Does the level of competition influence the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and service quality?

In times of economic instability and increasingly competitive environments, organisations need to differentiate themselves and find the best version of themselves. Entrepreneurial orientation (EO) is increasingly present in organisations in general and constitutes an opportunity to improve performance in the sports associations sector. Sporting clubs are organisations of great qualitative and quantitative relevance, although few studies have approached their entrepreneurial character as an opportunity to seek success in achieving their goals. Although the positive relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and organisational performance has been well established, the moderating role of other variables in this relationship has not been studied to the same extent. The aim of this study is to analyse the relationship between EO with its constitutive dimensions (innovation, proactivity and risk-taking), with service quality (SQ) considered as the performance variable. The study has been approached considering entrepreneurship orientation from both a one-dimensional and multidimensional point of view, taking into account the discrepancies observed in the literature. The moderating role of the competition level (CL) of Spanish basketball clubs in this relationship was analysed as well, and this analysis was performed using the PROCESS macro, designed to test moderation by directly evaluating the importance of the indirect effect of the independent variable (X; EO INNO, RISK, and PROAC) on the dependent variable (Y; SQ) through a moderator: CL (M). The study was carried out with 103 Spanish basketball clubs (61% from the national category and 39% from the regional category). The results show significantly higher results in proactivity and EO in national sports clubs. There is also a relationship between all the variables studied (innovation, proactivity, risk taking, EO and service quality). The variables that best explain service quality are risk taking and entrepreneurial orientation. However, there is no moderating role for the competition level in the relationship between innovation, proactivity, risk taking and EO, with service quality

Influencia de la website sobre el patrocinio : segmentación PLS-POS

El patrocinio es una de las técnicas de marketing no convencionales que más inversión atrae en el área deportiva. Junto con el sitio web, es una de las principales fuentes de ingresos de las entidades y organizaciones deportivas. Este estudio aplica una segmentación no observada orientada a la predicción (PLS-POS) con el objetivo de examinar el efecto del sitio web sobre el proceso de transmisión de imagen según la teoría propuesta por Gwinner (1997). Obtuvimos 225 encuestas insertando un cuestionario creado ad hoc en un banner de un evento internacional de tenis. La variable actitud hacia el deporte es la mejor variable para segmentar la muestra según los resultados del PLS-POS y la técnica de árbol de decisión CHAID. El estudio aporta dos importantes novedades, por un lado examina la influencia del sitio web sobre el efecto del patrocinio, y por otro, aplica una metodología inédita en el estudio del patrocinio.Sponsorship is among the unconventional marketing techniques that attract the most investment in the sports field. Along with webs, sponsorship is one the main sources of income for sports entities and organizations. Following Gwinner's theory (1997), this study applies a predictionoriented unobserved segmentation (PLS-POS) with the aim of exploring the impact of websites on the image transfer process. We gathered 225 surveys by displaying a banner in a tennis international event. The variable 'attitude towards sport' is the best one for segmenting the sample according to the results of the PLS-POS method and the CHAID decision tree technique. The study introduces two significant developments: on one hand, it analyzes the impact of websites on the effect of sponsorship, while on the other hand it applies an unprecedented methodology to the study of sponsorship

Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Sports Entrepreneurship

Sports entrepreneurship has been considered an important part of sports organisations when overcoming crisis situations. The aim of this study is to determine the impact of the crisis derived from COVID-19 on sports entrepreneurship and whether there are di erences in the prediction of entrepreneurship on service quality in non-profit sports clubs. To this end, 145 sports clubs were analysed before and after the outbreak of the virus in society. Paired sample-t tests were carried out to determine the di erences in variables studied before (Time I) and after (Time II) the COVID-19 outbreak, and correlations and hierarchical linear regressions were used to analyse the relationship between the variables studied in the two di erent stages. The results obtained show that risk-taking and innovation are significantly higher after the appearance of COVID-19, while proactivity has not undergone significant changes. Finally, the relationship between sports entrepreneurship and service quality is positive and significant in both stages but stronger before the crisis

Role of age and comorbidities in mortality of patients with infective endocarditis

