Prof. Kimio Kase

Sponsorship initiatives for sports activities undertaken by firms are considered to be the backbone of national economies. More often than not, however, decision-makers, namely, chief executive officers, presidents, or people in charge of corporate sponsorship or patrons base their decisions on a mere “hunch”, feeling or seemingly objective indicators such as the audience share of a TV program, the number of spectators, etc., whose relationship with the strengthening or improvement of the corporate image and brand has not yet been scientifically established.

The analysis, from the viewpoint of the belief system regarding the sponsor’s impact or effectiveness, holds an advantage over the analysis of external indicators. The former analysis will help to understand (1) what kind of message the firm’s sponsor must bear, (2) why the firm can strengthen its image or brand by choosing appropriate sponsorship activities and eliminating those that do not fit its belief system, etc.

Coordinator: Prof. Ignacio Urrutia and prof. Kimio Kase

Success or failure of a sports team has not been explained in a theoretical or generalized framework. Replicating a successful formula as well as avoiding failure has long depended on gut instincts. This study examines Real Madrid Football team, aiming to provide a coherent explanation for the success of its strategy.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that the Proto-image of the firm’s (PIF) business approach may carry a high level of explanatory power. In contrast to its rival business approach (Profit-arithmetic – PA), PIF seeks long-term profit maximization while PA prioritizes shorter time frame.

Our interests focus on questions such as:
- Is the success case or scheme replicable in other places or clubs?
- Can it be explained by the framework of business administration? Can the explanation be generalized?
- Is the scheme sustainable?
- Does it depend on the figure of leadership? To what extent? Can it be replicated by others?

Coordinator: Prof. Juan Manuel de Toro

How is a brand created and how can we maintain it over time? What is the role of sponsorship in this field? What about the sponsor company? How can we evaluate if sponsorship is adding value?
This investigation analyzes the strengths and weakness of world wide brands linked to sports; defines client satisfaction and looks for ways to make fans faithful as well as ways to generate sympathy from rival fans.

Coordinator: Prof. Sandalio Gómez

The organization inside big football clubs is changing in a radical way with the objective of giving a professional character to the management of both the entrepreneurial side and the sports side so as to be able to strengthen the team and resist the juncture crisis they used to suffer.  However, clubs struggle between the necessity to adopt improvised decisions in order to calm the fans, and the need to settle structures and policies that are sustainable over time and are not affected by sports results.

This investigation aims to find an organizational design model that can serve as a reference point despite the strategy adopted by the entity or the established goals in the different fields of activity.  In order to find this model, we will study the different formulas used by the clubs in recent years and their current necessities. 

Coordinator: Prof. Sandalio Gómez

This research is a study of the retribution system that the top European clubs use and its impact on the motivation of professional players.
This work will cover aspects related to the individual factor, the management of teams and leadership.  The researchers will cover the following aspects:

- The equilibrium between the individual factor and team spirit, essential in the search for sports success. How can the individual variable and the team join together in a fluid way?

- Sportsmanship retribution.  To what extent must there be a fixed amount established beforehand and how does this affect motivation? Should incentives and variable bonuses carry more weight? How should team fidelity be rewarded?

- Motivation and development of professional sportsmen. Are sportsmen more mercenary than other professionals? How can we exploit sports success, while at the same time be able to create an environment which allows a maximum level of exploitation of performance?

- Managing styles that motivate, in order to manage professional teams successfully. How do managers that lead leaders handle concepts such as power and authority, individuals and team work, rules and discipline, formal and informal leadership?

Coordinator: Prof. Ignacio Urrutia

Sports entities are very attractive to private and institutional investors, but the management of these entities carries a great risk that must be managed.  This investigation will analyze the different aspects that determine the economic viability of these types of organizations, from the participation of different shareholders (such as media) to the hiring of big stars and the management of their competitors.