Does Service Matter? An Examination of Donor Perceptions of Service Quality in College Athletics

Service quality has been recognized as a strategic tool for improving organizational performance. Many non-profit organizations have taken a market-based approach to fundraising, which enhances the importance of service excellence. The purpose of this investigation was to examine donor perceptions of service quality in college athletics. First, an adapted version of Sargeant\u27s (2001) non-profit service quality instrument was examined to assess its appropriateness within the context of college athletic donors. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and validity and reliability analyses provided evidence of an adequate model fit. Subsequently, three multiple linear regression models were developed to examine the relationship between service quality and donor satisfaction, donor longevity, and gift amount. The results indicated a significant relationship between service quality and donor satisfaction. However, a direct relationship between service quality and donor behavioral outcomes was not found

An Analysis of Donor Involvement, Gender, and Giving in College Athletics

Involvement has been examined extensively within the consumer behavior literature. However, limited research exists concerning involvement and charitable contributions. Additionally, because of women\u27s growing financial power, college athletic departments are increasingly interested in understanding how to attract greater numbers of female donors. Therefore, the primary purpose of this study was to examine gender differences in donor involvement using Zaichkowsky\u27s (1994) Personal Involvement Inventory (PII). Several demographic characteristics of donors were also compared by gender. A sample of 1,664 donors from three NCAA Division I universities participated in this study. The PII was found to be an adequate measure of donor involvement based on the sample scores. Male and female donors differed in their level of affective involvement, annual contributions, donor longevity, and household income. These findings can be used to further our understanding of donor involvement, and to assist in the development of strategies to recruit and retain female contributors

Examining Consumer Perceptions of Demand-Based Ticket Pricing in Sport

Dynamic ticket pricing (DTP), a new revenue management (RM) strategy in sport, has grown in popularity in response to the demand-based ticket resale market. Previous research has examined the relationship between the primary and secondary ticket market and determinants of price in a DTP environment. However, research has not focused on consumer perceptions of DTP or resale prices. The purpose of this study was to examine consumer perceptions of demand-based pricing over time, to assess the influence of attitudes on perceived value and purchase intentions. Results indicated that time, team performance expectations, fairness perceptions, seat location, and ticket market influenced perceived value of the ticket. Interestingly, these variables were not consistent when examining purchase intentions. Further investigation of the perceived value/purchase intention relationship is warranted when using DTP. Sport managers can use these findings to better understand the impact of RM strategies like DTP on consumer attitudes and behaviors

Segmenting Motivation: An Analysis of Fantasy Baseball Motives and Mediated Sport Consumption

Fantasy sport consumer behavior research is a burgeoning area of inquiry as this growing segment of sport fans exhibits unconventional, yet robust media consumption habits. In addition, consumer motivation and market segmentation represent core principles within the study of marketing, yet the integration of these two essential concepts with regard to sport consumers is limited. The purpose of this study was to explore fantasy baseball motives, develop a motive-based taxonomy of users, and quantify the differences between segments through an examination of mediated sport consumption. An exploratory hierarchal cluster analysis with a subsequent K-means analysis was conducted to determine the number of segments. Additionally, a MANOVA was performed to ascertain behavioral differences between the motive-based clusters. Four distinct segments emerged with statistically significant differences between each with regard to mediated consumption intentions. The following paper addresses theoretical and practical implications for academics and practitioners. Future research is also suggested

Proceed to Checkout? The Impact of Time in Advanced Ticket Purchase Decisions

When purchasing tickets in advance, sports consumers are often faced with uncertainty. Most notably, in today\u27s real-time environment, it can be challenging for consumers to determine how ticket prices and seat availability will change over time. Guided by the generic advanced-booking decision model, the current study investigated the role of time, ticket source (primary or secondary market), and team identification in advanced ticket purchasing by exploring a consumer\u27s perceptions of ticket availability and finding a lower price. The results suggest the perceived likelihood of ticket availability and finding a lower priced ticket increased as the date of the game drew closer. Ticket source and team identification were also found to be statistically significant main effects factors, while ticket source significantly moderated consumer perceptions of finding a lower price over time. These outcomes both confirm and contradict various findings in the leisure literature and provide a strong foundation for future sport-related examinations

