The frontiers of participatory public engagement

Currently missing from critical literature on public engagement with academic research is a public-centric analysis of the wider contemporary context of developments in the field of public engagement and participation. Drawing on three differently useful strands of the existing theoretical literature on the public, this article compares a diverse sample of 100 participatory public engagement initiatives in order to first, analyse a selection of the myriad ways that the public is being constituted and supported across this contemporary field and second, identify what socio-cultural researchers might learn from these developments. Emerging from this research is a preliminary map of the field of public engagement and participation. This map highlights relationships and divergences that exist among diverse forms of practice and brings into clearer view a set of tensions between different contemporary approaches to public engagement and participation. Two ‘frontiers’ of participatory public engagement that socio-cultural researchers should attend are also identified. At the first, scholars need to be critical regarding the particular versions of the public that their preferred approach to engagement and participation supports and concerning how their specific identifications with the public relate to those being addressed across the wider field. At the second frontier, researchers need to consider the possibilities for political intervention that public engagement and participation practice could open out, both in the settings they are already working and also in the much broader, rapidly developing and increasingly complicated contemporary field of public engagement and participation that this article explores.

Clipped wings: corporate social and environmental responsibility in the airline industry

Within the developed world, airlines have responded to the advice of advocates for corporate social and environmental responsibility (CSER) to use the intertwined CSER dimensions of economics, society and environment to guide their business activities. However, disingenuously, the advocates and regulators frequently pay insufficient attention to the economics which are critical to airlines’ sustainability and profits. This omission pushes airlines into the unprofitable domain of CSERplus. The author identifies alleged market inefficiencies and failures, examines CSERplus impacts on international competition and assesses the unintended consequences of the regulations. She also provides innovative ideas for future-proofing airlines.　 Clipped Wings is a treatise for business professionals featuring academic research as well as industry anecdotes. It is written for airlines (including their owners, employees, passengers and suppliers), airports, trade associations, policy makers, educators, students, consultants, CSERplus specialists and anyone who is concerned about the future of competitive airlines.

From science gateways to commercial solutions

The European CloudSME project that incorporated 24 European SMEs, besides five academic partners, has finished its funded phase in March 2016. This presentation will provide a summary of the results of the project, and will analyze the challenges and differences when developing “SME Gateways”, when compared to “Science Gateways”. CloudSME started in 2013 with the aim to develop a cloud-based simulation platform for manufacturing and engineering SMEs. The project was based around industry use-cases, five of which were incorporated in the project from the start, and seven additional ones that were added as an outcome of an open call in January 2015. CloudSME utilized science gateway related technologies, such as the commercial CloudBroker Platform and the WS-PGRADE/gUSE Gateway Framework that were developed in the preceding SCI-BUS project. As most important outcome, the project successfully implemented 12 industry quality demonstrators that showcase how SMEs in the manufacturing and engineering sector can utilize cloud-based simulation services. Some of these solutions are already market-ready and currently being rolled out by the software vendor companies. Some others require further fine-tuning and the implementation of commercial interfaces before being put into the market. The CloudSME use-cases came from a very wide application spectrum. The project implemented, for example, an open marketplace for micro-breweries to optimize their production and distribution processes, an insole design validation service to be used by podiatrists and shoe manufacturers, a generic stock management solution for manufacturing SMEs, and also several “classical” high-performance computing case-studies, such as fluid dynamics simulations for model helicopter design, and dual-fuel internal combustion engine simulation. As the project generated significant impact and interest in the manufacturing sector, 10 CloudSME stakeholders established a follow-up company called CloudSME UG for the future commercialization of the results. Besides the success stories, this talk would also like to highlight the difficulties when transferring the outcomes of an academic research project to real commercial applications. The different mindset and approach of academic and industry partners presented a real challenge for the CloudSME project, with some interesting and valuable lessons learnt. The academic way of supporting SMEs did not always work well with the rather different working practices and culture of many participants. Also, the quality of support regarding operational solutions required by the SMEs is well beyond the typical support services academic institutions are prepared for. Finally, a clear lack of trust in academic solutions when compared to commercial solutions was also imminent. The talk will highlight some of these challenges underpinned by the implementation of the CloudSME use-cases.

The Roles of ‘Conventional’ and Demand-Responsive Bus Services

Purpose - The roles of ‘conventional’ (fixed-route and fixed-timetable) bus services is examined and compared to demand-responsive services, taking rural areas in England as the basis for comparison. It adopts a ‘rural’ definition of settlements under a population of 10,000. Design/methodology/approach - Evidence from the National Travel Survey, technical press reports and academic work is brought together to examine the overall picture. Findings - Inter-urban services between towns can provide a cost-effective way of serving rural areas where smaller settlements are suitably located. The cost structures of both fixed-route and demand-responsive services indicate that staff time and cost associated with vehicle provision are the main elements. Demand-responsive services may enable larger areas to be covered, to meet planning objectives of ensuring a minimum of level of service, but experience often shows high unit cost and public expenditure per passenger trip. Economic evaluation indicates user benefits per passenger trip of similar magnitude to existing average public expenditure per trip on fixed-route services. Considerable scope exists for improvements to conventional services through better marketing and service reliability. Practical implications - The main issue in England is the level of funding for rural services in general, and the importance attached to serving those without access to cars in such areas. Social implications - The boundary between fixed-route and demand-responsive operation may lie at relatively low population densities. Originality/value - The chapter uses statistical data, academic research and operator experience of enhanced conventional bus services to provide a synthesis of outcomes in rural areas.

Understanding how sporting characteristics and behaviours influence destination selection: a grounded theory study of golf tourism

Sports tourism has received growing attention in academic research over the past two decades (Weed and Bull, 2009, Gibson, 2005) but greater understanding of the consumer is needed, particularly the factors influencing decisions to include sport as part of a leisure trip. This paper provides, through a focus on the sport of golf, insight into the characteristics of the sports tourist and how sports tourist behaviours influence the selection of locations deemed suitable for sports participation. This qualitative research employs a grounded theory methodology, underpinned by a constructivist epistemology, to evaluate twenty-six in-depth interviews with golf tourists. The findings propose a model which explains the relationship between golf tourist behaviours and destination selection. This identifies six strands which determine the relationship between the golf tourist, golf behaviours and destination selection (constructing the golf holiday, emotional rewards of taking a trip, total trip spend, amenities and support facilities, course characteristics and reputation of the destination). Furthermore it illuminates the complexity of these relationships through recognition of four spheres of influence (group dynamics, competition and ability, golfing capital and intermediaries). Discussion elucidates how this increased understanding of the golf tourist behaviours and destination selection might be applied to other sports, with conclusions exploring implications for the sports tourism industry and destinations.