1 An Examination Of Cultural Factors Influencing Pool Game Enthusiasts To Attend Professional Pool Events In Taiwan, Japan, and China DISSERTATION CHAIRPERSON: Dr. Akunna Winston COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Dr. Bijan Massrour Dr. Ali Abu-Rahma. Presented By Hsing-Tung Ho

2 Introduction Professional Pool games include Eight-ball, Nine- ball, Straight pool, and One -pocket Professional Pool game Competition Associations: World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA), the Asian Pocket Billiard Union (APBU), the World Confederation of Billiard Sports (WCBS)

3 Introduction As a result of increased economic growth in Taiwan, Japan and China, Professional Pool games have become a major form of sports entertainment. The rules of Professional Pool games are easy to understand, and there are no physical requirements for players.

4 Introduction This study investigates several factors that influence Pool fans in Taiwan, Japan, and China, to attend Professional Pool games.

5 Background of the Problem In Taiwan, Japan and China, the market share for Professional Pool is far behind those of other professional sports games. This study explores factors that influence Pool fans to attend Professional Pool games.

6 Statement of the Problem Inadequate number of participants Limited number of Corporate sponsors Limited television broadcasting rights Inadequate monetary compensation for players Inadequate funding for promoting organizations

7 Countries Include: Taiwan, Japan, and China

8 Importance of the Study The results of the study are important for Business Applications and Academic Research. There is no available marketing research data in Professional Pool

9 RESEARCH MODEL Factors Influencing pool fans in Taiwan, Japan, and China to Attend Professional Pool Games Demographics Factors Age Gender Income Religion Promotional Strategies Television Radio Print Media the Internet Mobile Advertising Word-of-Mouth Marketing Strategies Popularity of the sport Video Games Celebrity Spokes persons Ease of Ticket Purchase Ticket Price Cultural Impact Collectivism/ Individualism Food Service in the Stadium Reputation of the sport Loyalty to professional Pool player Competitive Events Local Domestic International Environmental Factors Government Policies Corporate Sponsorships Venue: Internal / External Professional Players ’ Attributes Gender Reputation Income Pool Fans Who Attend Professional Pool Games

10 Research Questions 1.What relationships exist between Pool fans who attend Professional Pool games, and various demographic variables in Taiwan, Japan, and China, including: 1.a. Age 1.b. Gender 1.c. Income 1.d.Religion

11 Research Questions 2. What relationships exist between Pool fans who attend Professional Pool games and various promotional strategy variables in Taiwan, Japan, and China, including: 2a. Television 2b. Radio 2c. Print Media 2d. The Internet 2e. Mobile Advertising 2f. Word-of-Mouth

12 Research Questions 3. What relationships exist between Pool fans who attend Professional Pool games and various marketing strategy variables in Taiwan, Japan, and China, including: 3a. Popularity of the sport 3b. Video games 3c. Celebrity spokespersons 3d. Ease of ticket purchase 3e. Ticket price

13 Research Questions Q4. What relationships exist between Pool fans who attend professional Pool games and the various cultural impacts in Taiwan, Japan, and China including? 4a. Collectivism/ Individualism 4b. Food Service in the Stadium 4c. Reputation of Pool games 4d. Loyalty to Professional Pool player

14 Research Questions 5. What relationships exist between Pool fans who attend Professional Pool games and various competition event variables in Taiwan, Japan, and China, including: 5a. Local events 5b. Domestic events 5c. International events

15 Research Questions 6. What relationships exist between Pool fans who attend Professional Pool games and various environmental factor variables in Taiwan, Japan, and China, including: 6a. Government policies 6b. Corporate sponsorships 6c. Venue: on site/off site

16 Research Questions 7. What relationships exist between Pool fans who attend Professional Pool games and various professional pool players’ attribute variables in Taiwan, Japan, and China, including: 7a. Player’s gender 7b. Player’s reputation 7c. Player’s income

17 Research Hypotheses Hypothesis 1 H1: There will be significant relationships between Pool fans who attend Professional Pool games and various demographic variables in Taiwan, Japan, and China, including: H1.a. Relationships between Age and Pool fans who attend Professional Pool games. H1.b. Differences among Gender and Pool fans who attend Professional Pool games. H1.c. Relationships between Income and Pool fans who attend Professional Pool games. H1.d. Differences among Religions and Pool fans who attend Professional Pool games.

