StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Sports Governance of the United States Olympic Committee - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
The paper "Sports Governance of the United States Olympic Committee" tells that aside from supporting the tuition grants, health insurance, and marketing needs of both the U.S. National Olympic and Paralympic Committee, the USOC is extending their support to the U.S…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER94.7% of users find it useful
Sports Governance of the United States Olympic Committee
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Sports Governance of the United States Olympic Committee"

Sports Governance Total Number of Words 885 Introduction As a non-profit company, the United s OlympicCommittee (USOC) was created back in 1894 in order to serve the training and funding needs of both the U.S. National Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOC, 2015a). Aside from supporting the tuition grants, health insurance, and marketing needs of both the U.S. National Olympic and Paralympic Committee, the USOC is also extending their support to the U.S. Youth Olympic as well as the Parapan American and the Pan American Games (USOC, 2015a). To improve the sports performance, USOC is providing biomechanics, nutritional, medicinal, psychological, physiological support to all U.S. athletes (USOC, 2015b). For instance, the USOC purposely created its “Sports Medicine Division” in order to support the physiological needs of the athletes in case of any serious physical injury (i.e. chiropractors and physical therapists) (USOC, 2015c). To support the learning and training needs of the athletes, the USOC purposely created its “Coaching Education Department” (USOC, 2015d). Today, USOC managed to establish a total of 17 training sites throughout 15 states in the United States on top of its 3 major training centers located in Chula Vista in California, Colorado Springs in Colorado, and Lake Placid in New York (USOC, 2015e; USOC, 2015g). To ensure that the efforts of USOC would pay off, this particular organization has decided to shift its focus from rewarding the active participation of athletes to those who can win medal (Smolianov, Zakus, & Gallo, 2014, p. 37). Mission Statement To improve and maintain the sports competency of the U.S. athletes, the mission of USOC aims to extend all necessary support to all Olympic and Paralympic players in the United States (USOC, 2015a). Management Objective The main objective of USOC is to support the learning, physical, psychological, health, and financial needs of the athletes. Core Values People at USOC are strongly encouraged to behave with integrity and practice creative thinking as they seek to inspire all athletes to give out their best performance in international sports games and competition (USOC, 2015f). Organizational Structure Organizational structure clearly shows how certain tasks or activities are allocated, coordinated, and supervised within a given organization (Pugh, 1990). Often times, the process of examining the organizational structure of USOC is considered important since it can provide us a better understanding about the organizational leadership and behavior (Chance, 2009, p. 11). As of 2015, below is the official organizational structure of USOC: Source: USOC, 2015h In terms of hierarchy, organizational structure can be classified as either “tall” or “flat” (Gupta, Gollakota, & Srinivasan, 2007, p. 250). Based on the chart presented on page 3, the organizational structure of USOC seems to be “flat”. It means that only the leader of the 14 major departments report directly to the CEO. Basically, the main reason why USOC has decided to expand its organizational structure is to effectively support the idea of being able to develop and improve the athletes’ performance in sports (Smolianov, Zakus, & Gallo, 2014, p. 37). For a flat organizational structure to work perfectly, the 14 appointed leaders in each different department should at all times practice good communication and leadership skills in order for them to win the support and effectively motivate their subordinates (Gupta, Gollakota, & Srinivasan, 2007, p. 250). USOC’s organizational structure is clearly “functional” (Gupta, Gollakota, & Srinivasan, 2007, p. 252). Instead of having a “tall” organizational structure; USOC seems to have divided the members of the organization based on “specialization” (Gupta, Gollakota, & Srinivasan, 2007, pp. 250–251). It means that all HR staff should work under the leadership of Pam Sawyer who is currently