Can Gender Equity Find A Place - Case Study Example

Case Analysis: Can Gender Equity find a place CASE ANALYSIS: CAN GENDER EQUITY FIND A PLACE? GRACE SARKAR Order No. 418827 10 March 2010 Table of Contents I. Situation Analysis … 3 Case Background (summarize the “big picture”) … 3 A. Industry Analysis … 4 i. Industry background … 4 ii. Potential growth … 5 iii. Risks/barriers to entry in this industry … 5 1. Existing competitors … 5 2. Potential competitors … 5 B. Organization Analysis … 6 i. Organizational history/background … 6 ii. SWOT analysis … 6 1. Strengths … 6 2. Weaknesses … 6 3. Opportunities … 6 4. Threats … 7 iii. Financial condition … 7 iv. Competitive advantage (core competencies, capabilities, assets) 7 v. Marketing mix … 8 1. Product … 8 2. Price … 8 3. Promotion … 8 4. Place … 9 C. Customer analysis … 9 i. Customer profile (may combine sections at your discretion) 9 ii. Market segmentation … 9 iii. Target market … 9 iv. Brand awareness/loyalty … 9 II. Diagnosis (detail the issues uncovered) … 10 A. Problem analysis … 10 B. Symptoms … 10 III. Solution Scenarios (describe in detail and provide cost-benefit analysis as 10 necessary) A. Alternative #1 … 10 B. Alternative #2 … 10 C. Alternative #3 … 10 IV. Recommendation (provide recommended alternative with justification and basic implementation strategy) … 11 V. Executive Summary … 11 CASE ANALYSIS: CAN GENDER EQUITY FIND A PLACE? I. Situation Analysis A. Case Background The festering gender issue is refusing to find the middle ground for cent per cent solution. Instead, there are ad hoc regulations like the Title IX that seek to provide mutually acceptable conditions for the benefit of both parties. “The Title IX regulations permit schools to sponsor separate teams for each sex where selection for such teams is based upon competitive skill or the activity involved is a contact sport. Females may be barred even from trying out for an all-male team if the sport is considered a contact sport such as football, ice hockey, basketball, or any other sport the purpose or major activity of which involves body contact. As a result, Title IX dictates a course of separate but equal athletic teams for women college athletes modeled after men’s competitive athletics. The separate but equal approach ignores that men and women are not similarly situated in their relationships to athletics as a social institution” (Weistart, John C, p4). “In 1971, before there was any significant activity under Title IX, approximately 290,000 girls were participating in high school sports. In just six years, the number rose to more than 2 million. The obvious unanswered question is what this number would be after a couple of decades of adequate funding and vigorous enforcement of Title IX (Weistart, John C, p37). However, the debate on Title IX continues at a lively or feverish pitch, depending on the prevailing situations at different academic institutions. The main complainants are the male coaches who are distraught to see their big, hard-earned bucks slip away to women sports. However, in certain cases such as the women’s basketball, Title IX is proving to be its worth. Women’s basketball has grown phenomenally in the United States (Weistart, John , p29). B. Industry Analysis Basically, it is an industry within academic institutions. The television is the protagonist. Without the television, sports howsoever popular, do not have the means to exert influential pressures to generate funds (Weistart, John C, p19). It is not easy to think of sports as an industry. But we can accept it as an industry if we consider the quantum of money involved and other economic factors such as human resource and large stadiums. Football and basketball lead the sports show. Because, if these games cease to exist, there will be no other games (Weistart, John C, p22). Also, the terms of Title IX make sports an equivalent to industry. No other entity could include sports in its category as much as an industry. This factor gives rise to the question: if sport is an industry what is it doing in academic institutions? i. Industry Background Gender conflict in sports necessitated Title IX that defined the relationship of men and women in sports within academic institutions in participation and monetary terms. Title IX, however, does not rule by the thumb although it is mandatory. Those adversely affected try for loopholes in order to mitigate their responsibility in the bargain. These are especially male coaches who feel women’s games are eroding their financial inputs. The bigger scare is that the main game, football that rakes in the money may ultimately meet its demise in the spat with the women’s games. However, basically the background is about sports, its uneasy commercialization, tryst with its original masters, the academics, and its ultimate evolution as an independent entity. By and large, we are discussing sports in the gender context in relation to Title IX. ii. Potential Growth There is significant potential for growth provided there is goodwill amongst the men and women in the game. Sport is dependent on grants and government funds besides revenues from advertisements. Football and basketball are two games holding tremendous potential to reach saturation points in terms of popularity and revenues (Weistart, John C). iii. Risks/Barriers to Entry in this Industry It depends on individual games. If the games are popular, they overcome the risks/barriers. However, they have to contend with highly popular games like football and basketball. Competition from these games will not allow fresh entrants to sail in easily. iv. Competitive Pressures 1. Existing Competitors Those competitors who already exist in the game the individual or team wish to participate in. This is an easy entry since the individual or team is part of the participants in the game. The only barrier is that the concerned individual or team must fulfill the requirements for the entry. 