Philip Dunham

‘Playtime in the Borderlands’: Children's Representations of School, Gender and Bullying through Photographs and Interviews

Abstract Photography has been commonly used as a research tool in studies of childhood/children. However images of school children in official documentation are rarely taken or chosen by children and may not reflect their real experiences. This research considered the photographs taken by year six primary school children of their school and the images they chose to represent themselves. Subsequent interviews with children revealed attitudes to school, the importance of playground relationships in the construction of gender, leading to the concept of ‘borderlands’ inhabited by some boys who adopt non-hegemonic masculinities.

Changing Competitive Advantage in a Local Economy: The Case of Coventry, 1971-90

This paper examines the application of Porters analysis of the competitive advantage of nations to understanding why one British local economy, Coventry, changed from a position of relative competitive disadvantage during the 1970s and early 1980s to one of advantage during the remainder of the 1980s. Each of Porters four determinants of competitive advantage-supply conditions, demand conditions, firms, and clusters of activities—was found to have had some influence on explaining the change in Coventrys competitive advantage. With the qualification that analyses focus on processes of change and account is taken of the alterations in emphasis needed by changing the scale of analysis from national to local economies, Porters ideas deserve a wider application and critical examination than they have hitherto received in local and regional economic studies.

Rural industrialisation in a declining coalfield region: the case of north Warwickshire

Abstract In recent years considerable research has been conducted on the phenomenon of rural industrialisation. Within this area of study the growth and performance of small and medium sized manufacturing enterprises (SMEs) have received particular attention. Competing schools of thought have sought to explain both the development and the competitive strategies of such enterprises in terms of the geographical context, industrial milieu and the labour market which companies experience. Nevertheless, this paper contends that some important questions remain unanswered. For instance, little parity exists between the types of rural area examined in recent theoretical contributions, whilst the highly generalised explanations which have been advanced are unable to accommodate either the complex causes of growth or the varied production strategies adopted by small rural manufacturing establishments. On the basis of empirical research in north Warwickshire, this paper suggests that a greater insight into the location and operational strategies of manufacturing companies may be obtained by considering individual establishments within the context of their particular supply chain niche. The study area, an old industrial (accessible) rural area, formerly associated with coal mining, also represents an important departure, contrasting with the new spaces of production which have been the focus of much recent research. Clearly a movement away from extended generalisation has an important implication for the way in which future research on rural manufacturing SMEs is conducted; and for the implementation of rural industrial policy, which needs to address the unique challenges faced by individual enterprises rather than ‘manufacturers’ in general.

Developing a local retail strategy: A case study of Leicester

Outline Retailing has experienced profound restructuring in recent years. The retail revolution has brought with it changes to employment practices and the organisation of retail businesses, the application of new technologies and shifts in the location of retailing activity, most notably through the growth of off‐centre superstores. One consequence is that the retailing sector is now characterised by a particular set of problems which have a major impact on the retail workforce. This article uses evidence drawn from a study of issues concerning Leicesters retail sector to consider the need for, and the appropriate form of, sector‐based strategies aimed at alleviating these problems in both Leicester and in other UK local economies.