| June 2009 | View back issues |
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| June 2009 | ||
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Launch of FAI Economic Commentary The latest edition of the Fraser of Allander Economic Commentary was launched on June 24 at the Fraser of Allander Institute. Institute staff provided the latest outlook and appraisal of the Scottish economy, and outlined the Institute's current forecasts of three alternative scenarios for growth, employment and unemployment in the Scottish economy. It also includes a series of papers on the role and impact of Scottish Higher Education Institutes. The Economic Commentary is supported by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and partner Paul Brewer, was on hand to comment on the implications of the continuing credit issues and current trends in the Scottish economy for the Scottish corporate sector. The Commentary was successfully relaunched in June 2008 with support from PricewaterhouseCoopers and from the Principal’s fund. The Commentary is published in an electronic format in February, June and November each year and the new web pages include access to previous issues of the Commentary and short video clips outlining the key findings. Over 800 hits were recorded on the Commentary’s website for the November 2008 issue and over 1100 hits in January/February 2009. The Commentary is available now on the Institute's website: http://www.strath.ac.uk/fraser Back to topRanking result for Accounting and Finance The Department of Accounting and Finance has been ranked at number 3 in The Times' Good University Guide and at number 3 in the Complete University Guide Subject League Table for 2010. The latter is compiled in association with The Independent, sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers and endorsed by the Association of Graduate Recruiters. http://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk Back to topTouching Lives scholarship fund launched A group of full time Strathclyde MBA students has kick started a scholarship fund. Called 'Touching Lives', the aim is for current full time MBA students to contribute to a student scholarship fund which will be open to applicants to the full time MBA programme for the 2009-2010 session. Whatever money is raised by the students will be matched by Strathclyde Business School. The idea was sparked by one of the students and his experiences of applying for a scholarship to study at Strathclyde and he wanted to help future students get the same experience and benefits of studying as he has had over the past year at Strathclyde. Rajendran Chandranathan, along with fellow students Sandy Wilson, Uloma Jide-Afonja, Luis Garcia and Nitin Mehta, hope their classmates will get behind the plans to 'touch lives' and help future students get on to the MBA programme. So far, students have been enthusiastic about the plans. Applicants to the fund will be chosen on work experience and merit and will also be expected to write an essay with a 'Touching Lives' theme. The Touching Lives group will then make recommendations to Strathclyde Business School's admissions panel for a final decision. Rajendran explains, "With my experience of the Strathclyde MBA I was keen to help another student gain a similar experience so came up with the initial idea of a student scholarship. I got together with some fellow students who were also enthusiastic about the idea and we hope to get all our fellow full-time MBA students to contribute as much as they can to help a student next year. "We envisage this as a rolling initiative, with each future cohort helping to support a scholarship for the next year. It is a chance to give something back; for the students, by the students." More information on the scholarship fund can be obtained by emailing touchinglives@lists.strath.ac.uk Back to topScotland's universities and the economy seminar Some of the issues raised in the June edition of the Fraser of Allander Economic commentary will be presented for discussion at a seminar on June 30 entitled "Scotland's Universities and the Economy: Impact, Value and Challenges". The latest issue of the FAI Economic Commentary highlights higher education and the economy in Scotland. Topics will include the impact of Scottish Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) on the demand side of the economy, the graduate wage premium and skill impacts of Scottish HEIs and estimating the economic value of the outputs of Scottish HEIs. The event will be chaired by Professor Peter McGregor, director of the Fraser of Allander Institute and joint co-ordinator of the Impact of Higher Education Institutions Research Initiative. The event has been organised by the University of Strathclyde and the Overall Impact project, as part of the Impact of Higher Education Institutions on Regional Economies initiative. A Strathclyde team is leading this major ESRC and funding council research initiative. Professor McGregor and Ursula Kelly (Information Resources Directorate) are co-ordinating the £3million research programme which involves nine different projects with academics from 17 different institutions in the UK. The initiative is jointly sponsored by the ESRC and all four Higher Education funding bodies (SFC, HEFCE, HEFCW, DELNI). Researchers are looking at many aspects of university impact, from how universities work