Michael B. Duignan, Seth I. Kirby, Danny O’Brien and Sally Everett
This paper aims to examine the role of grassroots (food) festivals for supporting the sustainability of micro and small producers, whilst exploring potential productive linkages…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the role of grassroots (food) festivals for supporting the sustainability of micro and small producers, whilst exploring potential productive linkages between both stakeholders (festivals and producers) for enhancing a more authentic cultural offering and destination image in the visitor economy.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is exploratory, qualitative and inductive. Evidence is underpinned by a purposive sample, drawing on ten in-depth interviews and 17 open-ended survey responses collected across 2014 and 2015 – drawing perspectives from traders participating in the EAT Cambridge festival.
Findings
This paper unpacks a series of serendipitous [as opposed to “strategic”] forms of festival and producer leveraging; strengthening B2C relationships and stimulating business to business networking and creative entrepreneurial collaborations. Positive emergent “embryonic” forms of event legacy are identified that support the longer-term sustainability of local producers and contribute towards an alternative idea of place and destination, more vibrant and authentic connectivity with localities and slower visitor experiences.
Originality/value
This study emphasises the importance of local bottom-up forms of “serendipitous leverage” for enhancing positive emergent “embryonic” legacies that advance “slow” tourism and local food agendas. In turn, this enhances the cultural offering and delivers longer-term sustainability for small local producers – particularly vital in the era of “Clone Town” threats and effects. The paper applies Chalip’s (2004) event leverage model to the empirical setting of EAT Cambridge and conceptually advances the framework by integrating “digital” forms of leverage.
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London’s Candidature bid projected an irresistible legacy of lasting benefits for host communities and small businesses. Yet, local post-Games perspectives paint a contrasted…
Abstract
Purpose
London’s Candidature bid projected an irresistible legacy of lasting benefits for host communities and small businesses. Yet, local post-Games perspectives paint a contrasted picture – one of becoming displaced. This paper aims to draw on event legacy, specifically in relation to rising rents, threats to small business sustainability and impact on place development by empirically examining London’s local embryonic legacies forming across one ex-hosting Olympic community: Central Greenwich.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 43 interviews with local businesses (specifically, small retailers and hospitality businesses), local authorities, London-centric and national project actors and policymakers underpin analysis, supported by official London 2012 archival, documentary and media reports, were conducted to add texture and triangulate primary and secondary data sources.
Findings
Juxtaposing ex ante projections vs emerging ex post realities, this paper reveals a local legacy of small business failure fuelled by rising commercial rents and a wider indifference for protecting diverse urban high streets. Embroiled in a struggle to survive, and barely recognised as a key stakeholder and contributor to legacy, small businesses have and continue to become succeeded by a new business demographic in town: monochromatic global and national chains. Typifying the pervasive shift toward clone town spaces, this article argues that corporate colonisation displaces independent businesses, serves to homogenise town centres, dilute place-based cultural offer and simultaneously stunts access to a positive local development legacy. This paper argues that such processes lead to the production of urban blandscapes that may hamper destination competitiveness.
Originality/value
Examining event legacy, specifically local legacies forming across ex-host Olympic communities, is a latent, under-researched but vital and critical aspect of scholarship. Most event legacy analysis focuses on longer-term issues for residents, yet little research focuses on both local placed-based development challenges and small business sustainability and survival post-Games. More specifically, little research examines the potential relationship between event-led gentrification, associated rising rents and aforementioned clone town problematic. Revealing and amplifying the idiosyncratic local challenges generated through an in-depth empirically driven triangulation of key local business, policy, governmental and non-governmental perspectives, is a central contribution of this article missing from extant literatures. This paper considers different ways those responsible for event legacy, place managers and developers can combat such aforementioned post-Games challenges.
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Xiao Liang, Mary Quinton, Jet Veldhuijzen van Zanten, Zhaoyu Duan, Barnaby Zoob Carter, Andrew Heyes, Mark Lee, Abdullah Alharbi and Shushu Chen
The global hosting of major events is garnering increasing attention from governments. As this phenomenon expands into emerging states, where arguably the most severe inequalities…
Abstract
Purpose
The global hosting of major events is garnering increasing attention from governments. As this phenomenon expands into emerging states, where arguably the most severe inequalities exist, the question of who truly benefits from these events has not been systematically scrutinised, particularly from an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) perspective. Therefore, adopting a nuanced segmentation approach is increasingly vital to assess the diverse impacts of hosting major sporting events on varied populations. This systematic review offers a broad and exploratory investigation into how major sporting events affect communities and individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds (CIDBs).
