On 11 November 1918, at 5am, an armistice with Germany was signed in a railway carriage based at Compiègne, France. Thus, concluded the Great War, the war to end all wars or what became known as the First World War. At 11am on 11 November 1918 on “the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of … Continue reading “Remembrance Sunday 11 November 2018: From the Great Hall, University of Birmingham, to the Acme Trench Whistle”
Author: John Bryson
Professor of Enterprise and Competitiveness,
City-Region Economic Development Institute,
Birmingham Business School,
The University of Birmingham, UK
World Cities Day, 31 October 2018, and Reading City-Regions: Responsible Inclusive Prosperity and Environmental Quality
I am not a great fan of designating days of the year to celebrate or reflect on an event or activity. Every morning, I awake to another day that has been given some form of day-related association. The problem is that citizens are swamped with these attempts to brand days to highlight the importance of … Continue reading “World Cities Day, 31 October 2018, and Reading City-Regions: Responsible Inclusive Prosperity and Environmental Quality”
Reading Dubai Mall: Service Spaces, Experience Spaces and Strolling Spaces
“The Dubai Mall – A place like no other. A new day, a new dawn. From the wind swept sands, a new legend rises. A mall of epic proportions that is named The Dubai Mall”.[1] Professor John Bryson presents his final blog from Dubai: ‘I am based in Dubai for ten days getting to know … Continue reading “Reading Dubai Mall: Service Spaces, Experience Spaces and Strolling Spaces”
Unravelling the “Dubai Intertwingularity”: Reading City Regions
Professor John Bryson on reading City-Regions during his time in Dubai I am here in Dubai for ten days. I am an academic interested in place and space. As a student of place and space, it is important to experience many different places to try to understand the on-going evolution of the international economy. Most … Continue reading “Unravelling the “Dubai Intertwingularity”: Reading City Regions”
The Future of Work during an Era of Disruptive Process and Technological Change : Reflections on a Debate held at the University of Birmingham Dubai
Further reflections by Professor John Bryson on his time in Dubai Futures matter. But the future is the future and not the now. We are living with uncertainty – uncertain lives, uncertain futures. Capitalism is an evolving system of value creation. Central to capitalism is a process that transforms inputs in to new forms of … Continue reading “The Future of Work during an Era of Disruptive Process and Technological Change : Reflections on a Debate held at the University of Birmingham Dubai”
From Birmingham to Dubai (with Rihanna): Reading City-Regions
Professor John Bryson reflects on his time visiting the new campus of the University of Birmingham Dubai. It is a rather chilly 8am on Sunday 30 September 2018. By chilly, I mean that it is only 31°C here but by 1pm it will be 37°C. Back in the former workshop of the world, the West … Continue reading “From Birmingham to Dubai (with Rihanna): Reading City-Regions”
How Will the Closure of House of Fraser/Rackhams Affect Birmingham?
House of Fraser announced yesterday that it plans to close 31 of its 59 stores across the county, including Rackhams in Birmingham. Professor John Bryson talks about what the closure will mean for Birmingham. Retailing matters for local economic development. It creates local jobs for local people and prevents money from leaking out from a … Continue reading “How Will the Closure of House of Fraser/Rackhams Affect Birmingham?”
Markle Sparkle and the Royal Wedding 2018: Frocks, Rocks and the Local Economic Impacts of Weddings
The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on Saturday, 19th May 2018, at St George’s Chapel in the grounds of Windsor Castle raises interesting questions regarding the relationship between weddings and local economic development. There can be no question that weddings are big business and that a Royal Wedding, in particular, is exceptionally big business that … Continue reading “Markle Sparkle and the Royal Wedding 2018: Frocks, Rocks and the Local Economic Impacts of Weddings”
‘Plumber phobia’ and the Brexit services trade dilemma
This blog was originally posted on the Birmingham Business School blog. Europe Day is upon us again and provides an ideal opportunity to reflect upon European integration in the face of Brexit. In 1985, the 9th May was designated as Europe Day by the European Union (EU) – then the European Community – to celebrate the … Continue reading “‘Plumber phobia’ and the Brexit services trade dilemma”
Wolverhampton Wanderers Return to the English Premier League: Football, Property and Local Economic Development
Greetings from Singapore. Singapore is perhaps a strange place to reflect on Wolverhampton Wanderers and its return to the English Premier League. But, like Wolverhampton, Singapore is a very special place with an interesting collection of strategic assets. All this is to argue that a place, a city, a town or a ward is defined … Continue reading “Wolverhampton Wanderers Return to the English Premier League: Football, Property and Local Economic Development”