Christos Anagnostopoulos

• López-Carril, Samuel; Alguacil, Mario & Anagnostopoulos, Christos (2022). LinkedIn in sport management education : developing the students’ professional profile boosting the teaching-learning process. The International Journal of Management Education. ISSN 1472-8117. 20(1). doi: 10.1016/j.ijme.2022.100611. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Social media have burst into people's lives, transforming their personal and professional spheres. The sports industry has not been indifferent to these changes. Indeed, the management of these digital tools has become prized in workplace settings. Among all social media, LinkedIn has the strongest link to the professional world. Nevertheless, there is a gap in the literature so far regarding the incorporation of LinkedIn into sport management courses. Thus, this work aims to share the results of an educational innovation that uses LinkedIn as its main pedagogical element through blended-learning teaching method based on the learning by doing methodology. A total of 105 undergraduate sport management students from two Spanish universities participated in this study. A pre-test and a post-test were carried out to perform diverse statistical analyses to assess the educational experience's impact. The results show significant outcomes in students' professional profile development and interaction with the sport industry; class engagement and interaction between students and professors; and LinkedIn's suitability to develop the content of the relevant course. These results highlight the educational potential of LinkedIn and encourage sports management faculty to incorporate LinkedIn into their classes as a pedagogical resource. Keywords: LinkedIn, sport management education, social media, career opportunities, professional profile, employability

• Kim, Minjung; Oja, Brent D. & Anagnostopoulos, Christos (2021). An expanded psychological capital (A-HERO) construct for creativity : building a competitive advantage for sport organisations. European Sport Management Quarterly. ISSN 1618-4742. 23(3), p. 722–744. doi: 10.1080/16184742.2021.1922480. Show summary

  RESEARCH QUESTION: In an attempt to advance the development of creativity among sport employees, this study was designed to empirically evaluate the relationships among individual sport employee psychological resources. These resources included pride, harmonious passion, sport employee identification, and an expanded psychological capital construct. Moreover, the application of psychological capital offers a modern approach to producing novel problem-solving abilities. RESEARCH METHODS: Within the study, structural equation modelling was utilised to build a model of sport employee creativity, whereby an expanded psychological capital archetype of sport employees, labelled A-HERO (i.e. authenticity, hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism), was employed as a central feature of the model. The sample consisted of full-time American sport employees (N = 301). RESULTS AND FINDINGS: The higher-order construct of A-HERO was empirically validated. Pride and passion influenced sport employee identification. Also, tenure moderated the relationship between pride and sport employee identification. Importantly, A-HERO was found to facilitate sport employee creativity. IMPLICATIONS: The findings provide empirical evidence that demonstrates how certain psychological features of sport employees can increase their creativity, which is the initial stage of organisational innovation. Consequently, sport organisations can achieve a sustainable competitive advantage through their employees’ A-HERO and creativity. The results of this study provide an improved understanding of positive organisational behaviour and creativity in the sport workplace.

• López-Carril, Samuel; González-Serrano, María Huertas; Calabuig-Moreno, Ferran; Añó, Vicente & Anagnostopoulos, Christos (2021). Development and preliminary validation of Social Media as an Educational and Professional Tool Student Perceptions Scale (SMEPT-SPS). Sustainability. ISSN 2071-1050. 13(4), p. 1–16. doi: 10.3390/su13041814. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Although social media has an increasing presence both in university and sports settings, in the sports-management education context, no instruments (without being focused on one particular social-media platform, e.g., Facebook and Twitter) have been developed and validated that globally allow the academy to explore the perceptions of sports-management students concerning the educational and professional learning potential that these tools offer. Therefore, this research’s main objective is to develop and perform a preliminary validation of the social media as an educational and professional tool student perceptions scale (SMEPT-SPS). This study sample was composed of 90 Spanish undergraduate sports-management students (M = 22.56; SD = 3.55). A multigroup confirmatory factor analysis was performed to examine the psychometric properties of the SMEPT-SPS. The statistical analysis reflects the scale’s three-dimensional nature, explaining 67.87% of the variance and presents adequate psychometric properties (α = 0.87). Nevertheless, further validity and reliability analysis are required to confirm these initial findings with a larger and more representative sample. Considering the foregoing limitation, this research contributes to the literature by providing a new instrument, the SMEPT-SPS, that could help sports-management faculty expand the scope and understanding of social media’s educational and professional potential. Keywords: sports-management education ,social media, higher education, scale development, preliminary validation, confirmatory factor analysis, psychometric properties, instrumental studies

• Anagnostopoulos, Christos; López-Carril, Samuel & Żyśko, Jolanta (2021). Sport as a vehicle for implementing corporate social responsibility : firms listed on the Warsaw and Moscow stock exchanges. European Journal of International Management. ISSN 1751-6757. 15(2/3), p. 367–390. doi: 10.1504/EJIM.2021.113271. Show summary

  This paper provides a descriptive account of the extent to which firms listed on the Warsaw (WSE) and Moscow (MSE) Stock Exchanges use sport for their corporate social responsibility agendas. Drawing on institutional isomorphism, we deductively categorised CSR through sport cases based on the framework developed by Bason and Anagnostopoulos (2015). A total of 1317 documents were content-analysed, 442 from WSE firms and 875 from MSE firms. A total of 2501 CSR-through-sport initiatives were reported over the five-year period studied (2013–2017) in the WSE case and 2175 in the MSE case. Our results show that internationally listed firms are increasingly embracing sport for their CSR programs, with the ‘personnel engagement’ stream seeing a constant increase, followed by ‘sponsorship’ and ‘philanthropic’ initiatives. The young generation takes the lion’s share when it comes to being the beneficiaries of these CSR programs, whereas ‘sport participation’ constitutes the basis of most such programs. Keywords: corporate social responsibility, CSR, sports, isomorphism, stock exchange

• Anagnostopoulos, Christos & Robertson, Jonathan (2021). Corporate social responsibility and sport organizations. In Slack, Trevor; Byers, Terri & Thurston, Alex (Ed.), Understanding sport organizations : applications for sport managers : third edition. Human Kinetics. ISSN 9781492500803. p. 409–421.
• López-Carril, Samuel & Anagnostopoulos, Christos (2020). COVID-19 and soccer teams on Instagram : the case of corporate social responsibility. International Journal of Sport Communication. ISSN 1936-3915. 13(3), p. 447–457. doi: 10.1123/ijsc.2020-0230. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  COVID-19 has given greater importance to the role of social media in sport, making it an essential way for fans to stay “in touch” with their teams. At the same time, the pandemic triggered additional actions from sport entities with the view to prove their commitment to society in an unprecedented moment of crisis. Professional team sport organizations have indeed initiated corporate social responsibility actions to collaborate in the fight against COVID-19. To explore these actions, the authors analyzed 3,906 posts on the official Instagram profiles of professional team sport organizations of La Liga (soccer, Spain), from March 11 to May 11, 2020, classifying them as philanthropic, sponsorship, or personnel engagement actions. The role of corporate social responsibility in a time of crisis and the potential of social media as a corporate social responsibility communication channel was also discussed. Keywords: CSR, football, La Liga, social media

