The Evaluative Study of Action Research presents all eight published papers as part of the six-year, global, Evaluative Study of Action Research (ESAR) in one volume. The study sought to enhance the academic rigour of Action Research (AR) and provide greater evidence of its impact. This research contained in this book shows, in a cohesive way, how the ESAR exemplifies original research incorporating new methodologies to create new knowledge. An Evaluative AR framework and indicators were created for initial qualitative data collection with six initial case studies using interviews, survey, documentary analysis, and Goal Attainment Scaling methods. The initial study was followed by a large-scale mixed method survey with 174 projects from across the globe. Almost all projects exhibited positive elements linked to AR precursors (focus clarification, stakeholder engagement, funding), processes (phased, planned yet flexible activity, data collection and analysis, ongoing collaboration and leadership), and outcomes/impacts (change, knowledge mobilisation and continuing action). The results of the ESAR, elaborated in this volume, offer important indications for how to create the sort of respectful engagement that is required for collective strength in solution based, innovative, change. This book will be a valuable resource for: action researchers throughout the world; postgraduate research students, academics and libraries; evaluators; and anyone in communities who wishes to know how to create sustainable change.

The Routledge Handbook of Sport Governance is a comprehensive and authoritative survey of the wide range of issues shaping sport governance. It considers the evolution of the sport industry from a largely amateur, volunteer-driven sector into the globalised business that it is today and examines how professionalisation has fundamentally shifted the governance landscape for sport organisations and all those working within sport. Written by a team of leading sport management scholars from around the world, the book is organised around five key themes: Part I: Overview of sport governance Part II: Environmental context and policy perspectives Part III: Ownership structures and governance models: Implications for sport governance Part IV: Board roles in the governance process Part V: Future sport governance challenges Each chapter reviews the most recent research available and, in some cases, presents new data to support previously published studies. As sport governance is a relatively young field, each chapter maps future research needs to provide direction for sport governance scholars. A special feature of the handbook is a series of nine shorter research chapters in Part IV examining board roles in the governance process, tying theory to the day-to-day practical aspects of running a sport organisation. With broader and deeper coverage of the key issues in contemporary sport governance than any other book, this handbook is essential reading for students, researchers and practitioners in sport business and management.

The Evaluative Study of Action Research presents all eight published papers as part of the six-year, global, Evaluative Study of Action Research (ESAR) in one volume. The study sought to enhance the academic rigour of Action Research (AR) and provide greater evidence of its impact. This research contained in this book shows, in a cohesive way, how the ESAR exemplifies original research incorporating new methodologies to create new knowledge. An Evaluative AR framework and indicators were created for initial qualitative data collection with six initial case studies using interviews, survey, documentary analysis, and Goal Attainment Scaling methods. The initial study was followed by a large-scale mixed method survey with 174 projects from across the globe. Almost all projects exhibited positive elements linked to AR precursors (focus clarification, stakeholder engagement, funding), processes (phased, planned yet flexible activity, data collection and analysis, ongoing collaboration and leadership), and outcomes/impacts (change, knowledge mobilisation and continuing action). The results of the ESAR, elaborated in this volume, offer important indications for how to create the sort of respectful engagement that is required for collective strength in solution based, innovative, change. This book will be a valuable resource for: action researchers throughout the world; postgraduate research students, academics and libraries; evaluators; and anyone in communities who wishes to know how to create sustainable change.

What role can strategic thinking play in contemporary sport management? It can be the difference between leading or languishing - it's that important! Covering sport at all levels, from community-based sport to elite sport, this is the first textbook to focus on strategic management in a sport context. The book introduces the fundamentals of strategic planning, environmental analyses, strategic direction and leadership, strategy formulation and selection, implementation, strategic control, and change management. Designed to encourage students to develop a strategic mindset, as well as critical thinking and problem-solving skills, the book unpacks key concepts such as leadership, governance, organizational change, and the multiple layers of strategy in sport. Full of real-world case studies from diverse, international sport business environments, and useful pedagogical features such as review questions and guides to online resources, this is an essential text for any sport management course and an invaluable resource for sport development, recreation management, or events management courses.

What role can strategic thinking play in contemporary sport management? It can be the difference between leading or languishing - it's that important! Covering sport at all levels, from community-based sport to elite sport, this is the first textbook to focus on strategic management in a sport context. The book introduces the fundamentals of strategic planning, environmental analyses, strategic direction and leadership, strategy formulation and selection, implementation, strategic control, and change management. Designed to encourage students to develop a strategic mindset, as well as critical thinking and problem-solving skills, the book unpacks key concepts such as leadership, governance, organizational change, and the multiple layers of strategy in sport. Full of real-world case studies from diverse, international sport business environments, and useful pedagogical features such as review questions and guides to online resources, this is an essential text for any sport management course and an invaluable resource for sport development, recreation management, or events management courses.

The Routledge Handbook of Sport Governance is a comprehensive and authoritative survey of the wide range of issues shaping sport governance. It considers the evolution of the sport industry from a largely amateur, volunteer-driven sector into the globalised business that it is today and examines how professionalisation has fundamentally shifted the governance landscape for sport organisations and all those working within sport. Written by a team of leading sport management scholars from around the world, the book is organised around five key themes: Part I: Overview of sport governance Part II: Environmental context and policy perspectives Part III: Ownership structures and governance models: Implications for sport governance Part IV: Board roles in the governance process Part V: Future sport governance challenges Each chapter reviews the most recent research available and, in some cases, presents new data to support previously published studies. As sport governance is a relatively young field, each chapter maps future research needs to provide direction for sport governance scholars. A special feature of the handbook is a series of nine shorter research chapters in Part IV examining board roles in the governance process, tying theory to the day-to-day practical aspects of running a sport organisation. With broader and deeper coverage of the key issues in contemporary sport governance than any other book, this handbook is essential reading for students, researchers and practitioners in sport business and management.

The work of the board in the non-profit sporting context has received little attention from academics, yet is widely recognized as a central "management" issue for sport organizations. In particular, the strategic role of the board, while recognized as a key function, is a fuzzy concept for many. In order to learn more about this aspect of sport management, the research investigated how boards of national sport organizations (NSOs) could develop their strategic capability. This work considered what meaning board members of NSOs attach to the concept of "strategic capability"; what factors both constrain and enable the strategic capability of NSO boards; what actions can be taken to develop the strategic capability of NSO boards; and what are the implications of such action. By engaging an action research approach, unique to this field of study, this research not only developed theory but also created change within the selected organizations in order to gain a deeper understanding of board strategic capability.