rewarding.

–    Spiritual: during peak experience people feel at one with the world.

These peak flow experiences allow people to acquire new perspectives that can contribute to personal development (Breed and Fagan, 1972; Wilson and Spencer 1990; Privette, 1983). Flow is an important part of peak experiences, Nakamura and Csikszentmihalyi’s (2002) suggested that flow is a state of consciousness where we are totally absorbed in what we are doing, and thoughts and emotions are excluded.

Nakamura and Csikszentmihalyi (2002) stated nine dimensions of flow in sport: clear goals, concentration, loss of feeling of self-consciousness, distorted sense of time, feedback, the balance between ability and challenge, control, activity intrinsically rewarding, and being absorbed in the activity. Wuthnow (1978) found that people who have experienced flow, live a well-balanced life and think about the purposefulness of their life. Within sport, this perspective will allow athletes to see the bigger picture rather than short-term performance goals, or controlling environments solely from a performance stance.

The Humanistic approach suggests that therapy should be more person-centred and therapeutic. Rogers (1951) suggested that developing a therapeutic environment best supports a client’s growth. Rogers (1985) suggested three conditions to develop deeper communication with athletes:

–    Congruence: being genuine with the client, being aware of the practitioner’s own thoughts that may be displayed to the client while listening to what the client is saying (Wyatt, 2001).

–    Respect: providing an environment which is not intimidating, where the client can open up and express their thoughts and feelings (Bozarth,2001).

–    Empathy: the ability to feel what the client feels, while keeping an emotional awareness of things (Parry,1996).

These personal qualities of a Humanistic practitioner play an important role in an effective therapeutic relationship, which is important for athletes in a very pressured, performance environment (Corey,2009). Within coaching, the Humanistic approach is often used. Lombardo (1999) found that Humanistic coaching keeps athletes enthusiasm about their sport, and reduces burn-out at a young age.

The Humanistic approach conversely still has a lot of critiques. It has been criticised for encouraging self-centeredness and narcissism (Rowen, 2001), due to not having an empirical scientific base and the large emphasis on self-actualisation. The approach assumes that people are good and are motivated to be good, which may be not the case (Pastonrionio and Doyle-Portillio,2011).

Within a sporting context we assume that people are motivated to succeed, however some athletes – such as Andre Agassi – hate the sport at which they excel. Agassi wrote in his autobiography “I play tennis for a living even though I hate tennis, hate it with a dark and secret passion and always have”(Agassi and Moehringer,2009, p.232). This raises questions of how a Humanistic sports practitioner could help someone who does not want to fulfill their full potential in their sport. Other approaches such as the cognitive, which help people overcome performance related cognitions, may work better in this situation.

Many have criticised the approach for not being generally applicable – the experience of one individual and the strategies to treat them are unlikely to be the same for someone else (Jarvis,2006). However, many studies have found that the unique, individualised and caring nature of Humanism has been regarded highly in the sporting world. Gilbourne and Richardson (2006) who studied an English football team suggested that “a caring dimension to practice is anchored at the extreme by a psychologist’s ability to embrace the self-awareness and empathic qualities that engender compassion”(p.333). Similarly, Brady and Maynard (2010) found that in an atmosphere where sport is winning at all cost, they found that is essential for athletes to have an established sense of personal well-being and sports psychologists act to support them in this manner in order to enhance performance. Many studies find that Humanistic approach sees people as a whole, which allows the trust to be built up and supports athletes to open-up. Dorfman (1990) found that in a professional sports environment, if a sports psychologist has an athlete’s confidence and trust, they will uncover the deep-rooted issues interfering with performance. Bond (2001) suggested that mental skills alone will not sufficiently address performance and personal concerns of the athlete, he stated that in his “experience in the field clearly points to a need for holistic psychological development programs for elite athletes” (p. 218). Many studies have supported Humanistic approaches and that athletes appreciate the techniques of more Holistic personal counselling, with many techniques such as Gestalt therapy being used to help develop self-awareness (Simon, 2009). A Humanistic approach is still a relatively new approach in comparison to the other approaches, however seeing an athlete as a whole has shown to be very effective in a high-pressure sports world, Ravizza (2002) discussed how athletic identity is strong in athletes that it embodies many aspect of an athlete’s life, so treating them as a whole person is paramount.

