Postgraduate research activity in the School of Service Management is underpinned by our long-term goal to undertake intellectually rigorous research that contributes towards the theoretical development of our subject areas.
This goal is supported through the expertise and individual research and publications of staff members and through the generation of knowledge that results from such activities.
The school offers research degree supervision leading to the award of MPhil or PhD. Our primary focus is on the areas of tourism, events and service management.
The school aims to provide a research ethos that fosters the development of innovative and independent research skills. These skills include the ability to intellectualise, shown by the development of an original research project that will result in a significant contribution to the understanding of tourism, events and service management subject areas.
We particularly welcome cross-disciplinary approaches from a broad range of social and natural science disciplines.
The school provides specialist expertise to supervise research studies in the following areas:
Tourism
| Key Supervisors | Areas of Expertise |
|---|---|
| Dr Angela Benson | Volunteer tourism; Research volunteer Tourism; Nature-based Tourism niches; tourist typologies; Motivation and behaviour; Sustainable tourism planning and development in an international context. |
| Professor Peter M Burns Centre for Tourism Policy Studies Director |
Sustainable tourism planning and climate change in tourism particularly business and social consequences throughout the value chain; Tourism development for poverty alleviation; Tourism and social identity; Tourism and visual culture. |
| Dr Nigel Jarvis | Gender and sexuality issues in leisure and tourism; sport tourism, socio-cultural and environmental impacts of tourism, attractions management. |
| Dr Jo-Anne Lester | Visual representation of tourism and travel products, the relationship between the act of photography and tourism, and visual literacy; cruise tourism discourse with a focus on popular film. |
| Dr Marina Novelli Research Student Division Leader |
Regional development and tourism; tourism policy and planning: tourism and international development; niche tourism; rural diversification & tourism; sustainable development approaches (ie responsible tourism, community based tourism, pro-poor tourism); tourism and development in sub-Saharan Africa; capacity building in tourism development. |
| Dr Cathy Palmer Head of Research |
Understanding of tourism informed by social anthropology; identity and tourism; material culture and tourism; collection and use of travel photographs, postcards, souvenirs; identity and heritage; cultural analysis of the seaside. |
| Dr Clare Weeden | Ethical and responsible tourism; The role and influence of human values in ethical consumers' holiday choices; Ethical consumption; The application of ethical theory in tourism; Values research and the means-end chain theory; Independent specialist tour operators' offering ethical and responsible tourism products |
Events
| Key Supervisors | Areas of Expertise |
|---|---|
| Dr Udo Merkel | Sociology and politics of sports events and spectacles with particular emphasis on the Soccer world Cup and football cultures; Socio-historical developments; Inequalities (e.g. racism and xenophobia); Power and conflicts; Cultural studies and the role of the state |
| Dr Nigel Jarvis | Sport and event sponsorship, identity issues among sport athletes and event participants, gender and sexuality issues in the event sector. |
Hospitality and Service Management
| Key Supervisors | Areas of Expertise |
|---|---|
| Dr Paul Frost Head of School |
Service innovation management; principles of learning generally and in the development of individuals and organisations. |
| Dr Steven Goss-Turner Head of Teaching |
Organisational culture and labour turnover within the licensed retail sector; Human resource management in multi-site hospitality businesses. |
| Dr Brian Holdstock | Operations management especially logistics and supply chain management; business strategy especially business models, financial strategy and resource planning; new product development in theory and in practice |
