Hans Erik Næss | University of Oslo (original) (raw)

Papers by Hans Erik Næss

Research paper thumbnail of A figurational approach to soft power and sport events. The case of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™

Frontiers in sports and active living, Apr 6, 2023

Soft power' is a term often used to explain how states seek to be appealing and attractive to oth... more Soft power' is a term often used to explain how states seek to be appealing and attractive to others to increase their geopolitical influence instead of using military force or economic threats. As part of a soft power agenda, sport events showcase the values, culture and imagery of a host nation, and through that, ideally, attract investors, tourists and attention. But there are problems with the concept, especially when it is adopted by sport events where it is used as a metaphor, as a heuristic device, and a descriptor of current affairs, to name a few. In particular, the concept does not necessarily capture the accumulation of tit-for-tat strategies and bargaining in geopolitics where sport events are involved. In contrast, by using the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 TM as key example and drawing upon Norbert Elias' figurational sociology as source of theoretical refinement, this article discusses how soft power can become more precise as an analytical category in a context of sport and geopolitics.

Research paper thumbnail of A Model for Sport Management Innovation

In the previous six chapters we have explored Formula E’s innovation history by means of examples... more In the previous six chapters we have explored Formula E’s innovation history by means of examples, stories, outputs and sources. Based on an analysis of the findings and discussions, categorized into five types of sport innovation where we have drawn on the activities of Formula E, this final chapter theorizes some necessary conditions for sports organizations to be forward-thinking and introduces our model for sport management innovation.

Research paper thumbnail of Managing Commercial Innovation in Sport

Research paper thumbnail of Managing Technological Innovation in Sport

The promotion of the electric car as part of the solution to continued economic growth and improv... more The promotion of the electric car as part of the solution to continued economic growth and improved environmental sustainability forms the core of Formula E’s technological innovation strategy. In this chapter we therefore contextualize the emergence of electric cars in modern society where the car is laden with symbolic value to a variety of consumer groups. We then discuss, with BMW as main example, how the technologies promoted by Formula E are related to road-going cars and how the championship acts as a transfer mechanism between the race engineering laboratories and the urban mobility solutions in city areas.

Research paper thumbnail of The Long Winding Road: The Politics and Development of the World Rally Championship

Research paper thumbnail of The WRC’s Promotional Value

Palgrave Macmillan UK eBooks, 2014

Research paper thumbnail of A Sociology of the World Rally Championship

Palgrave Macmillan UK eBooks, 2014

Research paper thumbnail of Towards a Renewed Autonomy of Sport Governing Bodies

Research paper thumbnail of Neutrality: A Contested Concept

Research paper thumbnail of Introduction: The Changing Role of Sport Governing Bodies

Research paper thumbnail of The Future of Motorsports

Routledge eBooks, Apr 16, 2023

Research paper thumbnail of Toward a co-Creation framework for developing a green sports event brand: the case of the 2018 Zürich E Prix

Journal of Sport & Tourism

ABSTRACT This paper addresses the 2018 Zürich E Prix as a sport event brand and the city of Züric... more ABSTRACT This paper addresses the 2018 Zürich E Prix as a sport event brand and the city of Zürich as a key co-creator. We applied a conceptual and exploratory approach in a service-dominant logic (SDL) and co-creation perspective. Next to analysing the motor sport event and relevant documents related to the world championship, we interviewed a key informant representing the organising committee, which acted as the main co-creator. First, this paper offers a new understanding of the development of green sports event brands where a city plays a significant role. For instance, green city policy making, networking strategy and collaboration with stakeholders, logistical innovation, green event leadership, flexible management, and green social norms are areas, where a city can contribute substantially. The findings, supported by existing theory, are summarised in a conceptual model consisting of the green event support system and the formation of the green sports event brand. Further, based on relevant cross-disciplinary theories, the motor sport event case, information about the FIA Formula E world championship, and findings related to the strategic role of Zürich, we propose a co-creation framework consisting of four steps: (1) the strategy and support system: (2) the sports event experience; (3) the green sports event brand development; and (4) the event evaluation. This suggested framework for a green sports event brand serves as a guideline for developing a green sports event brand in a city new to the sports event tourism literature.

Research paper thumbnail of The Politics of Human Rights and Sustainable Development Goals

The Neutrality Paradox in Sport

Research paper thumbnail of 2020 and Beyond: In a Phase of Organisational Emulsion

A History of Organizational Change, 2020

Research paper thumbnail of Jason Dittmer: Popular Culture, Geopolitics, and Identity

Tidsskrift for samfunnsforskning, 2011

Research paper thumbnail of Innovation, Sustainability and Management in Motorsports

use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you g... more use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this book are included in the book's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the book's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.

Research paper thumbnail of Reaching Its Institutional Limits: 1981–1993

Research paper thumbnail of Heroes behind the Wheel

A Sociology of the World Rally Championship

The fifth promotional arena of the WRC is its catalogue of driver personalities. While it might s... more The fifth promotional arena of the WRC is its catalogue of driver personalities. While it might seem improper to treat drivers as ‘arenas’, the fact is that they are the public face of the entire WRC team. It is the drivers who are interviewed, praised and blamed, depending on how a rally or a season unfolds. They are the heroes — and they are accessible to the community as in no other motorsport. What’s more, in today’s promotional context, they are walking, talking symbols of the association between the sport and their financial backers and the manufacturer, and have the holders of thousands of jobs in the automotive industry, whose employment depends on them, breathing down their necks. To be successful publicists for themselves, the team and the sport, drivers thus need to resonate with the spectators, the team and the media — the entire community, in short.

