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Despite the undoubted importance of Public Relations (PR) in the sport industry and the increasing reliance on external PR agencies, the study of the PR agency – client relationship within this context remains in its infancy. In this study, we focus on the question, how can PR agencies develop and maintain strong relationships with their sport clients for the benefit to both parties? Qualitative data generated through semi-structured interviews with twenty "business elite informants" comprising senior PR agency executives reveal a new multi-layered conceptualization of the PR agency – client organization relationship. The findings uncover a "surface" layer to the relationship captured by a client satisfaction – dissatisfaction continuum, a core layer of relationship management and trust, to the deepest layer characterized by power (im)balance between the two parties. Uncovering the complex, nuanced and multi-layered dynamics of the relationship highlights effective PR outsourcing practices to be utilized for future value maximization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Local governments increasingly use social enterprises for public service delivery, but the sustainability of this approach is likely to be influenced by a range of resource dependencies. Drawing on the Resource Dependence Theory, we investigate the resources social enterprises must acquire and maintain for their survival among nearly 100 social enterprises created by English local governments to provide leisure services. Using survival analysis, we find that government-owned and more profitable social enterprises are less likely to be dissolved, as are those with a larger board of directors. We also find that board diversity is beneficial for enterprises with larger boards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The question of "how we learn" continues to direct scholarly debate, yet undergraduate teaching is typically designed to homogenise the learning environment. This is despite heterogeneous learning outcomes ensuing for students, owing to their different learning styles. Accordingly, we examine the relationship between teaching methodologies and learning styles. Drawing on the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument and the theory of "whole-brain" teaching, we find a suite of teaching methodologies that are generic across learning styles--tutorials, group work, firm-oriented case studies, game playing, reading journal papers, handouts, PowerPoint slides, in-class examples, in-class short exercises, and videos--and find a group of teaching methodologies--lectures, seminars, people-oriented case studies, creative problem-solving, reading textbooks, guest speakers, in-class small group exercises, homework, role-play, problem-based learning, self-directed learning, project-based learning, and class debates--that target and develop specific learning styles. Implications of the "whole-brain" model for teaching and learning are discussed.

This article discusses the importance of understanding the relationship between data and energy consumption in order to achieve the goal of net zero emissions by 2050. The energy cost of 1GB of data is a complex issue with various interpretations and a lack of transparency in the data industry. The article traces the evolution of the energy consumption of 1GB and highlights the need for a standardized approach to calculating and reporting data energy consumption. Future research and increased transparency are necessary to develop a clearer understanding of the environmental impact of data and to support policy development. [Extracted from the article]

In the face of rising infection rates and increased healthcare demand, COVID-19 overwhelmed healthcare systems. System-wide change was subsequently necessary to absorb and adapt to the crisis through a new digital service‒telemedicine. The study unpacks how precursor resilience was actuated across the service ecosystem. Drawing on qualitative data from multiple healthcare actors, the study adopts oscillating foci to examine ecosystem resiliency across three levels: micro (physicians and patients), meso (healthcare managers) and macro (policymakers). Findings show the centrality of service co-design to service ecosystem resiliency, demonstrating the role of multi-actors at multi-levels for building ecosystem resilience during COVID-19 and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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To shed new light on the contested impact of service outsourcing, the study examines whether service outsourcing is associated with higher cost of entry and if higher pricing impacts service engagement among citizen groups. To this end, the study draws on secondary objective data to capture different ownership types in local authorities community sport provision (public, non-profit, private), the cost of access (£) to use community sport facilities, and the level of service engagement with the service among different citizen groups. The exploratory model draws on analysis of variance with a post-hoc test to examine if significant differences exist between ownership types on pricing and engagement. The empirical observations reveal that service outsourcing is associated with significantly higher pricing relative to traditional local government provision, but no significant differences are found in the levels of engagement among citizen groups between the three ownership types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research question: The role and merit of publicness versus privateness in community sport provision is hotly contested in the sport management field, but is there a relationship between ownership types in local authorities' community sport provision and sports participation levels? Research methods: The study combines secondary data on sports participation with objective data on ownership types in community sport provision among local authorities in England, between 2009-2015. The panel model examines whether the mix of ownership types in community sport is associated with differences in reported sports participation levels. Results and findings: The study reveals higher collective organisational publicness in community sport is associated with lower sports participation levels among local populations. The opposite is true of higher collective privateness in local authorities' provision, where higher levels of sports participation are observed among local populations. Implications: If local authorities are to influence sports participation levels among their populations, there is a need to better understand how community sport provision should be delivered. Informed by the findings, greater privateness in local authorities' community sport provision is associated with higher sports participation levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]