IMPACT magazine - Issue 10

Su st aina b i l i ty a n d S o ci e ty / I ss ue 10

Influencing change – the complexity of social media activism The instinct (or lack of) to save the planet Pandemic-speak – lessons learned from dealing with COVID

Sustainable, smart cities – can it be done?

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Durham University Business School / IMPACT

Welcome IMPACT / Issue 10

Welcome to our tenth issue of IMPACT magazine, which showcases the many ways the Business School’s research and education make a positive impact on society and the world we share.

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ovember 2021 saw the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) take place in Glasgow, an event with over 100 world governments in attendance focusing on climate change and its impact on everyone’s future. It is fitting and timely that the theme for IMPACT Issue 10 is Sustainability and Society.

These topics have always been central to our Vision and Mission, goals and values – they are embedded in our School’s ethos and form an important part of everything we do; from the development of programmes and curricula – which strive to create the globally-focused, ethically-minded and forward-thinking business leaders of the future – to the research influence of our world-class faculty.

As a leading international business school, we have a responsibility to create, share and use our knowledge, in partnership with industry, to help build sustainable futures for all communities around the world.

The increase in world temperature since the start of industrialisation, is still being driven by the movement to urbanisation and the growth of our cities. The work that Professor Keiran Fernandes and colleagues have been doing around the design of ‘smart cities’ and how to make our cities sustainable, inclusive and fit for the future is therefore essential. This technology-driven and collaborative research provides an excellent opening article to this issue.

However, sustainability touches all areas of business and life and this magazine provides an engaging overview of the School’s impact in this area and is an excellent read. We look at product lifecycle and supply chain in articles by Dr Helen Goworek examining the fashion industry and Professor Christos Tsinopolous and colleagues considering the issues

Issue 10 / 2021

and solutions around plastic. We look at the environment, in particular, monitoring the radioactivity in our oceans with Dr Kostas Nikolopolous and how sustainable business practice can help regenerate ecosystems detailed in research by Professor Pablo Munoz. We also look at the diverse range of activity related to finance and sustainability with Professor Habib Ahmed looking at the role Islamic finance can play, whilst Professor Carol Adams highlights the need for changes in companies reporting their activities beyond the confines of financial results and Dr Anna Tilba considers the sustainability of pension investments.

Sustainability is a necessary condition for the future of society – with many commentators on this relationship and the role of leaders and their organisations in bringing about the changes necessary for us all to survive on ‘The Third Stone from the Sun’. In this issue, we consider differing aspects of leadership both with potential relevance to climate change. Professors Russell Craig and Joel Amernic comment on the rhetoric of leaders speaking about other world crises such as Covid-19, and Professor Olga Epitropaki looks at the impact ethical leaders can have on staff. Faculty research also considers wider aspects of society, such as Dr Mercy Denedo’s research into stigma and social housing in England, Professor Benedetta Cappellini’s investigation of how migrants in the UK coped with Covid-19 lockdowns, and Professor Les Graham’s study on the wellbeing of police.

Across the School, colleagues combine our research and teaching excellence with a commitment to providing an education to develop and enthuse leaders and entrepreneurs who create, share and use knowledge to deliver equitable and sustainable

futures around the world. Our latest collaboration with colleagues from Durham's Department of Engineering and the Durham Energy Institute (DEI), the Master of Energy Systems Management (MESM) programme, does just that. It will give students the skills and knowledge needed to support organisations to make transitioning to Net Zero carbon emissions an achievable reality.

The arrival of the MESM programme and other great updates on engagement with students, alumni and business can, as always, be found towards the back of the magazine.

Here you can read about our latest rankings achievements, our student successes in projects and study trips (including the unexpected benefits of virtual visits) and our graduates' achievements in business.

The new term has seen the welcome return of face-to-face teaching and it is wonderful to see students back on campus. The new year will also see the reinstatement of congregation, celebrating the achievements of our fantastic graduates. I hope both signal a continuing return to a level of normality as the world moves forward.

I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to this tenth edition of IMPACT. The continued support from our staff and students demonstrates our tremendous collective commitment to leading sustainable business thinking, and generating positive societal impact.

Susan Hart Executive Dean of Durham University Business School

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Contents The sustainability and society issue Issue 10 / 2021

Credits

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The IMPACT Team

Reconnecting with nature and sustainable business practices Professor Pablo Munoz discusses his research on businesses that are helping to regenerate ecosystems.

Liz Lawrence Senior Marketing Communications Manager Martin Thomas Marketing Communications Manager Lindsay Webber Marketing Relations Manager Natalie Taylor Marketing Communications Officer

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Charlotte Wareing Marketing Officer

Islamic finance and sustainable development Professor Habib Ahmed investigates how Islamic finance practices can contribute to UN sustainability goals.

