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The own versus lease decision is a surprisingly controversial topic. Although the issues driving the decision appear straightforward, they are interpreted differently, leading corporations to make opposite decisions in similar circumstances. Overall, however, the author’s experience is that the current trend is away from ownership. In the slower‐moving decades of the past, corporations chose to own their real estate to keep control of their place of work. These buildings were often constructed specifically for their use and were as much image statements as places of work. Today, the pendulum of popular opinion has swung to the other extreme. In an era where asset metrics such as EVA (Economic Value Add) and ROA (Return on Assets) are in vogue, it is no longer acceptable for corporations to invest funds in capital‐intensive assets that are not central to the company’s business. Under the banner of flexibility and better asset utilisation, many companies have adopted a ‘lease only’ policy and refuse to own any building, even their corporate headquarters. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. Although easy to follow and implement, simple rules such as ‘own everything’ or ‘lease everything’ don’t work. Each decision needs to be assessed against a number of criteria which determine the relative advantages of leasing or owning in a given situation. It is an environment in which many myths have emerged. The following paper outlines many of the issues involved in own v lease decisions and reviews some of these myths. By providing a framework for making the decision, it asserts that, as with most major business decisions, there is no getting away from the need for an intelligent analyst.

Employing the Star Wars brand as a case study, this paper seeks to critically discuss the importance of comparative mythology for inter-generational branding and consumption practices within arts related markets.

Secondary data have been gathered focusing on the analysis of material in the form of books, academic journals, films, videos, television programs, websites and media reports related to the interface between comparative mythology, the Star Wars brand.

First, this paper indicates how the long-standing success of the Star Wars brand mirrors and reflects the power of monomythic storytelling in creating a platform for arts and place building branding associations and extensions for numerous products and services. Second, this study shows and highlights the potential of monomythic structures/storytelling and comparative mythology in acting an underlying cultural platform whereupon several arts brand associations, narratives, extensions and overall strategies can emerge. Finally, this project suggests how arts marketing scholars could further explore the infusion of mythological narratives within branding practices in the areas of performing/visual arts, museums, entertainment and arts related tourism campaigns.

Focusing on the most successful film franchise of all times, this study argues that comparative mythology constitutes an endless source for common templates of artistic, cross-cultural and inter-generational marketing practices focusing on universal moral codes and archetypes.

This paper explores some social‐psychological aspects of South Asian young adults in Denmark, including identity processes through social relations across geographical borders and psychological diaspora consciousness, and is a follow‐up of a project conducted in the mid‐nineties, in Denmark (N = 14). Diasporic conceptualisations focusing on human‐centredness and processes in migration, combined with a lifecourse perspective, provide the theoretical framework for this study. The method used is in‐depth interviews, analysed through condensation and meaningful categorisation of the narratives. The young adults are perceived as active actors in relation to their life situation. The results show the young adults', as well as the parental generations', re‐interpretation of the self, other and home. They also show that the young adults' diasporic identities involve the countries of origin as well as the Scandinavian welfare societies. However, the myth of return is not supported, although the countries of residence have adopted increasingly restrictive migration policies in the past years.

The Albanian migration has always reflected a family character, be that before 1945 when Albania was not yet completely isolated, as well as after 1990 when borders were reopened. This feature characterized all types of movement, internal or international, permanent or seasonal migration, return migration or transnational movements and remigration. The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of the family as a very important factor in making decisions regarding migration and answering questions from why to how to migrate, from when to where, whom to ask for help or how to invest remittances.

Based on the case study of a rural area in Northern Albania, the Administrative Unit of Dajç, this paper explores in detail the roles of family and kinship on decisions regarding return migration, the re-adjustment process, remigration or transnational life.

By exploring the role of the family context in remigration and vice-versa, the paper reflects that the family biography – including the lifestyle, plans for the future or expectations – has changed due to previous migration experiences or challenges and difficulties when returning to the home country.

It demonstrates how individual decisions to migrate or to “return home” are negotiated and supported within families making transnational life a family project. The paper adopts a new approach in the Albanian Migration Studies, which may be implied on broader areas for further research in the future.

How do you assess the quality of your planning tools? One approach is to look at the validity of the assumptions underlying them. Some of the most basic assumptions of planners are no longer valid; reexamining strategic myths helps ferret out those tools that need updating.

The history of Circassian diaspora by expressing experiences of Syrian Circassians with oppression and resistance was informed by Archer’s three-stage cycle in the context of analytical structure-agency dualism leading to social change. In the last period, Turkish Circassians’ political awakening in the name of “return to homeland” overlaps the last forced migration experience of Syrian Circassians. As a matter of fact, return to the homeland is nothing but a return to the past and a call to account for solidarity in the diaspora. Therefore, the new refugee experience of Syrian Circassians has strengthened social construction of return to the past and recalled a search for reassessing their past. But, more importantly, it shows transnational solidarity of diasporic subjects beyond nation-states.

The purpose of this paper is to examine issues relating to public and private pensions for individuals from some of the major ethnic minority groups in the UK.

The paper draws on data from in‐depth interviews and focus groups with 64 respondents from the six largest ethnic minority groups in the UK, as well as from a white British control group.

The research found that a belief in the need for retirement planning was held by respondents of all backgrounds, that there was a widespread view that state pension should be increased to a more adequate level, and concern amongst some respondents that they would be unable to receive retirement income from pension schemes if they were to retire in another country.

The limitations of the research largely concern the limited sample of respondents (n = 64), the use of English in all interviews and significant reliance on the internet in order to contact potential respondents.

It is suggested that more widespread information about retirement planning is needed in minority ethnic media and that in promoting the forthcoming scheme of Personal Accounts, the government should make clear the extent to which the scheme will allow members to receive retirement income in another country, for those who choose to retire abroad.

The paper contributes new information about attitudes to the forthcoming scheme of Personal Accounts, and explores retirement strategies of ethnic minority individuals in the UK.

This paper aims to explore the journeys of a group of North American Master athletes who travelled to Scotland to compete in the 2014 Masters World Championship Highland Games. Conceptualising, the Masters World Championship Highland Games as a unique form of sport heritage tourism, the paper explores how imaginations of the host venue are caught within individual and collective histories, while also being influenced by the socio-political context of contemporary Scotland.

After detailing the histories of the Highland games and Scottish emigration, the study draws upon a qualitative methodology to explore how such histories impact the imaginations of the Highland region.

This paper examines the journeys of athletes to the games, how they understood the games venue space and surrounding areas, and also how the Highland region itself was the site of contested meanings. The study concludes with a discussion of the narratives that frame imaginations of the Highlands and Scotland more broadly.

The paper adds to existing knowledge on sport heritage tourism and considers how conceptualisations of Scotland continue to be renegotiated in light of contemporary political developments.