Examining the Role of Price Fairness in Sport Consumer Ticket Purchase Decisions

Ticket pricing in professional sports is transitioning from a cost-based to demand-based approach. It has been argued that consumer perceptions of fairness regarding demand-based ticket pricing could influence purchase decisions. Perceptions of unfair pricing practices can lead to dissatisfaction and negatively affect purchase behavior. However, familiarity with demand-based pricing strategies could mitigate perceptions that real-time price fluctuations are unfair to the consumer. Guided by transaction utility theory, the current study examined the relationship between various ticket offers, consumer perceptions of fairness, familiarity, and intentions to purchase professional sports tickets. The findings support previous theory suggesting perceptions of fairness and purchase intentions differ based on specific transaction conditions. Source of the ticket, reference price, and familiarity played a role in these perceptions. This study extends the body of knowledge in sport consumer behavior by highlighting the value of fairness perceptions, familiarity, reference price, source of the ticket, and the use of price as a marketing tool

Dynamic Ticket Pricing in Sport: An Agenda for Research and Practice

For decades, the airline and hotel industries have regularly changed prices to keep pace with fluctuating levels of consumer demand. This demand-based approach to pricing is referred to as revenue management. Meanwhile, the sport industry has traditionally underpriced tickets using a cost-based approach in order to maximize attendance and promote fan satisfaction. However, as operating costs have grown, sport organizations are now forced to reconsider these conservative pricing practices. Subsequently, in 2009, the San Francisco Giants were the first team to utilize dynamic pricing, which is a strategy that mirrors the revenue management approach. While data supporting or refuting the reported benefits of this approach in sport remains sparse, the current paper utilizes the research on revenue management to develop an agenda of considerations regarding the use of demand-based ticket pricing strategies in sport. The paper is designed to guide researchers as they begin to explore the strategy\u27s myriad of critical (and yet unexplored) issues. Additionally, practical implications of adopting this pricing strategy in sport are considered

Factors Influencing Collegiate Athletic Department Revenues

One of the primary challenges of Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) collegiate athletic programs is revenue generation, particularly in light of increasing costs and competition. Surprisingly, a limited number of studies have investigated factors related to athletic department-generated revenues. A statistically significant multiple regression model was created, explaining 76.7 percent of the variance in annual generated revenues among FBS programs. Factors such as conference affiliation, success in football and men’s basketball, enrollment, and time were identified as important in predicting revenue generation. The Revenue Theory of Costs was put forth as a framework for better understanding the financial behavior of intercollegiate athletic programs

Hashmoney: Exploring Twitter Hashtag Use as a Secondary Ticket Market Price Determinant

The growth and prevalence of sport event ticket transactions on secondary ticket market platforms such as StubHub has led to the creation of a body of academic research studying this new phenomenon. Factors such as team performance and perceptions of fairness have been explored for their relationship with the price of secondary market tickets. This exploratory study introduces a new potential price determinant – social media activity – itself a popular online phenomenon that has inspired considerable academic research. This exploratory study of prices for eight National Football League games adds use of official team hashtags on Twitter to a multiple regression model, controlling for other price determinants established in previous research two models, one to predict prices for tickets sold on StubHub, the second to predict prices for tickets available on StubHub, demonstrate that increased Twitter hashtag use is a significant positive predictor of ticket prices on the secondary marke

Developing a Pricing Strategy for the Los Angeles Dodgers

In 2011, the Los Angeles Dodgers Stadium averaged 36,236 fans per game, dropping from 43,979 in 2010 and 46,440 in 2009, an overall loss of about 10,000 fans per game in just two years. In 2011, The Dodgers\u27 attendance ranking fell from first to eleventh in Major League Baseball (MLB), which amounted to a loss of over 800,000 tickets sold per year, as well as the resulting revenue from concessions and parking. Despite the Dodgers\u27 long and storied history, ticket demand had been negatively influenced by inconsistent performance, mounting bad publicity surrounding owner Frank McCourt\u27s divorce, the beating of a San Francisco Giants fan on opening day at Dodger Stadium, and the threat of suspension or termination of the Dodgers by MLB commissioner Bud Selig if McCourt did not agree to sell the team. In 2009, the San Francisco Giants were the first MLB team to adopt dynamic ticket pricing, which adjusts prices in real time to match fluctuations in consumer demand