A conceptual model for sport services marketing research : integrating quality, value and satisfaction

This paper advances our understanding of the relationship between quality, value and satisfaction in the context of spectator sport services. This is achieved through an analysis and examination of relevant secondary data culminating in a conceptual model Although extensive research has been conducted in the three separate areas of quality, value and satisfaction, to date no work has been reported attempting to develop macro models that capture the concepts and their potential interrelationships. Such macro models could enhance the communication and stimulate further research for sport marketing scholars. This paper proposes a model apposite for further research and in the process leads to the potential confirmation, rejection or, indeed, adaptation of the conceplualization of sport services.

Lifetime sport and leisure activity participation is associated with greater bone size, quality and strength in older men

Introduction: It remains uncertain whether long-term participation in regular weight-bearing exercise confers an advantage to bone structure and strength in old age. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between lifetime sport and leisure activity participation on bone material and structural properties at the axial and appendicular skeleton in older men (>50 years).

Methods: We used dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) to assess hip, spine and ultradistal (UD) radius areal bone mineral density (aBMD) (n=161), quantitative ultrasound (QUS) to measure heel bone quality (n=161), and quantitative computed tomography (QCT) to assess volumetric BMD, bone geometry and strength at the spine (L₁–L₃) and mid-femur (n=111). Current (>50+ years) and past hours of sport and leisure activity participation during adolescence (13–18 years) and adulthood (19–50 years) were assessed by questionnaire. This information was used to calculate the total time (min) spent participating in sport and leisure activities and an osteogenic index (OI) score for each participant, which provides a measure of participation in weight-bearing activities.

Results: Regression analysis revealed that a greater lifetime (13–50+ years) and mid-adulthood (19–50 years) OI, but not total time (min), was associated with a greater mid-femur total and cortical area, cortical bone mineral content (BMC), and the polar moment of inertia (I _p) and heel VOS (p ranging from <0.05 to <0.01). These results were independent of age, height (or femoral length) and weight (or muscle cross-sectional area). Adolescent OI scores were not found to be significant predictors of bone structure or strength. Furthermore, no significant relationships were detected with areal or volumetric BMD at any site. Subjects were then categorized into either a high (H) or low/non-impact (L) group during adolescence (13–18 years) and adulthood (19–50+ years) according to their OI scores during each of these periods. Three groups were subsequently formed to reflect weight-bearing impact categories during adolescence and then adulthood: LL, HL and HH. Compared to the LL group, mid-femur total and cortical area, cortical BMC and I _p were 6.5–14.2% higher in the HH group. No differences were detected between the LL and HL groups.

Conclusions: In conclusion, these findings indicate that long-term regular participation in sport and leisure activities categorized according to an osteogenic index [but not the total time (min) spent participating in all sport and leisure activities] was an important determinant of bone size, quality and strength, but not BMD, at loaded sites in older men. Furthermore, continued participation in weight-bearing exercise in early to mid-adulthood appears to be important for reducing the risk of low bone strength in old age.

Health-related quality of life and metabolic control in children with type 1 diabetes : a prospective cohort study

OBJECTIVE—To assess change in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in children with diabetes over 2 years and determine its relationship to change in metabolic control.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—In 1998, parents of children aged 5–18 years attending a tertiary diabetes clinic reported their child’s HRQOL using the Child Health Questionnaire PF-50. Those aged 12–18 years also self-reported their HRQOL using the analogous Child Health Questionnaire CF-80. HbA_1c levels were recorded. In 2000, identical measures were collected for those who were aged ≤18 years and still attending the clinic.

RESULTS—Of 117 eligible subjects, 83 (71%) participated. Parents reported no significant difference in children’s HRQOL at baseline and follow-up. However, adolescents reported significant improvements on the Family Activities (P < 0.001), Bodily Pain (P = 0.04), and General Health Perceptions (P = 0.001) scales and worsening on the Behavior (P = 0.04) scale. HbA1c at baseline and follow-up were strongly correlated (r = 0.57). HbA_1c increased significantly (mean 7.8% in 1998 vs. 8.5% in 2000; P < 0.001), with lower baseline HbA_1c strongly predicting an increase in HbA_1c over the 2 years (r² = 0.25, P < 0.001). Lower parent-reported Physical Summary and adolescent-reported Physical Functioning scores at baseline also predicted increasing HbA_1c. Poorer parent-reported Psychosocial Summary scores were related to higher HbA_1c at both times but did not predict change in HbA_1c.

CONCLUSIONS—Changes in parent and adolescent reports of HRQOL differ. Better physical functioning may protect against deteriorating HbA_1c, at least in the medium term. While the HRQOL of children with diabetes does not appear to deteriorate over time, we should not be complacent, as it is consistently poorer than that of their healthy peers.

