The organisation and economic geographies of marketing and public relations businesses in the West Midlands

This thesis examines the marketing and public relations industries in a sub-region of the West Midlands GOR, which stretches from Birmingham to the country towns and villages of Warwickshire and Worcestershire. The area is characterised as a hotspot for particular knowledge intensive businesses and entrepreneurial activity. By undertaking a whole sector analysis the formation and embeddedness of firms within the tight-knit marketing and PR community are elucidated. Examining acts of entrepreneurship and firm formation highlight the importance of different factors in the individual decision-making processes of new enterprise start-ups. This produces a plethora of small business organisations that service clients at distance using information and communication technologies (ICT), coupled with the concomitant industry expertise and contacts. There is a stretching of networks, enabled by ICT, whereby pre-existing relationships continue to be exploited. Consequently all firms, including home-based businesses and micro firms are easily established and represent a plethora of business models engaging in networks at a range of spatial scales. This thesis argues that BPS sectors are characterised by a plurality of business organisations which are crucial for the continual development of the sectors. Integral to this are ICT which facilitate a set of extensively and intensively flexible business organisations.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

d_ph

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

d_ph

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of Birmingham

Year dc:date.issued

2010

Author dc:creator

• Williams, Stephen

• G Geography (General)
• HC Economic History and Conditions