References:

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Sports Review Performance Strengths Weaknesses Areas For Improvement Health Essay

Think carefully about the practices, skills and tactics that you have been working on over the past 4-6 weeks, as a player and as an official.
Strengths
Areas for development
Good footwork because she was quick to pass and move quickly. This will allow her to be free for the next pass.
Dodging was good as she was quick with her feet which helped her be free so that she can accept a ball passed to her.
Catching was good as she didn’t allow it to go to the other players. This will allow her and her team to score more goals and stop her opponents from receiving the ball.
She’s needs to pass on target because if she doesn’t then the ball will be lost to her opponents.
Defence needs improvement. Needs to keep eyes on the ball and jump for ball when needed.
Needs to intercept more when defending. This will allow her and her team to stop the ball from being shot by the other team.
Needs to improve on the power of her passes to her team because if the power of her passes is weak or too strong then the team player wouldn’t be able to catch the ball. This will give the opposing team a chance.
Needs to signal for the ball quickly when she’s free. This means that her opponent won’t be able to know when she’ll be able to get the ball.
Identify three ways in which their performance or knowledge has improved since starting the course.
1 Knowing the rules and technique when it comes to footwork
2 Knowing the technique used when passing and shooting a ball.
3 Being able to dodge, attack and defend effectively.
Give this performer three action points that will help them improve their performance or knowledge in the future. Reference should be made to an appropriate Governing Body course if possible.
1 To be able to improve her performance, she needs to bend her knees and elbows also she needs to add more power when shooting the ball into the net. This will allow her to shoot more accurately when she’s scoring.
2 To be able to improve her performance, she needs to intercept more and stay on her toes which will help her to move more easily and quickly. It will also allow her to stop her opponents receiving the ball.
3 To be able to improve her performance, she needs to practice jumping and catching the ball whilst it’s being passed over her head to the opposing team. She also needs to practice her overhead passes.
Any further comments on the course or the targets that you have set the performer.
OWN PERFORMANCE REVIEW (P9, M5, D2)
Review a sports performance.
In the table below write down what you think your strengths and weaknesses are.
Think carefully about the practices, skills and tactics that you have been working on over the past 4-6 weeks, as a player and as an official.
Strengths
Areas for development
Defending the goal from the opposing team. This means that my team will have a better chance of winning the game.
Dodging is good as I free myself quickly from the player marking me. This means that I able to receive the ball when I needed.
My interception is good as I am quick and always have my eyes on the ball. This means that my opponents have a less chance of receiving the ball and/or winning the game.
My defending is good as I am quick and always moving. This is an advantage to my team as I stop the opponents from scoring in our goal.
Take time when shooting the ball. This means that my team and I will be able to gain more from it.
Need to keep in mind what foot is my landing foot so I can shoot easily as well as pivot.
Be aware of the people around me when I receive the ball. This will allow me to pass to the appropriate player.
Remember to spread legs when shooting. This allows my shooting to be more accurate.
Identify three ways in which your performance or knowledge has improved since starting the course.
1 My defending skills have improved as I am able to stay on my toes allowing me to move quickly and easily.
2 My shooting technique has improved and has allowed me to shoot more accurately.
3 My footwork has improved because I move very quickly allowing me to intercept, attack and defend the ball/goal from the opponents.
Give yourself three action points that will help you improve your performance or knowledge in the future. Reference should be made to an appropriate Governing Body course if possible.
1 To be able improve my performance or knowledge in the future. I need to make sure that when I receive the ball I am aware of all my team player and which team player is the best to pass the ball to.
2 To be able to improve my performance or knowledge in the future. I need to make sure I always remember the shooting technique whenever I’m shooting the ball into the goal. This is so that I have a more accurate chance of scoring a goal.
3 To be able to improve my performance or knowledge in the future. I need to make sure that I always stay with the player I am marking so that I can defend, attack or intercept the ball when I need to.
Any further comments on the course or the targets that you have set yourself.
RULES AND REGULATIONS WORKSHEET (P3, P4)
ACTIVITY _______ ____________________
Who is the Governing Body for this Sport & what is there web site address?
The England Netball is the Governing Body for this sport.