[Purpose]: The aim of this study was to analyse the characteristics of patients with IE in three groups of age and to assess the ability of age and the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) to predict mortality. [Methods]: Prospective cohort study of all patients with IE included in the GAMES Spanish database between 2008 and 2015.Patients were stratified into three age groups:<65 years,65 to 80 years,and ≥ 80 years.The area under the receiver-operating characteristic (AUROC) curve was calculated to quantify the diagnostic accuracy of the CCI to predict mortality risk. [Results]: A total of 3120 patients with IE (1327 < 65 years;1291 65-80 years;502 ≥ 80 years) were enrolled.Fever and heart failure were the most common presentations of IE, with no differences among age groups.Patients ≥80 years who underwent surgery were significantly lower compared with other age groups (14.3%,65 years; 20.5%,65-79 years; 31.3%,≥80 years). In-hospital mortality was lower in the <65-year group (20.3%,<65 years;30.1%,65-79 years;34.7%,≥80 years;p < 0.001) as well as 1-year mortality (3.2%, <65 years; 5.5%, 65-80 years;7.6%,≥80 years; p = 0.003).Independent predictors of mortality were age ≥ 80 years (hazard ratio [HR]:2.78;95% confidence interval [CI]:2.32–3.34), CCI ≥ 3 (HR:1.62; 95% CI:1.39–1.88),and non-performed surgery (HR:1.64;95% CI:11.16–1.58).When the three age groups were compared,the AUROC curve for CCI was significantly larger for patients aged <65 years(p < 0.001) for both in-hospital and 1-year mortality. [Conclusion]: There were no differences in the clinical presentation of IE between the groups. Age ≥ 80 years, high comorbidity (measured by CCI),and non-performance of surgery were independent predictors of mortality in patients with IE.CCI could help to identify those patients with IE and surgical indication who present a lower risk of in-hospital and 1-year mortality after surgery, especially in the <65-year group

Effect of remote ischaemic conditioning on clinical outcomes in patients with acute myocardial infarction (CONDI-2/ERIC-PPCI): a single-blind randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Remote ischaemic conditioning with transient ischaemia and reperfusion applied to the arm has been shown to reduce myocardial infarct size in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI). We investigated whether remote ischaemic conditioning could reduce the incidence of cardiac death and hospitalisation for heart failure at 12 months. METHODS: We did an international investigator-initiated, prospective, single-blind, randomised controlled trial (CONDI-2/ERIC-PPCI) at 33 centres across the UK, Denmark, Spain, and Serbia. Patients (age >18 years) with suspected STEMI and who were eligible for PPCI were randomly allocated (1:1, stratified by centre with a permuted block method) to receive standard treatment (including a sham simulated remote ischaemic conditioning intervention at UK sites only) or remote ischaemic conditioning treatment (intermittent ischaemia and reperfusion applied to the arm through four cycles of 5-min inflation and 5-min deflation of an automated cuff device) before PPCI. Investigators responsible for data collection and outcome assessment were masked to treatment allocation. The primary combined endpoint was cardiac death or hospitalisation for heart failure at 12 months in the intention-to-treat population. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02342522) and is completed. FINDINGS: Between Nov 6, 2013, and March 31, 2018, 5401 patients were randomly allocated to either the control group (n=2701) or the remote ischaemic conditioning group (n=2700). After exclusion of patients upon hospital arrival or loss to follow-up, 2569 patients in the control group and 2546 in the intervention group were included in the intention-to-treat analysis. At 12 months post-PPCI, the Kaplan-Meier-estimated frequencies of cardiac death or hospitalisation for heart failure (the primary endpoint) were 220 (8·6%) patients in the control group and 239 (9·4%) in the remote ischaemic conditioning group (hazard ratio 1·10 [95% CI 0·91-1·32], p=0·32 for intervention versus control). No important unexpected adverse events or side effects of remote ischaemic conditioning were observed. INTERPRETATION: Remote ischaemic conditioning does not improve clinical outcomes (cardiac death or hospitalisation for heart failure) at 12 months in patients with STEMI undergoing PPCI. FUNDING: British Heart Foundation, University College London Hospitals/University College London Biomedical Research Centre, Danish Innovation Foundation, Novo Nordisk Foundation, TrygFonden

What are the paths to quality of service in basketball sports clubs? Analysis of entrepreneurial orientation and level of competition

