Commercial Sponsorship Research Articles

Icon, Brand, Myth: The Calgary Stampede (review)

Reviewed by: Icon, Brand, Myth: The Calgary Stampede Keith Walden Icon, Brand, Myth: The Calgary Stampede. Edited by Max Foran. Edmonton: AU Press, 2008. Pp. 354, $85.00 cloth, $29.95 paper While the concluding section – an interview with the current ceo of the Stampede – leans towards boosterism, the other twelve essays in this collection are solid contributions to the history of Calgary’s signature event. Although the organization operates year-round exhibition facilities, most of the articles are focused on aspects of the annual ten-day festival. These include Glen Mikkelsen’s informative discussion of the evolution of the rodeo and the obstacles limiting its popularity; Aritha van Herk’s passionate elucidation of the intricacies of chuckwagon racing; Fiona Angus’s tracing of midway arrangements and the controversies surrounding them; Lorry Felske’s exploration of the city’s early parading tradition; Don Wetherell’s take on the Stampede as an invented tradition that, from its very inception, distorted the realities of Calgary’s past; and Hugh Dempsey’s review of Native participation, which argues that despite some racial insensitivity, the event has contributed to the preservation of traditional cultures. Some authors are interested in what might be termed aesthetic and contemplative aspects of the show. Fritz Pannekoek, searching for evidence of the impact of southern Alberta’s ranching heritage in Calgary’s built environment, finds that it is acknowledged mainly in commercial signage rather than public art, except on the exhibition grounds themselves. Reacting to suggestions that the Stampede impedes the growth of cultural sophistication in cowtown, Brian Rusted points out that as patron, client, and collector, the show has always been connected to the vibrant genre of western art, which has its own distinct conventions, standards, and institutions. Tamara Palmer Seiler wonders how an American figure, the cowboy, has come to be the predominant symbol of this Canadian institution, concluding that his presence derives both from the fact that the Canadian ranching frontier was an extension of the American one and from the influence of America’s powerful machinery of popular culture. As a regional figure, he embodies the ‘maverick’ identity of Alberta, while remaining [End Page 588] meaningful to those in other parts of the country and beyond. In a related piece, she and Robert Seiler dissect the symbolic meaning of the cowboy as he appeared on Stampede posters, particularly during the 1950s and 1960s, arguing that while traces of local culture have been progressively removed from these publicity devices, the figure continues to address tensions across the nature/culture and past/present divides. Only one article deals with the more purely administrative history of the organization. In his own contribution, Max Foran investigates the link between the Stampede and the municipal government, especially regarding attempts to expand and improve the exhibition grounds, which are owned by the city. While the two entities have disagreed on occasion, their shared interest in the success of the enterprise and the prestige of the Stampede board and management have kept the relationship generally harmonious. There is some overlap among many of the articles, particularly descriptions of the origins of the event and the influence of Guy Weadick, the American-born showman who invented the show and eventually signed on as a key manager of it. There are also some divergent interpretations. For example, Aritha van Herk is impressed by the extent of popular interest in the chuckwagon races, which is growing if commercial sponsorship is an indication, while Glen Mikkelsen is more conscious that the appeal of rodeo is losing ground. More surprisingly, Tamara Seiler argues in one of her articles that the ranching industry ‘is clearly more the product of continental forces than of national ones,’ and in the other (with Robert Seiler) that the Canadian ranching enterprise ‘was in marked contrast to that of the American.’ It is unfair to speak of an omission in the book since it is not intended to be comprehensive in its treatment of the Stampede, but it would be interesting to know more about what transpired in the wider city during the show among ordinary Calgarians. Mikkelsen remarks that when he was growing up during the 1970s and 1980s, the whole community...

Sponsor and Sponsees Interactions: Effects on Consumers’ Perceptions of Brand Image, Brand Attachment, and Purchasing Intention

Notwithstanding the substantial development of sponsorship investigations, relationships between the sponsor and cosponsees and fan’s responses (i.e., cognitive, affective and conative) have not been investigated yet in a multiple sponsorship sport event context. Hence, the purpose of this study was to analyze the impact of commercial sponsorships on the intention to purchase sponsor products in relation to brand image and brand attachment. Furthermore, this researcher analyzed the relationships between a sponsor (adidas), an event (2006 FIFA Soccer World Cup Germany), a team (French National Soccer Team) and a top player (Zinédine Zidane). Structural equation modeling was used to conduct this research. The crucial results revealed that a multiple sponsorship arrangement creates interactions between the sponsor and the sponsees brands cognitive and affective stages. Secondly, the model demonstrated that multiple sponsorship activates brand behavioral dimensions (i.e., cognitive, affective and conative) according to the hierarchy of effects model (Lavidge & Steiner, 1961).

