Starting from Monday 20th January, Staffordshire Business School will be running a whole week of activities designed to enhance student employability and enterprise skills.
Activities include:
TestFest exams to become a certified Miscrosoft Office Specialist
A drop in session to discuss ideas and suggestions with the Business School Senior Management Team
Guest speakers from organisations such as the Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce and international universities
Take a look at the schedule below for timings and more information:
Augmented Reality (AR)
is predicted to become one of the biggest Digital Trends of the new decade.
Augmented reality is the result of using technology to superimpose information
(sounds, images and text) on the world we see. Forms of AR have been around
since the 1990s where Fighter Aircraft were able to show details on heads up
displays and later identifying objects in their field of views as targets. It’s
only in recent years where it’s been implemented into the publics almost every
day use. AR is predicted to be worth $34 billion by 2023. On the other hand, with adding the VR market expectations, the
sum of total market size of AR and VR will be more than 100 Billion USD in
total. The reason why we sum AR and VR is, soon the distinction between AR, VR
or Mixed Reality technologies will be diminish and we will start to evaluate
the techniques in XR (Extended Reality) universe.
With each new step forward into the digital revolution, films like ‘The Matrix’ are becoming more
like reality with every new step. Software and Hardware engineers are
continuing to refine their AR software’s to the point where it is already
blurring the line between real life and virtual life.
The first real AR software to take the general public by storm was Pokémon Go. Pokémon go was a mobile game that was
released in 2016, which was developed by Niantic as part of the Pokémon
franchise. The game uses the players GPS to locate, capture, battle and train
their virtual Pokémon which will appear on the user’s screen as if they were at
the players real-world location. The game follows the freemium business model in the sense that it is free to
play, however it charges for in-app purchases.
By the end of 2016 it
had more than 500 million downloads and was the most used and most profitable
apps that year. It was credited with popularizing AR technologies as well as
promoting physical activity. By early 2019 the game had over a billion
downloads, grossing over $3 Billion and over 147 million monthly users.
It was only a matter of time before AR moved into the Fashion as you’d
think that the two things go hand in hand together. Giving buyers the ability
to see what they’d look like in clothe without even having to try them on or
leave their house. ASOS launched its first AR feature called Virtual Catwalk
which will allow to have a new way of trying on the clothes that they wish to
buy. The online retailer is also trailing other AR features, including a tool which allows
customers to view products on different size models, so customers can get a
better sense of how something might fit their body shape.
Augmented Reality has also been introduced into the world of IKEA. IKEA released an App which is called IKEA
Place and lets users use AR to see what IKEA furniture would look like in their
homes before they go to one of their stores and buy it. To make the models work
within the app, each one had to be squeezed down to a file size less than 1.5
megabytes large. This meant a careful balancing act of reducing the size while
making sure the detail and texture of the model remained. Too little detail,
and the illusion of placing a real item in augmented reality would be
shattered.
Allowing buyers to be able to use Augmented Reality to see how clothes
would look on their own bodies digitally will eventually change how the general
public view the high street and here’s why. If you give someone the opportunity
to be able to go online and digitally be able to see what an entire outfit or
shopping haul would look like on their body without even leaving their house,
they’re just going to do it over and over again. It removes the need for the
high street, for bigger brands at least. The smaller independent brands are
never going to have the financial backing to be able to introduce AR so will no
longer be able to compete with their competitors.
AR is a relatively new technology that is only going to get more backing and funding to create more extraordinary software’s that will continue to push the barriers in terms of what is achievable with AR. They will be a lot more realism with what will be possible, it is exciting to see what is going to happen and how different developers will develop this software to help change the digital world forever. Will it become what it is predicted to be, or will it fall flat like many types of software before it? 2020 will definitely be the start of finding out.
Carol Southall, Senior Lecturer, Staffordshire Business School
As tourists we are apt to display a level of cultural arrogance that is often not representative of the person we are in our daily lives. We make assumptions about a destination, its people, lifestyles and all the overtly obvious elements of culture to which we expose ourselves during a trip, such as language, dress, religion and food.
