an article by Sylvie Lomer (Northampton University, UK), Vassiliki Papatsiba (University of Sheffield, UK) and Rajani Naidoo (University of Bath, UK) published in Studies in Higher Education Volume 41 Issue 1 (January 2018)
Abstract
This article examines national branding of UK higher education, a strategic intent and action to collectively brand UK higher education with the aim to attract prospective international students, using a Bourdieusian approach to understanding promises of capitals.
We trace its development between 1999 and 2014 through a sociological study, one of the first of its kind, from the ‘Education UK’ and subsumed under the broader ‘Britain is GREAT’ campaign of the Coalition Government.
The findings reveal how a national higher education brand is construed by connecting particular representations of the nation with those of prospective international students and the higher education sector, which combine in the brand with promises of capitals to convert into positional advantage in a competitive environment.
The conceptual framework proposed here seeks to connect national higher education branding to the concept of the competitive state, branded as a nation and committed to the knowledge economy.
Showing posts with label branding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label branding. Show all posts
Thursday, 8 February 2018
Tuesday, 19 June 2012
The new ‘hidden abode’: reflections on value and labour in the new economy
an article by Steffen Böhm and Chris Land (University of Essex) published in The Sociological Review Volume 60 Issue 2 (May 2012)
Abstract
In a pivotal section of Capital, volume 1, Marx (1976: 279) notes that, in order to understand the capitalist production of value, we must descend into the ‘hidden abode of production’: the site of the labour process conducted within an employment relationship.
In this paper we argue that by remaining wedded to an analysis of labour that is confined to the employment relationship, Labour Process Theory (LPT) has missed a fundamental shift in the location of value production in contemporary capitalism.
We examine this shift through the work of Autonomist Marxists like Hardt and Negri, Lazaratto and Arvidsson, who offer theoretical leverage to prise open a new ‘hidden abode’ outside employment, for example in the ‘production of organization’ and in consumption.
Although they can open up this new ‘hidden abode’, without LPT’s fine-grained analysis of control/resistance, indeterminacy and structured antagonism, these theorists risk succumbing to empirically naive claims about the ‘new economy’. Through developing an expanded conception of a ‘new hidden abode’ of production, the paper demarcates an analytical space in which both LPT and Autonomist Marxism can expand and develop their understanding of labour and value production in today’s economy.
Abstract
In a pivotal section of Capital, volume 1, Marx (1976: 279) notes that, in order to understand the capitalist production of value, we must descend into the ‘hidden abode of production’: the site of the labour process conducted within an employment relationship.
In this paper we argue that by remaining wedded to an analysis of labour that is confined to the employment relationship, Labour Process Theory (LPT) has missed a fundamental shift in the location of value production in contemporary capitalism.
We examine this shift through the work of Autonomist Marxists like Hardt and Negri, Lazaratto and Arvidsson, who offer theoretical leverage to prise open a new ‘hidden abode’ outside employment, for example in the ‘production of organization’ and in consumption.
Although they can open up this new ‘hidden abode’, without LPT’s fine-grained analysis of control/resistance, indeterminacy and structured antagonism, these theorists risk succumbing to empirically naive claims about the ‘new economy’. Through developing an expanded conception of a ‘new hidden abode’ of production, the paper demarcates an analytical space in which both LPT and Autonomist Marxism can expand and develop their understanding of labour and value production in today’s economy.
Thursday, 29 September 2011
Branding of UK public libraries
an article by Subnum Hariff (Bolton Central Library and Museum) and Jennifer Rowley, (Manchester Metropolitan University) published in Library Management Volume 32 Issue 4/5 (2011)
Abstract
Purpose
Evidence suggests that misconceptions and negative stereotypes of the image of public libraries still prevail today despite libraries diversifying and offering a range of services to their local community and contributing to key local and national priorities. The purpose of this paper is to report on a case study-based research project that sets out to explore how public libraries in the UK are using branding in order to create a more positive and effective image, as a basis for proposing the key factors that contribute to an effective public library branding strategy.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, three case study organisations were selected for the study, on the basis of their reputation for innovation in branding. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with key staff associated with each of the three public libraries, in order to gather an understanding of the branding processes and strategies that they had adopted, and how they had negotiated some of the challenges in branding in the context of public libraries.