• López-Carril, Samuel; Anagnostopoulos, Christos & Parganas, Petros (2020). Social media in sport management education : introducing LinkedIn. Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism Education. ISSN 1473-8376. 27(November), p. 1–6. doi: 10.1016/j.jhlste.2020.100262. Show summary

  Social media provide innovative teaching and learning pedagogical frameworks that change means of communication within academic institutions and enable students to develop digital skills that are helpful for a successful professional career. LinkedIn, a social media tool that focuses on professional networking and career development, has become the most popular professional social network, used by all stakeholders of the sport industry, and can therefore be used by students to stay in touch with experts and the latest trends in the sports industry. The purpose of this article is to define the main features and functionalities of LinkedIn from a sport management perspective and share guidelines to embrace and introduce it effectively into sport management courses. Keywords: Social media, LinkedIn, Sport management education, Pedagogical innovation, Professional career

• Zeimers, Géraldine; Lefebvre, Arthur; Winand, Mathieu; Anagnostopoulos, Christos; Zintz, Thierry & Willem, Annick (2020). Organisational factors for corporate social responsibility implementation in sport federations : a qualitative comparative analysis. European Sport Management Quarterly. ISSN 1618-4742. 21(2), p. 173–193. doi: 10.1080/16184742.2020.1731838. Show summary

  Research question: Understanding corporate social responsibility (CSR) implementation requires identifying factors that contribute to the ability of a sport organisation to develop CSR. This paper examines the complex combination of organisational factors associated with CSR implementation in a sport federation (SF) setting. Thus, this study identifies organisational factors of professionalisation for CSR implementation and different configurations associated with CSR implementation. Research methods: The study adopted a comparative approach combining a survey, interviews, and organisational documents in a sample of 19 Belgian SFs. A crisp-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (csQCA) was carried out to identify the combination of organisational factors associated with CSR implementation. Results and Findings: This study identifies four configurations associated with high CSR implementation and three configurations with low CSR implementation. Innovation capacity is a necessary organisational factor for CSR implementation that should be combined with financial autonomy, knowledge and human resources. The study reveals that organisational size is not a key condition associated with CSR implementation. The latter does not necessarily require a significant number of professional staff as long as the organisation is innovative and financially autonomous. Implications: This study contributes to the emergent research in the sport management literature and CSR literature on factors shaping CSR implementation by highlighting that it requires a combination of key organisational factors. The multiple configurations that emerged reveal the complex nature of CSR implementation, and reinforce the view that there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution to implement CSR. Keywords: corporate social responsibility, sport governing bodies, non-profit sport organisations, professionalisation, configurational comparative approach

• Anagnostopoulos, Christos; van Eekeren, Frank & Solenes, Oskar (2019). Sport policy systems and good governance : Insights from Europe. In Shilbury, David & Ferkins, Lesley (Ed.), Routledge Handbook of Sport Governance. Routledge. ISSN 9781138341234. p. 53–64. doi: 10.4324/9780429440250-4. Show summary

  This chapter reviews the role of sport policy systems in shaping sport governance practice in Europe. Sport is a fundamental pillar of European civil society. European governments have acknowledged the benefits that sport provides in terms of social cohesion, health and national pride, and also the economic benefits related, for example, to jobs and tax revenue. The Cyprus Sport Organisation Sports Academy promotes education and training for people involved in the administrative and governing bodies of sport organisations, particularly the administrative personnel and volunteer board members of the sport federations. The Netherlands is a founding member of the European Union and has roughly 17 million people. The country’s sports system is a social configuration, which suggests that the development of sports policy is a collaborative process involving the government and civil society through the voluntary sports movement. The provisions in Cyprus’s Code are largely similar to comparable policy-oriented documents in places like Flanders and the United Kingdom.

• Oja, Brent D.; Kim, Minjung; Perrewé, Pamela L. & Anagnostopoulos, Christos (2019). Conceptualizing A-HERO for sport employees’ well-being. Sport, Business and Management. ISSN 2042-678X. 9(4), p. 363–380. doi: 10.1108/SBM-10-2018-0084. Show summary

  Purpose: In an attempt to promote sport employees’ well-being, the purpose of this paper is to examine the more traditional constructs of psychological capital (i.e. hope, efficacy, resiliency and optimism) and to feature the inclusion of authenticity, an often overlooked construct, among sport employees. Design/methodology/approach: This conceptual paper is designed to create an expanded sport employee psychological capital construct, labeled A-HERO, and a subsequent theoreticalmodel to improve their well-being. Findings – In detailing a conceptual model of A-HERO for well-being, the model includes and explains the relationships among sport employee antecedents (i.e. sport employee identification, pride and passion), an organizational contextual variable (person–organization fit), and an important employee and organizational outcome (i.e. employee well-being) in contemporary sport organizations. Research limitations/implications: A-HERO offers a necessary first step for future theoretical research and empirical applications to improve sport employees’ well-being. Originality/value: By elucidating the role of authenticity at work with traditional psychological capital constructs in the current sport industry, this paper stimulates sport business and management scholars to validate empirically the A-HERO construct and examine proposed relationships for an improved prediction of sport employees’ well-being. Keywords: positive organizational behaviour, psychological capital, well-being, authenticity, sport employees

• Papacharalampous, Nikolaos; Papadimitriou, Dimitra & Anagnostopoulos, Christos (2019). “Walking the talk” in times of recession: the case of corporate social responsibility in Greece. Journal of Global Responsibility. ISSN 2041-2568. 10(2), p. 102–118. doi: 10.1108/JGR-11-2018-0058. Show summary

  Purpose – This study aims to examine the actions of corporate social responsibility (CSR) at a national business context that is firmly defined by prolonged financial crisis. It does so by using a critical view on CSR disclosures in an attempt to get to the heart of the real matter of CSR, from both a thematic content and strategic orientation perspective. Design/methodology/approach – This study is based on a sample of 50 firms that operate in the Greek market and belong to the most significant sectors of the national economy. Their CSR disclosures are contentanalyzed, providing a body of 836 pragmatic CSR actions. Findings – The key findings of the study denote differences among the examined sectors, with banks and financial services being the most active in terms of CSR actions. Regarding the thematic content, firms choose mainly to implement actions with a societal character, while in terms of strategic orientation, they opt for CSR actions that serve existing cause-related programs without any brand presence. Moreover, profound interest appears for the external business environment, whereas the number of CSR actions with employees’ participation is limited. Practical implications – The study offers a descriptive account of the actual CSR engagement in Greece amid a prolonged downturn, thus shedding light on the current CSR trends and deficits and helping decision makers embed CSR as an integral part of their business operation. Originality/value – During adverse economic conditions, this study captures potential discrepancies between the “walk” (doing) and the “talk” (self-reporting) of CSR. In so doing, it contributes to CSR literature by exploring both the “what” and the “how” these actions are implemented. Keywords: Greece, financial crisis, strategic orientation, corporate social responsibility, pragmatic actions, thematic content

• Anagnostopoulos, Christos & Winand, Mathieu (2019). The board–executive relationship in team sport charitable foundations: unpacking trust building through ‘exchange currencies’. In Winand, Mathieu & Anagnostopoulos, Christos (Ed.), Research handbook on sport governance. Edward Elgar Publishing. ISSN 9781786434814. p. 236–256. doi: 10.4337/9781786434821.00023. Show summary

