the biz
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Quarterly magazine for staff and students of Lord Ashcroft International Business School, Anglia Ruskin University and its UK and international partnersTRANSCRIPT
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Winner of Anglia Ruskin enterprise competition lands major photography honour | page 14
theBIZLord Ashcroft International Business School Magazine | issue 13
www.anglia.ac.uk/laibs
Dean’s welcome In this the 13th issue of our staff and student magazine, we have a widevariety of interesting success stories and news items. I hope you enjoyreading them, and maybe even be inspired by some of them.
I would like to welcome all new students who joined us this Semester toour Business School and say that I very much hope you enjoy being a partof what we think is a very exciting place to be. Please keep your eyes openand check your student email account for messages from our StudentExperience Co-ordinators for information on the various activities you can take advantage of being involved in. The Big Pitch 2013 is one such opportunity and there is still time to enter – see Page 10 for detailson how to enter. Mandy Shillito, our Student Experience Co-ordinator inChelmsford has now been joined by Nicola Faulkner who is based on ourCambridge Campus.
In January we welcomed our new Deputy Dean for Student Experienceand Quality, Dr Sally Everett who will oversee all aspects of qualitymanagement and the student experience within the Business School.
The introduction of full tuition fees for all UK universities has had animpact on the higher education market as a whole and some universitieshave seen their recruitment numbers slow down, with this in mind we are therefore extremely pleased to report that our UCAS applications arecurrently up on last year and against the sector. Well done to everyone for all your efforts in helping us achieve this position.
Plans for the Official Launch of our Research Institute, the Institute forInternational Management Practice (IIMP), being held on our CambridgeCampus on the 6th March, are now being finalised. Colleagues will allhave received an invitation to attend and, if you haven’t done so already, I would ask that you respond to this as soon as possible. We are alsoplanning a Schools’ launch for IIMP at the House of Lords on 27th March.
With all best wishes,
Dr Trevor BoltonPro Vice Chancellor and Dean, Lord Ashcroft International Business School
ContentsNEWS
1 Tourism expert checks in at Anglia Ruskin Further
2 Khoo Kongsi recipients of Awards and GraduatesDinner, Penang
3 Agency and Structure, Research and Real Life
3 Time to test those skills: Introducing new HR practicesin the workplace
4 Start-ups share Enterprise Fellowship cash
5 Oral Evidence to House of Lords Select Committee on SME exports
6 Special Interest Group – Spirituality in HigherEducation (SHE)
STUDENT NEWS
7 Student receives Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award
8 My experience as a GRLI Ambassador at the GRLIGeneral Assembly in Stellenbosch, South Africa
10 The Big Pitch 2013
11 GoGreen Pilot ’12: A new and exciting year!
12 The visit of Mark Drewell, GRLI CEI
13 Top Comedians set for ‘Mumford Live’ Comedy Event
SUCCESS STORIES
6 Bid success for Training and Skills Project
13 PhD Success
14 Cambridge business snaps up industry award
14 Masters student co-authors HRM book with academic
15 New book by LAIBS’ academic overturns many of theaccepted premises that underpinned policies thatcontributed to the financial collapse of 2007–8
EVENTS
16 Plotting Essex’s route out of recession
16 Small Firm Seminar
17 Bi-annual HR Forum – Developing Disability Inclusivityin your Organisation’s HR Strategy
17 Audit & Assurance Conference, Cambridge
17 Invitation to the Official Launch of the Institute ofInternational Management Practice (IIMP)
RESEARCH
1 Research work by Associate Lecturer pays dividends!
18 IIMP introduces Development Forum for PhD students
18 PhD student has paper published in Spanish Journal
19 IIMP Professor presents paper at premiertelecommunications event in Hawaii
19 Research Project – Restoring Spiritual Values toEuropean Science:
BUSINESS ENGAGEMENT
20 UPS – Delivering more Degree students!
18 DATES TO REMEMBER
EditorialWelcome to Issue 13 of ‘The Biz’, Lord the Ashcroft InternationalBusiness School’s staff and student magazine aimed at keeping youabreast of developments and opportunities in our Faculty. We hopeyou enjoy reading it.
The magazine is produced four times a year and distributed viaissuu.com. Alternatively you can access copies of this and previousissues on the News and Events page of our website:www.anglia.ac.uk/laibs
Contact us:
Thank you to those of you who have submitted articles for this issue,please keep the good news stories coming. If you would like to offer usyour news or ideas to us please contact [email protected] look forward to hearing from you.
Topics of interest could include those related to:
o Good news storieso Personal and academic achievementso Eventso Research o International visitso Diary dates, etc.
…… or anything else you think may be of interest to your fellowstudents and/or colleagues.
We would also welcome your feedback on the magazine, particularlyon ways of improving it.
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Dr Sally Everett has been appointed as the new Deputy Deanfor Student Experience and Quality at Anglia RuskinUniversity’s Lord Ashcroft International Business School.
Dr Everett joins us from the University of Bedfordshire, where she was previously the Head of the Department of Marketing,Tourism and Hospitality, and will oversee all aspects of qualitymanagement and the student experience within the businessschool.
Her research interests include food and drink tourism, ruraltourism development, and visitor management and heritageinterpretation. Dr Everett is currently writing a book for SAGEPublications on food and drink tourism and has given anumber of keynote speeches about how this can be used to regenerate regions and sustain communities.
Recent research projects include an Esmée FairbairnFoundation grant for ‘Developing food tourism: Deliveringsocial, cultural and environmental sustainable development inrural regions and communities’; a grant to develop a tourismmarketing strategy for Bedfordshire and Luton; and she led agovernment-funded project to develop online teaching materialsfor the travel sector.
Dr Everett had previously led a number of research projects intourism and transport research at the University of the West ofEngland, where she also completed her PhD and MA inTourism Management.
Outside of the university sector Dr Everett has worked asDevelopment Officer for the ss Great Britain, a major heritageattraction in Bristol, from 2003-07 and has also developed anddelivered online management courses for Pearson Education.
Dr Everett said: “I’m passionate about the student experienceand I’m really looking forward to working with new colleaguesat the Lord Ashcroft International Business School as weembrace new challenges and opportunities.
“I have been deeply impressed by the commitmentshown by Anglia Ruskin in developing and deliveringthe best possible opportunities and experiences forall of its students. I am tremendously proud to bejoining a business school with great ambition, visionand passion.”
Tourism expert checks in at Anglia RuskinDr Sally Everett named Deputy Dean of Lord Ashcroft International Business School
Research work by Associate Lecturer pays dividends!Guy Mulley, an Associate Lecturer in LAIBS, saw his work aschair of the IFS ProShare judging panel come to fruition at theannual awards for the UK's best employee share schemes.Although the bulk of the judging work was done over the latesummer, the annual awards ceremony – a black tie event inLondon attended by 500 business men and women – was notheld until the end of November 2012.
Some of the UK's largest and best known companies werepresent at the awards, with companies such as Asda, BT, Legal& General, Marks & Spencer and Vodafone collecting awardsalongside smaller and emerging companies. Guy had beenasked to be the 2012 chair of judges partly because of theresearch work on employee share schemes that he has beendoing at ARU for several years.
Congratulations Guy!
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Khoo Kongsi recipients of Awards and GraduatesDinnerOn the 15th of December 2012, the Leong San Tong KhooKongsi (Khoo Clan House) held an event to celebrate theachievements of its clansmen and women, in honour of thosewho have been given State awards by the Governor of Penangand also to those for their outstanding academic achievements.One of the recipients of the award was Dr Teng Guan Khoo,Senior Lecturer in the Business School.