Paula Lane Marketing Officer Stephen Close Web and Digital Officer Deanne Dutton Conversion Relations Officer Laura Kovic Marketing Administrator

Thank you Thank you to all those who have worked on this issue including faculty, other School staff, students, alumni and business connections.

Contributors Professor Carol Adams Onur Agca Akansha Agrawal Professor Habib Ahmed Professor Joel Amernic Rojin Amouzadeh Paul Barron Dr Joanna Berry Professor Bernd Brandl Professor Benedetta Cappellini Dr Atanu Chaudhuri Dr Ladan Cockshut Professor Russell Craig Dr Mercy Denedo Dr Amanze Ejiogu Professor Olga Epitropaki Professor Keiran Fernandes Professor Les Graham Dr Helen Goworek Professor Susan Hart Dr Mariann Hardey Penny Hawley Sindhura Kalyanam Professor Gretchen Larsen Alex McNinch Dr Riccardo Mogre Professor Pablo Munoz Professor Kostas Nikolopoulos Claire Rose Therese Seiringer Dr Lara Small Aarron Toal Dr Anna Tilba Professor Christos Tsinopolous Asrif Yusoff BlueSky PR

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Don’t ‘COP-out’ on sustainability reporting Professor Carol Adams explores issues around sustainability and changing reporting standards.

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Influencing change: the complexity of social media activism Dr Mariann Hardey Social media is a powerful tool for inciting positive change – but it can also lead to disingenuous or even harmful outcomes.

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Coping with Covid: the extra challenges faced by UK migrants Professor Benedetta Cappellini’s research uncovers the additional barriers that migrant communities encounter when dealing with coronavirus.

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The 6,000-mile doctorate: my first year on the Durham DBA Asrif Yusoff talks about the challenges and rewards that come with being a Durham DBA candidate.

Durham University Business School / IMPACT

Sustainability 06 The rise of the smart city A look at the framework shaping urban development 08 The cost of keeping up with fashion What can producers, retailers and consumers do?

11 Reconnecting with nature and sustainable business practices The businesses regenerating ecosystems 14 The instinct (or lack of) to save the planet Aarron Toal considers our evolutionary response to danger 16 Finding sustainable ways to deal with plastics Balancing our need for plastic with the issues it creates 20 Ocean radioactivity and its impact on the world Measuring real-time risks in marine environments 21 Influencing change: the complexity of social media activism Does online activism do more harm than good?

24 More sustainable pensions call for transparent investments Understanding the reality of retirement benefits 26 Islamic finance and sustainable development How can Islamic finance practices improve sustainability?

28 Don’t ‘COP out’ on sustainability reporting Can we change standards for the better?

31 Collaboration, innovation and sustainability: creating Durham’s Energy Systems Management programme Dr Joanna Berry on developing a new degree 33 Traceability is king: how blockchain is ensuring fair work practices Could blockchain encourage ethical supply chains?

Society 35 Pandemic-speak: lessons learned from dealing with COVID How leaders have used rhetoric to tackle the pandemic 38 The impact of ethical leaders on today’s workforce Does having an ethical boss encourage ethical behaviour?

40 Coping with Covid: the extra challenges faced by UK migrants How government messaging and action has fallen short 43 Exposing the stigma around social housing The impact of social housing stigma in the UK 47 Empowering North East communities through adaptable research Local regeneration through knowledge exchange 50 Moving to a "high-wage, highskill" economy in a post-Brexit UK The reality of what this means for businesses and their workforce 52 Researching Police Wellbeing Professor Les Graham’s research delves into the welfare of the police force 55 An inclusive, diverse and equal place to learn Exploring the latest developments at the Business School

Engagement 56 Switching lanes from finance to sustainability Former Masters student Therese Seiringer shares her story 57 The benefits of MBA mentoring MBA alumni share insights from the workplace 58 The 6,000-mile doctorate: my first year on the Durham DBA Asrif Yusoff reflects on the challenges of the past year 60 MBA Strategic Business Projects can reenergise your organisation Hear from Sindhura Kalyanam on her time with DEI 62 Irreplaceable experiences and connections Learning straight from the industry experts 64 Recruitment bootcamp Our solution to improving employability and confidence 66 Engage With The World Week: a business trip like no other Welcoming global speakers to our virtual stage

News and events 68 Masters rankings rise for Finance and Management Celebrating the success of our global rankings 69 Managing and leading change: webinars for MBA alumni Our alumni and academics explore the changing world of business 70 Adapting to the pandemic: just IMAGINE if 2022...

