Alan Wilson – författare

European economies are now dominated by services, and virtually all companies view service as critical to retaining their customers today and in the future. Successful businesses recognize that the development of strong customer relationships through quality service (and services), as well as implementing service strategies for competitive advantage are key to their success.In its fifth European edition, Services Marketing: Integrating Customer Focus across the Firm provides full coverage of the foundations of services marketing, placing the distinctive Gaps model at the centre of this approach. The new edition includes a brand-new chapter on AI and robotics in services as well as fully updated real-world and topical examples. The book focuses on the development of customer relationships through quality service, outlining the core concepts and theories in services marketing today.Key features:•NEW chapter on Artificial Intelligence in Service Encounters.•NEW case studies exploring some of the latest services marketing debates on topics such as how technology is changing servicescapes, what social and environmental responsibilities brands have, and key challenges companies will be facing in the future.•All Opening Examples and Service Spotlights revised or replaced with new and up to date content, covering specifically European and internationally recognisable brands, including Amazon, Emirates IKEA, LEGO, Nespresso, and Zalando.•Pedagogy updates to reflect latest trends and market influences such as AI, Robotics and Sustainability.•New videos, case studies, question banks, and teaching materials for the new AI chapter are available with McGraw-Hill’s Connect®, the well-established online learning platform, which features our award-winning adaptive reading experience as well as resources to help faculty and institutions improve student outcomes and course delivery efficiency.Alan Wilson is Emeritus Professor of Marketing and was previous Head of the Marketing Department within the University of Strathclyde Business School. Before joining the university, he was a senior consultant and executive trainer within the services division of a London-based marketing consultancy. He specializes in the marketing of services and has a PhD in the subject.

Successful businesses recognize that the development of strong customer relationships through quality service (and services) as well as implementing service strategies for competitive advantage are key to their success.In its fourth European edition, Services Marketing: Integrating Customer Focus across the Firm provides full coverage of the foundations of services marketing, placing the distinctive Gaps model at the center of this approach. The new edition draws on the most recent research, and using up-to-date and topical examples, the book focuses on the development of customer relationships through service, outlining the core concepts and theories in services marketing today.New and updated material in this new edition includes:• New content related to human resource strategies, including coverage of the role of robots and chatbots for delivering customer-focused services.• New coverage on listening to customers through research, big data, netnography and monitoring user-generated content.• Increased technology, social media and digital coverage throughout the text, including the delivery of services using mobile and digital platforms, as well as through the Internet of Things.• Brand new examples and case studies added from global and innovative companies including Turkish Airlines, Volvo, EasyJet and McDonalds.Available with McGraw-Hill’s Connect®, the well-established online learning platform, which features our award-winning adaptive reading experience as well as resources to help faculty and institutions improve student outcomes and course delivery efficiency.

The task of modelling the evolution of cities – the dynamics – is one of the major challenges of the social sciences. This book presents mathematical and computer models of urban and regional dynamics and shows how advances in computer visualisation provide new insights. Models of non-linear systems in general have three characteristics: multiple equilibria, ‘path dependence’ over time and phase transitions – that is, abrupt change at critical parameter values. These phenomena all exhibit themselves in reality, and it is an ongoing task to match model-based analysis with real phenomena. There are three key features of cities and regions to be represented in models: activities at a location – residence, health, education, work and shopping; flows between locations – spatial interaction; and the structures that carry these activities – buildings, transport and communications networks. Spatial interaction and many elements of activities’ location can be modelled by statistical averaging procedures, which are related to Boltzmann’s methods in statistical mechanics. This is while the evolution of structure can be represented in equations that connect to the Lotka-Volterra equations in ecology. Within this broad framework, alternative approaches can be brought to bear. This book uses entropy-maximising versions of spatial interaction models. The authors explore the dynamics in more detail, using advanced visualisation techniques. These ideas have wide potential uses, and the book illustrates this with applications in history and archaeology.

Success in the twenty-first century demands knowledge power – for individuals, organisations, cities, regions and countries. This book offers a map showing the structure of the knowledge space in a contemporary context. The routes beyond traditional disciplines are charted, in part based on the notions of superconcepts and superproblems. There are major implications for the development of education systems, particularly for universities but also for all employers as they seek to ensure that their organisations have the requisite knowledge to meet future challenges. In many instances, radical change is called for.The traditional disciplines and their future development are reviewed and systems concepts are introduced to develop an interdisciplinary framework for the future. The nature of the knowledge core for different kinds of organisation is outlined in the context of development strategies and management capabilities.Super concepts are introduced throughout and through these the reader is introduced to a range of authors who, it is argued, provide the signposts for the way ahead.