In 1978 Edward Said controversially identified ‘the other’ in reference to those with whom we are unfamiliar, highlighting the false cultural representations informing western preconceptions and subsequent imperialist behaviour. Often used to refer to people of ‘oriental’ (Middle-eastern or Asian) origin, Said’s seminal work focused on western perceptions of the ‘other’, and difficulties in integrating western and eastern cultures (Said, 2003).
When we are exposed to the ‘other’ we may display a level of cultural superiority in an effort to assimilate our environment. We consider our own culture to be superior to that which we are experiencing, as our own cultural norms may be our only reference point on our cultural ‘compass’. We thus demonstrate an air of arrogance in assuming this. In struggling to understand the cultural context in which we find ourselves, we revert to the relative familiarity of what we know and understand, assuming it to be superior to that in which we find ourselves. We fail to fully understand other cultures and thus respond inappropriately to them and do not engage with them, often preferring to find a familiar enclave and settle there in the relative comfort of a familiar environment, McDonalds, a British pub, restaurants serving English breakfast (in the case of English tourists) etc.
In today’s globally connected world there is an increasing call for global citizens, and yet the question is, what is a global citizen, how do we connect, and in a time of political turmoil and upheaval, for the UK in particular, how important is this?
A global citizen is someone who is able to demonstrate an understanding of the world and their place in it. The interconnected nature of the world as a result of globalisation means that increasingly there is a need for those who are able to demonstrate a high level of cultural awareness.
Cultural awareness is a result of immersion, culture shock and introspection, and even good humour plays its part. Cultural immersion requires time, effort, knowledge and understanding, but it is the key to cultural awareness and the ensuing cultural competence required for greater cultural integration.
There are 3 key ingredients in cultural competence:
Self-knowledge
Experience, not just in the form of books and films, but immersion in culture. Try it, touch it, eat it, make mistakes, apologise, listen, try again
Positive change
In 1986 Weaver applied an iceberg analogy to previous cultural literature (Hall, 1976) and subsequently identified the cultural iceberg, consisting of 3 layers:
Surface culture – including the more obvious elements of culture such language, food and dress
Unspoken rules – hidden below the surface and taking more time for an outsider to understand, these include business and social etiquette and symbolism of colours
Unconscious rules – the most difficult and yet the most important characteristics to know and understand. These are the things that people adhere to and believe in without conscious thought, including verbal and non-verbal communication, sense of time, physical distance and emotional responses.
So what can we do to become a global citizen? To melt the cultural iceberg and uncover and understand the unspoken and unconscious elements of culture that lead from cultural sensitivity to increased cultural awareness and cultural competence, and ultimately facilitate global interconnectedness and understanding? It is suggested that the only way to learn the internal culture of others is to actively participate in their culture. This takes time, commitment and an open mind.
We cannot judge a new culture based only on what we see when we first enter it. We must take time to get to know individuals from that culture and interact with them. Only through this can we uncover the values and beliefs that underlie the behaviour of that society and hope to make positive steps towards cultural understanding and integration. Consideration of all as equals is fundamental to progressing cultural awareness, argues Vaudrin-Charette (2019).
Only through cultural competence on the part of all groups in society can there be greater acceptance between and within groups of people, and, who knows, the world may just become a better place.
References
Said, E. (2003) Orientalism. London: Penguin Books.
Vaudrin-Charette (2019) Melting the Cultural Iceberg in Indigenizing Higher Education: Shifts to Accountability in Times of Reconciliation. New Directions for Teaching and Learning. 157, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com)
Weaver, G.R. in Paige, R.M. (1986) Cross-cultural orientation: new conceptualizations and applications. University Press of America.
For information on studying Tourism and Events at Staffordshire University click here
Dr Ahmad Mlouk, Senior Lecturer, Staffordshire Business School
In a ‘Global Financial Literacy Survey’ carried out for S&P in 2014, four questions were asked to measure financial literacy among world population whereby 150,000 people were surveyed in more than 140 countries. The following 4 questions were asked (answer options in brackets) and those who correctly answered 3 out of 4 questions were regarded as ‘financially literate’.