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Sustainability

The rise of the smart city How do you begin to design an ‘intelligent’ city fit for the future? Professor Keiran Fernandes explains how his work with the ‘indexDNA’ framework is shaping urban development.

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he rate of change in global economic activity and our societies is likely to accelerate further, causing profound implications for life, work, travel and the growth of our communities. Most importantly, these changes will have a significant impact on the urban population, expected to be around seven billion by 2050.

Urban regions are estimated to generate 80% of economic growth and produce approximately 72% of all greenhouse gas emissions, despite covering only 3% of the land. In most developed countries, one of the fastest growing age groups is senior citizens (60+ years of age). It is expected that over two billion people will be senior citizens by 2050. Data from the United Nations suggests that by 2047 the number of senior citizens will exceed the number of children (under 15).

Ageing and exponential growth in urban regions are increasingly becoming a priority issue in both developed and developing countries.

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Durham University Business School / IMPACT

Living in such highly dense cities is a new phenomenon for humankind and brings about several opportunities, but also tensions: a growing ageing society against the decline in Generation Alpha; individual against collective; regional against global; privacy against open systems; economic growth against zero carbon emissions.

Governments have been reactive to this migration trend and are experimenting with emerging and established technologies to provide solutions to this unprecedented urbanisation. Many cities are taking proactive steps to make their cities ‘digitalised’ or ‘smarter’. Such initiatives are called ‘smart city’ initiatives and primarily focus on using a collection of technologies to provide timely and effective services to citizens.

At the heart of such cities is the notion that ‘data’ generated by citizens and systems can be used to develop a citizen-centred society that is sustainable, inclusive and fit for the future.

Governments have focused on several approaches, ranging from smart governance models to smart citizen initiatives to make cities more ‘intelligent’ or ‘digital’. While there are differences in how these approaches are implemented, the fundamental proposition in all these models is the use of information and communications technology (ICT) to provide services and support to citizens. However, there is no universal agreement on what constitutes a smart city or a framework that can be used by policymakers and society to develop or build smart cities. I have been working with fellow researchers Dr Atanu Chaudhury and Akash Kakar from the Centre for Innovation and Technology Management to develop a framework called indexDNA that provides a blueprint on how ‘smart cities’ should be designed.

At the heart of such cities is the notion that ‘data’ generated by citizens and systems can be used to develop a citizen-centred society that is sustainable, inclusive and fit for the future.

The indexDNA framework was developed in collaboration with a dynamic technology platform called citiesABC, the open business council, the World Smart Cities Forum and businesses including ztudium, Mastercard, ATOS and Engie.

The indexDNA framework takes a holistic, citizencentric approach to smart cities, treating them like human-centric ecosystems where physical and cyberspace systems are interconnected to bring about social, economic, political and environmental changes. The developed framework has been incorporated on a dynamic technology platform called citiesABC, which uses AI and blockchains to capture the complex relationship between citizens, industry, policymaking and society. The citiesABC platform gives a holistic view of a city on several dimensions, such as wellbeing, health, education, liveability, circular economy, human talent, energy net neutrality, economy, accessibility & mobility, leadership and governance.

The indexDNA framework serves several purposes, from benchmarking cities to developing effective policies for the transition to a smart and sustainable urban ecosystem.

There are several unique aspects of the indexDNA: as an open system, the index collects data on each city continuously and updates rankings and performance ratings accordingly. The indexDNA was designed to be open and follows the principles of independence and data neutrality in line with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

The framework is used by the Malaysian Government and is currently being piloted by the Government of Vietnam. The framework will also form the basis of a debate at the World Smart Cities Leader’s Summit (28-30 September 2021), which will include mayors and governors from over 30 cities. Readers can view the beta version of the indexDNA platform at citiesabc.com. As one of the developers of the indexDNA framework I am happy to provide further interested parties with information.

For more information on Professor Fernandes’ research interest and details of how to contact him, visit durham.ac.uk/business/keiran-fernandes

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Sustainability

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Durham University Business School / IMPACT

The cost of keeping up with fashion What can producers, retailers, consumers and policymakers do to combat overconsumption in the fashion market?

Dr Helen Goworek explores our options.

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he fashion industry has faced various sustainability-related issues in recent years: from social and humanitarian concerns such as accusations of modern slavery in factories (including locations in the UK), to a range of environmental considerations such as the high volumes of water required in growing cotton. Additionally, clothing is often not recycled due to the expense and complexity of dismantling its component parts, thus leading to much of it being disposed of in landfill. A pitifully small amount of material from clothing is recycled to make new clothing, estimated at less than 1% by the Environmental Audit Committee in 2019.

