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”
The UK’s Encryption Crackdown: What It Means for Investors and Digital Privacy
By Dr Anandadeep Mandal, Associate Professor in Finance Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham The UK’s Bold Move on Encrypted Data In a controversial move, the UK government has issued a “technical capability notice” under the Investigatory Powers Act 2016, compelling Apple to create a backdoor to its encrypted iCloud services. The demand requires Apple … Continue reading “The UK’s Encryption Crackdown: What It Means for Investors and Digital Privacy”
It’s a Love Story – just say yes: What are the top retail trends for Valentine’s Day 2025?
By Sarah Montano, Professor of Retail Marketing Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham Valentine’s Day is once again upon us, the day when consumers are expected to show their love for their significant other via the medium of retail! Supermarkets have replaced their Christmas aisles with a sea of red roses and cute bears, whilst … Continue reading “It’s a Love Story – just say yes: What are the top retail trends for Valentine’s Day 2025?”
Rate cut ripple effect: How the Bank of England’s move will shape your finances in 2025
By Dr Anandadeep Mandal, Associate Professor in Finance Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham The Bank of England’s recent decision to cut the base interest rate from 4.75% to 4.5% marks the third reduction in six months on 6th Feb 2025, a move aimed at revitalising the UK’s slowing economy. With inflation easing and economic … Continue reading “Rate cut ripple effect: How the Bank of England’s move will shape your finances in 2025”
Is Working From Home Bad for Employees’ Productivity?
By Dr Darja Reuschke, Associate Professor City-REDI, Birmingham Business School Whether working from home impacts employees’ productivity and performance is not a new question, but one that has received renewed attention with media coverage of organisations asking their staff to work fully or a minimum number of days in the office. Most recently, members of … Continue reading “Is Working From Home Bad for Employees’ Productivity?”
The DEI Trilemma: Progress, Pushback, or Quiet Compliance?
By Dr Achilleas Boukis, Associate Professor in Marketing Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham Several prominent global organisations, including technology giants such as Meta, Amazon, and Zoom, retailers like Walmart, and automotive companies such as Ford and Harley-Davidson, are scaling back their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. These decisions appear to be largely driven by … Continue reading “The DEI Trilemma: Progress, Pushback, or Quiet Compliance?”