18 Research Hypotheses Hypothesis 2 H2: There will be significant relationships between Pool fans who attend Professional Pool games and various Promotional strategy variables in Taiwan, Japan, and China, including: H2.a. Relationships between Television advertising and Pool fans who attend Professional Pool games. H2.b. Relationships between Radio advertising and Pool fans who attend Professional Pool games. H2.c. Relationships between Print Media and Pool fans who attend Professional Pool games. H2.d. Relationships between Internet and Pool fans who attend Professional Pool games. H2.e. Relationships between Mobile advertising and Pool fans who attend Professional Pool games. H2.f. Relationships between Word-of-mouth and Pool fans who attend Professional Pool games.

19 Research Hypotheses Hypothesis 3 There will be significant relationships between Pool fans who attend professional Pool games and various marketing strategies in Taiwan, Japan, and China including: H3a. There will be significant relationships between Pool fans who attend professional Pool games and the marketing strategy of Popularity of the Sport. H3b. There will be significant relationships between Pool fans who attend professional Pool games and the marketing strategy Video Games. H3c. There will be significant relationships between Pool fans who attend professional Pool games and the marketing strategy of Celebrity Spokesperson. H3d. There will be significant relationships between Pool fans who attend professional Pool games and the marketing strategy of the Ease of Ticket Purchase. H3e. There will be significant relationships between Pool fans who attend professional Pool games and the marketing strategy of Ticket Price.

20 Research Hypotheses Hypothesis 4 There will be significant relationship between Pool fans who attend professional Pool games and various cultural impact in Taiwan, Japan, and China including: H4a. There will be significant relationship between Pool fans who attend professional Pool games and individualism and collectivism. H4b. There will be significant relationship between Pool fans who attend professional Pool games and food service in the stadium. H4c. There will be significant relationships between Pool fans who attend professional Pool games and reputation of Pool games. H4d. There will be significant relationships between Pool fans who attend professional Pool games and loyalty to professional Pool player.

21 Research Hypotheses Hypothesis 5 There will be significant relationship between Pool fans who attend professional Pool games and various competition events in Taiwan, Japan, and China including: H5a. There will be significant relationships between Pool fans who attend professional Pool games and competition events of local events. H5b. There will be significant relationships between Pool fans who attend professional Pool games and competition events of domestic events. H5c. There will be significant relationships between Pool fans who attend professional Pool games and competition events of international events.

22 Research Hypotheses Hypothesis 6 There will be significant relationship between Pool fans who attend professional Pool games and various environmental factors in Taiwan, Japan, and China including: H6a. There will be significant relationships between Pool fans who attend professional Pool games and government policies. H6b. There will be significant relationships between Pool fans who attend professional Pool games and corporate sponsorship. H6c. There will be significant relationships between Pool fans who attend professional Pool games and the venue on site or off site.

23 Research Hypotheses Hypothesis 7 There will be significant relationship between Pool fans who attend professional Pool games and various player’s attributes in Taiwan, Japan, and China including: H7a. There will be significant relationships between Pool fans who attend professional Pool games and player attributes of gender. H7b. There will be significant relationships between Pool fans who attend professional Pool games and player attributes of reputation. H7c. There will be significant relationships between Pool fans who attend professional Pool games and player attributes of income.

24 Research Design The study design used a survey as the tool for data collection. The study included the use of descriptive Correlation Coefficient, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), and independent T-test, to measure the relationships and differences among Pool fans who attend Professional Pool games in Taiwan, Japan, and China.

25 Data Collection A questionnaire was used for data collection in the present study. There were three versions of the questionnaire, English, Japanese and Mandarin. The primary data in the present study was collected from 750 Pool fans, 250 from each country, Taiwan, Japan, and China.

26 Data Sources The primary data was collected with two versions of the questionnaire The method of sample selection was non- probability sampling. All prospective respondents were selected randomly in Pool rooms in the three countries.