Television and the Transformation of Sport

Sport played a significant part in the growth of television, especially during its emergence as a dominant global medium between 1960 and 1980. In turn, television, together with commercial sponsorship, transformed sport, bringing it significant new income and prompting changes in rules, presentation, and cultural form. Increasingly, from the 1970s, it was not the regular weekly sport that commanded the largest audiences but, rather, the occasional major events, such as the Olympic Games and football’s World Cup. In the past two decades, deregulation and digitalization have expanded the number of channels, but this fragmentation, combined with the growth of the Internet, has meant that the era in which shared domestic leisure was dominated by viewing of the major channels is closing. Yet, sport provides an exception, an instance when around the world millions share a live and unpredictable viewing experience.

Understanding FDA Regulatory Requirements for Investigational New Drug Applications for Sponsor-Investigators

Clinical investigators invoke a number of specific regulatory requirements if their study includes use of a pharmaceutical agent. Studies using a drug that has not been approved by the Food...

Foreword

This special issue of RCM contains a selection of 25 papers presented at the 2nd Joint European Stable Isotope User Meeting (JESIUM) held at Presqu'île de Giens, France, from 31st August to 5th September 2008. JESIUM, the Joint European Stable Isotope User Meeting, is initiated by the national associations/networks of stable isotope users from across Europe (BASIS Benelux, ESIR Eastern and central Europe, GASIR Germany, SFIS France, SIMSUG UK, and SINA Austria). The objectives of JESIUM are to bring together scientists with a broad range of interests in stable isotopes, to encourage communication across disciplines and country boundaries, to provide the opportunity to discuss theoretical and methodological difficulties, and to exchange ideas about how techniques might be transferred to other areas of research. Following the success of the first JESIUM meeting organised by Rebecca Hood-Nowotny in Vienna (2004) with the contribution of the Stable Isotope Network of Austria (SINA), the French Society of Stable Isotopes (SFIS) was proud to organise the second JESIUM (2008) in the south of France under the coordination of Jaleh Ghashghaie. The JESIUM objectives were successfully achieved in a meeting that gathered approximately 290 participants from diverse backgrounds, mostly from Europe but also from all around the world (about 30 countries were represented), and stimulated the active participation of commercial sponsors (25 companies). JESIUM 2008 was highly successful and it was a great pleasure to host this event in France. On behalf of the organizing committee, we would like to thank all the participants for the high quality of their presentations, the conveners for selecting the talks and organizing the sessions and discussions, and the sponsors for supporting this meeting. Methodological advances in stable isotope studies Physiology & Biochemistry across the spectrum of life forms Plant Ecophysiology: from leaf to ecosystem Soil, Marine & Freshwater Ecology Hydrology, Earth Science & Cosmochemistry Climatology, Palaeoclimatology & Archaeology Isotopic signatures as diagnostic & decision tools for society New concepts and developments A total of 84 oral communications and over 200 posters were presented, including one senior and one or two junior keynote lectures and about 10 regular talks per session. The diversity and quality of communications (talks as well as posters) and the discussions (both formal and informal) guaranteed an interesting program. Young scientists were especially promoted during JESIUM 2008. In the preparation phase, every European Association selected a young scientist to present a ‘Junior Keynote’ lecture. Likewise, and under the benevolent control of Tom Bullen, prizes for the ‘best overall presentation by a young scientist’ and the ‘best poster by a young scientist’ were awarded to Britta Hartard and Mehmet Senbayram, respectively. JESIUM 2008 was characterized by a culture of openness, collaboration and fun, and was full of memorable moments: a musical opening, a cruise to Porquerolles Island, and an already famous dancing gala night. To keep pace with the innovations and to reap maximum benefit for all, it is necessary for us to continue to collaborate and to educate scientists across Europe in this exciting and enlightening branch of science. It is with this in mind that we are pleased to announce the next JESIUM in 2012 in Germany; for the latest information, see the JESIUM website (http://www.jesium.eu). Please enjoy the quality of the papers and be inspired by the JESIUM 2008 spirit.

Highlights of the North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference 2008.

The North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference (NACFC) is the world's largest international CF conference. It presents a superb opportunity for the CF professional community to join together to hear results of the latest therapeutic studies, the latest advances in basic science and to further their understanding of CF care. The 2008 conference was held in Orlando, Florida, and with over 3500 delegates, it did not disappoint. The majority of those attending the NACFC are naturally from North America, but there is a sizeable minority from Europe and Australasia. Five members of our team (two consultants, two clinical nurse specialists and one specialist physiotherapist) attended, and we willingly took up the invitation to report our highlights on our return to the RSM conference. Attending an overseas international conference is often not an easy undertaking, not least financially. Including travel, accommodation and conference registration, our attendance cost approximately £5000, a significant sum when there is appropriate limitation of commercial sponsorship. It is therefore a relevant exercise to consider one's reasons to attend an overseas conference, and to regard participation once there with apt seriousness. Although this may be obvious to some, we have listed in Box 1 what we considered our motivation. We tell our patients and their families each year when we are going to the NACFC and they are always interested, and in particular they see this as a way that we can connect with new therapies and keep ourselves up to date. Knowing that we were going to report on the conference provided an extra stimulus, and this is perhaps a good lesson for all CF teams. Box 1 Motivation for attending overseas conferences Presenting our own work Keeping ourselves up to date with new practice Allowing our practice to be influenced by others within our field Hearing about developing therapies Meeting other teams from our own country and internationally Refreshing our enthusiasm to provide first‐rate care Team bonding

Our Miss Brooks : Broadcasting Domestic Ideals for the Female Teacher in the Postwar United States

This article examines how a popular CBS radio comedy about a fictional female high school English teacher, Our Miss Brooks , presented conflicting conceptions of femininity and professionalism in the postwar United States. Our analysis of one hundred episodes broadcast during 1948–57 reveals that the depiction of Miss Brooks focused primarily on her personal life, extracurricular activities, and maternal, caregiving role, while it downplayed her autonomy and intellectual competence. Overworked and underpaid, Miss Brooks was ruled by her male principal. In highlighting this female teacher's constant quest to find a husband, and through jokes about her financial instability, this radio program suggested that only marriage, with the implied end of her teaching, would complete her identity and allow upward social and economic mobility. In considering commercial sponsorship as well as commentary in the print media, we conclude that many Americans perceived this fictional character as a realistic depiction of a female teacher, and its gender role messages resonated with most audiences. Our Miss Brooks so privileged women's domestic roles that even within the culturally accepted female career of teaching, it informed audiences that androcentric conceptions of womanhood would still circumscribe women's career identities in the postwar era.

Non‐inferiority trials: determining whether alternative treatments are good enough

New treatments that are potentially as effective as existing treatments are increasingly being developed, some of which may be preferred because of lower cost, fewer side effects, easier administration or less harm. Non-inferiority trials attempt to establish whether or not a new treatment -- drug or non-drug -- is no worse than an established treatment for which efficacy has been determined in placebo-controlled trials. Critical issues in the design and conduct of non-inferiority trials include: defining the acceptable margin of adverse events that, if exceeded, will render the new treatment inferior to the standard treatment (the non-inferiority margin); calculating the sample size needed to demonstrate non-inferiority; assessing the robustness of results in terms of absolute versus relative effects, intention-to-treat versus per-protocol analyses, one-sided versus two-sided statistical tests, and observed versus expected event rates for standard treatment; evaluating all relevant outcomes, including harm; and stating conclusions that are consistent with aims and results. Many non-inferiority trials fail to meet basic quality criteria, report biased and misleading conclusions, and are unduly influenced by commercial sponsors, with some commentators going so far as labelling them unethical. Clinicians and trial investigators need to exercise caution when interpreting results of non-inferiority trials which, because they lack a placebo group, can only provide an indirect assessment of the efficacy of a new treatment compared with an existing standard, and where the choice of non-inferiority margin can be highly subjective.

