Staffordshire Business School aspires to be a
leader in making a real impact on business and society through collaborative
research and innovation. Our team of academics have successfully delivered many
industry/business and government funded research projects and have extensive
experience of leading large team projects including local, UK, EU and
internationally funded projects.
Many of our team members combine rich industry and
practitioner experience with academic rigour in conducting world-leading
research and generating social and economic impacts in a wide range of areas
and fields. Our expertise includes but is not limited to the following research
streams and clusters:
Business and Management
Human Resources Management
Labour Market, Employment Relations and Migration
Organisational Change and Development
Public Sector Management
Leadership and Management Learning
Corporate Governance and Firm Performance
Corporate Social Responsibility
International Business and International Management
Place Marketing and Branding
Consumer Behaviour and Health Marketing
SME Innovation
Merger and Acquisition
Strategic Management and Leadership
Financial Management
Entrepreneurship and Innovation
LGBT Tourism and Family Tourism
Digital Transformation
and Innovation
Digital business strategy
Digital marketing and social media
Esports business and management
Digital technology diffusion in the financial sector
Digital entrepreneurship
Smart Cities/Communities/Urban and Regional Development
Smart cities strategy
Analysis and Evaluation of Public Policy on Urban Development (i.e. health; social care; urban education)
Place Leadership
Welfare reform
Community engagement and social inclusion
Environmental issues and sustainability
Postgraduate Research
Our academics conduct empirical research and are
actively publishing across a range of disciplines. As such they have a long history and a
successful track record of research supervision at both MPhil and Doctoral
levels. We are excited to welcome you to join our postgraduate research student
community.
For partnership and collaboration with us in industry-oriented
projects in both public and private sectors, please contact Professor Fang Zhao
– Associate Dean – Research and Enterprise at fang.zhao@staffs.ac.uk.
For enquiries about our MPhil or PhD program,
please contact:
Thursday February 6th 2020 Location – Ashley LT001 Dr Ijeoma Onwumere and Kathryn Taylor
As the ‘Connected University’ to meet the needs of our student, businesses and society, the focus of this year’s conference will be on “Global Business Challenges: Thriving in a hyper-connected Global World: The way forward”. We shall be exploring contemporary issues which businesses are facing globally and how these influence different areas of a business, such as, Digital Marketing, Business Administration and Strategy, Supply Chain in addition to the Health Service. The aim to support learners in building the advanced level skills of critical awareness and reflectivity necessary for a successful career in the 21st Century.
We are pleased to announce that this year’s keynote innovative, globally experienced and industrial speakers are: Tony Evans; Luke Bracegirdle; Balint Laszl; Dr Abdul Jabbar; Dr Radi Haloub; and Steve Lawley.
Tony Evans, Head of Financial Services, UK Amazon Web Services
Tony Evans, Head of Financial services, UK amazon web services. A globally experienced & innovative executive, working with customers to create data-driven digital strategies. He takes personal pride in developing customer-obsessed solutions, top talent and creating a world-class performance culture.
Tony has vast interest in growth leaders, Digital Disruption, Big Data, change Management and Business Strategy. Also, as former Head of Leonardo and Analytics,Tony was responsible for enabling customers to leverage SAP’s innovation portfolio, to drive business transformation and operational improvement. As the executive sponsor for SAP Machine Learning and Cloud customer adoption, Tony partnered with customer executive teams to promote SAP’s next generation computing platform. At SAP, Tony led SAP’s billion-dollar North American Database business and has managed the North American financial services business as the Chief Operating Officer.
Prior to SAP, Tony has a
successful track record in driving Business Process Reengineering and change
management for global organisations, including PepsiCo, Lucent Technologies and
IXNet. Tony has also held senior leadership positions across Oracle, BlackBerry
and SAP, where he has led the organisation of sales, technical and marketing
professionals, driving revenue growth through partnership with customers.
Tony is an alumnus of
Staffordshire University, where he graduated with BA (Hons) in Business Studies
and a Diploma in Marketing from CIM. Tony has an MBA in Change Management from
the University of Brighton and is a qualified Project Manager with the Project
Management Institute, an organisation he sat on the board of in NYC and
represented in the Global Project Management Forum. Tony also sits on the board
of a successful start-up, CrowdFlik where he partners with, and advises the CEO
around business strategy.
