Bridging the Gap: Making Research ‘Useful’ in Food, Tourism, Hospitality and Events—The Role of Research Impact

Abstract

This chapter addresses the value of academic research in food, tourism, hospitality and events to stakeholders, in particular the private sector. This is a well-travelled road in debate between these industry sectors and academia, with frequently cite concerns that academic research is too theoretical and lacks application to the everyday challenges which practitioners face. This chapter critiques approaches to ‘relevant’ research that just seek to address immediate industry ‘problems’. As an alternative, an approach is suggested that advocates research that has impact in a rather wider context, against a wide range of business, economic, social and cultural criteria. These are modified and extended from the UK’s Research Excellence Framework (REF). The application of these criteria are illustrated through a series of fictional mini-cases and conclusions regarding the value of this approach are drawn.