Samenvatting
Research purpose
This chapter aims to make a contribution to comparative sport research and details a method for comparing nations' elite sport systems less descriptively by measuring and comparing determinants of national competitiveness quantitatively.
Problem area: organisational - elite sport policies of nations
Problem definition: Comparative literature on elite sport development has grown rapidly since 2000. Several authors state that relatively few comparative studies have been conducted in sport (Henry, Amara & Al-Tauqi, 2005; Henry, 2007; Houlihan, 1997; Bergsgard, Houlihan, Mangset, Nodland, & Rommetveldt, 2007) and most studies are mostly descriptive. There appears to be a lack of standardisation in the research methods used to make comparisons, as well as limited publicly available and quantifiable data on sport policies. These constraints are indicative of the complexity of cross-national comparisons.
Level of aggregation: International
This chapter seeks to contribute to sport management literature by exploring a method to measure and compare the critical success factors of elite sport systems - or the determinants of national competitiveness- quantitatively (Depperu & Cerratu, 2008; Porter, 1990) as part of an international comparative pilot study with six nations.
Theoretical Framework: SPLISS framework (Sport Policy factors Leading to International Sporting Success)
The measurement of world competitiveness is routinely used in economic studies to provide a framework to assess how nations manage their economic future (Garelli, 2008, p1). By looking at how competitiveness is measured in the economic sector, we explore a method to assess how nations might manage their future success in international sporting competitions. The first phase, the development of a conceptual framework of sports policy factors leading to international success, builds on our earlier work (De Bosscher, De Knop, van Bottenburg, Shibli, 2006). These pillars were specified by a set of critical success factors (CSF), of which 103 have been operationalised in the subsequent pilot study in six nations (De Bosscher, Bingham, Shibli, Van Bottenburg, De Knop, 2008).
Sampling technique: mixed research methods
A mixed methods exploratory sequential design was used, consisting of two distinct phases: a (mainly) qualitative phase (=development of a theoretical framework, see above) followed by a (mainly) quantitative phase (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2007). The second stage obtains complementary qualitative and quantitative data to implement the conceptual framework in a pilot study with six sample nations. The data are subsequently transformed into a scoring system to measure the competitive position of nations and thus facilitate the comparison of elite sport policies to be made less descriptively.
Sample size: a pilot study with six nations
Data from each nation were collected through an overall sport policy questionnaire completed in each country, and through a survey with the main stakeholders in elite sport, namely athletes (n=1090), coaches (n=253) and performance directors (n=71). Reflecting recognised principles of economic competitiveness measurement, this chapter will demonstrate how 103 critical success factors containing quantitative and qualitative data can be aggregated into a final percentage score for the sample nations on each pillar.
Value of this contribution
This paper aims to explore a method used to measure the determinants of national elite sport success and its contribution to comparative sports research. Methods from economic studies were analysed and partly translated to the context of elite sport. In this chapter, we endeavour to simulate debate in the field of international comparative sports research by quantification of data and the introduction of 'measurement' on a subject (comparing elite sport policies and systems) that is essentially qualitative in nature. In this respect this study differs from previous elite sports research.
The findings suggest that the method is a useful way for objective comparison of nations, but it should not be isolated from qualitative descriptions and from a broader understanding of elite sport systems.
This chapter aims to make a contribution to comparative sport research and details a method for comparing nations' elite sport systems less descriptively by measuring and comparing determinants of national competitiveness quantitatively.
Problem area: organisational - elite sport policies of nations
Problem definition: Comparative literature on elite sport development has grown rapidly since 2000. Several authors state that relatively few comparative studies have been conducted in sport (Henry, Amara & Al-Tauqi, 2005; Henry, 2007; Houlihan, 1997; Bergsgard, Houlihan, Mangset, Nodland, & Rommetveldt, 2007) and most studies are mostly descriptive. There appears to be a lack of standardisation in the research methods used to make comparisons, as well as limited publicly available and quantifiable data on sport policies. These constraints are indicative of the complexity of cross-national comparisons.
Level of aggregation: International
This chapter seeks to contribute to sport management literature by exploring a method to measure and compare the critical success factors of elite sport systems - or the determinants of national competitiveness- quantitatively (Depperu & Cerratu, 2008; Porter, 1990) as part of an international comparative pilot study with six nations.
Theoretical Framework: SPLISS framework (Sport Policy factors Leading to International Sporting Success)
The measurement of world competitiveness is routinely used in economic studies to provide a framework to assess how nations manage their economic future (Garelli, 2008, p1). By looking at how competitiveness is measured in the economic sector, we explore a method to assess how nations might manage their future success in international sporting competitions. The first phase, the development of a conceptual framework of sports policy factors leading to international success, builds on our earlier work (De Bosscher, De Knop, van Bottenburg, Shibli, 2006). These pillars were specified by a set of critical success factors (CSF), of which 103 have been operationalised in the subsequent pilot study in six nations (De Bosscher, Bingham, Shibli, Van Bottenburg, De Knop, 2008).
Sampling technique: mixed research methods
A mixed methods exploratory sequential design was used, consisting of two distinct phases: a (mainly) qualitative phase (=development of a theoretical framework, see above) followed by a (mainly) quantitative phase (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2007). The second stage obtains complementary qualitative and quantitative data to implement the conceptual framework in a pilot study with six sample nations. The data are subsequently transformed into a scoring system to measure the competitive position of nations and thus facilitate the comparison of elite sport policies to be made less descriptively.
Sample size: a pilot study with six nations
Data from each nation were collected through an overall sport policy questionnaire completed in each country, and through a survey with the main stakeholders in elite sport, namely athletes (n=1090), coaches (n=253) and performance directors (n=71). Reflecting recognised principles of economic competitiveness measurement, this chapter will demonstrate how 103 critical success factors containing quantitative and qualitative data can be aggregated into a final percentage score for the sample nations on each pillar.
Value of this contribution
This paper aims to explore a method used to measure the determinants of national elite sport success and its contribution to comparative sports research. Methods from economic studies were analysed and partly translated to the context of elite sport. In this chapter, we endeavour to simulate debate in the field of international comparative sports research by quantification of data and the introduction of 'measurement' on a subject (comparing elite sport policies and systems) that is essentially qualitative in nature. In this respect this study differs from previous elite sports research.
The findings suggest that the method is a useful way for objective comparison of nations, but it should not be isolated from qualitative descriptions and from a broader understanding of elite sport systems.
| Originele taal-2 | English |
|---|---|
| Titel | Handbook of Research on Sport and Business |
| Redacteuren | D. Harald, S. Soderman |
| Plaats van productie | Edward Elgar |
| Uitgeverij | Cheltenham, UK |
| Pagina's | 94-111 |
| ISBN van geprinte versie | 978-1-84980-005-1 |
| Status | Published - 2013 |