Search

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to provide up-to-date evidence on the net effect of COVID-19 pandemic on international arrivals and occupancy rates in Greece. Analysis and forecasting point out the demand for 2020, and thus yielding more concrete evidence on the pure effect of the pandemic on the tourism industry.Design/methodology/approachMonthly observations from January 2000 to December 2020 were extracted from the Tourist Enterprises Association (SETE) for Athens, Thessaloniki, Kalamata, Rhodes, Mytilene, Santorini, Zante, Kefalonia and Crete. To model and forecast the volatility and the time trend effect of tourist arrivals individually, the study applies the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) (p,d,q) and the error, trend, seasonality (ETS) model.FindingsEmpirical results suggested that Athens, Thessaloniki and Crete were three destinations with the worst losses in international tourist arrivals. Specifically, Athens was expecting to have (without the existence of COVID-19) more than 330,000 tourist arrivals in December 2020 while instead only 73,000 international tourists visited Athens that period. Similarly, Thessaloniki and the island of Crete lost more than 150,000 international visitors during December 2020.Originality/valueThe author’s study adds to a growing number of studies regarding the impact of COVID-19 by incorporating monthly international arrival data and occupancy rate data for the whole 2020 reflecting differences in transportation or vacation choices. Also, the authors operationalized multiple time-series forecasting models (ETS and ARIMA) for reaching more concrete forecasts and estimates on the effect of COVID-19 on the Greek tourism sector.

Despite the significant increment in sport sponsorship and the affirmation of its strategically vital nature, extant research has confined its focus to narrow strategic goals, which organizations plan to accomplish from their sponsorship actions. Consequently, truly little attention has been paid to sponsorship’s viability as a vehicle for wider strategic aims and contexts. However, efficiently resourced sponsorships can generate a lasting competitive advantage in the “market” for sponsorships, which naturally bestows a competitive advantage and higher performance in product markets. The aim of this research is to develop and validate the Strategic Sport Sponsorship Scale (SSSES) and, towards this, a sum of 3,434 questionnaires were gathered and examined by means of SPSS and AMOS. The reliability and validity of the developed dimensions of sponsorship efficacy were substantiated by the practical examination of a theoretical model identifying the structural correlation between the proposed variables.

Two of the most unpredictable uncertainty indices could explain the business and stock price performance of TATA Consultancy Services (TCS) before and after the COVID‐19 pandemic. This pandemic affects business performance and predictability from uncertainty indices. With the second spread of the pandemic, IT industries have been prepared for the high networking bandwidth. Moreover, the bivariate VAR(1)‐GARCH(1,1) model is weaker during the COVID‐19 period. IT outsourcing after the worldwide outbreak of the disease is one of the most thriving enterprises globally. The coronavirus crisis is expected to have an impact on the IT outsourcing industry. Most of the uncertainty indices of these days are built up from news outlets explored in the case study of TCS. Quantitative examination strategies have been utilized to explore the impact of doubt indices in TCS and the residuals if the organization's emergency persists.

The aim of this research is to examine sport sponsorship’s effectiveness over the internet. A conceptual framework for sponsorship evaluation over the internet was proposed, incorporating crucial factors such as supporters’ beliefs about sponsorship, their satisfaction form the sport event as well as their degree of sport involvement, the usage of website and social media, awareness of and attitude toward real sponsoring firms and their actual and future purchase intentions concerning sponsors’ goods and services. A quantitative method was used for the purpose of the current research and a total of 3434 questionnaires were successfully completed and analyzed. The empirical results indicated that sponsorship awareness impacts positively and significantly in both actual and intended purchase behavior of the respondents, suggesting that sponsorship awareness is the initial stage of a continuum of fans’ responses that can lead to their purchase intentions and actual purchase. Evidence on this study contributes to the ongoing debate about sponsorship effectiveness and its implication on customer behavior and provides significant implications for managers wishing to improve their future revenues by investing in sponsorship deals, since sponsorship awareness is an important feature that managers must control in order to affect their customers purchasing decisions.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore relations among constraints and motivation for running events commitment along with relations among motivation and future commitment intentions.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative approach was utilized for the aim of the present study and 1,944 questionnaires were gathered. The self-determination theory and the categorization among intrinsic and extrinsic motivators as proposed by Alexandriset al.(2002) were utilized and the suggested research tools were selected for the purposes of the study.FindingsIntrapersonal constraints found to influence motivation factors while all three motivation factors had a significant effect on continuous participation intentions.Research limitations/implicationsThe experimental data for the present research came from participants in a given running race. As mentioned in the discussion, the distinctive characteristics of running may have affected the examined relations in a way which might not be straightforwardly pertinent to different sports. Additional analysis in various activities is essential for the generalization of the findings.Originality/valueThis paper provides the context for a discussion. It shows that motivation factors (amotivation, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation) have a significant influence on individuals’ intention to participate in sport and exercise, as well as on their ability to negotiate associated constraints. The large sample is a major element of the originality of this study because adds to the validity of the results.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to acquire improved comprehension of the motivational factors and the various constraints associated with individuals’ participation in mass running events.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative method was used for the purpose of this research, and 1.357 questionnaires were completed. This study proposed two broad hypotheses: intrapersonal constraints influence motivation factors (amotivation, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation); and motivation factors influence the intention to continuous participation.FindingsBoth broad hypotheses were supported by the evidence while the lack of knowledge, interest, confidence and feelings of tiresomeness were found to contribute more to explaining motivation. All three motivational factors had a significant influence on intention.Research limitations/implicationsThe empirical evidence for this study came from runners only. The special attributes of running may have influenced the explored relationships in a way that may not be directly applicable to other activities. Further research in various activities is necessary before such findings are generalized.Originality/valueThe aim of this paper is to provide empirical evidence of the relationships between the motivational factors and the various constraints associated with individuals’ participation in mass sporting and physical activity events. This research focused on developing a model to explain relationships among constraints, motivators and participation, and empirically test the proposed model within the marathon running participants context.

