IN BRIEF
WEIGHING THE RISKS Many choices in life, such as how much to save, depend on how willing people are to take risks. Research will provide new measures of the willingness to take risks and to forgo current pleasures for future rewards. Having such measures will provide a more complete picture of the factors that shape choices relating to savings, borrowing and health behaviours. ESRC Grant Number RES-000-22-4264
SURROGATE MOTHERS What are the longer-term experiences of surrogate mothers? A previous study of women who were interviewed one year after the birth of the child suggested surrogacy could result in positive experiences. Researchers will follow up this sample of surrogate mothers ten years after surrogacy. Findings will be of relevance to families, clinicians and other professionals involved in surrogacy and will inform policy and legislation nationally and internationally. ESRC Grant Number RES-061-25-0480
A CHILDREN’S FORUM The newly established Children’s Sector Forum in Scotland aims to provide a powerful, unified voice in national-level policymaking. Researchers will identify sustainable ways of working which support children’s and young people’s participation that are effective in influencing policy and meaningful to the people involved – for Scotland’s Children’s Sector Forum and thus national policymaking. ESRC Grant Number RES-189-25-0174
Migrants boost UK hotel innovation
MIGRANTS PLAY A key role in making smaller British hotels more innovative, according to research. Findings show that migrants are an important source of fresh ideas and capacity to implement change for the hotel industry. “Migrants are essential because they constitute two thirds of the management in London’s small and medium-sized hotels and they are more innovative than British managers, particularly in areas of marketing and management,” says Professor Gareth Shaw. “The types of innovation they implement are small and incremental (such as updating software) but are essential in terms of improving the quality and performance of hotels and, in the longer term, the UK’s international competitiveness.” Researchers explored innovation processes in large hotel organisations operating at the international level, as well as innovations within micro and small enterprises in London. The research also found that many large hotel groups are quick to adopt and exploit innovations developed outside the industry, although there is a considerable gap between the most and least effective companies in terms of innovation. While hotels of all types have low levels of in-house research and development, innovative activity has been boosted through the formation of strong links and direct co-production between the hotel and, for example, IT providers. In-room technology for guests has become
4 SOCIETY NOW SPRING 2011
an important service, for example, with hotels initiating direct links with IT companies to develop products. “The strong level of co-production of innovation means that the hotel industry is critical to the development and survival of many UK-based IT companies,” co-researcher Professor Allan Williams points out. The study reveals that the UK hotel industry is a rich environment for innovation, and a good example of how the shifting boundaries of technology innovation are promoting new forms of co-production. Hoteliers need to ensure they have the necessary expertise and attitude to take advantage of new technological approaches in the industry, researchers suggest. Findings further indicate that a continuing supply of migrant managers into the UK is essential. Many do not have a professional education or previous background in hotels, but have strong generic skills. “A new points-based migration management system could make it hard for these managers to work in the UK,” Professor Williams argues. “But cutting off this source of innovative managers could pose problems for the competitiveness of the small to medium-sized enterprises hotel sector in cities such as London.” n
i Contact Professor Gareth Shaw, University of Exeter Email
g.shaw@
exeter.ac.uk
Telephone 01392 723332 ESRC Grant Number RES-180-25-0014 Targeted Initiative on Innovation Programme
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