Welcome
The Centre for International Research in Consumers, Locations and Environments is a cross-faculty, pan University research centre initially created at Leeds Metropolitan University.
CIRCLE was created in 2003 as a virtual group of researchers within Hospitality & Retailing subject group, Leeds Business School and Innovation North. Today each university has its own CIRCLE which feeds into CIRCLE International and is based across 80 universities across the world.
It hosts an annual conference at differing venues throughout Europe amongst its 80 partner institutions and contains 24 higher degree students from throughout Europe with 11 completions of PhD / MPhil in the period 2005/10. In 2011 the PhD completion has increased to over 40.
CIRCLE International is under the direction of Prof Claudio Vignali who is the President Emeritus. Each year a president is elected from the management committee to develop the conference details.
CIRCLE International disseminates research results to both practitioner and academic audiences, is the home for the International Journal of Management Cases and provides staff experts who speak on retail and consumer issues to both business and consumer media.
CIRCLE International also provides an independent virtual college of learning.
Overall Aims
To bring together and provide a forum for practicing managers, academics and researchers throughout all university faculties together with a network of external partnerships.
Objectives
To cross boundaries and lever the resulting synergies of its knowledge base.
The virtual college will develop higher degree programmes and their delivery.
Explore skills gaps and implement master class programmes.
Development of a research focus around CIRCLE International topics.
