Also in the news

Accounting and Finance academic’s KE opportunities

Dr Livia Pancotto, Department of Accounting and Finance recently had the opportunity to present her research on ‘Buy Now Pay Later’ (BNPL) at the Financial Stability Board (FSB) – Financial Innovation Network (FIN) meeting, held in London on April 11.

Livia was invited to speak on key developments in the Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) market and their implications—particularly from a financial stability perspective. The panel included the Heads of Policy and Government Affairs from Revolut, Klarna, and Block, with Livia as the only academic. Her invitation was based on a recent cross-country study on BNPL that she co-authored with colleagues at the Bank for International Settlements (BIS).

In addition, Livia undertook a visiting period (May 13-16) as a Technical Adviser in the Monetary and Economic Department at the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) in Basel, Switzerland. She has started working with them on a research project on digital finance in emerging markets, although it is still at a preliminary stage.

Both experiences represent valuable knowledge exchange (KE) opportunities for Strathclyde Business School and the Department of Accounting and Finance.

Net zero research trip to Dounreay for academics

Professor Matt Hannon, Department of Entrepreneurship, Strategy and Innovation and SISC director, visited the Nuclear Restoration Services site at Dounreay in May as part of a major UK Research and Innovation-funded project exploring how a people-led approach to net zeromight yield different and ultimately more productive solutions for cutting carbon emissions and delivering other co-benefits.

It was Matt’s first journey so far north and his second to a decommissioning nuclear site. He was accompanied by Professor Jill MacBryde, Professor of Innovation and Operations Management.

New hospitality and tourism book

Dr Anastasios Hadjisolomou, Department of Work, Employment and Organisation, has had a book he co-edited with Deirdre Curran, University of Galway, published.

“Work Realities: Insights and Advocacy from the Global Hospitality Research Alliance” has arisen from research undertaken by the Global Hospitality Research Alliance (GHRA) (hospitalityresearchalliance.com). The book provides evidence-based insights and discussions on today’s workplace realities in the hospitality and tourism industry.

The hospitality and tourism sector is undeniably vital to the global economy, employing an estimated 1 in 10 workers. However, the industry faces long-standing criticism for its employment practices and a persistent labour-shortage crisis. These systemic issues highlight the urgent need to reform employment practices and promote fair work across the sector.

The new book uses comparative perspectives and insights from international case studies to illustrate the employment challenges, what needs to change, and how change can best be implemented to ensure fair work in hospitality. In this volume, GHRA brings together over 20 researchers from 14 institutions using research to provoke positive change to working conditions in hospitality and tourism. This volume is framed around the Fair Work principles and pulls together workplace-based international research to make it accessible in a way that informs both policy and practice and provides valuable insights into international hospitality work in a globalized context. The volume offers a call to action, and suggestions for a research agenda, that will lead towards a more hopeful and fair employment proposition for workers in hospitality and tourism.

Conference at Strathclyde: Assessing Scotland as “Fair Work Nation”

On May 1 - International Workers’ Day - together with Professor Gregor Gall (University of Glasgow), Professor Stewart Johnstone co-organised a one-day conference “Assessing Scotland as Fair Work Nation”, which brought 50 academics, policymakers, trade unionists and representatives of public sector bodies to the University of Strathclyde to discuss the progress and prospects for Fair Work in Scotland.

Fair Work is defined in the 2016 Fair Work Framework as work that provides effective voice, opportunity, security, fulfilment and respect; that balances the rights and responsibilities of employers and workers; and that can generate benefits for individuals, organisations and society. Supported by the British Universities Industrial Relations Association – the main network of UK industrial relations academics – this special BUIRA Scotland conference asked almost a decade after the Fair Work vision was announced: what’s been achieved in terms of Fair Work in Scotland and why? what’s not been achieved and why? does the Employment Rights Bill change the situation with regard to Fair Work in Scotland? and is there still a need for the devolution of employment law?

Several Strathclyde academics contributed to the conversation including Professor Patricia Findlay, who is also Co-Chair of Scotland’s Fair Work Convention which brings together representatives of employers and trade unions to advocate for and advise Scottish Government on matters of Fair Work. She outlined how efforts to deliver Fair Work in Scotland have relied on voluntary measures, social partnership arrangements, and the creative use of devolved powers to shape employer practice. She also suggested progress in terms of policy and process, with the notion of Fair Work now embedded in the public policy narrative and architecture of government in Scotland, several sectoral enquires, assessment tools, and Fair Work First public procurement. While acknowledging the challenges in assessing direct outcomes of Fair Work, she outlined improvements in terms of various Fair Work Indicators as well as areas which need further attention.

