Scandal thresholds for sports celebrities as charitable ambassadors

This paper considered the charitable ambassador role sports celebrities assume. The research analysed the media attention and the impact on organisations when celebrities transgressed

Share corporate social responsibility best practice and forgo competitive advantage

Cross-sector partnerships are capable of achieving solutions to large scale societal problems, which when successful, are well-publicized. Partnering organizations not only reap reputational acclaim but garner valuable organizational benefits. Membership within successful partnerships would undoubtedly be considered a competitive advantage, yet several of these successful relationships have chosen to forgo this valuable position. Instead of retaining intellectual property, partnering organizations are sharing successful processes and practices with peers and competitors. This research examined three examples of best practice cross-sector partnerships to identify relationship success factors, how they involved other organizations and why they shared successful social responsibility initiatives with others

Addressing declining metropolitan park use : a case study of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

One might expect natural area visitation to offer time-conscious leisure seekers a competitive, low-cost alternative to the vast array of activities available in a major metropolitan area. However, data obtained by Parks Victoria revealed that there has been a decline in the number of regional visitors to Melbourne\u27s metropolitan parks over the past few years. Interviews with regional visitors highlighted the importance of the role that their Melbourne-based friends and relatives were as an information resource. This article investigates the reasons for the decline in park visitation by incorporating the viewpoints of both regional visitors and residents of Melbourne. Focus groups and in-depth interviews provided useful information about pull factors of metropolitan parks and how these parks should be promoted to attract more visitors.<br /

Responsible management of online academic reputations

Online professional persona creation in academia provides individuals and their employing institutions a range of positive reputational benefits. However, not all academics are equipped to keep pace with the speed and dynamism of the new media environment. This paper examines the challenges experienced by academics who are communicating with multiple audiences across several online platforms, some mandated by their institutions. Some academics are vulnerable to the negative consequences of heightened exposure and need additional protection and support. This paper outlines a set of recommendations that centres on the need for universities to accept greater social responsibility in managing this emerging issue

Athlete activism: advancing socio-political causes at mega sporting events

Highly mediated, mega-sporting events provide opportunities for elite athletes to use their prominent status to elicit social change. However, with expectations and policies in place to regulate behaviour that prevents athletes from making political statements, athlete activists face risks. An examination of the 2018 Commonwealth Games highlighted two athletes who used their personal reputation whilst at this highly mediated global sporting event to raise the visibility of societal issues. Through the lens of persona studies, this research examined how these athlete celebrities crafted individualised narratives through internetworked platforms of new and traditional media to demonstrate forms of athlete citizenship. This research illustrates how athletes can become co-creators of the social cause narrative, demonstrating how valuable athletes can be in amplifying the core values of major sporting events by reinforcing a fluid form of intercommunication

Using Sport and Physical Activity (PA) in Corporate Social Responsibility Programs: An Analysis of Indexed Multinationals

Perhaps more than ever before the responsibilities and obligations of commercial enterprises in the Western world are being questioned. This has culminated in the emergence of a perspective that is captured by the term corporate social responsibility (CSR) or corporate citizenship (Carroll, 1999). Those who subscribe to this perspective argue that corporate social responsibilities extend beyond the profit motives of shareholders and into the broader goals of society (Lazer, 1996)