Why are major sports events trapped in the winner's curse? A case study of the 2017 World Road Cycling Championship

Author's accepted version (postprint).This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Emerald in Sport, Business and Management on 07/12/2021.Available online: https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/SBM-12-2020-0132/full/htmlPurpose – This paper sought to determine how a major sport event can become trapped in a winner’s curse, in which the fierce competition to host the event forces organisers to spend more on acquiring and hosting it than what it is worth in economic terms. Design/methodology/approach – This study used a combination of document analysis and 47 in-depth interviews with 51 individuals representing various private and public organisations involved in the implementation of the UCI 2017 Road Cycling World Championship. Snowball sampling and a semi-structured interview guide were used to ensure coverage of all relevant information. Findings – The organiser and the host municipal lacked the necessary experience with events of this size and character. Information from previous championships events was not transferred, and the municipality administration did not utilise experiences from hosting previous events. Limited financial resources prevented the organiser from hiring enough employees with the necessary competence. Lack of communication between the stakeholders who contributed in hosting the event reduced the quality of planning and preparations. A dubious culture and lack of seriousness within the Norwegian Cycling Federation, which was the owner of organising company, seemed to have been transferred to organiser. Originality/value – The research identifies some of the reasons why major sports events so often turns out to be more problematic than expected in economic terms, not only for the organiser but also for actors in the public sector in the host city. The novelty is that it goes into depth on the underlying reasons and the dynamic forces behind these problems.acceptedVersio

More Clouds on the Horizon? Polar Tourists' Weather Tolerances in the Context of Climate Change

This article examines high Arctic summer tourists’ weather perceptions and tolerances. Given that global warming strikes Arctic regions more forcefully than other parts of the world, an improved understanding of visitors’ weather perceptions and responses is imperative for tourism operations in these areas. Evidence from a survey in the Spitsbergen (Svalbard) archipelago shows that visitors are fairly tolerant with respect to present summer season weather conditions, although differences between motivational segments are revealed. Results demonstrate that weather elements such as wind and rather low temperatures have no significant impact on the tourists’ overall weather appreciation. Rather, there seems to be a clear dislike of weather elements reducing visibility. Projected climate changes indicate increased precipitation, which is likely to be accompanied by more days and nights with overcast skies. Given tourists’ aversion towards weather elements obstructing visual sensations, this may pose some challenges for tourism operators in Spitsbergen (Svalbard) and in other high Arctic destinations.More Clouds on the Horizon? Polar Tourists' Weather Tolerances in the Context of Climate ChangepublishedVersio

The flight is valuable regardless of the carbon tax scheme: A case study of Norwegian leisure air travelers

Various countries have introduced a carbon tax on air travel. Carbon taxation is controversial in that it may negatively influence tourism demand. Still, research investigating travelers' willingness to pay (WTP) such taxes is limited. This study explores Norwegian leisure air travelers’ willingness to pay higher carbon taxes than that already included in their ticket price, applying the contingent valuation (CV) method in an experimental design. The impact of eight hypothetical taxation schemes are tested to provide insight into how regulatory policies can be developed so as to improve acceptance for carbon taxes. Results show that Norwegian outbound tourists are ready to accept higher carbon taxes and that WTP is not strongly related to the taxation scheme. This suggests that there exists a scope for policymakers to implement more stringent taxation regimes on air travel than seen today.acceptedVersio

Moving Towards Electrification of Workers’ Transportation: Identifying Key Motives for the Adoption of Electric Vans

The large-scale diffusion of low-emission vehicles is required to increase the sustainability of the transport system. Statistics show strong and continued growth in the sales of electric and other low-emission vehicles in the passenger car market. The commercial market, however, has thus far been a different story, despite the fact that vans and other utility vehicles constitute an increasing share of total road traffic and emissions. The present study investigates the potential for increasing the adoption of electric vans (e-vans) among small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Data gathered in a web survey of 264 SME managers show that 25% of the managers expressed intentions to adopt e-vans within the next two years and another 27% within the next five years. Results from logistic regressions show that a combination of attributes related to the vehicle, the firm and the firm-environment relationships drives adoption intentions. Costs and vehicle reliability are typically important drivers of commercial vehicle purchases. E-vans, however, bring symbolic features into the decision process since they are seen as a measure to improve the green legitimacy of the enterprise. Various measures relevant to manufacturers/dealers and policy makers to stimulate the adoption of e-vans are discussed

Moving small crafts and services enterprises towards green mobility practices: The role of change agents

The uptake of electric vans in professional enterprises has been slow, and the interest in electric mobility is low compared to that of private consumers. To understand critical barriers, resistance, motivations and drivers we follow the implementation of e-vans (EVs) in crafts and services enterprises that have tried to replace some or all of their traditional vans with EVs. Based on a social practice approach we show how and why the new technology challenged existing work practices in the enterprises, and took hold in some enterprises while being rejected in others. We recognize the significant role of managers as “agents of practice change” in initiating changes and stabilizing social practice configurations. The findings add to the literature on social practice change and document critical factors for further implementation and use of e-vans in crafts and services enterprises

Smartphones, travel time-use, and attitudes to public transport services. Insights from an explorative study of urban dwellers in two Norwegian cities