Whilst the clothing sector is clearly not alone in dealing with problems relating to sustainability, it is a significant contributor to climate change due to its sheer size and importance to the economy.

Clothing is the UK’s second largest retail sector (food inevitably being number one). The longevity of clothing was singled out in a report

by WRAP (the sustainability charity formally known as the Waste and Resources Action Programme) in 2012 as a particularly significant sustainability issue to be addressed, with lifecycle assessment being viewed as the most effective way of lessening the industry’s negative effects on the environment.

WRAP found that increasing the average lifespan of clothing lifetimes by a third could reduce its environmental impact by around 20%, so this is potentially the most effective way to reduce the fashion industry’s overall impact.

Consequently, the UK government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) awarded funding to Nottingham Trent University for a research project to investigate methods of prolonging the lifecycle of garments. I worked on that project as a member of a research team, combining our academic and industry knowledge to investigate product development processes and opinions of manufacturers and retailers in the fashion industry as well as consumer perspectives. The result was a report

by Cooper et al. (2016), published by Defra, which contained a number of sustainability-focused recommendations for both policy and practice to consider, and actionable tools to help the industry create positive change.

Since the selection of materials, components and styling at the design stage has a major impact on making products usable for longer, one of our outputs was the creation of a designorientated toolkit to assist employees in the fashion industry in developing clothes with longer lifespans. It is debatable whether fashion, in its truest sense, can ever be considered sustainable.

The toolkit’s aim therefore is to embed ‘slow fashion’ principles to enhance the sustainability of garment production, in contrast to the prevailing notion of ‘fast fashion’.

The selection of materials, components and styling at the design stage has a major impact on making products usable for longer.

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Sustainability

Whilst the negative impacts that mass production and consumption of clothing have had on the environment and on society have been focused upon both by academia and the mass media, there are various other stakeholders who can also be held responsible.

Industry bodies, such as the Ethical Trading Initiative and the Ethical Fashion Forum, can influence their member organisations. However, to enact change with more force and speed, governments and policymakers need to take the lead. For example, the imposition of a charge for carrier bags in shops in recent years was able to significantly reduce their usage extremely rapidly in China, Ireland and the UK; similarly, regulations could be applied to clothing purchases. However, policies need not be limited to punitive measures but could incentivise purchases to ‘nudge’ consumers’ behaviour, e.g. by lowering or removing taxes on items that are considered to be more sustainable, such as those manufactured from Fairtrade cotton.

Current steps to avert the fashion industry’s contribution towards climate change have clearly been insufficient, as we continue to produce and consume more clothes than we require.

An estimated 300,000 tonnes of textile waste is being sent to landfill or incineration in the UK each year, thus creating greenhouse gases.

We as consumers have an important role to play, by choosing to take more sustainable actions such as only purchasing clothes that are made responsibly, resisting cheap or 'throwaway' clothing or by recycling or repurposing unwanted garments. Research by the University of Cambridge Institute for Manufacturing found

that the maintenance, use and disposal of clothing by consumers had a more extensive impact on the environment overall than did clothing production and distribution, so we have the opportunity to improve our actions towards garments as individuals. These actions can be further supported by producers (retailers, brands and manufacturers) ‘choice editing’ by offering a wider selection of environmentally sustainable garments from which we can choose. Again, government policies can be used to help encourage this behaviour – from manufacturers and consumers alike.

Additionally, social sustainability in clothing manufacture needs to be addressed urgently. In 2020 the media finally shone a spotlight on the illegal working practices of some factories in the UK, said to be an ‘open secret’, when such working conditions were linked to Covid outbreaks.

At a time when even the Chief Executive of the British Fashion Council has recently been quoted in the press as recommending that we should buy half the amount of new clothes that we do currently and that fashion companies should sell used products and repair garments in store, we can be sure it’s time for producers, consumers and policymakers to take responsibility jointly for a more sustainable fashion system.

Increasing the average lifespan of clothing lifetimes by a third could reduce its environmental impact by around 20%.

For more information on Dr Goworek’s research interest, visit durham.ac.uk/business/helen-goworek

An estimated 300,000 tonnes of textile waste is being sent to landfill or incineration in the UK each year.

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Durham University Business School / IMPACT

Sustainability

Life in natural ecosystems can co-exist with the business world and indeed flourish.

Reconnecting with nature and sustainable business practices

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e have come long way since the notion of sustainable development was formally supported by the United Nations in 1987. Coming from a state of absolute denial, businesses began to embrace the idea that it was indeed possible to run a business in a more environmentally friendly way.

