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Persons with childhood-onset disabilities are among the most marginalized populations, often unemployed or underemployment in jobs providing neither adequate hours for financial self-sufficiency nor fulfillment through skill-utilization. The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which social capital in the form of strong ties with family and friends is associated with enhanced employment outcomes for persons with childhood-onset disabilities.

Questioning the current theoretical consensus that strong social ties are unimportant to employment quality, the authors draw on disability research and opportunity, motivation and ability social capital theory to propose a model of the impact of strong ties with family and friends on paid-work-hours and skill-utilization as well as the potential moderating role of gender and disability severity. The authors then test this model using data from 1,380 people with childhood-onset disabilities and OLS regression analysis.

As theorized, family-of-origin-size is positively associated with hours worked. Family-of-origin-size is also associated with having more close friends and children. These strong ties, in turn, are positively associated with hours worked. The impact of having more children on hours worked and skill-utilization, however, is positive for men but non-significant for women.

This study breaks new ground by focusing on the association between strong ties with family and friends and employment quality for people with childhood-onset disabilities – a marginalized and understudied group. Findings further indicate the particular vulnerability of women with disabilities.

Employers' lack of understanding of neurodiversity, coupled with a mismatch between job skills and workplace demands, contributes to this employment gap. In response to these challenges, neurodiverse individuals often consider entrepreneurship, with research indicating a propensity for entrepreneurial alertness and innovative benefits within the neurodiverse population.

Applying a strategic management lens, this chapter argued that neurodiverse entrepreneurs should adopt a strategic approach to enhance the success of their ventures. It introduced propositions emphasizing the importance of strategic management, strategic positioning, and various drivers such as formalization, entrepreneurial venture size, strategic level, industrial type, organizational leadership, and the strategic positioning implementation mix.

The strategic position was highlighted as a crucial aspect for neurodiverse entrepreneurs, advocating for the adoption of a strategic positioning mindset to navigate uncertain environments. Specific propositions suggest that strategic positioning can lead to enhanced financial wealth, personal satisfaction, and individual strengths among neurodiverse entrepreneurs. Additionally, this chapter explored strategic positioning drivers such as formalization, entrepreneurial venture size, strategic level, industrial type, organizational leadership, and the strategic positioning implementation mix.

In conclusion, this chapter highlighted the importance of strategic positioning for neurodiverse entrepreneurs seeking success in the competitive business landscape. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed, emphasizing the need for further research on factors contributing to a strategic mindset and metrics for monitoring the effectiveness of strategically positioned enterprises. Overall, adopting a strategic approach can empower neurodiverse entrepreneurs to overcome barriers, legitimize their businesses, and increase their chances of entrepreneurial success.

Examines the effects of organizational characteristics, philosophical support, and substantive human resource management (HRM) programs on promoting gender equality within sport management. A questionnaire was developed to collect data on philosophical support and HRM practices within sport organizations and sent to 500 collegiate and professional sport organizations in the USA; 196 respondents (39 per cent) returned their completed survey forms. Findings indicated significant confirmatory paths between experiencing a gender discrimination lawsuit and philosophical support (t = –3.14, p < 0.05), philosophical support and substantive HRM programs (t = 9.56, p < 0.05) and philosophical support and representation of female managers (t = 2.36, p < 0.05). Concludes that philosophical support of top managers leads to the development of substantive HRM programs to promote gender equality in sport management and greater female manager representation.

The purpose of this paper is to offer a reflection of contributions made by the paper “Women in sport management: advancing the representation through HRM structures.”

The approach the paper took in preparing this reflection was to offer the recollections as why the study was initiated and the significance it has had since being in print.

In this paper, four key outcomes of the original study are identified and discussed. They are that women rated their leaders as significantly less committed to gender equity than men did; that experiencing a gender equity lawsuit increased top management's philosophical support of gender equity, that top management support for gender equity is significantly positively associated with both substantive human resource management (HRM) practices and the percentage of female managers in the organization; and that the presence of substantive HRM practices for gender equity is unrelated to the employment of female sport managers.

The paper offers insight on the significance of the original paper and communicates the importance of further practical and scholarly efforts to increase gender equity within management.

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether the different employment statuses of under‐employment, temporary employment, unemployment and non‐participation in the labor force are associated with perceived well‐being among persons with disabilities.

The authors used data from the 2006 Participation and Activity Limitation Survey (PALS) conducted by Statistics Canada to develop six categories of employment status. OLS regression analysis was used for hypothesis testing.

Findings indicated that fully utilized permanent employees show the highest level of life satisfaction while unemployed persons searching for work have the lowest levels of life satisfaction and the highest levels of perceived workplace discrimination. Permanent employees whose skills are greatly underutilized show the second‐lowest level of life satisfaction and equally high perceived workplace discrimination as unemployed persons. Non‐participants in the labor force show life satisfaction levels similar to those of permanent moderately underutilized employees as well as temporary employees, but report relatively little workplace discrimination.

The study links vocational status to the psychological well‐being of persons with disabilities in a large representative sample covering the full spectrum of disability types and occupational statuses. As such, it validates conclusions from smaller studies examining single organizations or focusing on workers with specific types of disabilities.

This study aims to examine the effect of top management vision on top management support, practice, and the employment of managers with disabilities within the sport industry.

A questionnaire was developed to collect data on perception of top management vision, top management support, supportive practices, and representation of managers with disabilities in sport organizations and sent to 500 collegiate and professional sport organizations in the USA. In total, 196 respondents (39 percent) returned their completed survey forms, of which 190 forms were useable. Data were analyzed using path analysis.

The results indicated a significant path between supportive practices and the representation of managers with disabilities (β = 0.15, p < 0.05). Top management vision was also shown as a significant positive moderator of the relationship between top management support and supportive practices.

Results suggest that top management vision is an important addition to top management support for facilitating the implementation of supportive practices, which, in turn, increase the representation of persons with disabilities in managerial positions.

This is the first known empirical investigation examining the role of top management vision and top management support in creating managerial opportunities for persons with disabilities.

The purpose of this research paper is to examine the effect of gender openness on female student representation within sport management preparation programs.

A questionnaire was sent to 172 undergraduate and graduate sport management preparation programs within North America and 72 completed surveys were returned. These data were used to test confirmatory factor and structural equation models at the undergraduate (n=47) and graduate levels (n=47).

Results show that gender openness progresses sequentially and is an effect of programmatic size.

The primary limitation of this research investigation was the utilization of a cross‐sectional design given the topic sensitivity. Despite its cross‐sectional focus, the study offers important insight about gender openness and inclusion for female students within sport management education.

This study utilized a non‐standard approach by examining programs relative to gender openness in sequence as they relate to women in management education. This refreshed approach should be valued by scholars and practitioners alike.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of diversity programs on female student representation within sport management preparation programs. A questionnaire was sent to 172 undergraduate and graduate sport management preparation programs at the North American Society for Sport Management member institutions and 72 completed surveys were returned. These data were used to test a confirmatory path model at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Results show that diversity programs continue to be developed, and that diversity program leads to increase female student representation within undergraduate and graduate sport management preparation programs. Based on the findings of this study, student diversity programs are assisting to eradicate barriers for women in the sport management profession.