Sports management, marketing
Hamidreza Ghezelsefloo; Nasser Bay
Abstract
The main purpose of this research was to examine the effect of environmental knowledge on the green purchasing behaviour of equestrian competition spectators, with the mediating role of ethical commitment to the environment. This study was a descriptive correlational investigation, and its statistical ...
Read More
The main purpose of this research was to examine the effect of environmental knowledge on the green purchasing behaviour of equestrian competition spectators, with the mediating role of ethical commitment to the environment. This study was a descriptive correlational investigation, and its statistical population comprised all spectators of the Gonbad-Kavos autumn equestrian competition in 2024. Based on the method proposed by Mueller (2012) for structural equation modelling, the sample size was estimated at 160 spectators. The instruments used to collect data included the Environmental Knowledge Questionnaire by Liang et al. (2016), the Ethical Commitment to Environment Questionnaire by Cui et al. (2024), and the Green Purchasing Behaviour Questionnaire by Kim et al. (2013). The face and content validity of these questionnaires were reviewed and confirmed by five experts in sports management. In a preliminary study, Cronbach's alpha values for the questionnaire variables were 0.77, 0.82, and 0.79, indicating satisfactory reliability. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data. The results showed that environmental knowledge has a positive and significant effect on the ethical commitment to the environment among equestrian competition spectators. Additionally, the effect of environmental knowledge on the green purchasing behaviour of these spectators was also positive and significant. Finally, the findings demonstrated that environmental knowledge positively and significantly influences green purchasing behaviour with the mediating role of ethical commitment. Therefore, it can be concluded that increasing the environmental knowledge of equestrian competition spectators can lead to positive outcomes, such as enhanced ethical commitment to the environment and increased green purchasing behaviour.
Sports management, marketing
Seyed Mohammad Reza Movahed; Moslem Soleymanpor; Reza Norouzi Ajirloo
Abstract
The aim of this study is to analyze the influence of green marketing communication on green purchasing behavior for sporting goods, taking into account the mediating role of consumer attitudes. This study is application-oriented in terms of its purpose and descriptive-survey-based in terms of its nature, ...
Read More
The aim of this study is to analyze the influence of green marketing communication on green purchasing behavior for sporting goods, taking into account the mediating role of consumer attitudes. This study is application-oriented in terms of its purpose and descriptive-survey-based in terms of its nature, taking into account the characteristics of the statistical population. Furthermore, this study falls into the category of correlation research, as it examines the relationships between variables. The statistical population of the study was consumers of sporting goods. The Morgan table was used to determine the sample size, and given the large statistical population, the maximum sample size of 384 individuals was used using the available sampling method. Standard questionnaires were used to collect the information, and the data required for this study were collected using questionnaires: pricing Van Westendorp (1976), educational level Correia et al. (2023), advertising and sales promotion Haghighat (2013), purchase intention Kim (2008), and consumer attitude Mustafa et al. (2007). In this study, the partial least squares method was used to analyze the hypotheses with SmartPLS3 software. To evaluate the external validity of the model, reliability tests including Cronbach's alpha coefficient and composite reliability, content validity, convergent validity, and divergent validity were examined, and all tests were confirmed. The results show that the components of green marketing communication have a direct and significant impact on green purchasing behavior and that a strong correlation was found between the attention of consumers of sports products to the green marketing communication of companies and green purchasing behavior. In addition, the positive effect of the mediating variable of consumer attitude on the relationship between green marketing communication and green purchasing behavior was confirmed. Based on the results, it can be concluded that the need for green marketing and a change in consumer attitudes toward an environmentally friendly lifestyle have a strong influence on green purchasing behavior.
Sports management, marketing
Atefeh Abtahinia; Fariba Askarian; Mehrzad Hamidi; Samaneh Rastgoo
Abstract
With the expansion of digital technologies, digital marketing has become a vital tool in attracting sports tourists. This research was conducted in 2024 with the aim of identifying and prioritizing the consequences of digital marketing in sports tourism using the interpretive structural modeling method. ...