But it has been slow progress. Facing reputational issues, some at first felt encouraged to pay to contaminate – a polluting business, for example, could continue operating as usual by buying carbon credits or just paying extra taxes or fines. It was seen as convenient under a cost-benefit logic. Others, with an eye on the bottom line, observed that investment in green

Issue 10 / 2021

Professor Pablo Munoz discusses his research on businesses that are helping to regenerate ecosystems.

technologies and practices could pay off in the form of lower costs and risks. Ultimately, green technologies have increased operational efficiencies, and there has also been a growing number of environmentally minded customers willing to pay extra for the reassurance of using and contributing to cleaner products and services. Firms then began to measure their social and environmental performance and quickly realised that one seemed to go hand in hand with the other. An overwhelming number of studies were published in the early 2000s with answers to the thus far elusive question: Does it pay to be green? The answer, of course, was a big fat yes. We all happily welcomed the win-win-win situation that firms focused on the triple bottom line were achieving.

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Sustainability

This is a story full of hope, but 30 years on the climate of our planet is still changing and all the progress above seems inconsequential in the face of wildfires, floods, hurricanes and droughts caused by rising temperatures throughout the world. Headlines claiming the "highest temperatures on record" have become the new normal in our daily news. In this new era, and for the first time, humans are leaving permanent geological markers in the stratospheric record of the planet. This period is known as the Anthropocene.

What can we do?

Some lunatics are launching rockets in the hope that technology will allow us to abandon the planet that human progress has helped to destroy. Others, pragmatists, are focusing on climate mitigation and adaptation, under the assumption that the point of return is long gone.

We are faced with either reducing the pace of deterioration by further increasing efficiencies or simply modifying our way of living and adapting our progress to suit the new climate normal.

For example, instead of trying to reverse trends, winemakers are buying land in cold regions because grapes will soon be grown there.

Linear thinking, siloed understanding of the world, and human-nature dualism are at the core of anthropocentrism. We put humans,

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and human organisations, at the centre of everything and situate the biocapacity and natural resources we and our organisations need on the periphery. While we are part of nature, we have been progressively detaching ourselves from it, creating cognitive, experiential and emotional valleys between the human world and the world of other living and non-living things.

Such distance has resulted in unaware humans developing fears of non-predators, such as spiders, snakes and even nettles! Those humans living in deep connection to nature, fearlessly and embracing nature as nature, are seen as outliers.

But it’s these outliers who appear to have the answer. For the past five years, my colleagues and I have been studying the outliers of the business world – those organisations taking decisive actions to bring life back to degraded ecosystems and regenerate nature. To regenerate is to hold "the capacity to bring into existence again". It is not only about revitalising or reactivating a system in a better state or condition; it is also about changing the system into something new and improved. Regenerative organisations are interconnected with nature.

Working together, organisations and nature create value and help restore life in vulnerable ecosystems. By doing so, they contribute to the creation of resilience and wellbeing in the communities supported by these ecosystems.

1,3. Inka Moss, based in Peru, is dedicated to the sustainable production of 'sphagnum moss' while simultaneously generating social impact in local communities and restoring the Andean forests.

2. 'Holistic grazing', as practised by Carnes Manada in Chile, relies on the herd's instinctive movement patterns across grasslands.

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4. ProCoReef in Colombia is planting coral reef fragments as part of its business model.

5. El Reinal in Chile is using regenerative farming practices for a range of livestock.

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Durham University Business School / IMPACT

This is the case with a sheep-farming business in Southern Patagonia using holistic management techniques to restore the depleted Patagonian grasslands. They don’t use pesticides, fertilisers, or artificial grazing methods. They only work with nature, imitating the movement of wild herds and letting nature lead the way instead of trying to dominate it. In terms of protection and restoration, their approach has proven successful, increasing pasture productivity and carrying capacity by 300% in three years, improving biodiversity and carbon capture capacity in almost 100 % of the soil. We also discovered a biodynamic winemaker in Chile using an army of chicken, sheep, peacocks, llamas and horses to fight pests and soil erosion and increase the quality of their wine. They have received multiple awards, not only for their commitment to sustainability but also because of the quality of their products.

There is also a fascinating tourism business in Colombia regenerating coral reefs and mangroves. By using a highly scalable business model, since 2018 almost 12,000 coral fragments have been planted by the firm, in collaboration with communities and clients. These climatesmart organisations are pioneering new ways of doing business by situating ecological systems at the core of their organisation. These businesses, normally neglected by mainstream management, are directly tackling the sources of climate-related

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problems and effectively reversing the direction of the still conflicting businessenvironment relationship.

The above cases, and ten more, are presented in our book Stories of Regeneration, to be released in November 2021.