Home


List below 5 National Governing Body rules for this sport.
a) A netball player must be able to pass or shoot the netball in 3 seconds after the ball is caught.
b) When a netball player jumps to catch a ball she must land on one foot and that landing foot must not be moved at any time unless the player passes the ball she’s holding.
c) A netball player must not contact an opponent at any time in the game either by accident or deliberately in such a way that the game and/or the opponent is interrupted.
d) Goal Attack or Goal Shooter are the only players in netball that are allowed to shoot the ball. In order for these players to shoot they must be in the circle.
e) A netball player is offside when the player moves out of their designated area with or without a netball.
What are the timing regulations associated with this sport?
All netball shooter must be able to shown within 3 seconds.
Netball players must also pass the netball with 3 seconds.
In the space below draw a diagram of the playing area, with important specifications
http://www.abcteach.com/basicshapes/images/semici4.gif
Goal
GoalDraw two hand signals in the space below that officials may use in this sport.http://www.abcteach.com/basicshapes/images/semici4.gif
Obstruction – The player’s hands are apart and are positioned in front of their body.
Direction of Pass – The Umpires arm will be pointed in the direction the netball is to be played.
Briefly explain how a competitive goal is scored in this sport.
C has the play passes it to WA who passes it to the GA, then the netball is passed to the GS. The GS then shoots the ball into the net.
Explain below 4 health & safety issues concerned with the game – this could be linked to injury/substitution, protective equipment, playing surface, ground design/surveillance.
a) The end of the netball goalposts must be padded so that the netball players can run around the court without injuring themselves or colliding with other players
b) Netball players must be all perform a small fitness exam so that coaches, officials and other team members are sure that the players are fit enough to play the games.
c) Stretcher, first aid kits as well as a qualified first aid personnel must be available at the game to ensure that if an injury occurs it can be treated immediately.
d) Remove all courtside hazards also examine the playing field to make sure all hazards on the court is removed and the court must be maintained as a hazard free playing surface.
Briefly explain the sanctions applied to players for inappropriate behaviour (e.g. the use of red & yellow cards in football)
A formal warning is first given to a player who demonstrates inappropriate behaviour. If the player shows other signs of inappropriate behaviour the Umpire will take any actions they feel is appropriate for the player. This could be the player’s suspension from the game. If the player still demonstrates inappropriate behaviour the Umpire may order the player from the netball court and the player won’t be able to take part in rest of the game.

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An Umpire can only suspend a player if the said player has been given a warning.
9. How effective do you think the rules and regulations are within this sport?
I think the rules and regulations for Netball are very effective as it makes Netball a competitively fun sport to play and also it makes the s[port one of the safest sports.
Also, I think the rule and regulations are effective as it makes the game fair and strict as well as challenging.
Would you implement any further rules or regulations to improve the game, or make it more exciting?
No.
OBSERVATION OF AN OFFICIAL (P5, P6)
Observe an official in a game situation. This can de done during a lesson, watching a video or a live match outside of school.
Sport: Fixture:
Name of Official: Date:
List three roles of the official:
1
2
3
Attempt to judge their performance in making the correct decisions against identified rules and regulations (please tick):
RULE/REGULATION CORRECT INCORRECT
Did the official control the game?
Analyse the performance of the official.
What mark would you give him/her /10? (1 = inept, 6 = competent, 10 = outstanding)
Comparison of officials
Now watch an official in action in another sport. Compare the two officials from the two sports. Are there any differences in their roles? How they are treated by players/coaches? How they deal with difficult situations? How fit they have to be? Answer in the box below.
Differences between the officials in two sports
Sport 1: Netball Sport 2: Basketball
In Netball there are two umpires, two scorers and two timekeepers are the officials. The umpires are the main officials in netball.
Whilst, in Basketball there are either 2 or 3 officials. The main official is the referee and the others are the official scorer and official timekeeper.
In Netball, the officials use hand signals and whistles to keep the game safe, make sure the players follow the rules and also to make sure that it is played safely.
However, in Basketball is very rare for officials to use hand signals. Most whistles are used throughout the game.
TACTICS WORKSHEET (M1, D1)
ACTIVITY _______ ____________________
Describe and illustrate a defensive tactic that you would use in your sport e.g. zone defence in Basketball.
Describe and illustrate an attacking tactic that you would use in your sport e.g. fast break in Basketball.
Justify the use of these two tactic’s, giving specific examples. (D1)
Identify areas for further improvement.
OBSERVATION CHECKLIST (P7)
ACTIVITY _______ ____________________
Use this space to produce an observation checklist.
Skill
Successful
Unsuccessful
Percentage
Passing
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100%
Successful
0%
Unsuccessful
Shooting
0%
Successful
0%
Unsuccessful
Catching
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http://www.clker.com/cliparts/a/6/e/8/119498563188281957tasto_8_architetto_franc_01.svg.med.png
80%
Successful
20%
Unsuccessful
Interception
http://www.clker.com/cliparts/a/6/e/8/119498563188281957tasto_8_architetto_franc_01.svg.med.png
0%
Successful
0%
Unsuccessful
Skill
Successful
Unsuccessful
Percentage
Footwork
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http://www.clker.com/cliparts/a/6/e/8/119498563188281957tasto_8_architetto_franc_01.svg.med.png
75%
Successful
25%
Unsuccessful
Shooting
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50%
Successful
50%
Unsuccessful
Defending
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C:Documents and Settingsghanj007.315Local SettingsTemporary Internet FilesContent.IE5FN4J2YRXMC900432601[1].png
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60%
Successful
40%
Unsuccessful
Interception
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http://www.clker.com/cliparts/a/6/e/8/119498563188281957tasto_8_architetto_franc_01.svg.med.png
75%
Successful
25%
Unsuccessful
OBSERVATION CHECKLIST (M3, P8, P9)
ACTIVITY _______ ____________________
Use this space to produce your own observation checklist.
Use the checklist to review the sports performance of an individual or a team and identify areas of strengths or improvement
 

