Involvement and Image Transfer in Sports Sponsorship

Sponsorships have become one of the most important marketing tools. Data show that a majority of sporting events is sponsored and that investment in sponsorship is increasing every year. Companies are demanding more research to better understand their investment efficacy. Involvement is a key element in processing sponsorship information in consumers' minds. This variable affects consumer behavior and moderates the sponsor image transfer. The study of involvement could give guidance for the design of appropriate and functional advertising campaigns. The research proposes segmenting and modelling sport consumer behaviour in sponsorship by their level of involvement with the event. For this task, we propose a model for image transfer between the sponsored entity and the sponsor. Using Finite Mix Partial Least Square methods, two sample segments are achieved. The data were obtained with a web banner during an international tennis event. In conclusion, the least involved individuals do not process the image transfer effect, as opposed to the individuals who are more involved. In the theoretical field, this paper is the first to include segmentation by Finite Mix in sponsorship research. Finally, attraction and involvement strategies are proposed based on the characteristics for each of the variables in this model, for example, regular meetings for fans, autograph signings and weekly chat sessions on the web site. This study provides guidance for companies about how to increase their customers' willingness to purchase, how to improve their image, how to increase supporters' involvement and finally, how to design effective communication for supporters according to their level of involvement

Інновації в управлінні людським ресурсами: методи усунення мобінгу

Ця стаття узагальнює аргументи та контраргументи в межах наукової дискусії з питання інновацій в управлінні людськими ресурсами. Систематизація літературних джерел та підходів до вирішення проблеми управлінні людськими ресурсами дозволила виділити особливий вид поведінки на робочому місці – мобінг. Зазначено, що тематика наукових дискусій щодо мобінгу на робочому місці переважно спрямована на аналіз негативних аспектів досліджуваного явища, зокрема, погіршенні взаємовідносин між співробітниками, руйнівними наслідками для жертв мобінгу, погіршенні ефективності діяльності компанії та її іміджу. Відзначено фрагментарність наукових досліджень щодо скорочення випадків мобінгу або його усунення. Наголошено, що функціональне порушення взаємовідносин між співробітниками негативно впливає не лише на комунікацій між ними, а й знижує якість надання послуг організацією. Основною метою проведеного дослідження є аналіз особливостей поширення мобінгу у відносинах між працівниками у секторі організації дозвілля, визначення найбільш популярних форм психологічного тиску та формування відповідних управлінських рішень для їх усунення. Методичним інструментарієм проведеного дослідження стали методи напівструктурованого інтерв’ю на основі емічного та етичного підходів. Вибірка даних сформована на основі результатів опитування працівників готелів Литви. Результати дослідження дають підстави стверджувати, що мобінг у секторі організації дозвілля може стати причиною його економічного спаду. Встановлено, що скорочення кількості працівників та зниження прибутку підприємств впливає на кадрову політику підприємства. Крім цього, враховуючи отримані результати, авторами встановлено, що взаємовідносини між працівниками на робочому місці значно піддаються впливу зовнішніх обставин, які можна контролювати за допомогою зміни кадрової політики. За результатами дослідження сформована складна універсальна модель, яка може бути використана при прийнятті інноваційних управлінських рішень щодо усунення мобінгу. У свою чергу, запропонована модель висвітлює особливості мобінгу та може бути покладена в основу стратегій запобігання мобінгу у відносинах між співробітниками.Mobbing in employees’ relationships is a widely researched and analyzed problem, and the concept is still developing. The deliberations mostly concentrate on negative aspects associated with this phenomenon, e.g., deterioration of the relationships between employees, devastating consequences for victims, deterioration of the company’s performance and image. The research on what managerial solutions can help reduce or eliminate the problem is still, however, not very abundant. Also, though many studies confirm the existence of this phenomenon in different sectors of the economy, there is not so much research on mobbing in relationships between employees in the leisure sector organizations. What is equally important, the dysfunction of relationships between employees includes the factors that have a significant impact not only on the quality of communication but also on the services provided in the organizations providing services. Given this fact, this study deals with the prevalence of mobbing in relationships between employees of the leisure sector organizations, distinguishing the most frequent forms of psychological pressure, and shaping the managerial solutions to eliminate the problem. The results of the qualitative research are presented using a semi-structured interview method. The research sample comprises employees of the Lithuanian hotels. The qualitative data analysis was performed using Emic and Etic approaches. The results achieved show that the dynamics of mobbing in the leisure sector organizations can be related to the economic recession, when the number of customers has decreased, corporate earnings shrunk. It affected the staff policy of organizations; it also shows that the relationship between the employees forming within organizations is significantly exposed to external circumstances, the influence of which could be compensated by the change in personnel policy. The originality of this article is presupposed by the fact that a complex, versatile model of managerial solutions designed to eliminate the phenomenon of mobbing is presented as the main result of the studies carried out. Using the proposed model, the practitioners will be able to look at the phenomenon of mobbing from a different angle, and researchers analyzing destructive relationships between the employees will be able to develop strategies of prevention and intervention of mobbing in relationships between employees based on the model

