Books of the Month: A Bunch on Broadcasting

Michael J. Nyhan (ed.) The Future of Public Broadcasting (New York: Praeger Special Studies, 1976—$19.95/6.95)

Elizabeth J. Heighton and Don R. Cunningham's Advertisin in the Broadcast Media (Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth, 1976-412.95)

Ruth Thomas' Broadcasting and Democracy in France (London: Crosby Lockwood Staples, 1976—E6.00, or about $12.00) Arthur Williams' Broadcasting and Democracy in West Germany (London: Crosby Lockwood Staples, 1976—E6.00, or about $12.00)     

Theory and theory development in sport management

Sport Management Review has been the sport management leader in publishing literature reviews and new theoretical frameworks. Despite these advances, scholars have not critically examined theory and its place in sport management scholarship. The purpose of this scholarly exchange is to address these issues, such that five scholars were invited to discuss how they conceptualize theory, the role of theory in the academia, and the process in which they engage when developing their own theories. This article provides an overview of the topic and introduces the articles.     

The Differential Effects of Human Capital for Male and Female Division I Basketball Coaches

Abstract

A horizontal adductive arm swing executed at maximal speed, and timed at intervals of 15°, 53°, 90°, and 105°, was studied under two experimental conditions. Although the movement completed was the same in both conditions, the fundamental difference between the “normal” and “pre-tensed” arm movements was that in the latter condition the subject built up his arm strength maximally just prior to initiating the movement. Twenty trials under each condition was performed by 60 college men. All reliability coefficients were found to be high, i.e., over .89. In contradiction to expectations, the relationship between premovement strength and speed of movement at the first station (r = -.208) was lower than anticipated. However, the low correlations found between strength and speed of movement are in general agreement with the results of earlier investigators which have substantiated the predominance of neuromotor specificity.     

Treatment Discrimination among Assistant Coaches of Women's Teams

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine organizational treatment discrimination (i.e., when members of a group receive fewer rewards, opportunities, or resources than they legitimately deserve based on job-related criteria) in the context of women's athletics. Data were collected from 170 assistant coaches of women's teams (i.e., women's basketball, softball, track, volleyball, soccer, and tennis). Results indicate that women's perceived work experiences and outcomes were comparable, and sometimes better, than those of men. We present competing explanations for this finding. First, it is possible that these women were not subjected to treatment discrimination. Alternatively, it is possible that this demonstrates the existence of the “paradox of the contented working woman.” Additional analyses indicate that work experiences explained a large portion of the variance in organizational commitment and turnover intentions, thereby demonstrating their importance in the workplace.     

The Relationships Between Teacher Nonverbal Immediacy and Student Course Workload and Teacher Availability Expectations

The purpose of this study is to identify student expectations for course workload and teacher availability and to assess whether teacher nonverbal immediacy influences these student expectations. Based on a sample of 198 students at a large public university enrolled in a required general education hybrid communication course, students were willing to complete more work than the current course requires, which is comparable to other general education hybrid communication courses in the USA. Additionally, students have moderate to high expectations for teacher availability. Student perceptions of teacher nonverbal immediacy were positively correlated with students’ willingness to engage in their learning (reading, writing, speaking), teacher availability expectations, and tolerance for teacher unavailability.     

EDITORS' PREFACE

In this study, the authors explore the role of press freedom in the development of an economy, both in terms of economic growth and foreign direct investment. The relationship between press freedom, foreign direct investment, and economic growth is analyzed using a balanced panel of 115 countries. The existence of a bidirectional relationship between press freedom and economic growth is established using the generalized method of moments technique. We also find a bidirectional relationship between foreign direct investment and economic growth using the analysis. Our results are not contradicted by similar indices produced by Reporters Sans Frontières and Freedom House.