By Professor Adele Atkinson, Professor of Practice in Financial Literacy and Wellbeing (CHASM) Department of Social Policy, Sociology and Criminology, University of Birmingham Each year, Debt Awareness Week promoted by the national debt charity StepChange, aims to increase awareness of debt and the advice and solutions available to help. This year, the focus is on … Continue reading “Breaking the Stigma: Debt Awareness and Support “
Has Anyone Asked Young People? The Risks of Sensationalising Adolescence in Schools
By Dr Sophie King-Hill, Associate Professor in the Health Services Management Centre ‘Adolescence’, a recent Netflix drama about a boy who stabs and murders a girl from school has been highlighted via many media channels for its powerful storytelling and also by the Prime Minister, who has backed a campaign to show the drama in … Continue reading “Has Anyone Asked Young People? The Risks of Sensationalising Adolescence in Schools”
Taking back control or back to the future? The abolition of NHS England presents risks and opportunities.
By Steve Gulati, Associate Professor and Director of Healthcare Leadership at the Health Services Management Centre The announcement that NHS England will be formally disbanded, with its functions moved to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), hit the headlines last week. However, this shift had been signalled for some time, with departures of … Continue reading “Taking back control or back to the future? The abolition of NHS England presents risks and opportunities.”
Time for a 4-day Workweek: is the 5-day workweek an outdated relic of the past?
By the Four-Day Workweek Research Team As conversations around work-life balance, productivity, and employee well-being evolve, the Four-Day Workweek (4DWW) is gaining global attention. But what does it truly mean in practice? Who benefits? What challenges arise? And how do different industries and regions approach its implementation? These pressing questions were at the heart of … Continue reading “Time for a 4-day Workweek: is the 5-day workweek an outdated relic of the past?”
Rethinking Conflict in International Strategic Alliances: A Path to Stronger Collaboration
By Dr Laura Salciuviene, Assistant Professor in Strategy and International Business, Birmingham Business School and Dr Claudio De Mattos, University of Huddersfield Conflict is often seen as a major obstacle in organisations, particularly in international strategic alliances. Traditionally, research has emphasised conflict avoidance, arguing that disagreements disrupt the pursuit of common goals. In our newest … Continue reading “Rethinking Conflict in International Strategic Alliances: A Path to Stronger Collaboration”
How can educators address the idea held by many young men that women’s success means men’s loss?
By Dr Heather Jeffrey Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham Dubai In 1995, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action made women’s empowerment a central topic worldwide. Now 30 years later, the United Nations will be releasing reports reviewing progress ahead of International Women’s Day on the 8th of March. Disappointingly, a recent Channel 4 … Continue reading “How can educators address the idea held by many young men that women’s success means men’s loss?”
Resilient food systems, resilient futures: Why SIDS must drive an agri-food systems agenda at COP30
By Dr Merisa Thompson, University of Birmingham & Maryam Rezaei, ODI Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are facing a food crisis. Many people in these island nations struggle to access affordable healthy food. With climate change making things worse, COP30 will be a key opportunity to make food and nutrition security and sustainability in SIDS … Continue reading “Resilient food systems, resilient futures: Why SIDS must drive an agri-food systems agenda at COP30”
UK Defence Expenditure: If you want peace, prepare for war
By Professor John Bryson Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham Everyday living is saturated with paradoxes. One of these can be traced back to Vegetius, a writer from the late 4th century, who stated that Igitur quī dēsīderat pācem, præparet bellum or ‘Therefore let him who desires peace prepare for war’. This expression is often … Continue reading “UK Defence Expenditure: If you want peace, prepare for war”
As Ever, With Love, Meghan
By Sarah Montano, Professor of Retail Marketing Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham On the 4th March 2025, a new TV series called “With Love, Meghan” debuts on Netflix. Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, invites people to share her cooking, gardening and hosting tips, all filmed at a beautiful California estate. Celebrities hosting a cooking and … Continue reading “As Ever, With Love, Meghan”
Bridget Jones and the Winning RomCom Formula
By Professor Finola Kerrigan Professor in Marketing, Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham Bridget Jones has done it again at the box office. But if we want to understand the success of this newspaper diary/book/film adaptation, we must acknowledge that such success does not come from nowhere. I was late to the Bridget Jones party … Continue reading “Bridget Jones and the Winning RomCom Formula”