with businesses and influence regional competitiveness to examining how students and graduates make a difference to the life of a city and the impact of graduate migrations. Other topics include the role of higher education in regional transformation and how universities work with local communities. The largest research project is also led by Strathclyde. Professors Peter McGregor, Kim Swales and Robert Wright (Economics), working with researchers Cher Li, Katerina Lisenkova and Kristinn Hermannsson, are developing new economic models for assessing the overall impact of universities at a regional level, including both 'supply side' and 'demand side' effects. Recent events organised by the team have included a presentation at an ESRC Festival of Social Science event at Our Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh, on March 10, and two special sessions at the international Triple Helix conference in Glasgow from June 17-19, which included six papers from the Strathclyde team, and the "Impact, Value and Challenges" seminar as detailed above.  Left to right: Katerina Lisenkova (Strathclyde), Kristinn Hermannsson (Strathclyde), Ursula Kelly (Strathclyde), Laura Wardrop (Strathclyde), Andrew Johnston (Sheffield Hallam), Cher Li (Strathclyde), Rob Huggins (UWIC), Peter McGregor (Strathclyde), Kim Swales (Strathclyde), Michael Kitson (Cambridge), Marc Cowing (IES), Peter Bates(IES) Back to top Global Entrepreneurship Monitor report launched The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) report was launched at Aston Business School on May 28. Co-authored by Dr Jonathan Levie (Hunter Centre) and Professor Mark Hart (Aston Business School), the report suggested there was no evidence of any change in entrepreneurial attitudes or activity in the UK as a whole in 2008, other than a sharp decline in opportunity perception. The proportion of people who agreed there are good opportunities for business start-ups within the next six months dropped by almost a quarter between 2007 and 2008. The decline in opportunity perception of working age adults was the fourth largest drop among participating high income countries – the report draws on identical surveys in 42 countries - after Iceland, Ireland and Spain. On the other hand, UK residents appeared to maintain start-up expectation rates, and skills perception remained steady. The GEM 2008 survey of 32,000 UK adults was conducted during May to September 2008, before the turmoil in the international banking industry. Dr Levie said, "Opportunity perception has taken a knock, but fear of failure does not seem to have increased in the UK as much as in other high income countries, possibly in part because of changes in UK company law in recent years. "The recent surge in unemployment means that highly qualified individuals may be considering self-employment who would otherwise not have given it a second thought. We may well see a release of entrepreneurial potential as a result of this crisis." Saltire Success continues The Saltire Foundation has announced that another Strathclyde student has been successful in being accepted for its prestigious internship programme, bringing the total of Strathclyde students participating to 10, out of a total of 34 placements. Eight of the Strathclyde 10 are business school students. The latest student is joining BAE Systems and will be working in London and Washington. Strathclyde's careers service was instrumental in organising a programme of events to help with the recruitment and interview process for the undergraduate internship scheme. Strathclyde Business School Dean Professor Susan Hart said, "This is an outstanding success rate for Strathclyde students – more than a quarter of the students taking part in this scheme are Strathclyde students, which I think pays testimony to the calibre of students within the business school and the university generally. "I'd like to extend my congratulations to all the successful students, and wish them well in their endeavours." The Saltire Foundation has the backing of Scottish Enterprise, GlobalScots and Scotland's International Advisory Board. Find out more at www.saltirefoundation.com Back to topNew economics textbook A new economics textbook written by academics from the Department of Economics has been published by McGraw-Hill. "Development Economics" has been written by Dr Mozammel Huq, Anthony Clunies Ross, Professor Emeritus in Economics, and David Forsyth, Professor Emeritus in Economics. It is a contemporary new text which foucuses on the emerging areas of development economics, such as Gender and Globalisation, whilst still fully covering all the traditional topics. The book brings together historical perspectives, current issues and policy implications. Each chapter can be read as a stand-alone unit, or as part of the wider economic debates presented throughout the book. Back to topStrathclyder of Year Business school student Sarah Macintyre was recognised for her outstanding achievements in sport by being named Strathclyder of the Year 2009. Sarah is studying Human Resource Management and Sociology and is also a world champion curler. She and her team captain have won three consecutive world junior titles, a feat which is unprecedented in world junior women's championship history. She also became the first winner of the city of Glasgow Student Athlete Award in November. Niall