Validation of the Trade Policy Sports (TP-SPORTS) instrument for the analysis of the commercial policy of sports centres and clubs

. Sport has experienced a huge evolution through the years, which is directly reflected on an increase in the population en-gaged in sport, as well as in the supply of sport facilities. In increasingly competitive markets, excellence in the provision of services plays a decisive role. Despite the importance of this subject, no studies have been found that evaluate the management of the commercial policy of sport centres and clubs and consequently no valid instruments have been found for this purpose. Therefore, the objective of the present research is to validate the TP-SPORTS instrument: a record sheet structured in eight dimensions and ninety variables that allows the analysis of the management of the commercial policy of sports centres and clubs. In order to validate it, an expert judgment assessment, inter and intrapersonal evaluation using Cohen’s kappa test and a pilot test with 150 students of the Physical Activity and Sport Sciences degree have been used. In view of the above, it can be concluded that TP-SPORTS instrument proves to be an innovative and valid tool for the analysis of the commercial policy of sports centres and clubs in our country.


Introduction and justification
Sport has undergone a great evolution over the last few years. The municipal elections of April 3, 1979 were a decisive moment in this important process of change and from that moment on, a process of implementation of democratic and participatory instruments began, which led to the development of social policies and the construction of sports facilities (Pujadas, 2010). This evolution was directly manifested in two fundamental aspects: i) an increase in the practicing population and ii) an increase in the number of sports facilities for the practice of sports by the population (Clavel, García, Iglesias, Gallardo & Felipe, 2019). In this sense, it should be mentioned that the exponential increase in the number of sports facilities directly led to an increase in the supply of places where the population could practice sports; in other words, an increase competition in the sector.

Validation of the Trade Policy Sports (TP-SPORTS) instrument for the analysis of the commercial policy of sports centres and clubs Validación del instrumento Trade Policy Sports (TP-SPORTS) para el análisis de la política comercial de los centros y clubs deportivos *Berta Benito Colio, **Francesc Solanellas Donato
In relation to the management of sports entities, it should be mentioned that they are becoming increasingly competitive, so it is essential to be able to differentiate themselves from the competition. According to Porter (2009) there are three generic ways to achieve a competitive, profitable and sustainable positioning: i) the competitive advantage of differentiation, ii) that of the cost leader and iii) specialization. In the sports sector, the management of the commercial policy of its services is a strategic element of differentiation. In other words, for sports organizations, improving the practice and delivery process of the service they offer is an essential element for their success in the market. Westreicher (2021) defines the concept of commercial policy (CP) as "those decisions made by the organization with the aim of achieving its sales objectives and consolidating its business. These policies refer to the setting or determination of prices, product distribution, advertising and promotion or communication strategies, among others". More specifically, Castillo (2014) points out that the concept of commercial policy is made up of four variables, commonly known as the 4Ps of marketing, or marketing mix: i) Product, ii) Price, iii) Promotion and -105 - Retos, número 46 · 2022 (3º trimestre) tion and recording instruments adapted to the needs of our study. In order to carry out such observation, and to fulfil the aforementioned objective, the TP-SPORTS record sheet was designed. This record sheet was designed to be a functional and practical instrument, adjustable to the complexity of reality. The total time devoted to its elaboration was nine months, and consisted of the steps shown below.

Initial phase: expert judgment
In this initial phase, a first draft of the record sheet was prepared based on other reference models in the sector such as those of Dorado (2006), Rial, et al., (2010), Elasri, et al., (2015 and Fanega (2016). Although they were investigations linked to the perception of the service offered, they served as a reference to contrast the typology of variables proposed. Likewise, the theory of the 4Ps of the marketing mix (McCarthy, 1960) and the 3Ps of the service sector (Chartered Institute of Marketing, 2009) were also the basis for its elaboration. Once the registration sheet was designed and the study variables and their possible responses were specified, it was submitted for evaluation by a group of six experts. The following criteria was taken into account for the formation of the group of experts: (i) having a link to the field of sports management, (ii) having more than 15 years of experience in the sector, and (iii) being able to deepen and contextualize their opinions and experience by relating them to scientific evidence. Likewise, their education, age, gender, educational level and profession were also taken into account. The experts were contacted by e-mail, to which they replied, providing the evaluations they considered appropriate, and on the basis of which the changes were made (see Table 1 for more information).