27 Table 4.1 Response Rates from Taiwan, Japan, and China Number of Number of Numbers of Number of Response Questionnaires Expected Responses Useable Rate Responses Questionnaires Countries Taiwan % Japan % China % Total %

28 Table 4.2 Respondents’ Ages in Taiwan, Japan, and China Taiwan Japan China N=200 N=200 N=200 Age Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD Note: S.D. = Standard Deviation; N = Total Numbers of Respondents

29 Table 4.3 Gender of Respondents in Taiwan, Japan, and China Taiwan Japan China N=200 N=200 N=200 Gender Number Number Number Male Female Note: N = Total Number of Respondents

30 Table 4.4 Annual Income of Respondents in Taiwan, Japan, and China Taiwan N=200 Japan N=200 China N=200 Annual Income Mean S.D. Mean S.D. Mean S.D In US dollars 14, , , Note: S.D. = Standard Deviation; N = Total Number of Respondents

31 Table 4.5 Religion of Respondents in Taiwan, Japan and China Taiwan N=200 Japan N=200 China N=200 Religion Number Number Number Buddhism Shinto Christianity Islam Atheism Note: N = Total Number of Respondents

32 Inferential Statistics In this section, the researcher will discuss inferential statistics about the research questions and research hypotheses.

33 Table 4.6 Evaluating the Relationships Between Fans Who Attend Professional Pool Games, and Age, in Taiwan, Japan and China Age Correlation Coefficient Sig. (2-tailed) N Taiwan Japan China Total Note: Significance at.05 level; Sig = P value; N= number of responses

34 Table 4.7 Evaluating the Significance of Gender Differences Among Fans Who Attend Professional Pool Games in Taiwan, Japan and China Gender Independent T-Test Sig.(2-tailed) N Taiwan Japan China Total Note: Significance at.05 level; Sig = P value; N= number of responses

35 Table 4.8 Evaluating the Relationships Between Income and Fans Who Attend Professional Pool Games in Taiwan, Japan and China Income Correlation Sig. (2-tailed) N Coefficient Taiwan Japan China Total Note: Significance at.05 level; Sig = P value; N= number of responses

36 Table 4.9 Evaluating the Differences in Religion Among Pool Fans Who Attend Professional Pool Games in Taiwan, Japan and China ANOVA Religion Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig. Between Group Within Groups Total Note: Significance at.05 level; df = degree of freedom; Sig = P value F= result of ANOVA

37 Results in Table 4.6 to Table 4.9 indicated that the Hypothesis and Null Hypothesis should be accepted. Hypothesis: H2b: There is a difference between Gender and Pool fans who attend professional Pool games Null Hypothesis: H01a: There is no existing relationship between Age and Pool fans who attend professional Pool games in three countries. H01c: There is no existing relationship between Income and Pool fans who attend professional Pool games in three countries. H01d: There are no differences among Religions and Pool fans who attend professional Pool games in three countries.

38 Table 4.10 Evaluating Relationships Between Television Advertising, and Pool Fans Who Attend Professional Pool Games in Taiwan, Japan and China Television Correlation Sig. (2-tailed) N Coefficient Taiwan Japan China Total Note: Significance at.05 level; Sig = P value; N= number of responses Scale: 5 = Very important, 4 = Important, 3 = Neutral, 2 = Somewhat important, 1 = Not important at all

39 Table 4.11 Evaluating Relationships Between Radio Advertising, and Pool Fans Who Attend Professional Pool Games in Taiwan, Japan and China Radio Correlation Coefficient Sig. (2-tailed) N Taiwan Japan China Total Note: Significance at.05 level; Sig = P value; N= number of responses Scale: 5 = Very important, 4 = Important, 3 = Neutral, 2 = Somewhat important, 1 = Not important at all

40 Table 4.12 Evaluating Relationships Between Print Media, and Pool Fans Who Attend Professional Pool Games in Taiwan, Japan and China Print Media Correlation Coefficient Sig. (2-tailed) N Taiwan Japan China Total Note: Significance at.05 level; Sig = P value; N= number of responses, Scale: 5 = Very important, 4 = Important, 3 = Neutral, 2 = Somewhat important, 1 = Not important at all

41 Table 4.13 Evaluating Relationships Between the Internet, and Pool Fans Who Attend Professional Pool Games in Taiwan, Japan and China the Internet Correlation Coefficient Sig. (2-tailed) N Taiwan Japan China Total Note: Significance at.05 level; Sig = P value; N= number of responses Scale: 5 = Very important, 4 = Important, 3 = Neutral, 2 = Somewhat important, 1 = Not important at all