Dr Trevor Bolton, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of the BusinessSchool, was invited by Teng Guan and his family to the KhooKongsi dinner in recognition of his achievement in obtaining his PhD in 2011. The event, held once in every two years,witnessed more than 30 Khoo clansmen and women beingawarded a cheque and a silver pewter plaque in a prestigiousceremony held at the Jade Palace Restaurant in Penang,Malaysia. The event was in itself considered unique and ‘one of its kind’ since Khoo Kongsi is one of the very few Chineseclan houses in Malaysia and outside China to host such events to commemorate the achievement of its clansmen. Theachievements of all the clansmen, some dating as early as1880s are also in scripted onto a plaque and placed in theclan house.
Teng Guan had also previously been awarded by the Khoo ClanHouse for his successful achievements in obtaining his LLB,PG Dip Legal Practice and LLM with Anglia Ruskin University.With this PhD award, he set a remarkable feat not only interms of the record number of awards he received from theKhoo Kongsi, but also in ensuring Anglia Ruskin University’sname endures in the region.
Teng Guan’s route towards achieving his PhD involved a long and arduous journey but nonetheless, his perseverance,endurance and tenacity ensured the eventual successfulcompletion of his studies. Teng Guan, who started his PhDwith Anglia Law School in 2007, had previously taught for the Business School from 2007-2010 before joining the LawSchool. In July 2012 however, he returned to the BusinessSchool as a Senior Lecturer in Business and Employment Law, lecturing in Introduction to Business Law, Corporate andBusiness Law and other law related modules. In addition tolecturing, Teng Guan also wishes to take his research furtherwith the Business School, one of which is to participate in theincoming REF submission.
Teng Guan receiving his award from The Trustee of the Khoo Kongsi (Clan House)
Dr Trevor Bolton (back row, centre) with Teng Guan’s familymembers, and Teng Guan (front row, second left) withparents and siblings
The plaque Teng Guan was given, in recognition of hisachievement
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Agency and Structure, Research and Real LifeWorking from home, it took a while for the penny to drop. The builders were banging away downstairs, and the air wasthick with brick dust and deep voices when I realised that myresearch and my ‘real life’ were not so much talking to eachother as hammering each other over the head with somethinglarge, blunt and heavy. I’m sure I’m not the first this hashappened to. But in my case the realisation belatedly dawnedjust as I was starting to really get to grips with the idea thatbuildings afford their users differing degrees and types ofstructure and agency at different points in time.
I had been working through the literature on how open planworking environments might impact on workers’ sense ofprofessional identity. This coincided with the builders starting to take out a downstairs wall to ‘knock-through’ our kitchenand dining rooms. ‘Lacan and Latour meet Foucault to talkabout Lefebvre in a bombsite’ kind of sums it up.
Builders aside, I have a feeling that this topic may be a bit ofcliché for recent starters at ARU. It is nigh on impossible not bestruck by all our shiny news buildings after all. And open planworking still quite new to some of us…
Anyway, there I was, living the research dream – shaping thephysical environment in order to shape the social environmentof my home life. We were going open plan. We were going tointeract more as a family and to entertain more and morecollaboratively and creatively. We were, as our post-Freudiansaleswoman put it, moving from kitchen ideal to ideal kitchen – whilst avoiding Ikea kitsch, which is something she wasn’tkeen on at all.
Then the builder did something he shouldn’t. Agency metstructure in a bad way. One casual tap of his hammer and anentire chimney breast collapsed in on itself. With a crash and arumble, the floor shook and my little upstairs office room wasenveloped in a sooty cloud of dirt and dust. And that’s whenI’m sure I heard the builder tell his mate, “Aw, the soot’s reallyhit Lacan now!”
Wittgenstein would tell me what to do, I told myself; he wasgood with builders.
Will Turner, Research FellowInstitute for International Management Practice (IIMP)
Time to test those skills: Introducing new HR practicesin the workplaceWhen I successfully completed all my exams and assignmentsand finally found a job in a small company where I could putinto practice the skills and knowledge gained at university, itwas the time to test those skills. I found working in a smallstart- up company very challenging at times, but it also offers a great opportunity to introduce new HR practices which canboth raise the profile of HR within the company and motivatethe employees.
After the successful introduction of return to work interviews,which has helped the company to monitor absenteeism in afair and consistent way, I am now planning to introducePersonal Development Plans (PDP’s) for all of the employees inour office. Being a small company with no financial resourcesfor training and development of the employees, I feel that theintroduction of PDP’s could be an affordable way of improvingemployee’s skills and knowledge. Despite the fact that thecompany does not have any training budget, it has a number ofvery experienced professionals with many years of experience.My plan is to introduce PDP programme where theseexperienced people could pass their knowledge onto juniormembers of staff. Identifying development needs andopportunities with line managers could help us to ensure that our staff remain motivated and continuously develop
themselves. In fact, the line managers have already identifydevelopment needs for new employees when conductingprobation period interviews and discuss their developmentneeds and therefore already have this skill.
I would like to identify two to three development needs/opportunities for each employee every six months and thesewould be reviewed with the line managers at the end of eachperiod. I plan to set up PDP files for each employee and thenmake them responsible for recording their development andalso identifying their own development needs if necessary.These records will allow each employee to see their owndevelopment and keep it in mind. I know that if this is donejust once a year by a manager or HR person, very often theemployees do not see the importance of PDP’s and do notrealise that it offers a perfect opportunity to develop themselvesand show that they are interested in improving their careerprospects and becoming more knowledgeable. I believe thatintroduction of PDP’s in our company will help the employeesbecome more effective, motivated and at the same time showthe real value of having an HR person in the company.
Norbert Macko (MA HRM student, LAIBS Cambridge)
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Start-ups share Enterprise Fellowship cashFour Cambridgeshire businesses awarded £37,500 in Anglia Ruskin competition
Four fledgling Cambridgeshire businesses have been awardedCEDAR Enterprise Fellowships – and £37,500 in financialsupport – after impressing the judges of this year’s competition.
Run by the Centre for Enterprise Development and Research(CEDAR), which is based in the Lord Ashcroft InternationalBusiness School at Anglia Ruskin University, the CEDAREnterprise Fellowship Scheme is open to anyone inCambridgeshire with a great business idea.
Through funding provided by private benefactors, the fourCEDAR Enterprise Fellowships were awarded to Steve Marshfor Collide, a mobile application which helps bring nearbypeople together; Joshua Wies for Walkasins, a medical aid to help prevent falls in the elderly; Goncalo de Vasconcelos and Yutaro Kojima for Syndicate Room, a secure online place to invest in businesses and Caroline Oriokot for AfricanConnexions Ltd, a travel company with a focus on Africa.
Professor Lester Lloyd-Reason, Director of CEDAR and Chair of the judges, said: “We received a number of high-qualityapplications this year and it is very exciting to be able to awardprizes to four completely different business ideas.
“Steve Marsh’s Collide could actually be used in a number of different ways. He developed this technology himself andnow has a good team around him to help transform it into abusiness. Joshua Wies has exclusive European distributionrights for the Walkasins product and with his great connectionsin the physiotherapy and osteopathy sectors, we have highhopes for this.
“In stealth mode until April 2013, Yutaro and Gonçalo’sSyndicate Room will offer a sophisticated solution for Business Angels to invest in startups based on crowd fundingtechnology. The pair are very impressive individuals and havedeveloped this terrific idea which should help countless otherbusinesses for years to come.”