the Managing Director of its HR Department. The same concept applies to all other major departments in USOC. Using a “flat” organizational structure, decision-making in USOC seems to be more centralized than decentralized. It means that majority of the decision-making process are made only by the top management officials of USOC. Unfortunately, given the fact that there are as much as 14 major departments in this particular organization, there is a strong possibility wherein the process of making important decisions could be very slow (Gupta, Gollakota, & Srinivasan, 2007, p. 251). Likewise, disregarding the lower rank employees can be de-motivating for some of them (Gupta, Gollakota, & Srinivasan, 2007, p. 251). Responsibilities and Duties Clearly defining the role, responsibilities, and duties of the top officials is necessary behind successful sports governance (Hoye & Cuskelly, 2007, p. 10). By clearly specifying the responsibilities and duties of each personnel, it is possible for USOC to make them accountable for not being able to fulfill their role and responsibilities. As such, the following are the duties and responsibilities of USOC leaders: 1. Scott A. Blackmun – He is responsible for the restructuring of Olympic sponsorship when he tried to negotiate “revenue-sharing agreement” with IOC (USOC, 2015i). 2. Rick Adams – He manages the planning of high performance in Paralympic sports. To ensure high performance in sports, he actively collaborate with 45+ NGBs as their partners. Aside from working closely with the marketing team, audit, legal, and sports performance division, his other responsibilities include: governance, raising funds, and creating strategic planning (USOC, 2015j). 3. Alan Ashley – He manages the USOC divisions. Aside from coaching, he extends support to the athletes and the National Governing Bodies such as the “sports medicine”, “coaching and sports science”, and the “international games and sports partnership” (USOC, 2015k). 4. Lisa Baird – She manages the USOC’s marketing and sales division. She manages the media, marketing events, direct marketing, consumer products, and corporate sponsorship (USOC, 2015l). 5. Larry Buendorf – He manages the security needs of the entire USOC (USOC, 2015m). 6. Jon Denney – He manages the fundraising initiatives of private donors (USOC, 2015n). 7. Christopher McCleary – Aside from managing the legal issues faced by the USOC, he also works as the corporate secretary of the 16 board of directors (USOC, 2015x). 8. Benita Mosley – She manages not only the program for the career of the athletes but also strategic planning, HR, facilities, inclusion and diversity, and the 3 major training centers (USOC, 2015o). 9. Walter Grover – He manages USOC’s financial department (i.e. accounting, budgeting, financial reporting, internal controls, cash and risk management among many others (USOC, 2015p). 10. Charlie Huebner – He manages the process of generating financial support for the Paralympic athletes (USOC, 2015q). 11. Morane Kerek – She oversees the daily operations of auditors and see to it that the organization observes the best control for its accounting practices (USOC, 2015r). 12. Trevor Miller – Aside from software development and solutions for data warehousing, he is responsible for the architecture and design of its website (USOC, 2015s). 13. Pam Sawyer – She is responsible in managing the HR department. Part of her duty is to ensure that the HR system of USOC works effectively (i.e. benefits and compensation, employee relations, promote diversity, create and implement effective retention strategies, and improvements in the athletes’ talent among many others) (USOC, 2015t). 14. Patrick Sandusky – Aside from being the spokesperson of USOC, he manages the organization’s communication division (USOC, 2015u). 15. Chris Sullivan – He manages USOC’s “international relations division” and the bidding efforts of the United States Olympic team (USOC, 2015v). Stakeholders of USOC Stakeholders refers to individuals who can be directly or indirectly affected by the existing policies, objectives, and actions made by the top management of USOC. As such, the stakeholders of USOC include the following: 1. 