Exploring the domestic relationship between mega-events and destination image: The image impact of hosting the 2012 Olympic Games for the city of London

Contemporarily, the hosting of mega-sport-events (MSEs) is one of several strategies used by cities and governments to bring about improvements in a place’s image and recognition. With that in mind, the overall aim of this study, underpinned by theoretical-methodological social representation theory, was to evaluate the domestic image impact of hosting the 2012 Summer Olympic Games for the city of London, and in doing so, whether any image-transfer (or co-branding) processes occurred between the place and event. In addition to adding to the emergent body of work aimed at using social representation theory to measure place image, the authors are among the first to employ a matched-sample research approach to measuring the impact of an MSE on the domestic perceptions of the host. Employing an abductive research strategy, a survey was carried out among the domestic English population (n = 156) to identify cognitive and affective image components, in the form of social representations, of London as a city (or its place brand), the Olympics as a MSE, and the 2012 Games as a one-off event. The content and the structure of the pre-and post-event social representations were established (using image elements cited by at least 15% of the respondents), analysed (using hierarchical cluster analysis) and then compared (within- and between items) to determine whether any changes or image transfer occurred. The findings of this research reveal that the pre-event concerns regarding the hosting of the London 2012 Olympics and the potential of the event to negatively impact the city’s pre-established image, were, to a degree, fulfilled. Conversely, from an event perspective, respondents perceived the Olympics as a somewhat successful enterprise.     

Acidic open-cage solution containing basic cage-confined nanospaces for multipurpose catalysis

The nanoscale chemical spaces inherent in porous organic/coordination cages or solid/liquid materials have been continuously explored for their nanoconfinement effect on selective adsorption and reaction of small gas or organic molecules. Herein, we aim to rationalize the unconventional chemical reactivities motivated by the cage-confined nanospaces in aqueous solutions, where the robust yet permeable nanospaces defined by the open cages facilitate dynamic guest exchange and unusual chemical reactions. The high positive charges on [(Pd/Pt)₆(RuL₃)₈]²⁸⁺ nanocages drive imidazole–proton equilibrium to display a significantly perturbed pK_a shift, creating cage-defined nanospaces in solution with distinct intrinsic basicity and extrinsic acidity. The supramolecular cage effect plays pivotal roles in elaborating robust solution nanospaces, controlling ingress-and-egress molecular processes through open-cage portals and endowing nanocages with transition-state stabilization, amphoteric reactivities and the phase transfer of insoluble molecules, thus promoting chemical transformations in unconventional ways. Consequently, a wide range of application of cage-confined catalysis with anomalous reactivities may be expected based on this kind of open-cage solution medium, which combines cage nanocavity, solution heterogeneity and liquid-phase fluidity to benefit various potential mass transfer and molecular process options.