In addition, we have excellent guest speakers from our network of local businesses and Alumni who will be sharing some of their valuable experiences.
Luke Bracegirdle BSc (Hons)Director of Virtual Health SHED Ltd.
Luke develops mobile applications, virtual reality
and augmented reality digital resources for health. His work to develop a
learning system for health students at Keele University was recently “Highly
Commended” at the Times Higher Education Leadership and Management Awards 2018
for the Outstanding Digital Innovation of the Year category.
He is now working for the Digital Inclusion
Programme for North Staffordshire, funded by NHS England to create patient
information resources for voice activated assistants (e.g. Alexa), smartphones
and tablets.
As a Director for the Virtual Health SHED, he leads
on projects working to create innovative digital solutions for patient
information and clinical training.
Luke has
several Selected Publications:
Patents
Bracegirdle L and Chapman SR. Virtual Human Interaction System. AU.
Journal Articles
Humphreys M and Bracegirdle L. 2013. Using a Virtual Learning Environment within Simulation to enhance inter-professional team working skills. EDULEARN13 Abstracts, 4263-4268.
Richardson A, Bracegirdle L, McLachlan SIH, Chapman SR. 2013. Use of a Three-Dimensional Virtual Environment to Teach Drug-Receptor Interactions. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, vol. 77(1), Article 11.
Bracegirdle L and Chapman SR. 2010. Programmable Patients: Simulation of Consultation Skills in a Virtual Environment. Bio-Algorithms and Med-Systems, vol. 6(No. 11), 111-115.
Chapters
Pringle JK, Bracegirdle L, Potter JA. Educational forensic e-gaming as effective learning environments for Higher Education Students in Forensic Science Education and Training. Editors: Williams A, Cassella JP, Maskell PD. 1: 119-136. Wiley 30 Jun 2017 (Chapter 9) http://eu.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1118689232.html
Humphreys M, Rosenorn-Lanng D, Bracegirdle L. 2013. Using a Virtual Learning Environment within Simulation to enhance inter-professional team working skills and patient safety. In Patient Safety and Quality Dimensions of Health Informatics. Michell V, Gulliver S, Rosenorn-Lanng D, Currie W, Kuljis J (Eds.). IGI Global, Pennsylvania.
Dr Abdul Jabbar: Director of Learning Development
Dr Abdul is the Director of Learning Development at Huddersfield University Business School. He is a guardian award winning academic with significant experience in software development, network design and e-commerce business models. Abdul is responsible for the Centre of Learning, Innovation and Development which has a focus on developing the student experience and providing innovative teaching and learning solutions. He is also the course leader for the cutting-edge course Business Data Analytics degree.
As part of his research Abdul has been successful in developing and running a fully functional Blockchain. Utilising his software skills and his expertise in business analytics.
Abdul has modelled and simulated different business processes within a Blockchain environment to ascertain the potential use case scenarios to support business growth. Current research has a focus on Blockchain and the use of real-time processing in automated decision making, with a view to anticipate the changing world of work.
Balint
Laszlo is the Founder and MD of project consultancy company B2Control. He is
currently a Senior Programme Control Consultant to National Grid’s Viking Link
project, responsible for the time and cost controls for the overall programme
of EPC work including cables, converters and civil’ s contracts.
After spending nearly, a decade in engineering the shift to project management has enabled Balint to work on major projects including London Power Tunnels in the UK, Lower Churchill Converters and Transition Compounds Project in Canada and Buk-Dangjin-Godeok project in South Korea. Working in the energy sector Balint passion towards sustainable energy production and consumption fired some debates with his peers and friends. Balint holds a BA(Hons) in Business Administration, Management and Operations and Engineering Degree in Telecommunications. https://www.b2control.net/
Dr Radi Haloub Senior Lecturer in Strategy
Radi is interested in multidisciplinary
research and teaching between the Business School, School of Applied
Science and School of Engineering by teaching Strategic Management for
non-Business Students and leading Business Research projects.
Radi’s research interests lie in the areas of general Management, more
specifically on Strategic Management, Minority Entrepreneurship, Forecasting
and Business Ethics. Prior to joining the academia, Radi worked in practice for
nine years in a strategic planning department at an international
pharmaceutical company that operates in MENA (Middle East and North Africa)
countries, in addition to his last post as a Unit Head at Procter and Gamble’s
distributor (IATCO) in Saudi Arabia.