Business to Business in the Sports Industry

Collins English Dictionary defines Business to Business as donating trade between commercial organizations rather than between businesses and private customers. (Collins Dictionary). In my report, I will identify the issues of Football and sports organisational buyer and their business to business marketing. Also, I will speak about key issues in delivering matchday services at all levels of their operation.

Business to Business is an astonishing way in which businesses use to create important partnership for a long or short period of time and it can be of use on multiple occasions. An example would be if Real Madrid or any other professional football team sold out of their shirts in the club store, they would have no choice but to order a new stock in to replace the previously sold out shirts.  They would have to contact who their kit suppliers are which can be for example, Nike, Adidas, puma or New Balance and order more stock.

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Business to Business are very significant for the clubs who want to employ someone outside their company to do the work that they do not have the staff or structure to deal with. An example of this could be stewarding on match day or a security team around the stadium. Instead of the club having to take on people, a lot would pay an agency who would hire and manage the stewards for everything to do with the job instead of the club. This would mean the club would have to agree for the agency workers to work on any agreed match day.

While looking to find possible Business to Business opportunities, companies use segmentation to cut down a few appropriate businesses to start a working association with. One of the categories is the location. In the book Sports consumer Behaviour, it says “geographic location is where the consumers live, which can be based in different regions, cities and country. The advantages of using geographic segmentation is that It will help in different highly populated areas. Consumers in an urban location always need different requirements and wants than other individuals in suburban and rural surroundings.  (Mahony, 2000) 

 (Gender Segmentation)

In sport marketing in recent years, it has been shown that gender segmentation is one of the most common variables in market segmentation as in recent years there has been growing consumer power of females. Researchers have found out that females have control of 28 trillion consumer spending and the percentage of consumer related decisions in sports has increased to 70 percent in the last 5 years. In recent years the power of women as a sport consumer and rapidly increased most especially in the united states as the NFL has predicted the future of the league depends on women.  (Daniel C. Funk, 2016)

Location Segmentation

Chelsea have a large fan base in Africa and Asia. Because they are one of the most well-known team around the globe, they made it their main task to work with companies around both continents, they now have built and maintained B2B relationships with hundreds of international companies in both Africa and Asia.  (http://niketolynch.blogspot.com, 2011)

Similarly, another team with a huge fan base internationally is Arsenal, it is said that they are the third team with the largest Fan base in the world with their main ones being in Africa, Asia and the united states. Arsenal fan base could also keep increasing as their owner Stan Kroenke being the owner of NFL club LA Rams and NBA Denver nuggets. This could also build a B2B relationships with companies on American soil. (Searles, 2018)