Sturrock, head of the University's Centre for Sport and Recreation, presented Sarah with the award at Barony Hall. He said, "Sarah is an exceptional sportsperson, and her hard work and dedication have brought great credit to herself, her family and the university. She is a real inspiration to all and a fitting recipient of the Strathclyder of the Year award. Sarah said, "This award means a lot to me. It's so nice to be recognised by Strathclyde after all the hard work I have put in to my sport and it's an honour to win the award." Back to topESRC Funding Success Funding has been awarded for an ESRC seminar series entitled, "Nostalgia in the Twenty-First Century." This collaborative project between the Department of Marketing (Dr Beverly Wagner, Dr Kathy Hamilton and Dr Juliette Wilson) and the Department of English Studies (Dr Sarah Edwards and Dr Faye Hammill), will involve 6 one-day seminars over a 2 year period. National and international speakers will participate in discussions on topics such as retro, print and media, urban nostalgia, diaspora and sustainability. Back to topSafety and Reliability Society speaker Dr Andrea Coulson was a keynote speaker at the Safety and Reliability Society's annual dinner in Aberdeen on May 26. She spoke on the theme of "Banking on Environmental Risk Assessment." Her co-speaker was Bryen Martin who talked on corporate responsibility and lessons from the nuclear industry. There were almost 200 delegates.
Dubai alumni event An alumni event took place in Dubai at SBS's UAE campus on April 25. Professors Colin Eden and Fran Ackermann, Dr Catherine Demangeot, Ron Bradfield, Ranjit Gajendra and Peter Calladine from AMBA were present, with 50 alumni attending. The speaker was Nabil Alyousif, head of corporate planning, Dubai Executive Offices, and an MBA alumnus.
Book launch Professor Sharon Bolton (Department of Management) launched her latest book – 'Work Matters: Critical Reflections on Contemporary Work' co-written with Dr Maeve Houlihan of University College Dublin – at the recent International Labour Process conference in Edinburgh. The book brings together a strong collection of narratives from the ethnographic field to discover the reality of pressure and change in the modern workplace. Chapter-by-chapter, experts in the field of work and employment examine empirical accounts and explain the forces shaping today's organisations through a critical, contemporary perspective. Download a sample chapter from the book Back to topContinuing Professional Development Programme The Centre for Executive Education (CEE) successfully launched a new CPD programme on Web 2.0 on May 28. Representing a fundamental change in the way people now experience the internet, this 'social revolution' is characterised by interaction, collaboration, community, empowerment, and user generated content, and is having a fundamental impact across many industries. Led by Dr Jim Hamill (Department of Marketing), the programme disseminated best-practice thinking in Web 2.0 strategy development and implementation to a range of organisations such as Scottish Enterprise, VisitScotland, Scottish Development International, Forestry Commission and the Global Scot Network. An advanced level programme will follow from July 2009, with customised versions of the programme also currently being developed for organisations. Follow Jim: http://twitter.com/DrJimHamill Back to topCEE continues partnership with Natural History Museum The first group of participants from the Centre for Executive Education's Certificate of Professional Development in Coaching has now completed the programme. Delivered across a diverse range of departments from across the museum, the programme advanced the individual and team skills of management, professional and scientific staff together. Commenting on the first programme, Dimple Meghani, NHM Learning and Development said, "The programme has been very comprehensive throughout and has been a continuous learning journey. The programme was a fantastic experience and has supported my development immensely, both as a coach and a professional." Following the success of the programme, the Natural History Museum is continuing its partnership with the CEE to deliver a programme over 2009 to a senior management team from various departments across the organisation. CEE staff are also now currently working with NHM Organisational and Development team to implement a continuing professional development framework to embed coaching within the organisation, and to investigate how best to utilise those NHM staff who have completed a CEE programme as an internal resource. Back to topHunter Centre event success The Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship's annual Scottish Entrepreneurship Research Workshop and Doctoral Consortium saw a total of 75 people attend over the two day event. The research workshop attracted nearly 50 researchers from universities in Scotland, Northern Ireland and England, with keynote speaker Professor Friederike Welter from Jonkoping University in Sweden presenting a keynote speech on "Context in Entrepreneurship". The half day Doctoral Consortium was attended by around 25 people, comprising both PhD students and early career academic staff. Professor Welter opened up the session with some personal perspectives on doing a PhD based on her own experience as a PhD student and PhD