The regulation of anti-doping practices in Australian sport is overseen by the Australian Sports ... more The regulation of anti-doping practices in Australian sport is overseen by the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA), which is a statutory authority funded by the Australian Commonwealth Government (ACG). The 2013 ASADA investigation into the Essendon Football Club (EFC) uncovered the alleged use of performance and image enhancing drugs by a number of players and support personnel. However, despite the call for sanctions to be placed on those taking banned substances, ASADA itself became the central focus of enquiry with the EFC questioning the legitimacy of ASADA's authority in their management of the investigation. Using content analysis and Bourdieu's conceptual framework, this paper aims to determine the legitimate regulatory authority of key actors involved in the EFC investigation. The findings suggest actors in the social field, as related to the case of the EFC investigation, possess varying amounts and types of capital, which cumulatively convert to symbolic capital. Dominant actors within the social field retain more symbolic capital than others and are perceived to possess legitimate regulatory authority, which does not translate to actual legal authority. This apparent disconnect between perceived authority on the one hand and actual legal legitimacy on the other has implications for the future management of such cases, both in the Australian Football League and beyond.
Commercial sector sport organisations increasingly lead innovation in sport delivery and consumpt... more Commercial sector sport organisations increasingly lead innovation in sport delivery and consumption. Despite this, the ways in which sport contributes to community capacity building and sport-for-...
The aim of this article was to develop a theoretical framework to aid the current understanding o... more The aim of this article was to develop a theoretical framework to aid the current understanding of social change practice. Drawing on concepts from institutional theory, the authors proposed and applied a theoretical framework to investigate social change at the intersection of gender and sexuality inclusion in Australian cricket. Qualitative techniques (interviews and document analyses) were utilized to investigate the trajectory of lesbian inclusion in Australian cricket over time. Starting from the perspective that institutional arrangements can be exclusionary (or biased) toward certain groups in society, this research investigated how the actions of institutional entrepreneurs can create more inclusive institutional arrangements. Theoretical and practical implications for future research are discussed.
The aim of this article was to develop a theoretical framework to aid the current understanding o... more The aim of this article was to develop a theoretical framework to aid the current understanding of social change practice. Drawing on concepts from institutional theory, the authors proposed and applied a theoretical framework to investigate social change at the intersection of gender and sexuality inclusion in Australian cricket. Qualitative techniques (interviews and document analyses) were utilized to investigate the trajectory of lesbian inclusion in Australian cricket over time. Starting from the perspective that institutional arrangements can be exclusionary (or biased) toward certain groups in society, this research investigated how the actions of institutional entrepreneurs can create more inclusive institutional arrangements. Theoretical and practical implications for future research are discussed.
This paper examines the role of recreation motives and motives for charitable giving in the devel... more This paper examines the role of recreation motives and motives for charitable giving in the development of participants' attachment to a charity sport event across two different events. Online questionnaires were administered within a pilot study, and then given to participants in the 2007 Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) LIVESTRONG Challenge (N=568) and the 2007 3M Half Marathon and Relay (N=689). Regression analysis revealed both recreation-based and charity-based motives contribute to attachment to the events. The findings also demonstrate that the charity-based motives make a stronger contribution for the 2007 LAF LIVESTRONG Challenge, while recreation-based motives make a stronger contribution for the 2007 3M Half Marathon and Relay. Suggestions are made for the creation of participant profiles based upon the motives.
Purpose This paper aims to examine the role of grassroots (food) festivals for supporting the sus... more Purpose This paper aims to examine the role of grassroots (food) festivals for supporting the sustainability of micro and small producers, whilst exploring potential productive linkages between both stakeholders (festivals and producers) for enhancing a more authentic cultural offering and destination image in the visitor economy. Design/methodology/approach This paper is exploratory, qualitative and inductive. Evidence is underpinned by a purposive sample, drawing on ten in-depth interviews and 17 open-ended survey responses collected across 2014 and 2015 – drawing perspectives from traders participating in the EAT Cambridge festival. Findings This paper unpacks a series of serendipitous [as opposed to “strategic”] forms of festival and producer leveraging; strengthening B2C relationships and stimulating business to business networking and creative entrepreneurial collaborations. Positive emergent “embryonic” forms of event legacy are identified that support the longer-term sustain...