  Team sport charitable foundations are organisational formats that serve as the delivery mechanism for the professional teams’ social responsibility and community engagement. In this organisational setting, however, the boundaries between charitable foundation and ‘parent’ team are frequently illdefined, thereby rendering board dynamics distinctive. Such distinctiveness lies in the fact that the composition of the board consists of members of the ‘parent’ sport team organisation, chief among them often being the owner or chairperson of the team and/or its CEO. The purpose of this chapter is to unpack a specific type of board group dynamic – namely the board–executive relationship – in the context of professional sport teams’ charitable foundations. More specifically, acknowledging that governance is a process-based exercise, the present study examines process elements that can improve the charitable foundations’ perceived performance, that is, trust and ‘exchange currencies’ between thefoundations’ executives/CEOs and the boards. The study examines organisational governance, with an implicit focus on the board’s role on perceived organisational performance

• Zeimers, Géraldine; Anagnostopoulos, Christos; Zintz, Thierry & Willem, Annick (2019). Examining collaboration among nonprofit organizations for social responsibility programs. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly. ISSN 0899-7640. 48(5), p. 953–974. doi: 10.1177/0899764019837616. Show summary

  Nonprofit organizations (NPOs) increasingly implement socially responsible programs to address their responsibilities toward society. Although collaborations are a valuable means to tackle complex social issues, NPOs also similarly collaborate with other NPOs for delivering socially responsible programs. However, the motivations driving NPOs to collaborate with likeminded organizations for socially responsible programs remain unclear. Using a single embedded in-depth case study research design, our purpose is to examine the formation of collaborations among sport federations and sport clubs for socially responsible programs. Reflecting the interplay between resource-based view and institutional perspectives, our findings intrinsically indicate that partners demonstrate similarity in their motivations to collaborate due to their organizational fit, but with some key differences in the complementary resources they seek. Organizational legitimacy and resource exchange needs for socially responsible programs are driving the collaboration rather than organizational survival needs. The potential to create social value makes this nonprofit collaboration form unique. Keywords: nonprofit collaboration, social responsibility, nonprofit organizations, sport federations, sport clubs, interorganizational relationships, formation

• Zeimers, Géraldine; Anagnostopoulos, Christos; Zintz, Thierry & Willem, Annick (2019). Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in football : exploring modes of CSR implementation. In Chadwick, Simon; Parnell, Daniel; Widdop, Paul & Anagnostopoulos, Christos (Ed.), Routledge handbook of football business and management. Routledge. ISSN 9781138579071. p. 114–130. Show summary

  Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is developing to a considerable extent across business, sporting and academic agendas. Football is the most represented sport in the scholarly activity of CSR. The current scholarly work on CSR has provided an account of the substantial challenges linked to the integration of CSR in professional football. As CSR developed, football sport organisations have altered their organisational structures, strategies and processes. This chapter focuses on delineating the different types of organisation structures for managing CSR – or modes of implementation – within professional football. This chapter draws on Husted’s (2003) work that identifies three approaches that impact upon the way in which organisations manage CSR. First, organisations outsource CSR through charitable contributions. Second, organisations internalise CSR through in-house projects. Third, organisations enter into a collaborative or partnership model. This chapter examines these approaches for managing CSR by using mini cases from different types of football organisations across the globe. In doing so, we demonstrate the strategic and managerial implications that each structural form entails.

• Zeimers, Géraldine; Anagnostopoulos, Christos; Zintz, Thierry & Willem, Annick (2018). Organisational learning for corporate social responsibility in sport organisations. European Sport Management Quarterly. ISSN 1618-4742. 19(1), p. 80–101. doi: 10.1080/16184742.2018.1546752. Show summary

  Research question: Although the implementation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) may require changes at the strategic, organisational, and operational levels, studies fall short of investigating the role of organisational learning (OL), which is key to grasp how CSR occurs in organisations. This study fills this gap by exploring the dynamic interaction between different levels of the learning process through which sport organisations implement CSR. Research methods: Drawing on Crossan et al.’s 4I Framework, we examine the learning sub-processes characterising CSR implementation in a sport federation. This study uses a single-casestudy research design and analyses interviews (n = 18) and organisational documents (n = 20). Results and findings: This study reveals that OL for CSR is a critical multilevel and dynamic process that consists of learning subprocesses at the intra-organisational and inter-organisational levels. CSR requires both learning new ways of incorporating CSR practices, as well as embedding into the organisation what has already been learnt. Informal and formal groups were identified as strong repositories of learning, while external stakeholders are essential sources of learning intertwined within the organisation alongside the work of inter-organisational boundary spanners. Implications: Theoretically, this paper extends the discussion of CSR implementation by highlighting the critical role of. It does so by revealing patterns of learning institutionalisation for CSR in a particular European sport federated setting. These findings highlight that the level of institutionalisation of learning influences the integration and sustainability of the CSR strategy. Practically, managers should consider these learning subprocesses as appropriate platforms on which to instil the CSR construct within their organisation Keywords: corporate social responsibility, organisational learning, sport organisation, implementation, sport federation

• Maderer, Daniel; Parganas, Petros & Anagnostopoulos, Christos (2018). Brand-Image Communication Through Social Media: The Case of European Professional Football Clubs . International Journal of Sport Communication. ISSN 1936-3915. 11(3), p. 319–338. doi: 10.1123/ijsc.2018-0086. Show summary

  Social-media platforms have become an important tool for sport marketers to communicate their brand image and engage with fans. This study analyzed 1,115 Facebook posts and 16,308 tweets from 10 of the most valuable European professional football clubs to identify the range of brand associations communicated and the level of online fan engagement. Statistical analysis captured correlations between and among selected brand attributes, time periods of posts (in and off-season), and levels of fan engagement. On both Facebook and Twitter, football clubs posted more frequently during the season, while content associated with product-related attributes was the focus of such communication. Productrelated content was found to generate higher levels of online fan engagement. The study extends the literature on sport teams’ brand management through social media and offers practical recommendations on how to enhance fan identification and engagement and ultimately make financial and reputational gains. Keywords: brand attributes, Facebook, fan engagement, soccer, Twitter

• Walzel, Stefan; Robertson, Jonathan & Anagnostopoulos, Christos (2018). Corporate Social Responsibility in Professional Team Sports Organizations: An Integrative Review. Journal of Sport Management. ISSN 0888-4773. 32(6), p. 511–530. doi: 10.1123/jsm.2017-0227. Show summary

  Professional team sports organizations (PTSOs) are highly influential in our society. They can both positively and negatively shape the public discourse around responsible norms of behavior. The purpose of this article is to describe and critically review the literature on PTSOs’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) to develop a comprehensive understanding of current and future research directions in the field. Our analysis reviewed articles on CSR within PTSOs and identified publication year; geographical dispersion; journal type; sports contexts; social issues investigated; research approaches and methods; and how CSR was conceptualized, defined, and theoretically supported. The findings indicate that CSR within PTSOs has primarily been investigated in community programs, using qualitative research methods and pragmatically conceptualizing CSR on the basis of return on investments to the organization in European and North American contexts. Our discussion provides a critical review of the literature before outlining avenues for future research and practice. Keywords: CSR, community, governance, philanthropy, sustainability

