The Ultimate Fighting Championship And Cultural Viability Case Study Solution
Describe the Symptoms/causes of the Problem(s) in the case.
- What factors have led to or prompted the problem(s)?
The first factor was their wrong strategy of not making categories of players in terms of playing style and weight. The next is they don’t have any rules and regulation regarding the game. There were no time limits and there were no safety precautions. Secondly their marketing strategy was wrong,they marketed their product aiming violence, rage, blood and even death. Which lead to their earlier destruction as people started to raise their voice against this and which eventually resulted in banning of the UFC.
- How were these things addressed by the organization (and by management)?
Management of the organization knew all the reasons of failure before acquiring the company and they were on the same page while addressing to situation. Their goal was clear that this sport will not run until you add safety precautions and strict rules to it, which ensures the safety of players.
- If not addressed, what additional problems would have arisen?
If they would not have addressed the situation the sport would have never be a success again.As today’s world is more social the issues spread more quickly in today’s social world.People would have raged again against this violent game and even more strict actions would have been taken against the company.
Identify the major Problem.
- What is the overarching dilemma for the organization and/or management?
The overarching dilemma for the organization is the image of the sport itself. The sport was initially banned because of its violent nature. Even though Fertitta brother’s management have done everything to clean the previous bad image by introducing strict safety rules in the sport.Still it has not gained popularity outside America and few countries as people still feel fear about the violence in this sport.
- How did this problem arise? i.e. What factors contributed to this becoming a problem (i.e., business environment, internal organizational structure, management decisions, employee problems etc.)?
The problem started when the company initially started by Semaphore Entertainment Group’s owners, at that time their management did not cared about the safety of players which resulted in violence and physical injuries of players. The other factor was the wrong marketing strategy implemented by the management which aimed violence only.
Provide alternative solutions.
- How would you suggest that management overcomes these issues?
The management needs to work on the image of the game as only then it will create a positive image around the globe. They need to create awareness regarding the new rules and regulations which ensures the safety of players, time limits and stopping the game if a player needs medical assistance. Once people will feel that its safe game then they will surely turn their attention towards this sport. They need to organize more live events in different parts of the world and invite people to watch in cheap tickets.
- What solutions did they arrive at (if any)? How would you change and/or add to these?
Their approach to clean the image of sport and to promote the sport around the globe were impressive as firstly they introduced rules to the game which made the game safe for players. Then they tried to promote the game around the globe as they acquired many other similar sports in order to market their game in every part of the world like Strike force which was their biggest competitor, this gave them the competitive advantage over its competitors as it has now two fan bases. Then they acquired world extreme cage fighting and Pride fighting championship and many others to make their mark globally. Then they started to promote more on television and started shows regarding the UFC, they aired these fights live on televisions. The made social media applications to promote the sport in younger generation. They used Facebook, Instagram and twitter to give updates regarding UFC matches.
- How do their solutions match and/or correspond to the ones you have articulated?
I have proposed same solutions as which they have applied to promote this sport in more parts of the world. Using social media platform was the best decision as almost everyone in today’s world is on social media and are up to date with everything happens around the globe. Introduction of TV shows regarding UFC was another excellent decision by the management.
Recommend possible solutions and provide a complete rationale for all of your choices/decisions.
The need to put more emphasis on maintaining the positive image of this sport as only then it will create room for UFC around the globe. Because previously the game was banned because of its violent nature and hence it created a negative impact on viewers. So, by doing live UFC fights in different parts of world will create a positive impact and people will get to see that it’s not violent anymore. They need to create awareness regarding the new rules and regulations which ensures the safety of players, time limits and stopping the game if a player needs medical assistance. Once people will feel that its safe game then they will surely turn their attention towards this game.
Provide and action plan for implementation based on what you have already read or what we have discussed in class.
- If they already described the plan of action in the write-up, then just summarize the key points as they are listed below.
They already had an action plan to promote the sport around the globe as initially they started doing events in different parts of the world which were very successful and attracted a lot of people towards the sport. They did many television deals to promote the game globally. In 2010 they sold their 10 percent stake to an Abu-Dhabi based lived event company to promote UFC in Middle East region. They have selected three countries from which they think they can get maximum output. First up was China where already similar type of sports are being played and are popular, so it will not be difficult for them to attract people from China. Secondly the think India can be a good option as it has population over a billion. The Great khali, a wrestler from India has represented India at WWE, which is a great factor for convincing the viewers to like UFC as well. Martial arts is popular sport in South Korea as it will not be difficult for them to attract audience here.
What could management do in order to overcome the issues at hand?
The management needs to be proactive to overcome issues, they have to be ready for any situations and have to prepare alternatives even before the problem arises.
How would this plan enable them to do so?
All the previous failures of UFC were due to the wrong policies of the organization as they were not aware of the consequences and they suffered. But since the arrival of Fertitta brothers UFC is going in right direction their all plans and actions are for creating a positive image of the sports as they want players and audience to take it as a sports only. They have introduced new policies and safety precautions which wills surely make this sport better.
What costs would be incurred as a result?
The need heavy investment to recognize this sport globally as previously its image is not good and to clean that they have to spend heavily on live events, Video games, Paid Promotions and acquiring other sports.
Would these costs outweigh the benefits to the organization?
These costs will not outweigh the benefits to the organization as once it will be recognized globally then there is no one stopping them to achieve success............
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