The development of digital commerce in the fashion industry: The typology of emerging designers in London

Digital technologies increasingly transform traditional business models, value chains and associated networks of emerging fashion designers in London. D-commerce becomes an additional dynamic capability contributing to their competitive advantage. An analysis of this phenomenon was conducted exploring data assembled from several online sources. The findings reveal that fashion designers use amalgamations of online and physical channels to develop a downstream value chain domestically and internationally. Although social media plays an increasing role in the marketing of designer products this does not necessarily translates into higher visibility of designers on the Internet, increased accumulation of value or their overall chances of survival and growth. Large retailers who excel at channel diversity remain the important part of the highly institutionalised and hierarchical fashion industry ecosystem. A typology of designers was developed based on the characteristics of their visibility on the Internet, their involvement in d-commerce and other retailing practices

Face-to-face interactions along the production chain and across networks: a study of film and television industry in London.

The film and television (FTV) industry is especially sensitive to the exchange of tacit knowledge on products, finance, technologies and markets. Whether the exchanges are negotiations along the production chain or across networks they are a necessary part of the FTV firms’ activities and are deeply embedded in their everyday life, employment and entertainment strategies and budgets. The internationalisation of FTV firms’ activities changes the essence of face-to-face communications and increases the importance of ‘network proximity’. This paper discusses the types and places of face-to-face interactions in the FTV industry, challenging the notion of ‘buzz’. The study is based on interviews with London FTV producers

Internationalization of the production process in the US film industry: the case of the United Kingdom

There is a complex relationship between US "runaway" productions and the British film economy. The attraction of the United Kingdom for runaways lies not only in the generous government incentives but also in the high quality studios and the production and post-production services offered by British subsidiaries. Although history and statistics indicate that an indigenous film industry depends heavily on the Hollywood studios, interviews conducted by the authors reveal that US studios and US independent film companies are themselves rooted in the industrial, institutional and personal networks in London where they distribute and produce film

Olympic volunteering for the unemployed: Who benefits and how?

This paper investigates the benefits of volunteering at the Olympic Games. It draws on theories of human capital and social capital to conceptualise the intended outcomes of volunteering, and applies these to the context of the Olympics. The paper argues that Olympic volunteering has become an instrument of active labour market policy, aiming to encourage social participation among the unemployed and transition them into employment. A case study of the outcomes of a major events volunteering initiative for the unemployed in London is presented. The paper concludes that the development of human and social capital through Olympic volunteering will be limited and unevenly distributed across three distinct groups: traditional volunteers; close-to-labour market volunteers; and hard-to-reach volunteers. The paper thereby adds to understanding of how volunteering relates to the development of human and social capital, in particular how this relationship is mediated by institutional arrangements and individuals' experiences of unemployment

The ‘wolves’ and ‘lambs’ of the creative city: the sustainability of film and television producers in London

The paper shows that creative producers (businesses and individuals) are sensitive to the externalities of the urban environment, such as the state of public places and the street in particular. However, relation to the street differs for creative producers with different power positions and levels of embeddedness in street life. This suggests attention needs to move beyond the simplistic approaches of “mixed–use” and “vitality” ideals to an understanding of the complexity and continuity inherent in the production of creative spaces with respect to the multiple transactions of both the strong and weak stakeholders involved – the “wolfs” and “lambs.” The example used is the film and television industry in Camden Town, London, in relation to the “experience” economy, drawing on evidence from interviews with producers