The uptake of mobile media with internet connection has increased rapidly in almost every part of the world, and this has significantly changed how public transport passengers use their travel time. Studies have documented that use of mobile information and communication technologies (ICT) while traveling has the potential to enrich use of travel time and in some cases, strengthen positive attitudes towards public transport. The alternative hypothesis—that mobile communication technologies make travelers more critical and demanding, e.g., due to the risk of interference—has so far hardly been explored through empirical studies. Based on a web-based survey of travelers in two of the largest cities in Norway (Oslo and Trondheim), this paper investigates how use of smart devices are related to general attitudes toward public transportation services. A segmentation of travelers in three clusters based on their mobile use habits, shows that the most active group of mobile media users—a group of younger and middle-aged urban dwellers—were those who bore the most critical attitudes to the public transport services. In contrast, the groups that used their mobile phones rarely, or less actively, on their public transport trips were more satisfied. The findings suggests that a new generation of “equipped travelers” has developed expectations regarding their public transport journeys that service providers might have problems to fulfill in current times. Thus, there is a risk of the most active smartphone users developing negative attitudes to public transport if (or when) their experiences are not improved

Smartphones, travel time-use, and attitudes to public transport services. Insights from an explorative study of urban dwellers in two Norwegian cities

The uptake of mobile media with internet connection has increased rapidly in almost every part of the world, and this has significantly changed how public transport passengers use their travel time. Studies have documented that use of mobile information and communication technologies (ICT) while traveling has the potential to enrich use of travel time and in some cases, strengthen positive attitudes towards public transport. The alternative hypothesis—that mobile communication technologies make travelers more critical and demanding, e.g., due to the risk of interference—has so far hardly been explored through empirical studies. Based on a web-based survey of travelers in two of the largest cities in Norway (Oslo and Trondheim), this paper investigates how use of smart devices are related to general attitudes toward public transportation services. A segmentation of travelers in three clusters based on their mobile use habits, shows that the most active group of mobile media users—a group of younger and middle-aged urban dwellers—were those who bore the most critical attitudes to the public transport services. In contrast, the groups that used their mobile phones rarely, or less actively, on their public transport trips were more satisfied. The findings suggests that a new generation of “equipped travelers” has developed expectations regarding their public transport journeys that service providers might have problems to fulfill in current times. Thus, there is a risk of the most active smartphone users developing negative attitudes to public transport if (or when) their experiences are not improved

Internasjonale arrangementer – ingen automatisk gullgruve for vertsbyene: en casestudie av Sjakk-OL i Tromsø 2014

Store idrettsarrangement skaper ofte forventninger om økonomiske gevinster for vertsregionen. Forskning viser imidlertid at dette ofte ikke slår til, og at virkeligheten kan være annerledes enn de optimistiske anslagene som gjerne følger søknader om slike arrangement. Man overser ofte lekkasjer av midler og kapasitetsbegrensninger i den lokale økonomien, på samme tid som beregninger av etterspørselseffekter kan være i overkant positive. Formålet med denne artikkelen er å klargjøre noen misforståelser knyttet til beregning av økonomiske ringvirkninger av slike arrangement, og dermed skape et mer realistisk bilde av hvilke gevinster de kan skape for vertsbyene. Som case brukes den 41. Sjakkolympiaden som ble avholdt i Tromsø i august, 2014. Basert på regnskapsdata fra arrangøren, omsetningsstatistikk for reiselivsnæringene i regionen samt forbruksdata fra Innovasjon Norges turistundersøkelse, beregnes økonomiske virkninger av arrangementet og effekter av at det ordinære turistmarkedet ble fortrengt i arrangementsperioden. Analysene viser at de økonomiske virkningene fra Sjakk-OL avvek fra hva som er vanlig for internasjonale idrettsarrangement, hvor etterspørselen fra tilreisende tilskuere gjerne står for den viktigste tilførselen til regionen. Sjakk-OL tiltrakk seg få tilskuere, og de tilreisende la igjen lite penger i regionen. Det som berget arrangementet økonomisk var statstilskuddet fra Kulturdepartementet på 87 millioner kroner. Således kom mesteparten av tilførselen til Tromsø fra staten, ikke fra de tilreisende. Uten støtten fra Kulturdepartementet ville det regionaløkonomiske regnskapet sett langt verre ut

Moving Towards Electrification of Workers’ Transportation: Identifying Key Motives for the Adoption of Electric Vans

The large-scale diffusion of low-emission vehicles is required to increase the sustainability of the transport system. Statistics show strong and continued growth in the sales of electric and other low-emission vehicles in the passenger car market. The commercial market, however, has thus far been a different story, despite the fact that vans and other utility vehicles constitute an increasing share of total road traffic and emissions. The present study investigates the potential for increasing the adoption of electric vans (e-vans) among small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Data gathered in a web survey of 264 SME managers show that 25% of the managers expressed intentions to adopt e-vans within the next two years and another 27% within the next five years. Results from logistic regressions show that a combination of attributes related to the vehicle, the firm and the firm-environment relationships drives adoption intentions. Costs and vehicle reliability are typically important drivers of commercial vehicle purchases. E-vans, however, bring symbolic features into the decision process since they are seen as a measure to improve the green legitimacy of the enterprise. Various measures relevant to manufacturers/dealers and policy makers to stimulate the adoption of e-vans are discussed

More Clouds on the Horizon? Polar Tourists' Weather Tolerances in the Context of Climate Change

This article examines high Arctic summer tourists’ weather perceptions and tolerances. Given that global warming strikes Arctic regions more forcefully than other parts of the world, an improved understanding of visitors’ weather perceptions and responses is imperative for tourism operations in these areas. Evidence from a survey in the Spitsbergen (Svalbard) archipelago shows that visitors are fairly tolerant with respect to present summer season weather conditions, although differences between motivational segments are revealed. Results demonstrate that weather elements such as wind and rather low temperatures have no significant impact on the tourists’ overall weather appreciation. Rather, there seems to be a clear dislike of weather elements reducing visibility. Projected climate changes indicate increased precipitation, which is likely to be accompanied by more days and nights with overcast skies. Given tourists’ aversion towards weather elements obstructing visual sensations, this may pose some challenges for tourism operators in Spitsbergen (Svalbard) and in other high Arctic destinations