Indies in Scotland: exploring the role of independent bookshops in Scotland's towns and villages.

This talk was presented at the Culture vs Commerce roundtable session, part of the Literature and the Market DFG funded project held virtually at the University of Münster. This project builds on previous work and explores consumer behaviour and browsing in bookshops and the bookshop as a 'third place'. The current bookselling environment is one of digital disruption and economic challenge. However, numbers of independent bookshops in the UK has risen for the 5th year in a row (Comerford 2022)

Indies in Scotland: exploring the unique role of independent bookshops in Scotland’s towns and villages.

This project explores the business practices and cultural place of independent bookshops in Scotland. The research examines the connections that independent bookshops have with their various stakeholders, and investigates the support and policy change bookshops require in order to survive and prosper. The research finds a wealth of expertise and business acumen across Scottish independent booksellers, uniquely driven by a commitment to literacy, community and a love of books. A strong contribution to communities, welfare and social capital is identified. Policy recommendations are made, which recognise the cultural and community contributions made by bookshops, as well as proposing that bookshops be at the centre of policy planning around the regeneration of high streets

The digital marketing skills gap: developing a digital marketer model for the communication industries.

Scholarly literature suggests digital marketing skills gaps in industry, but these skills gaps are not clearly identified. The research aims to specify any digital marketing skills gaps encountered by professionals working in communication industries. In-depth interviews were undertaken with 20 communication industry professionals. A focus group followed, testing the rigour of the data. We find that a lack of specific technical skills; a need for best practice guidance on evaluation metrics, and a lack of intelligent futureproofing for dynamic technological change and development are skills gaps currently challenging the communication industry. However, the challenge of integrating digital marketing approaches with established marketing practice emerges as the key skills gap. Emerging from the key findings, a Digital Marketer Model was developed, highlighting the key competencies and skills needed by an excellent digital marketer. The research concludes that guidance on best practice, focusing upon evaluation metrics, futureproofing and strategic integration, needs to be developed for the communication industry. The Digital Marketing Model should be subject to further testing in industry and academia. Suggestions for further research are discussed

Listening to alternative perspectives on rural crime and criminality: a report on the pilot study.

This summary reports on the pilot phase of an ongoing study, funded by SIPR, into the changing nature of rural crime and what constitutes rural criminality. We set out to listen to alternative perspectives on rural crime and criminality and to speak to employees of agencies other than the police involved in policing rural criminality. We initially believed that such activities might be hampered by a lack of definitional clarity as to what constitutes rural policing and by the focus of the literature on policing per se. However, what the pilot study showed was that much of the criminality which was discussed transcends the artificial boundaries of rurality and urbanity in that it was primarily food crime or food fraud. This has implications for future research into rural crime

The disrupted workplace: are the digital and group skills needs of employers being addressed by universities?

Upskilling moves quickly in today’s ‘disrupted’ workplace, and skill sets need to change to meet the needs of the digital economy (Gray, 2016), sometimes referred to as the fourth industrial revolution (4IR). Using a mixed methods approach and drawing on data from relevant stakeholders, the aim of this research is to explore, evaluate and identify any mismatch between degree learning outcomes and employability skills. The research also proposes specific strategies to address identifiable skills gaps. Focusing on the views of Fashion Management (FM) alumni, the study highlights gaps in digital skills as well as gaps in professional /group skills which some alumni felt were missing from their university education. The research also notes the importance of digital skills in the workplace from the employers’ point of view. This strengthens the argument for employers and universities to work more symbiotically to address any gaps between degree outcomes and employability skills in order to provide graduates who are ‘work ready’ for 4IR. Given the findings, the authors recommend that the data gathered be used not only to inform and enhance our FM degree, but perhaps more importantly, and in a broader educational and academic context, that universities be mindful that they fully address the changing skills requirements of future employers. While this research focuses on FM alumni and employers, because of the creativity and management which are core to this course, the findings are relevant across many related management and creative industries university courses

Authors using social media: layers of identity and the online author community.

This article offers an analysis of the impact of professional social-media engagement upon authors. Authors primarily use Facebook, Twitter and there is growing use of Pinterest. Authors use social-media platforms primarily for marketing, publicity and making contact with readers. They tend to adopt a multi-layered approach to self-presentation and the lines between their 'public' and 'private' identities are blurred. The research reveals a limited author-reader community, but a much stronger online author-author community, founded upon practical support and encouragement. There are implications for the publishing industry as authors believe their publishers lack social-media expertise. The commercial benefits of maintaining a social-media presence are unclear for many authors

Examining chain bookshops in the context of 'third place'.