Procedural phase: inter and intrapersonal assessment
In this phase, inter-or intrapersonal reliability was assessed. For the first question, an observer other than the researcher was instructed in the use of the tool during three sessions of one hour each. Subsequently, in order to familiarize herself with it, she put the instrument into practice by analysing a sport facility and a club. The next step was to visit four randomly selected sport facilities and clubs. In parallel, the main researcher visited these same centres, on the same day and at a similar time, but separately. On the other hand, and with the aim of analysing intrapersonal reliability, the principal investigator visited six sports centres and clubs also chosen at random in a first phase. Ten calendar days were allowed to elapse and the main observer revisited these same centres on the same day of the week and time. The results of both procedures iv) Point of sale (McCarthy, 1960), and it is based on them that the planning of the strategies and actions of the commercial policy of the entity is carried out. In the case of sports services, due to their intrinsic characteristics, they present the singularities of intangibility, inseparability, non-perdurability and variability (Armstrong et al., 2011), which entails an extension of the 4Ps to the 7Ps -People, Process and Physical Evidence (Chartered Institute of Marketing, 2009). Each of these P's is made up of a multitude of variables that play a determining role in the commercial policy process. As Solanellas et al., (2019) point out, a sports service does not depend on itself, but on the interaction between a multiplicity of variables that affect both directly and indirectly the provision of the service offered, and their management is the key to success.
Several investigations tangentially address key aspects of the present research (Dorado, 2006;Rial, Varela, Rial, & Real, 2010;Elasri, Triadó, & Aparicio, 2015;Fanega, 2016) by analysing variables referring to product, price, place, promotion and perception such as personal attention, recommendation of the centre, fees, temperature, changing rooms, etc. These serve as a reference for the elaboration of the study instrument, although they are far from the objective of the present article, since the judgments of the service offered in these investigations are based on the client's expectations and perceptions through subjective analysis models, and not from the perspective of a potential client. Nuviala, Pérez, Morán and Falcón (2021), state that the increase in service models and their competitiveness has led sports managers to be more deliberately concerned with improving their service offerings. Despite the importance and need to study this topic, no research has been found that specifically analyses the management of the commercial policy of sports centres and clubs. For all these reasons, the present research topic, which is in permanent growth and especially in the last decade, is found in the need to deepen about the commercial policy of sports entities and more specifically of sports centres and clubs. Likewise, the knowledge of the information gathered may subsequently help us design alternative management strategies with the aim of improving their commercial policy. In this way, and with the intention of elucidating all of the above, the objective of this research is to validate an instrument that serves as a reference for analysing the management of the commercial policy of sports centres and clubs in order to subsequently contribute to the achievement of key indicators for improving it.

Material and method
As stated by Anguera et al. (2013) and Lozano (2014), observational methodology allows us to create observa-were analysed in order to determine inter-and intrapersonal reliability. For this purpose, Cohen's Kappa correlation index was calculated in both cases (see Table 2 and 3, respectively).

Final phase and pilot test
This final phase consisted of evaluating the experience of the previous phase and conducting a pilot test. To this end, 150 third-year students of the Physical Activity and Sports Sciences degree program at INEFC in Barcelona collaborated. Each student had to visit a randomly assigned sports centre or club and fill in the registration form. Previously, they were trained during a two-hour theoretical session about the objective of the research, what consisted of, how they should carry out the visit and how they should fill in the registration form. Based on the comments made by the students, some final changes were made, such as: marking the headings in bold, assigning numbers to the columns of the variable number of people attending to you, adding the answer of not available in the variable price segmentation criteria, etc. Table 1.