• Anagnostopoulos, Christos; Parganas, Petros; Chadwick, Simon & Fenton, Alex (2018). Branding in pictures : using Instagram as a brand management tool in professional team sport organisations. European Sport Management Quarterly. ISSN 1618-4742. 18(4), p. 413–438. doi: 10.1080/16184742.2017.1410202. Show summary

  Research question/purpose: Instagram has become an increasingly popular tool for sport organisations to share visual content. This study aims to examine how professional team sport organisations use Instagram for branding purposes and to explore the meaning of Instagram followers’ reactions to the organisations’ Instagram activity. Research methods: The study was conducted in two phases. First, we analysed 2017 Instagram photos of two football teams from the English Premier League. Photos were categorised on product- and non-product-related brand attributes. Employing a quantitative content analysis technique, statistical analysis involved intra-case and inter-case relationships between brand attributes and Instagram’s key fan engagement features (Comment and Like). Second, we analysed 2100 Instagram comments from a qualitative perspective in order to gain further insight into the fans’ meanings associated with such posts. Results and findings: The findings offer significant insights to sport marketers in their efforts to increase fan engagement through social media. For both of the examined football teams, product-related attributes were used significantly more often than non-productrelated attributes and encouraged greater engagement from online followers. Against these brand attributes, fans’ interaction through one of the Instagram’s key engagement features is expressed through ‘aspiring’-, ‘belonging’-, ‘criticising’-, and ‘loving’-based comments. Implications: The study shows that Instagramfacilitates co-branding, while giving fans a more active role in the branding process through comments. We recommend a culture change whereby teams become more market-focused and communications-driven by employing a greater understanding of the semiotics of images and fan comments through the use of social media. Keywords: Instagram, brand management, brand attributes, professional team sport organisations, social media

• Roberts, Samantha; Chadwick, Simon & Anagnostopoulos, Christos (2018). Sponsorship programmes and corruption in sport : management responses to a growing threat. Journal of Strategic Marketing. ISSN 0965-254X. 26(1), p. 19–36. doi: 10.1080/0965254X.2017.1344292. Show summary

  Sponsorship programmes are increasingly being exposed to the threat of corruption in sport. Several recent notable cases of corruption have exposed sponsors and their investments to significant perceived pressures including negative consumer associations with athletes, teams and officials that have been found guilty of engaging in corrupt activity. How sponsors respond to such instances of corruption in sport forms the basis of this paper. Drawing from an analysis of corruption cases (n = 2089), the paper initially examines the nature of corruption in sport. Through interview data (n = 21), it subsequently identifies key factors that sponsors should take into consideration when deciding upon a course of action to mitigate any potential effects of corrupt activity by a sporting property they are associated with. Finally, the paper discusses those courses of action. Keywords: sponsorship, sponsor, property, corruption, sport management, marketing

• Parganas, Petros; Papadimitriou, Dimitra; Anagnostopoulos, Christos & Theodoropoulos, Anastasios (2017). Linking sport team sponsorship to perceived switching cost and switching intentions. European Sport Management Quarterly. ISSN 1618-4742. 17(4), p. 457–484. doi: 10.1080/16184742.2017.1318410. Show summary

  Research question/purpose: Although literature has focused on the impact of sponsorship on the customers’ purchase intentions, the impact of sport team sponsorship on switching intentions on service providers remains a largely overlooked research topic. The study addresses this gap by examining the effects of sport team sponsorship on the switching intentions of service customers, who at the same time are sport fans. Research methods: The study draws on a sponsorship agreement between a mobile telecommunication company (sponsor) and a European professional football team (sponsored team). Through a survey, 261 responses were collected and subsequently analysed using structural equation modelling techniques. Results and findings: The results suggest that enhancing the relationship of fans with the team and its sponsor – as well as increasing their level of involvement with the sport – can contribute to increasing the perceived switching cost of the fans regarding mobile telecommunications services. Similarly, strengthening the fans’ attitudes towards the sponsor can reduce their likelihood of switching to another telecommunications provider. Implications: As the first study to examine the effects of sport team sponsorship on the switching intentions of service customers who at the same time are sport fans, this paper adds to academic understanding of the impacts of sport (football) involvement, team-brand attitude, sponsor-brand attitude, and sponsorship fit on switching intentions and on perceived switching cost of the sponsor’s customers. In doing so, the study also investigates how team identification and sponsor affiliation moderate the influence of the aforementioned attributes. Keywords: consumer switching intentions, sport team sponsorship, telecommunications industry, professional football, team-brand attitudes

• Parganas, Petros; Liasko, Roman & Anagnostopoulos, Christos (2017). Scoring goals in multiple fields : social media presence, on-field performance and commercial success in European professional football. Sport, Business and Management. ISSN 2042-678X. 7(2), p. 197–215. doi: 10.1108/SBM-11-2016-0072. Show summary

  Professional football clubs currently strive for a number of concurrent goals, ranging from on-field success to profit maximization to fan expansion and engagement. The purpose of this paper, theoretically informed by the social penetration theory, is to analyze the economics behind such goals and examine the association between team performance, commercial success, and social media followers in professional team sports. A data set relating to 20 European professional football clubs that combines financial (revenues and costs), sporting, and digital-reach measures for three consecutive football seasons (2013/2014 to 2015/2016) was used. In addition, to elaborate on this data in terms of a descriptive study, the study constructs a range of correlation statistical tests and linear modeling techniques to obtain quantitative results. The results indicate that all the three main sources of club revenues (match-day, commercial/sponsorship, and broadcasting) are positive drivers for Facebook followers. Staff investments (staff costs) are also positively related to Facebook followers, albeit to a lesser extent, while higher-ranked clubs seem to follow a constant approach in terms of their revenues and cost structure. This study seeks to bridge the communication and sport economic research, providing evidence that Facebook followers are part of the cyclical phenomenon of team revenues and team performance. In doing so, it initiates a debate on the relationship between the digital expansion of a football club and its sports and financial indicators. Keywords: Social media, Commercial success, European football clubs, Multi-purpose objectives, On-field performance, Sport business.

• Winand, Mathieu & Anagnostopoulos, Christos (2017). Get ready to innovate! : staff’s disposition to implement service innovation in non-profit sport organisations. International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics. ISSN 1940-6940. 9(4), p. 579–595. doi: 10.1080/19406940.2017.1308418. Show summary

  While sport entrepreneurs are known for being risk-takers and for being proactive when implementing new ideas, little is known about individuals’ attitudes within non-profit sport organisations (NPSO). The present study draws on policy implementation and innovation theories to address this gap by investigating staff attitudes towards newness and its impact on innovativeness and change. An online survey was administered to representatives of regional sport federations in Belgium (n = 101; 70% response rate) in order to measure their attitude towards newness, the number of service innovation successfully implemented and the levels of innovativeness and organisational change perceived. On average, sport federation staffs show a positive attitude towards newness, which supports the implementation of service innovation. The number of service innovations and perceptions of innovativeness both have significant indirect effects on organisational change as perceived by individuals within sport federations. Managerial and policy implications are provided with regard to the need to develop positive attitude towards newness within NPSOs in order to foster innovation.

• Parganas, Petros; Anagnostopoulos, Christos & Chadwick, Simon (2017). Effects of social media interactions on brand associations : a comparative study of soccer fan clubs. International Journal of Sports Marketing & Sponsorship. ISSN 1464-6668. 18(2), p. 149–165. doi: 10.1108/IJSMS-05-2017-087. Show summary

  Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of social media in brand associations, particularly in regard to soccer fan clubs. Design/methodology/approach – The study used a professional English Premier League soccer team to investigate the effects that social media interaction had on brand associations of the team’s fan clubs in two national contexts – England and Greece. Findings – In total, 207 online questionnaires from six fan clubs were collected and analyzed using descriptive and inferential (t-tests and χ2 tests) statistics. Originality/value – The results revealed similarities on Facebook in terms of positive receptions of brand attributes and resonance of perceived brand benefits, while significant differences were observed on Twitter, particularly in terms of brand benefits. Keywords social media, Twitter, Facebook, brand associations, fan clubs, professional soccer

• Cook, David & Anagnostopoulos, Christos (2017). MK Dons FC and AFC Wimbledon : moving the goalposts and rising from the ashes. In Chadwick, Simon; Arthur, Dave & Beech, John (Ed.), International Cases in the Business of Sport. Routledge. ISSN 9781138802452. p. 139–147. Show summary

  The ruling, in 2002, was hugely controversial, and effectively spawned two entirely new entities; MK Dons FC, who took the place of Wimbledon FC in the Football League and based itself in Milton Keynes, 60 miles away from the original club; and AFC Wimbledon, a fan-owned ‘phoenix’ club which started again at the bottom of the football pyramid and is located near to Wimbledon FC’s original home. Despite their creation resulting from the same event, the two newly-created clubs are notable for their contrasting ownership models and the reaction they have received from both the media and the wider football community in Great Britain.

• Gillooly, Leah; Anagnostopoulos, Christos & Chadwick, Simon (2017). Social media based sponsorship activation : a typology of content. Sport, Business and Management. ISSN 2042-678X. 7(3), p. 293–314. doi: 10.1108/SBM-04-2016-0016. Show summary

  Purpose: This paper thematically categorises sports sponsorship-linked Twitter content and, by drawing on uses & gratifications (U&G) theory, maps the extent to which these categories cohere with known user motivations for consuming social media. Methodology: Qualitative content analysis of a sample of 1502 Tweets by London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games sponsors posted between January 2011 and September 2012 was used to develop the typology of sponsorship-linked Twitter content. Findings: From the data, a typology is developed, comprising 17 categories grouped under four main types: informing, entertaining, rewarding and interacting. The majority of sponsor Tweets (68%) fell into the informing type, with 17% categorised as interacting. While few (2%) Tweets were categorised as entertaining, the link to the sponsored event implies a degree of entertaining content even in ostensibly informative, rewarding or interactional sponsorship-linked Tweets. Therefore, the typology categories highlight Twitter content produced by sponsors which engages customers, fostering dialogue alongside providing informative and entertaining content. Originality: The typology extends existing understanding of the use of social media within sponsorship activation campaigns by thematically categorising content and mapping this against known user motivations for consuming brand-related social media content. Practical implications: The typology can inform practitioners’ future sports sponsorship activation planning decisions and can also aid rights holders in tailoring appropriate sponsorship opportunities to potential sponsors, based on an appreciation of the nature of content sought by brand followers. Keywords: sponsorship, social media, twitter, typology, activation

• Papadimitriou, Dimitra; Winand, Mathieu & Anagnostopoulos, Christos (2017). Job and career satisfaction in an austerity environment : the role of job security and passion towards work. International Journal of Sport Management and Marketing. ISSN 1475-8962. 17(1-2), p. 7–31. doi: 10.1504/IJSMM.2017.083980. Show summary

  This study investigates the role of passion in forming job and career satisfaction among employees in the sport industry using the dualistic model of passion developed by Vallerand et al. (2003). The research was conducted within a context of austerity measures and aimed to examine the mediating effects of job security in the relationship between passion and satisfaction at work. Employees within Greek municipal sport organisations completed a self-administered questionnaire (N=170) in order to measure their level of passion towards their work (both harmonious and obsessive), their job and career satisfaction, and their perceptions of job security. Data were treated with Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and multiple regression analyses using SPSS and Amos 21.0. The findings reveal that harmonious passion is significantly positively related to both job and career satisfaction, and that job security mediates these relationships. The research demonstrates the benefits of having harmoniously passionate employees, as well as the importance of strengthening or retaining feelings of job security under drastic socio-economic measures. Keywords: passion at work, job satisfaction, career satisfaction, job security, municipal sport organisations

• Anagnostopoulos, Christos; Byers, Terri & Kolyperas, Dimitrios (2017). Understanding strategic decision-making through a multi-paradigm perspective : the case of charitable foundations in English football. Sport, Business and Management. ISSN 2042-678X. 7(1), p. 2–20. doi: 10.1108/SBM-02-2016-0005. Show summary

  Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the efficacy of using a multi-paradigm perspective to examine the relationship between CSR and strategic decision-making processes in the context of charitable foundations. Design/methodology/approach: This paper integrates and synthesizes the micro-social processes of assessable transcendence (Anagnostopoulos et al., 2014) with Whittington’s (2001) perspectives on strategy. Assessable transcendence was achieved from the constant comparison of categories developed through an early iterative process in which data collection and analysis occurred during the same period. Thirty-two interviews were conducted among a sample of key managers in the charitable foundations for the first two divisions of English football. Findings: The present study illustrates empirically that strategic decision-making in charitable foundations does not ‘seat’ neatly in any one of Whittington’s perspectives. On the contrary, this study indicates a great deal of overlap within these perspectives, and suggests that conflicting paradigms should be celebrated rather than viewed as signs of theoretical immaturity. Multi-paradigm approaches can potentially reveal insights into the ‘mechanics’ of managerial decision-making that are not easily discernible from a mono-paradigmatic perspective. Originality/value: This is the first empirical work that (a) examines CSR in relation to strategy within the context of the English football clubs’ charitable foundations, and (b) does so by employing a multi-paradigm perspective on strategy formulation and implementation.