“Caroline is initially targeting Uganda as a business and touristdestination for her company African Connexions Ltd, and ishoping to expand to other African countries as the business
develops. With her excellent contacts in the travel industry bothin the UK and in Africa there is every chance she could make itwork.”
In addition to financial backing, the quartet will receivementoring support; entry to the CEDAR Enterprise Fellowshipnetwork; specialist training and development support; access to Anglia Ruskin’s StartupLab; academic and business advicefrom the CEDAR team; and legal support.
Goncalo de Vasconcelos said: “The knowledge and experience,as well as the ideas and honest feedback, we received from ourmentors, Walter Herriot and Ben Mumby-Croft, was not onlyvital in helping us win the Enterprise Fellowship Scheme butwill be invaluable in further developing and improving thebusiness strategy for Syndicate Room.
“We aim to launch Syndicate Room in the second quarter of2013 and, all in all, winning the competition was a great wayfor us to end the year.”
Steve Marsh said: “The funding CEDAR has given to Collidewill allow us to carry out the necessary marketing needed togive us a major presence and gain a critical mass of users,which is essential for our business.
“In 2013 we hope to gain 10,000 Collide users in theCambridge area as well as initial roll-outs to the rest of the UK.We have already released the Collide app for both iPhone andAndroid, and believe we already have a really great product,which can be downloaded from www.getcollide.com. Thisfunding will help make the vision a reality and will allow us to continue providing our service for free!”
Joshua Wies commented: “Winning the CEDAR EnterpriseFellowship Scheme will give Advanced Balance Systems a huge kickstart towards our 2013 product launch ofWalkasins. Aside from the financial support, the businessmentoring from Professor Roger Mumby-Croft and the prestigeof being an Enterprise Fellow will allow me to accelerate mycompany’s growth in the UK and Europe.
Steve Marsh Joshua Wies Goncalo de Vasconcelos Caroline Oriokot Yutaro Kojima
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Oral Evidence to House of Lords Select Committee on SME ExportsProf Lester Lloyd-Reason on his day at ‘The Lords’
Back on the one of the few sunny days of the summer, ProfLester Lloyd-Reason, Director of the Centre for EnterpriseDevelopment and Research (CEDAR), was invited down to the House of Lords to be interviewed for the position of SpecialAdviser to the House of Lords Select Committee on SMEexports. Prof Lloyd-Reason was one of four UK academicsinterviewed for the role and although it did not work out due tothe time commitment involved, he was invited back in Octoberto provide oral evidence to the Select Committee.
The background to the Committee is as follows. In May 2011,UK Trade and Investment, the Government export promotionbody, unveiled their new strategy: Britain Open for Business:growth through international trade and investment. In responseto this strategy document, Lord Cope of Berkley established theHouse of Lords Select Committee on SME exports to examinewhat the Government is doing to assist and promote SMEexports. In order to gather information, the Committee sent outa call for written evidence to the academic, practitioner andpolicy communities with a deadline of 14th September. Inaddition to the written evidence, a small number were invitedby the Select Committee to provide oral evidence to theCommittee at the House of Lords. The Committee is due to produce their conclusions and recommendations forGovernment action in February 2013.
In providing oral evidence to the Select Committee, Prof Lloyd-Reason drew primarily upon his research with UK Trade andInvestment where 1,000 small and medium sized enterpriseswere surveyed and his work as expert adviser to the OECD-APEC 44-country survey ‘Removing Barriers to SME Access to International Markets’. Prof Lloyd-Reason suggested to theSelect Committee that ‘If we really want to have an impact,then there are three key messages for the Government:
1. All too often we hear that what is needed to helpinternational SMEs to grow their exports is financialassistance. But it is not about money at all. Rather if we are to help our SMEs to compete effectively in internationalmarkets, what they need are skills, knowledge andexperiential learning. A mix of simple ‘how to’ trainingthrough to managing complexity.
2. Having developed a typology comprising: the curious, thefrustrated, the tentative, the enthusiastic and the successful,it is the enthusiastic category where the Government cangenerate the highest return for minimal investment. Thesefirms, which have high growth potential, typically employaround 30 staff, have strong domestic markets, someinternational successes and although they face manychallenges, these challenges are often easily addressed.
3. The emphasis on language skills is a myth. All successfulinternational SMEs tell us that it is not a question oflanguage but of developing what we call “internationalskills”. That is, the ability to perform effectively when facedwith a totally alien environment. When seeking to operateeffectively in countries such as China, Russia, Brazil, theissue is not language, but the ability to successfullynegotiate your way through a strange, unfamiliar, oftenhostile environment trading environment. ‘
Reflecting on the process, Prof Lloyd-Reason commented, “It really was quite an experience. Even though I was there toassist the Select Committee, the questioning was pretty robust.It really gave you an insight into what those summoned to giveevidence, such as Alistair Campbell and Rupert Murdock, mustgo through. It was a very stimulating day, but if I am everasked back, I really hope my invitation means exactly that!”
For further information on Prof Lloyd-Reason’s experience or on the work of CEDAR, please contact: [email protected]
“I expect to have Walkasins balance technology availablethrough select private physiotherapy practices in the comingmonths and to have a large clinical trial for people with balanceproblems up and running by the end of next year. The supportfrom CEDAR has certainly helped to make this possible.”
Caroline Oriokot said, “The grant from CEDAR helped me payfor part of my start-up costs such as licence fees and websitedesign.
“The networking meetings are brilliant for catching up withfellow entrepreneurs and CEDAR staff. I linked up with a
mentor at the first meeting and his on-going guidance andsupport are invaluable.”
Syndicate Room was awarded £16,500, while Collide andWalkasins were each awarded £10,000 and AfricanConnexions Ltd, received £1,000. In addition to ProfessorLloyd-Reason, other members of the judging panel includedWalter Herriot, Peter Taylor, Mark Layton, Julie Horne, ProfessorRoger Jeynes and Professor Roger Mumby-Croft.
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Special Interest Group –Spirituality in Higher Education (SHE)Throughout Europe, interest is undoubtedly growing in therelevance of the spiritual dimension to higher education. In spite of this, the spiritual dimension of higher educationremains a complex and elusive area, quite different to manyother elements of conventional academic curricula. It presentsmany challenges to those attempting either to incorporate aspiritual dimension into their teaching and training practices, or to conduct their studies with specific spiritual values orprinciples in mind.
It is on these grounds that the ‘Spirituality in Higher Education’(SHE) special interest group has been established as aninterdisciplinary community for those interested in exploring indepth the role of spirituality in all aspects of higher education.SHE embraces a broad definition of spirituality and does notendorse or advocate a particular faith tradition. SHE simplyseeks to encourage discussion on various themes including,although not restricted to:
• The existence of spirituality in different academic pursuits• ‘Spiritual capital’ and its added-value• Teaching methods, resources and support systems• Communication and public outreach projects• The development of spirituality as an academic discipline
in its own right
SHE welcomes members from all levels and sectors of highereducation systems throughout Europe (and beyond), from all disciplines and subjects, and from all cultural and ethnicbackgrounds. You can be part of SHE by following andengaging in discussions, posting articles, or sharing your own approaches, resources and views on:
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/SpiritualityinHE• Twitter: @SpiritualityinHE• Google Groups:
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/spirituality-higher-education
Membership of all these online portals is free of charge andhighly encouraged. All that is required is a general commitmentto sharing knowledge resources and experiences.
