Corporate stadium sponsorships, signaling theory, agency conflicts, and shareholder wealth

Contrary to the plethora of critical articles recently appearing in both the popular and business press, this carefully controlled investigation of 49 stadium- and arena-naming-rights agreement announcements provides striking evidence that such sponsorships can significantly enhance the stock prices of sponsoring companies. Indeed, the results of the study show that the average stadium sponsor's stock prices increased by 1.65 percent at the time of announcement of the programs-a result considerably in excess of the returns associated with other major marketing programs such as the signing of Olympic sponsorships and celebrity endorsers. A multiple regression analysis employing firm-specific changes in stock prices as the dependent variable and quantifiable corporate and sponsorship-related attributes as independent variables is also presented. Variables positively and significantly correlated with perceived sponsorship success include team-winning percentages, contract length, and high technology and locally based companies. Overall, the findings of the study are consistent with the novel hypothesis that, for some firms, the real value-added of a stadium sponsorship may lie in its ability to serve as an effective or honest signal of managerial confidence in the future of the company.

The effects of consumer knowledge on responses to event sponsorships

Research into consumer responses to event sponsorships has grown in recent years. However, the effects of consumer knowledge on sponsorship response have received little consideration. Consumers' event knowledge is examined to determine whether experts and novices differ in information processing of sponsorships and whether a sponsor's brand equity influences perceptions of sponsor-event fit. Six sponsors (three high equity/three low equity) were paired with six events. Results of hypothesis testing indicate that experts generate more total thoughts about a sponsor-event combination. Experts and novices do not differ in sponsor-event congruence for high-brand-equity sponsors, but event experts perceive less of a match between sponsor and event for low-brand-equity sponsors. (C) 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The NASCAR phenomenon: Auto racing sponsorships and shareholder wealth

This study presents the first analysis of the impact of NASCAR sponsorship announcements on the stock prices of sponsoring firms. The primary finding of the study-that NASCAR sponsorship announcements were accompanied by the largest increases in shareholder wealth ever recorded in the marketing literature in response to a voluntary marketing program-represents a striking and unambiguous stock market endorsement of the sponsorships. Indeed, the 24 sponsors analyzed in this study experienced mean increases in shareholder wealth of over $300 million dollars, net of all of the costs associated with the sponsorships. A multiple regression analysis of firm-specific stock price changes and select corporate and sponsorship attributes indicates that NASCAR sponsorships with more successful racing teams, corporate (as opposed to product or divisional) sponsorships, and sponsorships with direct ties to the consumer automotive industry are all positively correlated with perceived sponsorship success, while corporate cash flow per share (a well-known proxy for agency conflicts within the firm) is negatively related with shareholder approval.

O impacto do patrocínio na atitude e intenção de compra dos consumidores: estudo do caso do patrocínio do Festival NOS Alive

Dissertação apresentada à Escola Superior de Comunicação Social como parte dos requisitos para obtenção de grau de mestre em Publicidade e Marketing.

A perceção das marcas patrocinadoras dos festivais de verão pelos participantes

O aumento da popularidade e da diversidade dos Festivais de Verão, a que temos assistido nos últimos anos, quer a nivel nacional e internacional, explica o interesse no desenvolvimento de um estudo sobre a eficácia das marcas patrocinadoras e o impacto nos mesmos tanto a nivel de conhecimento e consumo. Quando uma marca é patrocinadora de um Festival de Verão tem como principal objetivo que os seus participantes a identifiquem como tal e, consequentemente, passem a ser consumidores dando a conhecer a essência da marca, seus produtos e serviços associados. O presente estudo visa analisar até que ponto a associação da marca ao festival e o aumento do consumo são concretizados. Neste sentido, foi desenvolvido um estudo empírico de carácter quantitativo sobre as atitudes dos consumidores face ao patrocínio de marcas a festivais de música em Portugal. Os festivais seleccionados foram: Meo Marés Vivas, Nos Primavera Sound e Vodafone Paredes de Coura. O grande objectivo consistiu na avaliação da perceção dos consumidores de festivais de Verão nas marcas patrocinadoras dos mesmos. Tendo em conta os objetivos desta dissertação concluímos que, de uma maneira geral, que estes festivais são frequentados essencialmente por estudantes, com idades compreendidas entre 16 e 22 anos. Após análise das variáveis, as marcas patrocinadoras influenciam positivamente o consumidor, no que concerne à recordação/notoriedade da marca e à lealdade na com a mesma. Relativamente à identificação dos patrocinadores, verificou-se que as marcas mais associadas são as que possuem relação semântica com o festival e são, também, as que possuem maior consumo, notoriedade e relevância no mercado. O Vodafone Paredes de Coura destaca-se por ser o festival o que provocou mais atitudes positivas por parte dos inquiridos.