La orientación emprendedora (compuesta por innovación, asun- ción de riesgos y proactividad), es entendida como la disposición para afron- tar de forma ventajosa los desafíos del entorno y sus rivales, teniendo cre- ciente interés en la investigación y relacionada generalmente con un mayor rendimiento en distintos ámbitos de la organización. El presente estudio, realizado con clubes de baloncesto españoles, analiza la relación existente entre la Orientación Emprendedora, el nivel de competición de los clubes y la calidad de servicio que prestan a sus deportistas y socios/abonados. En este trabajo, en el que se ha utilizado como metodología de análisis fsQCA se han analizado 103 clubes deportivos de baloncesto (61% de categoría nacional y 39% autonómica). Los resultados muestran diferentes caminos para lograr altos niveles de Calidad de Servicio, destacando Asunción de Riesgos y nivel de competición nacional como variables que mayor presencia tienen en las soluciones de altos niveles de Calidad de servicio.Abstract: The entrepreneurial orientation (composed of innovation, risk ta- king and proactivity), is understood as the willingness to face the challenges of the environment and its rivals in an advantageous way, having a growing interest in research and generally related to greater performance in different areas of the organization. This study, carried out with Spanish basketball clubs, analyses the relationship between the Entrepreneurial Orientation, the level of competition of the clubs and the quality of service they provide to their athletes and members/subscribers. In this work, in which the fsQ- CA analysis methodology has been used, 103 basketball sports clubs have been analysed (61% national and 39% regional). The results show different ways to achieve high levels of Service Quality, with Risk Assumption and the level of national competition standing out as the variables that have the greatest presence in solutions with high levels of Service Quality

Entrepreneurship and Resilience in Spanish Sports Clubs: A Cluster Analysis

Entrepreneurial orientation can be an effective response by sports clubs to manage a recession, such as the COVID-19 crisis. Therefore, its study can be fundamental to understand different ways of managing a recession. This study analyzes the entrepreneurial orientation of Spanish non-profit sports clubs to identify different groups and their profiles. The sample is composed of 145 Spanish non-profit sports clubs. Different validated scales have been used to analyze entrepreneurial orientation, business model adaptation, service quality, and economic and social performance (performance in social impact and performance in social causes). Entrepreneurial orientation is the variable used to differentiate the groups. This is made up of three dimensions: innovation, risk-taking, and proactivity. According to the results obtained, there are three groups of sports clubs according to their entrepreneurial orientation: non-entrepreneurs (n = 11), moderate entrepreneurs (n = 85), and strong entrepreneurs (n = 45). There are substantial differences between the three groups according to the adaptation of the business model, the perceived impact of COVID-19, and the returns analyzed. Strong entrepreneurs have considerably higher levels of business model adaptation, economic performance, social performance, and perceived service quality than non-entrepreneurs. Theoretical and practical implications have been drawn that can bring new information to the sports and organizational sector. For example, the diagnosis of the different profiles according to the level of entrepreneurship can be useful to propose strategies to improve performance. In this way, it can help to evaluate the return on the investment made by sponsors or governments in the organization

Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Soccer: Web of Science Bibliometric Analysis

According to the existing literature, there is growing interest in the sports industry by individuals involved in entrepreneurship and innovation. However, no bibliometric analyses on the importance of and interest that these individuals have in the football industry have been conducted. A total of 220 articles and reviews retrieved from Thomson Reuters Web of Science (Core Collection&trade;) between 1997 and 2019 were analysed. These articles were published in 169 different journals by 609 authors from 340 different institutions in 46 countries. The following basic bibliometric analyses and co-occurrence networks were carried out: co-authorship and co-words. As a result, four clusters that summarise the following four different thematic areas were found: (1) football, entrepreneurship and social development, (2) football, innovation and management, (3) football, efficiency and new technology, and (4) football, injuries and innovation in rehabilitation. A thematic analysis of the four clusters found was carried out. Finally, practical implications and future lines of research were presented

Exploring Environmental and Entrepreneurial Antecedents of Social Performance in Spanish Sports Clubs: A Symmetric and Asymmetric Approach

The social function of non-profit sports clubs is undeniable, so analyzing the factors that influence their performance is vital. The aim of this study is to understand the influence of entrepreneurial factors (entrepreneurial orientation) and environmental factors (dynamism, hostility and complexity) on social performance using a symmetrical (Hierarchical regression model) and asymmetrical (qualitative comparative analysis) approach. The social performance of this particular type of organization is of great importance in an environment where sustainability from a social point of view is increasingly on the agenda of governments, organizations and society in general. A total of 209 Spanish non-profit sports clubs were analyzed. The use of two complementary methodologies has made it possible to highlight the direct positive influence of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) on performance in terms of social impact performance (SIP) and social causes performance (SCP). Similarly, complexity and dynamism have a direct influence on both types of performance, while high levels of hostility in the environment are related to low levels of social performance in both areas. The analysis of the interaction of environmental factors and sport entrepreneurship on social performance in sports clubs has not been previously addressed. Therefore, this study provides new information to elaborate on practical management implications for directors and managers of non-profit sport clubs