Success in the twenty-first century demands knowledge power – for individuals, organisations, cities, regions and countries. This book offers a map showing the structure of the knowledge space in a contemporary context. The routes beyond traditional disciplines are charted, in part based on the notions of superconcepts and superproblems. There are major implications for the development of education systems, particularly for universities but also for all employers as they seek to ensure that their organisations have the requisite knowledge to meet future challenges. In many instances, radical change is called for.The traditional disciplines and their future development are reviewed and systems concepts are introduced to develop an interdisciplinary framework for the future. The nature of the knowledge core for different kinds of organisation is outlined in the context of development strategies and management capabilities.Super concepts are introduced throughout and through these the reader is introduced to a range of authors who, it is argued, provide the signposts for the way ahead.

Mathematical models have long been used by geographers and regional scientists to explore the working of urban and regional systems, via a system where the equilibrium point changes slowly and smoothly as the parameters change slowly and smoothly. However, this all changed with the advent of catastrophe theory and bifurcation, which enabled the development of models where a quite sudden change in the position of the equilibrium point results from a slow, small, smooth change in one or more parameters.First published in 1981, this reissue of Professor Wilson’s classic study outlines the implications of these mathematical models for geography and regional science, by way of a survey of contemporary applications.

Mathematical models have long been used by geographers and regional scientists to explore the working of urban and regional systems, via a system where the equilibrium point changes slowly and smoothly as the parameters change slowly and smoothly. However, this all changed with the advent of catastrophe theory and bifurcation, which enabled the development of models where a quite sudden change in the position of the equilibrium point results from a slow, small, smooth change in one or more parameters.First published in 1981, this reissue of Professor Wilson’s classic study outlines the implications of these mathematical models for geography and regional science, by way of a survey of contemporary applications.

The study of cities is one of the grand challenges of twenty-first-century science, and mathematical modelling—in this case, urban modelling—provides a crucial contribution to scholarly and practical projects fully to comprehend their workings, evolution, and associated planning problems. There have been significant developments in urban modelling over the last fifty years or so (though foundational work dates back to the nineteenth century and beyond), and it remains a highly active and flourishing field of research and study.Urban modelling draws on population demography and economics. It seeks to represent the activities and structures associated with employment, residential location, and housing, the use of services such as retail, education, or health and associated transport and telecommunications interactions. The history of urban modelling can be seen as the development of submodels which, in more ambitious projects, are then combined into comprehensive models. These models can then be deployed as ‘What if?’ forecasting tools to test plans for future urban development. The retail model, for example, is extensively applied commercially.In five volumes, this new Routledge collection—edited by the scholar whose work in urban and regional modelling established the research agenda for the field from the 1970s onwards—answers the need for an authoritative reference work to map the vast body of published literature and to make sense of the continuing explosion in research output. Much of scholarly literature generated by this multidisciplinary enterprise remains inaccessible or is highly specialized and compartmentalized, so that it is hard for many of those who are interested to obtain an informed and comprehensive overview. Bringing together the very best canonical and cutting-edge contributions, this collection offers an invaluable, one-stop resource.Volume I captures the early history of modelling up to the early 1960s. Volume II demonstrates the development of the comprehensive model, building on Lowry’s 1964 work and the foundations of transport modelling, enhanced by the introduction of entropy-maximizing methods in 1967. Volume III covers the 1970s and 1980s, which in part demonstrated the power of mathematical programming and also the introduction of effective dynamic analysis. The final volumes collect the best scholarship from the 1990s to the present day, focusing particularly on applications of modelling and the areas where the dynamic urban model still remains incomplete.Urban Modelling is fully indexed with a comprehensive introduction, newly written by the learned editor, which places the gathered materials in their historical and intellectual context. The collection is certain to be recognized as an indispensable reference work.

First published in 1970, this groundbreaking investigation into Entropy in Urban and Regional Modelling provides an extensive and detailed insight into the entropy maximising method in the development of a whole class of urban and regional models.The book has its origins in work being carried out by the author in 1966, when he realised that the well-known gravity model could be derived on the basis of an analogy with statistical, rather than Newtonian, mechanics. Subsequent investigation demonstrated that the entropy maximising method stems from an even higher level of generality, and the beginning of the book is devoted to an account of its importance and use as a general modelling tool.This reissue will be welcomed by a range of students and professionals from fields as diverse as urban and regional studies, economics, geography, planning, civil engineering, mathematics and statistics.

