School of Materials Management and Marketing Seminar
In this seminar, our two most recently appointed Lecturers will present their PhD research, firstly Amy Benstead and secondly Jack Coffin.
Amy’s abstract:
Horizontal Collaboration in Response to Modern Slavery Legislation: An Action Research Project
Action research conducted in the fashion industry is used to investigate how horizontal collaboration aids organisations in responding to modern slavery legislation and gain a socially sustainable competitive
advantage. A relational perspective is adopted to interpret five collaborative initiatives taken to tackle modern slavery (e.g. joint training and supplier audits). The primary engagement has been with a multi-billion
pound turnover company and its collaborations with 35 brands/retailers. A Non-Government Organisation (NGO) and a trade body have also participated. Findings indicate that successful horizontal collaboration is
dependent on both relational capital and effective governance mechanisms. In collaborating, firms have generated relational rents and reduced costs creating a socially sustainable competitive advantage, as
suggested by the relational perspective. However, evidence also highlights that there are limits to horizontal collaboration
Jack’s abstract:
Obligatory and Preferential Passage Points: Theorising the Places of Alcohol (Non)Consumption
This paper explores the role of place in the (non)consumption of alcohol. Existing research has focused on the consumer identities and consumption practices surrounding alcohol and abstinence. Less attention
has been paid to the wider networks of meaning and materiality that make these identities and practices (im)possible, (un)intelligible, and (un)desirable in the first instance. The present study combined an
actor-network perspective with ethnographic data that explored how three LGBTQ+ leisure clubs chose venues in Manchester, UK. This analysis suggested that alcohol acts as obligatory (Callon, 1986) or
preferred (Martin and Schouten, 2013) passage points in places of consumption, resulting in different tensions and conflicts within the groups studied. A range of theoretical, managerial, and policy implications
are discussed
Speakers
Amy Benstead
Role: Lecturer in Fashion Management
Organisation: The University of Manchester
Jack Coffin
Role: Lecturer in Fashion Business
Organisation: The University of Manchester
Travel and Contact Information
Find event
B46
Sackville Street Building
Manchester