Radi is currently looking at the impact of culture and religion in
social integration of minorities and its influence on forced entrepreneurship
status for refuges and economic migrants.
Radi has served the community in the UK by conducting consultancy
projects with Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust (CHFT), Kirklees
Council, Calderdale Council, in addition to a few projects for Small Medium
Enterprises (SMEs) in Yorkshire.
BA/Leverhulme funded project: Radi was commissioned as Co-investigator and
working with Deema Refai and John Lever. This project titled: A
Better Future – Understanding Refugee Entrepreneurship (BFURE). The
team has been commissioned to carry out multi-site researches in West Yorkshire
region and develop refugee’s skills and integration into the society. The
project is supported by the Kirklees Council and some voluntary sector
organisations such as Huddersfield Sanctuary and Yorkshire Spirit CIC (Education).
Value: £6,060 (ongoing).
University Sandpit project: Radi was commissioned as the Principal
Investigator and working with Deema Refai, Toby Martin and John Lever. This
project titled: Sounding Out Refugees Stories in Jordan (SORJ). This
is an interdisciplinary project to explore the journeys of Syrian refugees in
Jordan and the challenges they face, focusing particularly on how these
journeys and challenges lead them to engage in entrepreneurship, whereby they
enhance their socio-economic cohesion. The project aimed to turn refugee
stories into two songs to be presented at two main events in Jordan (at a
university and a secondary school, respectively) to promote the positive image
of refugees through songs. Value: £14,300 (completed in 2019).
Santander Student Mobility Funds: Radi was commissioned to lead a group of four MSc students to present and contribute to Business Ethics workshop at the American University of Madaba in Jordan. The workshop and presentation were conducted at the School level and all students and academics were involved. Value: £5,000 (completed in 2016).
Steve Lawley: Director, ThriveNet
Steve
has worked most of his career with BT in a wide variety of roles in field
engineering, customer service and programme management, also heading up the UK
planning division when the Broadband network was initially being built. With 10
years’ experience at senior manager level in BT, he became Business Services
Director in the Openreach division, responsible for business connectivity
across the UK, before leaving BT in 2017 to become founder of his own
consultancy business.
Steve
is currently working with several business clients in the fibre and
connectivity arena where his expertise in network asset investment is key to
supporting current & future IP based technologies.
Steve holds a Master of Science (MSc) degree in Telecommunications Business from University College London, although has attended the Staffordshire campus previously before it became a Business School.
Venue Staffordshire University Business School Location Ashley LT001
Programme for the Day
09:00
Registration and Networking
09:30 Welcome and Introductions
Ijeoma Onwumere & Kat Taylor
09:40 – 10:20 Keynote Speaker 1
Tony Evans Global Business Challenges: Thriving in a hyper-connected Global World: The way forward
10:30
Break
10:40 – 11:20 Speaker 2
Abdul Jabbar Artificial Intelligence & Big Data in today’s Business
11:30 – 12:10 Speaker 3
Luke Bracegirdle Technology innovation, Global Cross Culture and Global business ethics’ in health care medicines and IT policies.
12:10
Lunch and Networking
13:00 – 13:10
Introduction to afternoon
13:10 – 13:50 Speaker 4
Balint Laszlo The effect and impact of green sustainability in business
13:50
Break
14:00 – 14:40 Speaker 5
Radi Haloub Global Cross culture and Global business ethics in Business
14:45 – 15:25 Speaker 6
Steve Lawley Business Challenges – Digital Disruption and More
Carol Southall, Senior Lecturer, Staffordshire Business School
As the ‘Connected University’,
Staffordshire University has a long history of working with international
partners to deliver undergraduate and postgraduate education worldwide. Such
links facilitate UK higher education (HE) provision, making HE available to
those for whom it would otherwise be unaffordable were they to have to travel
to the UK to study.
One such partnership is with
the successful British University Vietnam (BUV), located in the north of
Vietnam, in the country’s capital, Hanoi.
Now with a new, purpose-built campus in the Ecopark area of the City, BUV is expanding its course provision and consequently its student base, and now attracts students not only from Vietnam but also a small number from countries such as S Korea, Mongolia and Pakistan.
Since 2016, BUV have offered
a UK summer school to their students, with small numbers, accompanied by staff
members, travelling to the UK to spend a week at Staffordshire University and a
further week exploring England.
