“My Government’s legislative programme will be mission led and based upon the principles of security, fairness and opportunity for all.” – His Majesty’s most gracious speech to both Houses of Parliament. The scrutiny now begins. Wednesday 17th July marked a new parliamentary session, and the hotly anticipated King’s Speech announced 36 full bills and four … Continue reading “Following the King’s Speech: The role Social Science can now play”
Beneficial constraints: stronger workers’ rights can underpin better work in left-behind UK regions
By Professor Tony Dobbins Professor of Work and Employment Relations, Birmingham Business School The King’s Speech 2024 commits to legislating for an Employment Rights Bill, reflecting promises in Labour’s Plan to Make Work Pay-New Deal For Working People. The extensive policy proposals include: creating a single enforcement body (Fair Work Agency); a new Fair Pay … Continue reading “Beneficial constraints: stronger workers’ rights can underpin better work in left-behind UK regions”
King’s Speech: Will government’s more active role in housing improve availability and affordability?
By Dr Jacob Salder Lecturer in Entrepreneurship and Organisation, Birmingham Business School Housing availability, housing affordability, and access to housing and the housing market have been a critical issue for many people in the UK in recent years. Seeking to resolve these issues has therefore become a priority for successive UK governments. The success of … Continue reading “King’s Speech: Will government’s more active role in housing improve availability and affordability?”
Is AI’s future in the past?
By Professor Stephanie Decker Department of Strategy and International Business, Birmingham Business School Much of the buzz around Artificial Intelligence (AI), and more specifically Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI), focuses on what the widespread access to these new technologies will mean for the future of society, professions and the workplace. But AI also has the potential … Continue reading “Is AI’s future in the past?”
How can universities use GenAI?
By Dr Kamilya Suleymenova & Dr Mary Dawood Department of Economics, Birmingham Business School The first open-to-general-public GenAI tool was launched in November 2022 and headlines ranged from exceptionally optimistic to dramatically alarmist. The ability to generate text (as well as code, and later images, audio, and video) was immediately spotted by those involved in … Continue reading “How can universities use GenAI?”
From cancel culture to the digital guillotine: Why the risks for social media celebrities just got higher
By Dr Ahmed Shaalan – Department of Marketing, Birmingham Business School, Marwa Tourky – Cranfield University and Khaled Ibrahim – Unitec-Institute of Technology, New Zealand The notoriously choppy waters of social media are becoming even more complex for celebrities and brands to navigate safely as an extreme form of cancel culture takes hold. The digitine movement … Continue reading “From cancel culture to the digital guillotine: Why the risks for social media celebrities just got higher”
What does Labour’s “sandcastle majority” mean for the new government?
By Dr Nathan Critch Department of Political Science and International Studies (POLSIS), University of Birmingham Whilst the relatively low vote share Labour achieved in the 2024 general election was enough to secure a landslide in terms of parliamentary seats, a lack of real popular enthusiasm for their governing project is sure to cause problems for … Continue reading “What does Labour’s “sandcastle majority” mean for the new government?”
Bridgerton… “and the object(s) of all my desires.”
By Professor Sarah Montano, Department of Marketing, Birmingham Business School Dearest Reader, Were you in attendance at the wedding of the season? This author was captivated by the latest wedding in the Ton and the relief that another young lady will not remain on the shelf for yet another season! With the finale of Bridgerton … Continue reading “Bridgerton… “and the object(s) of all my desires.””
A (Long) Path to ‘Recovery’? The Public (Dis)Trust of the Police
By Dr Heng Choon (Oliver) Chan Associate Professor of Criminology, Department of Social Policy, Sociology and Criminology In the wake of several high-profile police scandals and a rise in offences including cybercrime and shoplifting, the public is beginning to lose faith in the police. A recent Savanta survey for The Independent (conducted between 24 and … Continue reading “A (Long) Path to ‘Recovery’? The Public (Dis)Trust of the Police”
How will minority groups vote in the general election?
By Professor Aditya Goenka, Department of Economics, Birmingham Business School Understanding the voting intentions of the minority groups is important as they constituted 19.3% of the population in 2021 in England and Wales. The distribution within England varies with a much higher representation in urban areas such as greater London, Birmingham and West Midlands, Leicester, … Continue reading “How will minority groups vote in the general election?”