If you would like to find out more about SHE contact Dr Jonathan Smith in LAIBS at Cambridge [email protected]
Bid success for Training and Skills ProjectAlthough contracts have yet to be signed and a budgetconfirmed, Maks Belitski, Senior Lecturer in Business Statisticsin LAIBS, has had some good news regarding the recent bid fora project which aims to contribute to making UK businessmore innovative and get the most from its investment intraining and skills.
The project, sponsored by the Department for Business andSkills (BIS), will undertake an assessment of private andexternal returns on the investment in training at a firm, industryand industry-region levels. Firstly, it contributes to HumanResource Management and innovation literature by quantifyingthe training premium for a firm, industry, region and industry-region capturing the potential externalities that occur due toprivate investment in training.
Secondly, it uses the data to estimate the incentive that firmand industry specific characteristics provide for additionalinvestment in training and skills.
Thirdly, we will advise on the mechanisms that increase ordecrease the benefits from investment in training on innovationperformance. These results taken together will inform theregulatory intervention and incentivise those mechanisms thatwill be found most beneficial for innovation through direct andindirect regulatory changes and policy.
The Partner Institutions involved in the project are:Loughborough University, School of Business and Economics;Institute for Development Strategies, Indiana University.
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Student receives Gold Duke of Edinburgh AwardIn January 2013 I was proud to be invited to St James’sPalace to be presented with my Gold Duke of Edinburghaward. One of the sections for this level of the award isresidential. This can be almost anything as long as it is 5 dayslong and away from home. Most people choose to either go onan activity course or volunteer for a charity. I chose to volunteerfor CHICKS (Country Holidays for Inner City Kids).
CHICKS are a charity offering residential respite breaks forsome of the UKs most disadvantaged and vulnerable youngpeople. The children spend 5 days at one of the charity’sretreats in either Devon or Cornwall and they get the chance to experience new things but, most importantly, they have the space to be themselves, something which their personalcircumstances prevents them from being able to do. CHICKSreceive no government funding and rely entirely on thegenerosity of individuals and organisations to be able tocontinue their invaluable work. In 2012 CHICKS celebratedtwo major milestones, their 20th anniversary and alsowelcoming their 10,000th child on a break. More informationabout CHICKS and how to get involved can be found on theirwebsite, www.chicks.org.uk.
I was apprehensive before going on my first CHICKS break(known as camps) in 2009 but since then I haven’t lookedback! Watching the children develop and grow in confidence,even over such a short space of time, was incredible. Since2009 I have been fortunate to volunteer on another fivebreaks, including the charity’s first ever Christmas camp in2011. Although each camp is unique with a different group ofchildren, CHICKS supervisors and volunteers, Christmas wasextra special for all involved.
The experience of Christmas with a group of exceptionalchildren and adults is something which will stay with meforever. It also gave me the motivation to increase myinvolvement with the charity. In 2012 I became a localambassador for CHICKS. I have chosen to mark this occasionby climbing Kilimanjaro in August 2013. I hope that thisventure will not only raise vital funds for CHICKS but also raisethe profile of the charity locally. I hope that fellow-students and staff at Anglia Ruskin will help me to achieve this goal by sponsoring my expedition.
Jenny Fox, BA (Hons) Enterprise & Entrepreneurial Management
To support this venture, please visit: mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/climbforchicks or for informationabout corporate sponsorship opportunities please contact JennyFox ([email protected]).
Jenny Fox (wearing the red coat) and some CHICKS campvolunteers, relaxing and admiring the view from BrentorChurch, Devon.
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My Experience as a GRLI Ambassador at the Globally Responsible LeadershipInitiative (GRLI) General Assembly inStellenbosch, South Africa18th November – 21st November 2012
My journey started in October last year when Jonathan Smithfrom LAIBS in Cambridge and my lecturer on the InternationalLeadership module encouraged me to apply to the GRLIAmbassador competition: Africa Leads, Responsible Leadershipfor Africa and the World.
To enter the competition I was asked to write a 1,000 wordscommenting on the following question:
How would you rethink or redefine your understanding of theconcept “leadership” if its ultimate aim is to become the bestFOR rather than the best IN the world? Illustrate how this newconcept could ensure meaningful progress using an examplefrom your community or region.
You can read my answer on our Blog:http://myopenvoice.com/grlianglia and see the videos of otherAmbassadors worldwide on the following link:http://www.africaleads.org.za/2012conf/young-ambassadors-event.html
I was one of the winners of the competition and the prize wasan all expenses paid conference including accommodation,meals and participation. LAIBS kindly assisted with moneytowards my flights to South Africa.
The Assembly was three intensive days where 60 ambassadorsfrom 13 countries gathered together with 75 members of theGRLI from HE and businesses. We met at the Spier Hotel inStellenbosch near Cape Town, the South-African wineheadquarters. I met Anthropologists, people from business,Deans of Business Schools, politicians and I could fully engagein fascinating conversations with them about Leadership, theimpact of migration, Self and Identity, Common Good,Economics, Systemic Thinking and Africa.
You can find further details about the GRLI and this GeneralAssembly at www.grli.org
With some wonderful facilitators from Leadership BeyondBoundaries (LBB) – part of the Centre for Creative Leadership(CCL) that works to unlock human potential throughleadership. (http://www.ccl.org), we worked towards thefollowing three main objectives:
• Learning about making globally responsible decisions• Promoting knowledge of self for a better society• Thinking systemically about the challenges future leaders
will face
Cape Town Bay
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From this I have learned that leadership starts within you.Understanding in depth or holistically what is our inner core orlife principles is crucial to live in harmony, communicate andunderstand others. We all know our inner cores very early inlife, but then the system we operate in helps us to forget aboutthese so we just fall into the “mould”. I would like to quoteJohn North (2012), associate of the Albert Luthuli Centre forResponsible Leadership at the University of Pretoria in SouthAfrica, who illustrates this very well:
Before students or managers can embark onbecoming capable leaders they must take a closelook at themselves and carefully consider what theyfind (warts and all). Leaders need to identify theirinner core, or higher self, which can help guidethem through turbulent periods. An integration ofbody, mind, heart and soul is an important pathwayto strengthening such an inner connection.
I believe that this world needs a new economic and socialsystem in which many new social organisations can be createdto decrease unemployment and promote sustainability. As a result of being a GRLI Ambassador and attending thisevent, I will never forget what my life principles are again. This
will enable me to act as a responsible human being. I realisedthat as much as other can have an impact on me; I also leavea print of myself in others. So if we all live in respect of theCommon Good, we can change the world, even if we start withbaby steps… Remember: "When spider webs unite, they cantie up a lion!" (Ethiopian proverb)
GRLI is a global coalition of businesses and business schoolslike LAIBS working at the cutting edge of sustainability andleadership development focussed on creating a new generationof globally responsible business leaders.
A GRLI Ambassador works under the umbrella of GRLI NGO.His/her role is to engage diverse individuals to share theirunique perspectives through dialogue with the ultimate goal offostering interconnectivity. His/her responsibilities are to fostercollaboration, share and learn from different perspectives andcreate a culture of globally responsible leadership.
We have established a GRLI society here at Anglia RuskinUniversity. If you are willing to learn, engage in critical thinking,have a passion for global knowledge and are open tochallenges and change, you can engage with the GRLI Societynetwork at Anglia Ruskin University for just £3 annualmembership fee. You can register and follow us on:https://www.angliastudent.com/socs/11329/http://www.facebook.com/pages/GRLI-Ambassadors-Anglia-Ruskin-University/551522501531347
“I would like to say a big thank you to LAIBS and the GRLI fortheir financial support, without which this unique experienceand huge amount of learning in South Africa that resultedwould not have been possible.”