In 2019, Student Experience funding made it possible for the first time to offer such an opportunity to Staffordshire Business School’s (SBS) Tourism Management and Event Management final year students based at Staffordshire University’s Stoke-on-Trent campus. The fund, with an additional contribution from students, supported the field trip to Vietnam to engage with British University Vietnam’s inaugural tourism conference, 5-6 December 2019 – ‘Vietnam Tourism in the 21st Century’.
Keynote speeches focused on ‘Sustainability’
and ‘The Journey to Cultural Awareness’, delivered by SBS Senior Lecturer and
BUV Academic Link Tutor Carol Southall. The Vice Chairman of Vietnam National Administration
of Tourism (VNAT) Dr Ha Van Sieu also outlined the exponential growth in
Vietnamese tourism since the country opened its doors to tourism from the West
in 1988, from initial arrivals figures of under 93,000 to 16 million in 2019.
With his focus on ‘The Good,
the Bad and the Ugly’, or rather ‘The Good, Risks and Challenges’, Andrew Nisbet,
Cluster General Manager of The Hilton Hanoi Opera and Hilton Garden Inn Hanoi, discussed
the importance and development of the hospitality industry in Vietnam and its
challenges going forward. Such challenges included staff development and
training and the importance of education. Additional challenges identified by
other speakers included destination marketing and the comparatively low
marketing budget of US$2 million annually, compared to the US$80 million budget
invested in Thailand’s destination marketing, as well as airport capacity and
alternative (niche) tourism products and services.
Throughout their time in Hanoi, students were able to experience traditional northern Vietnamese food, including delicacies such as Egg Coffee, Bánh mì and Bun cha, the latter being immortalised in the tourist ‘must-eat’ list, after the then US President Barack Obama visited Hanoi and ate Bun Cha at a local restaurant in 2016.
The visit also incorporated key tourist sites such as the jaw-droppingly beautiful Trang An Landscape Complex, recognised by UNESCO and located within the Ninh Binh Province of North Vietnam, near the southern edges of the Red River Delta. Other excursions included a boat trip through Halong Bay, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well as local attractions in Hanoi including Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the Temple of Literature, Ho Lao prison (the infamous Hanoi Hilton), Walking street, Heritage House, Hoan Kiem Lake, Old Town and the City’s night market.
A highlight of the visit was an evening reception at the British Embassy Hanoi, where students and academics networked with industry to discuss their experiences of Vietnam and possible future opportunities. Visiting Discova, a Hanoi-based inbound Tour Operator, on their last day, students discovered more about tourism in Vietnam, and how a tour operator capitalises on international markets. Discussions were held around how the first Formula 1 in Hanoi in April 2020 will put Vietnam ‘on the World Stage’, evidencing to Event Management students the importance of global events in showcasing a destination. Students also heard more about the challenges faced by Vietnamese tourism organisations and operators, including those of sustainability, repeat visitation, cultural sensitivity and the competitive nature of the MICE market (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events) and the corresponding growth of destinations such as Hanoi, Danang and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) as MICE destinations.
As a connected University it
is imperative to consider how we connect, not just locally, regionally and
domestically, but also globally. Opportunities for cultural exchange, such as
field trips, virtual classes, Skype/Microsoft Teams discussions, staff and
student exchange, placements and collaborative academic research projects all enable
the interaction required to facilitate cultural understanding and integration,
leading to higher levels of cultural competence.
For students on an undergraduate degree there can be no doubt that such a trip is a life-changing experience. Becoming a global citizen and melting the cultural iceberg takes time. We need to understand the journey from cultural sensitivity to increased cultural awareness and cultural competence, and ultimately to global interconnectedness and understanding. But any journey starts with the first step, and for Staffordshire Business School students, their journey to cultural competence is well-underway.
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
Dr Bharati Singh, Senior Lecturer, Staffordshire Business School
It’s that time of the year when it’s my turn again to write a blog for the Staffordshire Business School. So, I have pondered and contemplated and deliberated on what to write and have decided to continue with the theme from last year on sharing some thoughts from working in the corporate world.
Dr Bharati Singh
For this blog, I will dwell on gender diversity. Albeit, a narrow range consisting of pay gap and equal opportunities. While I have not personally experienced any gender discrimination with regards to pay and feel that I have been treated fairly in all my various jobs and roles with the various companies that I have worked with; I am aware that this is an ongoing issue and all the companies that I have previously worked for had a gender diversity forum.
