MBA alumni Stephen Fitzpatrick and David Hernandez were back on campus in February to receive their MBA prizes in person.
Stephen and David were awarded the Dean’s Commendation Prize for their MBA project, and Stephen was also awarded the MBA Overall Prize Winner (2021/2022).
Stephen and David had the opportunity to accept their MBA prizes from Phil Considine, Director, Strathclyde Executive Education and Development, and Dominic Finn, Programme Director (UK).
Professor Kathy Hamilton of the Department of Marketing, along with Professor Thomas Boysen Anker from the University of Dundee, has received funding from the Scottish Universities Insight Institute to lead a knowledge exchange programme about consumer experiences of the cost-of-living crisis.
The programme aims to harness research and stakeholder insights to develop emergency-response solutions to support consumers through the cost-of-living crisis. It involves a one-day stakeholder symposium on Tuesday, June 13 at the University of Strathclyde.
It is hoped the symposium will include around 30 people, reflecting a range of perspectives including representatives from third sector organisations and policy, consumers with first-hand experience of the impacts of the cost-of-living crisis, and those working in retail. While no single initiative could solve the cost-of-living crisis, there may be ways of reducing negative impact on households and the aim of the symposium is to bring together scattered solutions into a coherent set of business, policy, and consumer recommendations.
Anyone interested in joining for a day of interactive discussions on impacts and reactions to the cost-of-living crisis, should email kathy.hamilton@strath.ac.uk for further information.
Work by Professor Phil Taylor of the Department of Work, Employment and Organisation, published in New Technology, Work and Employment, has become a top cited article and generated immediate impact according to the publishers.
The paper was co-authored with Debra Howcroft of the University of Manchester Alliance Business School. The paper looks at automation and its potential implications for the future of work, asking the question, “what is shaping automation and its predicted effects?”
The analysis presented is based on an understanding of how technology is shaped by existing technology, economics, social relations, gender and the state.
The paper can be read here: Automation and the future of work: A social shaping of technology approach
Professor Jillian MacBryde, head of the Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship, was teaching Digital Transformation on the MBA programme at our Oman centre in early March and, while there, gave a talk on “The Future of Work”, as part of the Strathclyde Business School Management Talk seminar series which was open to the public.
Professor Mark Cummins from the Department of Accounting and Finance also gave a talk as part of the seminar series on Explainable Artificial Intelligence and the opportunities it presents. He explored the latest advancements in AI and their impact on financial technology innovation.
The Help to Grow team were delighted to see their latest cohort – Cohort 9 – graduate this month, with their tenth cohort ready to complete the course at the end of March while Cohort 12 began on March 15.
The Help to Grow team were also delighted to welcome some of their previous participants back to Strathclyde Business School last week for their third alumni connect event.
The speakers Professor Patricia Findlay and Professor Colin Lindsay (MCIPD) from the Department of Work, Employment and Organisation delivered an engaging talk on productivity, followed by a Q&A session that generated some insightful discussion around workplace practice and employee wellbeing.
These events are an opportunity for Help to Grow: Management at Strathclyde Business School alumni to meet fellow business leaders outwith their original cohort, expand their networks, and hear inspirational speakers discussing topics directly relevant to SMEs and business growth.
The team will be part of a wider Business School alumni event, taking place on Thursday, May 4, with further details to follow.
Betül Çal, postgraduate researcher in the Department of Marketing, has been announced as winner of the 2023 AMS Review/Sheth Foundation Doctoral Competition for Conceptual Articles (DoCCA).
This annual competition is intended to advance theory development in the marketing discipline and encourage doctoral researchers to identify and publish impactful conceptual ideas in their research.
Betül’s winning submission is entitled “Contemplative Consumer Activism as a Driver for Social Change.”
The reviewing panel noted it as a “timely and relevant investigation” that “can provide an important contribution to consumer research in activism and social change.” Betül will be formerly recognised for this work at the Annual Conference of the Academy of Marketing Science and will now work with her supervisors, Kathy Hamilton and Eleni Tsougkou, to develop the manuscript for publication.
The Department of Economics hosted a session in which alumni shared the stories of their careers post-Strathclyde with current PGT and PGR students on February 22.