Charline Collard (MA Culture and Organisational Leadership)Chair of GRLI Ambassadors Society at Anglia RuskinUniversity, Cambridge
Spier Hotel in Stellenbosch near Cape Town
The ambassadors
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WHAT IS IT?The third successful running of The Big Pitch competition isnow underway following launches in both Chelmsford andCambridge during the first week of February. The Big Pitch is a business ideas and pitching competition that is run by theCentre for Enterprise Development and Research (CEDAR) –part of the Lord Ashcroft International Business School.
WHO CAN ENTER?The competition is open to ALL current full-time and part-timeundergraduate and postgraduate students studying at AngliaRuskin University across all campuses.
We accept entries from ALL FOUR FACULTIES – entrants donot need to be a business expert to enter, all they need is agood idea and the passion to want to make it happen. CEDARprovides the business mentoring and support necessary as thecompetition progresses.
WHAT KIND OF IDEAS ARE WELOOKING FOR?We are looking for bold and innovative business ideas, thiscould be any product, service or social enterprise: previouswinners range from mobile phone apps, to an ale specificallymarketed at women, to a UK based truffle farm – thepossibilities are endless!
The only requirement is that entrants have an original andinnovative idea, can demonstrate a viable market for their ideaand significant growth potential, and have the determinationand tenacity to drive it forward.
HOW DOES IT WORK?Round 1 – Video Pitch. Individuals or teams need to recordand upload a 1-minute ‘elevator pitch’ video to the competitionwebsite outlining an innovative and bold new business idea.The video pitch needs to address the following questions:
• What’s the idea?• What problem does it solve?• What’s the market?• Why is it different/better?
The deadline for Round 1 entries is 5pm on Thursday 14thMarch 2013
Round 2 – The Big Pitch Boot-Camp. The successful round 1entrants will attend a boot-camp between 8th–12th April 2013on the Cambridge campus where they will take part in a varietyof interactive business planning seminars and receivementoring support. At the end of the boot-camp each entrantwill present their ideas to a panel of judges who will decidewhich ones will progress through to the GRAND FINAL.
Round 3 – The Grand Final. The finalists will pitch their ideasto a judging panel in front of a live audience on the Cambridgecampus on 25th April 2013.
PRIZES!The total prize fund is £30,000, which will be split:• First prize – £15,000• Second prize – £10,000• Third prize – £5,000
In addition to receiving the cash prizes to be used to progresstheir business ideas, all winners will each receive:
• FREE financial planning workshop with Peters Elworthy & Moore
• FREE legal workshop with Mills and Reeve• FREE business bank account with Barclays• Press coverage by Cabume.co.uk• Monthly business mentoring by CEDAR team• Access to Anglia Ruskin’s pre-incubation space:
The StartupLab
For more information please contact Lianne Miller([email protected])Follow us on twitter @thebigpitch2013Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thebigpitchVisit our Website: www.thebigpitch.co.uk
The Big Pitch 2013
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GoGreen Pilot ’12: A new and exciting year!We are glad to share with you the progress of our GoGreenPilot’12, aimed at creating action learning opportunities for students, organisations and universities interested inimproving their environmental practices and understanding of sustainability while enhancing employability opportunities.GoGreen Pilot'12 is about 12 students -eco-auditors- workingwith 12 organisations of the third sector in the implementationof the Green Impact: a pro-enviromental program designed andcoordinated by the National Union of Students and applied inmore than 150 higher education institutions, SMEs and publicsector organisations. This is a project funded by a the HigherEducation Academy; it is coordinated by Dr Beatriz Acevedowith Dr Alison Stowell and Romas Malevicius from the LordAshcroft International Business School – Anglia RuskinUniversity in partnership with Dr Ann Rippin from University of Bristol and Charlotte Taylor from the National Union ofStudents.
During this first six months of the GoGreen Pilot'12 we havebeen able to form a team of committed academics in the areaof sustainability. In addition, the eco-auditors were chosenbased on their enthusiasm, professionalism and ability to learn: indeed they had to present a video, a CV and attend aninterview: not an easy task! We were very impressed with thequality of the videos, and the high level of motivation of thestudents, and chose the best from them. We are also delightedby the enthusiasm of third sector organisations participating in the pilot, including some household names such as Oxfam,Cancer Research Institute, Arthur Rank Hospice, WildTrust,Scope, Amnesty International, the Humanitarian Centre,Cambridge Advisory Bureau, amongst other local and regionalorganisations. Representatives of these organisations met theteam of eco-auditors and academics during the GoGreenAfternoon tea on the 3rd of December, 2012. The event was a great opportunity to share some of the key aspects of theAnglia Ruskin University Corporate Plan and the Learning andTeaching Strategy, as: Employability; Education for Sustainable
Development and innovative teaching and learning. SueStrather from the Employment Office, Sarah Johnson,Environmental Officer; Prof Gary Packham, Deputy Dean(Research and Development), LAIBS; Hoi Lei Chan and StellaDuncan from LAIBS also attended the party. Days after theevent we received a number of encouraging emails fromorganisations willing to start with the pilot in 2013!
GoGreen Pilot'12 is all about action learning, systems thinkingand the use of art-based methodologies. We believe that in order to change behaviours we need to start with smallsteps, while keeping in mind the big picture. Communication,aesthetic, passionate engagement and social media are at theheart of our strategy. For more information please contact:[email protected]; www.gogreenmovement.org or followus in Facebook and Twitter @welovegogreen.
Dr Beatriz Acevedo, Senior Lecturer in Sustainability and ManagementE: [email protected]: 0845 196 2911
Top row (l-r) Charline Collard, Maria Fernanda Ybarra, Maren Loerzer, Pai Liu, Christine Jane Sear, Kelly Tuodolo, Eleonore Durteste, Duygu Kurt, Andrea Lema Bottom row: Sue Strather (Employment Office); Sarah Johnson (ARU Environmental Officer) and Charlotte Taylor (Green Impact Coordinator National Union of Students)
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The visit of Mark Drewell, GRLI CEO, to Anglia Ruskin UniversityOn the 10 December 2012, as a result of my trip to SouthAfrica and the setting-up of the GRLI Society here at theUniversity, Dr Jonathan Smith, Senior Lecturer in LAIBS andthe GRLI Ambassadors invited Mark Drewell, the CEO of theGRLI, to come and meet the team as well as Dr Trevor Bolton,Pro Vice Chancellor and Dean of the Business School,Professor Gary Packham, Deputy Dean of the Business School(Research & Development) and Dr Alison Greig from the GlobalSustainability Institute.
Mark is a thought leader and practitioner of global systemicchange at the interface between business and society. He isalso Chairman of the Swedish-based World’s Children’s Prizefor the Rights of the Child Foundation and is a member of theadvisory board of the Business School of Lausanne. Born in theUK, he studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at OxfordUniversity then started his business career in mining finance in the City of London. He moved to South Africa in 1989 andjoined international diversified industrial company BarloworldLimited. Starting out in the steel and ferrochrome businesswhere he was deeply involved with South Africa’s politicaltransition, he then moved to cement business PPC, and thenfor a decade headed of Corporate Affairs, Investor Relations and Group Marketing where amongst other work, he led thecompany’s move into sustainability. In 2007 he stepped out of corporate life into a portfolio career developing his businessinterests in property, a distillery and asset managementcompany. In 2009 he moved to Europe and took on his currentrole in the GRLI. Throughout his career he has combinedbusiness with engagement in society as a catalyst of change.His is a past board member of San Francisco headquartered14 000-member International Association of BusinessCommunicators; senior associate of the University ofCambridge Programme for Sustainability Leadership, DeputyChairman of the Advisory Board of the University of SouthAfrica’s Centre for Corporate Citizenship and Chairman ofAfrica’s largest indigenous environmental NGO, the EndangeredWildlife Trust. Mark lives in the UK and is married with fouryoung children. His perspectives encompass business, humanprogress, the pursuit of meaning, the cutting edge of deepsustainability and an infectious appreciation for the journey of life itself.