Purpose: This research theoretically conceptualises the notion of "third place" within the setting of chain bookshops. The widespread adoption of coffee franchises and comfortable seating has developed the bookshop as a leisurely setting. Underpinning the discussion in current retail marketing theory, the research aims to explore how the understanding of "third place" has changed with the passage of time and to examine whether chain bookshops can be called third places. Design/methodology/approach: The methodological approach is largely qualitative, drawing upon interviews with bookshop managers with regard to their strategic aims, and using focus groups to discuss consumers' bookshop experiences. The research also draws upon quantitative data, i.e. face-to-face questionnaires and online surveys. Findings: The research concludes that while consumer experience of chain bookshops is positive, they cannot be called a "third place" due to the lack of conversation therein. Nevertheless, an important caveat exists - the presence of an integral coffee shop encourages socialising among bookshop customers. Research limitations/implications: The project's scope is limited to chain bookshops in the UK. Future work might look at third place or restorative provision in other retail settings or over a wider geographic spread. Practical implications: The research has important implications and recommendations for managers of retail sites regarding the potential restorative qualities of bookshops, coffee shops and other retail environments. Originality/value: This empirical research enhances scholarly understanding of the bookshop as a restorative space, highlighting an important advantage which traditional retailers have over internet retailers

A qualitative study verifying the research constructs relating to CRM systems benefits and consumer buying behavior variables.

This study presents the findings from the first phase of a mixed methods study. Following a review of relevant literature, this study has identified variables that have been claimed and rationalized to specifically imply CRM benefits and consumer buying behavior (CBB) dimensions. Essentially, what appears to be obtainable in the literature is the adoption of constructs and their measuring scales as developed by notable scholars e.g. Parasuraman et al. (1985), without proper methodological confirmation or verification of the constructs' applicability to the context of other studies. This paper conducted an exploratory study with the aim of uncovering the possibility of generalizing and applying these identified variables to the Nigerian banking setting particularly with respect to technology adoption. Data were collected using a semi-structured interviews in 10 of Nigeria's retail banks. The respondents were CRM/IT managers, bank managers and customers service officers. The result of the interview analysis using a thematic and apriori approach revealed CRM systems benefits such as new customer acquisition, service quality, customer satisfaction, loyalty and retention are the attributable variables to the Nigerian bank customers. Likewise, with regards to the Nigerian bank customers, the study also attested the uniqueness and applicability of CBB factors such as repurchase, cross/up-buying, multiple banking, bank switching and positive word of mouth. Interestingly, technology downtime (TDT) emerged from the results as a variable that is peculiar to the Nigerian banking industry. These findings are particularly with respect to the use of CRM systems as a service delivery channel. The result also gave some insights into the nature of the links between CRM systems and CBB. By implication and contribution, the findings indicated that further studies should give attention to TDT when conceptualizing research models on the extent of technology adoption and acceptance in the Nigerian banking sector. This study is original because, to the best knowledge of the author, it appears there is no existing study within the Nigerian banking sector and academic perspectives with the aim to verify these variables

Policing rural crime.

Between 2000 and 2012, over 1,000 police stations were closed in the UK and many more have been placed on reduced opening hours. A similar situation is unfolding in Northern Ireland and Eire. This may be viewed as a strategic and operational withdrawal from the current concept of rural policing. This closure trend has significantly altered the landscape of rural policing in the UK. In the same period, the landscapes of rural crime and criminality have also changed, in that there has been a noticeable increase in the levels of the organisation of serious and organised crime groups - both indigenous and international - involved in committing rural crimes. In short, crime is becoming more entrepreneurial. The increase of rural crimes - such as the theft of farm machinery, tools and livestock, and unregulated butchery practices - evidences the danger that serious and organised crime groups pose to rural areas, as they expand their criminal activities in the current economic recession. It does appear that Eastern European organised crime groups are targeting the UK by stealing tractors and other items of heavy plant for resale in Europe and on the African subcontinent. There is evidence that British-based organised crime groups are also becoming more organised at exploiting criminal opportunities in rural areas

The case for a risk-assessed approach to organizational records management in the oil and gas sector.

Introduction. Processes and practices for information management service delivery, including retention, retrieval and disposal of documents and records, are not easily quantified for benchmarking and performance improvement. Method. A mainly qualitative approach was applied to evaluate records management services in oil and gas sector organizations. A case study, with data gathered from eleven organizations by questionnaire and interview, explored records management challenges facing the industry. Analysis. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were carried out on the data. Given the small sample and the mainly qualitative approach, analysis of questionnaire responses was mainly descriptive. Content analysis was applied to the interview transcript data to identify emerging themes and issues. Results. The challenges faced by organizations are human and cultural and are specifically related to unwillingness to accept ownership responsibility and fear of consequences of records disposal. Conclusions. We argue that those responsible for information and records management must make a strong business case for investment in development of their people and services. This would avoid the consequences of failing to comply with 'legal holds' or e-discovery demands, thereby improving retrieval performance, business decision making and, ultimately, business performance. A risk-assessed approach to scheduling records retention and disposal is recommended