supervisor. Dr Marina Biniari talked on making the transition from PhD student to university lecturer and Professor Sara Carter drew upon her experience as an editor of Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice to talk about the process of getting published. The Hunter Centre plans to run the event again in May 2010, with a similar format. Attendance is open to all. Contact Professor Colin Mason for further information: colin.mason@strath.ac.uk Back to top Trio of books published Dr Tim Andrews (Department of Management) has had three books published in the space of a month. Together with Richard Mead, he was editor of "Cross-Cultural Management" (Routledge), a five-volume work in the Routledge Major Works series, providing a comprehensive collection of classic and contemporary contributions on the subject. Also with Richard Mead, he wrote "International Management", a fourth edition of which has been published by Oxford: Blackwell. He also edited "The Changing Face of Management" (Routledge), together with Sununta Siengthai. Back to topESRC grant for seminar series Professor Chris Huxham (Department of Management) has been awarded an ESRC seminar series grant together with colleaques at Cardiff School of Management, University of Birmingham Business School, Aston University, Manchester Business School, and on behalf of the British Academy of Management Special Interest Group on Inter-Organisational Relations. The series title is "Collaborative futures: new insights from intra- and inter-sectoral collaborations". Back to topManagement Research Report prizewinners Students on the MSc in Human Resource Management programme took part in the annual Management Research Report Conference on June 12. Students had the opportunity to present the findings from their Management Research Reports following on from their work placements and the chance to network with employers from sponsoring organisations. Students this year have been working with employers in the public, private and voluntary sector and the annual conference also allows the business school to show its appreciation to the organisations hosting the students on their various work placements. The conference is the final organised activity of the programme and presents a social, networking opportunity for the students before they embark on their dissertations over the summer period. The John Gennard Prize was awarded to the top students for their Report – Stella Stern was first with Earim Ashraf taking second place.
Putting Marketing into Practice Students on the MSc in Marketing and MSc in International Marketing programmes have the opportunity each year to act as marketing consultants on real-life marketing projects over both semesters. This kind of learning is vital in bridging the gap between academic learning and hands-on experience. This year, the Department of Marketing commissioned 19 projects from industries as diverse as food and drink, financial services, IT and concert promotion. The finals of this project-based programme culminated in presentations from the best projects for 2008/09 to a panel of esteemed industry judges. This year's winners were the team working with Distance Lab, a creative research organisation for digital media technology and design, focused on the theme of distance (MSc International Marketing), and the team working with Strathclyde Police in Glasgow (MSc Marketing) on issues of domestic violence. Detective Inspector Douglas Weir attended the presentation at the University and spoke with the panel of marketing experts who judged the competition between the top four groups. He said, "The panel were impressed at how the students had explored such a difficult and high profile subject in the social marketing arena which is often a demanding area in which to undertake such work. They further highlighted that in the commercial world a piece of work such as this would cost thousands of pounds." Andrew Gillon, a student from the group, added, "This was a unique opportunity from the perspective of dealing with an issue which significantly impacts on people's lives and whilst other groups were dealing with commercial enterprise we were dealing with a special problem which can result in serious consequences for the health, lives and wellbeing of our communities." For further information on Marketing Works, contact Dr Ian Grant at ian.grant@strath.ac.uk Back to topItalian Style Marketing A number of students from the MSc in Marketing and MSc in International Marketing programmes (Department of Marketing) spent a week studying Italian-style marketing at Ca' Foscari University, Venice, Italy. The students who attended this course were given a chance to interact with Master in Communicazione students in Venice as well as listening to how marketing is tailored for Italy's main industries of fashion, food and furniture. Back to topPaper presentations Professors Colin Eden and Fran Ackermann presented two papers at the Institute for Operations Research and Management Science, and Group Decision and Negotiation conference from June 13-17 in Toronto. The papers were: "Using the Group Explorer Group Support System to Add Value to Group Model Building" (written together with David Andersen and George Richardson, State University of New York) and "Building Scenarios: How a Causal Mapping Group Support System can help". Professors Eden and Ackermann also attended an editorial board meeting for the Group Decision and Negotiation Journal. Back to top Human Resource Management doctoral colloquium
