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 (: