Dissertationen zum Thema „Business Administration, Sports Management|Women's Studies|Business Administration, Management“

Transitions are defined as "any event or non-event that results in changed relationships, routines, assumptions, and roles" (Goodman, Schlossberg, & Anderson, 2006, p. 33). A particular transition unique to student-athletes in comparison to other college students is the end of their collegiate athletic eligibility. The purpose of this study is to understand how female student-athletes competing in NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletic programs perceive their preparedness for post-collegiate careers as they undergo transitions. Using basic interpretive qualitative research methods and interview protocol developed from Schlossberg's theory of transition, 20 female participants in NCAA Division I intercollegiate sports were asked to describe the situation surrounding the end of their collegiate sports career and their post-competition plans, the support they received to prepare for careers, the strategies they used to prepare, and their own self-assessment of their transition (Schlossberg, 1981; Goodman, Schlossberg and Anderson, 2006).

The words and descriptions the participants attributed to their own experiences of transition and career development provided insight into this phenomenon. Participants reported having sufficient resources at their institutions to be prepared for their lives post-competition, but because of their schedule demands, lacked experience they felt necessary to gain entry into their chosen professions. The lack of experiential learning opportunities and unfamiliarity with student services outside of athletic contributed to their feelings of inadequate preparation. Implications for this research are to help student affairs practitioners, athletic administrators, faculty, and coaches better understand the areas that impede student-athlete career development.

The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship between Facebook usage and self-efficacy in collegiate athletes. The data for this study was provided by St. Thomas University athletes in the United States. The variables used to represent Facebook usage, Facebook frequency of use, Facebook number of friends and Facebook frequency status updates were measured using Facebook Intensity Scale (Ellison et al., 2007). The dependent variable used in this study is self-efficacy which is measured using the General Self-efficacy (GSE) developed (Jerusalem & Schwarzer, 1979). Data analyses indicated a statistically significant relationship between Facebook number of friends and self-efficacy. The data also indicated significant inverse relationship between Facebook frequency status updates and self-efficacy. The results of the correlation analysis indicated inverse relationships between frequency status updates and frequency of use, and frequency status updates and Facebook number of friends. These findings suggest that once the coaches, administrators, and professors attend to the issue of Facebook usage for collegiate athletes, it may enhance self-efficacy and psychological benefits.

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the personal perceived stress levels of athletic coaches (n=731) in a large urban public school district in Florida in relation to win/loss records of the most recent athletic season; the study was performed utilizing the PSS-14 (Cohen, 1983). The responses to the survey queries were answered based on a 5-point Likert scale. Out of the 731 coaches who were approached with the survey, 97 participants completed the survey; however, there were four unusable surveys, leaving 93 useable surveys. The 93 surveys constituted a 13.3% portion of the population. The correlational analysis (p< .05) of the responses for High stress scores indicated that these items for the entire group (n=93) of participants were significantly correlated with the win/loss records. Females (n=29) reported more High stress scores on Questions 1, 2, 3, 8, 12, and 14. Males (n=64) reported High Stress for Questions 1, 3, and 12. Questions 1, 3, and 12 were common to both Males and Females. The findings of the research study indicated that there is a relationship between the specific subsets of PSS-14 for two of the statements and the win/loss records for the district. This correlation showed that coaches recognize and attempt to cope with the stressors that they encounter in their day to day activities with regard to their win/loss records and attempt to minimize the effects of stress and worry about anticipated events, (e.g., possible future games, playoffs, tournaments, and other associated events in the high school athletic world). Success in managing these two components of coaching would augment the other components of the PSS-14 since emotional, physical, mental and psychological factors in coaching and playing a sport are closely tied together. Continued research into the infinite possibilities of education and coaching should provide a means to improve each district's performance in the education of youth. Athletics and fitness have existed as a concomitant of education since the earliest forms of education came into existence. The two faces of education and athletics should continue to be examined to profit the individual and the community.

This dissertation seeks to examine poverty alleviation from the ground-up. First it conceptually introduces and develops the concept of livelihood entrepreneurship. I argue that livelihood entrepreneurship differs from other forms of entrepreneurship, due to the entrepreneur's goals in the context of poverty. I ask research questions using network theory and stakeholder theory explaining how livelihood entrepreneurs may find success and lift themselves out of poverty. Second, the dissertation delves into a qualitative study of female livelihood entrepreneurs associated with SEWA (Self-Employed Women's Association), in the context of impoverished communities in and around Ahmedabad, Gujarat in India. I look at what types of skills the entrepreneurs gain by the SEWA intervention and how the women build their networks in order to succeed and sustain their enterprises in the Indian context. Third, I propose hypotheses, set up a quantitative demonstration via social network analysis and test my model by looking at how specific social capital resources of an Indian woman entrepreneur living in poverty relate to change in her family's livelihood.

Women comprise 50.8% of the United States population and 47% of the workforce, and over the past few decades, many women have been promoted to midmanagement positions in Fortune 500 and other major corporations, but few run companies at the executive levels. The research problem addressed the underrepresentation of women in top leadership positions in the executive suite. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of women in upper level management in large corporations on rising to the C-suite. A basic qualitative naturalistic inquiry was used employing interviews in collecting and analyzing the data. The targeted population was 15 women in senior positions between the ages of 25 and 60, who have worked for a company with a minimum of 5 years’ experience. Introductions by friends and snowballing sampling were used to select 15 participants for the semistructured interviews. The results of the interviews were analyzed through the completion of a content analysis obtained through coding to allow for the identification of emergent themes. Key findings indicated the emergence of the following themes: loss of confidence, mentoring, sponsoring, and diversity. The study was socially significant in that it provided information for policy changes, access to sponsorship and mentorship programs, and promotion of social change in relation to gender equality in the workplace.

Women continue to be underrepresented in the top leadership positions in the largest business organizations in the United States. One of the many strategies suggested to help women overcome the challenges to their advancement is mentoring. Unfortunately, although many more women now report they have had a mentor, little progress is being made in advancing women to leadership positions. In order to understand mentoring from a woman's perspective and to investigate the impact it has on women's careers, this phenomenology study explored the mentoring experiences of eight women in leadership positions in the sales and marketing sector of the U.S. pharmaceutical industry. The women in this study helped the researcher understand that mentoring for women is not substantially different than mentoring for men. Women value the same functions that help them develop skills that will lead to superior performance. They value the advice and feedback a mentor can give them and the introductions, interviews, and opportunities mentors create. What is different is the array of individuals they identify as mentors. Women define mentors broadly, with the common element being someone who helps them advance their career. A mentor may take the traditional form of someone senior to them in the organization who provides an array of mentor functions, or it may be a peer, a supervisor, or a family member who provides one or two critical functions when they are most needed. All are equally valued. Mentors have played important roles throughout their careers. Mentors helped them get started, took a chance on them, and gave them their first break. Mentors continue to help them gain and refine the skills they need to be top performers.

This purpose of this mixed model study was to ascertain the implicit leadership theory (ILT) content held by National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I baseball teams. Data were collected during the 2012 baseball season from 34 Division I programs, and 1032 coaches and players participated in the research.

As an information-processing approach to understanding leadership, ILT is concerned with the knowledge structures persons maintain and utilize when identifying and interacting with leaders. Ample ILT research has examined such structures within the business context. This study, however, is believed to be the first in-depth exploration of ILT content within the sports domain.

Leadership categorization and connectionist architecture served as the theoretical bases for the study's four research questions, which addressed: the effect that the target cues leader and coach had on ILT (RQ1); the impact that team context (RQ2) and player tenure (RQ3) had on ILT; and whether a sports ILT existed—and if so, how it differed from a business ILT (RQ4). Research was conducted in four sequential steps using qualitative and quantitative methods. Importantly, no external or explicit measures were used to collect data, as such instruments can bias implicit perceptions. The primary tools for processing quantitative data were principal components analysis and confirmatory factor analysis.

A 21-item, 5-factor ILT model for NCAA Division I baseball was derived from factor analysis processes and generalized across two separate data sets. This model demonstrated the existence of a sports ILT, as it differed noticeably from models that explain ILT content within the business domain. Data also indicated that team context had some correlation with ILT differences, whereas player tenure did not. Furthermore, results showed that players do delineate between the targets leader and coach; that is, being perceived as a leader within Division I baseball may not correspond with holding an official organizational/team position.

This study's findings strengthen the idea that leadership is social-cognitive phenomenon that differs according to context. Implications for applying these findings within Division I baseball are discussed. Additionally, this research might be cause for revisiting some of the previous models of leadership within sports studies.

The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to test the full-range leadership theory and measure the relationship, if any, between team captains’ leadership styles and team outcome (by winning percentage). Analyzing the relationship between team captains’ leadership styles and performance would add knowledge to the existing research on leadership development in the area of sport. A review of literature yielded few studies of athlete leadership and performance compared to coach leadership. Discovering potential relationships between athlete leadership and performance may challenge beliefs that coach leadership is more important than other types of informal leadership. The study involved the surveying of student-athletes, team captains, and coaches of collegiate athletic programs from a single Division III College located in the Midwest. The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ-5x) was used to assess the four leadership constructs: transformational, transactional, passive-avoidant, and laissez-faire leadership of team captains. Results of the correlation indicated a significant relationship between transformational and transactional leadership mean scores and team performance via winning percentage. ANOVA regression results indicated that no significant differences existed between team captain’s mean scores that could be attributed to the survey participant’s role on their respective team. Recommendations for future research include replication with a larger sample, including more schools and various sports.

The current funding situation for community college athletics and future funding remains unclear (Byrd & Williams, 2007). The purpose of the qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences and perceptions of athletic directors to understand the financing issues with athletic programs. Sixteen athletic directors from the state of California were interviewed until the point of data saturation on the topic. Analysis of the interview responses revealed that managing the athletic programs, the budget, and Title IX are ways athletic directors can deal with the financial issues. The results of the current research study may provide current and future business leaders with information that will facilitate making decisions about financing community college athletic programs.

Women have been experiencing challenges to upward mobility in executives’ positions because of negative stereotypes and social perceptions about their ability to be lead nonprofit and for-profit organizations. Despite their advancements in education, women are still not occupying leadership positions at the rate of their male counterparts. As a result, this study examined through a phenomenological lens the lived experiences of female CEOs on their perceptions about gender and their attitudes towards change as being open or their approach to change as being different to their male counterparts. The findings of this study revealed that it is the belief of female CEOs that gender matters. The results also pointed to female CEOs’ attitudes towards change as being more open and a different approach to change than their male counterparts. The qualitative methodology used was a phenomenological study drawing on multiple theoretical approaches. The main framework for this study, however, drew on the theoretical framework of the upper echelon theory to assist in the understanding of the complex operations of nonprofit organizations. Through theory tranquilizations, this study also examined other theoretical frameworks such as the glass ceiling theory, social role theory, expectations states theory as well as transactional leadership and transformational leadership, as they are all relevant to organizational leadership, attitudes towards change, and organizational stability and success.

Females have emerged in the field of entrepreneurship, and have proven that they are here to stay. The field of entrepreneurship was previously dominated by men, but in recent years females have emerged and are facing success in rapid numbers. Currently, 55% of businesses launched in the United States are launched and run by women (Statistical Abstract of the United States Census Bureau, 2007). The phenomenon of entrepreneurial women being successful is not as common or known in other countries of the world as it is in the USA. Women are launching businesses at a rapid rate, and many women are doing so without assistance. Female solo entrepreneurs are launching their own ventures and dreams without the help of business partners or teams. Entrepreneurs that launch their own business from the ground up without the assistance of business partners, investors, or employees are known as solo entrepreneurs. According to the Statistical Abstract of the United States Census Bureau (2007), 2.9 million new business ventures begin every year in the United States, of which females own 1.6 million. According to Chavern and McKernan (2013), 90% of women owned businesses have no other employees other than the business owner. This qualitative study focused on females as successful solo entrepreneurs in the United States. The purpose of this study was to identify the top 10 traits of successful female solo entrepreneurs. This qualitative study included telephone interviews with 10 successful female solo entrepreneurs. The top 10 traits discovered included independence, confidence, value of time, desire for risk, aversion to limits and barriers, aversion to authority, desire for excitement, control, ability and desire to learn, and perseverance.

This study attempted to identify the issues confronting athletic directors at the NCAA Division I FBS membership institutions from the following athletic conferences: American Athletic Conference, Conference USA, Mid American Conference, Mountain West Conference, and Sun Belt Conference. These conferences are considered to be non-BCS automatic qualifying conferences. Since the literature showed a lack of research on most of the issues that impact the university athletic director, this research attempted to present an enhanced perspective of the issues that the athletic director must confront in his or her career and daily life. The researcher utilized an explanatory sequential mixed methods research design to identify and explore the issues. Twenty-two of sixty-one athletic directors responded to a thirteen item electronic survey. Follow-up interviews were administered to six of the athletic directors who indicated a willingness to participate. Athletic directors identified fundraising, managing the budget and finance issues, and student-athlete welfare as the top three issues affecting his or her career. Athletic directors identified the following as those issues that consumed most of their time: fundraising, managing his or her department's budget, and staying current on NCAA regulations. Athletic directors identified the following as their most stressful issues: fundraising, budget, decision making, personnel, the pending autonomy of the high resource conferences, and general uncertainty. Warning signs identified by the athletic directors included: national lawsuits, declining attendance (both alumni/fans and students) at sporting events, and decreasing state support. In addition, individual athletic directors identified the following issues that may impact the future: negative impact on the United States Olympic movement due to significantly increased emphasis on football and men's basketball, impact of non-practioner perspective in governance of collegiate athletics, and possible significant change in the definition of amateurism.

As technology development has made the world better, the benefits of such development are also increasingly related to sports activities. Many sports devices have been combined with Information Technology (IT). One great example is an IT-combined sport device called "Activity Tracker." It is a device that is worn on the body and records a user's body status such as calories burned, steps walked, or heart rates. With people's increasing attention to their health, it is expected that the popularity of the devices will increase. To aid in the sales of activity trackers in a competitive market, the manufacturers should be familiar with the impact of product cues such as brand, price, and design on consumers' perceived quality, which will influence their willingness to buy.

The study was quantitative; paper and pencil questionnaires were utilized. The instruments were derived from three existing studies. The study participants were Florida State University undergraduate and graduate students; 200 questionnaires were distributed to students enrolled in Lifetime Activity Program (LAP) courses and/or visiting a recreation center on campus. The final sample size was 144 participants. The data was analyzed using several statistical methods with PASW Statistics 20.0. From the descriptive statistics, the frequency counts and/or mean scores were computed for profiling the participants. The Cronbach's alpha scores, and item-to-total correlations were utilized to assess the internal consistency of the factors measured with the questionnaires. The assumptions of multiple regression, including as normality, linearity, homoscedasticity, and multicollinearity were assessed. Multiple regressions were utilized to gauge the extent to which price, brand, and design influence perceived quality. As the final step, a simple regression was utilized to measure the relationship between perceived quality and willingness to buy.

Examination of this data revealed several significant results regarding the relationships between product cues, perceived quality, and willingness to buy. While brand (t=6.779; p<.05; beta=.522) and design (t=5.934; p<.05; beta=.450) had a positive impact on perceived quality, price (t=-1.681; p>.05; beta=-.139) had no significant impact on perceived quality. Perceived quality (t=6.060; p<.05; beta=.453) had a positive impact on willingness to buy; however, the variance (20%) accounted for in willingness to buy was low, meaning that there may be mediating variables between perceived quality and willingness to buy.

For women of all ages, but specifically, for millennial-age women heading into the workforce, or already within it, equality is of critical importance for them to have successful careers and to move into leadership roles (Flood, 2015). Millennial-age women are entering the workforce in almost equal numbers to men. However, women remain highly underrepresented at leadership levels, and gender inequality is still a significant issue (Ely, Ibarra, & Kolb, 2011; Kelan, 2012; Twenge, 2010). The greater number of women in the workforce does not correlate with a shift in women in leadership roles. It is argued that the underrepresentation of women in senior positions is just a matter of time; it will even out over time due to larger numbers of millennial women with university degrees coming into the workforce (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD], 2012). Gender equality, and diversity and inclusion programs have been in the workplace for a considerable amount of time, yet the pace of change toward equality in the workplace is very slow, especially at the senior leadership levels.

The purpose of this study is to explore the status of millennial-age women in relation to business leadership to understand the increases, decreases, or neutrality in the numbers within leadership since they entered the workforce. Additionally, this paper looks at a new program introduced by the United Nations (UN) Women, “HeForShe IMPACT 10×10×10,” designed to help drive men’s awareness of the issues of inequality of women in the workplace, and ultimately to help resolve these challenges. This body of work explores to what extent, if any, there were changes to the number of women leaders within an outlined 15-year period where millennial women entered the workforce, from the years 2001 to 2015 within the 10 companies participating as the UN’s IMPACT Champion corporations. This study sets a foundation for future studies to track the UN’s progress with this initiative how it may or may not impact millennial women.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of smart device's interactivity on customer value co-creation in the sports industry through bridging social capital and collective efficacy. A total of 262 students participated in the study, and a structural equation modeling (SEM) was carried out to measures the relationship between variables in the conceptual model. The results revealed that interactivity consisting of user control, responsiveness, and synchronicity had a significant impact on bridging social capital. In addition, both technological interactivity and bridging social capital were positively associated with collective efficacy. Lastly, collective efficacy had a positive influence on co-creation value, but bridging social capital did not appear to directly affect co-creation value. Based on these results, this study suggests the need to take advantage of new platforms that can build value co-creation with customers in the rapidly changing marketing environment.

Middle managers in the 21st century are asked to adopt a new paradigm aimed at leveraging interpersonal relationships. These skills, generally labeled soft skills, include intrapersonal and interpersonal abilities. Most senior leaders recognize the need for soft skills but many continue to devalue them. Women often are perceived as having stronger soft skills than men, and may be penalized because of that perception. Transformational leadership provides the theoretical foundation for the study. The construct of emotional intelligence (EI) encompasses soft skills. There are disagreements about EI as a separate construct and if EI measures leadership. The purpose of the quantitative, correlational study was to examine the relationship between EI and leadership among black and white female middle managers. Seventy black women and 68 white women completed a 14-question demographic survey and the EQ-i and LPI assessments. The study data indicated statistically significant results that EI relates to and predicts leadership. The research also found that black and white women had average EI scores. Black women in the sample were younger and had comparable EI to the white women in the sample. Results suggest that EI training can enhance the soft leadership skills needed by black and with female middle managers in organizations today.

Government funding shortages are changing the financial landscape of collegiate athletic programs. Athletic administrators struggling to discover alternative financial sources have frequently focused their efforts on increasing home game attendance, which leads to increased concession and licensing revenues. The problem is that schools sporting programs will continue to lose funds if schools do not attract and maintain a larger fan base at athletic events. The purpose of this multiple case study is to identify and explore the factors that motivate fans attendance at NCAA Division II football games using both a survey and interviews at four universities within the Great American Conference, the Lone Star Conference, and the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association. The research study that is employed is based on multiple case study and triangulated data collected from a small sample group at four universities: Northeastern State, Southeastern Oklahoma State, Southwestern Oklahoma State, and West Texas A & M. Data collection methods included the administration of a Sport Fan Motivation Scale survey to fans at a home game for each university, individual interviews of the sample group athletic directors, and review of online sources. Key results of the study yielded significant insight into optimal methodologies athletic administrators can employ to increase program revenues by increasing home game attendance. The findings were evaluated based upon the data collected utilizing four research questions. Economic factors were most likely to affect motivation of fans to attend home football games. Game attractiveness factors have a positive effect on fans at home football games. Demographic factors affect the motivation of fans to attend home football games. Residual factors affect the motivation of fans to attend football games. Many commonalities were found in the collected data that helped to identify themes and connect this information to previous research described in the literature review. A review of economic, team oriented, demographic, and ancillary factors yielded results indicating that integration of promotional activities, ensuring ample parking space for non-tailgaters, and a feeling of commitment or identification with the team are means to increase attendance.