Investigating social marketing sponsorships: Terminology, stakeholders, and objectives

In spite of rapidly increasing professional interest and involvement, the extant literature concerning social marketing sponsorships remains scant. In order to begin to address this gap, the purpose of the current research is to investigate the concept of the social marketing sponsorship. The research in this paper (a) reviews the sponsorship literature and theory - specifically focusing on what is meant by sponsorship when used in social marketing; and (b) reports the results of empirical case research on the formation and implementation of a sponsorship designed to support a social marketing program aimed a reducing stigma and changing behaviors around mental health. The paper reports on how social marketing sponsorships compare to commercial sponsorships in terms of (a) the identification of key stakeholders and their roles, (b) the objectives of the stakeholders involved, and (c) how sponsorships are formed, developed, and implemented.

Insatiable Curiosity: Innovation in a Fragile Future By Helga Nowotny; translated by Mitch Cohen . Cambridge, MA:MIT Press, 2008. 179 pp. ISBN 978-0-262-14103-1, $30

Insatiable Curiosity: Innovation in a Fragile Future <i>By Helga Nowotny; translated by Mitch Cohen</i> . Cambridge, MA:MIT Press, 2008. 179 pp. ISBN 978-0-262-14103-1, $30

Integrating the value of salespeople and systems: Adapting the benefits dependency network

Business-to-business (B2B) companies invest in customer relationship management (CRM), integrated with sales force automation (SFA) to achieve a return on investment, through improved sales force productivity, sales revenue, costs, customer satisfaction, process accuracy and customer knowledge. However, the devil is in the detail. CRM and SFA are multi-faceted. There are two main obstacles to successful implementation. One is the need for the customer to get some benefit out of the system; the other is ensuring that employees who are expected to use the system actually buy-in to its benefits, including what benefit they will gain as individuals. However, much planning is needed to manage the risks involved. The ‘benefits dependency network’ (BDN),1 designed to develop routes to successful implementation of IT, has been tested in CRM projects. The factors for success in CRM implementation in B2B companies, where the sales force must be involved, are many and varied, including proactive sales management, creating champions, consultation, training, incentives and culture change. Practicalities such as incremental application of the technology and a wide portfolio of metrics to monitor progress are also critical. In the light of the special considerations of sales force involvement, the authors propose an adaptation of the BDN to suggest a generic map for the implementation of CRM (with SFA) in B2B markets. This paper is based on the authors’ secondary research for two commercial sponsors in the utilities sector, supplemented by the authors’ extensive experience of working in this area.

Ethical Issues Arising from Commercial Sponsorship and from Relationships with the Pharmaceutical Industry—Report and Recommendations of the Ethics Subcommittee of the International Headache Society

Preface These recommendations, the second set developed for the International Headache Society (IHS) by its Ethics Subcommittee, evolved over 3 years. This extended period allowed time for public consultation, an important part of the formulation process, and for consequent revision. The recommendations were presented in this final form to IHS Council in late 2005, and approved for publication in Cephalalgia. The delay from then until now would have been better avoided. The reasons for it, which did not lie with the Subcommittee, are not of current interest. What matters is that these recommendations remain entirely relevant to their purpose. In one area – the registration of clinical trials – matters have moved on in the interim. As the Subcommittee anticipated, registration of trials is becoming standard practice [1]. This goal is not yet achieved, but laudable and largely voluntary initiatives by the pharmaceutical industry have brought about much recent progress. Clear international consensus has yet to emerge on what needs to be included in a clinical trials registry, and when. This does not help, since it is not entirely certain what the desired end is. But it seems likely that, with or without further regulation, this end will be both clear and in sight in not too long. Headache will benefit, along with all other fields of medicine.

Clinical trials for children with cancer in Europe – Still a long way from harmonisation: A report from SIOP Europe

Clinical trials for children with cancer have been particularly hard hit by the introduction of the EU Clinical Trials Directive in 2004. Largely investigator-led and lacking in commercial sponsorship, they have struggled to find the resources necessary to comply with the complex bureaucracy. These rare diseases require multinational participation to permit appropriately powered clinical trials to be undertaken. Differences in interpretation of the Directive by national regulatory authorities have had a disproportionate effect on trials in children, highlighted by differences in what is deemed an ‘investigational medicinal product’ when paediatric use of an old drug is outside its licensed indication. Insurance costs have increased a 100-fold with no increase in actual risk between consecutive trials from the same study group. Issues raised at the recent conference held to reappraise the operation of the Directive are summarised to emphasise the particular issues for trials in children with cancer.

Evaluating solutions to sponsorship bias

More than 40 primary studies, and three recent systematic reviews and meta-analyses, have shown a clear association between pharmaceutical industry funding of clinical trials and pro-industry results. Industry sponsorship biases...

