Chris Horbel

Professor Department of Sport and Social Sciences

Email: chrish@nih.no
Phone: +47 23 26 24 40

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Background and experience

Chris Horbel is Associate Professor of Sport Management at the Department of Sport and Social Sciences. She has joined NIH in September 2019. She teaches Event Management and Sport Marketing at both undergraduate and graduate levels.

Horbel has formerly been employed as research assistant and Assistant Professor at the University of Bayreuth, Germany and as Associate Professor at the University of Southern Denmark. She has also been a Visiting Researcher at Indiana University, Bloomington, US and the University of Hawaii at Manoa, US. She holds a PhD in Business Administration as well as a Postdoctoral Degree (Habilitation) from the University of Bayreuth in Germany.

Horbel focusses on sport marketing, especially in the context of sport events, sport sponsorship, fan behavior, social media in sport as well as digitalization. She has a special interest in the further conceptual development of value co-creation and resource integration in the context of sport. Furthermore, she is one of the founding members and co-leader of an International Research Network focusing on Sustainable Tourism Development in the Arctic.

Horbel is an Editorial Board Member of European Sport Management Quarterly, for which she also acts as Social Media Editor. She further serves as coordinator and main responsible for the PhD Seminar of the European Association for Sport Management. She has been special issue Guest Editor for European Sport Management Quarterly and regularly serves as ad-hoc reviewer for leading international journals in the fields of sport marketing, sport management and service research

Teaching

Sport Marketing, Event Management

Research

Sport Marketing and Sponsorship, Value Co-Creation, Sport Value Framework, Sustainable Tourism, Digitalization in Sport and Social Media, Fan Identification and Behavior, Relationship Marketing

Projects

The Doctoral Training Network in Sport Ethics and Integrity (DAiSI)

