Background

Profile

I am currently a lecturer in marketing in the MOS group at Newcastle University Business School, after joining Newcastle University in 2006. I graduated with an Economics degree and worked in manufacturing before joining the education sector where I have delivered at a post 16 FE college in addition to HE.

My research interests are focused on the Third Sector in particular the contribution of volunteers to the delivery of services.

I have lectured widely on business and marketing modules at Management; UG and PG programme levels

This includes: Introduction to Marketing; Research Methods; Marketing Communications and B2B marketing.

I currently deliver an Arts & Cultural Marketing module from a Not-for-profit perspective

I have delivered marketing workshops to the Third Sector

I continue my professional development through attending CPD events and as an active volunteer.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Lecturer in Marketing
• Personal tutor
• Admissions selector for UG Marketing (N500) and Marketing & Management (NN52)

Qualification & Certificates

• BA (Hons) Economics - Northumbria University
• MBA - University of Teesside
• PGCE - University of Huddersfield

Research

Current work

• Collaboration with NUBS and NZ colleagues on the delivery of Corporate Volunteering
• Why do individuals become involved with Steampunk

Main expertise

Over the course of my career I have been actively engaged in research and development projects. My research is set in the Third Sector and focuses on the boundary spanning role of volunteers and their contribution to society.

This research has several foci

a)  What is a volunteer – their motivations; development and management

b)  Where do people volunteer sectorally for example in cultural organizations such as theatres and libraries.

c)  Key issues in the sector - for example the role of the Corporate volunteer and the transfer of public services in the UK to volunteer delivery

This has led to the production of academic publications including journal articles and conference papers.

The Third Sector is a dynamic and fast changing domain and much of my work is applied and involves engagement with the various stakeholders involved. As a result in addition to academic outputs, impact is generated through evaluation reports, workshops, invited presentations and expert advice.

Keywords: Third Sector; Volunteering; Corporate Volunteering (ESV); Public Sector Service provision

Other expertise

Previous research - Transfer of Public services to Volunteer Delivery.

in collaboration with University of Sheffield and Northumbria colleagues. Outputs include journal article and case studies published on the CIMPSA web site.

http://www.cimspa.co.uk/en/information/voluntary-transfer--research-hub/index.cfm

Deliver workshops and act as consultant to not for profit organisations

Funding received

• HEIF3 – 2006 - 8 – Investigate ESV / CV in Universities
• SDI – 2014 - Transfer of Public services to Volunteer Delivery
• Newcastle University - various internal research development

Postgraduate Supervision

• Extensive experience of supervising Masters Dissertations on MBA and Masters in International/ Marketing
• I have also served as member of PhD supervisory teams at Northumbria and Teesside Universities.

Esteem Indicators

• Reviewer - Marketing Intelligence & Planning; Non-Profit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly; Arts Marketing: An international Journal; Non profit Management & Leadership
• Reviewer - Marketing - Baines, P & Fill, C OUP  

Industry Relevance

• Deliver workshops to volunteer groups
• Active Volunteer in cultural environment – Darlington for Culture http://www.darlingtonforculture.org/

Teaching

Main expertise

My teaching activity draws on my marketing background; my CPD activities and research interests

I am an enthusiastic and knowledgeable lecturer. I have experience of teaching student groups of various sizes. This includes large lectures of 500 to small seminar groups.

I take an action learning approach to teaching, seeking to engage students through their own knowledge and experiences. 

Undergraduate Modules

Current - Module Leader on MKT 3095 Cultural & heritage Marketing; .

Previous – Introduction to Marketing; Buyer Behaviour; Marketing Communications; Not for Profit Marketing; Research methods;

Dissertation Supervisor

Postgraduate Modules

Includes - Guest lecturer Marketing Introduction on MA Museum Studies and delivering marketing modules: Marketing Principles; Not for Profit Marketing; Business Research Methods;

Post experience / Executive Education

A range of bespoke marketing training sessions and workshops for public and third sector organisations