42 Table 4.14 Evaluating Relationships Between Mobile Advertising, and Pool Fans Who Attend Professional Pool Games in Taiwan, Japan and China Mobile Advertising Correlation Coefficient Sig. (2-tailed) N Taiwan Japan China Total Note: Significance at.05 level; Sig = P value; N= number of responses, Scale: 5 = Very important, 4 = Important, 3 = Neutral, 2 = Somewhat important, 1 = Not important at all

43 Table 4.15 Evaluating Relationships Between Word-of Mouth, and Pool Fans Who Attend Professional Pool Games in Taiwan, Japan and China World-of-Mouth Correlation Coefficient Sig. (2-tailed) N Taiwan Japan China Total Note: Significance at.05 level; Sig = P value; N= number of responses, Scale: 5 = Very important, 4 = Important, 3 = Neutral, 2 = Somewhat important, 1 = Not important at all

44 Results in table 4.10 to 4.15 indicated that the following hypotheses and null hypotheses should be accepted: Hypotheses H2a. There will be significant relationships between Pool fans who attend professional pool games and the various promotional strategies of Television. H2c. There will be significant relationships between Pool fans who attend professional pool games and the various promotional strategies of Print Media. H2e.There will be significant relationships between Pool fans who attend professional pool games and the various promotional strategies of Mobile Advertising. H2f. There will be significant relationships between Pool fans who attend professional pool games and the various promotional strategies of Word-of- Mouth. Null Hypotheses H02b. There will be no significant relationships between Pool fans who attend professional pool games and the various promotional strategies of Radio. H02d. There will be no significant relationships between Pool fans who attend professional pool games and the various promotional strategies of the Internet.

45 Table 4.16 Evaluating Relationship Between Popularity of Sport And Pool Fans Who Attend Professional Pool Games in Taiwan, Japan and China Popularity of the sport Correlation Coefficient Sig. (2-tailed) N Taiwan Japan China Total Note: Significance at.05 level; Sig = P value; N= number of response ; Scale: 5 = Very important, 4 = Important, 3 = Neutral, 2 = Somewhat important, 1 = Not important at all

46 Table 4.17 Evaluating Relationship Between Video Games And Pool Fans Who Attend Professional Pool Games in Taiwan, Japan and China Video Games Correlation Coefficient Sig. (2-tailed) N Taiwan Japan China Total Note: Significance at.05 level; Sig = P value; N= number of response ; Scale: 5 = Very important, 4 = Important, 3 = Neutral, 2 = Somewhat important, 1 = Not important at all

47 Table 4.18 Evaluating Relationship Between Celebrity of Spokesperson And Pool Fans Who Attend Professional Pool Games in Taiwan, Japan and China Celebrity of Spokesperson Correlation Coefficient Sig. (2-tailed) N Taiwan Japan China Total Note: Significance at.05 level; Sig = P value; N= number of response ; Scale: 5 = Very important, 4 = Important, 3 = Neutral, 2 = Somewhat important, 1 = Not important at all

48 Table 4.19 Evaluating Relationship Between Ease of Purchase Ticket And Pool Fans Who Attend Professional Pool Games in Taiwan, Japan and China Ease of Purchase Ticket Correlation Coefficient Sig. (2-tailed) N Taiwan Japan China Total Note: Significance at.05 level; Sig = P value; N= number of response ; Scale: 5 = Very important, 4 = Important, 3 = Neutral, 2 = Somewhat important, 1 = Not important at all

49 Table 4.20 Evaluating Relationship Between Ticket Price And Pool Fans Who Attend Professional Pool Games in Taiwan, Japan and China Price Correlation Coefficient Sig. (2-tailed) N Taiwan Japan China Total Note: Significance at.05 level; Sig = P value; N= number of response Price= ticket price; Scale: 5 = Very important, 4 = Important, 3 = Neutral, 2 = Somewhat important, 1 = Not important at all

50 Base on table 4.16 to 4.20 the following hypothesis and null hypothesis should be accepted by level at 0.05 Hypothesis H3a. There will be significant relationships between pool fans who attend professional Pool games and various marketing strategies of popularity of the games. H3b. There will be significant relationships between pool fans who attend professional Pool games and various marketing strategies video games. H3e. There will be significant relationships between pool fans who attend professional pool games and various marketing strategies of ticket price. Null Hypothesis H30c. There will be no significant relationships between pool fans who attend professional Pool games and various marketing strategies of celebrity of spokesperson. H30d. There will be no significant relationships between pool fans who attend professional Pool games and various marketing strategies of easy of purchase.