Read More
With the expansion of digital technologies, digital marketing has become a vital tool in attracting sports tourists. This research was conducted in 2024 with the aim of identifying and prioritizing the consequences of digital marketing in sports tourism using the interpretive structural modeling method. The present study was applied and carried out with a mixed approach (qualitative-quantitative) and using the interpretive structural modeling (ISM) method. In the qualitative stage, thematic analysis was used using library studies and semi-structured interviews with 13 experts in sports tourism, marketing, and researchers in these two fields. In the quantitative stage, 15 experts were selected purposively and data were collected through a researcher-made questionnaire. In the qualitative section, 55 basic themes and 10 organizing themes were identified, which were centered around the overarching theme of "Consequences of Digital Marketing in Sports Tourism." The results of the quantitative section showed that these outcomes were categorized into four levels, with the main foundations at the first level. Infrastructure development, as the most influential level, directly affected the third level criteria (tourism economic development, tourist behavioral and attitudinal development, and tourism destination awareness). By presenting an Interpretive Structural Model (ISM), this study provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the outcomes of digital marketing in sports tourism, which can assist managers and policymakers in areas such as marketing strategies, resource allocation, and competitive policymaking. To date, the development of a hierarchical and leveled model of digital marketing outcomes in sports tourism using the ISM method has received limited attention in this field.
Sports management, marketing
Kaveh Mirani; Farshad Tojari; Negar Arazeshi
Abstract
One of the tactics that makes products appear distinctive and valuable—encouraging customers to repurchase—is the use of celebrity endorsements. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of the perceived value of sports and non-sports products on customers’ purchase intention ...
Read More
One of the tactics that makes products appear distinctive and valuable—encouraging customers to repurchase—is the use of celebrity endorsements. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of the perceived value of sports and non-sports products on customers’ purchase intention based on mental involvement in endorser–product congruence. The research method was descriptive-correlational. The statistical population consisted of two parts. In the first part, endorsers and products were identified: Ali Daei and Shahrbanoo Mansourian were selected as famous sports endorsers, while Amin Hayayi and Elham Hamidi were chosen as famous non-sports endorsers. The Majid brand was selected as the sports product, and the Novin Charm brand was chosen as the non-sports product. The sampling method for this stage was purposive. The second part included customers of both sports and non-sports products, categorized into high and low mental involvement groups. Stratified random sampling was applied, and the sample size was estimated at 420 participants. Data were collected using the Perceived Value Questionnaire by Lee et al (2021), the Purchase Intention Scale by Lee et al (2021), and the Mental Involvement Scale by Bian and Moutinho (2011). Data analysis was conducted using SPSS, AMOS, and SmartPLS software. According to the findings, the endorsement of sports and non-sports products by sports celebrities had a stronger influence compared to endorsements by non-sports celebrities. Furthermore, it was found that sports celebrities’ endorsements of sports and non-sports products could enhance the purchase intention of customers with both high and low levels of mental involvement.
Sports management, marketing
Ali Nazarian; Nazanin Ghasemi; Reza Hosseinvand; Behnam Asheghi; Maryam Salehi Golbaghi
Abstract
This study investigates the impact of tourist participation on the performance of sports tourism complexes in Guilan Province, with green product innovation as a mediating variable. Given the concurrent expansion of the tourism industry and the paramount importance of sustainable development, this research ...