Clinical Trials in Canada: Whose Interests are Paramount?

More than 80 percent of clinical drug trials in Canada are funded by the pharmaceutical industry. This article evaluates the overall state of clinical trials in Canada and looks at the interplay between public and private interests. Health Canada has adopted standards developed by the International Conference on Harmonization, a body that is heavily influenced by industry. Commercial interests are increasingly involved in recruiting patients into clinical trials and in running these trials. It is in industry's interests to conduct drug tests on people for which it is easiest to see benefits. These interests are not fundamentally challenged by Health Canada's policy of issuing nonmandatory guidelines on who should and should not be included in clinical trials. The outcome of clinical trials is heavily influenced by commercial sponsorship, with the result that trials may favor corporate interests rather than the interests of the public. How Health Canada deals with that possibility is not known, because of its strict policy of treating clinical trial data as private property. If clinical trials are to serve the purpose for which they are designed, developing reliable and objective information about new drugs, then commercial interests cannot be allowed to take precedence over health interests.

Leveraging sponsorships on the Internet: Activation, congruence, and articulation

AbstractThis paper considers how the Internet can be used to leverage commercial sponsorships to enhance audience attitudes toward the sponsor. Definitions are offered that distinguish the terms leverage and activation with respect to sponsorship‐linked marketing; leveraging encompasses all marketing communications collateral to the sponsorship investment, whereas activation relates to those communications that encourage interaction with the sponsor. Although activation in many instances may be limited to the immediate event‐based audience, leveraging sponsorships via sponsors' Web sites enables activation at the mass‐media audience level. Results of a Web site navigation experiment demonstrate that activational sponsor Web sites promote more favorable attitudes than do nonactivational Web sites. It is also shown that sponsorsponsee congruence effects generalize to the online environment, and that the effects of sponsorship articulation on audience attitudes are moderated by the commerciality of the explanation for the sponsor‐sponsee relationship. Importantly, the study reveals that attitudinal effects associated with variations in leveraging, congruence, and orientation of articulation may be sustained across time. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Urologic Diseases in America Project: Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), the most common benign neoplasm in American men, is a chronic condition that is associated with progressive lower urinary tract symptoms and affects almost 3 of 4 men during the seventh decade of life. Approximately 6.5 million of the 27 million white men who are 50 to 79 years old in the United States in 2000 were estimated to meet the criteria for discussing treatment. The analytical methods used to generate these results have been described previously. In 2000 approximately 4.5 million visits were made to physician offices to for a primary diagnosis of BPH and almost 8 million visits were made with a primary or secondary diagnosis of BPH. In the same year approximately 87,400 prostatectomies for BPH were performed in inpatients in nonfederal hospitals in the United States. While the number of outpatient visits for BPH increased consistently during the 1990s, there was a dramatic decrease in the use of transurethral prostatectomy, inpatient hospitalization and length of hospital stay for this condition. These trends reflect the changing face of medical management for BPH, ie increasing use of pharmacological agents and minimally invasive therapies. In 2000 the direct cost of BPH treatment was estimated to be $1.1 billion exclusive of outpatient pharmaceuticals. Given the impact that BPH has on quality of life and health care cost in millions of American men, additional research into risk factors, diagnostic and therapeutic resource use, and effectiveness and cost benefit of therapies are warranted.

Asthma-related medication use among children in the United States

Asthma is one of the most common chronic conditions in children and has a major impact on health care use and quality of life. The Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act mandates the federal government to sponsor pediatric studies of drugs approved for use in the United States but lacking evaluation in the pediatric population and lacking interest of commercial sponsors. As input into the drug selection and prioritization process, information is needed on the percentage of children who receive asthma-related medications. To estimate the percentage of children who receive asthma-related medications. Retrospective analysis of outpatient medical and drug claims from members of commercial health care insurance plans enrolled any time from January 1, 2004, through December 31, 2005. The study population included 4,259,103 children throughout the United States aged birth through 17 years. Fifteen percent of all children were dispensed an asthma-related medication. Among 218,943 children with an asthma diagnosis, 188,286 (86%) had a dispensed asthma-related medication at any time during the 2-year study period. Among children without any asthma diagnoses, 398,880 (10%) had a dispensed medication. Fifty-nine percent of children with an asthma diagnosis were dispensed an anti-inflammatory medication within 90 days after a claim with a diagnosis of asthma. Asthma-related medications are dispensed to a large percentage of the pediatric population, including many who do not have claims with asthma diagnoses listed. Data on the pharmacokinetics and safety of these drugs in children are largely unknown and difficult to obtain. Clinical studies that use new tools and approaches are needed to resolve this information gap.