The change towards regeneration is difficult to visualise since it represents a fundamental shift in perspective. A cattle rancher in Northern Patagonia told us that "sustainability is no longer enough. If people become sustainable or begin to recycle, we are not going to make it, we must regenerate". Management practice is slowly engaging with this idea.

We have witnessed the unthinkable: that life in natural ecosystems can co-exist with the business world and indeed flourish. Human organisations just need to take a step back, realign with nature and let it take the lead.

The change towards regeneration is difficult to visualise since it represents a fundamental shift in perspective.

For more information on Professor Munoz and his research interests, visit durham.ac.uk/business/pablo-munoz

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Sustainability

The instinct (or lack of) to save the planet Aarron Toal discusses how humans are hardwired to prioritise the present but that tackling climate change requires us to reevaluate how we deal with danger.

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ur world is changing. Unsustainable consumption and the environmentally destructive behaviour of humans is pushing the planet towards an inevitable catastrophe. The resulting climate transformation in the form of extreme weather and sea level rise is likely to affect each one of us in some way during the next few decades. Experts warn that we have just 10 years before a global temperature rise of 1.5°C, the tipping point leading to an ecological runaway event, being a cascade of irreversible changes within the ecosystem that would see mass environmental degradation, population displacement and species extinction.

Yet, despite sobering evidence showing us heading towards a future of devastation and despair, the constant warnings have not been capable of changing our destructive behaviours sufficiently to prevent climate change. Whilst we possess an evolved instinct to survive, we lack an instinct to save the planet, perversely threatening our very survival. In fact, evolved behaviours that once helped us navigate our environment are the very things that are destroying it.

We are instinctively primed to deal with immediate dangers, not long-term threats.

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We live in an evolved society Humans possess a collection of specialised, evolved circuits within the brain. Speaking instinctively to us, they facilitate adaptive behaviours that once evolved to assist with survival in our hunter-gather ancestral past around 400,000 years ago. However, we live in a society different to the one of harsh living conditions and realities to which our brains were previously calibrated. The behaviours that once ensured our survival are now the very ones responsible for preventing us engaging in proenvironmental actions to save the planet.

This is because we are instinctively primed to deal with immediate dangers, not longterm threats. Our ancestors faced immense challenges threatening their very survival every day, from scavenging safe food to eat to avoiding predators. Faced with such constant dangers, our brains evolved to filter out unnecessary information and focus only on what is immediately essential to our own survival.

Being overloaded with information confuses us, resulting in a paralysis that could have deadly consequences, so we automatically tune out the background noise and focus on the clear and present dangers in front of us.

Such blinkered vision today results in a warped perception of dangers within our reality. We become desensitised to complex hazards that threaten our future existence, as we focus on the more immediate dangers affecting our present survival chances. Perceptually, 10 years is still a long time away. From an evolutionary psychology point of view we are programmed to deal with the here and now, not to waste time, energy and resources safeguarding for the future. The sacrifices that need to be made today to stop climate change go against our fundamental instinct to survive.

Durham University Business School / IMPACT

I will survive Such efficient, evolved cognition, reliant upon mental shortcuts to guarantee an ability to deal with immediate dangers, does, unfortunately, make us behave rather irrationally too. Through optimism bias, we have the ability to persuade ourselves against taking action in the face of any threat that is not imminent. We convince ourselves that the fallout from climate change will not reach us here in Durham, or even if it does, the changes will be inconsequential to us compared with those who live near the coast or in faraway countries. We might also overinflate our own abilities to deal with the threat when the time comes to face it. Whatever the eventuality, we are confident that we will survive.

Such biased mentality is about not just reacting immediately to danger but also assessing how exposed we are to danger in our daily lives. We have all fantasised about how we would react in an aeroplane disaster or a terrorist attack.

Scenarios like these are relatively simple to imagine yet statistically rather unlikely; although that doesn’t stop us wondering when sitting in the departure lounge at an airport. The point is that we can envisage them quite easily. But comprehending how we would react once the global temperature rises 1.5°C is infinitely more difficult. If it is difficult for us to comprehend, it is easy to forget.

Policymakers have the difficult task of implementing intervention strategies to encourage more pro-environmental behaviours to overcome a threat that, for the moment at least given current rhetoric, does not feel very threatening. Ultimately, engaging our innate survival behaviours within us on behalf of saving the planet (and ourselves) requires acknowledging our evolved way of dealing with danger, given that presently the very threat of climate change is not engaging our fundamental instinct to survive.

For more information on Mr Toal and his research interest, visit durham.ac.uk/business/aarron-toal

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Sustainability

Finding sustainable ways to deal with plastics

How do we balance our need for plastics with the problems they create?

Professor Christos Tsinopoulos, Dr Riccardo Mogre and Onur Agca discuss how their research hopes to significantly improve recycling chains.