Publications

• Articles

  • Findlay-King L, Nichols G, Forbes D. The Community Asset transfer of leisure facilities in the UK: a review and research agenda. Voluntas 2020, 31, 1159-1172.
  • Findlay-King L, Nichols G, Forbes D, Macfadyen G. Watching the pennies and the people - how volunteer led sport facilities have transformed services for local communities. Managing Sport and Leisure 2018, 23(4-6), 277-292.
  • Findlay-King L, Nichols G, Forbes D, Macfadyen G. Localism and the Big Society: the asset transfer of leisure centres and libraries - fighting closures or empowering communities?. Leisure Studies 2018, 37(2), 158-170.
  • Forbes D, Findlay-King L, Macfadyen G, Nichols G, Andrew R. Star Wars. Voluntary Sector Review 2017.
  • Forbes D, Findlay-King L, Macfadyen G, Nichols G. From public to volunteer library provision in the UK: lesson to be learnt – one size does not fit all. Voluntary Sector Review 2017, 8(3), 343-353.
  • Nichols G, Forbes D, Findlay-King L, MacFadyen G. Is the Asset Transfer of Public Leisure Facilities in England an Example of Associative Democracy?. Administrative Sciences 2015, 5(2), 71-87.
  • Forbes D, Bussell H. How UK universities engage with their local communities: a study of employer supported volunteering. International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing 2008, 13(4), 363-378.
  • Forbes D, Bussell H. Volunteer management in arts organisations. A Case Study And Managerial Implications. International Journal of Arts Management 2007, Vol. 9(No. 2), 16-28.
  • Chapman T, Forbes D, Brown J. 'They have god on their side': the impact of public sector attitudes on the development of social enterprise. Social Enterprise Journal 2007, 3(1), 78-89.
  • Bussell H, Forbes D. Developing relationship marketing in the voluntary sector. Journal of Nonprofit and Public Sector Marketing 2006, 15(1-2), 151-174.
  • Forbes D, Bussell H. Friends Schemes in Arts Marketing : Developing Relationships in British Provincial Theatres. International Journal of Arts Management 2005, 8(2), 38-49.
  • Forbes D, Bussell H. The volunteer life cycle: a marketing model for volunteering. Voluntary Action 2003, 5(3), 19.
  • Bussell H, Forbes D. Understanding the volunteer market: The what, where, who and why of volunteering. International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing 2002, 7(3), 244-259.

• Conference Proceedings (inc. Abstracts)

  • Forbes D, Nicholls G, Findlay-King L. Community Libraries in England: Empowering Volunteers and a catalyst for change. In: EURAM (European Academy of Management). 2019, Lisbon Portugal: European Academy of Management.
  • Forbes D, Nichols G, Findlay-King L, Macfadyen G. Asset transfer in libraries. In: 2015 Voluntary Sector and Volunteering Research Conference. 2015, Leeds: NCVO/VSSN.
  • Forbes D, Nichols G. The transfer of public leisure facilities towards volunteer delivery. In: 20th Voluntary Sector and Volunteering Research Conference. 2014, Sheffield Hallam University: NCVO / VSSN / IVR.
  • Forbes D. Employer Supported Volunteering; A case study. Initial thoughts . In: 11th International Society for Third-Sector Research Conference. 2014, Muenster, Germany: ISTR.
  • Forbes D, Smith P. Recruiting Volunteers: A content analysis of theatre websites revisited. In: 12th International Colloquium on Nonprofit, Arts, Heritage and Social Marketing. 2013, Edinburgh: Durham University Business School and Academy of Marketing.
  • Forbes D. Darlington for Culture: A community response. In: The Arts Economy Conference: New Directions in an Age of Austerity. 2013, Sheffield, UK: Research Committee for the Sociology of the Arts of the International Sociological Association.
  • Forbes D, Smith P. North East England Theatres – Volunteer Management. A content analysis of theatre web sites. In: NCVO/VSSN Researching the Voluntary Sector. 2012, Birmingham, UK.
  • Forbes D, Bussell H. Behind the scenes at the Building Society: an exploratory study of arts sponsorship in the UK. In: Academy of Marketing. 2010, Coventry University Business School.

• Online Publications

  • Forbes D, Finlay-King L, Nichols G, Macfayden G. Voluntary Transfer - Research Hub - Asset Transfer Cases. 2015. Available at: http://www.cimspa.co.uk/en/information/voluntary-transfer--research-hub/index.cfm.
  • Forbes D. Public Libraries - sustainable but not as we know them. London, UK: NCVO, 2015. Available at: http://blogs.ncvo.org.uk/2015/12/07/public-libraries-sustainable-but-not-as-we-know-them/.

• Reports

  • Forbes D, Nichols G. The Community Asett Transfer of Libraries: considerations in community managed libraries taking a lease. Newcastle University; University of Sheffield, 2020.
  • Nichols G, Forbes D. The transfer of public leisure facilities to volunteer delivery. Sports Volunteering Research Network, 2014.
  • Nichols G, Forbes D. The transfer of public leisure facilities to volunteer delivery. Sheffield/Newcastle, UK: Sheffield University/ Newcastle University, 2014.