• Anagnostopoulos, Christos; Gillooly, Leah; Cook, David; Parganas, Petros & Chadwick, Simon (2016). Stakeholder communication in 140 characters or less : a study of community sport foundations. VOLUNTAS - International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations. ISSN 0957-8765. 28(5), p. 2224–2250. doi: 10.1007/s11266-016-9802-4. Show summary

  Community sport foundations (CSFs), like other non-profit organizations (NPOs), are increasingly employing social media such as Twitter to communicate their mission and activities to their diverse stakeholder groups. However, the way these CSFs utilize social media for communicating such practices remains unclear. Through a mixed-method approach of content analysis of Tweets from 22 CSFs established by English professional football clubs and interviews with key individuals within these CSFs (n = 7), this study examines the extent to which CSFs’ core activities are being communicated through Twitter and identifies the strategies employed for doing so. Reflecting the target audiences CSFs are seeking to reach through Twitter and the challenges associated with communication about projects involving marginalized groups, tweets largely concern programs related to sports participation and education. The most frequently employed communication strategy is to inform, rather than interact or engage with stakeholders. However, CSFs with higher organizational capacity attempt to go beyond mere informing toward engaging with stakeholder groups that relate to their social agenda, highlighting the importance of trained and dedicated social media personnel in optimizing CSFs’ use of Twitter for communication. Keywords: community sport foundations, Twitter communication, CSR, football, stakeholder theory

• Kolyperas, Dimitrios; Anagnostopoulos, Christos; Chadwick, Simon & Sparks, Leigh (2016). Applying a communicating vessels framework to CSR value co-creation : empirical evidence from professional team sport organizations. Journal of Sport Management. ISSN 0888-4773. 30(6), p. 702–719. doi: 10.1123/jsm.2016-0032. Show summary

  Despite the increasing number and significance of charitable foundations in various business sectors, their role in co-creating corporate social responsibility (CSR) value remains unclear. This paper identifies CSR value co-creation in professional team sport organizations (PTSOs) and answers three key research questions: 1) Why have PTSOs developed charitable foundations as their means toward CSR value co-creation? 2) What CSR-related resources do PTSOs and their charitable foundations integrate? and (3) How do they manage, share and transfer such resources in order to co-create CSR value? Drawing theoretical insights from Service Dominant Logic (SDL) and consumer culture theory (CCT) – and using empirical data from 47 semi-structured interviews of UK-based professional football (soccer) clubs – this study develops a communicating vessels (CV) framework to illustrate the role of charitable foundations in the CSR value co-creation process. Through four tentative CSR value co-creation levels of relationship (bolt-on, cooperative, controlled, and strategic) the study suggests several internal strategies that can enhance the level of collaboration between founders and foundations. These include information-sharing through CRM systems and social media platforms; staff-sharing or flexible movement across the organizations; quality assurance agreements; flexible team cooperation; partnership protocols with social, media, cultural, and commercial stakeholders; and co-training of personnel. Keywords: CSR value, service dominant logic, consumer culture theory, sport, football, charitable foundations, value co-creation

• Anagnostopoulos, Christos; Winand, Mathieu & Papadimitriou, Dimitra (2016). Passion in the workplace : empirical insights from team sport organisations. European Sport Management Quarterly. ISSN 1618-4742. 16(4), p. 385–412. doi: 10.1080/16184742.2016.1178794. Show summary

  Research question: Although sport management scholars have focused on a fairly wide number of psychologically related constructs in the workplace, passion has not been part of this research agenda. The present study is the first attempt to fill this gap by exploring team sport organisation employees’ passion via the dualistic model, that is, harmonious and obsessive, developed by Vallerand et al. Research methods: UK football industry employees responsible for either business-related functions or the clubs’ social agenda (N = 236) completed an online survey in order to measure their level of passion. The particular instrument has two components: harmonious and obsessive passion towards the job. Besides the passion scales, the survey contained measures related to demographic variables, employment position, and previous job experience. Data were treated with confirmatory factor analysis and analysis of variance using SPSS and Amos 18.0. Results and findings: Both groups of employees are passionate about their job. They remain harmoniously passionate throughout their career and show low levels of obsessive passion. The type of work activities influences personnel within sport organisations with employees responsible for the social agenda being slightly more harmoniously and obsessively passionate compared to those responsible for the business agenda. Implications: Vallerand et al.’s dualistic model of passion has been adapted for sport organisations. The particular working environment that forms these organisations attracts and/or facilitates employees to experience a positive work–life balance.

• Anagnostopoulos, Christos & Kolyperas, Dimitrios (2016). Corporate social responsibility of and through sport. In Byers, Terri (Eds.), Contemporary issues in sport management : a critical introduction . Sage Publications. ISSN 9781446282199. p. 473–486. doi: 10.4135/9781473919761.n35.
• Parganas, Petros; Anagnostopoulos, Christos & Chadwick, Simon (2015). ‘You’ll never tweet alone’: managing sports brands through social media. Journal of Brand Management. ISSN 1350-231X. 22(7), p. 551–568. doi: 10.1057/bm.2015.32. Show summary

  The emergence of social media has had a profound impact on the way companies communicate and connect with their customers. Indeed, brands across different industries have started utilizing social media as part of their marketing strategies. However, the way in which businesses using social media for branding purposes has been limited. This study aims to address the abovementioned gap by drawing on the professional sports industry. Employing a case study approach, the study analyzes the use of Twitter by a professional football organization in order to examine brand attributes (both product-related and non-product-related) and their relation to Twitter’s key engagement features (Reply, Retweet, Favorite). The results extend the current knowledge base of social media brand management in the sports industry, while offering significant insights for practitioners as far as the interaction of online followers to the communicated brand attributes is concerned.

• Parganas, Petros & Anagnostopoulos, Christos (2015). Social media strategy in professional football : the case of Liverpool FC . Choregia. ISSN 1791-4027. 11(2), p. 61–75. doi: 10.4127/ch.2015.0102. Show summary

  The purpose of this study is to examine the role of social media as marketing tools in professional team sport organizations. Focusing on the English Premier League football club Liverpool FC, an exploratory case study design using one-to-one interviews with the club’s senior social media managers was adopted. The findings highlight the need for integration of all media channels of the club in order to allow for a more targeted and engaging approach towards its fans, and suggests that further development of social media strategies has potential to deliver increased commercial gains both in the short and in the long term. However, given the peculiar nature of sports fandom, a major issue for social media managers is to find the appropriate balance between content that increases fan interaction and engagement and content that deals with purely commercial purposes.

• Bason, Tom & Anagnostopoulos, Christos (2015). Corporate social responsibility through sport : a longitudinal study of the FTSE100 companies. Sport, Business and Management. ISSN 2042-678X. 5(3), p. 218–241. doi: 10.1108/SBM-10-2014-0044. Show summary

  Purpose – Under growing public scrutiny of their behaviour, the vast majority of multinational enterprises (MNEs) have been undertaking significant investments through corporate social responsibility (CSR) in order to close legitimacy gaps. The purpose of this paper is to provide a descriptive account of the nature and scope of MNEs’ CSR programmes that have sport at their core. More specifically, the present study addresses the following questions. First, how do Financial Times Stock Exchange (FTSE) 100 firms utilise sport as part of their CSR agendas? Second, how do different industries have different approaches to CSR through sport? And third, can the types of CSR through sport be classified? Design/methodology/approach – Centred on legitimacy theory and exploratory in nature, the study employed a content analysis method, and examined three types of document from each of the FTSE100 firms, namely, annual reports, annual reviews and CSR reports over the ten-year period from 2003 to 2012. In total, 1,473 documents were content analysed, thereby offering a sound representation of CSR disclosure of the FTSE100. Findings – From the analysis, three main streams emerged: “Philanthropy”, “Sponsorships” and “Personnel engagement” with the first showing the smallest growth compared with the other main streams. Findings show the general rise in CSR through sport, thereby demonstrating that the corporate world has practically acknowledged that the sporting context is a powerful vehicle for the employment of CSR. Originality/value – Previous empirical studies have sought to investigate CSR through sport, yet they have generally suffered from sampling limitations which have, in turn, rendered the drawing of reliable conclusions problematic. Particularly, the lack of an explicit focus on longitudinality is a typical limitation, meaning that no conclusions can be made regarding the trend. The study outlined in this paper offers the most comprehensive longitudinal study of CSR through sport to date, and thus contributes to the increasing volume of literature that examines the application of CSR in relation to the sport sector.