This study purposely examined the types of extrinsic rewards in male youth soccer programs and measures those that are most preferred by players to influence their participation motivation. It also checked if young soccer players skew towards programs that provide more reward opportunities. For this reason, 1000 teenage soccer players were randomized in an online survey administered by a community-based organization. 800 chose programs that provided extrinsic rewards and identified fame, trophies, travel, scholarship, exposure opportunities and money as the six main rewards that influenced their decision to join soccer programs.

A Participation Motivation Questionnaire (PMQ) was then modified using the identified factors and issued to 400 participants between ages 14-18 years, randomly selected from 20 Las Vegas soccer clubs in another survey to rank extrinsic rewards according to importance. Data was collected and entered into the SPSS 17.0 software for analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to calculate frequencies, percentages, mean, and standard deviation. Cronbach alpha was applied to measure internal consistencies based on the demographics and attitudes towards participation motivation. One way ANOVA sought to determine the extent to which the identified extrinsic rewards affected participation motivation, and regression analysis examined the relationships across all factors.

Results from data analysis revealed that, exposure opportunities constituted the most important extrinsic reward that influenced young male soccer players' decision to join soccer programs. Scholarship, travel, fame, money and trophies followed suit. One-way ANOVA showed that race had a significant effect on scholarship, exposure opportunities, and fame. Multivariate regressions revealed that young players that are more motivated by scholarship, fame and travel tended to have higher ability levels. These effects were held even after adjusting for grade and age.

Results from the online survey also concluded that more young players tend to be attracted to soccer programs that provide extrinsic reward opportunities. Thus, extrinsic rewards should be considered and included in programs to enhance motivation.

The purpose of this study is to determine if a league guided sportsmanship program will have an effect on the sportsmanship behaviors of youth sports athletes. The sample will draw from 8-14 year old participants in an 8-week volleyball program in a Southern California School District's youth volleyball program. The study will assess whether there will be measurable change in the sportsmanship behaviors including: respect for the game, rules, opponents, authority, playing fair, leadership and personal conduct.

An observational study methodology will be used with a modified version of the Sportsmanship Observation Sheet. Observers will use the adapted sportsmanship observation sheet to measure the sportsmanship behaviors of the players during the first week of the season. Observations and implementation of the league guided sportsmanship curriculum will take place during the first week of the season. A second day of observations will take place the sixth week of the season and data will be collected and analyzed to examine if the sportsmanship curriculum had an effect on the sportsmanship behaviors of the players, parents, and coaches.

This qualitative phenomenological research study focused on women in senior and upper management positions and represents the personal and professional lived experiences of 10 Black women in leadership roles in banking industry in Northern California who overcame obstacles and barriers to advance in their careers. The researcher conducted face-to-face interviews then compiled the lived experiences of the study participants and identified themes to discover if there were cultural factors that prevented them from advancing in leadership in banking industry. Study findings determined four emergent themes as the perceived experiences of African American women in leadership roles in the banking industry. The themes were (a) bias, (b) unfair practices, (c) gender inequality, and (4) fair and ethical leadership. The study results might provide vital information to banking leaders on the abilities of minority women in leadership positions to encourage the leaders to promote minority women to higher management positions for which they are qualified and to provide abetter understanding of the pitfalls in career advancement Black women in the banking industry face.

The purpose of this quantitative study was to measure and compare the leadership styles of information technology (IT) professionals across levels of leadership responsibility and minority/non-minority status. The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire Short Form (MLQ 5X-Short) was used to obtain measurements for each individual for the dependent variables. The MLQ 5X-Short measures nine facets of leadership styles that can be assigned to three higher order factors, namely, the transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership styles. The sample was recruited via informal professional networks across the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (2008) job classifications and included IT professionals from different sized organizations in a mix of industries across the United States. The convenience sampling technique helped identify professionals in leadership and non-leadership positions across the IT industry. In the study, a non-experimental factorial design was used to compare leadership style across levels of leadership responsibility and minority/non-minority status. The study findings indicated no significant differences exist between the leadership styles of minority and non-minority groups at the different organizational responsibility levels. A finding based on the analysis showed that for the transformational leadership style, significant differences exist between professionals at the executive level and professionals at a middle management level for all races. For the transactional leadership style, specifically the contingent reward category, significant differences exist between professionals at the middle management level and non-managers for all races. Organizational leaders could use the discoveries from this study as a point of reference to guide diverse workforce employees. Findings could also help minorities reach their career potentials in advancing to executive positions in the IT industry through understanding the most desirable leadership styles for upward mobility.