16 Board of Directors including the Chairman and CEO; 2. All Employees; 3. Athletes; 4. Partners/Sponsors; and 5. Local Communities. About Sports Governance Sports governance is all about being able to promote not only accountability and transparency but also the practice of corporate fairness (Haberfeld & Sheehan, 2013, p. 211). By being able to establish a clear direction or strategy, sports governance which could serve as a guide to all members of the organization is possible (Hoye & Cuskelly, 2007, p. 10). In response to the best interest of all members or stakeholders, sports governance often times seek to control sensitive activities within the organization. As of the 31st of December 2013, USOC managed to collect total revenue and support totaling to US$168,902 (USOC, 2013). Considering the large sum of money USOC can gather from its marketing and selling activities as well as directly from its sponsors or donors, there will always be a risk wherein the absence of strong sports governance could tempt some of the top management officials to misuse the collected funds. To safeguard the interest of the athletes, USOC has been using policies in controlling the distribution of funds (Hoye & Cuskelly, 2007, p. 10). Doing so, it is possible for this organization to effectively control and regulate the behavior of top management especially when it comes to the management and disbursement of the collected funds. As such, Hoye and Cuskelly (2007, p. 10) pointed out that a weak organizational structure or one that is not created systematically can lead to failed sports governance. Assuming that the governance structure is confusing or weak, it would be close to impossible for the organization to make guilty personnel be legally accountable for their unethical actions. Proposed Workable Governance Structure for the Company Applicable to the case of USOC, the organization is prone to experience misuse of the collected funds. For this reason, it is necessary to take a closer look at the person who is responsible in the management and disbursement of the collected fund. For instance, Walter Grover was appointed to manage USOC’s accounting practices, budgeting, financial reporting, internal controls, cash and risk management among many others (USOC, 2015p). Since Mr. Grover is directly responsible in USOC’s financial department, the use of both internal and external auditors is necessary. Considering the case of USOC, the proposed workable governance structure is presented below: Mr. Grover can easily be manipulated by the Board of Directors, the Chairman, and the CEO. To ensure that Mr. Grover will do his job properly, his work will be subjected to both internal and external auditors. Eventually, it is Morane Kerek who should oversee the daily operations of the auditors and see to it that the organization observes the best control for its accounting practices (USOC, 2015r). To reduce the risk of error, Ms. Kerek was assigned to work together with Rick Adams. USOC Policy Analysis Several policies were created by USOC to ensure that all people involved in the organization would carefully observe ethical behavior and work-related practices (USOC, 2015w). For instance, one of the policies of USOC was designed to ensure that “conflicts of interests” can be avoided (USOC, n.d.). Under this particular policy, all members of the board together with the rest of employees and volunteers are strictly required to avoid getting involved in investments or activities that can result to the risk of conflict of interest. As such, all members of the board together with the rest of employees and volunteers are mandated to sign the “disclosure certification” at the time they decide to join USOC. Analyzing this particular policy, requiring all members of USOC to disclose all potential conflicts is good since it could help the organization avoid the risk wherein one of their staff could be engaged in unethical work or business practice. Conclusion Sports governance is necessary to ensure that the interests of all stakeholders will be protected from the self-interests of few individuals within the organization. References Chance, P. (2009). Introduction to Educational Leadership & Organizational Behavior. 2nd Edition. Oxon, OX: Routledge. Gupta, V., Gollakota, K., & Srinivasan, R. (2007). Business Policy and Strategic Management: Concepts and Applications. New Delhi: Prentice-Hall. Haberfeld, M., & Sheehan, D. (2013). Match-Fixing in International Sports: Existing Processes, Law Enforcement . London: Springer. Hoye, R., & Cuskelly, G. (2007). Sport Governance. Burlington, MA: Elsevier. Pugh, D. (1990). Organization Theory: Selected Readings. Harmondsworth: Penguin. Smolianov, P., Zakus, D., & Gallo, J. (2014). Sport Development in the United States: High Performance and Mass Participation. Routledge. USOC. (2013). 