1. Suppose you have some money. Is it safer to put your money into one business or investment, or to put your money into multiple businesses or investments? [one business or investment; multiple businesses or investments; don’t know; refused to answer]
2. Suppose over the next 10 years the prices of the things you buy double. If your income also doubles, will you be able to buy less than you can buy today, the same as you can buy today, or more than you can buy today? [less; the same; more; don’t know; refused to answer]
3. Suppose you need to borrow 100 US dollars. Which is the lower amount to pay back: 105 US dollars or 100 US dollars plus three percent? [105 US dollars; 100 US dollars plus three percent; don’t know; refused to answer]
4. (i) Suppose you put money in the bank for two years and the bank agrees to add 15 percent per year to your account. Will the bank add more money to your account the second year than it did the first year, or will it add the same amount of money both years? [more; the same; don’t know; refused to answer]
(ii) Suppose you had 100 US dollars in a savings account and the bank adds 10 percent per year to the account. How much money would you have in the account after five years if you did not remove any money from the account? [more than 150 dollars; exactly 150 dollars; less than 150 dollars; don’t know; refused to answer]
You might wish to have a go at this survey. The first 10 correct answers to all questions can each claim a free bar of chocolate. In order to participate, you must be based at Staffordshire University Stoke Campus. E-mail your answer to: a.mlouk@staffs.ac.uk
Sadly, the outcome of the survey was that only one third of world adult population are financially literate. This picture is a lot better for most developed countries, in the UK for example, according to the same survey, two third of adults are considered financially literacy. However, a recent Financial Conduct Authority survey found that 4.1 million people to be ‘in serious financial difficulty’, which means they are unable to cope with the payments of credit card and other debts. According to the Money Charity in the UK, total debt per adult was £31,284 at the end of August 2019, total interest payment over 12 months to the end of August 2019 was a staggering amount of £50,722 million, that is the equivalent of £139 million per DAY! Students have a big share of this … they need to be savvy with their economics, political and financial affairs! They need to become super financially literate in order to overcome this big hurdle in their early life and career! The above is not sustainable and there has to be a way out of this ‘open prison’ for so many people.
Here is a good tip for you: plan your finances AND avoid the use of credit card if at all possible and, if used, ensure to pay off the balance on time otherwise you will pay ridiculously high interest. Credit card interest on average at the end of August 2019 is 20% per annum at the time when Bank of England base rate of interest is 0.75% (November 2019). For more information and to further develop your financial literacy, visit www.themoneycharity.org.uk.
We offer undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Accounting and Finance at Staffordshire Business School
Prof. Vish maheshwari, Associate dean and professor of marketing
It is that
time of the year again when festivities are in full swing for the imminent
arrival of Christmas. There is a special feeling around mostly ‘merry’ but with
a touch of somewhat uncertainty about few other developments that I would like
to avoid discussing on this occasion!!
However, concentrating on the interesting #racetowin approach from most retailers to acquire as much customer interest, awareness and conviction (in the form of business), it is fascinating to see and experience how power of branding and varied marketing communication strategy is put in action.
From emotion
to cognition, symbolic to functional and logical, social to societal aspects,
but all with a touch of empathy, being crafted by retailers to connect with
their customers at the time of this wonderful festive season. Below are some of
the examples to understand application and delivery of brand essence through
impactful storytelling:
McDonalds’ Christmas
advert portrays close bond between Archie the imaginative reindeer and a young
girl called Ellie, displaying the love and togetherness for families.
(Image: McDonald’s)
As usual much
awaited each year, John Lewis (and Waitrose) advert this time aims at combining
the sense of joy, love, compassion, excitement and friendship between a little
girl Ava and a young dragon called Edgar.
(Image: John Lewis & Partners/PA)
Whereas, Boots
have focused its advert around practicalities and struggle to find the right
gift for your loved ones and is part of its wider festive campaign ‘Gift Like
You Get Them’. This is alongside the launch of its new and creative approach
through developing various personas to find perfect gifts using curated edits
online called Boots ‘Boutique’ covering both offline and online platforms.
On the other
hand, the online retailer Very.co.uk has focused its Christmas campaign around
important aspect of community spirit promoting a powerful message of social
responsibility and sharing the joyfulness of festivities by ‘act of giving’ and
collectiveness.
Finally, it’s the return of Amazon’s singing boxes again for third year in a row but with a better emotional touch where the delivery of Christmas gifts through these boxes claim to play an important part in bringing smiles for your loved ones and create wonderful festive memories.