Read More
This study investigates the impact of tourist participation on the performance of sports tourism complexes in Guilan Province, with green product innovation as a mediating variable. Given the concurrent expansion of the tourism industry and the paramount importance of sustainable development, this research addresses a critical intersection. The research is applied in purpose, descriptive-correlational in nature, and field-based in execution. The statistical population included managers and experts of tourism complexes, organizers of sports tourism tours, and adventure sports tourists in 2023. Data were collected using standardized questionnaires measuring customer participation, green product innovation, and sports tourism complex performance. Reliability was confirmed via Cronbach's alpha and composite reliability, while face and content validity were established by a panel of 13 sports management professors. Data were analysed using path analysis with PLS-SEM (version 4). The results demonstrated that tourist participation significantly directly affects both the performance (t = 2.783) and green product innovation (t = 33.004) of the complexes. Furthermore, green product innovation itself had a significant direct effect on performance (t = 10.313). Crucially, the mediating role of green product innovation in the relationship between tourist participation and performance was confirmed and statistically significant (t = 9.138). This study concludes that fostering tourist participation and integrating green product innovation are essential strategies for enhancing the performance of sports tourism complexes, leading to greater environmental compatibility and economic development.
Sports management, marketing
Azizollah Farzipor; Rouhallah Ershadi; Jamshid Hemati; BI BI Fakhrosadat Hashemi
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of the 4E dimensions in developing water sports and recreational tourism resources on Kish Island. The research was applied in purpose and descriptive-survey in method. The statistical population consisted of employees from the Kish Free Zone Organization ...
Read More
The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of the 4E dimensions in developing water sports and recreational tourism resources on Kish Island. The research was applied in purpose and descriptive-survey in method. The statistical population consisted of employees from the Kish Free Zone Organization and the Kish Institute of Sports and Recreational Activities, selected through convenience sampling (N = 257). Data were collected using a researcher-designed questionnaire, whose face and content validity were confirmed by 11 experts in sports management. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha and composite reliability coefficients. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 25 and Smart PLS version 4. The results demonstrated that Experience (0.844), Esthetic Experience (0.913), Engagement (0.902), Advocacy Commitment (0.830), and Ubiquity (0.887) had significant impacts on the strategic development of sports tourism resources. These findings suggest that managers of sports and marine recreation centers must recognize and leverage these resources to improve performance. This study, by applying the 4E model innovatively, offers new insights into integrating experience, esthetics, engagement, advocacy, and ubiquity to foster the growth of water sports tourism on Kish Island. It highlights a dual achievement: enhancing service quality and supporting sustainable and strategic tourism development in the region.
Sports management, marketing
Mohammad Rasoul Khodadadi; Yaghoub Badri Azarin; Mohanad Wattan Mashi Al-Jabr
Abstract
Sports tourism is one of the key areas of economic and social development that can contribute to cultural transformation and the improvement of international interactions. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to explain the model of factors influencing the demand for sports tourism in Iraq. The ...
Read More
Sports tourism is one of the key areas of economic and social development that can contribute to cultural transformation and the improvement of international interactions. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to explain the model of factors influencing the demand for sports tourism in Iraq. The present research is applied in nature, employing a qualitative research method based on grounded theory with the Glaserian approach. The statistical population of the study consisted of professors and experts in sports management, tourism, and sports tourism, managers of tourism agencies, and Ph.D. researchers in sports management. The sample was selected from among the population members using purposive and snowball sampling methods. To gather the necessary information for the research, document study and interviews were employed, and the interviews for this study were conducted from September to December 2023. The research tool was semi-structured interviews with 15 experts, which continued until theoretical saturation was reached. The validity of the research was confirmed by relevant experts, and the reliability was achieved through the intra-subject agreement method, reaching 74%. The results of the study showed that economic dynamism, tourism management, sports events, social and cultural transformation, tourism challenges and opportunities, economic, managerial, political, social, and cultural functions, information technology, and environmental factors were the 11 key categories influencing the demand for sports tourism in Iraq. In this regard, attention to the factors influencing the demand for sports tourism in Iraq and effective management of these factors can help increase the number of sports tourists and contribute to the sustainable development of this industry in the country. Accordingly, the present study introduces a comprehensive model of the factors influencing the demand for sports tourism in Iraq, and the implementation of these strategies can contribute to Iraq’s economic and social growth, positioning the country as a model for sustainable sports tourism development in the region.