Other speakers included Roz Foyer, General Secretary of the Scottish Trade Union Congress who acknowledged that while initiatives like Fair Work First procurement demonstrate progress, on some measures Scotland’s ambition to be a Fair Work nation still faces challenges. Marek Zemanik, Senior Public Policy Adviser from the CIPD presented evidence from the CIPD Working Lives series and highlighted dimensions of fair work which required most attention, including employee voice. Professor Ruth Dukes from the University of Glasgow then reflected upon the changing legal situation, and the potential implications and opportunities of the UK-level Employment Rights Bill and Make Work Pay,

Other Strathclyde academics offered insights from their research projects including Professor Ian Cunningham who highlighted various challenges to delivering decent pay and conditions in the social care sector given funding arrangements, while Dr Tasos Hadjisolomou suggested a need to improve employment practice to achieve Fair Work in the Scottish hospitality sector. These views were echoed by Dr Pedro Mendonça from Heriot Watt University who presented evidence of unfair working practices in the gig economy and called for urgent reform.

Professor Jean Jenkins from Cardiff University concluded with some insights from the Welsh context and highlighted the challenges of converting the rhetoric of fairness and justice into concrete change for workers.

The slides from the event are available from the BUIRA website. https://www.buira.net/events/assessing-scotland-as-a-fair-work-nation/ and a special issue of the journal Employee Relations drawing on the conference will also be published in due course.

Otago comes to Strathclyde

Professor Andrew Perchard, University of Otago, New Zealand, and Birkbeck, University of London, has been a visiting researcher in the Centre for the Political Economy of Labour (CPEL) within the Department of Work, Employment & Organisation (WEO) since February.

A former SBS staff member (History and then Department of Management/ Department of Strategy & Organisation) and Strathclyde graduate (PhD, 2005), Andy has been collaborating with Dr Darren McGuire and Professor Dora Scholarios, along with other colleagues.  During his visit, he has been delivering a series of workshops on developing a sustainable research agenda as part of the Supporting Good Research initiative, working with researchers from across the School, while Dr McGuire and he launched a special issue they'd co-edited (along with WEO PhD student Anya Kaufman and including a contribution from Dr Pratima Sambajee) of the journal Economic and Industrial Democracy, along with a number of other projects. The special issue launch on moral economy included participation from Professor Andrew Sayer, Professor Neville Kirk, and Dr Melissa Beresford among others.

Next month, he will be speaking at an event at the House of Lords discussing the future resilience of the UK metals sector.  Andy said of his visit, "I'm very grateful to CPEL, WEO, SBS and to old and new friends and colleagues for inviting and welcoming me back. It's been great to return to the school and university and to be part of the rich and exciting programme of valuable research activities on offer and collaborating with colleagues within the centre, department and school.  As a fellow of the British Academy of Management's Peer Review College, it's also really encouraging to see all that SBS, and the University of Strathclyde, are doing to promote researcher recognition and collaboration and enrich research excellence and integrity".

Leverhulme research project grant for Economics

Dr David Comerford, Department of Economics, has been awarded a Leverhulme Research Project Grant for around £80k to employ a post doctoral researcher for 18 months.

The project is entitled “Accounting for (the loss of) Globalisation in the Economics of Climate Change”.  This project will study this issue through the lens of economic modelling, by building an innovative climate economy model that incorporates gains from trade.

David said, “Within this model, we can then study policy scenarios, both looking at how the incorporation of gains from trade influences optimal climate policy, but also looking at other projections and scenarios reflecting the joint study of the outlook for both climate change impacts and the global economic situation, including the global climate policy response.”

Marketing research conference

The Department of Marketing hosted its 12th International Research Conference in Marketing on May 13 and 14.

As part of the event, the doctoral colloquium welcomed visiting scholars Professor Finola Kerrigan from the University of Birmingham, UK and Professor Dermot Breslin from Rennes School of Business, France. Throughout the conference week, both scholars delivered engaging and insightful sessions, which were attended by colleagues from across the Business School.

The PhD students in the Department of Marketing did an outstanding job showcasing their research - the projects presented were described as diverse, bold, and innovative. The visiting scholars selected three PhD students for presentation awards, namely, Tlholohelo K. Lekoro, Buque Kelvin Enwushe, and Irem Taştan.

Congratulations to all the students for their hard work!

Middle East space and cyber conversations continue

Dr Sharon Lemac-Vincere, Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship, Strategy and Innovation, returned from a short but busy trip to the Middle East region in May where she had the chance to meet with members of the space and cyber communities.

The British Embassy in Oman hosted a networking event at the embassy in Muscat to introduce Sharon to the space and cyber community in the area. This was part of a Scottish Enterprise-funded project for High Growth Female Founders for her university spin out. The embassy also helped her connect with local experts.