• Anagnostopoulos, Christos & Bason, Tom (2015). Mapping the first 10 years with Leximancer : themes and concepts in the Sports Management International Journal Choregia. Choregia. ISSN 1791-4027. 11(1), p. 25–41. doi: 10.4127/ch.2015.0095. Show summary

  This study uses Leximancer (a text-mining tool for visualising the structure of concepts and themes in text) to map the published research within Sports Management International Journal Choregia from 2005 to 2014. Drawing on 88 papers, of which 61 were classified as empirical and 27 as non-empirical ones, results reveal that the last half of the examined period concerned works that do not relate to the Greek context, which has been the case during the first years of Choregia’s publication. ‘Sports participation’, ‘physical activity’, ‘Greek football clubs’ – all largely associated with ‘management’ and ‘factors’ – shape the main themes in the studies published within Choregia. In addition, an emphasis on positivistic approaches, through the employment of questionnaires and utilising students as the population for data collection, appears to be the dominant methodological orientation of the published content in Choregia. Becoming the platform for studies that originate beyond the American, Greek, and Iranian contexts, through special issues and invited contributions in the form of research notes would potentially increase this outlet’s scope and depth (that is, context and themes, respectively).

• Bason, Tom; Cook, David & Anagnostopoulos, Christos (2015). Legacy in major sport events : empirical insights from the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Choregia. ISSN 1791-4027. 11(1), p. 43–61. doi: 10.4127/ch.2015.0096. Show summary

  The awarding of the 2010 FIFA World Cup to South Africa was an historic moment for all of Africa as football’s biggest event travelled to the continent for the first time. This study, set five years on, seeks to identify the legacies left by the construction of two new stadiums in Durban and Cape Town. As part of the EU-funded CARNiVAL project, which seeks to investigate the legacies and impacts of hosting such events, interviews were conducted with key stakeholders involved in the planning of legacies in the two cities. Using Chappelet and Junod’s (2006) framework to analyse the legacies, this study found that Durban and Cape Town have used different strategies to leverage the legacies with differing results. Yet, both stadiums have suffered from the same issue; a seeming lack of need for two stadiums with capacities over 54,000, for domestic sport leagues which average fewer than 10,000 spectators.

• Breitbarth, Tim; Walzel, Stefan; Anagnostopoulos, Christos & van Eekeren, Frank (2015). Corporate social responsibility and governance in sport : “Oh, the things you can find, if you don’t stay behind!”. Corporate Governance : The international journal of business in society. ISSN 1472-0701. 15(2), p. 254–273. doi: 10.1108/CG-02-2015-0025. Show summary

  Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide practical and future research implications for the field of governance and corporate social responsibility (CSR) in sports to strengthen the depth of knowledge in this area. Design/methodology/approach – This paper reviews parts of the existing international literature and draws on literature from general business, management and governance to widen the scope and open spaces of opportunities for interested researchers. Findings – The authors find six themes that are of particular relevance and cluster them along context, content and process to map out critical and promising aspects that we believe will progress our understanding of and contribution to CSR and governance in sport: features and idiosyncrasies of sport in relation to governance and CSR; the relevance and impact of regional and cultural context; reflections on “content” of CSR in sport in difference to CSR through sport; the quest for the business case for CSR in sport and consumer reactions; the potential for interdisciplinary, multilevel and longitudinal research; and finding a critical voice and relating research (back) to industry and practice. Originality/value – The paper reviews and interlinks the topic of CSR and governance in sport in new ways and with an established, wider body of knowledge, and provides new inspiration and starting points for research from both a broader management angle and a sport-specific angle.

• Byers, Terri; Anagnostopoulos, Christos & Brooke-Holmes, Georgina (2015). Understanding control in nonprofit organisations : moving governance research forward? Corporate Governance : The international journal of business in society. ISSN 1472-0701. 15(1), p. 134–145. doi: 10.1108/CG-06-2014-0072. Show summary

  Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to introduce the concept of organisational control and both its importance and utility for understanding nonprofit organisations. Design/methodology/approach – This paper uses a critical realist (CR) methodology to discuss the concept of control and its utility to research on governance of nonprofit organisations. Findings – The current study offers a conceptual framework that presents a holistic view of control, relevant for analysing nonprofit organisations, and a methodological lens (CR) through which this framework can be implemented. Research limitations/implications – This paper suggests that studies of governance should consider different levels of analysis, as suggested by examining the concept of control using a CR framework. This notion has yet to be tested empirically and a framework for examining governance from a CR perspective of control is suggested. Context is highly relevant to understanding control, and thus, this model requires testing in a wide diversity of nonprofit sectors, sizes of organisations and time periods. Originality/value – The literature on organisational control provides useful insights to advance our understanding of nonprofit organisations beyond the notion of governance, and this paper proposes both conceptual and methodological underpinnings to facilitate future research.

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• Winand, Mathieu & Anagnostopoulos, Christos (2019). Research handbook on sport governance. Edward Elgar Publishing. ISBN 9781786434814. 496 p. Show summary

  Sports governance has developed into a considerable field of research, and has piqued many researchers’ interest worldwide. What’s more, recent scandals that have affected the world of sport can be directly related to misgovernance. Research Handbook on Sport Governance aims to gather the state-of-the art research on sports governance. It offers a vital reference point for advancing research on the matter, while illustrating different approaches and perspectives, such as good governance principles, systemic governance, political governance and network governance.

• Chadwick, Simon; Parnell, Daniel; Widdop, Paul & Anagnostopoulos, Christos (2019). Routledge handbook of football business and management. Routledge. ISBN 9781138579071. 624 p. Show summary

  Soccer is the world’s most valuable sport, generating bigger revenues, as well as being watched and played by more people, than any other. It is virtually impossible to understand the business of sport without understanding the football industry. This book surveys contemporary football in unparalleled breadth and depth. Presenting critical insights from world-leading football scholars and introducing football’s key organisations, leagues and emerging nations, it explores key themes from governance and law to strategy and finance, as well as cutting edge topics such as analytics, digital media and the women’s game. This is essential reading for all students, researchers and practitioners working in football, sport business, sport management or mainstream business and management.

• Anagnostopoulos, Christos (2014). Corporate social responsibility through charitable foundations : The case of English football. Lambert Academic Publishing. ISBN 978-3-659-62144-4. 286 p. Show summary

  Professional teams are now modifying their organisational structure by establishing foundations tasked with delivering their corporate social responsibility (CSR) content. These structural changes inevitably bring in new organisational actors who influence the actual implementation of CSR in this business context. Organisational complexity is therefore increasing regarding CSR, as is the need to capture its elements at both cross-organisational and individual levels. This is especially important given that, unlike mainstream (corporate) foundations that deal directly with a ‘parent’ company, professional sport leagues often mandate the implementation of CSR through central funding mechanisms. This in turn emphasises the intricacy of the process and the dynamics amongst organisational actors at various levels. This book attempted to address this complexity by examining the managerial decision-making process in the organisational context of charitable foundations established by English professional football clubs. (Reprint of PhD Thesis 2014, University of Coventry, UK.)

