Professionalisation of sport federations - a multi-level framework for analysing forms, causes and consequences

Research question: International and national sport federations as well as their member organisations are key actors within the sport system and have a wide range of relationships outside the sport system (e.g. with the state, sponsors, and the media). They are currently facing major challenges such as growing competition in top-level sports, democratisation of sports with 'sports for all' and sports as the answer to social problems. In this context, professionalising sport organisations seems to be an appropriate strategy to face these challenges and current problems. We define the professionalisation of sport organisations as an organisational process of transformation leading towards organisational rationalisation, efficiency and business-like management. This has led to a profound organisational change, particularly within sport federations, characterised by the strengthening of institutional management (managerialism) and the implementation of efficiency-based management instruments and paid staff. Research methods: The goal of this article is to review the current international literature and establish a global understanding of and theoretical framework for analysing why and how sport organisations professionalise and what consequences this may have. Results and findings: Our multi-level approach based on the social theory of action integrates the current concepts for analysing professionalisation in sport federations. We specify the framework for the following research perspectives: (1) forms, (2) causes and (3) consequences, and discuss the reciprocal relations between sport federations and their member organisations in this context. Implications: Finally, we work out a research agenda and derive general methodological consequences for the investigation of professionalisation processes in sport organisations

Wind tunnel model surface gauge for measuring roughness

The optical inspection of surface roughness research has proceeded along two different lines. First, research into a quantitative understanding of light scattering from metal surfaces and into the appropriate models to describe the surfaces themselves. Second, the development of a practical instrument for the measurement of rms roughness of high performance wind tunnel models with smooth finishes. The research is summarized, with emphasis on the second avenue of research

Developing a conceptual framework to analyse professionalisation in sport federations

Existing research on sport organisations is imprecise in the use of the concept 'professionalisation'. Furthermore, we do not know if analytical concepts of professionalisation correspond with the understanding in practice. This study explores the perceptions of practitioners and proposes a framework to analyse professionalisation in national sport federations. Expert interviews were conducted with six key people from Swiss national sport federations and then analysed these for characteristics of professionalisation using a hermeneutic approach. The characteristics were divided into three areas: (1) changed management philosophy, (2) functional differentiation and specialisation, and (3) application of management tools. However, professionalisation is primarily perceived to be a matter of 'professional' attitude that transforms into federation culture. The practitioners disclose an ambivalent view of professionalisation, e.g. business-like culture vs. voluntarism, for-profit vs. non-profit orientation, autonomy vs. control. A framework is developed that synthesises analytical concepts and practitioners' perceptions to support future comprehensive research into causes, forms and consequences of professionalisation in national sport federations

Competition Between Exchange and Anisotropy in a Pyrochlore Ferromagnet

The Ising-like spin ice model, with a macroscopically degenerate ground state, has been shown to be approximated by several real materials. Here we investigate a model related to spin ice, in which the Ising spins are replaced by classical Heisenberg spins. These populate a cubic pyrochlore lattice and are coupled to nearest neighbours by a ferromagnetic exchange term J and to the local axes by a single-ion anisotropy term D. The near neighbour spin ice model corresponds to the case D/J infinite. For finite D/J we find that the macroscopic degeneracy of spin ice is broken and the ground state is magnetically ordered into a four-sublattice structure. The transition to this state is first-order for D/J > 5 and second-order for D/J < 5 with the two regions separated by a tricritical point. We investigate the magnetic phase diagram with an applied field along [1,0,0] and show that it can be considered analogous to that of a ferroelectric.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure

Lower Bounds and Series for the Ground State Entropy of the Potts Antiferromagnet on Archimedean Lattices and their Duals

We prove a general rigorous lower bound for $W(\Lambda,q)=\exp(S_0(\Lambda,q)/k_B)$, the exponent of the ground state entropy of the $q$-state Potts antiferromagnet, on an arbitrary Archimedean lattice $\Lambda$. We calculate large-$q$ series expansions for the exact $W_r(\Lambda,q)=q^{-1}W(\Lambda,q)$ and compare these with our lower bounds on this function on the various Archimedean lattices. It is shown that the lower bounds coincide with a number of terms in the large-$q$ expansions and hence serve not just as bounds but also as very good approximations to the respective exact functions $W_r(\Lambda,q)$ for large $q$ on the various lattices $\Lambda$. Plots of $W_r(\Lambda,q)$ are given, and the general dependence on lattice coordination number is noted. Lower bounds and series are also presented for the duals of Archimedean lattices. As part of the study, the chromatic number is determined for all Archimedean lattices and their duals. Finally, we report calculations of chromatic zeros for several lattices; these provide further support for our earlier conjecture that a sufficient condition for $W_r(\Lambda,q)$ to be analytic at $1/q=0$ is that $\Lambda$ is a regular lattice.Comment: 39 pages, Revtex, 9 encapsulated postscript figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.

Asymptotic Limits and Zeros of Chromatic Polynomials and Ground State Entropy of Potts Antiferromagnets

We study the asymptotic limiting function $W({G},q) = \lim_{n \to \infty}P(G,q)^{1/n}$, where $P(G,q)$ is the chromatic polynomial for a graph $G$ with $n$ vertices. We first discuss a subtlety in the definition of $W({G},q)$ resulting from the fact that at certain special points $q_s$, the following limits do not commute: $\lim_{n \to \infty} \lim_{q \to q_s} P(G,q)^{1/n} \ne \lim_{q \to q_s} \lim_{n \to \infty} P(G,q)^{1/n}$. We then present exact calculations of $W({G},q)$ and determine the corresponding analytic structure in the complex $q$ plane for a number of families of graphs ${G}$, including circuits, wheels, biwheels, bipyramids, and (cyclic and twisted) ladders. We study the zeros of the corresponding chromatic polynomials and prove a theorem that for certain families of graphs, all but a finite number of the zeros lie exactly on a unit circle, whose position depends on the family. Using the connection of $P(G,q)$ with the zero-temperature Potts antiferromagnet, we derive a theorem concerning the maximal finite real point of non-analyticity in $W({G},q)$, denoted $q_c$ and apply this theorem to deduce that $q_c(sq)=3$ and $q_c(hc) = (3+\sqrt{5})/2$ for the square and honeycomb lattices. Finally, numerical calculations of $W(hc,q)$ and $W(sq,q)$ are presented and compared with series expansions and bounds.Comment: 33 pages, Latex, 5 postscript figures, published version; includes further comments on large-q serie

Topology by Design in Magnetic nano-Materials: Artificial Spin Ice

Artificial Spin Ices are two dimensional arrays of magnetic, interacting nano-structures whose geometry can be chosen at will, and whose elementary degrees of freedom can be characterized directly. They were introduced at first to study frustration in a controllable setting, to mimic the behavior of spin ice rare earth pyrochlores, but at more useful temperature and field ranges and with direct characterization, and to provide practical implementation to celebrated, exactly solvable models of statistical mechanics previously devised to gain an understanding of degenerate ensembles with residual entropy. With the evolution of nano--fabrication and of experimental protocols it is now possible to characterize the material in real-time, real-space, and to realize virtually any geometry, for direct control over the collective dynamics. This has recently opened a path toward the deliberate design of novel, exotic states, not found in natural materials, and often characterized by topological properties. Without any pretense of exhaustiveness, we will provide an introduction to the material, the early works, and then, by reporting on more recent results, we will proceed to describe the new direction, which includes the design of desired topological states and their implications to kinetics.Comment: 29 pages, 13 figures, 116 references, Book Chapte