Purpose This paper aims to examine the role of grassroots (food) festivals for supporting the sus... more Purpose This paper aims to examine the role of grassroots (food) festivals for supporting the sustainability of micro and small producers, whilst exploring potential productive linkages between both stakeholders (festivals and producers) for enhancing a more authentic cultural offering and destination image in the visitor economy. Design/methodology/approach This paper is exploratory, qualitative and inductive. Evidence is underpinned by a purposive sample, drawing on ten in-depth interviews and 17 open-ended survey responses collected across 2014 and 2015 – drawing perspectives from traders participating in the EAT Cambridge festival. Findings This paper unpacks a series of serendipitous [as opposed to “strategic”] forms of festival and producer leveraging; strengthening B2C relationships and stimulating business to business networking and creative entrepreneurial collaborations. Positive emergent “embryonic” forms of event legacy are identified that support the longer-term sustain...
This study examines the role identity of pioneer volunteers. This research expands current concep... more This study examines the role identity of pioneer volunteers. This research expands current conceptualisations of event volunteers to include those individuals who volunteer in a continuous nature in the lead up to a mega-event. Volunteers (n = 125) who had volunteered in the lead up to the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, as well as during the Games, completed a post-event survey that asked them to respond to open-ended questions about their volunteering experience and identity. Additionally, 10 individuals who were pioneer volunteers at the Sydney Olympics were interviewed 12 years later. Six themes described the experience of pioneer volunteers: friendship and teamwork enabled by prolonged volunteering; prestige and teamwork enabled by a small, select group; behind the scenes access and knowledge of the event; learning enabled by the experience of test events; a sense of connection with and ownership of the event; and transition to Games time roles. Pioneer volunteers experienced a strong and sustained identification with their role, and sought out continued opportunities to volunteer in the post-event period. The existence of a volunteer role identity was evident 12 years after the event. The findings of this research provide valuable lessons for recruitment, retention, and transition of event volunteers.
... Therefore, somewhat paradoxically, modern longboarding is a link to the history of surfing, b... more ... Therefore, somewhat paradoxically, modern longboarding is a link to the history of surfing, but also has a key role in its future development. ... The Noosa Festival of Surfing is one of the largest and most popular events on the Australian and international longboarding calendars. ...
ABSTRACT In July 2010, the Fijian government issued a decree that liberalized Fiji's surf... more ABSTRACT In July 2010, the Fijian government issued a decree that liberalized Fiji's surf breaks and deregulated its surf tourism industry. It did this by canceling licenses that granted resorts exclusive use of surf breaks based on indigenous customary ownership of foreshore and fringing reef fishing areas as common pool resources. This paper analyses the sustainability of surf tourism in Fiji, utilizing a developing framework for sustainable surf tourism. Based on broader sustainable tourism theory and empirical research, the framework considers (1) the impact of economic neo-liberalism, (2) the need for coordinated planning and limits to growth, (3) the advantages of systematic attempts to foster cross-cultural understanding, and (4) the social benefits associated with the development of surfing at the village level. The study found that a lack of regulation is compromising the sustainability of Fiji's surf tourism industry in each of these four dimensions. However, evidence of a growing acceptance of the need for regulation by most stakeholders offers a starting point for a transactive, participative process to find solutions. A fifth element to the framework is recommended for future analyses based on the need for surf tourism to contribute to poverty alleviation in destination communities.