2013 USOC Annual Report. Retrieved June 19, 2015, from http://www.teamusa.org/footer/finance USOC. (2015a). About the USOC. Retrieved June 18, 2015, from http://www.teamusa.org/about-the-usoc USOC. (2015b). Athlete Development: Sports Performance. Retrieved June 18, 2015, from http://www.teamusa.org/About-the-USOC/Athlete-Development USOC. (2015c). Sports Medicine. Retrieved June 18, 2015, from http://www.teamusa.org/About-the-USOC/Athlete-Development/Sports-Medicine USOC. (2015d). Coaching Education. Retrieved June 18, 2015, from http://www.teamusa.org/About-the-USOC/Athlete-Development/Coaching-Education USOC. (2015e). Training Centers and Sites. Retrieved June 18, 2015, from http://www.teamusa.org/About-the-USOC/Training-Centers-and-Sites USOC. (2015f). Values. Retrieved June 18, 2015, from http://www.teamusa.org/careers/values USOC. (2015g). Internship Program. Retrieved June 18, 2015, from http://www.teamusa.org/careers/internship-program USOC. (2015h). Executive Team. Retrieved June 18, 2016, from http://www.teamusa.org/About-the-USOC/Inside-the-USOC/Leadership/Executive-Team USOC. (2015i). Scott Blackmun - Chief Executive Officer. Retrieved June 19, 2015, from http://www.teamusa.org/About-the-USOC/Inside-the-USOC/Leadership/Executive-Team/Scott-Blackmun USOC. (2015j). Rick Adams - Chief, Paralympic Sport and NGB Organizational Development. Retrieved June 19, 2015, from http://www.teamusa.org/About-the-USOC/Inside-the-USOC/Leadership/Executive-Team/Rick-Adams USOC. (2015k). Alan Ashley - Chief of Sport Performance. Retrieved June 19, 2015, from http://www.teamusa.org/About-the-USOC/Inside-the-USOC/Leadership/Executive-Team/Alan-Ashley USOC. (2015l). Lisa Baird - Chief Marketing Officer. Retrieved June 19, 2015, from http://www.teamusa.org/About-the-USOC/Inside-the-USOC/Leadership/Executive-Team/Lisa-Baird USOC. (2015m). Larry Buendorf - Chief Security Officer. Retrieved June 19, 2015, from http://www.teamusa.org/About-the-USOC/Inside-the-USOC/Leadership/Executive-Team/Larry-Buendorf USOC. (2015n). Jon Denney - Chief Development Officer. Retrieved June 19, 2016, from http://www.teamusa.org/About-the-USOC/Inside-the-USOC/Leadership/Executive-Team/Jon-Denney USOC. (2015o). Benita Fitzgerald Mosey - Chief of Organizational Excellence. Retrieved June 19, 2015, from http://www.teamusa.org/About-the-USOC/Inside-the-USOC/Leadership/Executive-Team/Benita-Fitzgerald-Mosley USOC. (2015p). Walter Glover - Chief Financial Officer. Retrieved June 19, 2015, from http://www.teamusa.org/About-the-USOC/Inside-the-USOC/Leadership/Executive-Team/Walter-Glover USOC. (2015q). Charlie Huebner - VP, Paralympic Development for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Foundation. Retrieved June 19, 2015, from http://www.teamusa.org/About-the-USOC/Inside-the-USOC/Leadership/Executive-Team/Charlie-Huebner USOC. (2015r). Morane Kerek - Managing Director, Internal Audit. Retrieved June 19, 2015, from http://www.teamusa.org/About-the-USOC/Inside-the-USOC/Leadership/Executive-Team/Morane-Kerek USOC. (2015s). Trevor Miller - Managing Director, IT. Retrieved June 19, 2015, from http://www.teamusa.org/About-the-USOC/Inside-the-USOC/Leadership/Executive-Team/Trevor-Miller USOC. (2015t). Pam Sawyer - Managing Director, HR. Retrieved June 19, 2015, from http://www.teamusa.org/About-the-USOC/Inside-the-USOC/Leadership/Executive-Team/Pam-Sawyer USOC. (2015u). Patrick Sandusky - Chief Communications and Public Affairs Officer. Retrieved June 19, 2015, from http://www.teamusa.org/About-the-USOC/Inside-the-USOC/Leadership/Executive-Team/Patrick-Sandusky USOC. (2015v). Christopher Sullivan - Chief Bid & Protocol Officer. Retrieved June 19, 2015, from http://www.teamusa.org/About-the-USOC/Inside-the-USOC/Leadership/Executive-Team/Christopher-Sullivan USOC. (2015w). Governance Documents. Retrieved June 19, 2015, from http://www.teamusa.org/Footer/Legal/Governance-Documents USOC. (2015x). Christopher McCleary - General Counsel. Retrieved June 19, 2015, from http://www.teamusa.org/About-the-USOC/Inside-the-USOC/Leadership/Executive-Team/Christopher-McCleary USOC. (n.d.). Conflict of Interest Policy. Retrieved June 19, 2015, from http://www.teamusa.org/Footer/Legal/Governance-Documents Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Sports Governance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/management/1698537-sports-governance
(Sports Governance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 Words)
https://studentshare.org/management/1698537-sports-governance.
“Sports Governance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/management/1698537-sports-governance.
  • Cited: 2 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Sports Governance of the United States Olympic Committee

