2008 Beijing Olympics: Social and Cultural Impact - Dissertation Proposal (Final)

Yan Ru

MA Event Management

The University of Greenwich

The key goal of this dissertation is to analyze the impact of sporting mega-events in the context of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The dissertation will focus on how to maximize the positive impacts and minimize the negative impacts for mega-events. In order to identify the possible impacts as a result of the Beijing Olympics, structured interviews will be held to collect a large amount of data. The interviews will be held in China and will consist out of interviewing local community members in Beijing, tourism industry people and government officials. The research will focus on the social and cultural aspects of the Beijing Olympics. Both the social and cultural aspects will be investigated to identify the potential impacts of the Beijing Olympics, what activities need to be done to maximize the positive impacts and looking at the opportunities and issues might come forth from these activities.

The specific objectives we will address are:

1. To identify the social and cultural impacts on Beijing by hosting the 2008 Olympic Summer Games;

2. To investigate how to maximize the impact of social and cultural opportunities;

3. To investigate how to minimize the impact of social and cultural challenges.

On the 13th July 2001, Beijing was awarded the rights to host the 2008 Summer Olympics by the members of the International Olympics Committee (IOC) in Moscow. The IOC chose China over other bids from Toronto; Paris; Istanbul; and Osaka. Beijing won on the second round by secret ballot with a number of 56 votes, which is three more than the majority. When the news was made public in China, not only Beijing, but the whole of China started to celebrate in the streets. Why were the Chinese so excited about Beijing’s successful attempt to host the 2008 Summer Olympic Games? Besides the fact that China was regarded as a new emerging sports power, China saw it as an opportunity to forge new social and economic relationships with countries that normally would not have dealt with China. But why was the man in the street so excited? This research intends to answer what the practical, tangible benefits were to Beijing and its local community.

Beijing to produce first Olympic impact report in 2010

July 30th, 2008 ICT by IANS
Xinhua

Beijing will be the first host city to produce a full Olympic Games Impact (OGI) report and a Paralympic Games Impact (PGI) report in 2010, an official here said. The OGI project, conducted by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG), is designed to introduce a standardised cross-Games method of monitoring, measuring and reporting on the long-term impact of hosting Olympic Games.

At a press conference, Feng Huiling, vice-president of Renmin University of China and director of the Humanistic Olympics Studies Center at the university, said, "The two reports, first ever in the Olympic history, will be not only a Games legacy, but also a model for future Olympic host cities."

"The cities of Vancouver and London have both come to us for experiences," Feng added.

The OGI project started in 2003, when the Humanistic Olympics Studies Center at Renmin University of China won a bid. The PGI project was launched last year. Over 30 experts from the IOC, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and China formed two project teams.

Feng said that the projects are a study on a wide range of social, economic and environmental indicators. "It is the first time for us to conduct such a huge cross-subjects project."

According to Feng, The project team presented to the IOC the first and second report respectively in 2005 and the first quarter of this year. The final report will be made in 2010.

Final Research Proposal

The organizer starts volunteer recruitment drive in the square in front of the Shanghai Oriental Pearl Tower in May 2009.

　
Dissertation Research Title
　
Volunteer Management in Special Events Organizations
　
Nowadays volunteers become a core component and important element of event service delivery. The importance of volunteers in special events has been extensively acknowledged during the past decade. The special events companies meet economically higher convenience in investing on volunteers management.
　

The main purpose of this dissertation is to analyse and assess the use of volunteers and its programs in relation to the areas of special events management in the organisations of events industries. This includes the importance of using volunteers in the special events organization, the management of volunteers, recruitment and retention of volunteers and volunteers motivation. This dissertation will investigate the volunteer management styles, discuss the advantages as well as the main issues within the special events industry in China.
　
This research intends to enable special event organisations to benefit from the experience of others and contribute to the development of good practice in use of volunteer within events organisations in China. The main objective of the research is to provide a quantitative picture of the contribution of volunteers to the specail event organisations and indenttify the current trends in the use of volunteers, the main roles undertaken by volunteers, the contrbution of volunteers relative to paid employees, the problems and difficulties in the use of volunteers, and the good practises and ways to overcome these issues.
　
Methodology
　
A queationnaire survey will be sent to the special event organisations by email across the main cities of China. Respondents will be asked to fill out a questionnaire which designed for the Research Questions as mentioned above. The author aims to explore the importance of volunteers management in specail events organisations. This dissertation will be divided into two parts: theoretical and analytical. In the first part of the paper, the author will present those theories and concepts that are most interesting and valuable for the purpose of this research. Telephone interviews will be carried out with the person within the events organisations who complete the questionnaire. 　

　

Thank you!!

　　

　

Yan's Initial Research Proposal

Proposed Project Title
　
Customer Development in Arts & Culture Events Organizations
　

Research Objectives

• Customer Service Development in the Arts & Culture Events Activities;
• The development of both customer figures and the customer participation trends;
• To promote Customer Loyalty in the Arts & Culture Event Organizations in Shanghai, China;
• The needs of existing and potential customer and to help arts organizations to develop ongoing relationships with customers;
• To make the most of membership schemes in the arts & culture event organizations;
• Loyal customer attitudes towards ticket distribution

　
Research Questions　

• Why is the development of customer service so crucial?