The objective of this study is to investigate the growing importance of societal marketing, by identifying the key variables in the sport sponsorship relationship, and more specifically to examine the impact of sponsor image on one major behavioral outcome, fans' purchase intention. Furthermore, the role of sport activity involvement and team attachment was investigated, in enhancing sponsor's image between football fans. The findings supported that Sponsor Image has a significant effect on the purchase intention (R2 = 0,813, p < 0.001) regardless of the product fit. Sponsor image was weakly linked with sport involvement and team achievement.

Online digital technologies have proved to be an important aspect of branding as well as international sport sponsorship since they have the capacity to interact with customers on a global scale through an abundance of digital platforms. The assimilation of online digital technologies has altered the way sports are created, promoted, delivered and consumed. The purpose of this study was to delve more deeply into the main factors of favorable buyer behavior connected to the sponsorship of sports in the online digital framework. In more detail, the effect of four antecedents variables (i.e. fans' degree of involvement with sport, their degree of attachment with their favorite club, their beliefs about sponsorship in general as well as the frequency of their visits to sport club's online social networks and website pages) on the two main intermediate variables (i.e. fans' awareness of and attitude towards sponsors) and their subsequent impact on fans' purchase intentions regarding sponsors' goods and services. A quantitative approach was used for the purposes of the current research and 3.434 questionnaires were collected by fans who attend sport online with the use of digital/portable devices, which were successfully analyzed by SPSS and AMOS. In accordance with the outcomes, determinants such as sports club attachment, sports involvement and beliefs about sponsorship were discovered to greatly affect supporters ‘awareness of as well as their attitude towards sponsoring companies. In addition, outcomes revealed that supporters’ buying aim was significantly influenced with regard to their attitude towards sponsoring companies as well as their awareness of sponsoring companies.

The purpose of this research is to study expectations regarding ageing (ERA) among individuals who participate in running events as well as to explore personality and demographic features as potential variables that influence ERA values. A quantitative questionnaire was selected as the predominant means of collecting the data and 196 successfully completed questionnaires were analyzed by means of the SPSS. Results indicate a positive correlation between ERA values and Change Seeker Index in our sample. Moreover gender and frequency of exercise found to have no significant effect on ERA score. Finally, ERA was examined among three generational cohorts and differences were noticed to physical subscale.

Purpose: The object of this research is to investigate work motivating factors in the public sector in Greece, as well as to study demographic attributes, placing emphasis on age and gender as determinants of employee motives. Design/methodology/approach: To answer our research questions, a questionnaire was distributed at the beginning of 2015 to a public - sector organization in central Greece. A total of 318 anonymous survey responses were collected and analysed with SPSS. Findings: In the public organization under survey, the leading employee motives are an increase in salaries, opportunities for hierarchical advancement in the organization, as well as the development of personal skills. Moreover, motivational differences are noted among Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y. Research limitations/implications: As the present study has been conducted on a single public organization, awareness should be raised as far as the generalizability of the results providing useful insights for further exploration. Originality/value: Limited research has been conducted in the Greek public sector comparing motives among generations.

The aim of this study is to present a theoretical framework of sport entrepreneurship research and to bridge the gap between sport participation and entrepreneurship. More specifically, the aim of this research is to investigate the factors influencing participation in high performance sport events. Furthermore, the present research explores the impact of gender on motivation of athletes as well as the impact of the various type of events. A quantitative method was used and questionnaires were gathered from three different races. A total of 616 questionnaires was achieved, which were then analysed using SPSS. Regression analysis showed that the intention to participate in future events is explained by the proposed variables; physical and mental health, attachment to the event, and sportscape factors. Moreover, the type of the event was found to have a moderating role.

The goal of this study was to examine the predictability and persistence of earnings of the European football clubs and whether the new Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Financial Fair Play (FFP) licensing regulation has forced clubs to produce a more predictable earnings stream. We utilized a sample of 109 European top-tier clubs over the period 2008–2016, summing up to 844 firm-year observations. Empirical evidence indicated that the cash flow component of earnings is more relevant in predicting one-year ahead earnings than accruals. This positive impact of cash flows for predicting earnings is more significant after the FFP regulation since earnings predictability has increased during that period. Moreover, the abovementioned finding is more significant for the smaller league clubs rather than the Big-5 league clubs. This finding is attributed to the fact that smaller league clubs are more in need of UEFA prize money relative to Big-5 league clubs, thus they are more incentivized to produce a more predictable earnings stream.