Determination of internal service quality in a sport organization: the case of "Kaunas Žalgiris" football club

The internal service quality in an organization is a particularly important factor that determines not only the internal users (employee) satisfaction, but also their loyalty to the organization and their performance. The aim of the study is to determine the internal service quality in "Kaunas Žalgiris" football club. Methods: A qualitative methodological approach, semi-structured indepth interviews (non-probabilistic targeting). The study showed that different recipients of internal services receive services of different quality. Coaches, men's football team players, administration and service staff receive the highest quality internal services. The lowest quality internal services are received by those who do not generate income for the club - women's and youth football teams. The club should ensure that all resources are available to all football teams belonging to the club. Although "Kaunas Žalgiris" football club has created an entire pyramid for the education of young footballers, it faces a lack of loyalty from them due to quality problems of internal services provided. It is recommended that "Kaunas Žalgiris" football club solve the problems of internal service quality and develop a strategy aimed at promoting the loyalty and pride of youth teams in belonging to "Kaunas Žalgiris" organization

Significance of strategic planning for results of sport organization

The article focuses on the application of strategic planning activities in a sport organization. Firstly, strategic planning activities are distinguished and their significance for organizations analyzed. The following activities are emphasized – setting of strategic goals, analysis, and prognostication, the choice of strategy and its implementation, as well as the feedback. The research deals individually with the issue of management participation in the strategic planning activities and raises the question of their documentation. The significance of strategic planning activities can be identified through the achieved strategic results, i.e. innovativeness and development. The article presents an empiric research with Kaunas city sport clubs as its participants. Though the analysis showed that strategic planning activities are itemized, the process of their analysis should include distinguishing the main activities that would cover other more detailed ones. Strategy results reflected in service innovativeness, network, client scope, and workplace development, could be signified as an individual strategic planning element showing the significance of planning activities. When researching the strategic planning and management aspects of sport organizations, it was discovered that the importance of strategic activities for the results of these organizations is statistically significant. Sport organizations are oriented towards all strategic management activities and are striving to create results directed to development. The following strategic activity aspects are appropriately evaluated – organizations give sufficient attention to the process of strategic management, its formalization and documentation and innovative results are achieved. The insufficient understanding of connection between goal setting and strategic planning and management activities carried out in an organization could be distinguished as a negative aspect

The Impact of Knowledge Management on Organizational Innovation

CC BY-NC 4.0Every organization wants to create unique products and services, but not all organizations achieve this. Those that successfully offer exceptional products and services thanks to better execution processes can be called innovative organizations. However, the desire to be an innovative organization alone is not enough, organizations need to develop new processes in order to be successful and to properly manage the knowledge of the organization. This article analyzes the impact of knowledge management on organizational innovation, and presents the research conducted in Lithuania. Many researchers see a positive impact on organizational innovation, as knowledge management practices that prioritize the generation of new knowledge and learning at the organizational level are important for achieving positive results in innovation. Thus, knowledge generation has a positive correlation with organizational innovation creation, but some researchers, e.g. Donate and de Pablo (2015) consider this relationship to be indirect. The results of a study by Lee, Leon, Hew, and Ooi (2013) revealed that knowledge acquisition is not strongly related to an organization’s technology innovation process. Capon, Farley, Lehmann, and Hulbert (1992) argue that the acquisition of knowledge does not affect an organization’s ability to innovate. However, there are other studies, e.g. Darroc and McNaughton (2002) and Tan and Nasurdin (2011) argue that knowledge acquisition strongly influences the process of technological innovation. The aim of this article is to determine whether this impact is direct or indirect, not only to limit technological innovations, and to determine which trends are typical for Lithuanian organizations