51 Table 4.21 Evaluating Relationship Between Collectivism And Pool Fans Who Attend Professional Pool Games in Taiwan, Japan and China Collectivism Correlation Coefficient Sig. (2-tailed) N Taiwan Japan China Total Note: Significance at.05 level; Sig = P value; N= number of response ; Scale: 5 = Very important, 4 = Important, 3 = Neutral, 2 = Somewhat important, 1 = Not important at all

52 Table 4.22 Evaluating Relationship Between Food Service in the Stadium And Pool fans Who Attend Professional Pool Games in Taiwan, Japan and China Food Service Correlation Coefficient Sig. (2-tailed) N Taiwan Japan China Total Note: Significance at.05 level; Sig = P value; N= number of response FS= food service in the stadium; Scale: 5 = Very important, 4 = Important, 3 = Neutral, 2 = Somewhat important, 1 = Not important at all

53 Table 4.23 Evaluating Relationship Between Reputation of Pool Game and Pool Fans Who Attend Professional Pool Games in Taiwan, Japan and China Reputation Correlation Coefficient Sig. (2-tailed) N Taiwan Japan China Total Note: Significance at.05 level; Sig = P value; N= number of response R= reputation of Pool games; Scale: 5 = Very important, 4 = Important, 3 = Neutral, 2 = Somewhat important, 1 = Not important at all

54 Table 4.24 Evaluating Relationship Between Loyalty to Professional Pool player And Pool Fans Who Attend Professional Pool Games in Taiwan, Japan and China Loyalty Correlation Coefficient Sig. (2-tailed) N Taiwan Japan China Total Note: Significance at.05 level; Sig = P value; N= number of response Loyalty= Loyalty to Professional Pool player; Scale: 5 = Very important, 4 = Important, 3 = Neutral, 2 = Somewhat important, 1 = Not important at all

55 Base on Table 4.21 to 4.24 the following hypothesis and null hypothesis should be accepted Hypothesis H4a. There will be significant relationship between pool fans who attend professional pool games and the collectivism. H4c. There will be significant relationships between pool fans who attend professional pool games and reputation of Pool games. H4d. There will be significant relationships between pool fans who attend professional pool games and loyalty to professional Pool player. Null Hypothesis H40b. There will be no significant relationship between pool fans who attend professional pool games and food service in the stadium.

56 Table 4.25 Evaluating Relationships Between Local Games, and Pool Fans Who Attend Professional Pool Games in Taiwan, Japan, and China Local Games Correlation Coefficient Sig. (2-tailed) N Taiwan Japan China Total Note: Significance at.05 level; Sig = P value; N= number of responses Local= Local competitive events. Scale: 5 = Very important, 4 = Important, 3 = Neutral, 2 = Somewhat important, 1 = Not important at all

57 Table 4.26 Evaluating Relationships Between Domestic Games, and Pool Fans Who Attend Professional Pool Games in Taiwan, Japan, and China Domestic Games Correlation Coefficient Sig. (2-tailed) N Taiwan Japan China Total Note: Significance at.05 level; Sig = P value; N= number of responses D= domestic competitive events; Scale: 5 = Very important, 4 = Important, 3 = Neutral, 2 = Somewhat important, 1 = Not important at all

58 Table 4.27 Evaluating Relationships Between International Games, and Pool Fans Who Attend Professional Pool Games in Taiwan, Japan, and China International Correlation Coefficient Sig. (2-tailed) N Games Taiwan Japan China Total Note: Significance at.05 level; Sig = P value; N= number of responses International= international competitive events; Scale: 5 = Very important, 4 = Important, 3 = Neutral, 2 = Somewhat important, 1 = Not important at all

59 Table 4.25 to Table 4.27 indicated that the following hypotheses and null hypotheses should be accepted at significance 0.05 level. Hypotheses H5b. There will be significant relationships between Pool fans who attend professional Pool games and Domestic Competition Events. H5c. There will be significant relationships between Pool fans who attend professional Pool games and International Competition Events. Null Hypotheses H50a. There will be no significant relationships between Pool fans who attend professional Pool games and Local Competition Events.