The business leveraging of mega sport events is an emerging phenomenon not currently addressed in... more The business leveraging of mega sport events is an emerging phenomenon not currently addressed in the tourism literature. This study explores Business Club Australia, an initiative launched by the Australian federal government to create leverage from Sydney’s hosting of the 2000 Olympic Games by providing opportunities for business networking and international trade facilitation. The study examines the formulation and implementation
This research project explored the means by which the global attention focused on Australia for t... more This research project explored the means by which the global attention focused on Australia for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games was leveraged by various national, state and regional stakeholders to facilitate business and investment development in Australia. The key stakeholders involved in strategy formulation and implementation at each level are identified, as are the key tenets of the actual strategies employed. In addition, an indication of some of the potential longer-term business legacies for Australia and the wider international event sector are explored. Primary data consisted of 92 semi-structured interviews with actors from federal, state and regional governments’ economic development agencies, tourism commissions, events agencies, regional marketers, sport and recreation departments, and elite sport development agencies. Other interviewees were from the Olympic movement, and represented National Olympic Committees, individual Olympic teams, and the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games. The findings of this research suggest a re-focus beyond the immediate impact of an event, and more towards the devotion of resources to the actual leveraging of the opportunities that a focal event presents. Strategic business leveraging around sport events presents very real opportunities for the generation of enduring event outcomes, and may be a new and permanent addition to the mega event landscape. Overall, the study produced four key findings that indicate that effective business leveraging requires: (1) strategic activity aimed at the a priori identification of sport tourists and the networks that these actors could potentially create access to; (2) attention to horizontal structures of integration that facilitate collaborative behaviour, exchanges of information-based resources, and regional ownership of leveraging strategies; (3) facilitation of an environment conducive to relationship development and organisational learning; and, (4) recognition of the complexity of event networks, and of the actual networking process as it pertains to mega events and business leveraging. As a result of the learning engendered by the Sydney 2000 business leveraging initiatives, this report argues that, as a learning community, a paradigm shift has taken place where the stakeholders of mega sport events should now approach their events from a more holistic, network-driven perspective, with an eye towards longerterm, sustainable business outcomes, in addition to the traditional emphasis on short-term, visitation-related impacts. With business leveraging an apparently new feature on the sport event landscape, further investigation on future events is warranted to further understand this phenomenon, and to build upon the findings of this largely exploratory study.
Research on event leveraging has revealed that certain constraints inhibit the realisation of des... more Research on event leveraging has revealed that certain constraints inhibit the realisation of desired benefits from event hosting. Using qualitative action research methods, this study examined the constraints to leveraging regular season professional sport team events for tourism. The leveraging potential of regular season professional sport team events has been largely ignoredboth by researchers and practitioners. This presented an ideal opportunity to examine the pre-leveraging phase with a view to understanding leveraging constraints. The results identified five overarching constraints: lack of collaboration; priorities and resources; perceived benefit radius; perceived tourism potential; and, unclaimed responsibility. We propose a process model to better understand how leveraging constraints emerge and can be negotiated over time. This research is among the first to demonstrate the utility of team events for inclusion in regional event portfolios. It, therefore, builds on extant knowledge by presenting a more holistic conceptualisation of the inherent constraints to event leveraging, and further, provides a basis from which to successfully negotiate these constraints.
The regulation of anti-doping practices in Australian sport is overseen by the Australian Sports ... more The regulation of anti-doping practices in Australian sport is overseen by the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA), which is a statutory authority funded by the Australian Commonwealth Government (ACG). The 2013 ASADA investigation into the Essendon Football Club (EFC) uncovered the alleged use of performance and image enhancing drugs by a number of players and support personnel. However, despite the call for sanctions to be placed on those taking banned substances, ASADA itself became the central focus of enquiry with the EFC questioning the legitimacy of ASADA's authority in their management of the investigation. Using content analysis and Bourdieu's conceptual framework, this paper aims to determine the legitimate regulatory authority of key actors involved in the EFC investigation. The findings suggest actors in the social field, as related to the case of the EFC investigation, possess varying amounts and types of capital, which cumulatively convert to symbolic capital. Dominant actors within the social field retain more symbolic capital than others and are perceived to possess legitimate regulatory authority, which does not translate to actual legal authority. This apparent disconnect between perceived authority on the one hand and actual legal legitimacy on the other has implications for the future management of such cases, both in the Australian Football League and beyond.
Commercial sector sport organisations increasingly lead innovation in sport delivery and consumpt... more Commercial sector sport organisations increasingly lead innovation in sport delivery and consumption. Despite this, the ways in which sport contributes to community capacity building and sport-for-...
The aim of this article was to develop a theoretical framework to aid the current understanding o... more The aim of this article was to develop a theoretical framework to aid the current understanding of social change practice. Drawing on concepts from institutional theory, the authors proposed and applied a theoretical framework to investigate social change at the intersection of gender and sexuality inclusion in Australian cricket. Qualitative techniques (interviews and document analyses) were utilized to investigate the trajectory of lesbian inclusion in Australian cricket over time. Starting from the perspective that institutional arrangements can be exclusionary (or biased) toward certain groups in society, this research investigated how the actions of institutional entrepreneurs can create more inclusive institutional arrangements. Theoretical and practical implications for future research are discussed.