The Department was delighted to welcome five students back to campus: Nikki Keddie (MSc Economic Management and Policy in 2009, now with Fred Olsen; Rhona Lochhead, MSc Applied Economics in 2020, now with Aecom; Damisi Ajamajebi, MSc Economics and Finance in 2022, now with CreditSights; Orion Meyer, MSc Applied Economics in 2015 and PhD Economics 2022, now with Scottish Government; and Anastacia Charalampidou, PhD Economics 2017, now with SSE, for the session.
The speakers covered a wide range of topics as well as spending time with the current students and sharing their experiences of navigating the first steps in their post-study careers, their moving within and between organisations and passed on the advice that they would have liked to have received when they were students.
Our MBA students took part in a Ceilidh and Burns Supper on February 10 at the Piping Centre in Glasgow. The event brought together full time MBA cohorts from January 2022, September 2022 and January 2023. Around 100 students took part in total and experienced some ceilidh dancing and got the chance to try some haggis, neeps and tatties.
As part of the MBA external engagement portfolio, John Brown (Strathclyde Alumnus 1995) shared his experience in Global Change Management project talking through a specific case study from his career on February 14.
Following this, as part of the MBA Leadership series Monica Smith (Strathclyde Alumna 1992), who is current partner and Head of Coaching, Learning and Development at Hymans Robertson, spoke with the full-time MBA students on February 27 about Responsible Leadership and how her organisation brings this to life.
Our Executive MBA students in Oman held an MBA presentation ceremony at the College of Banking and Financial Studies, Strathclyde’s Oman centre, for cohorts 16 and 17 from 2021 & 2022, on February 8.
The event was held under the auspices of His Excellency Tahir Bin Salim Al Amri - The Executive President of Central Bank of Oman - at College campus. The Event was attended by CBFS Board Members, CEOs of banks and some businesses, HR and Training Managers of banks, and other dignitaries. A total of 27 graduates from the 46 who completed the programme attended the ceremony and celebrated their achievement. The event was covered by Oman TV, local newspapers and social media platforms.
The presentation ceremony was followed by a speech by Professor David Hillier Vice Principal and Executive Dean of Strathclyde Business School.
The University of Strathclyde has won a grant worth a total of £1.25 million to enhance the impact of its research on the economy, the environment and society.
Strathclyde has been awarded the funding over five years in an Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), part of UK Research and Innovation.
The University will use the funding to build on the infrastructure laid by economic and social science research. It will be deployed in three key themes
The IAA will expand on the output of the University’s centres and initiatives, including the Scottish Centre for Employment Research (SCER) at Strathclyde Business School. SBS will have roles on both the IAA Executive Board and the ESRC IAA Operational Board.
IAAs enable research organisations to support a wide range of social, economic and behavioural science impact activities. The funding generates greater benefits from research, helping create a more prosperous, inclusive, healthy and secure society. Strathclyde is among 32 institutions, including four in Scotland, receiving funding in the current round.
Professor Tim Bedford, Associate Principal at Strathclyde, said, “We are delighted to have secured this valuable funding, which will enable us grow and accelerate the impact of our economic and social sciences research.
“We will use this ESRC IAA to transform and translate our world-leading research, and associated outputs, into meaningful impact with the aim of co-creating fairer lives, communities and societies.
“Strathclyde is well known for its work on big societal challenges which typically require contributions from many different disciplines to develop a 'whole systems approach.' This award will enable us to support our economics and social science colleagues to bring their expertise into these challenges. For example, in climate change and adaptation, and in the development and adoption of innovation and technology, stimulating and enhancing our knowledge exchange, commercialisation activity and resultant impact.”
We will use our ESRC IAA to implement a Knowledge Exchange Champion model, which will see a new cohort of researchers leading knowledge exchange and impact projects funded by the IAA.
People will be at the heart of the ESRC IAA activities, both internally at Strathclyde, and externally in partner organisations and communities. The IAA will enable the acceleration of an inclusive environment at Strathclyde, in Scotland and beyond, where ongoing impact activities help address pressing local and global challenges. This will be done by spearheading new initiatives to meet community and business needs and to maximise the impact of UKRI and wider funded research on society and the economy.
ESRC Interim Executive Chair Professor Alison Park said, “The social, behavioural and economic research we fund helps us understand how we live and how society functions, throwing new light on how best to tackle our most pressing challenges. This investment creates a network of research organisations with dedicated funding to support and accelerate the impact of this research.
“We have already seen the benefits of previous rounds of IAA funding, which have leveraged an extra £52 million from partners ranging from local government to private business. This new cohort of 32 research organisations in receipt of IAA funding is the largest and most diverse group ESRC has funded. I look forward to seeing how these investments maximise the impact of social science research.”
