Salta al menu principale di navigazione Salta al contenuto principale Salta al piè di pagina del sito
FrancoAngeli Journals

Articles

N. 2 (2024)

When stadium ownership meets Corporate Social Responsibility: The case of U. C. AlbinoLeffe

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3280/cgrds2-2024oa16962
Inviata
10 dicembre 2023
Pubblicato
07-06-2024

Abstract

This article aims to understand the importance of having a stadium owned by a football club as an added value if it is designed and managed from a socially responsible perspective in a context, that of Italian sport, which is still far from European standards in terms of infrastructure. The approach adopted focuses on the AlbinoLeffe Campus, serving as an example of how the ownership of a sports facility can shape and reflect socially responsible policies and practices adopted by a football club. The study examines the distinctive characteristics of the stadium considering the logistical, infrastructural, and environmental aspects underpinning its construction to act as a strategic lever to implement Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, a prerogative of club ownership. Some important managerial implications emerge from the analysis: 1) the need for a sustainable management approach for the stadium considering logistical, infrastructural, and environmental aspects; 2) the implementation of CSR strategies aligned with the company and the stadium’s characteristics.

Riferimenti bibliografici

  1. Ali A.E., J. Johnson (2017). “Sustainability, greenwashing, and the light green approach to sport environmentalism”. In McCullough B.P., Kellison T.B. (Eds.), Routledge handbook of sport and the environment (pp. 319-329). London: Routledge.
  2. Anagnostopoulos C., Byers T., Shilbury D. (2014). Corporate social responsibility in professional team sport organisations: Towards a theory of decision-making. European Sport Management Quarterly, 14(3): 259-81. DOI: 10.1080/16184742.2014.897736.
  3. Babiak K., Wolfe R. (2009). Determinants of corporate social responsibility in professional sport: internal and external factors. Journal of Sport Management, 23: 717-742. DOI: 10.1123/jsm.23.6.717.
  4. Bapuji H., de Bakker F.G.A., Brown J.A., Higgins C., Rehbein K., Spicer A. (2020). Business and Society Research in Times of the Corona Crisis. Business & Society, 59(6): 1067-1078. DOI: 10.1177/0007650320921172.
  5. Barghchi M., Omar D.B., Aman M.S. (2009). Cities, sports facilities development, and hosting events. European Journal of Social Sciences, 10(2): 185-195.
  6. Beech J., Chadwick S. (2013). The Business of sport management. London: Pearson Education Limited.
  7. Boykoff J., Mascarenhas G. (2016). The Olympics, Sustainability, and Greenwashing: The Rio 2016 Summer Games. Capitalism Nature Socialism, 27(2): 1-11. DOI: 10.1080/10455752.2016.1179473.
  8. Brady C., Bolchover D., Sturgess B. (2008). Managing in the Talent Economy: The Football Model for Business. California Management Review, 50(4): 54-73. DOI: 10.2307/41166456.
  9. Breitbarth T., Harris P. (2008). The Role of Corporate Social Responsibility in the Football Business: Towards the Development of a Conceptual Model. European Sport Management Quarterly, 8(2): 179-206, DOI: 10.1080/16184740802024484.
  10. Blumrodt J., Desbordes M., Bodin D. (2013). Professional football clubs and corporate social responsibility. Sport, Business and Management: An International Journal, 3(3): 205-25. DOI: 10.1108/SBM-04-2011-0050.
  11. Calcio e Finanza (2021). Indagine YouGov: il 61% degli italiani vuole stadi di proprietà. In: -- https://www.calcioefinanza.it/2021/10/01/indagine-yougov-il-61-degli-italiani-vuole-stadi-di-proprieta/.
  12. Carey M., Mason D.S., Misener L. (2011). Social responsibility and the competitive bid process for major sporting events. Journal of Sport & Social Issues, 35(3): 246-263. DOI: 10.1177/0193723511416985.
  13. Carroll A.B. (1999). Corporate Social Responsibility: Evolution of a Definitional Construct. Business & Society, 38: 268-295. DOI: 10.1177/000765039903800303.
  14. Chadwick S. (2009). From outside lane to inside track: sport management research in the twenty-first century. Management Decision, 47(1): 191–203. DOI: 10.1108/00251740910929786.
  15. Deloitte (2023). Annual Review of Football Finance 2023. -- https://www2.deloitte.com/uk/en/pages/sports-business-group/articles/annual-review-of-footballfinance-europe.html.