Recently, I saw a video that was advertised by one of my previous employers. It showed young girls talking about their career aspirations. There was joy in their voices. However, when they were told that men in the workplace get paid more than women, the pictures captured of these girls showed confusion, anger, bewilderment.
A 2018 report by McKinsey (a consulting firm) states that companies do not walk the talk on gender diversity. While there are more women graduates than men who are negotiating their pay and promotions, while at the same time still in the same work as men, this is not translating into equal woman representation at higher levels of the corporate chain.
It is not only in the corporate world that the pay gap between the genders is high but also in the world of sports. Serena Williams, a US tennis player and winner of 23 grand slams, had spoken out on this matter more than a decade ago which finally led to Wimbledon being last on the block of grand slams to equalise the gap in 2007. However, the gap remains across other sports. Some argue that this is because women sports earn less money, but this was not the case with women’s soccer, which has led the US women’s soccer team filing a gender discrimination lawsuit.
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 22: Serena Williams
speaks on stage during keynote conversation at 2019 Watermark Conference for Women Silicon Valley at San Jose McEnery Convention Center on February 22, 2019 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Marla Aufmuth/WireImage)
Globally, there remains a 32% gender gap as per a 2018 report by the World Economic Forum. It states that the progress towards closing this gap is rather slow with more countries regressing rather than progressing. The countries with the highest parity are the Nordic countries. They can do so due to the explicit support of policymakers towards gender equality in all public and private aspects. Hence, for countries to remain competitive and inclusive, policymakers will require gender equality to become critical to a nation states human capital development.
A 2019 research report in HBR confirmed that higher gender diversity leads to more productivity in firms in relation to market value and revenue. However, countries which did have liberal policies towards childcare and parental assistance, such as Japan, still do not benefit due to stiffly patriarchal work cultures. Another research by Australian Government states that a more inclusive environment helps retain employees.
What
is needed is a monumental shift in thinking as to why gender diversity is
important. Just a few companies or a few countries cannot help the cause; the
requirement is a cultural change. Where women make almost 50% of the world population,
it is imperative to recognise gender diversity as a need of the hour towards
enhancing organisation performance and attracting and retaining top
talent.
Click below to learn more about the courses we offer at Staffordshire Business School:
The Hult Prize returns in 2020 and we’re on the hunt for students across Staffordshire University to enter as teams in this year’s competition ahead of the closing date on Tuesday 3 December 2019.
The Hult Prize is both the world’s largest student enterprise competition and the world’s largest movement for social impact. Students from universities around the globe compete to win $1,000,000 in start-up funding to start a business that solves a pressing social issue.
For 2020, the Hult Prize challenges teams from universities globally to build bold businesses that:
1. Have a positive net impact on the environment with every sale completed, dollar earned, and decision made; and
2. Reach no fewer than a million consumers within a decade.
Hult Prize 2020 Challenge
This year’s business challenge concerns climate change and is our chance to show the world that our institution is dedicated to Impact. There are many benefits of competing apart from the chance to win the $1,000,000 in start-up funding.
Students will get to hone their business skills, develop exciting business ideas, engage with fellow students from every part of our planet, and represent the university at a global level.
They will compete across hundreds of cities en-route to regional finals and the summer Hult Prize Accelerator. A final round and awards ceremony is hosted by Former President Bill Clinton each year at the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting.
Staffordshire University Students with Other International Students at the Regional Finals in London, 2019.
How do you compete in the Hult Prize at Staffordshire University?
All students need to do is develop an idea and form a team.
Each team (of between three to four students) should fill the form here and click the submit button.
This will qualify them for our on-campus event which takes place on Wednesday 4 December at LT001 Ashley Lecture Theatre (Leek Road). At the event each team will get ten minutes to pitch their idea to our judges and will go through five minutes of questioning.
Where can I get more information or register for the Hult Prize 2020?
Visit the Staffs Uni page on the Hult Prize website to register teams and/or to contact Tolu Olarewaju our University Hult Prize Campus Director.
Important Dates:
Friday 29 November 2019: Q&A Session at LT001 Ashley Lecture Theatre (Leek Road) – 2 pm.
