By Professor Ian Thomson Director of Lloyds Banking Group Centre for Responsible Business The pandemic has seen plastic waste skyrocket, while corporates continue to pump out single-use plastic packaging that’s found dumped all around the world. But a new inter-disciplinary research network at the University of Birmingham is looking to tackle the problem with infinitely … Continue reading “Kicking our addiction to plastics”
Responsible consumption and COVID Christmas – shopping safely online
By Professor John Bryson Department of Strategy and International Business, University of Birmingham Christmas is a very special time of the year. It is a time to look back at the year that is nearly past and to gaze forward. It is a time at which family and friends come together to celebrate. It is … Continue reading “Responsible consumption and COVID Christmas – shopping safely online”
Does it really matter if you don’t drink alcohol at Christmas?
By Professor Isabelle Szmigin Department of Marketing, University of Birmingham Firstly, let me say that I cannot answer the question as I do drink alcohol. I do, however, live with someone who has not had an alcoholic drink for over 30 years, so I have some vicarious understanding of one person’s view. But in a … Continue reading “Does it really matter if you don’t drink alcohol at Christmas?”
All I want for Christmas is… a little less food?
By Dr Emma Surman Department of Marketing, University of Birmingham For many, this Christmas is going to be slightly different. Christmas parties, carol singing, pantomimes – none of these will be happening in quite the same way. However, if this week’s figures about grocery shopping are anything to go by, it looks like one thing … Continue reading “All I want for Christmas is… a little less food?”
The Christmas Promise of Social Enterprise
By Dr Scott Taylor, University of Birmingham, and Rosie Ginday MBE, Miss Macaroon December is the moment when corporate advertising turns towards the social. Companies such as John Lewis, Boots, all of the major supermarkets, and even Amazon, stake a claim to doing good by doing business. For some, such as the Co-op group, there … Continue reading “The Christmas Promise of Social Enterprise”
Flexibility is the Future of Work
By Dr Sarah Forbes and Dr Holly Birkett Co-directors of the Equal Parenting Project The UK has seen a steep rise in the number of employees working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a recent survey showing that 86% of the employees surveyed worked from home during the first COVID-19 lockdown, with 75.3 per … Continue reading “Flexibility is the Future of Work”
The electric vehicle revolution: Will we run out of the critical materials?
By Professor Rob J R Elliott, University of Birmingham, Ben Jones, University College London, and Viet Nguyen-Tien, London School of Economics Governments around the world are actively promoting EVs and global sales have now exceeded two million vehicles. Automakers and their suppliers have made plans for large scale investment in EV related production capacity. When … Continue reading “The electric vehicle revolution: Will we run out of the critical materials?”
Post-COVID recovery and the November Spending Review
By Professor John Bryson Department of Strategy and International Business, University of Birmingham The first sentence of Tolstoy’s novel Anna Karenina is famous – “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way”. The November Spending Review makes me think of this sentence. All ministerial roles are all alike; every … Continue reading “Post-COVID recovery and the November Spending Review”
HMRC scheme covers cost of homeworking, so why is it not put into practice?
By Dr Sarah Forbes and Dr Holly Birkett Co-directors of the Equal Parenting Project In 2011, the HMRC introduced a scheme which allowed employers to pay homeworking employees up to £4 per week to cover the cost of overheads and claim this back from HMRC. At the start of lockdown in April 2020, the scheme … Continue reading “HMRC scheme covers cost of homeworking, so why is it not put into practice?”
Equal Pay Day: The buck stops here
By Dr Juliet E. Kele, Research Fellow In HRM Department of Management and Lloyds Centre for Responsible Business, University of Birmingham The 20th November 2020 is the day when women in full-time work stop being paid, on average, relative to men. The Fawcett Society, a leading UK charity campaigning for gender equality and women’s rights, … Continue reading “Equal Pay Day: The buck stops here”