RELEVANCE, DIRECTION AND CONTENT OF THE EDUCATIONAL COMPONENT “BUSINESS ORGANIZATION IN HEALTH FITNESS” IN THE TRAINING OF MASTER’S STUDENTS IN PHYSICAL CULTURE AND SPORTS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32782/spectrum/2025-4-4Keywords:
health fitness, entrepreneurial competencies, fitness industry, business organization, master’s trainingAbstract
The current development of the fitness industry necessitates training specialists who can combine professional expertise with entrepreneurial competencies aimed at achieving both a public health mission and economic efficiency. In Ukraine, only a limited number of academic courses comprehensively integrate marketing, law, economics, and service management in the health fitness field. Purpose: to substantiate the relevance, define the objectives, and outline the content of the educational component “Business Organization in Health Fitness” in the training of master’s students in physical culture and sports. Materials and Methods. The study was based on an analysis of scientific and informational sources, as well as a survey of master’s degree students majoring in “Physical Culture and Sports” (n=63) and active fitness personnel (n=70), conducted via Google Forms. Comparative analysis and descriptive statistics methods were applied. Results. The findings confirmed the interdisciplinary nature of the educational component and its importance for the educational and professional program “Fitness in the Wellness System” at the second (master’s) level of higher education in “Physical Culture and Sports.” The most in-demand topics included marketing, business planning, personnel management, legal aspects, investment attraction, and digital technologies (CRM, marketing automation, analytics). Respondents favored interactive teaching formats – business cases, role-playing, simulations, and mentoring. Key barriers to entrepreneurship were identified as insufficient start-up capital, limited client access, a lack of facilities and equipment, and inadequate governmental support. Conclusions. The proposed course model integrates practice-oriented methods, modules on financing, service management, digital marketing, and innovative strategies, along with institutional interaction in the “triple helix” format (HEI – business – government). Implementing this model is expected to enhance the entrepreneurial readiness of master’s students, foster the innovative development of the fitness business, and strengthen its socio-economic role in Ukraine. Future research should focus on evaluating the model’s effectiveness, adapting international experiences, and analyzing state support mechanisms for young entrepreneurs.
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