Segmentation of sport fans

Sport fans are one of the main important part of the club if not the most important part of the sport. Considering different watchers drives can be of significant benefit to the sport marketer looking to boost their team revenues. The marketing manager needs to understand the specific motivations that will move a spectator or fan to consume sport, these important ways of marketing is a way that can help clubs build groups which will expand the fan base. Learning different forms of fan ship will show how loyal the fans are and precisely provide insight into sporting behaviour for the marketers. (Tsiotsou, 2012)

One of the main examples of B2B in the football world are sponsorships. Sponsors agrees with clubs a huge amount of money to use their name on their kits and sometimes the sponsors could even have their names printed on the stadiums. Sponsors are always ready to pay huge amounts of money and offer big sponsorship deals just to increase their consumer market across the globe by entering into a football club. These sponsorships can also be found in a lot of various other sports across the world and some of the same sponsors can be sponsoring multiple clubs and sports at the same time. One of the main benefits of having a sponsor are the club’s brand will be connected with a company who are in multiple market, which could help attract more consumers to the club and increase the fan base.

Emirates are one of the biggest sponsorship companies in the world. They made football one of their main ways of advertising. Emirates are an international airline who are based in the United Emirates and are world-wide known but have invested a lot of money in football, they sponsor Arsenal’s Stadium, known as the Emirates Stadium and are their shirt sponsor. They also are the sponsor a lot of other teams in Europe mainly for example Paris saint German and Real Madrid.  (Emirates.com, n.d.)

Another example of business to business is Manchester city’s deal with Etihad airways. The Abu Dhabi United Group owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan announced he would be buying Manchester city in 2008. A few years after he bought the club, they created a group called City football group which they wanted to use to start expanding the team internationally and now they have three majority owned teams across the world which are Man City in England, New York City in the United State and Melbourne City in Australia. With Manchester city expanding across all continents there are plans for it to keep buying clubs and growing rapidly.  Speaking at the London sport Business summit, a member of the group said “It’s not only about environmental growth, but about stretching the audiences. Women and kids are very important to us and part of our growth policy. Even though while we are being involved in new businesses around the football world. We made it known that we are only about football. Within sports it’s only about football, but within football we are also looking at new businesses like venture capital investments and esports”. One-way City have taken their brands to new audiences has been via social and digital media channels. In 2018 when Man City won the league, there has been the behind-the-scenes documentary series broadcast on Amazon Prime on how they got there. (theweek.co.uk, 2018)

The Business to business decision is a progression that takes time because they have to make sure it brings them success. The first step would be for the club to find out where the problem lies and how they can quickly fix it.  For example, if the store sells out of stock. The next stage would be to identify what they specifically require solving the problem. They would need to call their head offices for them to print out some more.

Once the club have their new suppliers or same supplies, they will offer suggestions to the club on what they can deliver for the club so they don’t run out of stock next time and what their price range will be. This will be a very important part as it gives the club a chance to assess all their options on the table. Also, the club will be given different types of deals and options so they can get the best deal possible to improve how the kit store works in the future. After they have negotiated with each of the companies, they will make their selection based on the schemes offered to them. Once the selection is complete, the club will put in their first order of equipment from their new supplier. Several months into their new B2B deal, the club will weigh whether it has been successful so far. If they are satisfied with the supplier, they will look to maintain the B2B partnership over a longer period 

 In conclusion

 Business to business has a big importance in the football industry as it offers services that clubs needs for example to get stewards to the football clubs. A b2b deal can take a long time because it can be a deal with a company around the world or a very local company and a lot of influenced needs to be taught about before agreeing a deal which can also result in a deal not being done. Business to Business will help build the club globally.

References:

ALEXANDRIS, K. AND TSIOTSOU, R. H.

Segmenting soccer spectators by attachment levels: a psychographic profile based on team self-expression and involvement

In-text: (Alexandris and Tsiotsou, 2012)

Alexandris, K. and Tsiotsou, R. (2012). Segmenting soccer spectators by attachment levels: a psychographic profile based on team self-expression and involvement. European Sport Management Quarterly, 12(1), pp.65-81

BEECH, J. AND CHADWICK, S.