Publication of Clinical Trials in JAMA

FULFILLING THE KEY OBJECTIVE OF JAMA, “TO PROmote the science and art of medicine and the betterment of the public health,” involves publishing the most important biomedical investigations and clinical research articles possible. Rigorously conducted randomized clinical trials (RCTs) provide the highest level of scientific evidence for interventions and treatment to enable physicians and other practitioners to provide better care for patients and ultimately to improve the health of the public. Therefore, publication of high-quality, major RCTs represents a top priority for JAMA. JAMA has published a substantial number of major RCTs, including landmark trials that were immediately practice changing; major clinical trials with important practical application and implications; and innovative, cutting-edge trials that have advanced biomedical research. Although observational studies and systematic reviews also are extremely important and valuable sources of scientific and clinical information, RCTs will continue to receive the highest consideration for publication. For authors of RCTs, JAMA offers the advantages of large circulation (print circulation of more than 350 000), extensive reach (approximately 2 million Web site page views per week), high impact factor (23.2), and short time to publication (median of 81 days from submission to acceptance, and 37 days from acceptance to publication). The Instructions for Authors published in this issue of JAMA includes detailed information about manuscript preparation and submission. Many aspects of these instructions are specific for clinical trials and should be helpful for authors preparing manuscripts reporting results of RCTs. Several important features related to RCTs deserve emphasis. First, as a condition of consideration for publication, JAMA requires that all RCTs must be registered in a public trials registry that is acceptable to the International CommitteeofMedical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and that requires the minimumregistrationdatasetasdescribedbytheICMJE.For JAMA, the acceptable trial registries include the following: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (http://www.anzctr .org.au); ClinicalTrials.gov (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov); ISRCTN Register (http://isrctn.org); the Nederlands Trial Register (http://www.trialregister.nl/trialreg/index.asp); and UMIN Clinical Trials Registry (http://www.umin.ac.jp/ctr). Clinical trials for which patient enrollment began after July 2005 should have been registered before the onset of patient enrollment. All clinical trials, regardless of when they were completed, must have been registered and these trials, as well as secondary analyses of the original trial data, must include the trial registration number in the abstract of the manuscript at the time of submission. JAMA’s requirement for trial registration differs somewhat from requirements for registration in the recently enacted Food and Drug Amendments Act of 2007; for instance, JAMA requires registration of all RCTs (except for phase 1 trials) that randomize human research participants to an intervention, not only those trials involving drugs or devices subject to provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Second,authorsofclinical trialsshouldfollowtheCONSORT guidelines for reporting RCT results, including submitting a detailed patient flow diagram. For efficacy trials, the primary results should be presented based on intention-to-treat analysis, including and accounting for all randomized patients in the analysis, and if necessary, using appropriate methods toaccount formissingdata (suchas imputationmethods,baseline values carried forward, etc). Other analyses, such as “completers” or “per-protocol” analyses, may be reported, but the intention-to-treat analysis generally should be reported as the primary analysis. In addition, authors are encouraged to submit protocols of RCTs along with their manuscripts. Third, for all RCTs, data analysis must be conducted by an academic statistician. For industry-sponsored RCTs in which the data analysis is conducted only by statisticians employed by a company sponsoring the research, JAMA requires that a statistical analysis also be conducted by an independent statistician at an academic institution, such as a medical school, academic medical center, or government research institute, that has oversight over the person conducting the analysis and that is independent of the commercial sponsor. The independent statistician should review the study protocol and determine the appropriateness of the prespecified data analysis plan, should receive the entire raw data set, and should conduct an independent data analysis; the results of the independent analysis should be the results reported in the manuscript.

Is sport becoming too commercialised? The Houston Astros' public relations crisis

Throughout sport, the incidence of commercial sponsorship is increasing and shows no signs of slowing. This case study examines the negative consequences that can arise when a corporate stadium naming rights partner (Enron) becomes embroiled in financial and ethical controversies and how its collapse affected the team that uses the stadium for its home games (Major League Baseball's Houston Astros). It examines public relations strategies and tactics the Astros used to disassociate themselves from Enron and to recapture public support.