Tuesday 3 December 2019: Team Registration Deadline – 6 pm. All teams must register here.
Wednesday 4 December 2019:The Main Event On-Campus Team Business Idea Pitches. Venue: LT001 Ashley Lecture Theatre (Leek Road) – 11 am to 1 pm.
All students and members of staff are welcome to watch the business idea pitches.
The MSc in Digital Marketing Management is one of our awards to meet the changing demands of industry. Marketing is going through a fundamental change with ever more marketing carried out online – a major consequence of this is the incredibly detailed data that is generated which leads to data driven policy.
The marketing industry is booming, examples from our partners include, Synectics Solutions in Newcastle under Lyme, Don’t Panic who organise many digital award nights and conferences or alumni who have set up businesses such as Jill Quick, or Louise Holland
To get our Masters students ready for the industry we have two modules:
‘The Management of a Digital Marketing Project’ – this module will prepare a tri-partite agreement between the student, the academic staff and the organisation as to the focus of the project, existing benchmark measures, what is to be achieved and how to make the project sustainable (so that it can continue after the student leaves). This is carried out between January to March/April
The Work Based Digital Marketing Project – a credit work experience (450 hours) to deliver the project with the organisation concerned. (April to August)
The project can be in any type of organisation e.g. private sector, public sector, charity or a university. It is desirable but not essential for the work project activity to take place at the premises, or it could be a mix with some days in the company and some work off site.
We have built in flexibility to the work-placement so it could be that you would like a portfolio of tasks to be completed rather than just one main project. Examples could be – creation of a digital marketing strategy, audit and re-launch of social media, budget and investment plan for marketing, devising and implementing a training plan for existing staff.
As the module is part of the course then paid remuneration is not required. However, we would expect travel expenses and any other identified costs of the project to be paid – these can be discussed and agreed before the placement starts.
Below are profiles of some of the students on the course so reach out direct to them if you are interested or if you want to discuss it with a staff memebr contact Jon Fairburn 01782 294094 jon.fairburn@staffs.ac.uk
Alex Bedford
Alex Bedford
I have
a lot of experience developing and leading teams to achieve results. This is
proven through a history of achievement working with Active Lives Education, Cheshire
Football Association, Birmingham County Football Association, Walsall Local
Authority, Sported UK, Sports Across Staffordshire, and The Football
Association.
I have a keen interest in Digital Marketing. I am pursuing a Master’s degree in Digital Marketing Management. I have experience in creating and managing marketing and communication strategies and also have experience in website management, email and text marketing, social media management, content curation, and online paid advertising.
I currently run a business called Active Lives Education however am looking for a project that helps me gain further experience in digital marketing, to develop my skills and develop a career or business in this field.
I hold a foundation degree of science in Film and Television Production and have recently graduated from my BA degree in Events Management (2 year fast track) which I gained a 2:1 in. I have a large work experience portfolio from volunteering to paid work. For 4 years I was a manager of a Children’s play centre then moving onto the cash manager of B&M. I now work as an Events Assistant at Moddershall Oaks. For my volunteer work I have experience of working for the likes of Channel 4, Woman of the Year and Stone Food and Drink Festival. I have also worked several corporate events such as the Hotel Marketing Conference and Land Rover.
I have skills within Web design, as well as using all social media
platforms for brand building. I also have quite a good understanding with
photoshop and other computer software that may be needed, I am a quick learner
and can pick up things fairly quickly.
Ideally, I would like a placement within a sector that holds
Events, but I would be open to offers.
Or if you’d like to have a look at some of my volunteer work you can find this on Instagram: @amottevents
Lewis Copeland
Lewis Copeland
I have recently graduated from my BA Events Management (2 Year Accelerated) in which I achieved a first-class honours. I have previous work experience as a bar supervisor for three years as well as voluntary work experience with Channel 4, The Stone Food and Drink Festival as well as being a student representative for my course.
I currently work for The Student Hub at Staffordshire University as a Digital Marketing Ambassador. In this role I manage multiple platforms (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) as well as improving the overall engagement and reach of the platforms.
I am able to use social media
platforms to build and uphold brand image. I have experience in using analytics
to improve the reach of posts as well as identifying demographics which not be
being reached and making steps to target them.
Ideally I would like a placement
in tourism, events or hospitality but I am open to offers.