Business models in the portuguese football clubs

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

Alcohol sponsored events: the impact on attitudes and intentions, and the mitigating impact of persuasion knowledge

Doctor of Philosophy in Marketing and Strategy

Speech by Mr Micheál Martin TD at Launch of Pre-Registration Nursing Degree Programme

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. I am very pleased that you were all able to accept my invitation to join me here today on this landmark occasion for nursing education. It is fitting that all of the key stakeholders from the health and education sectors should be so well represented at the launch of an historic new development. Rapid and unpredictable change throughout society has been the hallmark of the twenty-first century, and healthcare is no exception. Regardless of what change occurs, no one doubts that nursing is intrinsic to the health of this nation. However, significant changes in nurse education are now needed if the profession is to deliver on its social mandate to promote people´s health by providing excellent and sensitive care. As science, technology and the demands of the public for sophisticated and responsive health care become increasingly complex, it is essential that the foundation of nursing education is redesigned. Pre-registration nursing education has already undergone radical change over the past eight years, during which time it has moved from an apprenticeship model of education and training to a diploma based programme firmly rooted in higher education. The Secretary General of my Department, Michael Kelly, played a leading role in bringing about this transformation, which has greatly enhanced the way students are prepared for entry to the nursing profession. The benefits of the revised model of education are clearly evident from the quality of the nurses graduating from the diploma programme. The Commission on Nursing examined the whole area of nursing education, and set out a very convincing case for educating nursing students to degree level. It argued that nurses of the future would be required to possess increased flexibility and the ability to work autonomously. A degree programme would provide nurses with a theoretical underpinning that would enable them to develop their clinical skills to a greater extent and to respond to future challenges in health care, for the benefit of patients and clients of the health services. The Commission has provided a solid framework for the professional development of nurses and midwives, including a process that is already underway for the creation of clinical nurse specialist and advanced nurse practitioner posts. This process will facilitate the transfer of skills across divisions of nursing. In this scenario, it is clearly desirable that the future benchmark qualification for registration as a nurse should be a degree in nursing studies. A Nursing Education Forum was established in early 1999 to prepare a strategic framework for the implementation of a nursing degree programme. When launching the Forum´s report last January, I indicated that the Government had agreed in principle to the introduction of the proposed degree programme next year. At the time two substantial outstanding issues had yet to be resolved, namely the basis on which nurse teachers would transfer from the health sector to the education sector and the amount of capital and revenue funding required to operate the degree programme. My Department has brokered agreements between the Nursing Alliance and the Higher Education Institutions for the assimilation of nurse teachers as lecturers into their affiliated institutions. The terms of these agreements have been accepted by all four nursing unions following a ballot of their nurse teacher members. I would like to pay particular tribute to all nurse teachers who have contributed to shaping the position, relevance and visibility of nursing through leadership, which embodies scholarship and excellence in the profession of nursing itself. In response to a recommendation of the Nursing Education Forum, I established an Inter-Departmental Steering Committee, chaired by Bernard Carey of my Department, to consider all the funding and policy issues. This Steering Committee includes representatives of the Department of Finance and the Department of Education and Science as well as the Higher Education Authority. The Steering Committee has been engaged in intensive negotiations with representatives of the Conference of Heads of Irish Universities and the Institutes of Technology in relation to their capital and revenue funding requirements. These negotiations were successfully concluded within the past few weeks. The satisfactory resolution of the industrial relations and funding issues cleared the way for me to go to the Government with concrete proposals for the implementation of degree level education for nursing students. I am delighted to announce here today that the Government has approved all of my proposals, and that a four-year undergraduate pre-registration nursing degree programme will be implemented on a nation-wide basis at the start of the next academic year, 2002/2003. The Government has approved the provision of capital funding totalling £176 million pounds for a major building and equipment programme to facilitate the full integration of nursing students into the higher education sector. This programme is due to be completed by September 2004, and will ensure that nursing students are accommodated in purpose built schools of nursing studies with state of the art clinical skills and human science laboratories at thirteen higher education sites throughout the country. The Government has also agreed to make available the substantial additional revenue funding required to support the nursing degree programme. By 2006, the full year cost of operating the programme will rise to some £43 million pounds. The scale of this investment in pre-registration nursing education is enormous by any yardstick. It demonstrates the firm commitment of myself and my Government colleagues to the full implementation of the recommendations of the Commission on Nursing, of which the introduction of pre-registration degree level education is arguably the most important. This historic decision, and it is truly historic, will finally put the education of nurses on a par with the education of other health care professionals. The nursing profession has long been striving for parity, and my own involvement in the achievement of it is a