Professor of Enterprise and Competitiveness, University of Birmingham
John's research is motivated by a desire to understand and explain the complex ways in which production is organized through space and in place and via a variety of forms of enterprise.
- A focus on understanding the economic geographies of knowledge specifically the production and consumption of expertise. Knowledge flows in and between enterprises, concentrating on knowledge-intensive business services, specifically management consultancy, market research, impression management and industrial design.
- Understanding the role played in the production process by small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
- A concern with exploring the ways in which individuals and enterprises shape and are shaped by their involvement in economic activity. The conceptualization of the importance of individual expertise and reputation in this new age of ‘relationship capitalism’ including hybrid forms of work and highly-paid professional work.
- Alternative forms of organization and enterprise including not-for-profit enterprises Community Development Finance Institutions (CDFIs) and virtual firms.
- Historical and methodological perspectives on enterprise, entrepreneurship and business services.
Ballet dancers should absolutely think about becoming computer programmers – here's why
Oct 15, 2020 14:27 pm UTC| Life
There has been quite a backlash since the UK government launched an advert encouraging dancers to think about retraining in cyber security. The ad, which has since been withdrawn, depicted a female ballet dancer with the...
Brexit: Ireland's land bridge to the continent boosts air pollution in the UK
Sep 20, 2020 06:10 am UTC| Economy Politics
A no-deal Brexit could cost up to 5,000 jobs in Irelands fisheries, but its not just access to the UKs coastal waters that the country is hoping to hold on to in any post-Brexit arrangement. Perhaps more important to...
A century of public housing: lessons from Singapore
Aug 01, 2019 04:41 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy
One of the beacons of UK social housing policy, the legislation from 1919 that became known as the Addison Act after its sponsor, the minister of health Christopher Addison, imposed for the first time a duty on councils to...
The economic black hole at the heart of the shift to electric vehicles
Aug 07, 2017 16:02 pm UTC| Insights & Views Economy
The ban on the sale of new diesel and petrol cars and vans from 2040 is perhaps the most significant policy announcement made by the UK government in the past decade (with the possible exception of Brexit). It feels like a...
There’s an extra $1 billion on the table for NT schools. This could change lives if spent well
Political donations rules are finally in the spotlight – here’s what the government should do