  16. Dey P.K., Petridis N., Petridis K., Malesios C., Nixon J.D., Ghosh K. (2018). Environmental Management and Corporate Social Responsibility Practices of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises. Journal of Cleaner Production, 195: 687-702. DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.05.201.
  17. De Grosbois D. (2016). Corporate social responsibility reporting in the cruise tourism industry: A performance evaluation using a new institutional theory based model. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 24(2): 245–269. DOI: 10.1080/09669582.2015.1076827.
  18. Du S., Bhattacharya C.B., Sen S. (2010). Maximizing business returns to corporate social responsibility (CSR): The role of CSR communication. International Journal of Management Reviews, 12(1): 8–19. DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-2370.2009.00276.x.
  19. Fernandez-Villarino R., Sustainability in the Football Industry: An Approach to the Gap between Theoretical Formulation and Practical Application, through the Results of the Social Fair Play Project (November 15, 2020). 2020 International Conference on sustainable Development, International Céntrelo for interdisciplinaire Research in Law, -- Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3730998.
  20. FIGC (2023). Report Calcio 2023. -- https://figc.it/media/uploads/federazione/trasparenza/FIGC-ReportCalcio2023_BD.pdf.
  21. Francis T., Norris J., Brinkmann R. (2017). Sustainability initiatives in professional soccer. Soccer & Society, 18(2-3): 396-406. DOI: 10.1080/14660970.2016.1166769.
  22. Grieve J., Sherry E. (2012). Community benefits of major sport facilities: the Darebin International Sports Centre. Sport Management Review, 15(2): 218-229. DOI: 10.1016/j.smr.2011.03.001.
  23. Guan D., Wang D., Hallegatte S., Davis S.J., Huo J., Li S., Bai Y., Lei T., Xue Q., Coffman D.M., Cheng D., Chen P., Liang X., Xu B., Lu X., Wang S., Hubacek K., Gong P. (2020). Global supply-chain effects of COVID-19 control measures. Nature Human Behaviour, 4(6): 577–587. DOI: 10.1038/s41562-020-0896-8.
  24. Guix M., Bonilla-Priego M.J., Font X. (2018). The process of sustainability reporting in international hotel groups: An analysis of stakeholder inclusiveness, materiality, and responsiveness. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 26(7): 1063-1084. DOI: 10.1080/09669582.2017.1410164.
  25. Harvey D. (2014). Seventeen Contradictions and the End of Capitalism. London: Oxford University press.
  26. Holt M., Michie J., Oughton C., Tacon R., Walters G. (2005). The state of the game: The corporate governance of football clubs 2005, London: Birkbeck University.
  27. Heinze K.L., Soderstrom S., Zdroik J. (2014). Toward strategic and authentic corporate social responsibility in professional sport: A case study of the Detroit Lions. Journal of Sport Management, 28(6): 672-686. DOI: 10.1123/JSM.2013-0307.
  28. Johnson B.R., Connolly E., Carter T.S. (2011). Corporate social responsibility: The role of Fortune 100 companies in domestic and international natural disasters. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 18(6): 352-369. DOI: 10.1002/csr.253.
  29. Khan A., Muttakin M.B., Siddiqui J. (2013). Corporate governance and corporate social responsibility disclosures: Evidence from an emerging economy. Journal of Business Ethics, 114(2): 207-223. DOI: 10.1007/s10551-012-1336-0.
  30. Khan M.R., Khan H.R., Ghouri A.M. (2022). Corporate social responsibility, sustainability governance and sustainable performance: A preliminary insight. Asian Academy of Management Journal, 27(1): 1-28. DOI: 10.21315/aamj2022.27.1.1.
  31. Kolyperas D., Sparks L. (2011) Corporate social responsibility (CSR) communications in the G-25 football clubs, International Journal Sport Management and Marketing, 10(1/2): 83-103. DOI: 10.1504/IJSMM.2011.043612.
  32. Latapí Agudelo M.A., Jóhannsdóttir L., Davídsdóttir B.A. (2019). Literature review of the history and evolution of corporate social responsibility. International Journal Corporate Social Responsibility 4(1). DOI: 10.1186/s40991-018-0039-y.
  33. Lee K., Shin D. (2010). Consumers’ responses to CSR activities: The linkage between increased awareness and purchase intention. Public Relations Review, 36: 193-195. DOI: 10.1016/j.pubrev.2009.10.014.
  34. Lewis S. (2001). Measuring corporate reputation. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 6(1): 31-35. DOI: 10.1108/13563280110381198.