Personality, quality and satisfaction in airline services

This paper examines some issues related to the influence of consumers’ perception of service evaluation according to their personality characteristics. The paper discusses the application of personality traits, including the Jungian personality types, as a possible predictor of perceived satisfaction levels. The existing literature has not fully explored the relationship between airline flights’ service satisfaction levels and consumers’ personality characteristics. A well-known UK leisure airline allowed a survey to be conducted in 1998-2000. The findings suggest that there is a weak correlation between personality types and satisfaction levels, but a stronger relationship between perceptions of quality and satisfaction. The adaptation of the Jungian personality types, for use in the evaluation of leisure airlines’ service attributes, appears to be worthy of further examination.

Relationship marketing and pay TV: satisfaction, complaining behavior, service recovery, and repurchase

The aims of this research included demonstrating the detenninants of Pay TV subscriber satisfaction, and displaying the relationships between key aspects of relationship marketing, such as perceptions of value, satisfaction, customer complaint behavior and service recovery, and the intention to repurchase. A survey of 171 Australian respondents suggested that the perceived quality of the variety of the programs available and the perceived quality of the monthly program guide were major contributors to value, and that value was the main driver of overall satisfaction, which in tum was the main driver of the likelihood of disconnection from the Pay TV service. Those respondents who reported having a problem but not complaining directly about it were significantly more likely to have the intention to disconnect in the future, but they were not significantly different in tenns of their value perceptions or overall satisfaction.

The relationship between channel metrics, strategy and marketing performance

The role of marketing channels is to implement marketing strategy. The difficulty of channel strategy is compounded by the emergence of e-channels and the need to integrate e-channels into traditional or “bricks and mortar” channels (Rowley 2002). As a result, managing performance across a greater number of channels with diverse characteristics is more difficult.

Organization and marketing performance is to some degree a function of the quality of channel implementation and particularly channel performance measurement. The channels literature suggests a “channel performance metric paradox”. Approaches to channel performance metrics have been mutually orthogonal or even negatively correlated. (Jeuland & Shugan 1983; Lewis & Lambert 1991; Larson & Lusch 1992). This paradox implies that it is impossible for all channel performance metrics to be maximized simultaneously and tradeoffs exist.

This paper proposes a research model and propositions which extend previous research and attempts to reconcile this “channel performance metric paradox”. The model assumes that testing the relationship between the Miles and Snow strategy types and a comprehensive range of channel performance metrics may explain this paradox. Previous implementation performance research has focused more on the Porter strategies rather than the Miles and Snow strategy types.

Relationship between body image and social and sexual functioning: gender and development trends

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between body image and social and sexual functioning. The respondents were 426 men and women from metropolitan and rural Victoria, who ranged in age from 18 to 86 years (mean age = 42.26). Respondents completed measures of attractiveness, body satisfaction, body image importance, body image behaviours, appearance comparison, social physique anxiety, self-esteem, depression, anxiety, and social and sexual functioning. Regression analyses were used to detelmine the prediction of social and sexual functioning by body image variables for men and women of different age groups, beyond the effects of psychological adjustment. The results demonstrated that while there were moderate correlations between body image and sociallsexual functioning variables, many of these relationships were best explained by the shared variance of self-esteem. There were some exceptions, particularly among middle-aged men, which are discussed.

Analysis of stamping production data with view towards quality management

A quality analysis trial was undertaken at Ford Geelong Stamping Plant on a press line that was fitted with standard press sensors to measure press and binder force over the stamping cycle for each panel. The quality of randomly sampled panels was measured by obtaining the panel thicknesses at five points, for 135 panels in total. These points were chosen such that they exhibited different forming modes. This paper analyses the input force data and the output quality data from the trial to determine any potential relationships. The analysis of the production data was performed using statistical correlation techniques to determine initial potential relationships between input and output variables. An Active Shape Model was used to extract features when identifying the major sources of variation within the input data. However, the initial analysis of the data elicited no direct relationship between the input variables measured and the panel thicknesses. This result is significant as the data collected is from a standard sensor configuration found in many press lines through-out the world. The reason for the lack of a direct relationship is believed to come from the lack of sensitivity in the force measurements which are not able to identify small changes in the process, whereas gross geometric variations have in previous studies shown an obvious relationship with changes in the force press profile. This means that existing force sensors require augmentation by additional sensors if a detailed automatic quality control system for the press lines based on input sensors alone.

