| The purpose of this thesis was to explore each component of the organizing committee-stakeholder relationship over time using a comparative case study of two large-scale sporting events---the 2001 Jeux de la Francophonie (Games of La Francophonie) and the 1999 Pan American Games.; An examination of the organizing committee provided details of its evolution and issues. The evolution of the organizing committee followed three operational modes: planning (bid phase, business plan, operational plan, divisional work packages), implementation (venue plans, Games time), and wrap-up (final report, legacy management) modes. The issues managed related to one of the following categories: politics, visibility, financial, organizing, relationships, operations, sport, infrastructure, human resources, media, interdependence, participation, and legacy. The issues managed depended on the organization's operational mode, on the organizing committee member's hierarchical level (top, middle or lower-level management) and role, and on the stakeholders. One specific issue examined in greater depth, image and identity management, illustrated how images and identities were constructed and managed based on the nature of the event, the context, and the individuals involved. An image-identity feedback loop occurred with stakeholders, where the media could act as a filter or transmitter of images and identities to and from the stakeholders. Verbal and symbolic communication strategies were used to manage the feedback loop.; An examination of organizing committee stakeholders resulted in the organizing committee's lower level staff (paid members) and volunteers (unpaid members), governments (municipal, provincial, federal), the community (residents, sponsors/businesses, schools, community groups), sport organizations (international, continental, national, provincial), the media (print, television, radio, internet), and the delegations (athletes, coaches, officials, support staff) comprising the list of stakeholders. This list, and stakeholders' salience levels, depended on the organizing committee member's hierarchical level.; Finally, an examination of the organizing committee-stakeholder relationship provided the trends in management strategies used by organizing committee members. The organizing committee moved from a proactive, to a reactive, to a proactive management approach as it moved from the planning to the implementation to the wrap-up mode. Besides time, decisions were also framed by the context and resources available. |