matter of deep personal satisfaction to me. I am also pleased to announce that the Government has approved my plans for increasing the number of nursing training places to coincide with the implementation of the degree programme next year. Ninety-three additional places in mental handicap and psychiatric nursing will be created at Athlone, Letterkenny, Tralee and Waterford Institutes of Technology. This will yield 392 extra places over the four years of the degree programme. A total of 1,640 places annually on the new degree programme will thus be available. This is an all-time record, and maintaining the annual student intake at this level for the foreseeable future is a key element of my overall strategy for ensuring that we produce sufficient “home-grown” nurses for our health services. I am aware that the Nursing Alliance were anxious that some funding would be provided for the further academic career development of nurse teachers who transfer to one of the six Universities that will be involved in the delivery of the degree programme. I am happy to confirm that up to £300,000 in total per year will be available for this purpose over the first four years of the degree programme. In line with a recommendation of the Commission on Nursing, my Department will have responsibility for the administration of the nursing degree budget until the programme has been bedded down in the higher education sector. A primary concern will be to ensure that the substantial capital and revenue funding involved is ring-fenced for nursing studies. It is intended that responsibility for the budget will be transferred to the Department of Education and Science after the first cohort of nursing degree students have graduated in 2006. In the context of today´s launch, it is relevant to refer to a special initiative that I introduced last year to assist registered nurses wishing to undertake part-time nursing degree courses. Under this initiative, nurses are entitled to have their course fees paid by their employers in return for a commitment to continue working in the public health service for a period following completion of the course. This initiative has proved extremely popular with large numbers of nurses availing of it. I want to confirm here today that the free fees initiative will continue in operation until 2005, at a total cost of at least £15 million pounds. I am giving this commitment in order to assure this year´s intake of nursing students to the final diploma programmes that fee support for a part-time nursing degree course will be available to them when they graduate in three years time. The focus of today´s celebration is rightly on the landmark Government decision to implement the nursing degree programme next year. As Minister for Health and Children, and as a former Minister for Education, I also have a particular interest in the educational opportunities available to other health service workers to upgrade their skills. I am pleased to announce that the Government has approved my proposals for the introduction of a sponsorship scheme for suitable, experienced health care assistants who wish to become nurses. This new scheme will commence next year and will be administered by the health boards. Successful applicants will be allowed to retain their existing salaries throughout the four years of the degree programme in return for a commitment to work as nurses for their health service employer for a period of five years following registration. Up to forty sponsorships will be available annually. The new scheme will enable suitable applicants to undertake nursing education and training without suffering financial hardship. The greatest advantage of the scheme will be the retention by the public health service of staff who are supported under it, since they will have had practical experience of working in the service and their own personal commitment to upgrading their skills will be informed by that experience. I am confident that the sponsorship scheme will be warmly welcomed by health service unions representing care assistants as providing an exciting new career development path for their members. Education and health are now the two pillars upon which the profession of nursing rests. We must continue to build bridges, even tunnels where needed to strengthen this partnership. We must all understand partnerships donâ?Tt just happen they are designed and must be worked at. The changes outlined here today are powerful incentives for those in healthcare agencies, academic institutions and regulatory bodies to design revolutionary programmes capable of shaping a critical mass of excellent practitioners. You have an opportunity, greater perhaps than has been granted to any other generation in history to make certain those changes are for the good. Ultimately changes that will make the country a healthier and more equitable place to live. The challenge relates to building a seamless preparatory programme which equally respects both education and practise as an indivisible duo whilst ensuring that high tech does not replace the human touch. This is a special day in the history of the development of the Irish nursing profession, and I would like to thank everybody for their contribution. I want to express my particular appreciation of two people who by this stage are well known to all of you – Bernard Carey of my Department and Siobhán O´Halloran of the National Implementation Committee. Bernard and Siobhán have devoted considerable time and energy to the project on my behalf over the past fourteen months or so. That we are here today celebrating the launch of degree level education is due in no small part to their successful execution of the mandate that I gave them. We live in a rapidly changing world, one in which nursing can no longer rely on systems of the past to guide it through the new millennium. In terms of contemporary healthcare, nursing is no longer just a reciprocal kindness but rather a highly complex set of professional behaviours, which require serious educational investment. Pre-registration nurse education will always need development and redesign to ensure our health care system meets the demands of modern society. Nothing is finite. Today more than ever the health system is dependent on the resourcefulness of nursing. I have no doubt that the new educational landscape painted will ensure that nurses of the future will be increasingly innovative, independent and in demand. The unmistakable message from my Department is that nursing really matters. Thank you.

