Globally and regionally, there is an increasing impetus to electrify the road transport system. The diversity and complexity of the road transport system pose several challenges to electrification in sectors that have higher energy usage requirements. Electric road systems (ERS) have the potential for a balancing solution. An ERS is not only an engineering project, but it is also an innovation system that is complex and composed of multiple stakeholders, requiring an interdisciplinary means of aligning problems, relations, and solutions. This study looked to determine the political, economic, social, and technical (PEST) factors by actively engaging UK stakeholders through online in-depth and semi-structured discussions. The focus is on dynamic wireless power transfer (DWPT) due to its wider market reach and on the basis that a comprehensive review of the literature indicated that the current focus is on the technical challenges and hence there is a gap in the knowledge around application requirements, which is necessary if society is to achieve its goals of electrification and GHG reduction. Qualitative analysis was undertaken to identify factors that are critical to the success of a DWPT system. The outcome of this study is knowledge of the factors that determine the function and market acceptance of DWPT. These factors can be grouped into six categories: vehicle, journey, infrastructure, economic, traffic and behaviour. These factors, the associated probability distributions attributable to these factors and the relations between them (logic functions), will form the basis for decision making when implementing DWPT as part of the wider UK electric vehicle charging infrastructure and hence support the ambition to electrify all road transport. The results will make a significant contribution to the emerging knowledge base on ERS and specifically DWPT.

Using data of 1992–2012, this paper considers the spillover effects resulting from the increased flow of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into the English Premier League focusing, in particular, on competitive balance, measures of football productivity and intrafootball spillovers. Results indicate that not only has the competitive balance in football been reduced but that overseas investment has impacted both upon the productivity of the clubs under foreign ownership and those which continue under domestic ownership. The empirical contribution of this paper indicates the relevance and importance of both spillover and FDI theory to that of the football industry.

Research question: Professional sports clubs (PSCs) may diversify by marketing a range of products that extend beyond sport. Using brand architecture as a framework, the research aims to examine: the brand names they adopt, markets they serve and the hierarchical relationship between the leagues and PSCs in the branding of the product ranges of both organizations. Research methods: Set within the context of the English Football League (EFL), club websites were reviewed to examine brand names that are used when marketing activities unrelated to sport. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the commercial staff of 21 PSCs relating to their branding strategy. Results and findings: Leagues and PSCs may market a number of brands in addition to their core products of sporting competitions and teams. EFL clubs have developed brands independently of the league, primarily by branding their stadiums as a multi-purpose venue to stage events not related to matches. Within their venues they have also developed a category we term ‘stadium sub-brands’. These include business clubs, comedy clubs and restaurants. Some of these services are co-branded with partner organizations. Implications: Devising a typology of the brand architecture of EFL clubs illustrates how sports organizations can diversify into markets other than football and add to their product portfolio by making use of their resources, in particular their stadium.

This study explores the impact of austerity on the London 2012 Summer Olympics participation legacy from a grassroots sports club perspective, utilising institutional theory. The study adopted a mixed methods approach including semi-structured interviews with 11 stakeholders involved in grassroots sport alongside a review of key policy documentation (n = 8) and relevant literature. In keeping with the institutional logics perspective, these data were analysed in order to understand the impact of austerity on the sport participation legacy from the London 2012 Summer Olympics. The main findings of this study evidence mechanisms by which austerity policies, such as cuts in welfare and local government funding, have impacted sports provision at the grassroots sports club level. A shift towards a market logic at the society level induced, through the theorisation of austerity and cuts in the resource environment, the development of institutional contradictions at the field level that in turn, impacted operations at the grassroots sports club level. This study demonstrates that there is a fundamental contradiction between austerity and securing participation objectives in relation to the hosting of mega-events such as the Olympic Games, as mechanisms that support this increase (sport participation programmes, funding, etc.) are often reduced or eliminated.