The purpose of this study was to examine the structural relationships among organizational culture, empowerment, and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) of professional sports organizations in South Korea. In particular, this study emphasized the mediating effect of empowerment on the relationship between organizational culture and OCB. Research participants were 606 employees affiliated with 42 professional sports teams. The validity and reliability of the involved measures were examined through conducting confirmatory factor, Cronbach’s alpha, and correlation analyses. A structural equation modeling analysis with maximum likelihood estimation was conducted to test the relationships among the research variables. The findings revealed that all of the sub-factors of organizational culture (i.e., clan culture, adhocracy culture, and market culture), with the exception of hierarchy culture, were positively influential of perceived empowerment, which was in turn positively influential of OCB. The path coefficients were statistically significant. The findings further revealed that perceived empowerment partially or fully mediated relationships between the sub-factors of organizational culture and OCB. Unlike previous studies, our study focused on studying organizational culture at a specific managerial level, an underdeveloped area of research in sport management. In particular, the findings of this study contribute to sport management practices by uncovering the mediating function of empowerment on the relationship between organizational culture and OCB, indicating the importance of empowering employees when managing professional sports organizations.

Purpose: Growth of China’s sport industry has brought tremendous opportunities to sport and non-sport organizations domestically and globally; nonetheless, the enlargement has also raised many challenges. To a great extent, China has chartered into unprecedented new sport business territories. Because of social, cultural, historical, and governmental differences, many theories and knowledge, professional experiences, best practices, and lessons learned in Western countries may or may not be directly applicable to the diverse setting(s) in China. Until now, only limited empirical evidence is available to address these challenges. Thus, formulating a special issue in the International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship to examine contemporary subject matters and concerns would be significantly meaningful to help understand, stimulate, and improve sport business operations in China, provide guidance to transnational organizations for doing sport-related business in China, offer constructive suggestions for Chinese corporations going global, and ultimately build up theories and best practices to address unique perspectives of China’s sport industry. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach: This paper is conceptual and presents a review of literature. Findings: In addition to this leading paper, there are a total of eight manuscripts selected for this special issue inquiring on contemporary matters and development of China’s sport industry, including four short articles that were formulated based on qualitative research information derived from case studies and interviews and four full-length articles that adopted a quantitative research protocol or a mixed research design involving both qualitative and quantitative information. Research limitations/implications: While it is impossible to capture all contemporary topics in the development of China’s sport industry within one journal issue, articles selected in this special issue of the International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship have provided useful highlights into some of the critical issues faced by the industry and research directions by academicians. It is sincerely expected that studies in this special issue would help inspire more scholarly inquires and ultimately improve the continued formulation and advancement of a strong sport industry in China. Practical implications: While it is impossible to capture all contemporary topics in the development of China’s sport industry within one journal issue, articles selected in this special issue of the International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship have provided useful highlights into some of the critical issues faced by the industry and research directions by academicians. It is sincerely expected that studies in this special issue would help inspire more scholarly inquires and ultimately improve the continued formulation and advancement of a strong sport industry in China. Social implications: While it is impossible to capture all contemporary topics in the development of China’s sport industry within one journal issue, articles selected in this special issue of the International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship have provided useful highlights into some of the critical issues faced by the industry and research directions by academicians. It is sincerely expected that studies in this special issue would help inspire more scholarly inquires and ultimately improve the continued formulation and advancement of a strong sport industry in China. Originality/value: While it is impossible to capture all contemporary topics in the development of China’s sport industry within one journal issue, articles selected in this special issue of the International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship have provided useful highlights into some of the critical issues faced by the industry and research directions by academicians. It is sincerely expected that studies in this special issue would help inspire more scholarly inquires and ultimately improve the continued formulation and advancement of a strong sport industry in China.

This study was designed to examine the structural relationships among tourists’ participation motivations, the value co-creation process (VCCP), and value co-creation behavior (VCCB) in terms of in-role and extra-role contributions. Based on a comprehensive review of literature, participation motivations were measured with four constructs, including need for uniqueness, need for self-control, need for social interaction, and need for leisure and entertainment. Research participants (N = 445) who had participated in two or more marathon events in China were recruited to respond to an on-site or online survey. Conducting structural equation modeling analyses, three motivational factors of need for uniqueness, need for social interaction, and need for leisure and entertainment were found to exert significant (p < 0.05) and positive impact on VCCP, which in turn had significant (p < 0.05) influence on in-role and extra-role contributions associated with VCCB. Discussions are centered on promoting specific areas of participants’ motivations in an effort to empower and energize the process of value co-creation and to ultimately activate and sustain participants’ in-role and extra-role behaviors.

This study assesses the economic impact of three major sport events – the Formula One Grand Prix (F1), the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 (ATP), and the Shanghai International Marathon (SIM) – on the host city in China. To that end, the authors estimate the amount of different types of attendees at the events, calculate the total expenditures generated by attendees, assess the new money inflow into the host economy and conduct an economic impact assessment via an input–output model using computer software. The results of this study confirm the notion that major sport events can be used as tools to increase the economic activities of the hosts. Furthermore, the study proposes a useful method of assessing the economic impact of sport events in non-consumer-driven economies, such as China.

The purpose of this study was to explore the dimensions of service quality in fitness clubs in China and examine their impact on customer satisfaction. In Phase I of the study, we collected qualitative data from online comments related to service quality in 30 Tera Wellness clubs in Shanghai (k = 6252). Conducting content analysis, we synthesized the information and identified preliminary themes and formulated measurement statements. Phase II implemented a series of quantitative research procedures to examine the measurement properties of statements developed in Phase I. Conducting exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation modeling analyses based on responses of club members (N = 533), we identified a total of 27 items in six dimensions: service recovery, service assurance, facility function, program operation, instructor quality, and staff performance. These factors significantly (p < 0.05) predicted customer satisfaction with fitness clubs in China. The findings highlight the importance of high-quality service delivery, service recovery, and service assurance and pinpoint specific areas for improvement.

Purpose: Building upon the framework of glocalization, the purpose of this paper is to summarize the development of National Basketball Association (NBA) in Chinese market, explore its successful and unsuccessful places, and propose strategies of glocalization for the NBA as well as other overseas sport leagues. Design/methodology/approach: The current case study was organized by summarizing the developmental history of NBA in China, analyzing its current promotional practices, investigating into its marketing strategies, and extrapolating practical references for other sport leagues aiming to penetrating into the Chinese marketplace. Findings: The current case study concluded that when facing the current challenges, the NBA needs to bring authentic American cultural commodities while adding Chinese characteristics to accommodate local fans. Meanwhile, the NBA management needs to continue seeking ways to work out and through the differences in government models and cultural contexts between China and USA. In addition, this study suggested that the research framework of glocalization would be an ever intriguing inquiry needed for other sport organizations or leagues seeking expansion to overseas markets. Originality/value: A thorough case study with the NBA that has achieved huge successes in Chinese markets will provide valuable implications for sport leagues to broaden their overseas markets.