Valstybės parama ūkininkų žinių sklaidai ir jos tobulinimas

The spread of information is related with latest studies and their state support, which is not a direct support to business or a separate industry branch. The support can also be horizontal (without distinguishing individual branches). Lithuanian farmers are provided support of different types: investment support, production subsidies, support for spread of information, etc.. The article discusses only the support for spread of information. In order to evaluate its benefit to farmers, they were presented with the following questions: what was the benefit from the training and consulting services? Upon summing up the results of the survey, it was established that 45 per cent of respondents acquired new knowledge at seminars/training, 45 per cent did not participate in any seminars and the remaining 10 per cent did not obtain any new information. Afterwards attempts were made to identify the relation between the use of the support to dissemination of information and the result of the respondents, i. e. the received profit. Since 114 respondents (101 respondents did not reveal the information) stated the revenues and expenses incurred, it was estimated how much profit on the average was received by the respondents, who disclosed the information against individual groups. Comparing the replies by all the respondents with the replies by those, who stated their revenues and expenses, the proportion in essence remained the same, i. e. 43 per cent acquired new knowledge, 44 per cent did not participate and 12 per cent learned nothing new. The information constantly gets old, in addition, learning is a sustained process. Due to the said reason the farmers’ needs to use information should remain, in case the information, presented during seminars and training courses is actually new. Farmers’ participation in seminars had influence on the sufficiency of their knowledge

Influence of government's support on social responsibility of farmers' farms

The aim of the article - To evaluate the influence of government's support on the social responsibility of farmers' farms. Methods used in the research. analysis of scientific literature (in order to define the problem of compatibility between the government's support and social responsibility), method of descriptive statistics analysis (in order to evaluate the extent of support and to the social costs of farmers). One of the support means designated for the direct inducement of social responsibility is the government's support to organic farms. Still it was determined that such support means as the support for the investments or direct allowances do not induce higher social responsibility consciousness between the farmers. After summarization of total results of government's support it was determined, that government's support for the farmers had no influence on their social responsibility increase. Due to this reason it is necessary to revise the priorities of rendering of government's support means for the farmers and to relate them to the inducement of farmers' social responsibility

Factors determining the success of crisis-driven innovation implementation

Straipsnyje aptariami ir analizuojami krizinių inovacijų diegimo sėkmę lemiantys veiksniai Lietuvos krepšinio lygos klubuose pagal atliktą tyrimą. Buvo nustatyta, jog klubų pasirengimas diegti inovacijas prieš COVID-19 pandemiją buvo labai prastas arba jo išvis nebuvo. Buvo nustatyti pagrindiniai iššūkiai ir patirties šaltiniai diegti krizines inovacijas. Taip pat buvo nustatytos ir įvardytos sėkmingiausios krizinės inovacijos. Tyrimo rezultatai parodė, kokie buvo pagrindiniai krizinių inovacijų diegimo sėkmę lėmę veiksniai: organizacijos verslumas, žinios ir patirtis inovacijų srityje; planavimas; organizacinė struktūra; vadovų kompetencija; darbas su personalu; pakankami finansiniai ir žmogiškieji ištekliai. Raktiniai žodžiai: krizinė inovacija, inovacijų diegimas, sėkmės veiksniai.During the Covid-19 pandemic, the simplest economic, economic and social activities were restricted in many countries. The introduction of pandemic restrictions particularly affected sports organisations: it was forbidden to provide sports services, organise mass sports events, and restrictions were applied on group training and any social gatherings. Various organisational, technological, marketing, communication, public relations and other innovations allowed sports organisations to discover new operational opportunities, generate cash flows, and maintain the continuity of sports organisations’ activities in crisis conditions. The success of innovation is determined by certain factors, named as innovation implementation planning, strategic leadership, etc. Therefore, it is relevant to study what factors determine the success of a sports organisation implementing crisis innovations. The purpose of the study is to determine the factors determining the success of the implementation of crisis-driven innovations in sports organisations. Work tasks: 1. To examine the theoretical aspects of implementing crisis-driven innovations in sports organisations; 2. To determine what crisis-driven innovations are implemented in the studied sports organisations; 3. To determine what factors led to the success of the implementation of crisis-driven innovations in the studied sports organisations. Research methods: analysis of scientific literature; structured interview; content analysis. Main results. The research results show that during the pandemic, the studied basketball clubs implemented the following crisis-driven innovations: 1. Necessary innovations according to legislation (disinfection innovations, separation of zones, temperature measurement technologies); 2. Marketing innovations (advertising innovations, innovations in the development of social network marketing, e-commerce, including the sale of licensed products); 3. Innovations in remote communication with fans (innovation of match previews on online platforms, “cardboard image” innovation, development of social networks, fans inclusion in the commercialisation of social media, creation of a virtual community of fans, e-sports); 4. Innovations to support the internal work of the club (remote communication within the club using Teams software, online training of basketball players). The most successful crisis-driven innovations were communication within the club and in the office through Teams; content marketing in social networks and its commercialisation, as well as solutions for selling advertising content during pandemics. Conclusion of the work: The success of the implementation of crisis-driven innovations of the basketball clubs studied during the pandemic was determined by the entrepreneurial spirit of the organisation, know-how in the field of innovation, strategic and tactical, quick planning, effective teamwork and having specialists in the organisation, managerial and innovative competence of managers, charismatic and innovative leadership, work with personnel (strengthening microclimate, encouraging the cooperation, psychological support for employees, motivation, openness in communication with employees), sufficient financial and human resources. Keywords: crisis innovation; implementation of innovations; success factors