  35. Leone D., Schiavone F., Appio F.P., Chiao B. (2021). How does artificial intelligence enable and enhance value co-creation in industrial markets? An exploratory case study in the healthcare ecosystem. Journal of Business Research, 129(C): 849-859. DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.11.008.
  36. Mahmud A., Ding D., Hasan M.M. (2021). Corporate Social Responsibility: Business Responses to Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic. SAGE Open, 11(1). DOI: 10.1177/2158244020988710.
  37. Malik M.S., Kanwal L. (2016). Impact of corporate social responsibility disclosure on financial performance: Case study of listed pharmaceutical firms of Pakistan. Journal of Business Ethics, 150(1): 69-78. DOI: 10.1007/s10551-016-3134-6.
  38. Manoli A.E. (2015). Promoting corporate social responsibility in the football industry. Journal of Promotion Management, 21(3): 335-350. DOI: 10.1080/10496491.2015.1021501.
  39. McAdam R., Leonard D. (2003). Corporate social responsibility in a total quality management context: Opportunities for sustainable growth. Corporate Governance: The International Journal of Business in Society, 3(4): 36-45. DOI: 10.1108/14720700310497104.
  40. Michael B. (2003). Corporate social responsibility in international development: an overview and critique. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 10: 115-128, DOI: 10.1002/csr.41.
  41. Pil F.K., Rothenberg S. (2003). Environmental performance as a driver of superior quality. Production and Operations Management, 12(4): 404-415. DOI: 10.1111/j.1937-5956.2003.tb00211.x.
  42. Robinson M., Kleffner A., Bertels S. (2011). Signaling sustainability leadership: Empirical evidence of the value of DJSI membership. Journal of Business Ethics, 101: 493-505. DOI: 10.1007/s10551-011-0735-y.
  43. Sheth H., Babiak K.M. (2010). Beyond the game: perceptions and practices of corporate social responsibility in the professional sport industry. Journal of Business Ethics, 91(3): 433-450. DOI: 10.1007/s10551-009-0094-0.
  44. Testa L., L.D. Parra-Camacho, A.M. Gómez-Tafalla, F. Garcia-Pascual, D. Duclos-Bastías (2023). Local Impact of a Sports Centre: Effects on Future Intentions. Sustainability, 15(6), 5550. DOI: 10.3390/su15065550.
  45. Thorne L., Mahoney L.S., Cecil L., LaGore W. (2013). A research note on standalone corporate social responsibility reports: Signaling or greenwashing?. Critical Perspectives on Accounting, 24(4): 350-359. DOI: 10.1016/j.cpa.2012.09.008.
  46. Torelli R. (2021), Sustainability, responsibility and ethics: different concepts for a single path, Social Responsibility Journal, 17(5): 719-739. DOI: 10.1108/SRJ-03-2020-0081.
  47. Tregidga H., Kearins K., Collins E. (2019). Towards transparency? Analyzing the sustainability governance practices of ethical certification. Social and Environmental Accountability Journal, 39(1): 44-69. DOI: 10.1080/0969160X.2019.1568276.
  48. UEFA (2011). UEFA Guide to Quality Stadiums. -- https://editorial.uefa.com/resources/01f9-0f842793b513-3ec14e88e0ef-1000/uefa_guide_to_quality_stadiums.pdf.
  49. UEFA (2021). UEFA Football Sustainability Strategy 2030. https://editorial.uefa.com/resources/0270-13f888ffa3e5-931c597968cb-1000/uefa_football_sustainability_strategy.pdf.
  50. UN General Assembly (2015). Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, -- available at: https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda; https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/21252030%20Agenda%20for%20Sustainable%20Development%20web.pdf.
  51. Unione Calcio AlbinoLeffe (n.d.). -- https://www.albinoleffe.com/club/la-storia.html.
  52. Vanclay F. (2002). Conceptualising Social Impacts. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 22: 183-211. DOI: 10.1016/S0195-9255(01)00105-6.
  53. Vitolla F., Raimo N., Rubino M. (2019). Appreciations, criticisms, determinants, and effects of integrated reporting: A systematic literature review. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 26(2): 518-528. DOI: 10.1002/csr.1734.
  54. Walters G., Chadwick S. (2009) Corporate citizenship in football: delivering strategic benefits through stakeholder engagement. Management Decision, 47(1): 51-66. DOI: 10.1108/00251740910929696.
  55. Zeimers G., Anagnostopoulos C., Zintz T., Willem A. (2019). “Corporate social responsibility (CSR) in football. Exploring modes of CSR implementation”. In: Chadwick S., Parnell D., Widdop P., Anagnostopoulos C., Routledge Handbook of Football Business and Management. New York: Routledge.

Metriche

Caricamento metriche ...