Experts evaluation of the TP-SPORTS registration sheet
Experts Topic Assessments Proposals were incorporated (or not) Expert 1, 2 and 5 Simplification variables -There is too much detail to the point that, perhaps, it is not possible to collect all the information shown on the record sheet.
-Establish a categorization according to importance (1,2,3) and assess whether those that are not so relevant could be deleted.
Due to the consensus of the experts in relation to this topic and its importance, it was decided to review the variables proposed and eliminate those that did not respond to the general objective established. Expert 5 Codification -The importance that the evaluation instrument be pre-coded, so that the observer has to write as little as possible.
-Use computer tools to avoid wasting the evaluator's time recording data after each visit.
It was an aspect that had already been contemplated, but it was decided to revisit it.
Expert 2, 4, 5 and 6 Incorporate variables -Incorporate an item that assesses whether the attendant tries to close the sale at the time of the visit.
-Incorporate variables such as air conditioning, odors, cleanliness, etc. in Ratings dimension.
-In the section on price segmentation and type of promotions, it would be convenient to include the option of family typology as a possible response.
-To include the question "Have you been registered in any other center?".
-To include a variable that contemplates the feelings and the feeling with the person who attends.
With the exception of the last proposal, the rest were considered to be interesting ideas to incorporate into the template.

Expert 2 Variables and theoretical framework
-If all the variables are linked to the theoretical framework, the objectives and the existing literature. That is, if they are directly linked to the theoretical concepts.
It was considered a very interesting reflection that was carried out in depth.
Expert 3 Intrapersonal validation -The evaluator conducts an intrapersonal test to practice and master the evaluation tool before starting the field work.
This was considered a very accurate assessment, which was put into practice before starting the field work. Experts 1, 2 and 4 Terminology -The concept of physical paper was changed to manuscript.
-Changed the question "How do you annotate information?" to "How do you annotate information?".
-Change the concept of typology to trademark.
-Add the word attention to the theoretical concept of trade policy.
In the first two cases, the assessments were accepted and the pertinent changes were made. However, for the last two proposals, the initial approach was considered to be the correct one and, therefore, no changes were made. Expert 1 and 4 Official rankings -The categorization according to the type of management is proposed to establish a different classification to the existing one, taking as a reference the existing literature.
-To carry out a survey with data from the Cens d'Equipaments Esportius de Catalunya (CEEC) to reconstruct the classification of the facility dimension item.
-The evaluation scales of the assessment section are based on the Likert system.
In all the cases discussed, the experts' assessments were accepted due to their high degree of reflection and importance. sheet is structured in the following eight dimensions: i) Facility data; ii) Visit I (preview); iii) Visit II (visit to the facility); iv) Prices; v) Ratings; vi) Post-visit; vii) Website and, finally, viii) Social networks (see Table 4). Each dimension was elaborated based on the 4 P's of the marketing mix (McCarthy, 1960), together with the 3 P's referred to the particular case of services (Chartered Institute of Marketing, 2009). The relationship established was as follows: i) Facility Data (Product and Point of Sale); ii) Visit I (Preview) and iii) Visit II (Facility Visit) (People and Processes); iv) Prices (Pricing); v) Ratings and vi) Post-visit (Physical Evidence); vii) Website and, finally, viii) Social Networks (Promotion). As a whole, the record sheet presents a total of 90 variables. The dimensions and sub-dimensions of the study are shown below (see Annex 1).
First, reference was made to dimension one (facility data), which aims to identify the general data and characteristics of the facilities. By way of example, some of the variables are: name, year of creation, connection with public transport, parking, signage, size of the facility, ownership, management regime, type of centre and facilities and services, etc.
Dimension two (visit I-previsit) refers to the set of situations that describe the initial attention received at the sport facilities. Some of the variables in this dimension are: total time, number of people at the reception desk, waiting time, manner and place of service, number of questions asked, etc.
Dimension three (visit II-visit facility) includes the set of situations that describe the attention received by the workers during the physical visit to the centre. Thus, some of these variables are the following: position of the persons attending, treatment by you, wearing a uniform, informing you of prices, offering to try the centre, asking if you have any doubts, overall assessment, etc.
Dimension four (prices) includes everything related to the price of the fees of sports centres and clubs, as well as the way in which personal data is taken in order to offer the best possible price. Some of the variables are: adult fee prices, price segmentation, universal fee prices, registration fees, discounts, promotions, personal information requested, how this information is recorded, documentation provided, etc.
Dimension five (evaluations) refers to the scores given by the observer to the set of elements that make up the management of the commercial policy of the sports centres and clubs. Some of the evaluations are about the general impression of the sports facility, about the service offered, the air conditioning, the smell, the cleanliness, etc.
Dimension six (post-visit) refers to the process after the potential customer leaves the centre and the centre contacts the customer again to recruit him/her as a subscriber.

