Celebrity athletes have long been utilised by corporations as promoters and endorsers of sportspecific and non-sports products. Staggering amounts are spent annually on athletes in the hope of improving the financial bottom line; it was estimated that Nike alone spent over $1.4 billion in 2003-04 on celebrity endorsements. Methods of assessing endorsement vary in effectiveness. Ohanian (1991) successfully categorised 'source credibility' as a combination of perceived expertise, trustworthiness and physical attractiveness. Yet much corporate research still relies on Q-score ratings, which although popular and easy to assess, are problematic in many ways (Burton et al, 2001). Using some previously validated scales, a theoretical piece, the Celebrity-Hero Matrix (CHM) is introduced, tested and validated.

One of the dominant strategies currently used to address increased complexity in competitive business environments is to adopt technology at all levels of the enterprise. New media is a dimension of technology that is being adopted almost universally by sport enterprises worldwide. The purpose of this paper which is based on meta-analysis, secondary sources, technical reports and interviews, is to build on current knowledge related to sport new media to discuss: (1) new media technologies relevant to the sport industry and (2) considerations for developing and implementing sport new media projects. Within the complex global business environment, sport managers should be prepared to identify: (1) sport new media resources and technologies relevant to and appropriate for their enterprise and (2) benefits and potential opportunities offered by new media adoption.

The Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium seeks to foster quality information exchange between recreation, tourism, and resource managers and researchers throughout the Northeast. The forum provides opportunities for recreation and tourism research managers from different agencies, state, and government levels, as well as those in the private sector to discuss current issues, problems, and research applications in the field. Students and all those interested in continuing education in recreation and tourism management are particularly welcome. NERR 2003 STEERING COMMITTEE:Andy Abstract: This paper reports on a study of outdoor recreation preferences and behavior of 618 (non-Hispanic) White, 647 African American, and 346 Hispanic Americans in Cook County, Illinois. Respondents were contacted by a phone survey using random digit dialing and a quota for each group. Binary logistic regression models were estimated to explain the use of 19 sites in and near the Chicago Metropolitan Area and one distant site. These models are used to help explain the implications of demographic change for participation at individual recreation sites. Suggestions are made for improving subsequent modeling efforts aimed at explaining the use of recreation sites in and near Metropolitan areas.

Business, is intended to be an invaluable forum for exchange of scholarly ideas, practices, and policies in the field of entrepreneurship and small business management.The journal is currently seeking original contributions that have not been published or are under consideration elsewhere. The scope of the articles published in NEJE ranges from theoretical/conceptual to empirical research, with maximum relevance to practicing entrepreneurs. The journal tries to appeal to a broad range of audience, so articles submitted should be written in such a manner that those outside of academics would be able to comprehend and appreciate the content of the material. FormatPlease submit four typed copies of your article, on separate pages, include an abstract of the article (100 words maximum) and a biographical sketch of the author(s). A title page should precede the article and should list the name(s) of the author(s) as well as their full address (including phone and fax numbers and email address). Papers are to be double-spaced with one-inch margins. References should be included on separate pages at the end of the paper. Manuscripts should be no longer than 20 pages of text and 25 pages total, including abstract, text, tables or illustrations, notes and works cited. Please consult APA style guidelines for all formatting details. CopyrightThe copyright of published articles will belong to the publishers of NEJE Authors will be granted permission to reprint or otherwise use portions of their articles published in the journal upon written request. Review ProcessAll articles will be double blind refereed. Authors will receive reviewers' comments and the editors' publishing decision in approximately 90 days of submission.We hope you enjoy this issue of NEJE, and as always, we encourage your feedback and input.