Sports And International Laws

The official history of the olympic Games however dates back to the 776 B.... The founding of the olympic games has been traced back to King Iphitos of the Eleans.... Though scholars agree that these were not the very first games but they unanimously affirm that they were substantial games that took place between city states such as those of Elis and Pisa.... The project is aimed at highlighting the importance of sports with respect to their being internationally acclaimed....
21 Pages (5250 words) Essay

Soviet Sports and the relation to politics in the cold war

Furthermore, the analysis will seek to answer the question of how this “threat” was understood by the united states and its allies.... Name Date Course Section/# Soviet Sport: An Analysis of the olympic Games as a Function of How the Soviet Union Used Sport as a Means to Spread Ideology and Build upon Image Recognition While at the Same Time Integrating with the World Soviet interaction with the world during the period of the Cold War has been differentiated by a number of different themes....
25 Pages (6250 words) Research Paper

Comparison between Nazi Sports against Communists Sports

In the majority of communist states, sports carried with it a huge revolutionary role of being an agent of social change with the state carrying the piloting role (Murray 73).... The paper "Comparison between Nazi sports against Communists sports" discusses that communist countries have been one of the most influential countries with regard to games.... The communist sports policy in Europe had dominated some of the largest parts of Europe, especially during the cold war....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay

Final Exam: Management of Sport Organizations

The decisions made within the governance of the IOC include the increase in transparency within the sports industry; within these, the IOC publishes the accounts in compliance with the international financial reporting standards.... The chosen story for the “story of the year” is the international olympic committee (IOC) the international olympic committee cuts across the internationals sports federations, the organizing committee, the athletes, the partners, the United Nation agencies and the....
5 Pages (1250 words) Assignment

New Labour Promoting Physical Activity and Sports in Young People

While independent schools account for only 7 percent of total school-goers in the UK, they produce two in three medal winners in the olympic Games.... The paper "New Labour Promoting Physical Activity and Sports in Young People" states that a majority of Physical Education teachers have 'little or no structured training and frequently have to make use of makeshift facilities', although they make an earnest attempt to impart sporting skills.... The rest of this essay is an exercise in determining how successful the New Labour government has been in promoting physical activity and sports in young people....
14 Pages (3500 words) Coursework

Qatar Sporting Legacy

This work called "Qatar Sporting Legacy" describes the hosting of international sports events and competitions by Qatar.... The sports legacy of Qatar is a unique mix of the new developments as well as the age-old traditions.... This is why, for the last two decades, the government of Qatar has embarked on a unique policy to promote local and international sports in Qatar.... The primary thrust of this policy is to introduce and support new sports like golf, soccer, and tennis, while at the same time encouraging traditional sports like camel racing and horse racing....
20 Pages (5000 words) Literature review

International Sports Questions

For example, in the struggle against the practice of Apartheid, the Stop the Seventies Tour Committee (STSTC) established in 1970, undertook mass demonstrations and disruptions 'when the white South African cricket and rugby union teams toured the united Kingdom'Successfully hosting the international sports event, with increased visitors to the region, would extensively raise business opportunities in all areas primarily the hospitality and tourism industry.... With the growth of the olympic games, 'professional sports leagues and corporations have seized the opportunity to sell their products in international markets'2....
6 Pages (1500 words) Coursework

Security at the 2008 Beijing Olympics

The 2008 Beijing Organizing committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad had come up with security as its topmost priority (Yu, Klauser, and Chan, 2009).... billion US dollars, which was more than twice the 2000 Sydney games (2008 Beijing olympic Games Action Plan: Construction of olympic Games Competition Venues and Related Facilities, 2008).... We are particularly interested in the 2008 Beijing olympic Games for some reason....
8 Pages (2000 words) Term Paper
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us