Accessibility of government support implementation information for farmers farms

Government support for business would be effective if transaction cost of support is low. We could achieve that just by securing accessibility of information about support. The aim of the article – to estimate accessibility of governments support means for farmers farms’ and effectiveness of information source. The object of the article – informing farmers’ farms about governments support means. Methods used in the article – systematic and comparative analysis of scientific literature, questionnaire and qualitative and quantitative comparative analysis of answers. A survey of the farmers opinions showed that the majority (67 %) of respondents think the there was enough information concerning the support for farmers. The most effective way of informing was by consulting enterprises though not widely used, because of the cost

Influence of government financial support on the profit of farms

When evaluating means of support, it is important to establish whether its benefit goes to the business, for which it is intended. It is supposed that benefit can be expressed in profit. No one doubts that support can result in increase of income, but it also can increase business persons/farmers’ costs, which can result in redistribution of support among other market players. The article evaluates the effect of financial support to agriculture on Lithuanian farmers’ profit. It was established that the effect of production subsidies and investment support on profit (excluding production subsidies) is rather weak but their effect on profit (with subsidies) is greater, which gives reasons to believe that both production subsidies and investments help to cover expenses and result in a greater income however farmers do not receive any real benefit out of such means of support. The obtained benefit is redistributed among other market players – due to the possibility to cash in from the support, received by farmers and as the result of more favorable negotiating positions. On the other hand, the influence of the support to dissemination of information on the farmers’ income, taking into consideration a year’s delay, is very significant. As the state strives for increasing the farmers’ competitive abilities, compared with other means of support, it is most beneficial to provide support to the dissemination of information, since the buy-off of the support is the biggest among all the types of support (compared to other forms of support, i. e. the investment support and the support for production (subsidies), which are provided directly to the farmer). The support to dissemination of information is efficient but it also has negative traits, i. e. greater administration costs than those of other means and the danger of provision of fictitious support because of low tangibility

Assimilation of support means "Settlement of young farmers" and "Modernization of agricultural demesnes" and the main mistakes