• How to win the customer loyalty?


• What is the benefit of providing the membership schemes in the arts event organizations?


• How best to utilise the Membership Schemes in the Arts & Culture Event Organization?


• How to well maintain them?


• Why we need to provide more effective membership schemes in the Arts Event Organizations in China?

　
Problems/Issues identified so far
　
The problem/issue is many people have no understanding of arts & culture events, or familiarity with the arts. They fear that they can not understand, feel overawed and have no reason to believe that they are going to enjoy themselves. And for other attendees, the issue is paying for an unknown quality. They don’t know what they are getting. The arts organizations need to reduce the unknown factor rather than the price.
　
　
　

Thanks (:

　　

The Nutcracker

The Royal Ballet
15 December 2008 to 10 January 2009
Main Auditorium

The Guardian said in December 2006, this is a production that resembles the ideal Christmas decoration: ‘dusted off every year, yet always more fabulous than you remembered.’


The Nutcracker
　
Composer: Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
Choreographer: Peter Wright after Ivanov
First ROH Performance: 20 December 1984 (Wright after Ivanov)
First performance: 18 December 1892 (Ivanov) at the Mariinsky Theatre
Original scenario: Marius Petipa after E.T.A. Hoffmann's Nussknacker und Mausekönig

The Story
　
Drosselmeyer is a magician and creator of mechanical toys and clocks. He was employed in a royal palace where he invented a trap that killed off half the mouse population. In revenge the wicked Queen of the Mice cast a spell over Drosselmeyer's nephew, Hans-Peter. She transformed him into an ugly Nutcracker Doll.
　
The only way to break the spell is for the Nutcracker to slay the Mouse King, thereby committing an act of great bravery, and for a girl to love him in spite of his awful appearance.
　
Drosselmeyer is invited to entertain the guests at his friends’, the Stahlbaums, Christmas party. The Stahlbaums have a daughter, Clara, who is a little younger than Hans-Peter. It occurs to Drosselmeyer that she may be the one to break the spell.
　
Drosselmeyer decides to give the Nutcracker to Clara and makes a special Christmas Angel to guide her. When all the guests have departed and the house is asleep, Clara creeps downstairs and discovers Drosselmeyer waiting for her. He draws her into his own special world of fantasy where time is suspended. Drosselmeyer exerts all his powers to transform the living room into a great battlefield and summons the Mouse King.
　
A battle rages between mice and toy soldiers. Clara helps the Nutchracker, when out of compassion, she saves his life. The Nutcracker then slays the Mouse King. Transformed into his real self, Hans-Peter dances with Clara. They find themselves in the Land of Snow.
　
Drosselmeyer then sends them on a magic journey to the Sugar Garden in the Kingdom of Sweets. They meet the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Prince. Freed at last from his imprisonment inside the Nutcracker, Hans-Peter recounts to the Sugar Plum Fairy his great adventure and how Clara saved his life. They then join in a magnificent entertainment put on by Drosselmeyer to honour them for their bravery.
　
Returning to reality, Clara runs out into the street in search of Drosselmeyer and encounters a familiar young man. Back in his workshop Drosselmeyer prays that his efforts will be rewarded. His nephew returns; the spell is broken.

(Taken from a synopsis by Peter Wright)

　

　

　
　
Wish You All a Very Happy Holiday! Y

　

　

　

　

Olympic Heritage

The Olympic Games and the UK

In 2012 London will host a Games like never before, drawing on the country’s proud Olympic heritage.

London hosted the Olympic Games in 1908 and 1948.

Each time, we left our mark on the Olympic movement with our innovative approach:

1908

In 1908, London stood as Host City in for Rome after an eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

New in 1908:

• The Olympic Stadium (White City) was built especially for the Olympic Games.


• Athletes paraded under their national flags at a ceremony at the start of the Games.


• The Marathon was fixed at 42.195km (26.2 miles) – the distance from Windsor Castle to the Royal Box in the Olympic Stadium. This became the official distance from the 1924 Games onwards.

1948

In 1948, London again stepped in at the last minute to host the first Games after World War II.

New in 1948:

• Games shown on home television.


• Starting blocks for Sprint races.


• Volunteer Programme created to help run the Games.

Tickets for Vancouver 2010 Winter Games go on sale

Tickets for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games have gone on sale in Host Country Canada and around the world.

The Olympic Games take place in Vancouver and Whistler from 12-28 February 2010.

Tickets are on sale for the 16 Olympic sports, including Figure Skating, Cross-Country Skiing and Snowboard. They are available through National Olympic Committees and official ticket agents in each country.

Find out more on the Vancouver 2010 website, which offers a special section with advice for international visitors.

John Furlong, VANOC Chief Executive Officer, said: 'Visiting Canada and attending the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games promises to be the experience of a lifetime that people will remember for generations.'Canadians can’t wait to welcome the world with glowing hearts and invite everyone to join us in what is sure to be a spectacular celebration of culture, winter sport and incredible athletic achievement.'

This is the first phase of ticket sales, running until 7 November.

The Paralympic Winter Games take place from 12 – 21 March 2010. Tickets go on sale in May 2009.