Sharon said,

Across the visit, I had a number of really interesting and productive conversations, with more meetings lined up soon. Oman is a special place and I am excited about the potential for collaboration in the region, I think there is real momentum building in both the cybersecurity and space sectors. I am looking forward to future visits and meeting up with my new found connections and friends.”

The trip also included time back in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, with Sharon continuing the conversations and connections she instigated on her previous visit, allowing her more insights into the region’s business landscape for space and cybersecurity. This visit was also part of a Scottish Enterprise-funded project focused on gathering feedback, engaging with stakeholders, and identifying opportunities linked to Sharon’s university spin-out. Sharon’s visit was supported by colleagues in the region, Abigail Davenport ( Dubai) and Dina al Maimani ( Oman).

Undergraduate students’ pitching success sees them head to Singapore

Fourth year undergraduate students Adam Diab, Callum Samuel, Ewan McCall and Josh Duncan, who all do International Business with Business Enterprise, have won an undergraduate pitching competition at the Hunter Centre which means they are set to attend the Singapore University of Social Sciences’ (SUSS) Global Impact StartUp Challenge 2025 in July.

The final year students will be flying out for 10 days to Singapore to join students from ASEAN, China and India to collaborate with fellow changemakers across borders, build and pitch their impact venture and immerse themselves in one of Asia’s most dynamic startup cities – Singapore.

The students will be focusing on ideas surrounding the care economy and the challenge of aging in today’s society and will be collaborating with fellow changemakers across borders while building and pitching thier impact venture.

They will be learning practical entrepreneurship skills through Lean Startup Methodology, visiting key innovation hubs in Singapore, be given complimentary access to the Geronpreneurship Innovation Festival and will receive a Certificate of Completion from SUSS.

Gender Export Gap Report gets Government response

Richard Lochhead MSP, Minister for Business in the Scottish Government, launched the Gender Export Gap Report and the Scottish Government’s response to it in February.

The Scottish Government commissioned the research report which was authored by Professor Norin Arshed and Dr Carolina Marin Cadavid of Strathclyde Business School’s Hunter Centre, and Dr Stephen Knox, University of Stirling.

The research was commissioned to better understand what difference greater participation by women in exporting could make to their businesses and the achievement of Scotland’s wider trade and economic targets, and how the Government can encourage and support that participation by working with partners and stakeholders.

The findings confirmed the presence of a gender export gap in Scotland, whereby women-led businesses export less than their male counterparts, which is supported by international research. Drawing on quantitative and qualitative analysis, the research found that reducing the gender export gap in Scotland could lead to significant economic benefits.

The report authors also looked at the barriers to exporting faced by women exporters and non-exporters; their opportunities to grow and internationalise; and the support required for the women to grow their businesses and export.

Based on their findings, the report provides a series of recommendations for the Scottish Government to take forward with its delivery partners and stakeholders.

Mr Lochhead said, “The untapped export potential of women entrepreneurs identified by this report is astonishing.”

REF Deep Dive panel invitation for Hunter Centre professor

Professor Norin Arshed, Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship, Strategy and Innovation, has been invited to be part of the REF2029 Engagement and Impact Policy Deep Dive panel. There is an indication that REF2029 will announce final decisions on impact and engagement after the panel meetings which will be held in London for two days in June.

PGR student accepted on to SGSSS internship

Department of Economics’ PGR student, Rory Allanson, has been accepted on to a SGSSS Internship with the Scottish Government starting in June.

The internship, a collaboration between the Scottish Government, SGSSS, and ADR UK, will explore recent developments in the population health of children and young people in Scotland. It will do so by leveraging several linked datasets from Research Data Scotland, such to examine the effectiveness of Government policy in reducing health inequalities within these populations.

Industrial Engagement for Management Science department

Strathclyde Business School welcomed the senior management team from WB Alloys to campus. The team from WB Alloys presented a real-world industrial project to the Department of Management Science’s MSc Business Analysis and Consulting students as part of the Becoming an Effective Business Analyst class. Opportunities like this enable students to apply their learning to live business challenges and gain valuable insights directly from industry leaders.

Exploring the Scottish Economy: Field Trip to the Highlands

Students from the International Masters in Project Management (IMPM) and MSc Business Analysis and Consulting programmes recently took part in a field trip to various locations across the Scottish Highlands.

The visit offered a unique opportunity to explore the dynamics of the Scottish economy in remote areas, while also strengthening the learning and teaching community within the Department of Management Science.

Engaging directly with local businesses and regional development initiatives allowed students to contextualise their academic learning and gain valuable insights into real-world challenges and opportunities in rural economic development.