2. Potential Competitors Apart from the existing competitors, other individuals or teams make the grade and gain entry. These individuals or teams may not have been able to gain entry this time. However, it is possible that they gain entry in one of the future dates. So the present players must take into consideration the strength and abilities of the potential competitors. Competition is one of the leading elements in sports and the current players must take into account the potentials of existing as well as potential players. C. Organizational Analysis i. Organizational History/Background Title IX is the force behind the arrangement for participation and funding of men’s and women’s teams. For the moment, it is the men who possess greater say in the affairs to do with Title IX. The current affairs also ensure that men will be dominating the show for quite a long time to come. Technically, women have to be given their due as stipulated in Title IX. However, organizationally men still hold the commanding position (Weistart, John C, p13). ii. SWOT Analysis 1. Strength The strength of Title IX can be gauged from its execution. More and more women’s teams are coming forward each year claiming their share of funds from men’s sports. This is in spite of the dominance of men’s sports. 2. Weakness The weakness is the result of the inability or unwillingness of women to participate in sports in sufficient numbers. The ratio of women participants in sports is not proportionate to their population in school or college (Weistart, John C, p33). 3. Opportunities There are tremendous opportunities. Despite manipulations by men to undermine financial contributions to women, Title IX has enough means to ensure deserving women’s team gets its due when it comes to finance. Men cannot and will not stop potential women’s team from gaining entry and getting their financial obligations met from what is due to them. 4. Threats The main threat is competition. If a team does not shape up well, it must ship out. Sport is an arena where the fittest rule. There may be threats from other sources such as economic recession. There is also the threat that adding a women’s team may severely limit a “school’s capacity to meet enhancements by competitors that may yield an athletic advantage” (Weistart, John C, p34). iii. Financial Condition The potential for finance in men’s sports can be gauged from the fact that “the NCAA Final Four Tournament was sold to broadcasters for $14 million in 1982. Just thirteen years later, the broadcasts fee was $152 million, an increase of over 1000%” (Weistart, John C, p21). The financial condition is that a certain percentage of the inflow of revenues into men’s sports must go towards women’s sports. There is also the budgetary fund available to women’s sports. The issue is not about availability of funds. It is the issue of gender in which the male attempts to garner all or at least as much as possible funds. If women’s sport such as basketball becomes popular, it deservedly seeks more funds and gets it. However, other women’s games may not be so fortunate. In such cases, there are oppositions from the male teams who demand that the money be put to better uses (Weistart, John C, p6). iv. Competitive Advantage The advantage of the women’s team comprise of their winning abilities and their ability to gain popularity. They do not need any other assets. If the team is capable of hanging in there and stay at the top level, their ratings will be good and they can also expect financial rewards. v. Marketing Mix 1. Product The product is Title IX. Title IX has some unique and peculiar features. Under Title IX, it is “acceptable for a school to recruit only men for its football team or other designated “men’s” teams, a practice that would not be tolerated if we were considering the employment of lawyers, the staffing of offices or the enrolment of students in a Ph.D. program” (Weistart, John C, p4). However, it compensates women players and teams with financial assistance. 2. Price The price of Title IX is the worth of the women’s team who seek compensation as per Title IX regulations. Normally, it is the coach who puts forward his or her demands depending on the team’s performance and popularity. Then it is the individual players who seek their own compensation. In certain sports, players may not receive any finance. 