During his visit, Mark discussed the new projects the GRLI areworking on; including an International Doctoral Programme
(DBA and PhD) and an innovative initiative based on the50+20 Agenda (http://50plus20.org/about/what-is-5020).Mark also gave the next dates for the next GRLI conferencesthat will take place at ESSEC Business School in Paris in Juneand at the CENTRUM Business School in Peru next November.The GRLI Society should be able to help with funding… so putthese dates in your diary! Believe me it is a life-changingexperience that you don’t want to miss!
Mark Also met with the GRLI Ambassadors at Anglia RuskinUniversity, as the picture below shows.
We closed the visit with an open lecture to all staff andstudents at our University. Mark talked about ManagementEducation and the latest report from the GRLI concerningmanagement education for the world (The 50+20 Agenda). I then spoke about the conference in South Africa and what I have learnt from this.
We all had a great day and we all learned so much from Mark who is such a great person to be working with!
As a result of meeting the Dean of the Business School, DrTrevor Bolton has asked to meet the GRLI Ambassadors atAnglia Ruskin University to explore with them their views onwhat the future strategy of the business school should be andwhat things they believe need to be considered.
Charline Collard (MA Culture and Organisational Leadership),Chair of Anglia Ruskin’s GRLI Ambassadors Society,Cambridge
Centre, back row – Mark Drewell with GRLI Ambassadors
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Top Comedians set for ‘Mumford Live’ Comedy EventA group of third year Enterprise and EntrepreneurialManagement students are holding a comedy night at theMumford Theatre in aid of young carers in the Cambridgeshireregion. The event will take place on Tuesday the 16th of Aprilwith some top acts set to perform.
Acts will include a former president of the world famous drama club Cambridge Footlights, as well as several other topcomedians from the comedy circuit. The night is guaranteed to be one to remember and full of laughs.
The students are working alongside the Cambridge CommunityFoundation and all money raised will go towards helping young carers. Sam Weller from the charity says “It’s great to beworking with these guys and it should be an amazing evening.”
As well as the show, there will be a raffle with some top prizesto be won which have kindly been donated by local businesses.
This is a great opportunity for people to have a fantastic night,full of entertainment while also helping such a great cause.
Tickets for the event can be purchased from the MumfordTheatre online or through their box office.
For more information on the event please visitwww.MumfordLive.co.uk
Pictured (from left to right): Richard Purkiss (TheatreManager), Vlad Kazakevich, Lamya Ejjelthi, Ed Osborne and Jadean Johnson
PhD SuccessMohamed Khaled Eldaly, Lecturer in Financial Accounting,LAIBS, successfully defended his PhD in December 2012 andwas awarded a pass with minor corrections. Mohamed’s thesisis titled: “Effects of the new regulations of the audit professionon the audit firms’ strategies”.
Mohamed started his PhD study on November 2009 andduring three years of study he was able to build a very goodnetwork with the top management level of the big audit firmsand audit regulators in the UK; he hopes to continueconducting further research in auditing and qualitativeresearch. He would be very happy to meet with anyone whowould like to discuss issues related to the audit profession.
Many congratulations Mohamed on your success!
Mohamed Khaled EldalyLecturer in Financial Accounting E: [email protected]: 0845 196 6852
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Cambridge business snaps up industry awardWinner of Anglia Ruskin enterprise competition lands major photography honour
Light Blue Software has seen their business managementsoftware for photographers named Best Professional Product ofthe Year by one of the sector’s leading trade organisations, theSociety of Wedding and Portrait Photographers (SWPP). Their product, ‘Light Blue’, topped the poll of tens of thousandsof SWPP members, beating competition from Adobe, Canonand Nikon.
“We were chuffed just to be nominated, but to win isexceptional,” said co-founder Hamish Symington. “We’re a smallindependent company devoted to producing the best we possiblycan; to be awarded this prize against the biggest cameramanufacturers and the most well-known imaging softwarecompany really shows what our customers think of us.”
Cambridge-based Light Blue Software has benefited fromadvice and funding from Anglia Ruskin University’s Centre forEnterprise Development and Research (CEDAR) after beingnamed as one of the four winners of the 2011 EnterpriseFellowship Scheme.
Symington added: “As Enterprise Fellows at CEDAR, we’ve hadaccess to business and marketing experts, and they’ve helpedus focus on key milestones and objectives. They’re alsoexcellent at asking us questions we hope they’re not going toask us, meaning we have to discuss topics we might haveotherwise put off!”
Professor Lester Lloyd-Reason, Director of CEDAR, said thatLight Blue’s success highlights the calibre of the businessessupported by the Enterprise Fellowship Scheme. He said: “The
CEDAR Enterprise Fellowship Scheme offers funding tofledgling Cambridgeshire businesses and attracts some reallyhigh quality applications.
“Light Blue Software was awarded £12,000 in 2011 to helpfund their software development, and we’re delighted thatthey’ve achieved such success.”
For more information about Light Blue Software, visitwww.lightbluesoftware.com. More information about CEDARcan be found at www.anglia.ac.uk/cedar
From left: Colin Jones, SWPP Company Director, with Tom Catchesides and Hamish Symington, both of Light Blue Software.
Masters student co-authors HRM book with academicDr Jonathan Smith, Senior Lecturer in LAIBS has co-authored a book on HRM with one of his former students.
The book is titled: Ethics in Human Resource Management:Contemporary Dilemmas of the Practitioner, and criticallyexamines and illustrates some of the ethical dilemmas thatconfront HR practitioners in contemporary times.
The books primary author, John Kelechi Ekuma, completed hisMA HRM at our Cambridge Campus. The book’s content islargely drawn from his Masters dissertation which wassupervised by Jonathan.
Jonathan said:
“The book is a great demonstration of what ourstudents can achieve and is a wonderful example to all our students.”
The book can be purchased at:http://www.amazon.com/Ethics-Human-Resource-Management-Contemporary/dp/3838389778/ref=cm_sw_em_r_alp_Hp-Xqb18J8Y2P_tt
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New book by LAIBS’ academic overturns many of theaccepted premises that underpinned policies thatcontributed to the financial collapse of 2007–8Stephen Bloomfield, who is director of the CorporateGovernance Unit at the Lord Ashcroft International BusinessSchool, has led the University’s Master’s degree course inCorporate Governance for ten years and will have his fourthbook published later this month by Cambridge University Press.‘Theory and Practice of Corporate Governance’, is the productof 25 years of working in the City as a fund manager and as adirector of numerous large companies, combined with leadingthe content and delivery of the academic course, which hastrained over 150 senior company administrators since itsinception.
The book contends that the descriptions of processes ofgovernance that form the legal rules of corporate governanceand which affect how and for who companies are run, aremisidentified by the traditionalist descriptions that form thebasis of policy. Crucially, these policies then often have noeffect – or even perverse effects – in their impact on the waythat companies and their managers behave with respect toshareholders and stakeholders. It was the operation of thesepolicies that brought about unstable conditions in the financialmarket in a race for illusory profits.