The aim of this article was to develop a theoretical framework to aid the current understanding o... more The aim of this article was to develop a theoretical framework to aid the current understanding of social change practice. Drawing on concepts from institutional theory, the authors proposed and applied a theoretical framework to investigate social change at the intersection of gender and sexuality inclusion in Australian cricket. Qualitative techniques (interviews and document analyses) were utilized to investigate the trajectory of lesbian inclusion in Australian cricket over time. Starting from the perspective that institutional arrangements can be exclusionary (or biased) toward certain groups in society, this research investigated how the actions of institutional entrepreneurs can create more inclusive institutional arrangements. Theoretical and practical implications for future research are discussed.
This paper examines the role of recreation motives and motives for charitable giving in the devel... more This paper examines the role of recreation motives and motives for charitable giving in the development of participants' attachment to a charity sport event across two different events. Online questionnaires were administered within a pilot study, and then given to participants in the 2007 Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) LIVESTRONG Challenge (N=568) and the 2007 3M Half Marathon and Relay (N=689). Regression analysis revealed both recreation-based and charity-based motives contribute to attachment to the events. The findings also demonstrate that the charity-based motives make a stronger contribution for the 2007 LAF LIVESTRONG Challenge, while recreation-based motives make a stronger contribution for the 2007 3M Half Marathon and Relay. Suggestions are made for the creation of participant profiles based upon the motives.
Purpose This paper aims to examine the role of grassroots (food) festivals for supporting the sus... more Purpose This paper aims to examine the role of grassroots (food) festivals for supporting the sustainability of micro and small producers, whilst exploring potential productive linkages between both stakeholders (festivals and producers) for enhancing a more authentic cultural offering and destination image in the visitor economy. Design/methodology/approach This paper is exploratory, qualitative and inductive. Evidence is underpinned by a purposive sample, drawing on ten in-depth interviews and 17 open-ended survey responses collected across 2014 and 2015 – drawing perspectives from traders participating in the EAT Cambridge festival. Findings This paper unpacks a series of serendipitous [as opposed to “strategic”] forms of festival and producer leveraging; strengthening B2C relationships and stimulating business to business networking and creative entrepreneurial collaborations. Positive emergent “embryonic” forms of event legacy are identified that support the longer-term sustain...
Purpose This paper aims to examine the role of grassroots (food) festivals for supporting the sus... more Purpose This paper aims to examine the role of grassroots (food) festivals for supporting the sustainability of micro and small producers, whilst exploring potential productive linkages between both stakeholders (festivals and producers) for enhancing a more authentic cultural offering and destination image in the visitor economy. Design/methodology/approach This paper is exploratory, qualitative and inductive. Evidence is underpinned by a purposive sample, drawing on ten in-depth interviews and 17 open-ended survey responses collected across 2014 and 2015 – drawing perspectives from traders participating in the EAT Cambridge festival. Findings This paper unpacks a series of serendipitous [as opposed to “strategic”] forms of festival and producer leveraging; strengthening B2C relationships and stimulating business to business networking and creative entrepreneurial collaborations. Positive emergent “embryonic” forms of event legacy are identified that support the longer-term sustain...
This study examines the role identity of pioneer volunteers. This research expands current concep... more This study examines the role identity of pioneer volunteers. This research expands current conceptualisations of event volunteers to include those individuals who volunteer in a continuous nature in the lead up to a mega-event. Volunteers (n = 125) who had volunteered in the lead up to the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, as well as during the Games, completed a post-event survey that asked them to respond to open-ended questions about their volunteering experience and identity. Additionally, 10 individuals who were pioneer volunteers at the Sydney Olympics were interviewed 12 years later. Six themes described the experience of pioneer volunteers: friendship and teamwork enabled by prolonged volunteering; prestige and teamwork enabled by a small, select group; behind the scenes access and knowledge of the event; learning enabled by the experience of test events; a sense of connection with and ownership of the event; and transition to Games time roles. Pioneer volunteers experienced a strong and sustained identification with their role, and sought out continued opportunities to volunteer in the post-event period. The existence of a volunteer role identity was evident 12 years after the event. The findings of this research provide valuable lessons for recruitment, retention, and transition of event volunteers.
... Therefore, somewhat paradoxically, modern longboarding is a link to the history of surfing, b... more ... Therefore, somewhat paradoxically, modern longboarding is a link to the history of surfing, but also has a key role in its future development. ... The Noosa Festival of Surfing is one of the largest and most popular events on the Australian and international longboarding calendars. ...
