Deck 6: Strategic Management and the Sport Facilities Industry

Question 1

Sport facilities are designed and constructed to support particular sport, entertainment, or civic and private activities or programs. The sport facility is a critical resource that helps the organization to realize its mission and goals.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

It has been argued that sport facilities may anchor area development, particularly in urban areas, and will help to drive economic activity. It has never been alleged that these facilities, particularly those that require large public contribution, are detrimental to local communities and contribute little to the area's economy.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The rising costs of sport facility construction and renovation, coupled with the public's hesitancy to fund private development of facilities for professional sport teams, the successful park, demands that arena or stadium builders must position, present, and deliver a sport facility that will not only spur tangible area growth and economic development, but also will complement the character of the surrounding area and contribute to the vitality of the community.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

No sport facilities are owned by governmental entities such as cities, towns, counties, states, or the federal government. Non-profit organizations or private interests such as private management companies, pro-sports teams, individuals or corporations own all such sport facilities.

Question 5

Sport facility managers are responsible for two functions: the operation of the building itself, and the planning and execution of events or programs within the building.

Question 6

For most non-sport organizations, operations management consists solely of what we refer to as operational planning, by which strategy is translated into action across the organization. For sport facilities, the challenge is not only how to put the strategic plan into action, but also how to plan and execute hundreds of events, programs, and activities every year.

Question 7

At York University (UK), the vision of a dynamic, versatile sport facility, which would play a critical role in enhancing university and community relationships while contributing to public health and quality of life, was clearly articulated by top-level managers. Managers set this vision to provide the organization with an immediate and enduring sense of purpose. The formulation of this vision is part of Step 3 of the strategic management process.

Question 8

The first step in analyzing the organization's situation is to assess the environment for opportunities and threats. Two categories of environments must be monitored: the task environment that is shared by every organization in a society; and the general environment, which is unique to a particular organization.

Question 9

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has greatly influenced the design and operation of sport facilities as sport managers have renovated or built facilities that must incorporate accessible seating and amenities. This is an example of changes in the task environment for sport facilities.

Question 10

The task environment includes the factors in the environment that directly impact a specific organization, and are the elements located closer to the organization.

Question 11

Each of the following communities has built new minor league baseball stadiums to anchor downtown development projects or reenergize urban neighborhoods except:

A) Dayton, Ohio
B) Lansing, Michigan
C) Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
D) San Francisco, California

Question 12

Sport managers recognize that the facility impacts the organization in many ways. Which of the following is not one of the significant impacting factors?

A) The fact that the facility contributes to the sport organization's brand.
B) The fact that the facility is a critical asset to the organization that can positively affect or negatively impact revenue generation.
C) The fact that the facility plays an important role in customer service.
D) The fact that the public readily supports public funding of sport facilities.

Question 13

The body of knowledge related to sport facility management encompasses each topical area except:

A) Feasibility and economic impact studies.
B) Food service, security, risk management, loss prevention, inventory control.
C) Maintenance and building systems operation.
D) On-field player development and franchise relocation.

Question 14

The type of sport facility that people are most familiar with is the _________________________, a large structure created for the purpose of facilitating the gathering of large groups of people who come together for the purpose of viewing or participating in an event. Stadiums, arenas, convention centers, civic centers, auditoriums, exposition halls, theaters, and concert halls are categorized as such.

A) primary accommodation site
B) privately financed venue
C) public accommodation venue
D) public assembly facility

Question 15

Sport facilities may be owner-managed. This model is often called:

A) In-house management
B) Private management
C) Public venue management
D) Venue self-management

Question 16

Facility owners looking to secure a private management company through a selection process begins with a:

A) Arena management protocol (AMP)
B) Outside management presentation (OMP)
C) Request for proposal (RFP)
D) Required operating procedure (ROP)

Question 17

The second responsibility of the facility manager is __________________________. This function is commonly called operations, game operations, or "ops" management.

A) contest management
B) event management
C) in-house management
D) venue operation coordination

Question 18

For many sport facility managers in the public setting, pool maintenance and operation have become prohibitive and as a result pools may be closed and demolished, operate on a limited bases, or be replaced entirely by water spray features that are more efficient and cost effective. This is an example of considerations that impact which step of the strategic management process?

A) Step 1: Establishing the organization's direction.
B) Step 2: Analyzing the situation - comparing the organization to its environment.
C) Step 3: Developing strategy.
D) Step 4: Implementing strategy.

Question 19

The general environment can be divided into which five dimensions or subcategories of change?

A) Particular, task, organizational, technological, legal.
B) Financial, business, active, economic, technological.
C) Social, economic, political, legal, technological, global.
D) Social, personal, financial, organizational, legal.

Question 20

In 2010, Northwestern University and the University of Illinois were slated to use Wrigley Field, home of MLB's Chicago Cubs, for their annual football game. Due to NCAA guidelines, both teams were forced to run their offenses toward the west end zone due to safety concerns because the back line of the east end zone was only six inches from the famed Wrigley brick outfield wall. This is an example of the influence of which task environment element?

A) Competitors
B) Customers
C) Regulators
D) Suppliers

Question 21

In the "Inside look" section of the chapter, we discussed the fact that minor league baseball parks are being built as part of downtown redevelopment and revitalization projects. Some argue that the construction of such venues result in significant economic growth within a community, while others argue that public investment in sport stadiums is unjustifiable. Outline the rationale presented on each side of this issue, and explain which position you believe is correct.

Question 22

Identify the most familiar type of sport facility discussed in the chapter, and explain the advantage and drawbacks related to the two types of management of these facilities.

Question 23

Think about a sport venue with which you are familiar, and identify a specific performance problem with this venue. To address this problem, the managers of the venue have asked you to help design a way to correct this problem. In response, you suggest using the strategic management approach to planning outlined in the chapter. Identify and explain the first two steps of this process, and apply the specific elements of Step 2 in helping the managers understand the various factors they need to consider.

Question 24

Now that you have gotten the process started as outlined in the previous question, move on to explaining the third step in the process, and how the issue could be addressed by implementing this step.

Question 25

In the chapter we discussed how sport facility managers use qualitative and quantitative forecasting to improve organizational performance. Please explain how these forecasting techniques differ, and show how one form of each of these techniques can be employed by the management of a specific PAF to improve customer experiences at an event featuring that facility's main tenant.