Research paper thumbnail of The Sense of Place in Rallying

A Sociology of the World Rally Championship

Research paper thumbnail of Ecclestone out, Liberty Media in: A Look into the Shifting Ownership Structure of Formula One

Research paper thumbnail of A figurational approach to soft power and sport events. The case of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™

Frontiers in sports and active living, Apr 6, 2023

Soft power' is a term often used to explain how states seek to be appealing and attractive to oth... more Soft power' is a term often used to explain how states seek to be appealing and attractive to others to increase their geopolitical influence instead of using military force or economic threats. As part of a soft power agenda, sport events showcase the values, culture and imagery of a host nation, and through that, ideally, attract investors, tourists and attention. But there are problems with the concept, especially when it is adopted by sport events where it is used as a metaphor, as a heuristic device, and a descriptor of current affairs, to name a few. In particular, the concept does not necessarily capture the accumulation of tit-for-tat strategies and bargaining in geopolitics where sport events are involved. In contrast, by using the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 TM as key example and drawing upon Norbert Elias' figurational sociology as source of theoretical refinement, this article discusses how soft power can become more precise as an analytical category in a context of sport and geopolitics.

Research paper thumbnail of A Model for Sport Management Innovation

In the previous six chapters we have explored Formula E’s innovation history by means of examples... more In the previous six chapters we have explored Formula E’s innovation history by means of examples, stories, outputs and sources. Based on an analysis of the findings and discussions, categorized into five types of sport innovation where we have drawn on the activities of Formula E, this final chapter theorizes some necessary conditions for sports organizations to be forward-thinking and introduces our model for sport management innovation.

Research paper thumbnail of Managing Commercial Innovation in Sport

Research paper thumbnail of Managing Technological Innovation in Sport

The promotion of the electric car as part of the solution to continued economic growth and improv... more The promotion of the electric car as part of the solution to continued economic growth and improved environmental sustainability forms the core of Formula E’s technological innovation strategy. In this chapter we therefore contextualize the emergence of electric cars in modern society where the car is laden with symbolic value to a variety of consumer groups. We then discuss, with BMW as main example, how the technologies promoted by Formula E are related to road-going cars and how the championship acts as a transfer mechanism between the race engineering laboratories and the urban mobility solutions in city areas.

Research paper thumbnail of The Long Winding Road: The Politics and Development of the World Rally Championship

Research paper thumbnail of The WRC’s Promotional Value

Palgrave Macmillan UK eBooks, 2014

Research paper thumbnail of A Sociology of the World Rally Championship

Palgrave Macmillan UK eBooks, 2014

Research paper thumbnail of Towards a Renewed Autonomy of Sport Governing Bodies

Research paper thumbnail of Neutrality: A Contested Concept

Research paper thumbnail of Introduction: The Changing Role of Sport Governing Bodies

Research paper thumbnail of The Future of Motorsports

Routledge eBooks, Apr 16, 2023

Research paper thumbnail of Toward a co-Creation framework for developing a green sports event brand: the case of the 2018 Zürich E Prix

Journal of Sport & Tourism

ABSTRACT This paper addresses the 2018 Zürich E Prix as a sport event brand and the city of Züric... more ABSTRACT This paper addresses the 2018 Zürich E Prix as a sport event brand and the city of Zürich as a key co-creator. We applied a conceptual and exploratory approach in a service-dominant logic (SDL) and co-creation perspective. Next to analysing the motor sport event and relevant documents related to the world championship, we interviewed a key informant representing the organising committee, which acted as the main co-creator. First, this paper offers a new understanding of the development of green sports event brands where a city plays a significant role. For instance, green city policy making, networking strategy and collaboration with stakeholders, logistical innovation, green event leadership, flexible management, and green social norms are areas, where a city can contribute substantially. The findings, supported by existing theory, are summarised in a conceptual model consisting of the green event support system and the formation of the green sports event brand. Further, based on relevant cross-disciplinary theories, the motor sport event case, information about the FIA Formula E world championship, and findings related to the strategic role of Zürich, we propose a co-creation framework consisting of four steps: (1) the strategy and support system: (2) the sports event experience; (3) the green sports event brand development; and (4) the event evaluation. This suggested framework for a green sports event brand serves as a guideline for developing a green sports event brand in a city new to the sports event tourism literature.

Research paper thumbnail of The Politics of Human Rights and Sustainable Development Goals

The Neutrality Paradox in Sport

Research paper thumbnail of 2020 and Beyond: In a Phase of Organisational Emulsion

A History of Organizational Change, 2020

Research paper thumbnail of Jason Dittmer: Popular Culture, Geopolitics, and Identity

Tidsskrift for samfunnsforskning, 2011

Research paper thumbnail of Innovation, Sustainability and Management in Motorsports

use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you g... more use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this book are included in the book's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the book's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.

Research paper thumbnail of Reaching Its Institutional Limits: 1981–1993

Research paper thumbnail of Heroes behind the Wheel

A Sociology of the World Rally Championship

The fifth promotional arena of the WRC is its catalogue of driver personalities. While it might s... more The fifth promotional arena of the WRC is its catalogue of driver personalities. While it might seem improper to treat drivers as ‘arenas’, the fact is that they are the public face of the entire WRC team. It is the drivers who are interviewed, praised and blamed, depending on how a rally or a season unfolds. They are the heroes — and they are accessible to the community as in no other motorsport. What’s more, in today’s promotional context, they are walking, talking symbols of the association between the sport and their financial backers and the manufacturer, and have the holders of thousands of jobs in the automotive industry, whose employment depends on them, breathing down their necks. To be successful publicists for themselves, the team and the sport, drivers thus need to resonate with the spectators, the team and the media — the entire community, in short.

Research paper thumbnail of The Sense of Place in Rallying

A Sociology of the World Rally Championship

Research paper thumbnail of Ecclestone out, Liberty Media in: A Look into the Shifting Ownership Structure of Formula One