UK Government Minister for Scotland Malcolm Offord said, “It’s great to see that four of Scotland’s outstanding research institutions are among organisations UK-wide benefiting from this funding.
“It’s essential that academic social and economic research is translated into real world, tangible benefits. These awards will help our universities to unlock the full impact of their research, including by working with partners to apply social sciences knowledge to address practical challenges in society.”
Stewart Johnstone, Department of Work, Employment and Organisation, has had a book he edited published.
Encyclopedia of Human Resource Management is an authoritative and comprehensive reference resource comprising almost 400 entries on core HR areas and concepts and has now been published by Edward Elgar.
The encyclopaedia presents an accessible and condensed overview of key HR topics, spanning from absenteeism and big data to whistleblowing and zero-hour contracts. Entries vary from singular concepts such as homeworking, equality, and digitalisation; to organisational behaviour terms such as organisational culture and job satisfaction; and broader management terms such as strategy and management development. Each entry provides a selected list of references and suggestions for further reading to enable the reader to gain a deeper awareness of the topic.
The Department of Marketing was delighted to celebrate their honours students’ dissertation submission with an event on February 22. Students were invited to enjoy drinks, doughnuts and a photobooth with supervisors and the wider Marketing Department in the Cathedral Wing. This was a lovely occasion to take a break following all the students’ hard work, reflect on how far they have come and to look forward to a bright future in Marketing.
The Department of Marketing has enjoyed a series of guest speakers and collaborations across undergraduate and postgraduate classes over the last Semester.
Students benefitted from having Jonathan Kemp (Commercial Director at AG Barr) and Victoria Darbyshire (current MRes student and former P&G and Mondelez employee) providing a guest lecture on ‘Points of Purchase Display in Practice’.
Dr Jane Johnstone welcomed Charlie Croft-Johnson, Tourism & Marketing Manager for Stirling Council, to deliver a guest lecture to postgraduate students in Destination Marketing Management. This engaging session helped set the context for the students’ assignment.
Pippa Robson, Systems Manager & Sustainable Tourism Coordinator for Absolute Escapes - a travel specialist in walking and self-drive holidays in UK and Ireland - also delivered a guest lecture for this class, focusing on sustainability in practice with insights into her role as Sustainable Tourism Coordinator.
Dr Natalie McDougall hosted a Digital Workshop for post graduate students in her Supply Chain Digitalisation class in collaboration with Booth Welsh, Global Integrated Engineering Service Providers. Booth Welsh’s Innovation Lead, Gordon Semple, and Marketing Director and Strathclyde Marketing Graduate, Aimee Doole, led a class discussion on the transition from Industry 4.0 towards Industry 5.0 and introduced Environment 4.0.
Students were also offered a technical demonstration from Andy Brittan from Booth Welsh’s Systems Engineering Team, who brought VR headsets to the class for the students to explore. Natalie also welcomed Dr Louise McBride, Glasgow Caledonian University, to deliver a guest lecture to her postgraduate Consumer Behaviour students. Dr McBride drew on her extensive experience working with International Fashion brands to consider the role of consumers in leading a shift towards slower, regenerative fashion systems.
The full time MBA class held a Mini Consulting Education and Client Challenge this month as part of an optional external engagement activity designed and led by Global Practitioner Gavin Marley. As part of the value-add opportunities for the students, MBA External Engagement Officer, Camila Zrein worked with Gavin Marley to give students a chance to practice their consulting skills with a real Scottish based SME. After the session concluded, Gavin noted, "The MBA cohort were engaged and enthusiastic throughout the two day session which created a wonderful environment for learning and the practical application of consulting skills."
My Language Connection Ltd (MLC) was the client in question and the class welcomed CEO Victoria Nicol and her senior team to join the session. MLC provided information and insight to the class on their business and the MBA students were tasked with focusing on how My Language Connection Ltd can develop retention in line with its longer-term vision for the business.
After the presentations, Victoria said, "What a thought provoking, inspiring and insightful afternoon spent with Strathclyde Business School MBA students during our [client challenge] session. We were wowed by some of the great market research, solutions and ideas that were presented to us by all of the seven groups involved in such a short space of time.
"Thank you Camila Zrein and Gavin Marley for putting all of this together. We couldn't have asked for a better afternoon; everyone's passion was infectious and we'll be developing some strong ideas now into actions!"