Biography
Rebecca M. Achen, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of sport management in the School of Kinesiology and Recreation at Illinois State University. She graduated with her Ph.D. in sport management from the University of Kansas, where she also taught as a graduate teaching assistant. Prior to that, Rebecca received her master’s degree from Winona State University in Educational Leadership with an emphasis in sport management. Prior to going back to school for her Ph.D., she worked as a Resource Exchange Center account manager at the National Center for Drug Free Sport. She has many years of work experience in higher education administration and sport marketing and sales. Her research focuses on the effectiveness of social media as relationship marketing tools in professional sport. She also conducts research on participant sport, sport sponsorship, and effective teaching. She is passionate about health and fitness and is an avid runner.
Current Courses
370.001Administration Of Leisure Service Organizations
370.002Administration Of Leisure Service Organizations
466.001Marketing Of Sport And Recreation
466.002Marketing Of Sport And Recreation
467.001Advanced Topics In Sport Management
400.042Independent Study In Kinesiology & Recreation
497.002Introduction To Research Methodology
430.001The Sport Industry
430.002The Sport Industry
Teaching Interests & Areas
Sport management, marketing, event and facility planning and management, internships, career development, and leadership
Research Interests & Areas
Relationship marketing, social media marketing, sponsorship, marketing in fitness and participation sport, effective teaching, student career development, and experiential learning
Book, Chapter
Achen, R., & Abeza, G. Relationship Marketing and Social Media in Sport
Achen, R., & O'Reilly, N. Revenue Generation and Return on Investment from Social Media in Sport
Journal Article
Achen, R., Kaczorowski, J., Horsmann, T., & Ketzler, A. Comparing organizational content and fan interaction on Twitter and Facebook in United States professional sport.. Managing Sport & Leisure 25 (2020): 358-375.
Brauman, K., Achen, R., & Barnes, J. Perceived dietary quality and habits of collegiate student-athletes. Journal of Exercise and Nutrition 3.3 (2020): 1-8.
Havard, C., Achen, R., & Ryan, T. Female fans’ perceptions of and reactions to rival teams. Journal of Cultural Marketing Strategy 4.2 (2020): 1-13.
Achen, R., Warren, C., Fazzari, A., Jorich, H., & Thorne, K. Evaluating graduate student out-of-class learning: The professional field trip. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education 31 (2019): 96-107.
Achen, R. Re-examining a model for measuring Facebook interaction and relationship quality in professional sport. Sport, Business, and Management: An International Journal 9 (2019): 255-272.
Presentations
The Impact of Cognitive, Affective and Activational Social Media Engagement on Sport Consumer Behavior. American Marketing Association Summer Conference. (2020)
The Influence of Graduate Programs on Perceptions of Career Decision Self-Efficacy and Emotional Intelligence. North American Society for Sport Management Annual Conference. (2020)
Academic Panel. 2019 Midwest Digital Marketing Conference. (2019)
Expanding Measurement of Social Media in Sport: Cognitive, Affective, and Activational Dimensions. Annual Sport Marketing Association Conference. Sport Marketing Association. (2019)
From Survive to Thrive: A Roundtable Discussion on Supporting Female Sport Marketing Faculty as they Face Challenges in Academia. Sport Marketing Association Conference. (2019)
From Survive to Thrive: A Roundtable on Supporting Female Sport Marketing Faculty as they Face Challenges in Academia. Annual Sport Marketing Association Conference. Sport Marketing Association. (2019)
I "Like" It: Testing the Impact of Firm-Generated Social Media Content on Customer Engagement Behaviours. EMAC 48th Annual Conference. (2019)
I "Like" It: The Platforms, Media, and Message Content that Drive Sport Fans' Social Media Engagement. American Marketing Association Winter Conference. (2019)
A Qualitative Exploration of Social Media Strategy in the Fitness Industry. Annual Sport Marketing Association Conference. Sport Marketing Association. (2018)
Athletic Identity, Institutional Support Services, and Transition: An Analysis of Student-Athlete Perceptions and Implications. 2018 Illinois State University Research Symposium. (2018)
Grants & Contracts
Measuring the Use of Social Media to Build Relationships with Customers and Increase Retention, Exercise Frequency, and Group Identification. CAST. Illinois State University. (2020)
Cognitive, Affective, and Activational Aspects of Social Media Engagement: Testing the Consumer-Behavior Engagement Scale. CAST. Illinois State University. (2019)
2018-2019 Assessment Initiative Award. University Assessment Services. Illinois State University. (2018)
Why do I Like, Comment, and Share? A Mixed Method Exploration of Engagement Behavior on Facebook. CAST. Illinois State University. (2017)
An Analysis of Social Media Marketing Strategy during the Off-Season in United States Professional Sport. CAST. Illinois State University. (2016)
