By Stan Siebert, Professor of Labour Economics Department of Management Imagine Joe, a carpenter in a small furniture-making business. Joe is paid by the hour, and often works overtime because he is paying off the mortgage. On top of his basic 38 hours, he puts in about 5 hours a week overtime, at time-and-a-half pay. … Continue reading “The four-day working week: dream or nightmare?”
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Free Broadband for All: Fairy-tale Policies and Economics?
By John Bryson, Professor of Enterprise and Economic Geography, Department of Strategy and International Business The Shadow Chancellor, John McDonnell, has released a £20bn plan that would ensure that free full-fibre broadband is available throughout the Kingdom. Labour’s plan would make broadband ubiquitous and free. The £20bn cost is perhaps an underestimate. The plan to … Continue reading “Free Broadband for All: Fairy-tale Policies and Economics?”
Education on Workers’ Rights and Working Class History Vital for Democracy
By Professor Tony Dobbins, Professor of Employment Relations and HR Management President of the British Universities Industrial Relations Association The implications of Brexit for workers’ rights has attracted extensive recent commentary. Facts still matter. Despite government promises, Brexit could herald a rollback of workers’ rights. A recent report on Brexit and Workers’ Rights concludes that … Continue reading “Education on Workers’ Rights and Working Class History Vital for Democracy”
Living with and Through Food Insecurity
By Dr Caroline Moraes, University of Birmingham and Professor Morven McEachern, University of Huddersfield In the forthcoming The Future of Society Festival, we will be discussing what it is like to live with and through food insecurity. Currently, 14.2 million people are living in poverty and experiencing vulnerability on multiple dimensions. One in five people … Continue reading “Living with and Through Food Insecurity”
Retail Success in an Uncertain Market
By Dr Sarah Montano, Department of Marketing, University of Birmingham Primark has recently announced that it is on course to report annual sales and profit growth. The Co-Op has also reported significant sales growth, this is in contrast to the frequent reports of decline in the high street. John Lewis, on the other hand presents … Continue reading “Retail Success in an Uncertain Market”
Thomas Cook – all burnt out
By Dr Amir Qamar, Department of Strategy and International Business, University of Birmingham Founded in 1841, Thomas Cook has come a long way, having grown its employee base to over 20,000 people and serving around 19 million holidaymakers every year. This week, the travel company was unable to secure funding and announced a $1.5bn loss, … Continue reading “Thomas Cook – all burnt out”
Peaky Blinders: a gritty brand for Birmingham?
By Jemma Saunders, Department of Film and Creative Writing, and Professor Finola Kerrigan, Department of Marketing University of Birmingham “As the fifth series commences, it seems Birmingham can only continue to capitalise on the uniquely Peaky brand that mythologises an era of the city’s history.” In 2013, Tommy Shelby and the Peaky Blinders burst onto … Continue reading “Peaky Blinders: a gritty brand for Birmingham?”
Grasping the Brexit Nettle; Resilient Businesses doing it for themselves
By Kiran Trehan, Professor of Leadership and Enterprise Development Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham A deal or no-deal Brexit continues to dominate the headlines; however, what impact is the uncertainty of how we leave the EU having on businesses. There are still many unanswered questions particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), whose resilience … Continue reading “Grasping the Brexit Nettle; Resilient Businesses doing it for themselves”
How I made my sustainable business a success
By Carly Trisk-Grove BEng Manufacturing Engineering, Business and French alumnus After graduating with a degree in Manufacturing Engineering, Business and French at the University of Birmingham, I soon joined Ernst & Young (E&Y) in their entrepreneurial team, and was shortly after offered a position within their global expansion team. I spent three years with E&Y … Continue reading “How I made my sustainable business a success”
Visible vs Invisible Policing: How do we reduce criminality?
By Professor Siddhartha Bandyopadhyay Professor of Economics Director of Centre for Crime, Justice and Policing Rhetoric and soundbites from politicians are par for the course, so we should not be surprised to hear the new Home Secretary, Priti Patel’s, comment that she wants “criminals to literally feel terror” at the thought of committing offences. The … Continue reading “Visible vs Invisible Policing: How do we reduce criminality?”