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”
Category: Business
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?”
General Election 2024: Whatever happened to levelling up?
By Abigail Taylor, Research Fellow & Johannes Read, Policy and Data Analyst, City-REDI, Birmingham Business School The phrase ‘levelling up’ – which refers to tackling inequality between places – has been cast aside in the 2024 election campaign. There has been relatively little detailed discussion about addressing regional inequalities by any of the main parties. … Continue reading “General Election 2024: Whatever happened to levelling up?”
The future of devolution under a new government – a manifesto guide
By Associate Professor Rebecca Riley City-REDI, Birmingham Business School Each party’s stance on place and devolution reflects their broader political philosophies, with Labour and the Conservatives focusing on managed devolution within a united framework, while the Liberal Democrats, Greens, SNP, and Plaid Cymru push for more substantial devolved autonomy and constitutional reform. Reform UK doesn’t … Continue reading “The future of devolution under a new government – a manifesto guide”
SoS – Save our Shops! Will the forthcoming election bring about effective retail change?
By Professor Sarah Montano & Dr Inci Toral, Department of Marketing, Birmingham Business School We are used to seeing the news headlines stating that the High Street is dying. The recent loss of Wilko emphasises the precarious nature of retail. In 2022 Ordnance Survey data showed that department stores had declined by 13.4%. However, there … Continue reading “SoS – Save our Shops! Will the forthcoming election bring about effective retail change?”
Diversity in Practice: Insights into Minority Ethnic Doctors’ Careers
By Professor Etlyn Kenny, Professor Joanne Duberley, Dr Chris Darko, Dr Ashok Patnaik (University of Birmingham) and Professor Dulini Fernando (Aston University) What do the experiences of minority ethnic doctors tell us about workplace inclusion in the diverse field of medicine? A team of researchers from the University of Birmingham and Aston University is investigating … Continue reading “Diversity in Practice: Insights into Minority Ethnic Doctors’ Careers”
Including older women, or extending sexism? Midlife women in popular culture
By Dr Julie Whiteman Department of Marketing, University of Birmingham On 8th March we heard much about ‘inspiring inclusion’ as part of International Women’s Day celebrations. Inspiring inclusion will mean many things to many people, recognising the scope of exclusion that permeates all aspects of our society. By focusing on inclusion, it is hoped we … Continue reading “Including older women, or extending sexism? Midlife women in popular culture”
Barbie (and Ken) at the Oscars: what does this say about gender inequality in the film industry?
By Professor Finola Kerrigan Professor in Marketing, Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham The 2024 Academy Awards’ Ceremony will take place on Sunday. It comes just after 2024’s International Women’s Day and during Women’s History Month. Much has been made of Ryan Gosling’s best supporting actor nomination for his role as Ken in Barbie with … Continue reading “Barbie (and Ken) at the Oscars: what does this say about gender inequality in the film industry?”