The author’s basic contention is that by regarding shareholdersas the owners and active stewards of listed public companiesand encouraging a spurious link between shareholders’ interestsand executive rewards, corporate governance rules broughtabout the great financial crash – ‘the GFC’ as economists arenow calling it – from which we are all still suffering.
Using both contemporary and historical examples dating fromturn-of-the-century scandals like the Marconi Scandal of 1913,through the turfing out of Lord and Lady Docker from BSA inthe 1950s all the way through to modern scandals like thecollapse of the value of the balance sheet of firms like Mitchellsand Butlers and the major High Street banks, the book showsthat the systematic use of inappropriate measures built in tothe system of governance ensured the outcomes of thefinancial collapse of 2007–8. A collective policy failure toappreciate the changing undercurrents of the economytogether with misidentified issues of interpretation, accountingconvention and City practice all built up to bring aboutconsequences that have left the economy in tatters.
‘Theory and Practice’ goes on from this to develop a newtheoretical definition of corporate governance which links betterto the practice of what companies should do and how theyshould be run. It also offers new methods for analysingcorporate governance which would allow policy makers andregulators to pinpoint problems.
The book has met with strong approval from reviewers. As one reviewer, Lorraine Talbot, Associate Professor at WarwickUniversity commented:
‘The current crisis, like so many crises before it, has shownwhat capitalism will do when the regulation of corporationsonly seeks to support market activities rather than to promoteprogressive social outcomes. The complicated regulatorysystem which has developed in response to the many crisesunleashed (paradoxically) by the deregulation of corporateactivities has made the subject of corporate governance one ofimmense breadth. This accessible book illustrates much of thisbreadth. Stephen Bloomfield argues that despite the manydisciplines encompassed in this topic, it remains grounded inoutdated models of the corporation. His call for a fundamentalre-examination of corporate governance is one that must surelyconcern all scholars, policy makers and practitioners in thisarea.’
Theory and Practice of Corporate Governance (ISBN 978-1107612242) is now available from all booksellers, price£34.99.
Stephen Bloomfield, Director, Corporate Governance Unit, LAIBSE: [email protected]: 0845 196 6834
Plotting Essex’s route out of recessionAnglia Ruskin event sees business,political and academic figures discussfinancial crisis
Leading figures from the Essex business, political andacademic communities discussed the current economicsituation and why achieving growth matters to everyone – notjust City bankers and Whitehall politicians – at a free publicevent at Anglia Ruskin University held in Chelmsford onWednesday, 16 January.
Keith Attwood (Chief Executive of e2v), Cllr Peter Martin(Leader of Essex County Council) and Dr Trevor Bolton (Dean of Anglia Ruskin’s Lord Ashcroft International Business School)shared their views on how each of their sectors can delivereconomic growth.
UK public debt continues to rise and, despite record lowinterest rates, both consumers and the Government are cuttingback on their spending and trying to pay off their debts. With companies also reluctant to invest, the three speakersdiscussed what could be done to kick-start the economy andsuggest where growth is likely to come from.
Dr Bolton said: “The current crisis will not just affect all of us,but probably also our children and grandchildren – it is thatbig. We are in the worst possible type of recession and the onlysolution is that we can grow our way out of the currentpredicament.
“The human cost of the financial crisis that began in 2007 hasalready been huge. The things that we took for granted up to
that point, such as growth, credit and prosperity, are now in short supply. With UK output around 3% below its pre-recession levels this is the longest downturn in UK history. “In Essex we are lucky to have relatively low unemploymentbut for long-term stable growth we continue to need aneducated and trained workforce, and the appetite for self-improvement and risk taking needs to be encouraged.
“Hopefully this event has helped people to understand why weare in this situation and provided an insight into what thefuture might hold for businesses and consumers in Essex.”
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l–r: Dr Trevor Bolton, Pro-Vice Chancellor & Dean at LordAshcroft International Business School; Keith Attwood, Chief Executive of e2v and Councilor Kevin Bentley, Essex County Council Cabinet Member on Economic Growth,Waste & Recycling.
Small Firm SeminarIn December 2012 Professor Simon Down was invited byProfessor Monder Ram, OBE, to speak at De MontfortUniversity's small firm seminar series on the topic of'Regulations and Small Firms: Boon or Burden?' Professor Ram,who received his OBE for services to Black and Ethnic Minoritysmall business, was a senior advisor to the small firmsregulation project. Together with Martin Traynor, OBE, GroupChief Executive of Leicestershire Chamber of Commerce andmember of the Regulation Policy Committee which providesindependent scrutiny of proposed regulatory measures putforward by Government, a vibrant discussion of the issuessurrounding the effect of regulation on small business was had.
Professor Down gave a presentation on the research that heand his colleagues have been conducting for three years intoover 90 high-growth firms with the aim of discovering how they
receive, understand and respond to regulation. A key concernof the research was not merely what representatives of smallbusinesses thought of regulation, but how they engaged with it.
The findings from the project continue to influence policymakers and help shape discussions surrounding the regulatoryenvironment for small firms. The field research for the projectfinished in June 2012, and the team has been busydisseminating the project findings at these and other moreacademic events, analysing the large amount of data, and is busy preparing academic papers for publication.
Professor Simon Down would be more than happy to speak to you about the project. You can contact him [email protected]
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An invitation to staff and students to attend the annualAudit & Assurance Conference The Auditing Special Interest Group of the BritishAccounting & Finance Association (BAFA) is holding itsannual Audit & Assurance Conference on our CambridgeCampus on the 16–17 May 2013.
The conference offers a unique mix of distinguished expertspeakers in the areas of auditing and assurance (incl. auditeducation) and it provides highlights of the latest unpublishedacademic research on auditing and assurance. The conference
also addresses critical auditing issues arising from the recentdiscussions and developments by various regulatory bodies. The conference this year is sponsored by the Anglia RuskinUniversity, ICAEW, and ICAS. The conference organisation isalso supported by Aston University Business School.
If you wish to attend this conference, or would like furtherinformation, please contact: [email protected]
Bi-annual HR Forum – Developing DisabilityInclusivity in your Organisation’s HR StrategyFollowing the outstanding success of Team GB at theParalympics this summer and the emphasis on legacy, thetopic for LAIBS bi-annual HR Forum in conjunction withPretty’s Solicitors and Reed Employment focused on“Developing Disability Inclusivity in your Organisation’s HR Strategy”.
The forums held in Chelmsford aim to provide information andnetworking opportunities for senior HR professionals working orliving in the area. Over 35 professionals attended the event onThursday 24th January. Tab Ahmad, Founder and ManagingDirector of EmployAbility (www.employ-ability.org.uk)illustrated to delegates the benefits and importance of valuingdiversity in the workplace and outlined the strong businesscase for employing people with disabilities. Attendees were alsoprovided with the recent legal issues and trends relating toequality and diversity in the workplace from Mathew Cole,Partner at Pretty’s.
Our final speaker on the day was to be Fran Williamson, aParalympic Medal winner from the 2004 Athens and 2008Beijing Games and an alumnus of Anglia Ruskin University.Unfortunately due to a nasty fall, Fran was unable to attend.However, her agent Chris Whitaker kindly stepped into herplace. Chris has worked with both Olympic and Paralympicsathletes since 2010 and managed Fran Williamson in 2010 to raise her profile and ensure her successful transition from
competitive sport to retirement. Chris provided an inspirationalpresentation on ‘Treating the individual as an individual’.
