EDITORIAL

Abstract

This study examines the use of environmental forecasting during the strategic planning process in private city clubs. Key internal and external environmental factors were identified that impact city clubs and the club industry. Strategic planning practices and influencing factors were studied in four city clubs, in North Carolina and South Carolina, utilizing the qualitative research method of structured personal interviews, and the survey method of quantitative research. Numerous factors influenced the strategic planning process of three clubs, including consultants, employees, board members, trade associations and trade reports. One club, which did not conduct strategic planning, is struggling to survive. Environmental issues influencing these clubs were: technological, social, and economic. Each club's business was significantly affected by the business climate of the city in which it resides.     

Select Performance Differences in Equity and Non-Equity Membership Structures Within Private Clubs

ABSTRACT

Managers at private clubs in the Greater Toronto Metropolitan area who are members of the Ontario Branch of the Canadian Society of Club Managers (CSCM) were surveyed to determine the membership structures at their clubs (equity or non-equity), along with the reasons, and advantages/disadvantages for those structures. Responses were received from 46 managers, 57% of the population. The managers were affiliated with golf-country clubs, yacht clubs, city-athletic clubs, and city clubs. Respondents of the survey most often represented: golf-country clubs (78%), member-owned clubs (84%), and clubs with non-equity membership structures (83%). Clubs with non-equity membership structures were more likely to have full memberships and waiting lists of candidates to join the clubs. Non-equity clubs also had lower entrance fees to join, but retained a higher proportion of the overall entrance fee paid by members when they joined compared to equity clubs.     

Declining Memberships During an Economic Downturn in U.S. Private Clubs

ABSTRACT

Surveys were sent to managers at one thousand private clubs, who were members of the Club Managers Association of America (CMAA) to determine what membership changes clubs have experienced during the economic downturn from 2000 to 2003. The majority of respondents managed country clubs, member-owned clubs, and represented different areas of the United States. An overall response rate of 50% was achieved. Most clubs experienced a decline in the overall number of members and a higher annual attrition rate. Fewer clubs reported having a waitlist of members wanting to join and the clubs having a waitlist reported a smaller number of individuals on the waitlist. The clubs without a waitlist reported a higher number of openings in their club. The results of this study suggest that clubs need to implement membership marketing strategies in order to increase the number of candidates for membership during economic downturns.     

‘I go to dance,right?’: representation/sensation on the gendered dance floor

This article explores a group of young adults’ experiences of social dancing in the Eastside of Vancouver, BC, Canada. Drawing from critical and feminist qualitative methodological approaches as well as dance studies, the ethnography research privileges participants’ embodied knowledge of dancing in particular nightlife settings--small alternative spaces, rather than the city’s more mainstream, big business dance clubs. Dance’s double-bind, as both embodied and representational practice is evidenced through participants’ expressed negotiations of sexuality on the dance floor. Women participants, in particular, stress that though there may be an (implied) audience that constitutes their performance, gender performances in their nightlife leisure spaces are not synonymous with a desire for heterosexual relationships.     

Understanding Changing Patron Expectations of Club Offerings

ABSTRACT

This article adopts a consumer behavioural approach to investigating the needs, wants, and expectations of club patrons and reviews the differing requirements of three existing segments of club patrons and two demographic sub-groups. The article applies a consumer behavioural framework and suggests that demographics, culture, values, reference groups, and attitudes underpin the differing needs, wants, and expectations of patrons. The article suggests that attitude is the specific determinant of consumer behaviour that may be of most interest to club marketers and suggests the application of the Theory of Reasoned Action in order to change sub-group attitudes and increase patronage. This suggestion is illustrated through the presentation of a case study. The article concludes by suggesting that further research be conducted to determine how clubs may be able to remain true to their historical roots and traditional membership base, whilst actively catering to the market orientation of current and future generations of potential members.     

Strategic Management of External Change in NSW Registered Clubs

ABSTRACT

This research examines how clubs strategically manage change resulting from alterations in their external environment. Specifically, this paper aims to investigate the marketing implications of recent legislative change arising from restrictions imposed on advertising and promotion of club gaming in one Australian state, the most populous state of New South Wales (NSW). Managers of three northern NSW clubs situated adjacent to the southern Queensland (QLD) border were interviewed to obtain primary data for this investigation. Results show that legislation restricting gaming advertising, promotion and external signage has caused difficulties in marketing these three clubs whose core product is gaming machines. Short-term results of revised marketing strategies indicate that club member numbers are steady but spending is unpredictable. Visitors are harder to attract, particularly new visitors.     