Final design of the TP-SPORTS instrument
After all the steps mentioned above, the final design of the TP-SPORTS instrument was obtained. This record The variables included in this dimension are whether or not post-contact is made, how it is made, when, by means of what instrument and the type of information offered.
Dimension seven (website) refers to the set of aspects related to the website and the services it offers. By way of example, some of the variables are: whether or not there is a website, type of website, featured news, online registration, discounts and promotions, etc.
Finally, dimension eight (social networks) seeks to identify those aspects that identify the variables that describe the characteristics and use that sports centres and clubs make of social networks. Thus, some of the variables contemplated are the following: whether or not they have Facebook, number of followers, frequency of use, interaction of the last post, whether or not they have Twitter, number of followers, frequency of use, interaction of the last post, whether or not they have Instagram, number of followers, frequency of use, interaction of the last post and, finally, whether or not they have a blog and its frequency of use.

Results
All the experts replied to the e-mail, expressing their opinion regarding the record sheet and the changes it required. The contributions made by the six experts are shown below, grouped according to subject matter.
First, experts one, two and five felt that "there is too much detail to the point that, perhaps, it is not possible to collect all the information shown on the recording sheet". The researcher was asked if all the items were necessary and they suggested "establishing a categorization according to their importance (one, two and three) and assessing whether those that are not so relevant could be deleted". Linked to this idea of streamlining the instrument, expert five expressed "the importance of the evaluation instrument being pre-coded, so that the observer has to write as little as possible". However, this same expert proposed "using computerized tools to avoid wasting the evaluator's time recording data after each visit".
In contrast to the idea just discussed, some of the experts also proposed adding some variables. By way of example, expert six proposed "incorporating an item assessing whether the attendant tries to close the sale at the time of the visit". Expert five suggested "including variables such as air conditioning, odors, cleanliness, etc." in the evaluation section. Expert four suggested "adding in the section on price segmentation and type of promotions, it would be convenient to include the option of family typology as a possible answer", as well as the question "Have you been to any other center? Finally, expert two suggested assessing the "feeling and sentiment with the person who attends".
On the other hand, expert two also asked "if all the variables are linked to the theoretical framework, the objectives and the existing literature. That is, if they have any direct link to the theoretical concepts". Likewise, bearing in mind the complexity and length of the instrument, expert three made the following assessment: "the evaluator should carry out an intrapersonal test to put into practice and master the evaluation tool before starting the field work".
Another aspect highlighted by experts one, two and four was the fact of using some terms more precisely and/or clarifying what was to be observed. As an example, expert four stated that "the concept of physical paper was changed to manuscript". Similarly, expert six propo- The experts also stressed the importance of being precise with the terminology used in some of the variables and/or their responses for a better understanding. Thus, for example, they propose changing the concept of physical paper to that of manuscript or that of typology to that of trademark. In cases where these terminologies were better suited to the concept to be captured, it was considered important to incorporate these modifications due to the importance of using terms specific to the field, as indicated by the General Terminology Theory (TGT) Wüster (1998).
Another suggestion of great interest has been to take as a reference -and adapt to the specific case-the different classifications already existing by official entities (e.g.: PIEC). Likewise, the section on ratings has been modified by taking the Likert scale as a reference due to its suitability when measuring subjective ratings (Matas, 2018).
The experts also highlight the importance of the relationship between the theoretical framework proposed and the variables that make up the different variables, as well as with the objectives and hypotheses of the study to be carried out. As Heinemann (2003) explains, this relationship is particularly relevant to determine that the variables selected are the right ones. At this point, it is necessary to highlight the relationship established between the different dimensions and the theory of the marketing mix or 4P (Mc-Carthy, 1960), and more specifically the well-known 7P in the case of services (Chartered Institute of Marketing, 2009), due to their intrinsic characteristics, these present the singularities of intangibility, inseparability, non-perdurability and variability (Armstrong et al., 2011).
A reflection also shared by some experts is the incorporation of some responses for some of the variables on the recording sheet, which were not previously contemplated, as well as the coding of the responses. These evaluations are of great relevance, because although, as Heinemann (2003) points out, the most perfect coding can make up for the deficiencies that the instruments have, it can help them to be answered with greater agility.
To the best of our knowledge, we have not found a questionnaire, a record sheet or any other evaluation tool that deepens and allows us to analyse the management of the commercial policy of sports centres and clubs in our country, as the instrument proposed here does. For this reason, the present study aims to validate the TP-SPORTS record sheet, which is intended to be a sufficiently useful tool to be transferable to other research.
The most relevant limitation of the present research arises from not having found other studies that specifically analyse the management of the commercial policy of sports centres and clubs, and with which to compare and address issues related to it. Likewise, the length of the registration form may also be a limitation for other researchers who sed "changing the title of "How the information is written down?" to "How do they write down the information?". In contrast, expert one proposed "to change the concept of Typology to Trademark" and expert two "to add the word attention to the theoretical concept of trade policy".
Finally, experts one and four proposed establishing as a reference official categories to classify different aspects of the variables. Thus, expert one stated that "with respect to the categorization according to the type of management, it is proposed to establish a classification different from the existing one, taking the existing literature as a reference". Along the same lines, expert four expressed the importance of "carrying out a survey with data from the Cens d'Equipaments Esportius de Catalunya (CEEC) to reconstruct the classification of the item facility dimension". He also suggested "that the evaluation scales of the assessment section be based on the Likert scale".

