احمد محمودی

Small and medium industries are considered as the critical platforms for entrepreneurship growth. Examining and identifying initiatives for developing small and medium-sized sports businesses in Iran can greatly contribute to the progress of this field. Therefore, this research aims to identify the initiatives for the prosperity of small and medium sports businesses in Iran. This study is a qualitative and exploratory research. The participants included faculty members in sports management, marketing, and managers and other sports experts interviewed through a purposeful sampling approach. To collect data, in-depth and semi-structured interviews were conducted and finally theoretical saturation was achieved with 25 interviews. To analyze the data, the thematic analysis method was used. The results show that the initiatives for developing small and medium-sized sports businesses in Iran consist of five main categories, including “economic measures, communication-information initiatives, practical training, support structure, and internal organizational policies”. Finally, according to the initiatives for the prosperity of small and medium sports businesses, it might be necessary to implement the necessary measures and appropriate programs in this field to deal with the situation efficiently.

Sports tourism is one of the most attractive types of tourism that occurs in different regions and countries. This  tourism type is effective in economic fields and extremely significant in cultural and sportsmanship contexts.  To this end, the current research aimed to identify and explain the effective components of sport tourism in the  sublimity of culture and sportsmanship, conducted through a mixed method. This research approach was  sequential exploratory in two qualitative-quantitative phases, in which “thematic analysis” and “survey”  methods were used, respectively. The first phase’s statistical population included experts in sport tourism, sport  management, culture management, and sportsmanship, with 14 individuals participating in semi-structured  interviews using a purposive sampling method. After determining the effective actors in this field, 32 experts  responded to questionnaires using a systematic sampling method in the study’s second phase. According to the  research findings of the first phase, the themes extracted from the semi-structured interviews comprised 39  fundamental themes, 15 organizing themes, and four global themes. Per the second phase of the study’s  findings, all themes were approved by the experts, all determinants of the role of sport tourism in the sublimity  of sports culture and sportsmanship. As a result, sports tourism, while creating macroeconomic benefits for  residents and visitors, significantly contributes to the sublimity of sports culture and sportsmanship, where this  category can strengthen the value and ethical attitudes in addition to creating recreational experiences

Sports tourism is one of the types of tourism that has an increasing growth in the tourism industry. Its effects are evident in all dimensions and fields, and there is a need to explain the role of this type of tourism on promoting the culture and ethics of the host society. Therefore, the main goal of this research is to investigate the role of sports tourism on promoting the culture and ethics of the host society, which is done using a mixed method. In the first stage, semi-structured interviews were conducted using the qualitative method of the focus group of 15 experts who were selected by the purposive sampling method. In the second stage, 27 experts were identified using stratified sampling. Through the tool of the questionnaire, they expressed their opinions regarding the extracted components and indicators. According to the research findings, 32 key codes, 14 integrative codes and 4 overarching codes were obtained through coding by King and Harrocks method. In the quantitative stage, all the experts approved the extracted components and indicators. According to the results, sports tourism has a fundamental role in promoting the culture and ethics of the host society and this role is through components such as "developing and promoting positive and useful values in the host society; cultural and moral empowerment of tourists and the host society; promotion of participation and ethical cooperation; developing and promoting a culture of altruism and empathy" was approved. These cases can not only bring positive and extensive communication fields to the host society, but they are also able to be effective in creating social capital in the host society.