Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1 Department of Sports Management, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili , Ardabil, Iran
2 Professor of sport Management, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili , Ardabil, Iran
3 Associate Professor of Sports Management, Faculty of Sports Sciences, Isf.C.,, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
Abstract
The present study was conducted with the aim of developing a business ethics model for the management of professional sports clubs in Iran, and to investigate the ethical complexities in sports management. The research process began with the selection of the field based on the researcher's interest in business ethics without an initial framework. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 24 participants using purposive and snowball sampling. Analysis was performed using line-by-line open coding, continuous comparison of codes, theoretical sampling to enrich categories, focusing on the central category, developing theory from analytical notes, and stopping at theoretical saturation. Findings were extracted from 156 initial codes. Key categories included financial and contractual transparency (such as honesty in contracts and clarity of financial goals), avoiding conflicts of interest (such as financial neutrality and segregation of duties), ethical interaction with the media and society (such as responsibility in advertising and social accountability), institutionalizing values in the organizational structure (such as internalizing values and preparing a code of ethics), training and transferring values (such as repeated training and behavioral modeling), ethical accountability and reporting (such as ethical reporting and accepting mistakes), and managing external pressures while maintaining principles (such as resilience in crisis and moral sustainability). The final conclusion emphasizes that this model not only places ethics as the center of decision-making, but also establishes a balance between economic and social interests and provides a practical model for sports clubs, with suggestions such as a blockchain system for transparency, virtual training programs, and a digital ethics committee for innovative implementation, suggesting to managers.
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