The marketing of sport

In-text: (Beech and Chadwick, 2007)

Beech, J. and Chadwick, S. (2007). The marketing of sport. Harlow, England: Prentice Hall/Financial Times.

BUSINESS DEFINITION AND MEANING | COLLINS ENGLISH DICTIONARY

In-text: (Collinsdictionary.com, 2019)

Collinsdictionary.com. (2019). Business definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary. [online] Available at: https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/business [Accessed 25 Feb. 2019].

FOOTBALL | SPONSORSHIPS | ABOUT US | EMIRATES

In-text: (Emirates, 2019)

Emirates. (2019). Football | Sponsorships | About us | Emirates. [online] Available at: https://www.emirates.com/english/about-us/sponsorships/football/ [Accessed 25 Feb. 2019].

FUNK, D. C., ALEXANDRIS, K. AND MCDONALD, H.

Sport Consumer Behaviour

In-text: (Funk, Alexandris and McDonald, 2016)

Funk, D., Alexandris, K. and McDonald, H. (2016). Sport Consumer Behaviour. Milton: Taylor and Francis.

LYNCH, N., LYNCH, N. AND PROFILE, V.

Chap 8-Segmenting and Targeting Markets.

In-text: (Lynch, Lynch and profile, 2019)

Lynch, N., Lynch, N. and profile, V. (2019). Chap 8-Segmenting and Targeting Markets.. [online] Niketolynch.blogspot.com. Available at: http://niketolynch.blogspot.com/2011/11/chap-8-segmenting-and-targeting-markets.html [Accessed 25 Feb. 2019].

MANCHESTER CITY OWNERS TARGET MORE CLUBS AND GLOBAL GROWTH

In-text: (The Week UK, 2019)

The Week UK. (2019). Manchester City owners target more clubs and global growth. [online] Available at: https://www.theweek.co.uk/premier-league/97056/manchester-city-global-growth-city-football-group [Accessed 25 Feb. 2019].

Developing successful sport marketing plans

In-text: (Stotlar, 2013)

Stotlar, D. (2013). Developing successful sport marketing plans. Morgantown, WV: Fitness Information Technology.

Blake Sports Apparel Case Analysis

Blake Sports Apparel and Switch Activewear was once a small manufacturing company that developed sports apparel and accessories using logos of leagues and brands. Founded by Cameron Barker’s father, Blake Sports Apparel and Switch Activewear changed hands after a decade, placing the company in the management of his son Cameron Barker.  Soon after the change in leadership, Barker was determined to grow the company by expanding his clientele. Barker began a partnership with the mid-size brand Cartlock and after, transitioned to the very large company Howell. However, new challenges and problems arose for Blake Sports because of the rapid growth. Several employees were punished and criticized for expressing pressing issues that needed to be addressed in the company. Some of the issues included lack of leadership, communication barriers, secrecy and mistrust, and lack of involvement and interaction.  With these pressing matters brought to light, Barker intern reflected on his own leadership, or lack thereof, and proposed possible solutions that could benefit and improve his team and the company.

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To me, the most pressing problem within this case study is the poor leadership that has been demonstrated throughout the company. Not only CEO Cameron Barker, but the whole Blake Sports executive team failed to provide examples and demonstrate what proper leadership should look like. When asked about their opinions on the leadership within the company, employees went as far as saying that CEO Barker “was described as inspiring, empowering, and talented, for example, but not as a coach to his team. As a self-identified introvert, he admitted to spending little time engaging socially with colleagues” (Groysberg 9). Personally, if I did not have any intimate connection or social interactions with my boss or mangers, I would find it very difficult to grow and further our relationship. By disclosing personal information, you allow yourself to be vulnerable and create a bond of trust. To me, the personal interaction of managers is part of what makes them a good leader. Companies need good personal mangers that can find a balance of work and play, however still being able to construct a since of production and encourage hard work.. Another problem that employees highlighted was the lack of communication in the workplace. In the article, there are several examples of how poor communication is a major issue within the Blake Sports. In one instance, because of lack of communication, employees felt the company was secretly withholding information from them, and not providing critical information needed between the various departments. Information from the case study stated that “the combination of apparent secrecy and the company’s privately held status led employees to question the company’s financial standing and the degree of its profitability” (Groysberg 6).  By withholding information, the employees assumed that the company was in financial trouble, thus hindering their job performance because of the possible financial distraction. Another example of communication problem would be that there was a lack of communication between personnel regarding important information.  Missing deadlines, unacceptable work environment behavior, and task orientation/ deadlines are all things that should be address via face to face or personal communication. As stated in the case analysis, “the deadlines were habitually ignored, which led to otherwise avoidable issues, such as missing shipping dates to customers and although team members did make the effort to attend the check-in meetings, no one set an agenda, so the meetings often ran for an inadequate length of time”(Groysberg 6-7). Perhaps the biggest issue of all in the Blake Sports company was the level of cooperation. Because individuals in the organization were working against each other rather than together, production and shipping slowed and was complicated. Because the employees did not have any team bonding activities or exterior relationship, they were dividing among themselves because of differences. Thus, hindering production because they would compete against each other rather than working together. In the article employees state that “the executive-team members look at one another as competition, not as collaborators” (Groysberg 9-11).