First published in 1970, this groundbreaking investigation into Entropy in Urban and Regional Modelling provides an extensive and detailed insight into the entropy maximising method in the development of a whole class of urban and regional models.The book has its origins in work being carried out by the author in 1966, when he realised that the well-known gravity model could be derived on the basis of an analogy with statistical, rather than Newtonian, mechanics. Subsequent investigation demonstrated that the entropy maximising method stems from an even higher level of generality, and the beginning of the book is devoted to an account of its importance and use as a general modelling tool.This reissue will be welcomed by a range of students and professionals from fields as diverse as urban and regional studies, economics, geography, planning, civil engineering, mathematics and statistics.

This edited collection, first published in 1987, provides a comparative analysis of different approaches to urban modelling, and lays the foundations for the possibility of integration and a more unified field. The first part contextualises the development of the field of urban systems modelling, focusing on the variety of approaches and possible implications of this on the future of research and methodology. Next, the editors consider economic and ‘non-economic’ approaches, followed by an analysis of spatial-interaction-based approaches. Providing an overview to the field and research literature, the overarching argument is that there should be an integrated methodological approach to urban system modelling.

This edited collection, first published in 1987, provides a comparative analysis of different approaches to urban modelling, and lays the foundations for the possibility of integration and a more unified field. The first part contextualises the development of the field of urban systems modelling, focusing on the variety of approaches and possible implications of this on the future of research and methodology. Next, the editors consider economic and ‘non-economic’ approaches, followed by an analysis of spatial-interaction-based approaches. Providing an overview to the field and research literature, the overarching argument is that there should be an integrated methodological approach to urban system modelling.

16 well-known pieces from the worship-song repertoire in arrangements made specifically for choirs and singing groups to use as anthems. Edited and arranged by James Whitbourn and Alan Wilson.

Spanning a stellar career as the leader of large organisations across government, industry and education, Sir Alan Wilson has developed a deep insight into what 'actually' works in practice through the lens of systems analysis.Leaders and managers face daily challenges but need to articulate and communicate their objectives and plans for the longer term in a complex and rapidly changing environment. In the first part, five key elements of the framework are demonstrated in successive chapters: systems and the ‘big picture’; strategy; finance; structures; and integrating through ‘making things work’. The second part reveals the urgent challenges that translate from the global and international through to national and local scales: climate change and sustainability, security, pandemics, and social inclusion. The evolution of technology, artificial intelligence, and data science demand stronger strategies, leadership, and management across all organisations at all scales. This book responds to this need by providing international case studies, a unique framework, and references to out-of-the-box thinking that can be applied to a variety of circumstances.Leading and Management is a valuable resource for leaders and managers at all levels in any kind of organisation, particularly in universities, local authorities, government departments, industry, and those responsible for managing research.

Spanning a stellar career as the leader of large organisations across government, industry and education, Sir Alan Wilson has developed a deep insight into what 'actually' works in practice through the lens of systems analysis.Leaders and managers face daily challenges but need to articulate and communicate their objectives and plans for the longer term in a complex and rapidly changing environment. In the first part, five key elements of the framework are demonstrated in successive chapters: systems and the ‘big picture’; strategy; finance; structures; and integrating through ‘making things work’. The second part reveals the urgent challenges that translate from the global and international through to national and local scales: climate change and sustainability, security, pandemics, and social inclusion. The evolution of technology, artificial intelligence, and data science demand stronger strategies, leadership, and management across all organisations at all scales. This book responds to this need by providing international case studies, a unique framework, and references to out-of-the-box thinking that can be applied to a variety of circumstances.Leading and Management is a valuable resource for leaders and managers at all levels in any kind of organisation, particularly in universities, local authorities, government departments, industry, and those responsible for managing research.

The task of modelling the evolution of cities – the dynamics – is one of the major challenges of the social sciences. This book presents mathematical and computer models of urban and regional dynamics and shows how advances in computer visualisation provide new insights. Models of non-linear systems in general have three characteristics: multiple equilibria, ‘path dependence’ over time and phase transitions – that is, abrupt change at critical parameter values. These phenomena all exhibit themselves in reality, and it is an ongoing task to match model-based analysis with real phenomena. There are three key features of cities and regions to be represented in models: activities at a location – residence, health, education, work and shopping; flows between locations – spatial interaction; and the structures that carry these activities – buildings, transport and communications networks. Spatial interaction and many elements of activities’ location can be modelled by statistical averaging procedures, which are related to Boltzmann’s methods in statistical mechanics. This is while the evolution of structure can be represented in equations that connect to the Lotka-Volterra equations in ecology. Within this broad framework, alternative approaches can be brought to bear. This book uses entropy-maximising versions of spatial interaction models. The authors explore the dynamics in more detail, using advanced visualisation techniques. These ideas have wide potential uses, and the book illustrates this with applications in history and archaeology.