Few studies exist that explore the reintegration experience of female reservists who served in a combat environment. Consequently, reintegration programs are gender neutral and applied as a one size fit all approach. Female veterans are the fastest growing section of the veteran population reporting mental health problems during post deployments. Moreover, the new norm is a heavy reliance on Guard and reservists in national defense. In addition, women comprise a larger percentage of the Guard and reserve population than the active duty force. A qualitative, phenomenological study using the Moustakas modification of the van Kamm method of analysis was conducted to explore the lived experiences of a representative group of female reservists who participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) or Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and their return back to families and communities. The data from these female veterans was analyzed to highlight the experience from activation to deployment and participation in OIF/OEF and returning home, reintegrating in families and communities. Five themes emerged from the findings—i.e., propensity for military service, range of emotions, support, unique gender experiences, and social status. These themes may be of value to local, state, and federal leaders, as all public levels are associated with reservists at each stage of their active and inactive military experience.

Student nurse athletes may experience difficulties effectively obtaining academic success in nursing programs. Many athletes need extra support and assistance to complete a nursing degree. Some institutions provide general academic courses to enhance the athlete’s academic skills and knowledge. There is limited literature addressing success of student athletes in Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs. The purpose of this study was to identify facilitators, barriers, and motivators of student nurse athletes that attribute to academic success. A quantitative descriptive comparative study was conducted from September 8, 2014 to October 3, 2014. Data were obtained on sixty-one participants that included athlete and non-athlete nursing students. All participants completed the Demographic-Socio-Economic Questionnaire and the Facilitators/ Barriers Questionnaire. In addition, the athletes (n=18) also completed the Motivational Questionnaire. Results indicated that both groups ranked academics as requiring the highest demand of time. In second rank were athletics (athletes) and family (non-athletes). Both groups ranked time management as first and prioritization second as being critical to academic success. Student athletes identified facilitators as support with time management and prioritization. Barriers were schedule conflicts between classes and clinical days. Motivators were the needs to successfully complete academic and athletic related tasks. This study reinforced the importance of academic support services for student nurse athletes to assist in their academic success. These services can provide time management and prioritization skills which are facilitators needed to assist the student in managing the unique characteristics of being a successful student nurse athlete.

Background: Participation in college athletics comes with inherent risks. Many of these risks relate to the psychosocial safety and well-being of college athletes. These risks include depression, suicide, alcohol abuse, substance abuse, and the development of an eating disorder. This study specifically examined the current state of psychosocial needs amongst college athletes, the availability of services that address psychosocial needs, the comfort level college athletes have with seeking services, and the identification of barriers that influence whether or not a college athlete seeks necessary help.

Methods: This study used a web-based survey to gather information from a proportionate stratified random sample of both college athletic directors (N = 132) and college athletes (N = 349) across all NCAA division levels. Descriptive statistics, parametric tests, and multivariate tests were used to analyze the research questions. This study used NCAA division level and the profile of a college athlete’s sport as independent variables. The researcher created composite scores for athletic, academic, and psychosocial services to serve as dependent variables. The researcher also created a composite score for perceived barriers.

Results: There were multiple significant findings for this research study. One key finding was that Division I and Division II college athletes had significantly higher psychosocial needs than Division III college athletes. Another key finding was that Division I college athletes experienced significantly lower levels of comfort in seeking psychosocial services than Division II and Division III college athletes. Furthermore, Division I college athletes reported significantly higher levels of barriers to seeking necessary services than Division II and Division III college athletes.

Implications: These significant findings point clearly to the fact that more must be done to ensure the psychosocial safety and well-being of college athletes. This includes athletic departments more clearly understanding the needs of their college athletes, having services more readily available, finding ways to promote a college athlete’s disclosure of a psychosocial risk, and working to address current barriers that prevent college athletes from seeking help. One idea for improving the current state of services explored in this research is the interprofessional collaboration of social workers with college athletic departments.