Design/methodology/approach
In alignment with the PRISMA guidelines, four academic databases were searched to identify peer-reviewed articles published in English-language journals from 2000 to 2023. A total of 95 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility, culminating in a final sample of 14 articles in the review.
Findings
The selected articles showed moderate quality and primarily used qualitative methods. The urban theories or event leverage frameworks are frequently employed. There are four legacy/impact themes that emerged: social, economic, sport and infrastructure. The prevailing conclusion is that CIDBs tend to experience negative legacies from these events.
Research limitations/implications
This research underscores the pressing need for more socially responsible and equitable approaches to event hosting. Failing to tackle these crucial issues may intensify existing inequalities and provoke significant public dissatisfaction, thereby jeopardising the overarching goals these major events strive to accomplish.
Originality/value
This review marks the first of its kind, offering a thorough and comprehensive synthesis of evidence concerning the legacies of major events for CIDBs.
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Current issues of Publishers' Weekly are reporting serious shortages of paper, binders board, cloth, and other essential book manufacturing materials. Let us assure you these…
Abstract
Current issues of Publishers' Weekly are reporting serious shortages of paper, binders board, cloth, and other essential book manufacturing materials. Let us assure you these shortages are very real and quite severe.
Michael McCann and Michael Hewitt
There is strong evidence that year-long work placements make students more employable and produces better academic performance. Despite this, UK participation rates remain…
Abstract
Purpose
There is strong evidence that year-long work placements make students more employable and produces better academic performance. Despite this, UK participation rates remain stubbornly low. The authors examine the influence of academic performance on students' willingness and ability to complete work placements.
Design/methodology/approach
This study’s novel conceptual framework distinguishes students by their intentions regarding work placements indicated at enrolment as well as whether they completed a work placement. The authors use a sample of 226 business and economics students, employing propensity score weighted multiple regression to analyse the influence of academic performance.
Findings
The results indicate that academic performance has a significant influence on the decision to include a work placement option at enrolment. For those students who do pursue work placements, first-year academic performance had a significantly positive impact on their ability to secure a placement job. Finally, completion of a work placement was beneficial to final year academic performance.
Practical implications
Work placements are beneficial. Since low academic performance deters students from pursuing such opportunities, universities may need to communicate the benefits better to encourage greater interest. Further, universities need to realistically manage the expectations of students with low academic performance who want to do work placements and provide targeted support during the application process. Furthermore, alternatives to work placements should be provided.
Originality/value
This research adds to the literature investigating the influence of academic performance through academic self-concept on students' investment decisions to include a work placement in their degree study and in students' ability to secure a work placement.
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Michael Harrison and Louisa Rennie
This chapter explores the development of middle leaders in the specific context of Catholic schools. It considers the interplay between contemporary thinking on educational…
Abstract
This chapter explores the development of middle leaders in the specific context of Catholic schools. It considers the interplay between contemporary thinking on educational leadership and the insights of Catholic theology and ministry. Two key themes foundational to this interplay are examined: the connection between leading and following, and the central importance of relationships for leadership. For each of these themes, the reader is provided with related questions for middle leaders in a Catholic school context, an activity for engaging with leaders, and an exercise inviting middle school leaders to reflect on their own experience and the context within which they lead.
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Analyses the concept of leadership as a vital ingredient of educational success within the context of the turbulent changes taking place within further education. In defining…
Abstract
Analyses the concept of leadership as a vital ingredient of educational success within the context of the turbulent changes taking place within further education. In defining leadership, and identifying those who are the leaders in achieving educational excellence, argues for a model of distributed leadership. Such an approach should be concerned with seeking transformational change leading to a total quality education approach. This in turn should contribute to college effectiveness in improving teaching and learning and the management of educational change. Within the shared leadership model, it is argued that middle managers are also leaders. They are managing diversity, within a rapidly changing environment, and are taking forward multiple innovations. Suggests that this is one approach towards building the generic capacity to manage educational change in the further education sector through the development of leadership talent at all levels.
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Increasingly, schools are embracing action research as an innovative strategy to develop collective teacher efficacy and expertise in a bid to improve learner outcomes. In this…
Abstract
Increasingly, schools are embracing action research as an innovative strategy to develop collective teacher efficacy and expertise in a bid to improve learner outcomes. In this chapter, what follows is an exploration of the challenges frequently faced by middle leaders implementing and facilitating action research in schools. These include low levels of collective autonomy, clouded evaluative thinking, and the siloing of success. To support middle leaders in overcoming these challenges, Sarah and Pamela offer an array of practical solutions they have witnessed working successfully in varying contexts. In doing so, they spotlight the work of educational thought leaders, Michael Fullan, Professor Emeritus Helen Timperley, Dr Kaye Twyford, and Simon Breakspear.