Memberships Levels in U. S. Private Clubs During the 2008–2010 Economic Downturn

This study measured membership changes in private clubs in the United States during the economic downturn from 2008 to 2010. Specifically examined were the changes clubs experienced with their number of members, waiting lists, and attrition rates. A letter was sent via e-mail to the same 1,000 private clubs that were sent a survey in a similar study conducted by Ferreira and Gustafson (2006 Ferreira, R. R. and Gustafson, C. M. 2006. Declining memberships during an economic downturn in U.S. private clubs. International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Administration, 7(2/3): 3–18. [Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]) The managers of these clubs were members of the Club Managers Association of America. The majority of respondents managed country clubs and member-owned clubs, representing different areas of the United States. An overall response rate of 53% was achieved. Most clubs experienced a decrease in the overall number of members and an increase in annual attrition rate. Fewer clubs reported having a waiting list of members wanting to join. The clubs without waiting lists reported a larger number of membership openings in their clubs. The results of this study suggest the levels of memberships in many private clubs are heavily influenced by economic conditions. An implication from this study is that clubs need to implement membership development strategies during economic downturns because of the decline in the number of members, candidates proposed, and waiting lists during these periods.     

Golf Versus Nongolf Club Operations: Benchmarks for 2014

With the club industry comprising of different types of clubs, a more in-depth analysis separating clubs with and without golf operations would be beneficial. Financial performance can be summarized via financial ratios. This study surveyed 115 clubs regarding their financial performance and calculated 24 financial ratios for 2014. The median profit margin of all clubs was at 1.65%. Clubs with golf operations reported a median profit margin at 1.73%, doubling that of the nongolf operations at 0.83%. T-tests using means of financial ratios showed a statistically significantly difference in only the food inventory turnover by days.     

Human resource management responsibilities in private clubs

ABSTRACT

Private clubs have long been considered a unique segment of the hospitality industry. Clubs are different than other types of hospitality enterprises in many respects, including their ownership, revenue sources, management, and specifically, in the management of human resources. This article focuses on how human resources are managed in one regional chapter of the national association of club managers (New England). First, a focus group of club managers in New England was conducted. Next, a survey was conducted of club managers belonging to the New England chapter of the Club Managers Association of America. Findings suggest that very few clubs have human resource directors; responsibilities tend to be delegated through the organization; clubs have certain human resource management challenges associated with not having a human resource director; and general managers are actively involved in the management of human resources.     

Environmental Forecasting and Strategic Planning Practices in Country Clubs

ABSTRACT

This study was designed to determine the extent to which private country clubs utilize environmental forecasting in their strategic planning activities. Also identified were key environmental issues that affect the country clubs' ability to plan strategically within the constraints imposed by their boards and general memberships. General managers from four country clubs in North and South Carolina were queried using a combination of personal interviews and survey questionnaires. Three of the four clubs surveyed practiced strategic planning to some extent, utilizing a variety of influences and participants in the process. Human resource issues were a major concern faced by all of the clubs surveyed. Each club also rated economic, technological, and ecological issues as most important to their clubs' success.     

Clubs and Hallmark Events

ABSTRACT

In Australia, clubs have long been viewed by some sections of the hospitality industry as the “poor cousins” of the more glamorous end of the market, such as four- and five-star hotels and resorts. Despite this perception, clubs are continuing to experience growth both in terms of membership and revenues collected and many play significant roles within the communities in which they operate. With regard to special events, much of the economic and social impact work published to date has focused upon the impact of such events in terms of accommodation and restaurant use, as well as visitor numbers and economic multipliers. The club industry in Australia, and in New South Wales (NSW) in particular, is a vibrant and thriving industry, but little work has been carried out to quantify the impact upon clubs of “outside” or external special events. Using in-depth interviews and discussions with marketing staff within two clubs in NSW (one rural and one metropolitan), this article examines their relationships to hallmark events that were conducted within each club's region. Analysis is made of the clubs' involvement with these events and the extent to which they were aggressively proactive in acquiring linkages to the event in question.     