End of Project Report to the Iowa Power Fund, October 31, 2008

The 2008 Biobased Industry Outlook Conference was held September 7-10 on the Iowa State University campus. Over 750 people attended the plenary sessions on the morning of September 8th; 580 people registered for the full conference. Sponsorships: $92,500 in sponsorships in addition to the IPF was secured for the conference (considered “match” to the IPF grant). Including the $11,250 IPF sponsorship ($12,500 minus overhead charges of $1,250), the total amount contributed for conference sponsorships was $103,750. A list of sponsors and the amount of sponsorship is listed in Appendix A. Sponsorship funds received from the Iowa Power Fund were used for supplies and materials. Please see Appendix B which documents the transfer of IPF grant funds internally at ISU and their use.

Sponsor Satisfaction in a Regional Charity Sport Event

The purpose of this Master’s thesis is to study sponsor satisfaction in charity sport events. Lack of research in regional charity sport events, emergence of corporate social responsibility and increasing popularity of charity sport events have created a research gap to be further explored. Theoretical part of the thesis focuses in development of sponsorships, charity sport event sponsorships and sponsorship as a marketing tool. Concept of satisfaction is discussed by implementing marketing theories to weight options on measuring sponsor satisfaction as a part of sponsorship evaluation process. Empirical analysis of the thesis was conducted in a regional charity sport event – Maailman Pisin Salibandyottelu. Evidences were collected in qualitative research method through semi-structured theme interviews. Altogether 12 major and minor sponsors were selected for the primary source of data. The data was analyzed by comparing sponsors’ expectations and experiences, and by displaying sponsors’ perceived satisfaction. The results indicated that sponsors were involved by partly altruistic and partly selfish motives as suggested by previous research. Respondents expressed very few, mainly non-financial expectations, yet were hoping to gain positive image association via event exposure. Negative experiences appear to have relatively small impact in overall satisfaction. Exceeding or fulfilling expectations appears to increase perceived satisfaction which was mainly driven by contribution towards the goodwill, perceived success of the event (successful record attempt, visibility (on- and off-line) and event execution.

As megaexposições no Brasil : democratização ou banalização da arte?

Convivemos atualmente no Brasil, país em que os museus são pouco freqüentados, com filas enormes e um comparecimento maciço a exposições promovidas pelos museus de arte das grandes metrópoles. Eles respondem às demandas sociais de educação e lazer e atraem um número cada vez maior de visitantes, tornando-se uma das práticas culturais mais populares desta virada de milênio. Qual o significado destas novas exposições? Elas têm sido consideradas tanto parte de um processo de democratização do acesso à arte, quanto responsáveis pela banalização da arte em sociedades cada vez mais voltadas para o consumo. Este artigo se propõe a analisar a produção, difusão e recepção destas novas exposições, considerando a hierarquia de normas, valores e práticas presentes na sociedade brasileira.