The examples above demonstrates that the concept of delivering brand essence and identity through meaningful interactions. Using relevant messages helps in connecting with customers through different attributes across all channels of integrated marketing communication. It also develops a recognisable brand image for recollection and reconnection with a positive impact and assured conviction during ‘selection/choice making’ stage as part of buying behaviour process. It reinforces the power of brand and branding that goes beyond mere physical and experiential attributes of a product or service.
To end – it is important to assert what philosopher Stephen King once stated that ‘products can be quickly outdated but a successful brand is timeless’
From the 18-24November, Global Entrepreneurship Week inspires people everywhere through local, national and global activities designed to help them explore their potential as self-starters and innovators. These activities, from large-scale competitions and events to intimate networking gatherings, connect participants to potential collaborators, mentors and even investors—introducing them to new possibilities and exciting opportunities…Continue reading
June Dennis, Dean of Staffordshire Business School
We’ve been celebrating Global Enterprise Week at Staffordshire Business School this week and have welcomed some fantastic guest speakers. What’s been very evident is
that there is no one reason or way to start your own business – each guest
speaker has had a uniquely individual journey and experience. In some
instances, they have fallen into self-employment, in others, it was a well
thought through and planned decision to do so.
So what makes a successful entrepreneur?
There are so many lists out there that can offer you the top 3 or 7 or 20 traits you must have to be a successful entrepreneur. This is my list based on what our guest speakers shared this week!
Passion & determination – if you are to succeed, you need to be
passionate about your business proposition.
What’s the point of setting up a business in something you don’t like or
believe in? However, passion alone will
not be enough. It really does help if
you love what you do, but you need to be prepared for setbacks. I can promise you that things won’t go as
smoothly as you hoped. There will be times when you question whether you did
the right thing. That’s when you need to
be resilient and, as they say, ‘keep calm and carry on’.
Strong work ethic & self starter – when you work for yourself, it’s very easy to have a lie-in when you don’t feel like working without realising that time is your most precious commodity. Even when you don’t feel it, you have to push yourself to make that phonecall, finish the report or knock on the door. You need to be disciplined. One friend, when he didn’t have any work, used to go to the cinema or meet friends for a coffee. Another friend would purposely post leaflets around the neighbourhood to promote his business. Can you guess which one was most successful?
…but also a good finisher – basically, you won’t get paid until you
finish the job. And, you need to finish
the job in good time. So don’t
procrastinate. Sometimes, ‘good enough’
is better than not getting the job done in time. You won’t get repeat business
if you don’t deliver on time.
Creativity – you don’t necessarily have to have a new-to-the-world invention or be able to design amazing advertising campaigns, but you do need to be a good problem solver and find ways around problems that come your way. That’s being creative!
Keep an eye out for opportunities – Be a purposeful networker. You don’t have to be an extravert to develop a supportive network and you never know what’s around the corner! Nearly every contract I received resulted in further business, either from the same organisation or as a result of them passing my details on to a third party. For example, as a result of writing Mintel reports, I was contacted by the chief executive at the time asking if I could act as an expert witness in a court case. The timing wasn’t great and I had to juggle domestic commitments and workload but saying yes to this one phone call provided me with the opportunity to be one of a handful of special marketing experts – and it paid well!
Know your worth – friends may ask for freebies or big
discounts sometimes with the promise that you’ll get lots of publicity. If they value you, they will pay for your
services or goods. Occasionally, they
may be able to offer you something in kind, such as your first review or office
space. I got a free hair cut from my hairdresser
when we spent the time it took to cut my hair discussing how he could improve
his pricing policy. It was win-win and
neither of us took the other person’s services for granted. As an expert
witness, I realised no one queried how much I was charging, so I increased my fees
by £50-£75/day for each new quote. I
never got turned down….
And finally,
Be prepared to learn – constantly! If you weren’t successful in getting a contract – find out why. If you made a mistake, learn from it. Get feedback whenever you can and look at ways to develop new skills.