ABSTRACT In July 2010, the Fijian government issued a decree that liberalized Fiji's surf... more ABSTRACT In July 2010, the Fijian government issued a decree that liberalized Fiji's surf breaks and deregulated its surf tourism industry. It did this by canceling licenses that granted resorts exclusive use of surf breaks based on indigenous customary ownership of foreshore and fringing reef fishing areas as common pool resources. This paper analyses the sustainability of surf tourism in Fiji, utilizing a developing framework for sustainable surf tourism. Based on broader sustainable tourism theory and empirical research, the framework considers (1) the impact of economic neo-liberalism, (2) the need for coordinated planning and limits to growth, (3) the advantages of systematic attempts to foster cross-cultural understanding, and (4) the social benefits associated with the development of surfing at the village level. The study found that a lack of regulation is compromising the sustainability of Fiji's surf tourism industry in each of these four dimensions. However, evidence of a growing acceptance of the need for regulation by most stakeholders offers a starting point for a transactive, participative process to find solutions. A fifth element to the framework is recommended for future analyses based on the need for surf tourism to contribute to poverty alleviation in destination communities.
The business leveraging of mega sport events is an emerging phenomenon not currently addressed in... more The business leveraging of mega sport events is an emerging phenomenon not currently addressed in the tourism literature. This study explores Business Club Australia, an initiative launched by the Australian federal government to create leverage from Sydney’s hosting of the 2000 Olympic Games by providing opportunities for business networking and international trade facilitation. The study examines the formulation and implementation
This research project explored the means by which the global attention focused on Australia for t... more This research project explored the means by which the global attention focused on Australia for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games was leveraged by various national, state and regional stakeholders to facilitate business and investment development in Australia. The key stakeholders involved in strategy formulation and implementation at each level are identified, as are the key tenets of the actual strategies employed. In addition, an indication of some of the potential longer-term business legacies for Australia and the wider international event sector are explored. Primary data consisted of 92 semi-structured interviews with actors from federal, state and regional governments’ economic development agencies, tourism commissions, events agencies, regional marketers, sport and recreation departments, and elite sport development agencies. Other interviewees were from the Olympic movement, and represented National Olympic Committees, individual Olympic teams, and the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games. The findings of this research suggest a re-focus beyond the immediate impact of an event, and more towards the devotion of resources to the actual leveraging of the opportunities that a focal event presents. Strategic business leveraging around sport events presents very real opportunities for the generation of enduring event outcomes, and may be a new and permanent addition to the mega event landscape. Overall, the study produced four key findings that indicate that effective business leveraging requires: (1) strategic activity aimed at the a priori identification of sport tourists and the networks that these actors could potentially create access to; (2) attention to horizontal structures of integration that facilitate collaborative behaviour, exchanges of information-based resources, and regional ownership of leveraging strategies; (3) facilitation of an environment conducive to relationship development and organisational learning; and, (4) recognition of the complexity of event networks, and of the actual networking process as it pertains to mega events and business leveraging. As a result of the learning engendered by the Sydney 2000 business leveraging initiatives, this report argues that, as a learning community, a paradigm shift has taken place where the stakeholders of mega sport events should now approach their events from a more holistic, network-driven perspective, with an eye towards longerterm, sustainable business outcomes, in addition to the traditional emphasis on short-term, visitation-related impacts. With business leveraging an apparently new feature on the sport event landscape, further investigation on future events is warranted to further understand this phenomenon, and to build upon the findings of this largely exploratory study.
Research on event leveraging has revealed that certain constraints inhibit the realisation of des... more Research on event leveraging has revealed that certain constraints inhibit the realisation of desired benefits from event hosting. Using qualitative action research methods, this study examined the constraints to leveraging regular season professional sport team events for tourism. The leveraging potential of regular season professional sport team events has been largely ignoredboth by researchers and practitioners. This presented an ideal opportunity to examine the pre-leveraging phase with a view to understanding leveraging constraints. The results identified five overarching constraints: lack of collaboration; priorities and resources; perceived benefit radius; perceived tourism potential; and, unclaimed responsibility. We propose a process model to better understand how leveraging constraints emerge and can be negotiated over time. This research is among the first to demonstrate the utility of team events for inclusion in regional event portfolios. It, therefore, builds on extant knowledge by presenting a more holistic conceptualisation of the inherent constraints to event leveraging, and further, provides a basis from which to successfully negotiate these constraints.
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Papers by Danny O'Brien