Mobbing and harassment in the steel enterprises

Mobbing and harassment are widely analysed in organizations providing various services but are little studied in the companies undertaking industrial activities. Therefore, the aim of the paper is to diagnose the prevalence of mobbing and harassment in the steel enterprises. The case study analysis of the largest steel producer in the world, and specifically its division in Poland was used to determine the prevalence of these phenomena. It was found out that the said company is the example of the ethically and socially responsible organization. However, the interviews indicate that single cases of mobbing and harassment activities (though relatively rare) were also observed. They were distributed among three groups of employees: 1) those who do physical work (are directly engaged in the production process); 2) employees involved in the administrative activity and sales; and 3) managerial staff

A new tool contributing to the management of bullying and harassment in higher education institutions

Bullying and harassment in higher education sector impacts negatively on wellbeing of those who participating in these episodes and also gives wide-ranging negative consequences for every institution and for whole sector. It is necessary to develop an instrument that can reliably identify incidents of bullying and harassment and would contribute to setting targets for intervention and provide a basis for effective management of this phenomenon. The purpose of this research was to verify the dimensions and the methodological characteristics of the new tool. The survey employed a specially constructed questionnaire, which covers the following dimensions: communication, personal reputation, student’s reputation, experienced harm, intervention measures at higher education institution. Psychometric properties of the questionnaire were assessed in a sample of 623 studets. Verification of the methodological and psychometric characteristics of the questionnaire Bullying and Single Cases of Harassment in Higher Education Institutions (B-SCH-St) confirmed its validity and reliability. Also study revealed that in Lithuanian higher education institutions effective bullying and harassment management activities are not carried out

Psychological stress among university students in wartime: a longitudinal study /

Background and Aim of Study: War has an extremely negative effect on people’s psyches. This is especially true for student youth. They have to build personal lives and continue their studies in these difficult and traumatic conditions. The aim of the study: to identify the peculiarities of the dynamics of psychological trauma, and the manifestations of depression, anxiety and stress among students in wartime. Material and Methods: The study involved university students from Ukraine and European Union countries in 2022-2024. Respondents aged 20-50 years were divided into 4 groups. Group 1 consisted of 107 students, including 64 (59.8%) males and 43 (40.2%) females, living in areas where there was no hostilities or shelling (November 2022). Group 2 consisted of 103 students, including 52 (50.5%) males and 51 (49.5%) females, living in the area of active hostilities (November 2022). Group 3 consisted of 112 students, including 41 (36.6%) males and 71 (63.4%) females, living in areas where there was no hostilities or shelling (March 2024). Group 4 consisted of 115 students, including 30 (26.1%) males and 85 (73.9%) females, living in the area of active hostilities (March 2024). The study involved the development of the author’s questionnaire and the adapted psychological test on the DASS-21, which is available on the Google Forms platform. The technique was found to have adequate internal consistency. Cronbach’s alpha was 0.807. Results: Longitudinal studies have shown that university students in wartime are characterised by a tendency to increase psychogenics related to martial law, communication and safety. A closer look at the dynamics of psychopathological symptoms revealed a trend towards increased depression and anxiety, as well as a stabilisation of acute stress indicators in all groups. This indicates a serious deterioration in the mental health of the students and a further chronicisation of their neurotic disorders. Conclusions: The negative impact of the war in Ukraine on the mental health of student youth requires the active implementation of psychological support measures and psychoprophylaxis in accordance with individual psychodiagnostic findings