دانلود رایگان مقاله صحت و سقم نبرد در ورزش اکشن دیدگاه صنعتی مبتنی بر مورد

ABSTRACT

The expanding and often unregulated status of the action sports setting has resulted inmainstream athletic companies diversifying their products in order to portray anauthentic image and establish their market presence. The influx of mainstream brands hascreated a new paradigm in the industry and further pressure on core action sports brandsregarding their competitiveness in a highly antagonistic environment. Through adescriptive case study, 13 in-person interviews were performed with a private actionsports company’s employees in order to examine their perceptions relative to theorganization being authentic while expanding to mainstream markets. This occurredthrough identification of the enterprise’s true identity and deconstruction of itsauthenticity based on participants’ responses, which were categorized in five properties(i.e., essence of enterprise, nature of offerings, effects of heritage, sense of purpose, andbody of values). Varying perspectives on each of the five elements were uncovered anddiscussed. Outcomes illustrated the need for a new management imperative, where actionsports organizations should not only comprehend the essence of originality within theiridentity, but also how to render consumer’s perception of authenticity.

5. Discussion

In the era of constant commercialization and mainstream assimilation of the action sports industry, distinct elements (e.g., authenticity, original expressions, artifacts) of both action sports subcultures and brands have started to fade or become increasingly unrecognizable. This study sought to shed light into the complex and dynamic status of the action sports industry, primarily from a corporate management perspective, via the case study of the Board Sports Company. The paper highlighted one of the most pressing issues characterizing the action sports setting: how core brands maintain authenticity while expanding to mainstream, and, simultaneously, compete with mainstream athletic companies that may influence consumers’ perceptions of originality in the industry through portrayal of an authentic image. The aforementioned issue could be characterized as the ‘‘authenticitude’’ battle. The term authenticitude – a combination of the words authenticity and attitude – derived from one of the interviewee’s comments, where he described how he never imagined Nike would ever become a serious competitor in action sports. This brings to surface the acting of authenticity, where organizations either fake or actually render authenticity to establish their presence in the market. Ostensibly, incorporating alternative subcultural elements of action sports into marketing and branding strategies, as well as promoting an anti-establishment and no sell out image may be important precursors for success in action sports. The example with Nike signifies it is not just how brands render authenticity; most importantly, it is about how consumers perceive authenticity.