As we enter November and preparations for Global Entrepreneurship Week begin around the World, Angela Lawrence, Associate Dean of Staffordshire Business School reflects on sporting success, failure and the qualities of a successful entrepreneur
Mention the title entrepreneur and who do you think of? Richard Branson, Bill Gates, Anita Roddick? These famous names are just the tip of the iceberg – actually there are 582 million entrepreneurs in the world. So with a world population of 7.7 billion, this means that there is approximately a 1 in 13 chance that you are or will become an entrepreneur!
Whilst cheering the England boys along in the Rugby World Cup recently, it has occurred to me that our team offers a few tips for budding entrepreneurs. England last won the Rugby World Cup in 2003, so the battle continues after 16 years of knock backs and failed efforts. Disappointment in the finals, losing against the Springboks shouldn’t lessen acknowledgement of the victory that we saw just one week earlier, when England beat the All Blacks to claim their place in the finals.
So, what can the budding entrepreneur learn from a team of brawny sportsmen who crashed out at the final hurdle?
1. Never give up
The odds were against our England boys in the semi-finals against the All Blacks, but they stood proud and strong as they faced their nemesis, determined not to give up or let the competition threaten them.
Even after suffering a crushing defeat in the finals the England team should take time to recognise what they have achieved over the course of the competition. As coach Eddie Jones said after the game, they “didn’t meet their goal to be the best team in the World, but they are the second best team in the World, so that’s how they should be remembered”.
Nothing is impossible. At times you will probably make wrong decisions, feeling like everything is going against you, but when the chips are down you need to stand strong – pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start again. It’s all about resilience and the ability to bounce back from adversity.
2. Everyone needs a team
Individually you can be brilliant, but with the support of a strong team you can be amazing! As the saying goes, teamwork makes the dream work! The phrase is said to be coined by John Maxwell, an American clergyman, who went on to say, “but a vision becomes a nightmare when the leader has a big dream and a bad team”. Even the most successful entrepreneur has a team around them and it is often the hard work and determination of the team that makes sure the entrepreneurial dream becomes a reality.
England captain Owen Farrell converted some magnificent tries throughout the competition, but the ability to kick a peculiarly shaped ball between two goal posts would not win a match without the hard work of his teammates, battling the opposing side tirelessly and creating opportunities for conversion.
3. Don’t be intimidated
Starting out as an entrepreneur, there will always be people who will tell you that you’re wrong, you’ve no idea, you’re living in cloud cuckoo land! It’s important to have the courage of your convictions and not to be deterred. You have a vision and you need to hold true to that – don’t be put off or intimidated by others. Face your fears, hold your head high and believe in yourself.
The Haka, a ceremonial dance complete with angry faces, stamping of feet and what could be perceived as threatening growls, was performed as expected prior to the England versus All Blacks semi-finals in the Rugby World Cup. The England team stood strong, forming a v-shaped formation and showing that they were not intimidated in any way. Their response, as reported in The Guardian said “Challenge laid down, challenge accepted”
We wouldn’t expect a professional team to play an energetic and bruising game like rugby, day after day without giving their bodies time to rest. World cup tournaments are planned to allow rest days between games, in recognition of the fact that teams need to rest and reform. A week between the semi-finals and the finals in the Rugby World Cup gave the England team time to recover, rest and prepare themselves mentally and physically for the all important culmination of years of training.
Creative thinking, invention, innovation and challenging the norm can be hard work. There will be days when everything falls apart and your risks are costly, times when you feel you can’t go on. It’s at times like these that you need to take time out to rest. Downtime is crucial – learning how to balance work and rest is essential to avoid burnout.
About Global Entreprenuership Week:
From the 18-24November, Global Entrepreneurship Week inspires people everywhere through local, national and global activities designed to help them explore their potential as self-starters and innovators. These activities, from large-scale competitions and events to intimate networking gatherings, connect participants to potential collaborators, mentors and even investors—introducing them to new possibilities and exciting opportunities…Continue reading
Staffordshire Business School has been awarded funding to support 50 microbusinesses to engage with technology to boost their productivity.
Staffordshire Business School is part of a consortium of business schools accredited by the Small Business Charter for their expertise in supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs who will deliver the programme. The Leading to Grow Programme will be offered at no cost to microbusinesses across Staffordshire.
Image: The Leading to Grow programme will run from January
Businesses that employ up to nine people will be able to apply to take part in workshops around how to use existing technologies to improve efficiency and profitability.