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espite the bad publicity plastics have received in recent years, they remain crucial for our daily lives. In addition to providing solutions to many of our daily problems, their lightness and durability make them indispensable in areas like technology production, healthcare and aviation. Plastics are, therefore, irrevocable materials in terms of maintaining the quality of our lives. Furthermore, and counterintuitively, they can bring environmental benefits compared with other, seemingly more sustainable, materials.

For instance, a study by the UK Royal Society of Chemistry from 2020 found that the production

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of a paper cup might have greater environmental impact. This is because it requires up to 28% more oil, generates 580 times more wastewater, and leads to three times more emissions than a plastic crucible.

Yet, many of the characteristics that make the production of products from plastics popular also have a significant negative impact on the environment: the low cost of production and handling results in many single-use applications and an increase in landfill disposals; their durability makes their degradation in nature harder; and their application versatility creates problems for collection and processing. Nondegraded plastics in the form of microplastics then negatively affect the environment by physically harming animals and creating garbage zones in land and oceans, damaging the health of both animal and human life.

The result on the environment has been staggering (see Figure 1). Only 6% of the nine billion plastics that have been produced since the 1950s has been recycled, and more than half of these have gone to landfill as waste.

Therefore, it is critical to find sustainable ways to manage plastics waste, so that plastic's positive impact on societies and economies starts to outweigh its negative effect on the environment.

Durham University Business School / IMPACT

PRODUCTION OF PLASTIC

FIGURE 1 Plastic production and end of life.

THE LIFE CYCLE OF PLASTIC

Global annual plastic production in million tonnes

Global production, use and disposal of plastics, 1950 to 2017, in million tonnes

FORECAST 600

500

More than half of all the plastic ever produced has been made since 2000.

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Ca. 9,200 million tonnes of plastic produced between 1950 to 2017, in million tonnes.

300

200

56%

100

5,000

0 1950

1960

1970

1980

1990

2000

2010

2020

2030

Governments, companies and local authorities have been employing various sustainability strategies in an effort to manage the plastic waste flow across the whole spectrum of products’ lifecycles. At the front end, there have been efforts to redesign the materials themselves via bio-based innovations to enhance their degradability. In the middle, governments implement policies that aim to influence consumer behaviour in ways that reduce the overall level of waste production. Strategies at the end of product lifecycles aim to improve the recycling processes and technologies to reduce the amount of plastic that ends up in landfill.

In this case, waste becomes the input as raw material in a supply chain where the recycled products is the output.

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WASTE

INCINERATED

IN USE

RECYCLED

2,700

900 600

Only 6% of the nine billion plastics that have been produced since the 1950s has been recycled.

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Sustainability

Yet, despite their appeal, recycling plastics waste supply chains can become very complicated and require constant decision-making in an environment where there are several constraints, including: • L ack of standardisation. In the UK, waste collection and processing companies are responsible for managing this process.

However, there is little central coordination or integration between local authorities, which creates inconsistencies in how waste is collected, separated and processed.

• Insufficiency of collection. The relative lack of consistent rules for the collection and separation of waste generates problems for the later stages of plastics recycling supply chains. The ideal collection scheme would segregate plastic types at the beginning of the waste lifecycle. Yet, in most cases, the design of household recycling bins does not encourage consumers to separate plastics from other recyclable materials such as paper, glass and metals.

• Economic efficiency. Although the use of recycled plastic feedstock is preferable from an environmental angle, it also needs to be economically viable and profitable for companies to engage with and invest in. Yet, the relative low price of virgin plastic feedstocks limits its attractiveness to businesses.

• Recycling capacity. Enabling capacity and supply balance in the plastics recycling sector may be difficult because it requires a significant amount of initial investment in infrastructure.

• Quality of output. Technically, plastics can be recycled multiple times. However, their quality deteriorates after each cycle, which means that they lose their rigidness and can be easily bent or torn.

• Contamination. The risk of contamination is a crucial concern in the use of recycled plastics. It is difficult to achieve clean waste and therefore to produce clean outputs.

Chemical recycling methods, which can provide better results, can be very expensive.

• Transparency, measurement and assessment difficulties. The very nature of waste makes its traceability and measurement difficult.

Similarly, a comprehensive overview of plastic waste flow is lacking. This generates difficulties in both assessing the efficiency of recycling and identifying its environmental impact.

• Legislative difficulties. Existing legislation on plastics recycling is new and evolving and, as a result, difficult for recycling companies to implement. Moreover, in some cases companies have been indirectly incentivised to export plastic waste instead of recycling it. To address this, new laws continue to be introduced.