Wågan, Frida Austmo & Horbel, Chris (2025). En ny vinter? Klimarisiko og løsninger på klima- og miljøspørsmål i fremtidens vinteridrett. In Tjærandsen, Line Dverseth; Wågan, Frida Austmo & Tjønndal, Anne (Ed.), Grenseløs idrett. Cappelen Damm Akademisk. ISSN 9788202889357. p. 21–41. doi: https:/press.nordicopenaccess.no/cdf/catalog/view/263/1507/13923. Full text in Research Archive
Strittmatter, Anna-Maria; Horbel, Chris; Traberg, Josephine; Strömberg, Julius Zackarias; Bodemar, Gun Annika Viola & Grønkjær, Allan B. [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2024). Prioritization of the Sustainable Development Goals in the sustainability transition process of sport organizations: national strategies and sport managers’ perspectives. German Journal of Exercise and Sport Research. ISSN 2509-3142. 55, p. 94–103. doi: 10.1007/s12662-024-00985-z. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
This study explores the relevance, and applicability, of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in relation to Norwegian sport organizations’ sustainability transition. The following research questions guided the study: (1) How do National Sport Governing Bodies (NGBs) strategically address and prioritize SDGs and why? (2) How does the strategic prioritization of SDGs align with sport managers’ perspectives? (3) What does their prioritization of SDGs imply about the progress of sustainability transition within the Norwegian sports sector? The qualitative study is based on three interviews with directors in NGBs, document analysis of 11 strategy documents by six NGBs’ and essays produced by 82 sport managers representing the respective NGBs. Data analysis was informed by neo-institutional theory and the waves of sustainability transition framework. In our sample, spanning a diverse range of sports, we observed that 10 different SDGs are seen as relevant for NGBs from a strategy perspective, while sport managers prioritized eight. There is a strong alignment between national strategies and sport managers’ perspectives which is explainable through coercive, mimetic and normative pressures within the organizational field of sports. This further demonstrates that SDG prioritization is linked to the sport political context. While the alignment of prioritization from different perspectives provides a solid foundation for advancing sustainability work, the missing link between the SDGs and organizational goals with concrete suggestions for measures witnesses that Norwegian sport organizations are still in the infancy of sustainable transition.
Gulisova, Barbora; Horbel, Chris & Noe, Egon Bjørnshave (2023). Rural place branding processes: actor engagement in service ecosystems. Journal of Place Management and Development. ISSN 1753-8335. 16(3), p. 415–439. doi: 10.1108/JPMD-11-2022-0105. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Purpose: The place branding process in cities and tourism destinations is usually steered by a central organization but in rural places, a focal actor often does not exist. The purpose of this paper is to identify which approaches to place branding processes are applied in different rural places. This is done by seeing the place branding process as a service ecosystem with focus on actor engagement. Design/methodology/approach: A theoretical framework based on the concepts of service ecosystems and actor engagement is developed. This is then applied to analyse qualitative data collected through semi-structure interviews with participants from several Danish rural places. Findings: The authors identify four different types of rural place branding processes along three dimensions: existence and type of a focal actor; type, extent and temporal properties of other actor groups’ engagement; and organization of the process, including its formalization, centralization and strategic focus. Type 1 is a highly formalized, centralized and strategically driven process under the leadership of a public authority. The other types are community-based approaches. Type 2 is formalized, centralized and strategically driven process. Type 3 is less formalized but also centralized and strategically focused. Type 4 is a non-formalized, decentralized process with ad hoc initiatives. Originality/value: This paper applies a service marketing-based framework to analyse qualitative empirical data from different cases of rural places and identify different place branding processes.
Horbel, Chris (2022). Stakeholders in sport marketing. In Strittmatter, Anna-Maria; Fahlen, Josef & Houlihan, Barrie (Ed.), Stakeholder Analysis and Sport Organisations. Routledge. ISSN 9781000511888. p. 229–242. doi: 10.4324/9781003111917-16. Full text in Research Archive
Horbel, Chris; Kaiser, Brooks & Menezes, Dwayne Ryan (2022). Sustainable Arctic Marine Tourism Development: Scale and Scope for Community Investment, Coordination, and Action. In Sellheim, Nikolas & Menezes, Dwayne Ryan (Ed.), Non-state actors in the Arctic region. Springer. ISSN 9783031124587. p. 179–206. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-12459-4_9. Full text in Research Archive