Knowledge management and its links with quality

Knowledge management is a concept that continues to draw a lot of interest. It is the process of sharing knowledge within an organisation to achieve better performance. It can be utilised by all organisations, many of which may not even be aware they are using the concept nor of its links with Quality management. By implementing an effective KM system increased organisational performance and ultimately a competitive advantage can be obtained - both of which correlate to the philosophy of Quality. This paper raises issues about the relationship between the gathering, storing and sharing of knowledge and the philosophy of continuous improvement with the facilitation of teamwork. It concludes by attempting to encourage further debate and research into the area by suggesting that Knowledge Management may be well the 'catalyst' for the resurgence of Quality Management.

Managing whistleblowing : the significance of quality standards

This research studies the relationship between the existence of whistle blowing procedures and the level of importance placed on whistleblowing procedures, in an environment that claims to have a quality culture. Organisations certified with a basic quality standard, ISO 9000, were surveyed in three separate industries. Certified organisations were selection on the assumption of a basic knowledge and understanding of quality concepts as well as heightened chance of exiting whistleblowing procedures. A combination of quantitative and qualitative data analysis was undertaken. The investigation resulted in evidence that neither the existence of whistleblowing procedures, nor the level of importance placed on whistleblowing procedures, could be predicted by the presence of a quality culture. This investigation highlights the importance of whistleblowing procedures, and identifies further research opportunities on this contentious topic.

Distribution of an alien aquatic snail in relation to flow variability, human activities and water quality

1. Disturbance and anthropogenic land use changes are usually considered to be key factors facilitating biological invasions. However, specific comparisons of invasion success between sites affected to different degrees by these factors are rare.

2. In this study we related the large-scale distribution of the invading New Zealand mud snail (Potamopyrgus antipodarum) in southern Victorian streams, Australia, to anthropogenic land use, flow variability, water quality and distance from the site to the sea along the stream channel.

3. The presence of P. antipodarum was positively related to an index of flow-driven disturbance, the coefficient of variability of mean daily flows for the year prior to the study.

4. Furthermore, we found that the invader was more likely to occur at sites with multiple land uses in the catchment, in the forms of grazing, forestry and anthropogenic developments (e.g. towns and dams), compared with sites with low-impact activities in the catchment. However, this relationship was confounded by a higher likelihood of finding this snail in lowland sites close to the sea.

5. We conclude that P. antipodarum could potentially be found worldwide at sites with similar ecological characteristics. We hypothesise that its success as an invader may be related to an ability to quickly re-colonise denuded areas and that population abundances may respond to increased food resources. Disturbances could facilitate this invader by creating spaces for colonisation (e.g. a possible consequence of floods) or changing resource levels (e.g. increased nutrient levels in streams with intense human land use in their catchments).

Wellbeing, job satisfaction and commitment among Australian community health workers: the relationship with working conditions

The Australian community health sector has undergone extensive organisational reform in recent times, and, in the push to enhance efficiencies and contain costs, there are indications that these changes may have undermined the wellbeing of community health personnel and their ability to provide high quality illness-prevention services. The aim of this study was to examine the working environments experienced by community health service employees and identify conditions that are predictive of employee stress. The study was guided by a tailored version of the demand-control-support model, whereby the generic components of the model had been augmented by more situation-specific stressors. The results of multiple regression analyses indicated that job control, and, to a lesser extent, social support, were closely associated with the outcome variables (psychological health, job satisfaction and organisational commitment). The more situation-specific stressors also accounted for significant proportions of explained variance. Overall, the results suggest that working conditions, particularly job control, social support and specific job stressors, offer valuable opportunities for protecting and enhancingthe wellbeing of community health service personnel.

The relationship between native vegetation and in-stream salinity: An Australian case study

The Glenelg-Hopkins area is a large regional watershed (2.6 million ha) in southwest Victoria that has been extensively cleared for agriculture. In-stream electrical conductivity (EC) in relation to remnant native vegetation is examined from the headwaters to the upper extent of the estuary of the Glenelg River. Five water quality gauging stations were selected. Their contributing subcatchments represent a continuum of disturbance. Proportions of native vegetation ranged from ∼100% at the headwaters of the river to ∼30% at the furthest downstream gauge station. The relationship between remnant vegetation and in-stream EC was examined using aggregated and non-aggregated land use statistics over a period of 22 years from three land use maps. Increased proportions of native vegetation were significantly negatively correlated with in-stream EC and were consistent across all scenarios investigated.

Improving the quality of die castings by using artificial neural networks for porosity defect modelling

The aim of this work is to improve the quality of castings by minimizing defects and scrap through the analysis of the data generated by High Pressure Die Casting (HPDC) Machines using computational intelligence techniques. Casting is a complex process that is affected by the interdependence of die casting process parameters on each other such that changes in one parameter results in changes in other parameters. Computational intelligence techniques have the potential to model accurately this complex relationship. The project has the potential to generate optimal configurations for HPDC Machines and explain the relationships between die casting process parameters.