Findings
The three case study organizations bear testimony to the fact that branding can be successfully used to change brand image, and in turn, the perceptions of the library service amongst key stakeholders. The following factors are key to successful branding: clear positioning and identity, advocacy and influence, co-branding, staff buy-in, brand communication, evaluation, and national marketing campaigns.
Originality/value
This study offers insights into branding process and strategies in innovative public libraries, and on this basis develops recommendations to support information practitioners to develop a positive image of their service and to engage effectively with stakeholders in what are challenging times for public libraries.
Hazel’s comment:
This comment is, unusually, a very personal one. My local public library can rebrand itself as much as it wants to but until someone realises that the public transport changes made earlier this year make it more difficult for people with young children and/or mobility problems to get to the library the branding process will have little effect on numbers using the services.
Abstract
Purpose
Evidence suggests that misconceptions and negative stereotypes of the image of public libraries still prevail today despite libraries diversifying and offering a range of services to their local community and contributing to key local and national priorities. The purpose of this paper is to report on a case study-based research project that sets out to explore how public libraries in the UK are using branding in order to create a more positive and effective image, as a basis for proposing the key factors that contribute to an effective public library branding strategy.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, three case study organisations were selected for the study, on the basis of their reputation for innovation in branding. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with key staff associated with each of the three public libraries, in order to gather an understanding of the branding processes and strategies that they had adopted, and how they had negotiated some of the challenges in branding in the context of public libraries.
Findings
The three case study organizations bear testimony to the fact that branding can be successfully used to change brand image, and in turn, the perceptions of the library service amongst key stakeholders. The following factors are key to successful branding: clear positioning and identity, advocacy and influence, co-branding, staff buy-in, brand communication, evaluation, and national marketing campaigns.
Originality/value
This study offers insights into branding process and strategies in innovative public libraries, and on this basis develops recommendations to support information practitioners to develop a positive image of their service and to engage effectively with stakeholders in what are challenging times for public libraries.
Hazel’s comment:
This comment is, unusually, a very personal one. My local public library can rebrand itself as much as it wants to but until someone realises that the public transport changes made earlier this year make it more difficult for people with young children and/or mobility problems to get to the library the branding process will have little effect on numbers using the services.
Saturday, 17 September 2011
Ladders, samurai, and blue collars: Personal branding in Web 2.0
an article by Robert W. Gehl published in First Monday Volume 16 Number 9 (September 2011)
Abstract
Drawing on the work of Gilles Deleuze, Eva Illouz, and Mark Andrejevic, this paper critiques the personal branding literature, particularly as it applies to Web 2.0 social media. I first describe the three-part logic of personal branding: dividuation, emotional capitalism, and autosurveillance. Next, in a sort of mirror image to the self-help literature of personal branding, I offer a critical “how to” guide to branding oneself in Web 2.0. Finally, I conclude with a discussion of why personal branding can be seen as a rational choice, given the circumstances of globalised capitalism and precarious employment. Individuals who brand themselves wilfully adopt the logic of capitalism in order to build their human capital. However, I ultimately argue that the obsession with personal branding is no antidote for life in precarious times.
Full Text: HTML
Hazel’s comment:
If read in a certain way then you could use this as the basis for your argument not to do any personal branding – and those who hate even thinking about the idea will be saved fore ever.
Abstract
Drawing on the work of Gilles Deleuze, Eva Illouz, and Mark Andrejevic, this paper critiques the personal branding literature, particularly as it applies to Web 2.0 social media. I first describe the three-part logic of personal branding: dividuation, emotional capitalism, and autosurveillance. Next, in a sort of mirror image to the self-help literature of personal branding, I offer a critical “how to” guide to branding oneself in Web 2.0. Finally, I conclude with a discussion of why personal branding can be seen as a rational choice, given the circumstances of globalised capitalism and precarious employment. Individuals who brand themselves wilfully adopt the logic of capitalism in order to build their human capital. However, I ultimately argue that the obsession with personal branding is no antidote for life in precarious times.
Full Text: HTML
Hazel’s comment:
If read in a certain way then you could use this as the basis for your argument not to do any personal branding – and those who hate even thinking about the idea will be saved fore ever.
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