Gulisova, Barbora; Horbel, Chris & Noe, Egon (2021). Rural place branding from a multi-level perspective: a Danish example. Place Branding and Public Diplomacy. ISSN 1751-8040. 17(3), p. 231–248. doi: 10.1057/s41254-021-00204-8. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Few studies have looked at the interaction of place branding practices of geographically linked places. Moreover, the different administrative contexts of the linked places and the resulting different place branding approaches have not been taken into consideration. This study provides insight on the interactions of the brands and branding initiatives of higher-level administrative rural places and lower-level places within their territory. A qualitative study was conducted based on the cases of three Danish municipalities and eight smaller places within them. Although none of the vertically linked places under investigation had applied a strategic approach to manage place brand architecture, four archetypes of interaction between the place brands at the different vertical levels are identified. The findings provide guidance for place branding officials and others involved in the initiatives regarding the role the higher-level place brand can play in the lower level’s place branding, while making the lower level aware that their place branding should also focus on building good reputation towards the higher-level place. The study further reveals challenges regarding the strategic implementation of place brand architecture and highlights important areas for future research on the topic.
Horbel, Chris (2021). The commercial context. In Andersen, Svein S; Hansen, Per Øystein & Houlihan, Barrie (Ed.), Embedded Multi-Level Leadership in Elite Sport. Routledge. ISSN 9780367552770. p. 48–62. doi: 10.4324/9781003092728-4. Full text in Research Archive
Gulisova, Barbora; Horbel, Chris & Noe, Egon (2021). Place branding and sustainable rural communities: qualitative evidence from rural areas in Denmark. Journal of Strategic Marketing. ISSN 0965-254X. doi: 10.1080/0965254X.2021.2006274. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Several significant societal and economic shifts threaten the sustainability of rural places. More rural communities and municipalities have started to employ place branding to attract residents and businesses and to maintain the service level required to sustain their communities. This study aims to better understand the potential benefits of place branding for the sustainability of rural communities. An exploratory, qualitative research design using case studies from rural places in Denmark was applied. The findings suggest that the level of institutionalization of the place branding approach and the scope of actor engagement influence the type and strength of social sustainability outcomes. Future research should broaden the scope to include both environmental and economic sustainability dimensions. Furthermore, the impact of place branding on sustainability in other spatial contexts, such as cities or countries, should be investigated.
Horbel, Chris; Popp, Bastian & Peter, Michael (2020). Internationalization of Professional Football Clubs: The Case of German Bundesliga and China. In Roth, Stefan; Horbel, Chris & Popp, Bastian (Ed.), Perspektiven des Dienstleistungsmanagements Aus Sicht von Forschung und Praxis. Springer Gabler. ISSN 9783658286712. p. 301–310. doi: 10.1007/978-3-658-28672-9_16. Full text in Research Archive
Woratschek, Herbert; Horbel, Chris & Popp, Bastian (2020). Conceptualizing Resource Integration: The Peculiar Role of Pure Public Resources. Journal of Service Management Research (SMR). ISSN 2511-8676. 4(2-3), p. 157–169. doi: 10.15358/2511-8676-2020-2-3-157. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Resource integration is fundamental to value cocreation. In service-dominant logic, operant resources are the primary interest of actors’ economic exchange. However, the resources in service-dominant logic are rarely classified and analysed in detail. In addition, natural resources are widely neglected in conceptualizations of resources and resource integration. To fill these research gaps, this article aims to extend the existing conceptualizations of resource integration by specifically focussing on the integration of different types of resources. For this purpose, resource classifications from both the German-language literature, which is internationally mostly unknown, and the English-language research are included. Furthermore, natural resources are used as a case to discuss the peculiar role of pure public resources. Following calls for ‘oscillating foci’ to gain a better understanding of value co-creation, we further analyse resource integration at different levels of analysis by specifically focusing on the micro-level. Nevertheless, we emphasize the interdependencies between different levels of analysis. Therefore, we close important research gaps in the service-dominant logic literature, specifically regarding resource integration.