60 Table 4.28 Evaluating Relationships Between Government Policies, and Pool Fans Who Attend Professional Pool Games in Taiwan, Japan, and China Government Correlation Coefficient Sig. (2-tailed) N Taiwan Japan China Total Note: Significance at.05 level; Sig = P value; N= number of responses G= government policy; Scale: 5 = Very important, 4 = Important, 3 = Neutral, 2 = Somewhat important, 1 = Not important at all

61 Table 4.29 Evaluating Relationships Between Corporate Sponsorships, and Pool Fans Who Attend Professional Pool Games in Taiwan, Japan, and China Corporate Correlation Coefficient Sig. (2-tailed) N Taiwan Japan China Total Note: Significance at.05 level; Sig = P value; N= number of responses Corporate= corporate sponsorship; Scale: 5 = Very important, 4 = Important, 3 = Neutral, 2 = Somewhat important, 1 = Not important at all

62 Table 4.30 Evaluating Relationships Between Venue, and Pool Fans Who Attend Professional Pool Games in Taiwan, Japan, and China Venue Correlation Coefficient Sig. (2-tailed) N Taiwan Japan China Total Note: Significance at.05 level; Sig = P value; N= number of responses V= venue: on site / off site ;Scale: 5 = Very important, 4 = Important, 3 = Neutral, 2 = Somewhat important, 1 = Not important at all

63 Based on Tables to 4.30, the following hypotheses should be accepted. Hypotheses H6a. There will be significant relationships between Pool fans who attend professional Pool games and Government Policies. H6b. There will be significant relationships between Pool fans who attend Professional Pool games and Corporate Sponsorship. H6c. There will be significant relationships between Pool fans who attend professional Pool games and the Venue, on site or off site.

64 Table 4.31 Evaluating Relationships Between Gender of Players, and Pool Fans Who Attend Professional Pool Games In Taiwan, Japan, and China Gender Correlation Coefficient Sig. (2-tailed) N Taiwan Japan China Total Note: Significance at.05 level; Sig = P value; N= number of responses ; Scale: 5 = Very important, 4 = Important, 3 = Neutral, 2 = Somewhat important, 1 = Not important at all

65 Table 4.32 Evaluating Relationships Between the Reputation of Players, and Pool Fans Who Attend Professional Pool Games in Taiwan, Japan, and China Reputation Correlation Coefficient Sig. (2-tailed) N Taiwan Japan China Total Note: Significance at.05 level; Sig = p value; N= number of responses ; Scale: 5 = Very important, 4 = Important, 3 = Neutral, 2 = Somewhat important, 1 = Not important at all

66 Table 4.33 Evaluating Relationships Between Income of Players, and Pool Fans Who Attend Professional Pool Games in Taiwan, Japan, and China Income Correlation Coefficient Sig. (2-tailed) N Taiwan Japan China Total Note: Significance at.05 level; Sig = p value; N= number of responses ; Scale: 5 = Very important, 4 = Important, 3 = Neutral, 2 = Somewhat important, 1 = Not important at all

67 Tables 4.31 to 4.33 indicated that the following hypotheses and null hypotheses should be accepted. Hypotheses H7b. There will be significant relationships between Pool fans who attend professional Pool games and various player attributes, specifically Reputation. Null Hypotheses H70a. There will be no significant relationships between Pool fans who attend professional Pool games and various player attributes, specifically Gender. H70c. There will be no significant relationships between Pool fans who attend professional Pool games and various player attributes, specifically Income.

68 Discussion of Research Findings Taiwan has the most female Pool fans among the three countries. In Taiwan, Japan, and China, Television is the main source of delivering information to Pool fans.

69 Discussion of Research Findings In Taiwan, Japan, and China, respondents indicated that Print Media, influenced their decisions to attend professional Pool games. The Internet was not an effective source of information for Pool.

70 Discussion of Research Findings Mobile Advertising is the most effective method to attract Pool fans because buses, trains, and the subway system, are the major means of transportation in Taiwan, China, and Japan. Word-of Mouth is also an effective promotional strategy in the three countries.

