The acceptable face of brands in schools

Reports research into business involvement in schools; while much debate concerns the unacceptable face of involvement such as aggressive marketing and fizzy drinks machines in schools, there are many other activities that both teachers and parents find valuable, including mentoring, free teaching materials and equipment, and redemption schemes. Outlines the research methodology, which included qualitative group discussions with school teachers and parents, followed by quantitative telephone interviews. Finds that parents have very low awareness of business involvement in their children’s schools, but had a basically positive view about businesses’ motivation for involvement; teachers were much more concerned about whether a business was morally and socially responsible; and there was no clear line that can be drawn between “acceptable” and “unacceptable” activities.