By Grigorios Lamprinakos, Solon Magrizos, Ioannis Kostopoulos, Dimitrios Drossos & David Santos Birmingham Business School The COVID-19 pandemic has cemented our growing dependency on the internet, with social distancing seemingly tipping our preference towards shopping online for good. According to ‘COVID-19 and E-commerce’, which surveyed more than 1,800 consumers from nine countries around the world, … Continue reading “The covert truth about online personalised advertising”
Jobs, jobs, jobs!
By Professor Stan Siebert, Professor of Labour Economics Department of Management The BBC reports that over the past year, pay rises on average have failed to keep up with the cost of living. At the same time, we know that in April OFGEM will be raising its energy price cap, perhaps by over £500, and … Continue reading “Jobs, jobs, jobs!”
Pandemic increases impetus for more employee choice over flexible working
By Professor Tony Dobbins, Professor of Employment Relations and HR Management President of the British Universities Industrial Relations Association A recent UK Parliament House of Commons Library briefing paper on flexible working by Professor Tony Dobbins* considers remote and hybrid work patterns during the coronavirus pandemic and implications for working futures. Although flexible working has long been … Continue reading “Pandemic increases impetus for more employee choice over flexible working”
Climate Change and Green Work: Several Ways to Deliver Net Zero Commitment
By Dr Jing Du, Lecturer in Finance Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham. The UK government amended the Climate Change Act in 2019 to formally set the goal of achieving net zero by 2050, becoming one of the first countries in the world to establish net zero in the form of legal act. In order … Continue reading “Climate Change and Green Work: Several Ways to Deliver Net Zero Commitment”
How memetic cults are changing politics and beyond
By Dr Alessandro Gerosa Department of Marketing, University of Birmingham On 15 March 2020, while Italy was in the midst of the despair caused by the first Covid-19 wave, an Italian magazine reported a very puzzling news: Giuseppe Conte, the Italian Prime Minister, was the most searched query on the Italian Pornhub. Highly read romantic … Continue reading “How memetic cults are changing politics and beyond”
3 New Year’s resolutions your business must make to help achieve net zero
By Professor Ian Thomson Director of Lloyds Banking Group Centre for Responsible Business Business, University of Birmingham 2021 was an important year for climate change, with COP26, Global Citizen and the COVID-19 pandemic cementing it as a priority for governments and the public. But time is running out to reach net zero and limit global warming. … Continue reading “3 New Year’s resolutions your business must make to help achieve net zero”
Keyworkers and the million people who will be working on Christmas Day
By Professor John Bryson Department of Strategy and International Business, University of Birmingham On Christmas Day 2021 we should all reflect on those who must work to ensure that most of the UK population are able to enjoy this festival. Christmas Day is set aside for family and friends and is a time for gift-giving … Continue reading “Keyworkers and the million people who will be working on Christmas Day”
Smartphones, spiking, cyber awareness and avoiding Christmas fraud
By Professor John Bryson Department of Strategy and International Business, University of Birmingham There is another, darker side to Christmas though, as this can also be a time for cyber attacks on companies and individuals. Christmas is a special time of the year. For the retail and hospitality industries this is a critical period, with … Continue reading “Smartphones, spiking, cyber awareness and avoiding Christmas fraud”
Merry retailing: the story of how Ballerinas saved Christmas
By Dr Roshan Boojihawon, Senior Lecturer in Strategy Department of Strategy and International Business, University of Birmingham Not every retailer knows how to be agile, so let us try and learn from those who do – ballerinas! Supply chains are volatile, unpredictable, messy, and disrupting every retailer’s plans to ensure as normal a Christmas as … Continue reading “Merry retailing: the story of how Ballerinas saved Christmas”
Buying ‘one-time wears’ and self-gifting: a new kind of Christmas
By Dr Charika Channuntapipat and Dr Sarah Montano University of Birmingham Consumers have been looking forward to Christmas 2021 after the last minute cancellation of Christmas 2020, where family celebrations were limited to the 23rd to 27th December and the vast majority of England were in Tier 2 or Tier 3. With the arrival of … Continue reading “Buying ‘one-time wears’ and self-gifting: a new kind of Christmas”