71 Discussion of Research Findings Pool games are most popular in Taiwan, and least popular in Japan. Pool fans in Taiwan and Japan are more influenced by Video Games, to attend professional Pool events, than Pool fans in China.

72 Discussion of Research Findings Respondents in Taiwan indicated that Celebrity Spokespersons were very important, and influenced their decisions to attend professional pool games. Respondents in Taiwan, Japan, and China indicated that the Ticket Price was very important, and influenced their decisions to attend professional Pool games.

73 Discussion of Research Findings Respondents in Japan and Taiwan exhibited strong collectivism, and were influenced by their peers to attend professional Pool games. Respondents in China did not exhibit collectivism, and were not influenced by their peers to attend professional Pool games. Respondents in Japan responded at a significant level of 0.05 that food service influenced their decisions to attend professional Pool games.

74 Discussion of Research Findings Respondents in Japan were more influenced by the Reputation of the games, to attend professional Pool games than respondents in Taiwan and China. Respondents in Taiwan, Japan, and China indicated that Loyalty to the professional Pool player influenced their decision to attend professional Pool games.

75 Discussion of Research Findings Respondents in China and Japan preferred to attend Domestic Pool events than respondents in Taiwan. Respondents in Taiwan, China, and Japan indicated that International Competitive Pool events were very important, and influenced their decisions to attend professional Pool games.

76 Discussion of Research Findings Respondents in China and Japan were more influenced by Government Policies to attend professional Pool games, than respondents in Taiwan. Respondents in Taiwan, China, and Japan were influenced by Corporate Sponsorships, to attend professional Pool games.

77 Discussion of Research Findings In relationship to Venue: 60.5 percent of respondents in Taiwan, and 46.5 percent of respondents in China, valued Available Parking space percent of respondents in Japan valued Convenient Transportation.

78 Discussion of Research Findings Respondents in Taiwan, China, and Japan were influenced by the Reputation of the Pool player, to attend professional Pool games.

79 Discussion of Findings Related to Literature Review Wann, Waddill, and Dunham (2004) wrote that males were more likely to be involved in the sports fan phenomenon than were females. Shank and Beasley (1998) inferred that sports fans’ sports involvement and sports-related behaviors were related to viewing sports on television.

80 Discussion of Findings Related to Literature Review Shank and Beasley (1998) commented that sports involvement and sports-related behavior, including magazine and newspaper readership, have relationships. Evans and Smith (2004) considered the lack of an official Internet marketing strategy to represent a significant weakness for an organization.

81 Discussion of Findings Related to Literature Review Swanson, Gwinner, Larson, and Janda (2003) wrote that positive word-of-mouth advertising would promote higher levels of attendance, and this would cause fans increased team identification. Ferreira and Armstrong (2004) declared that the popularity of a sport is one of the factors influencing college students to attend sport events.

82 Discussion of Findings Related to Literature Review Hansen and Gauthier (1989) noted that the ticket price has a positive relationship with professional sports league attendance. Thomas and Dyall (1999) added that styles and patterns of sports involvement vary across cultures; sometimes the sports association of different countries must modify or adapt to fit a particular cultural setting.

83 Discussion of Findings Related to Literature Review Peyrot and Doren (1994) noted that consumer attitudes are complex, and loyalty has a positive relationship with attendance Laverie (2000) stated that situation involvement will affect sports fans’ satisfaction and relate to attendance.

84 Discussion of Findings Related to Literature Review Hansen and Gauthier (1989) found that the professional sports star player or sports performance record had a positive relationship with fan attendance. Dick (2000), focusing on the National Basketball Association, found that a team’s promotion of a star player was one effective factor that could increase home game attendance in late 1990s.

85 Concluding Statement Demographic, Cultural, and Environmental factors, Promotional and Marketing strategies, Competitive events, and Professional attributes, influence Pool fans positively or negatively, to attend professional Pool games in Taiwan, Japan, and China.

86 Recommendations for Future Study Future research could investigate more cities in Taiwan, Japan or China. Future research may also include cities in other Asian countries.

87 Recommendations for Future Study Future research may target a specific group, such as college students. Future research may focus on other age groups.

88 Recommendations for Future Study Future research can measure the effects of the economy on attendance to professional Pool games.

89 Questions? Thank you very much!