Straipsnyje aptariami du baziniai žemės ūkio politikos modeliai: europinis ir liberalusis (Keirnso). Kiekvienas iš jų turi teigiamų aspektų (vertybes, kuriomis remiasi), tačiau susiduriama ir su neigiamais. Didesnis dėmesys skiriamas europiniam žemės ūkio modeliui, nes remiantis šiuo modeliu yra formuojama žemės ūkio bendroji politika Lietuvoje. Kadangi europinio žemės ūkio modelio trūkumas yra mažas žemės ūkio pasaulinis konkurencingumas, analizuojamos KPP I krypties paramos priemonės, kurių tikslas ir yra didinti žemės ūkio ir kitų su žemės ūkiu susijusių verslų konkurencingumą. Tačiau taikant efektyviai įsisavinamas investicinės paramos priemones didinančias konkurencingumą, europiniame kaip ir liberaliame žemės ūkio modelyje, vertėtų liberalizuoti tarptautinę prekybą ir atsisakyti eksporto subsidijų. Įvertinus KPP I krypties paramos priemonių įsisavinimą, nustatyta, kad geriausiai įsisavinamos "Jaunųjų ūkininkų įsikūrimas" ir "Žemės ūkio valdų modernizavimas" paramos priemonės. Taip pat įvertintos pagrindinės šių dviejų paramos priemonių įsisavinimo klaidos. Jos nėra esminės, tačiau paramos gavėjai į jas turėtų atkreipti dėmesį, nes dėl šių klaidų gali būti vėliau išmokama parama. Dėl šios priežasties europiniame žemės ūkio modelyje siūlomas nuolatinis paramos gavėjų klaidų monitoringas ir nuolatinis informavimas apie jas.A weak point of the European agricultural model is the decrease of competitive ability of agriculture. To reduce this disadvantage of European agricultural model, the support means directed towards the increase of competitive ability of agricultural business should be applied. Goal of the article - to evaluate the implementation of support means "Settlement of young farmers" and "Modernization of agricultural demesnes" as well as to determine the main mistakes. Object of the article - the support means "Settlement of young farmers" and "Modernization of agricultural demesnes". Methods applied: analysis of scientific literature, method of descriptive statistics analysis and interview. We may state, that after evaluation of the amount of tenders of 2007-2008, the total sum of support requested and the support amount disbursed in 2008, the best assimilated and the most important means of direction RDP I, which increase the competitive ability of farms, are the "Settlement of young farmers" and "Modernization of agricultural demesnes". The most frequently met mistakes are of various nature and they depend on the specifics of the support mean. It may be predicated, that the support is implemented effectively, since not significant mistakes are allowed to correct by answering to inquiries, besides, the rules of the means of support itself, are constantly simplified

Inovacijų barjerų valdymo įtaka viešbučio konkurencingumui

Norint greičiau įdiegti inovacijas, skatinančias įmonės konkurencingumą, reikia mažinti, valdyti jas stabdančius barjerus. Šiuo metu, sparčiai plečiantis turizmo verslui, viešbučiai patiria spaudimą iš vartotojų sparčiau diegti inovacijas. Nors viešbučiai patys yra suinteresuoti siūlyti naujoves, tačiau įvairūs barjerai tampa iššūkiu įmonėms, kurios nori pateikti į rinką naujus, patobulintus, turinčius pridėtinę vertę produktus ar paslaugas, suteikiančias verslui galimybę pasiekti geresnių rezultatų. Straipsnio tikslas - įvertinti inovacijų barjerų valdymo įtaką viešbučio konkurencingumui. Šiame straipsnyje teoriniu aspektu išanalizuoti inovacijų barjerai ir jų valdymo priemonės. Analizės rezultatas - sukurtas inovacijų barjerų valdymo įtakos teorinis modelis, susijęs su turizmo sektoriaus įmonių konkurencingumu. Šio modelio pagrindu buvo sudaryta tyrimo ekspertų apklausos anketa. Atlikus tyrimą nustatyta, kad prioritetų iškėlimas, darbuotojų mokymai, žinios bei technologijos (barjerų valdymo būdai) daro įtaką žmogiškųjų išteklių konkurencingumui. Atskirai vertinant vidinių ir išorinių baijerų valdymo priemones nustatyta, kad vidinės barjerų valdymo priemonės daro didžiausią teigiamą įtaką konkurencingumo rodikliams.In the present article, the innovation barriers and measures of their management are analysed in the theoretical aspect As the result of the analysis, the developed theoretical model of the influence of the innovation barrier management on the competitive ability of enterprises from the tourism sector is presented. The study instrument - expert questionnaire survey was shaped on the basis of this model The results of the study about the influence of the innovation barrier management on the competitive ability of 3-4-star hotels in Kaunas and Vilnius are presented. It was determined that the priority setting, trainings for employees, knowledge and technologies (barrier management) affect the competitive ability of human resources. In case of assessing the measures of management of the interna! and external barriers, the internal measures of the barrier management have the biggest influence on the competitive ability indicators