The funding has been made available through the government’s £8m Business Basics Programme run by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and Innovate UK.
Hazel Squire, Head of Department at Staffordshire Business School, said:
“As a digital University, this learning is an essential part of our offer to students and we’re delighted to be able to run The Leading to Grow Programme for small businesses in our region who may not have had access to this level of training and expertise.
This is in keeping with our Civic University commitment as it will ultimately enable businesses to grow and become more successful and have a positive impact on skills and the region’s economy. The programme will run from January and we are inviting interest from small businesses in our region who fit the criteria.”
Due to the small size and the dispersed nature of microbusinesses, they have not routinely received planned interventions by government agencies. The government is now targeting this type of business due to their potential and readiness to scale-up, and this is the first time that such a programme has been coordinated across the country.
The UK’s 1.1 million microbusinesses employ over 4 million people and contribute £533bn to the UK economy. The business schools, the Small Business Charter and the government hope to make a real impact on this important part of the economy.
Anne Kiem, Executive Director of the Small Business Charter and Chief Executive of the Chartered Association of Business Schools, said: “We are excited to be working with business schools to help improve the productivity of a range of microbusinesses. The pace of technological advances means that today’s small firms who embrace innovation will be tomorrow’s success stories.”
To register your interest in the Leading to Grow programme, email Eloise White at Staffordshire Business School on Eloise.White@staffs.ac.uk
Dr Mohammad Ali Wasim, Lecturer, Staffordshire Business School
In this time of uncertainty where Brexit is looming round the corner there is some form of relief for international students who make their way to the UK for higher education. Despite paying a significantly higher fee they end up being unable to find work due to strict visa restrictions which make it difficult for companies to sponsor their work visas. Experts argue that this was a smart move by the government given the fact that post Brexit there could be a significant impact on the labour market and to cater to the potential shortage the post study work permit would be a ‘win, win’ scenario. The employers would be able to fill the gaps with UK qualified international students and the international students would get an opportunity to benefit from UK work experience.
It is difficult to evaluate at this stage the impact the visa regime would have as a further analysis on the impact of Brexit on different industries needs to carried out. In hindsight when the visa regime was made stricter during the tenure of Theresa May as Home Secretary in 2012, the UK found it difficult to recruit international students and the students then preferred Australia and other EU countries over the UK. Experts argue that the full benefit of the scheme would be observable once the new visa regime comes into operation in 2020 and how it pans out for the benefits of the students and whether it is extendable beyond two years. A longer term opportunity would be beneficial for both the potential UK employers and their international student employees. This scenario also needs to be looked at keeping in mind the excessively high visa and its extension fee which the international students will have to bear when shifting to the new regime.
Staffordshire University has a significant influx of international students every year and this new visa regime would help secure more international candidates who would not only add to the diversity at the University enhancing student learning but also contribute to the local economy where initially students may participate through part time jobs to gain experience. In addition, employers would also have an advantage as they will have a bigger pool of resources to recruit and potentially benefit from.
Like any government policy, consistency is the key to its success. With changing governments and their fluctuating policies the impact of potentially beneficial schemes may be limited. The hope is that given the circumstances and uncertainty due to Brexit, the return of the post study work permit would be a permanent policy decision and not impacted by the outcome of the Brexit deal. Otherwise it would be considered more of a political gimmick to gain short term support and appease the disgruntled public because of the Brexit uncertainty.
Greetings! My name is Fang Zhao. I’ve recently started my new post as Associate Dean – Research and Enterprise at Staffordshire Business School, Staffordshire University. I look forward to getting connected and work with you in the areas of digital transformation strategy.
Prior to joining Staffs, I was a team member in Yellagonga Wetlands Smart Monitoring Project awarded under Australian Government Smart Cities and Suburbs Program in 2018 (Total Project funding: AU$ 2.05 million). My current research focuses on digital strategy in entrepreneurship and Smart Cities strategy and community engagement. I have led and completed a large number of research projects funded by governments, industry/business and universities, including Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Grant and Australian Federal Government grant.
Being a global citizen and a strong advocate for international mobility and education, I have extensive MBA and other management education and teaching experience in Australia, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, Fiji, and the United Kingdom.