The Department of Human Resource Management's PhD students played host to 20 visiting doctoral students and staff from the Universities of Evry (France), Gothenberg (Sweden), Keele, London Metropolitan, and the Free University of Brussels and Leuven. This event was part of the International Studies in Working Lives Doctoral School (ISWL) which was founded in 1996 and meets annually to provide opportunities for exchange between doctoral students and staff working in the areas of the sociology of work and employment relations. Students both at the beginning and end of their research studies presented papers on their work in front of their international peers, and worked together on various group activities. The Department's own PhD students benefitted, not only from the opportunity to network and learn from other university and social contexts, but also in having to communicate their work through posters and presentations to a mixed international audience. Five of the Department's PhD students also went on to present these posters at the University Research Day on June 17. The colloquium was supported through Roberts funding which is intended for the enhancement of early career researcher skills such as teamworking, networking and communication, through activities such as student-led conferences or collaborative training. The ISWL consortium is also preparing an application for a Marie Curie Initial Training Network which intends to build on the success of these annual colloquia and the collaborations which have emerged from this group. For further information, see http://www.strath.ac.uk/hrm/events Back to topScottish Centre for Employment Research report The Scottish Centre for Employment Research has completed the Scottish Students Income, Expenditure and Debt study for the Scottish Government. The report is being published online prior to the summer recess of parliament (June 29). The report and research findings will be published online, with limited hard copies available. The research was conducted over 18 months and is the most comprehensive study of student finances undertaken in Scotland. The research team consisted of Professors Chris Warhurst and Dennis Nickson, Jo Commander, Anna Symeonides and Dr Scott Hurrell from the Department of Human Resource Management plus colleagues Professors Andy Furlong and Fiona Wilson and Dr Jeanette Findlay from Glasgow University. The report is expected to inform policy debate about student financing over the coming years. Back to topVoluntary sector re-tendering research A report by Strathclyde Business School's Scottish Centre for Employment Research and commissioned by the Voluntary Sector Social Services Workforce Unit has found that re-tendering of services was damaging staff morale and forcing some highly-motivated staff to leave, undermining the quality of services. Three voluntary sector organisations which had recently been involved in re-tendering exercises with local authorities were chosen as case studies for the research. Report authors Dr Ian Cunningham and Professor Dennis Nickson assessed the impact re-tendering had on staff and their commitment and examined the implications for service planning in Scotland. The report recommends that more support should be given to line managers to help them cope with the emotional and motivational fall-out among the workforce. "A Gathering Storm? Procurement, Re-tendering and the Voluntary Sector Social Care Workforce" was launched on June 1 in Edinburgh. The launch was chaired by Jackie Baillie MSP and featured Dr Cunningham and Professor Nickson presenting the findings from the research to an audience of around 80 policy-makers and practitioners, including several other MSPs. Following the presentation of the findings, Dr Cunningham and Professor Nickson took part in a panel discussion with Mike Martin, Director of the Scottish Government's Joint Improvement Team, and Judith Midgley, Director VSSSWU. The findings from the report were featured in The Herald on June 9, which extensively quoted Dr Cunningham and Professor Nickson. http://www.theherald.co.uk/features... The report has also been circulated amongst members of the Scottish Government's Local Government and Communities Committee.  L-R: Professor Dennis Nickson, Mike Martin, Dr Ian Cunningham, Judith Midgley, Director Voluntary Sector Social Services Workforce Unit, and Jackie Baillie, MSP Back to top Visiting professor appointment Professor Alan Wilson of the Marketing Department has been appointed Visiting Professor at the Faculty of Management and Human Resource Development in the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Back to topHRM PhD students in force at University Research Day
Five PhD students from the Department of Human Resource Management presented posters at University Research Day on June 17. The themes covered by their research reflected the diversity of activity in the Department, taking in issues related to graduate underemployment; the psychological contract of Eastern European migrants; grievance and individual mobilisation in union environments; the restructuring of public sector jobs; and strategic decision making on public sector boards |
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