In one’s own reflection, I feel that one of the reasons the company has so many problems is because of the rapid growth that was unexpected. Transitioning from a small company to a large company comes with challenges and difficulties. For instance, you have more employees, thus meaning very different cultures, backgrounds, and values that all must mesh together to work in harmony. Because the company grew and transitioned so quickly, I feel that if they were to implement more guidelines to follow, they could give direct expectations as to what the employees are expected to act and preform to help ensure a smoother transition. I feel that by also making training and employee bonding mandatory, this would ensure that each employee starts off on a clean slate with the companies’ value and expectations as their foundation.  In many large companies such as Amazon, Google, Apple, and now Blake Sports, you need a strong, determined, and respected leader who can intern be an example of what your company represents.  I feel that a CEO is necessary for the face of a company, however having multiple powers of leadership, like a board of directors, is a good, in-depth way to address issues and get various opinions and ideas on how to handle them. I also think that training for managers on how to handle different problem situations that arise would be beneficial to the company, as the managers can provide feedback to the bosses in regard to performance, employee satisfaction, and production. I feel that this solution would also help with the communication drawbacks. I feel that by having weekly or bi-weekly meeting with the head of the company, the employees would feel more involved and interactive. By doing this, you are creating a bond with the employees that suggests that the executives do care about each person. Supporting my idea, the textbooks states that “if employees trust their leaders, they will buy in more readily” (Nelson 200).  In these meetings there should be a timekeeper and secretary to take notes of the meetings. The company could go a step further and publish the notes and future agendas taken at the meetings for those who could not attend or as a reminder. These meetings would set the tone for open information. By having this since of open communication between departments, this leaves no room for secrecy or miscommunication- especially if it is published in a newsletter.

By using Bruce Tuckman’s five-stage model, Cameron Barker could successfully improve the overall environment of Blake Sports Apparel and Switch Activewear. By using this group model, Barker could make the environment fun, productive, and the place people want to work at. The following is a summarized explanation of how the five-stage model works. Forming (stage one) would allow for team members to get to know each other better and acknowledge each other’s values or “ground rules”. Storming (stage two) is the stage in which they will first experience conflict. However, they will also experience and exercise “trustworthiness, emotional comfort, and evaluative acceptance” per the textbook (Nelson 141-142).  Norming (stage three) is when employees begin to settle into their job, having a clearer understanding of their responsibilities and duties.  Preforming (stage four) is the stage in which members are goal oriented and do not have to rely on the directions from a manager/leader.  Adjourning (stage five) the final stage, is when the employees feel accomplished because they have successfully completed the given task at hand.

 Companies that focus on employee training, group activities, and communication are by far the most successful companies with the happiest employees.  By making it your companies’ mission to value, uphold, and instate these three things, you are creating an environment that will thrive. Remember, people don’t quit companies- they quit managers.

Work Cited

Groysberg, Boris and Baden, Katherine C. “Blake Sports Apparel and Switch Activewear: Bringing the Executive Team Together.” Harvard Business School. (2017) p. 1-12. Print.

Nelson, Debra L., and James C. Quick. ORGB5: Organizational Behavior. Cengage Learning, 2017.