What our attendee, Sian Smathers of Atkins Global said:“It was a great session, and all three speakers were interestingand informative”.
l–r: Jonathan Key, HR Recruitment Consultant, Reeds,Mathew Cole, Partner at Prettys, Carol Tighe, BusinessDevelopment Manager, LAIBS
The Official Launch of the Institute for InternationalManagement PracticeColleagues will have received the invitation to the Official Launch of our Research Institute, the Institute for InternationalManagement Practice (IIMP), being held on our Cambridge Campus on the 6 March. If you are planning to attend, please [email protected] as soon as possible so that your name can be added to the attendee list.
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The Business School’s Research Institute,the Institute for International Practice(IIMP), is introducing a monthlydevelopment group for PhD studentswithin LAIBS. The group brings studentstogether in a semi-formal environment torefine their academic abilities and to buildpositive relationships with their peers.The group is multidisciplinary and is opento all those interested in improving theirgeneric research skills and broadeningtheir intellectual horizons.
The group’s convenor Will Turnerexplains, “As anyone who’s gone throughthe PhD process knows, a little bit ofsupport and advice can be really valuable– in all sorts of ways. These sessions are
designed to deliver precisely that sort ofpractical back-up. They’re a supplementto what their supervisors already provideand they offer an excellent networkingopportunity as well.”
The sessions will feature skills-basedworkshops as well as the opportunity forstudents to present and receive feedbackon their work; they also will featurepresentations from expert contributors onthemes that are relevant acrossdisciplinary boundaries.
For details of schedule and venues visitthe IIMP websitewww.anglia.ac.uk/iimp
IIMP introduces Development Forum for PhD students
Will Turner
PhD student has paper published in a Spanish JournalLuca Mannocchi, a PhD student atLAIBS, had a paper published at the endof January in a Spanish Journal (withrelevance also for Latin America).
The joint paper contains opinions basedon Luca’s experience and the experienceof Ulrich Harmes-Liedtke, one of histeachers at a summer school heattended last year who is a founding-partner at Mesopartner, a knowledgefirm that specialises in territorialdevelopment, competitiveness and
innovation and an expert on valuechains, clusters and innovation systems.
For Luca it was like giving a taste and akick-start to his research project puttingtogether some ideas on the importanceof participation and institutions (as aplace for participation) in development(particularly in tourism development),and the importance of the dynamic useof value chains for local economicdevelopment.
Currently a PhD. candidate studying therole of the private sector in developmentat LAIBS, Luca’s research topic is theefficacy of pro-poor tourism as amanagement approach in protectedareas in emerging countries.
An English version of the paper can beviewed at the following link:
http://www.politicsandterritories.com/?journal=p3t&page=article&op=view&path%5B%5D=51
Dates to remember6 March 2013 Official Launch of the Institute for International Management Practice (IIMP), Cambridge
14 March 2013 The Big Pitch – deadline for Round 1 entries ([email protected])
16 April 2013 ‘Mumford Live’ Comedy Event, Cambridge (www.MumfordLive.co.uk)
16–17 May 2013 Audit & Assurance Conference, Cambridge ([email protected])
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Research Project – Restoring Spiritual Values toEuropean Science: The New Renaissance?The way Europe does science is changing. Today’s society facesmany global ‘grand challenges’ that can only be met byevidence-based scientific research coupled with acceptance bysociety at large. The European Commission’s senior advisoryboard on the European Research Area has already recognisedthat for the European Union to meet these challenges effectivelyrequires “fundamental change in the way we think, work andresearch – indeed, a change as great as any in our history”. Itcalled this change a “new Renaissance”, deliberately invokingthe memory of a comparable revolution in thought, society andscience.
Although this is all very laudable, it is not at all clear if this newEuropean “Renaissance” builds upon any spiritual basis, whichtakes account of stimuli other than financial and political profitfor contributing to Europe’s knowledge economy. This is inmarked contrast to the spiritual drive of the EU’s visionaries andfounders, and even more different from the ideals of the firstRenaissance, which firmly rooted scientific discovery in a strongspiritual context.
This research project seeks, therefore, to explore whetherspiritual thought can still progress along with other aspects ofthe European social and political environment, primarily by: (i)
examining documentation for examples of spiritual valuesdriving EU policy, and (ii) providing both practitioners andpolicy-makers of European science with a self-assessmentframework (via surveys, interviews and workshops) toencourage them to evaluate which values influence theirresearch decisions. By reasserting an emphasis on personalhumility in this way, it should be possible to detect whetherspiritual values still have the potential to contribute to theconstruction of a ‘common vision’ for European science longcalled for by European officials.
For further details on the project, which is being led by DrDiana Beech at the Faraday Institute, University of Cambridge,please contact Dr Jonathan Smith in LAIBS at Cambridge([email protected]).
To participate in its surveys, please visit the project’s website:www.restoringspiritualvalues.wordpress.com. You can alsokeep up-to-date with relevant news and information, byfollowing us on Twitter @EUScienceValues or ‘liking’ us onFacebook: www.facebook.com/RestoringSpiritualValues.
IIMP Professor presents paper at premiertelecommunications event in HawaiiOn the 20–23 January Professor Emanuele Giovannetti,Professor in Economics at the Institute for InternationalManagement Practice, LAIBS was invited to speak at the PTC ’13 Conference which was held in Honolulu, Hawaii.Emanuele’s paper was entitled: Attractors and Repellors: A Game Theoretic Interpretation of the Cycles in Provider-customer Relations.
PTC's annual conference is the Asia-Pacific's premiertelecommunications event. Now in its 35th year, the annual conference is a strategic springboard for the globaltelecommunications industry. The Conference provides allattendees with a three-day platform to focus on planning,networking, and discovering what the New Year will bring.
PTC’13 Capacity, Capability, Collaboration will explore theincreased capacity, greater intelligence, greater flexibility, and additional innovative capabilities required by today'sapplications along with the new era of collaboration enabled by this capacity and capability.
For further information on the conference visit:http://www.ptc.org/ptc13/?page_id=1287&pid=25
Professor Emanuele Giovanetti Professor in Economics, IIMP E: [email protected]: 0845 196 2233
Editor:
Christine DurrantMarketing, Communications & External Relations
E: [email protected]: +44 (0) 1245 493131 (Ext 6882)theBIZ
UPS – Delivering more Degree students!Lord Ashcroft International Business School have recentlylaunched their eleventh cohort of UPS students who will studyfor the BA (Hons) Management and Leadership degree.
Rachael Hall and Vanessa Knowles from Lord AshcroftInternational Business School first started working with UPSLtd in 2008 when students from the faculty joined UPS toundertake their 2 year placements which formed the work-based element of their BA (Hons) Management andLeadership.
The programme’s potential to demonstrate added value for boththe individual and the business led to the full 3 year work-based model of the degree being launched in 2010 and to datein excess of 200 managers and supervisors have embarked ona Degree Programme with Lord Ashcroft International BusinessSchool.
By engaging closely with UPS in terms of their organisationaland business objectives, the programme aligns individual andorganisational learning. Drawing on 3 core themes;
Commercial and Organisational Awareness, Applied PracticeBased Research and Self-Awareness via Career, Professionaland Leadership Development the aim of this work basedlearning degree is to develop individuals who are competent,confident and inspired in their practice.
Tracy Parker District Learning and Development Manager atUPS said, “Through this initiative, UPS employees’ gain anenhanced understanding of theory and practice, a very relevantuniversity degree and the chance through the assessments toadd value to the business. We have been delighted with theimpact the programme has made in the business.”
Rachael Hall said
“It has been so rewarding to work with UPS and todevelop a strong relationship. This programme trulyembraces the notion of work based learning and weare looking forward to working with the latest cohortof UPS employees.”
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