Horbel, Chris; Buck, Christoph; Diel, Sören; Reith, Riccardo & Walter, Yannic (2020). Stadium visitors' smartphone usage and digital resource integration. Sport, Business and Management. ISSN 2042-678X. doi: 10.1108/SBM-10-2019-0099. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Purpose: Smartphones have become ubiquitous devices that enable individuals to integrate digital resources in virtually all value co-creation processes, including visiting sport events. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to understand smartphone-enabled digital resource integration in the context of sport events from an individual intra-perspective. It thereby connects the perspectives of Service Dominant Logic and Experiential Computing. Design/methodology/approach: A conceptual model was developed and empirically tested utilizing a survey of 707 visitors of eight first and second league soccer, handball and basketball matches in Germany. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was applied to test the proposed hypotheses. Findings: The results reveal that stadium visitors integrate sport event-related and unrelated digital resources to co-create value at sport events. While event-unrelated digital resources generally have more influence on visitors' perceived value, their importance is decreasing with higher team identification. Digital resources in the form of sports betting opportunities are only relevant in some specific contexts. Hence, both individual and contextual characteristics determine digital resource integration. Originality/value: This study integrates the perspectives of value co-creation at sport events and experiential computing and proposes a conceptual model exploring how sport event visitors enrich their experience through the integration of sport event-related and unrelated smartphone-enabled digital resources. By illuminating the intra-level perspective of sport event visitors' resource integration, it provides the basis for future studies on digital resource integration on higher levels of aggregation including engagement platforms and entire sport event ecosystems.
Woratschek, Herbert; Horbel, Chris & Popp, Bastian (2019). Determining customer satisfaction and loyalty from a value co-creation perspective. Service Industries Journal. ISSN 0264-2069. doi: 10.1080/02642069.2019.1606213. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
In light of the recent developments in marketing theory, namely service-dominant logic and value co-creation, the development of customer satisfaction and customer loyalty deserves reconsideration to broaden the mostly firm-centric earlier approaches. We propose a framework that includes the contributions of co-creating actors and identification with the firm as antecedents of customer satisfaction and loyalty. This framework can be adapted to a context by defining a context-specific set of actors and their unique reciprocal relationships. Two quantitative studies conducted in the professional German soccer leagues demonstrate that multiple actors (event organizer, teams, and fans) roughly show the same effect on customer satisfaction. Moreover, identification has both direct and indirect (i.e. via customer satisfaction and perceived social actors’ contributions) influence on customer loyalty. The results imply firm activities have limited influence on customer satisfaction and loyalty. As a result, managers must identify strategies to facilitate value co-creation among all relevant actors.
Kaiser, Brooks A.; Hoeberechts, Maia; Maxwell, Kimberley H.; Eerkes-Medrano, Laura; Hilmi, Nathalie & Safa, Alain [Show all 12 contributors for this article] (2019). The Importance of Connected Ocean Monitoring Knowledge Systems and Communities. Frontiers in Marine Science. 6. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2019.00309. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Ocean monitoring will improve outcomes if ways of knowing and priorities from a range of interest groups are successfully integrated. Coastal Indigenous communities hold unique knowledge of the ocean gathered through many generations of inter-dependent living with marine ecosystems. Experiences and observations from living within that system have generated ongoing local and traditional ecological knowledge (LEK and TEK) and Indigenous knowledge (IK) upon which localized sustainable management strategies have been based. Consequently, a comprehensive approach to ocean monitoring should connect academic practices (“science”) and local community and Indigenous practices, encompassing “TEK, LEK, and IK.” This paper recommends research approaches and methods for connecting scientists, local communities, and IK holders and their respective knowledge systems, and priorities, to help improve marine ecosystem management. Case studies from Canada and New Zealand (NZ) highlight the emerging recognition of IK systems in natural resource management, policy and economic development. The in-depth case studies from Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) and the new Moana Project, NZ highlight real-world experiences connecting IK with scientific monitoring programs. Trial-tested recommendations for successful collaboration include practices for two-way knowledge sharing between scientists and communities, co-development of funding proposals, project plans and educational resources, mutually agreed installation of monitoring equipment, and ongoing sharing of data and research results. We recommend that future ocean monitoring research be conducted using cross-cultural and/or transdisciplinary approaches. Vast oceans and relatively limited monitoring data coupled with the urgency of a changing climate emphasize the need for all eyes possible providing new data and insights. Community members and ocean monitoring scientists in joint research teams are essential for increasing ocean information using diverse methods compared with previous scientific research. Research partnerships can also ensure impactful outcomes through improved understanding of community needs and priorities.