The problem addressed is the lack of empirical research describing the delivery of individualized learning material in a secure and mobile manner. The goal was to investigate the effectiveness of deploying training materials to National Football League (NFL) players during a recent NFL season.

Over the past few seasons, NFL teams have started to deliver player training material to mobile devices. The training material is sensitive and includes planning documents for upcoming games. An effort was made to survey a representative at each of the 32 NFL teams in order to gain insight on effectiveness, security, and process. Nearly half of the league responded with 14 of the 32 franchises reporting back.

The results demonstrate that mobile devices can be an effective means to distribute educational materials to individuals in secure manner. The iPad was identified as a suitable platform for delivery of instructional material. Security elements such as encryption and using mobile security products should be strongly considered. The results are discussed in detail. A set of standards and guidelines were created based on the responses provided by club employees.

The success of Chinese professional athletes is attributable to the government-run elite sport system; it is seen as one of the most effective and successful systems at nurturing high-skilled athletes. However, within the Chinese professional sport system, tensions between athletes' athletic skills and overall personal development have been widely documented. Among all studies, very few have employed in-depth interviews with professional wushu athletes. In this study, the researcher utilized in-depth semi-structured interviews with professional wushu athletes from three of the 25 professional wushu teams in mainland China. The study was conducted in order to understand the potential conflicts between athletes' athletic skills development and overall personal development. Findings revealed that athletes bear the training at great cost to their future potential as self-sufficient members of Chinese society. Their academic, social, and vocational skills are subject to deep neglect that negatively impacts their post-competition careers. The system considers investment in preparation for the post-competitive lives of the athletes to be a distraction from, or even an impediment to, their success in competition. It is suggested that the Chinese sport system undertake a review and reformation of its approach to wushu training to provide athletes with the skills needed to successfully navigate a life outside of athletics.

Most high school students have the opportunity to participate in athletic programs during a transformative time in their personal and academic development. Very little qualitative research examines how former high school athletes perceive these experiences after they graduate. In this descriptive, exploratory study, former athletes viewed their participation as a key experience that continues to affect them positively two to five years later. During semi-structured interviews, they spoke of having developed and maintained new capacities for leadership, greater personal accountability, and healthier overall lifestyle choices. They also learned how to relate to others, both on and off the athletic field in more authentic and caring ways, and thus how to establish and maintain lasting relationships. Many of these outcomes echo aspects of self-concept and character development as described in the literature. Although athletic coaches' behaviors were described as both positive and negative, participants were generally able to overcome the negative aspects. Especially when budget cuts threaten many non-academic and extra-curricular offerings, the results of this small and geographically limited study point to the need to further explore how high school athletics may have lasting positive effects on participants.

Academic performance of collegiate student-athletes compared to non-athletes has been studied extensively. Results of these studies have been mixed in their findings of student-athletes academic performance in comparison to the nonstudent-athlete population. These conflicting results may be due to differences in level of competition or demographic characteristics of the subpopulations examined. This indicates that there is more to the relationship between athletic participation and academic performance than participation in sport alone. Based on achievement goal theories' assertion that goal oriented behaviors remain relatively consistent between the sport context and the classroom, looking at how an athlete is involved in sport rather than just if they are involved in sport may provide further insight into this relationship. Being a team leader, rather than just a team member may be one of the delimitating variables involved in this relationship. This quantitative study examined the relationships between NAIA collegiate student-athlete's leadership role in the athletic setting and their level of academic success, their task goal orientation, and their use of organizational planning and time management skills. Participants included student-athletes participating on interactive sport teams at a private liberal arts university that competes in the NAIA Midwest Collegiate Conference. Results revealed no statistically significant relationship between leadership role and GPA, p = 0.27 or in the relationship between leadership role and organizational planning and time management skills p = 0.20. There was a statistically significant relationship found between leadership role and task goal orientation p = 0.02. Although the results of this research found no significant relationship between GPA and leadership role, the findings from this study provide insight into other variables that may affect a student-athlete's academic performance. The finding that task goal orientation is significantly related to leadership role in the athletic setting may provide an important link in academic performance of student-athletes in other school settings. Future research is recommended to replicate this study at other colleges and universities where the student-athletes might have different demographics to provide further insight into these relationships.