Taking advantage of the London 2012 Olympic Games: corporate social responsibility through sport partnerships

Abstract

This research explores the ways in which corporate organisations leveraged corporate social responsibility (CSR) through a sport initiative that was conceived, implemented and mediated by the British Olympic Association (BOA) preceding the London 2012 Olympic Games. This research aimed to evaluate the initiative in order to understand the benefits, barriers and partnership working and sought to answer the question: how is CSR being leveraged through sport by corporate organisations in the lead up to mega-sporting events? The case-based methodology employed a series of semi-structured interviews that were conducted with senior directors and managers within National Governing Bodies (NGBs) and corporate organisations. Interview data were supplemented by a content analysis of documentation associated with, and about, the initiative. Findings included: corporate leveraging to achieve subtle human resourcing objectives, indirect involvement and market research into the Olympic Games and the increase of corporate capital. This research concludes that CSR relationships in sport can be innovative and creative but require objective alignment, appropriate timing and the management of expectations.