A History of Machine Gambling in the NSW Club Industry

ABSTRACT

This article documents a history of the NSW club industry, with particular emphasis on its evolution to a major contemporary operator of gaming machines at state, national and international levels. It argues that three conditions of club registration-their not-for-profit status, membership requirements, and social benefit objectives-have been instrumental for clubs in gaining and maintaining dominant rights to machine gambling in NSW. These three features of clubs traditionally have underpinned their legitimacy as major providers of machine gambling, reflecting prevailing government policy that linked legalised gambling to social benefit. However, the substantial revenues that accrued from machine gambling, amidst an absence of competition, fuelled an expansion of the club sector that was neither predicted nor planned, with many clubs growing dramatically in assets, membership and facilities. The original club goals of promoting and pursuing the social purpose and community benefit for which they were established became superseded by an emphasis on expansion, market share, and profits. More recently, increased competition for the gambling dollar, reflecting a shift in government policy towards economically driven stimulation and expansion of commercial gambling, has further entrenched the commercialisation of clubs in their machine gambling operations, subordinating their social agenda to economic interests. This change in focus by club management has diminished the social contract that exists for clubs to operate gambling for community benefit, the very basis of the clubs' legitimacy as major providers of machine gambling. Indeed, the implicit assumption that social benefit was built into club machine gambling has allowed the clubs to exploit their position of market dominance in a way that exacerbates the negative social impacts of their core product.     

“Quaint creatures”: public discourse and the role of B-girls in the heritage of Bourbon Street

B-drinking is soliciting a patron to purchase the B-girl a drink for which she receives a commission; this strategy has long been an integral and accepted part of French Quarter culture. Invisible in the academic literature, B-girls are an important part of heritage tourism in New Orleans. In a tourism city famous for alcohol, sex, and vice, B-drinkers are an important service labor force that drives the strip clubs at the center of the touristscape. Since the middle of the twenty-first century, B-drinking has played a crucial role in the sexual economy of tourism on Bourbon Street. B-girldom provides a case study in how the intersection of tourism and sex work is deeply embedded in regional history. The discursive B-girl as constructed in newspapers, media, and the legislature reflects local shifts in attitudes towards B-drinking from 1941 to 2012. B-girls, constructed as flirtatious tricksters or dangerous murderers, are icons of the French Quarter and an embedded fixture in this heritage tourism site – illegal but authentic inhabitants of Bourbon Street. Representations of B-girldom by powerful voices have long acknowledged and defined how sex workers engage within the French Quarter in ways understood and accepted by the people of New Orleans.     

Key managerial and financial accounting skills for private club managers: Comparison to lodging managers

ABSTRACT

This study provides empirical evidence of the comprehensive accounting skills by financial executives across the United States, and Canada believed important to private club general managers. This study’s purview extends to identify any significant differences or similarities in the accounting skills between the private club and lodging managers. Four hundred and one responses (211 from clubs and 190 from hotels) were received. The most critical accounting skills for club and lodging managers are understanding operating budgets, capital budgets, income statements, and analyses of variances. When comparing the accounting skills to managers between clubs and hotels, the ranks of importance are similar. The findings provide theoretical and practical implication for hospitality researchers, managers, and educators.     

An Exploratory Study of Waiting Lists in Private Clubs

ABSTRACT

To understand the status of waiting lists within the private club industry, 1,000 members of the Club Managers Association of America were randomly selected to receive mail questionnaires. The analysis of 163 completed questionnaires indicated that 69% of the responding clubs did not have waiting lists. The majority of clubs with waiting lists were over 50 years old, member-owned, tax-exempt, and had 500 to 1,000 members and gross revenues minus initiation deposits of between five and ten million dollars per year. Logistic regression revealed that the odds of having a waiting list were 10.68 times greater for a club that had a Membership Committee than for a club that did not have such a committee. Two other factors found to predict the existence of a waiting list were a general membership that understands the importance of sponsoring members, and members that sponsor new members at a rate sufficient to overcome attrition. The following waiting list trends do not bode well for club membership in general: (1) the number of clubs with waiting lists is declining, (2) waiting lists are getting progressively shorter, and (3) members-in-waiting stay on lists for a shorter period of time.     