Taking a refreshingly non-technical approach, this textbook gives students a concise overview of the marketing research process. This text equips students with the skills needed to interpret research and use their findings to effect meaningful change. Keeping digital data and internet research at its heart, it details the main stages of the research process, covering both quantitative and qualitative methods. A plethora of case studies and examples helps students grasp the practical applications of theory.This textbook is ideal for use on marketing research courses at undergraduate, postgraduate and MBA levels.New to the 5th edition:- Updated cases, examples and business environment terminology incorporating recent developments in the industry- New feature within each chapter setting out the potential role of artificial intelligence- Expanded material on experimental research and virtual test marketsAccompanying free online resources designed to support teaching and learning can be found at www.bloomsburyonlineresources.com/marketing-research

Taking a refreshingly non-technical approach, this textbook gives students a concise overview of the marketing research process. This text equips students with the skills needed to interpret research and use their findings to effect meaningful change. Keeping digital data and internet research at its heart, it details the main stages of the research process, covering both quantitative and qualitative methods. A plethora of case studies and examples helps students grasp the practical applications of theory.This textbook is ideal for use on marketing research courses at undergraduate, postgraduate and MBA levels.New to the 5th edition:- Updated cases, examples and business environment terminology incorporating recent developments in the industry- New feature within each chapter setting out the potential role of artificial intelligence- Expanded material on experimental research and virtual test marketsAccompanying free online resources designed to support teaching and learning can be found at www.bloomsburyonlineresources.com/marketing-research

This core textbook provides students with a concise and user-friendly overview of the marketing research process, taking a refreshingly non-technical approach. The goal of this focused text is to equip students with the skills needed to interpret and implement the outcomes of such research to effectuate meaningful change. Keeping digital data and internet research at its heart, Marketing Research details the main stages of the research process, covering both quantitative and qualitative methods and offers a plethora of case studies and examples.Now in its fourth edition, this popular and accessible textbook is ideal for use on marketing research courses at diploma, undergraduate, postgraduate and MBA levels. This book has also been written to support The Market Research Society’s Diploma Module: The Principles of Market & Social Research.New to this Edition:- Expanded coverage of qualitative analysis, now with its own dedicated chapter- Fresh material on hot topics such as big data analytics, social media listening and data visualization- Updated content on online surveys, online group discussions and online samples, as well as data protection legislation- Added 'Industry Viewpoint' features setting out the latest thinking from practitioners on important topics- New author video introductions to each chapter and 'Careers in Marketing Research' video suite featuring the advice and experiences of a range of practitioners around the world- New opening cases featuring well-known, international organizationsAccompanying online resources for this title can be found at bloomsburyonlineresources.com/marketing-research-4e. These resources are designed to support teaching and learning when using this textbook and are available at no extra cost.

In 1786, the Reverend James MacGregor (1759–1830) was dispatched across the North Atlantic to establish a dissenting Presbyterian church in Pictou, Nova Scotia. The decision dismayed MacGregor, who had hoped for a post in the Scottish Highlands. Yet it led to a remarkable career in what was still the backwoods of colonial North America. Industrious and erudite, MacGregor established the progressive Pictou Academy, opposed slavery, and promoted scientific education, agriculture, and industry. Poet and translator, fluent in nine languages, he encouraged the preservation of the Gaelic language and promoted Scottish culture in Nova Scotia.Highland Shepherd finally bestows on MacGregor the recognition that he so richly deserves. Alan Wilson brings MacGregor and his surroundings to life, detailing his numerous achievements and establishing his importance to the social, religious, and intellectual history of the Maritimes.

From a five-year-old girl racing 60mph micro-midgets in South Africa, to a Formula One driver in the British Championship during her first full year of racing in the UK, and on to becoming the first and only woman ever to win a Formula One race, Desiré Wilson was a winner bested by very few of her male rivals. But single-seater racing was just the start of Desiré’s ascent in motorsport. She won two FIA World Championship Sports Car Endurance races in 1980, and went on to compete in well over 120 types of race car at more than 100 race tracks around the world. Always competitive, she earned a reputation for an intense, no-nonsense approach to racing, shrugging off the media glamour to focus on the hard grind of staying competitive in one of the world’s toughest sporting arenas. Moving to the male-dominated world of North American racing, Desiré became a pioneer for women racing in the harsh world of Indy Cars, facing discrimination, financial problems, and other obstacles ranging from tragedy to farce. Her career is unique in the world of racing, encompassing everything from club racing to Formula One and World Championship sports cars, to the evil monsters of the IndyCar World Series – the world’s fastest race cars. Hers is a story of hardships, fun, tragedy, perseverance, injury, and the amazing behind-the-scenes world masked by the public face and glamour of racing. It tells, too, of the consequences of politics and discrimination in the male world of professional auto racing.