I have recently graduated with a First-Class BA (Hons) Degree in Events Management and have now started studying MSc Digital Marketing Management. I have a large work experience portfolio from both paid and volunteer work. I have been a chef for the past three years at The Orange Tree Bar and Grill, I also hold a range of customer service skills which I have been able to develop by working at a bar and on a hotel reception. To broaden by experience in events management I have volunteered at numerous events such as Woman of the Year 2018, Stone Food and Drink Festival and The Royal Oak Gin festival.
I have skills in web design, brand building and analytics, I
can also use all forms of social media and some computer software which may be
required. I am a reliable team player who learns quickly, I enjoy expressing my
creativity when carrying out jobs and ensuring all tasks are completed to the
best of my ability.
If possible, I would like to find a placement within the
events, tourism or hospitality sector although I am open to other
opportunities.
I
have recently graduated with a 2:1 in BA (Hons) Events Management and am now
currently studying MSc Digital Marketing Management. I have a wide work
experience portfolio varying from paid work to voluntary. Over the last three
years I have been a bar staff member for Stonegate pubs working for Walkabout
until it closed down in April this year and now Yates Newcastle-under-Lyme.
Within my role at Yates I tend to work on the bar and occasionally the kitchen,
but recently I have taken on the role to be more involved in the social media
for the business. To help to widen my knowledge of events and volunteers I
volunteered for the Stone Food and Drink Festival in 2017/18.
My
main stills revolve around social media and helping to design promotional
material. I am a reliable person with work ethic and put all my effort into
anything that I do.
My
ideal placement if possible would be within the events, tourism or hospitality
industry. However, I am willing to try anything new that may broaden my
knowledge and skills
I recently
graduated from Staffordshire University with a 2:1 BA (Hons) degree in Business
management and I’m now studying an MSc in Digital Marketing Management. I am a
team leader at the Staffordshire
University Students’ Union. This role requires excellent communication
skills, the ability to delegate tasks to the team I am managing and making sure
the venue (LRV and Verve) is running as smoothly as possible. This has taught
me a multitude of transferable skills within customer service as I have
developed my interpersonal and leadership skills. This is reflected within my
dedication to the Staffordshire
Stallions American Football as a team player and a defensive captain.
I’m currently
looking for a digital marketing placement for my work based digital marketing
project. This will give me a chance to utilise the skills and knowledge that I
have learnt within my masters and apply it to a professional environment. Any
opportunity to be able to get this experience would enable me to further my
employability.
My degree has
given me an insight into a variety of different aspects within Business
Management. This has given me fundamental knowledge on topics that also relate
to the MSc in Digital Marketing Management. I have extended my academic skills
and abilities by studying into a specialised area of Business. An MSc has enabled me to have a greater
understanding of analytics, search engine optimisation and the ability to
design a global digital marketing strategy.
I have graduated with a BA (Hons) Journalism and I am now studying my MSc in Digital Marketing Management. Throughout university, I worked as a venue member for Staffordshire University’s Student’s Union in front and back of house customer service roles and as a Student Ambassador. These roles have instilled me with strong interpersonal skills and self-organisation through working in these multifaceted positions.
I have experience working as a Trainee Journalist at The Sentinel newspaper and Staffs Live, where I was responsible for researching and writing feature and news content for print and online publication. I utilised my qualifications in Reporting and Shorthand at 100WPM from the National Council of Training for Journalists, ensuring accuracy and time management.
I am an experienced CRM Marketing Assistant, where I was responsible for curating content for email marketing campaigns and market research. Studying Digital Marketing has developed my knowledge within integral marketing theories, brand development and content curation/SEO. I am now implementing this in the creation of my own lifestyle blog, The Wordsmith.
I
am interested in opportunities in the content marketing sector, and I am open
to writing diverse content in an array of industries.
If
you are a business owner and you are looking for a driven, creative and
hardworking individual that has a keen interest in digital marketing, SEO and
business development…then look no further!
I
am currently looking for a placement within an organisation that will help me
gain further knowledge and experience in the digital marketing field.
I
have recently graduated from Staffordshire University with a 2:1 in Tourism
Management. My main interests lie in SEO, content curation, analytics and brand
building through social media.
I
have consolidated experience working in fast-paced environments, working in a
team, customer engagement and I have the desire to learn and help businesses
grow!
So,
what are you waiting for? Get in touch via LinkedIn or email!