Massive Open Online Courses and sustainability

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have become very popular among learners millions of users from around the world registered with leading platforms. There are hundreds of universities (and other organizations) offering MOOCs. However, sustainability of MOOCs is a pressing concern as MOOCs incur up front creation costs, maintenance costs to keep content relevant and on-going support costs to provide facilitation while a course is being run. At present, charging a fee for certification (for example Coursera Signature Track and FutureLearn Statement of Completion) seems a popular business model. In this paper, the authors discuss other possible business models and their pros and cons. Some business models discussed here are: Freemium model – providing content freely but charging for premium services such as course support, tutoring and proctored exams. Sponsorships – courses can be created in collaboration with industry where industry sponsorships are used to cover the costs of course production and offering. For example Teaching Computing course was offered by the University of East Anglia on the FutureLearn platform with the sponsorship from British Telecom while the UK Government sponsored the course Introduction to Cyber Security offered by the Open University on FutureLearn. Initiatives and Grants – The government, EU commission or corporations could commission the creation of courses through grants and initiatives according to the skills gap identified for the economy. For example, the UK Government’s National Cyber Security Programme has supported a course on Cyber Security. Similar initiatives could also provide funding to support relevant course development and offering. Donations – Free software, Wikipedia and early OER initiatives such as the MIT OpenCourseware accept donations from the public and this could well be used as a business model where learners could contribute (if they wish) to the maintenance and facilitation of a course. Merchandise – selling merchandise could also bring revenue to MOOCs. As many participants do not seek formal recognition (European Commission, 2014) for their completion of a MOOC, merchandise that presents their achievement in a playful way could well be attractive for them. Sale of supplementary material –supplementary course material in the form of an online or physical book or similar could be sold with the revenue being reinvested in the course delivery. Selective advertising – courses could have advertisements relevant to learners Data sharing – though a controversial topic, sharing learner data with relevant employers or similar could be another revenue model for MOOCs. Follow on events – the courses could lead to follow on summer schools, courses or other real-life or online events that are paid-for in which case a percentage of the revenue could be passed on to the MOOC for its upkeep. Though these models are all possible ways of generating revenue for MOOCs, some are more controversial and sensitive than others. Nevertheless unless appropriate business models are identified the sustainability of MOOCs would be problematic.

Adoção de novos modelos de precificação em telecomunicações : estudo exploratório sobre os direcionadores e barreiras no mercado brasileiro

O mercado brasileiro de Telecomunicações e Tecnologia da Informação (TIC) tem importância significativa para o desenvolvimento do Brasil, haja vista a evolução do mercado de telefonia móvel, que cresceu 600% nos últimos dez anos. A indústria de telecomunicações, que representa 4,7 % do PIB brasileiro (TELEBRASIL, 2013), passou a ter uma nova dinâmica a partir da elaboração da Lei Geral de Telecomunicações em 1997 e, posteriormente, com a privatização do setor. Esta rápida transformação da cadeia de valor do setor foi também impulsionada pela evolução das tecnologias e de novas arquiteturas de redes. Ademais, a utilização de tecnologias digitais, como aplicativos/APPs e a própria internet, tornou a cadeia de telecomunicações mais complexa, possibilitando o surgimento de novos atores e o desenvolvimento de novos serviços, modelos de negócios e precificação (SCHAPIRO e VARIAN, 2003). Este estudo tem como objetivo analisar os direcionadores e barreiras na adoção de novos modelos de precificação de serviços no mercado brasileiro de telecomunicações, considerando a transformação e evolução do setor. O estudo foi elaborado por meio de uma estratégia de pesquisa qualitativo-exploratória e construtivista baseando-se na abordagem Multinível (POZZEBON e DINIZ, 2012), que trabalha o contexto, o processo e as interações entre os grupos sociais relevantes. A partir desta análise, foi possível compreender os critérios, direcionadores e barreiras no processo de adoção de novos modelos de precificação, as quais destacam-se as demandas dos usuários, a alta concorrência e a necessidade de aumento do retorno do investimento como os direcionadores mais relevantes, enquanto que a qualidade das redes, a falta de sistemas, a situação financeira das operadoras, a complexidade da regulamentação e o surgimento de grupos sociais distintos dentro da empresa são apontados como as barreiras mais críticas neste processo. Dentro deste contexto, os modelos de precificação emergentes abrangem o empacotamento de serviços, ofertas por tempo limitado, modelos de patrocínio/gratuidade, em conjunto com exploração de novas áreas de negócios. Este estudo proporciona uma contribuição prática e acadêmica na medida em que permite uma melhor compreensão do dinamismo do mercado e suporte para as áreas de marketing estratégico e tático das operadoras, bem como na formulação de políticas e regulamentação do setor.