3. Promotion The broadcasters, notably the television, take care of the bulk of promotion. Promotion of women’s sports under Title IX, however, is an issue between academics and Title IX. Promotion of women’s sports is not an easy proposition. It depends on various factors such as the current law that “requires a showing that the percentage of athletes who are women approximate the percentage of women in the student body that treats large and small, rich and poor alike” (Weistart, John , p8). This arrangement, however, appears to be just the right one currently. 4. Place The place may be located at the school campus or at a stadium. It depends on whether it is indoor or outdoor sports. Other places are the school premises or the offices of sports officials. D. Customer Analysis i. Customer Profile In sports, the customers comprise the young and the old. The bulk of customers comprise the young. Also, the customers profile change with indoor and outdoor games. There are limited customers in the indoor games. In the outdoor games, the customers attend in thousands. ii. Market Segmentation Sports basically cater to the youth market. There is an assortment of allied markets within the sports industry. There is the media, advertisements, and public relations. The market extends to education and entertainment. iii. Target Market The target market is the youth. Sports is about excelling and reaching beyond the records set by others. The youth is attracted to excellence. Hence, the youth is the appropriate target market. iv. Brand Awareness/Loyalty There are two factors in sports for brand loyalty. One is the sports discipline. The sports discipline may be football, basketball, tennis, and so forth. The other factor is the sportsperson. This sportsperson may be Roger Federer or Ronaldo Cristianio. These two sports personalities may have their own market following. They use this following and endorse different products in the market to influence customers’ decisions. II. Diagnosis i. Problem Analysis The problems under Title IX are ones of agreement between the genders. Most of the problems centers on the male-female divide. Currently, the odds favor the male. The strategy is that unless the male brings in the funds, there is no other long-term source. ii. Symptoms The problems are that women in sports do not get what is due to them for myriad reasons for which they may or may not be responsible. The point of contention is that women do not take to sports the way men do. Women sports do not attract the crowds and commerce the way men’s sports attract the crowds and commerce. These symptoms plague women sports. III. Solution Scenarios i. Alternative 1 Highlight glamour girls in sports like basketball and tennis. Glamour girls are natural crowd pullers and command high ratings. ii. Alternative 2 Get top sports personalities like Roger Federer in women’s sports events. These sports personalities raise the game level. iii. Alternative 3 Give women’s sport high media coverage. This is costly but it will provide much needed publicity to attract maximum crowd. IV. Recommendation I recommend Alternative 1 because it helps women sports raise its own resources. Alternative 1will not only raise the level of women sports but it will also help the game stand up and compete with men’s sports events. External alternatives like Alternatives 2 and 3 can only help marginally. Executive Summary This is a difficult question to answer. We are discussing an issue that is staring us in the face from the time the first man and woman set foot on earth. Barring a few exceptions, women’s place was the home. It was foregone conclusion and there was no question of any comparison. Women were the weaker sex. Period. We live in different times now. Women do whatever men can do. Almost. Women work. They are engaged in similar professions like men. In certain places and professions they outnumber men! Women are the preferred gender in certain work places that calls for systematic and precise execution. However, oppositions persist. And it is not the skeptic onlooker who is complaining. The opposition begins in the work place. It is the place where they play sports and win medals. Thankfully, the opposition may be odd and muted. But it is there and it is strong enough to frustrate meaningful dialogues attempting parity. The Title IX regulations have been framed to tolerate the male-female mismatch with a formula for funding women sports with finance raised through overwhelming men’s sports, notably soccer (Weistart, John C, p4). Sources: Gender Equality Duty, http://www.thewnc.org.uk/work-of-the-wnc/wnc-work-gender-equality/about-the-gender-equality-duty.html Klasen, Stephan; November 1999, Does Gender Inequality Reduce Growth and Development? Evidence from Cross-Country Regressions, http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTGENDER/Resources/wp7.pdf Sanders, Jo; 2003, Guidelines for a Gender Equity Workshop, http://www.josanders.com/pdf/GE%20workshop.pdf The Failure of Technology to Induce Gender Equality, 2010, http://www.academon.com/Persuasive-Essay-The-Failure-of-Technology-to-Induce-Gender-Equality/104953 Weistart, John C; Can Gender Equity Find a Place in Commercialized College Sports? http://www.academia-research.com/files/instr/418827_JohnC.Weistart.pdf Read More