When tradition meets the new technology: An examination of the antecedents of attitudes and intentions to use mobile devices in private clubs

Mobile technology increasingly permeates the social fabric of the contemporary society and the business models of hospitality organizations, including the private club industry. Using data from a nationwide sample of members of private clubs in the United States, this research examined the manner in which system beliefs (i.e., usefulness, ease of use), subjective norms, and facilitating conditions influence club members’ attitudes and intentions to use mobile devices to make reservations for activities/facilities in private clubs. It was found that usefulness and subjective norms have an impact in developing attitudes, which in turn influence club members’ intentions to use mobile devices in clubs. Being the first study to examine the development of attitudes and intentions toward mobile technology in a club context, this study brings important theoretical and practical contributions.     

Exploring Critical Factors of Macau's Heritage Tourism: What Heritage Tourists are Looking for when Visiting the City's Iconic Heritage Sites

Although Macau is widely stigmatized as a gambling paradise, its colonial past has left the city with a wealth of heritage and cultural attractions that can be converted into priceless tourism resources. Macau's status as world heritage city further creates opportunities for the city to develop its heritage tourism business. This requires Macau to understand heritage tourists whose needs and wants may vary from ordinary travelers. A review of the literature, however, indicates that most academic discussions of Macau heritage are from a history or conservation perspective rather than from the prism of tourism; because of this, the present study aims to explore, from a tourism perspective, the critical factors that are essential to enhance tourist experience when visiting Macau's major heritage sites.     

Executive Tenure: Attributes of Club Manager Longevity

This article identifies the characteristics, values, and behaviors that are significant contributors to executive tenure in club management, along with the advantages and disadvantages resulting from long-term tenure. Sixteen club managers, each with long tenure at their current clubs, participated in a Delphi study. All participants had served in their current clubs for more than 7 consecutive years, were employed in the club industry for more than 10 years, and had attained Certified Club Manager (CCM) designation through the Club Managers Association of America (CMAA) at least 10 years prior. Many panel members were Certified Club Executives or Honor Society members of CMAA with a reputation within the CMAA organization. The top 12 most important attributes were identified, with integrity as the top characteristic for longevity. Five advantages and three disadvantages to club manager longevity were discerned.     

A Comparison of Wage Determination in New South Wales and Queensland (Australian) Clubs

ABSTRACT

Australia's industrial relations framework has undergone substantial change since the 1990s. This has involved federal and state governments attempting to replace the centralised system, based on awards, to a decentralised system based on formalised enterprise and individual bargaining. The move to a decentralised system will supposedly, according to critics of the centralised system, provide significant improvements in flexibility, especially for the hospitality industry. This article examines the results from two studies of registered clubs, one undertakenin New South Wales (NSW)in 1996 and the other in Queensland in 2003, to examine the impact of regulatory changes on wage determination and associated variables in the sector. The findings indicate that despite the rhetoric of proponents of decentralisation, very few clubs have moved from the centralised system to the decentralised one. However, within the centralised system, clubs have undertaken a high level of informal bargaining, both in 1996 and 2003. Despite the level of informal bargaining club managers felt relatively restricted by awards and trade unions.     

Knowing your place and commanding space: de/constructions of gendered embodiment in mixed-sex karate

ABSTRACT

Feminists have long acknowledged that gendered divisions in access to spaces of leisure, and how women and men physically take up that space, reproduce gender inequality. This article will explore how karate practitioners participate in the space of mixed-sex karate practice and how such uses of space de/construct gendered embodiments and a gender hierarchy. Data presented are drawn from nine months of ethnographic emersion within three karate clubs and 15 photo-elicitation interviews with karate participants from the three clubs. The findings of this paper suggest that whilst women often occupied spaces of expertise within the karate hall, gendered distinctions in uses of space emerged in the more subtle ways in which women and men used their voice, responded to the tacit and smelt dilemmas of sweat, and moved their bodies across physical space. This research highlights both the potential of physical leisure practice to ‘undo’ conventional gendered embodiments that particularly restrict women’s intentionality in the world, and the power of spatially attuned research to illuminate the minute ways in which unequal gender relations are naturalised, legitimised and done.