Walden University ScholarWorks Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection 2020 Strategies for Increasing Revenues for Sun Belt National Hockey League Teams Dewey Gantz Walden University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations Part of the Accounting Commons, and the Sports Management Commons This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection at ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Walden University College of Management and Technology This is to certify that the doctoral study by Dwayne A. Gantz has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made. Review Committee Dr. Robert Banasik, Committee Chairperson, Doctor of Business Administration Faculty Dr. Lisa Cave, Committee Member, Doctor of Business Administration Faculty Dr. Ronald Jones, University Reviewer, Doctor of Business Administration Faculty Chief Academic Officer and Provost Sue Subocz, Ph.D. Walden University 2020 Abstract Strategies for Increasing Revenues for Sun Belt National Hockey League Teams by Dwayne A. Gantz MBA, University of Phoenix, 2009 BA, Trinity Western University, 1985 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Business Administration Walden University October 2020 Abstract Failure to increase revenues negatively impacts the sustainability and viability of businesses on a long-term basis. Some organizational leaders of the United States Sun Belt National Hockey League (NHL) teams do not possess the skills or experiences to take advantage of the opportunities developed from successful business applications to increase revenues. Grounded in Porter’s 5 forces model and Porter’s competitive strategy theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies used by organizational leaders of Sun Belt hockey teams to increase revenues. The participants comprised 5 organizational leaders from NHL teams located in Sun Belt locations of the United States who effectively used strategies to increase revenues. Data were collected from semistructured interviews, publicly available NHL information, and Sun Belt team websites. Yin’s 5-step data analysis was used to analyze the data with 5 themes emerging: customer acquisition and retention, market segmentation, promotion, unique value proposition, and product differentiation. A key recommendation is for Sun Belt organizational leaders not to rely on the traditional hockey fan to sustain or grow revenue but focus on women, families, and fans’ ethnicity. The implications for positive social change include Sun Belt leaders’ potential to increase meaningful employment to enhance the quality of life for local members of the community. Strategies for Increasing Revenues for Sun Belt National Hockey League Teams by Dwayne A. Gantz MBA, University of Phoenix, 2009 BA, Trinity Western University, 1985 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Business Administration Walden University October 2020 Dedication I dedicate this to my wife, daughter, grandsons, mother, and my family. To my wife, Rosemary, you are the most loving person I know. Your unwavering support has made it possible for me to achieve this dream of ours, I could never thank you enough. I am forever grateful to have you as my wife, my best friend, and my pillar of strength. To my daughter, Emily, thank you for being my motivation in life, and who said I could do this no matter what it takes. I am blessed to be your father. To my grandsons, Chance and Wyatt, thank you both for understanding that there were times when I needed to do homework, and for your doing your homework with me. To Dr. Robert Banasik, your commitment, encouragement, and motivation to reach success, served as examples to achieve my goal. To my mother who always believed that I could achieve whatever I wanted. To all my family members and friends, thank you for your encouragement and contribution to the achievement of this academic journey. This is also dedicated to my birth country, Canada, which shaped my character, and gave me the love of ice hockey. To God, who always gave me the strength to keep moving forward, giving me joy, peace, and love for others which helped me meet the challenge and reach the goal. Acknowledgments There are many people that supported me throughout this journey, and the completion of this study would not be possible without them. To my wife, Rosemary, thank you for always supporting me with joy, smiles, love, and a sense of humor. I want to express my gratitude to my chairs for their feedback, direction, support, and guidance. Many thanks to my Chair, Dr. Robert Banasik, for his mentorship, patience, understanding, brilliance, and sense of humor, while at the same time providing me with motivation, hope, and encouragement at the most critical times during my doctoral study. To Dr. Lisa Cave, Second Committee Member, thank you for your patience, feedback and support. To my University Research Reviewer, Dr. Ronald Jones, thank you for your support, expertise, and advice that has made the completion of this study possible. Lastly, my sincere thanks to the organizational leaders from Sun Belt National Hockey League teams for sharing their time and knowledge. Table of Contents List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... iv Section 1: Foundation of the Study ......................................................................................1 Background of the Problem ...........................................................................................1 Problem Statement .........................................................................................................2 Purpose Statement ..........................................................................................................2 Nature of the Study ........................................................................................................2 Research Question .........................................................................................................4 Interview Questions .......................................................................................................4 Conceptual Framework ..................................................................................................5 Operational Definitions ..................................................................................................6 Assumptions, Limitations, and Delimitations ................................................................7 Assumptions ............................................................................................................ 7 Limitations .............................................................................................................. 8 Delimitations ........................................................................................................... 8 Significance of the Study ...............................................................................................9 Contribution to Business Practice ........................................................................... 9 Implications for Social Change ............................................................................. 10 A Review of the Professional and Academic Literature ..............................................10 Application to the Applied Business Problem ...................................................... 12 Porter’s Five Forces Model ................................................................................... 15 Porter’s Competitive Strategy Theory .................................................................. 30 i Other Relevant Theories ....................................................................................... 41 Other Contrasting Theories ................................................................................... 48 Sustainability Issues .............................................................................................. 49 Potential Themes from the Literature Review ...................................................... 51 Transition .....................................................................................................................52 Section 2: The Project ........................................................................................................53 Purpose Statement ........................................................................................................53 Role of the Researcher .................................................................................................53 Participants ...................................................................................................................55 Research Method and Design ......................................................................................58 Research Method .................................................................................................. 58 Research Design...................................................................................................