• Anagnostopoulos, Christos (2012). Contextualising Research in Sport: An International Perspective. Athens Institute for Education and Research (ATINER). ISBN 9789609549615. 328 p.

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• Gammelsæter, Hallgeir & Anagnostopoulos, Christos (2022). Sport management : mission and meaning for a new era. European Sport Management Quarterly. ISSN 1618-4742. 22(5), p. 637–642. doi: 10.1080/16184742.2022.2100918.
• Manoli, Argyro Elisavet; Anagnostopoulos, Christos; Ahonen, Aila; Bolton, Nicola; Bowes, Ali & Brown, Chris [Show all 38 contributors for this article] (2022). Managing sport and leisure in the era of Covid-19. Managing Sport and Leisure. ISSN 2375-0472. 27(1-2), p. 1–6. doi: 10.1080/23750472.2022.2035963.
• Anagnostopoulos, Christos (2020). Interview with Florian Alt and Petros Parganas, Adidas Global Football. International Journal of Sport Communication. ISSN 1936-3915. 13(1), p. 22–27. doi: 10.1123/ijsc.2019-0117. Show summary

  Industry interview.

• Winand, Mathieu & Anagnostopoulos, Christos (2019). Directions for future research in sport governance. In Winand, Mathieu & Anagnostopoulos, Christos (Ed.), Research handbook on sport governance. Edward Elgar Publishing. ISSN 9781786434814. p. 456–462. Show summary

  Sports governance has developed into a considerable field of research, and has piqued many researchers’ interest worldwide. What’s more, recent scandals that have affected the world of sport can be directly related to misgovernance. Research Handbook on Sport Governance aims to gather the state-of-the art research on sports governance. It offers a vital reference point for advancing research on the matter, while illustrating different approaches and perspectives, such as good governance principles, systemic governance, political governance and network governance.

• Winand, Mathieu & Anagnostopoulos, Christos (2019). Research on sport governance : an introduction. In Winand, Mathieu & Anagnostopoulos, Christos (Ed.), Research handbook on sport governance. Edward Elgar Publishing. ISSN 9781786434814. p. 1–9. Show summary

  Sports governance has developed into a considerable field of research, and has piqued many researchers’ interest worldwide. What’s more, recent scandals that have affected the world of sport can be directly related to misgovernance. Research Handbook on Sport Governance aims to gather the state-of-the art research on sports governance. It offers a vital reference point for advancing research on the matter, while illustrating different approaches and perspectives, such as good governance principles, systemic governance, political governance and network governance.

• Chadwick, Simon; Parnell, Daniel; Widdop, Paul & Anagnostopoulos, Christos (2019). The rise and rise of the world's favourite sport. In Chadwick, Simon; Parnell, Daniel; Widdop, Paul & Anagnostopoulos, Christos (Ed.), Routledge handbook of football business and management. Routledge. ISSN 9781138579071. p. 601–606. Show summary

  Soccer is the world’s most valuable sport, generating bigger revenues, as well as being watched and played by more people, than any other. It is virtually impossible to understand the business of sport without understanding the football industry. This book surveys contemporary football in unparalleled breadth and depth. Presenting critical insights from world-leading football scholars and introducing football’s key organisations, leagues and emerging nations, it explores key themes from governance and law to strategy and finance, as well as cutting edge topics such as analytics, digital media and the women’s game. This is essential reading for all students, researchers and practitioners working in football, sport business, sport management or mainstream business and management.

• Chadwick, Simon; Parnell, Daniel; Widdop, Paul & Anagnostopoulos, Christos (2019). Introduction to the handbook of football business and management. In Chadwick, Simon; Parnell, Daniel; Widdop, Paul & Anagnostopoulos, Christos (Ed.), Routledge handbook of football business and management. Routledge. ISSN 9781138579071. p. 1–2. Show summary

  Soccer is the world’s most valuable sport, generating bigger revenues, as well as being watched and played by more people, than any other. It is virtually impossible to understand the business of sport without understanding the football industry. This book surveys contemporary football in unparalleled breadth and depth. Presenting critical insights from world-leading football scholars and introducing football’s key organisations, leagues and emerging nations, it explores key themes from governance and law to strategy and finance, as well as cutting edge topics such as analytics, digital media and the women’s game. This is essential reading for all students, researchers and practitioners working in football, sport business, sport management or mainstream business and management.

• Wilson, Rob & Anagnostopoulos, Christos (2017). Guest editorial: performance strategies for meeting multiple objectives : the case of professional sport teams. Sport, Business and Management. ISSN 2042-678X. 7(2), p. 114–120. doi: 10.1108/SBM-03-2017-0017.
• Anagnostopoulos, Christos & Papadimitriou, Dimitra (2017). Editorial: Positive organisational scholarship and behaviour in sport management. International Journal of Sport Management and Marketing. ISSN 1475-8962. 17(1/2).
• Liu, Lingling; Parganas, Petros; Chadwick, Simon & Anagnostopoulos, Christos (2016). Sports celebrity endorsements of luxury brands : the case of Chinese consumers. International Journal of Sport Management, Recreation and Tourism. ISSN 1791-874X. 25(d), p. 45–68. doi: 10.5199/ijsmart-1791-874X-25d. Show summary

  With the pervasive use of sports celebrities in advertising as well as the fierce competition among luxury brands, finding the appropriate celebrity endorser is a crucial matter for many brands. This study contributes to the sports celebrity endorsement research stream, being one of the first to focus on the high-value yet underexplored Chinese luxury consumer market. Using survey data from 327 respondents, this study investigates the relationship between the attractiveness and credibility (that is, trustworthiness and expertise) of sports celebrities as endorsers of luxury products and purchase intentions and decisions of Chinese consumers. The analysis involved descriptive and non-parametric (Spearman correlation) statistics to determine the relationships’ strength. The results provide insights regarding Chinese luxury consumers’ characteristics and attitudes and empirically confirm a strong, positive and statistically significant association between credibility and attractiveness of sports celebrity endorsers and purchasing behavior. In addition, the knowledge produced regarding Chinese luxury consumer characteristics and attitudes can also be extended to include marketing promotion and luxury brand endorsements by non-sports endorsers. Keywords: sports celebrity endorsement, luxury products, consumer behavior, China

• Anagnostopoulos, Christos & Parganas, Petros (2016). The sports strategist : developing leaders for a high-performance industry. Sport, Business and Management. ISSN 2042-678X. 6(1), p. 106–108. doi: 10.1108/SBM-12-2015-0039.
• Breitbarth, Tim; Walzel, Stefan; Anagnostopoulos, Christos & van Eekeren, Frank (2015). Governance and CSR management in sport. Corporate Governance : The international journal of business in society. ISSN 1472-0701. 15(2). doi: 10.1108/CG-02-2015-0024.

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