Discusion
The aim of this research is to validate an instrument that serves as a reference to analyse the management of the commercial policy of sports centres and clubs in order to contribute to the achievement of variables for its improvement. There are several studies that tangentially address key aspects of the present research (Dorado, 2006;Rial, Varela, Rial, & Real, 2010;Elasri, Triadó, & Aparicio, 2015;Fanega, 2016). However, these are far from the main objective of the same, as they are based on customer expectations and their perceptions, and not from the vision of a potential customer. Likewise, Nuviala, Pérez, Morán & Falcón (2021) show the concern on the part of sports managers to improve their service offerings due to increased competition in the market. For all these reasons, there is a need to validate an instrument to analyse the commercial policy of sports centres and clubs. Thus, the TP-SPORTS instrument has been designed as an observation system adapted to analyse in detail the management of the commercial policy of sports centres and clubs.
A fact to be highlighted about the log sheet, which is reflected in some of the comments made by the specialists (experts one and five), is the large number of variables it contains. This is positive in that more information can be obtained from each of the facilities visited. However, it also makes it more difficult to remember all the elements to be observed. Therefore, as pointed out by Miles et al. (1984) and Anguera (1986), it is convenient to simplify the selected variables. At this point, the importance of carrying out an intrapersonal test beforehand is reinforced in order to be able to practice what information to collect before starting to use the recording sheet as a data collection instrument. wish to use it, either because of the time involved in filling it out, or because of the training and previous practice that it requires. Therefore, it is proposed that in future lines of research a shorter questionnaire could be developed, prioritizing the variables to be analysed. However, despite its length, there are no instruments that address this issue from such a broad prism as the instrument proposed here. Consequently, the analysis of the management of the commercial policy from the set of eight dimensions also makes it possible for this instrument to be applied to all types of sports centres and clubs.

Conclusions
As mentioned in the literature review section, no studies have been found that specifically analyse the management of the commercial policy of sports centres and clubs in our country. Consequently, no valid reference instruments have been found for this purpose. Thus, it is considered that research is needed to help compare and address issues related to the management of the commercial policy of sports centres and clubs, as well as to deepen it, providing information to the sports sector.
Based on this need, a record sheet (TP-SPORTS) has been developed, the elaboration and validation process of which is shown in this study. This instrument is intended to be a useful and reference tool for managers of different types of sports centres and clubs to analyse the management of the commercial policy of their centres, contributing to the achievement of key indicators in the improvement of the same. This instrument, from its eight dimensions, addresses with a broad perspective the different elements that make up the commercial policy.
Thus, it is considered that the TP-SPORTS record sheet can be a useful and valid tool for analysing the management of the commercial policy of sports centres and clubs in our country, and be transferable to other investigations that pursue the same or similar objectives to those set out in this study.