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”
Author: Guest Editor
Time for a 4-day Workweek: is the 5-day workweek an outdated relic of the past?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 These pressing questions were at the heart of … Continue reading “Time for a 4-day Workweek: is the 5-day workweek an outdated relic of the past?”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”
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”
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?”
Why is Everyone Talking About DeepSeek? A Game Changer or Just Hype?
By Dr Anandadeep Mandal Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham The artificial intelligence (AI) landscape is evolving rapidly, and DeepSeek has been one of the most talked-about AI models in recent months. Initially hailed as a game-changer for its multi-modal learning capabilities, real-time data processing, and unsupervised learning potential, DeepSeek has faced growing scepticism due … Continue reading “Why is Everyone Talking About DeepSeek? A Game Changer or Just Hype?”