Papers by James Hickie Hickie
Industry and higher education, Dec 1, 2011
Routledge eBooks, Mar 23, 2022
This paper explains the spread of Industry 4.0 technologies in two globalized, manufacturing indu... more This paper explains the spread of Industry 4.0 technologies in two globalized, manufacturing industries. It then goes on to suggest ways in which the widespread adoption and integration of these technologies may impact upon their geographical distributionnot least engaging new regions and perhaps altering the significance of established ones.
Urban Studies, Jan 31, 2023
Since the 1990s the UK’s city centre high streets have been losing market share to out-of-town sh... more Since the 1990s the UK’s city centre high streets have been losing market share to out-of-town shopping and e-retailing. The shocks of the Global Financial Crisis and COVID-19 have hastened this and precipitated widespread store closures. The experience economy is increasingly promoted as a means to avert the ‘death of the high street’, and this prompts our study of its evolution. An exploration of the literature reveals the experience economy to be an interconnected phenomenon focused on the creation of a memorable event that elicits a sensory response via multi-dimensional innovation and design. Using this to guide our empirical work, we undertake a comparative mixed method longitudinal case study of five UK city centres. We initially chart the changing manifestations of experience uses before analysing supporting interviews and observations that reveal three interconnected layers of the experience economy: in-store commercial experiences; leisure and entertainment-orientated adaptations to shopping centres and department stores; and the wider regeneration of the public realm. Implications for city centre management are discussed.
In recent years young entrepreneurs have attracted considerable attention from policy makers and ... more In recent years young entrepreneurs have attracted considerable attention from policy makers and the media, and there is evidence that increasingly many young people aspire to start their own business. However, there has been little research into how young entrepreneurs actually build their businesses, and the limited existing research about young entrepreneurs has tended to focus on participants who have struggled to achieve business survival and growth. By contrast, this thesis investigates how young entrepreneurs are able to build high performing businesses. All participants have built a business with a turnover between £1 million and £90 million or otherwise raised at least £1 million in external investment. It takes a qualitative approach, based primarily on semi-structured interviewing, to understanding the knowledge and skills 21 young entrepreneurs used to build their businesses. It uses a human capital theory framework to analyse how the young entrepreneurs developed relevant knowledge and skills prior to start-up in order to build a business. It then considers what additional human and social capital the young entrepreneurs acquired during the venture creation process itself. The findings identify three different pathways, each of which typifies the human capital used by particular young entrepreneurs, according to their educational background and the precise age at which they started their business. The study also establishes the necessary human capital which all of the young entrepreneurs developed prior to start-up or during the early stages of starting their ventures, which was important to their success in growing a business. The study finally contributes to the debate about whether general human capital or venture-specific human capital is most important to entrepreneurs, finding that for young entrepreneurs developing pre-start-up general human capital is particularly significant.
The International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, 2010
Urban Studies
Since the 1990s the UK’s city centre high streets have been losing market share to out-of-town sh... more Since the 1990s the UK’s city centre high streets have been losing market share to out-of-town shopping and e-retailing. The shocks of the Global Financial Crisis and COVID-19 have hastened this and precipitated widespread store closures. The experience economy is increasingly promoted as a means to avert the ‘death of the high street’, and this prompts our study of its evolution. An exploration of the literature reveals the experience economy to be an interconnected phenomenon focused on the creation of a memorable event that elicits a sensory response via multi-dimensional innovation and design. Using this to guide our empirical work, we undertake a comparative mixed method longitudinal case study of five UK city centres. We initially chart the changing manifestations of experience uses before analysing supporting interviews and observations that reveal three interconnected layers of the experience economy: in-store commercial experiences; leisure and entertainment-orientated adap...
Industry and Higher Education, 2011
This paper provides insights into the human capital development of a group of young entrepreneurs... more This paper provides insights into the human capital development of a group of young entrepreneurs, all of whom have built growth businesses with turnovers of between £1M and £90M. Their development of knowledge and skills was investigated before and during the creation of their first main ventures. This is significant in the context of current UK government policies to encourage young people to consider entrepreneurship as a career. The study considers the relevant skills and knowledge the young entrepreneurs developed prior to starting their businesses, the influences they experienced and how this pre-entrepreneurial learning affected their venture creation activities. Finally, the paper considers the challenges the entrepreneurs faced as they grew their businesses.
In recent years young entrepreneurs have attracted considerable attention from policy makers and ... more In recent years young entrepreneurs have attracted considerable attention from policy makers and the media, and there is evidence that increasingly many young people aspire to start their own business. However, there has been little research into how young entrepreneurs actually build their businesses, and the limited existing research about young entrepreneurs has tended to focus on participants who have struggled to achieve business survival and growth. By contrast, this thesis investigates how young entrepreneurs are able to build high performing businesses. All participants have built a business with a turnover between £1 million and £90 million or otherwise raised at least £1 million in external investment. It takes a qualitative approach, based primarily on semi-structured interviewing, to understanding the knowledge and skills 21 young entrepreneurs used to build their businesses. It uses a human capital theory framework to analyse how the young entrepreneurs developed relevant knowledge and skills prior to start-up in order to build a business. It then considers what additional human and social capital the young entrepreneurs acquired during the venture creation process itself. The findings identify three different pathways, each of which typifies the human capital used by particular young entrepreneurs, according to their educational background and the precise age at which they started their business. The study also establishes the necessary human capital which all of the young entrepreneurs developed prior to start-up or during the early stages of starting their ventures, which was important to their success in growing a business. The study finally contributes to the debate about whether general human capital or venture-specific human capital is most important to entrepreneurs, finding that for young entrepreneurs developing pre-start-up general human capital is particularly significant.
The International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, 2010
European Planning Studies
This paper explains the spread of Industry 4.0 technologies in two globalized, manufacturing indu... more This paper explains the spread of Industry 4.0 technologies in two globalized, manufacturing industries. It then goes on to suggest ways in which the widespread adoption and integration of these technologies may impact upon their geographical distributionnot least engaging new regions and perhaps altering the significance of established ones.
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Papers by James Hickie Hickie