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Roth, Stefan; Horbel, Chris & Popp, Bastian (2020). Perspektiven des Dienstleistungsmanagements Aus Sicht von Forschung und Praxis. Springer Gabler. ISBN 9783658286712. 861 p. Full text in Research Archive

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Traberg, Josephine; Orr, Madeleine & Horbel, Chris (2025). What will a greenwashing ban entail for the sport industry? Managing Sport and Leisure. ISSN 2375-0472. doi: 10.1080/23750472.2025.2482222. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Greenwashing is a widespread phenomenon in many industries, including in sport. Legal repercussions of greenwashing are intensifying, however, as evidenced by the European Union (EU) Directive on Green Claims passed in January 2024. The Green Claims Directive (hereafter, The Directive) aims to curb misleading environmental claims and better regulate sustainability certification and product labeling. This commentary explores the anticipated impacts of The Directive on the sports industry, with a particular focus on marketing and communication practices. In response to The Directive, sports organizations in the EU will need to adjust their marketing and communication strategies. This adjustment can improve transparency, yet organizations may resort to developing new terminology, potentially perpetuating greenwashing in alternative forms and challenging the integrity of sport communication. It is not sufficient for organizations to only alter communication practices, as environmental practices must permeate all organizational practices, with metrics and reporting to validate claims and ensure alignment between communication and action. A research agenda across five areas is proposed to address organizational transitions needed for ethical environmental action and communication, to enhance sport’s opportunity to drive climate action.
Strömberg, Julius Zackarias; Horbel, Chris & Strittmatter, Anna-Maria (2024). Die Entwicklung von Good Governance im Sport. In Behrens, Anton; Bauers, Sebastian Björn & Hovemann, Gregor (Ed.), Entwicklungstendenzen im Sportmanagement: Struktur- und Wertewandel, Nachhaltigkeit, Globalisierung und Digitalisierung. Springer Gabler. ISSN 9783658427986. p. 109–127. doi: 10.1007/978-3-658-42798-6_6. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Ein Fokus auf Good Governance in Sportorganisationen wird zunehmend als Notwendigkeit wahrgenommen, nicht zuletzt als Reaktion auf zahlreiche große Skandale und Krisen in den führenden internationalen Sportorganisationen, zum Beispiel der FIFA und dem IOC. Obwohl viele andere Sportorganisationen nicht die gleiche Aufmerksamkeit in den internationalen Medien erhalten, stehen sie auf allen Ebenen, bis hin zu Breitensportvereinen, vor ähnlichen Problemen und Krisen, von denen viele auf schlechte Governance-Strukturen, -Prozesse und -Praktiken zurückzuführen sind. Dieses Kapitel gibt einen Überblick über die Entwicklung von Good Governance im Sport. Die Entwicklung von Prinzipien und Kodizes für Good Governance basiert auf verschiedenen theoretischen Grundlagen und verbindet vielfältige Perspektiven, darunter Corporate Governance, politische Governance sowie organisatorische und systemische Governance. Zudem gilt es Indikatoren zur Bewertung und Überwachung der Einhaltung von Goo Governance in Sportorganisationen herauszuarbeiten. Obwohl bisherige Bemühungen noch nicht zu einer standardisierten und einhelligen Auffassung von Good-Governance-Prinzipien für Sportorganisationen geführt haben, besteht Einigkeit darüber, dass Transparenz, Rechenschaftspflicht und Demokratie der Schlüssel für einen Wandel hin zu guter Governance sind. Da die gesellschaftliche Verantwortung zunehmend als Pflicht für Sportorganisationen angesehen wird, muss auch diese in Zukunft an die Good-Governance-Strukturen von Sportorganisationen auf allen Ebenen integriert und umgesetzt werden.
Kaiser, Brooks A.; Horbel, Chris; Maher, Patrick T. & Seubert, Susan (2024). Virtual meeting spaces and sustainable arctic communities: all who wander are not lost. In Beames, Simon & Maher, Patrick T. (Ed.), Routledge Handbook of Mobile Technology, Social Media and the Outdoors. Routledge. ISSN 9781003367536. p. 272–284. doi: 10.4324/9781003367536. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
This chapter describes lessons pertaining to two (2D)- and three-dimensional (3D) solutions for connecting in virtual spaces that were developed in response to the COVID-19 travel disruptions. A handful of intergenerational participants met in person in one of two physical locations, the Faroe Islands and Rolvsøya, Norway, for workshops on sustainable Arctic tourism and the use of virtual reality (VR) technology to connect distant Arctic communities in the spring of 2021. These two groups developed 2D virtual ‘forest office’ and ‘island home’ spaces in Gather.town, which is an interactive platform that acts both as a place to store information (e.g., videos) and to host an organic video chat. Meetings started from these spaces, and then participants around the world used VR headsets to launch into several VR experiences, including “walk and talks” on Faroe Island roads, note-taking around a virtual campfire, and selfie-taking on an ice floe in the Arctic. Interdisciplinary and intersectoral organizers curated existing content and platforms and brought new VR content to participants. The chapter both highlights the many positives experienced by the participants in the VR workshops and discusses the challenges and drawbacks to consider before launching into such an involved enterprise.
Strittmatter, Anna-Maria; Strömberg, Julius Zackarias & Horbel, Chris (2024). Etisk ledelse som praksis i norske idrettslag. In Næss, Hans Erik (Eds.), Idrettsledelse i praksis. Cappelen Damm Akademisk. ISSN 9788202820794. Full text in Research Archive
Rosenberg, Axel & Horbel, Chris (2020). Bærekraftig friluftsliv. doi: https:/www.podbean.com/ep/pb-h7u4s-d15b81. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Friluftsliv kan bety mye: Nasjonalsporten i Norge er strengt tatt å gå på tur, men det som hører med i denne fortellingen er at nordmenn bruker tre ganger så mye penger på sportsutstyr som andre europeere, i tillegg til at de fleste av oss sjelden tenker over hvilke transportmidler vi bruker for å komme oss ut i naturen. Temaet bærekraftig friluftsliv er ikke direkte nytt – forskere på NIH har studert tematikken, men ikke med det samme begrepet, siden oppstarten i 1968. Doktorgradsstipendiat Axel Rosenberg fra Institutt for lærerutdanning og friluftslivsstudier, og førsteamanuensis Chris Horbel ved institutt for idrett og samfunnsvitenskap forteller og forklarer.

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Published Oct. 17, 2023 1:08 PM - Last modified Apr. 10, 2024 3:11 PM