• Covid-19. Following the onset of the pandemic in 2020, sterilisation has become an important topic, at times, at the expense of environmental considerations. As a result, it has interfered with plastics recycling and waste reduction activities. Fortunately, as we go through the second year of the pandemic, companies and policymakers have started to react to its impact, e.g. by more systematically recycling Covid-19-related waste such as PPE and masks.

In some cases, companies have been indirectly incentivised to export plastic waste instead of recycling it.

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Durham University Business School / IMPACT

Secondary recycling MECHANICAL Drawing/Cutting/Shredding/Granualtion

Melting

Waste provision

Primary recycling

Extruding/Processing/Moulding

Re-extrusion or closed-loop processing

Baling/Palletising

Outputs

Collection

Post-consumer municipal waste

Single stream

Commercial and industrial waste

Separate collection

Tertiary recycling CHEMICAL

Monomer plastic feedstocks

Chemical Recovery

(Non-)Food contact polymers

Cracking/Gasification/Chemolysis

Sorting Mixed collection

Thermolysis Separation of plastics

Oil as fuel for energy

Pyrolsis/Gasification/Hydrogeneration

Landfill Separation of fibres Sorting of plastic types

Quaternary recycling ENERGY RECOVERY Incineration

FIGURE 2 Flow of the waste in plastics recycling supply chain

Autoclaving Microwaving Plasma / Chemical treatment

With the generous support of the ESRC Impact Acceleration We have been mapping Account, a research team from the supply chain and identifying the Durham University Business capabilities required School and the North East for a complete Process Industry Cluster (NEPIC), plastics recycling has been leading a project aimed cycle. at tackling the above challenges.

Our goal is to provide a list of implementable recommendations to the government and plastics recycling companies by applying the results of the supply chain research conducted at the Centre of Innovation and Technology Management.

The project has studied the operations of 57 companies from the North East of England that operate either as waste management companies, plastic material manufacturers or providers of supporting services. This has allowed us to map the supply chain and identify the capabilities required for a complete plastics recycling cycle (Figure 2) that turns plastics waste back into its raw material form.

Our results to date have led to a series of observations: • By mapping the key recycling organisations, the waste management providers, and the customers of recyclates we are increasing the transparency and visibility of the supply chain.

This will enable the creation of a connection hub so potential partners can be identified, strengthening the integrated reverse plastic supply chains.

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• By profiling the competence of the companies, we are also able to gauge the overall recycling capability of the region and requirements for further development. As the project will also identify best practices for various situations, this will provide companies with an industry benchmark.

• By identifying the occurrence of the aforementioned problems in the region, we highlight that the interaction with the economic development matters.

• By highlighting the impact of the pandemic on the recycling companies, we are able to generate strategies for the post-Covid-19 recycling world.

In conclusion, our project has a direct impact on the sustainability of the plastics recycling industry in the region, by a) enhancing the local visibility of the supply chains, b) guiding improvements for the supply chain and c) benchmarking the activities of the participating companies.

For more information on the work of the Centre for Innovation and Technology Management, visit durham.ac.uk/business/CITM

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Sustainability

Ocean radioactivity and its impact on the world Professor Kostas Nikolopoulos explains how the development of innovative underwater instruments will be a gamechanger for monitoring radiation levels in our oceans.

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his year, a new four-year project has been launched to monitor radioactivity levels in the ocean. I am working as one of a team of researchers who have been awarded significant funding for the project, named RAMONES. This environmental and sustainability research will have an impact on a range of related areas, from the edibility of fisheries' produce and the quality of seashore bathing water to the immediate threat of massive radioactivity release in certain areas. There will also be solutions to existing radioactivity monitoring problems in ocean ecosystems, such as in the instance of Fukushima. State-of-the art scalable and mobile solutions for rapid deployment for in situ, real-time, deep underwater radioactivity monitoring will be developed to achieve this.

RAMONES will investigate natural and artificial radioactivity in oceans. Radioactivity monitoring of marine environments is relatively understudied, mainly due to a lack of truly effective and tailored instruments for the reflectivity and specificity of subsea ecosystems.

Members of the research project team come from across Europe, including France, Germany, Greece, Portugal, Spain and the UK. We plan to develop a new fleet of radiation instruments aboard autonomous underwater vehicles, able to perform long-term, continuous, in situ monitoring of radioactivity in the marine environment; to invest in new algorithms, advanced marine

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robotics and engineering; and to efficiently assess the We plan to develop repercussions events like a new fleet of Fukushima may have on human radiation instruments populations and the environment. aboard autonomous Sensors and methods will be underwater vehicles. designed by the RAMONES team to create, for the first time, a completely new, state-of-the art, generation of low-power and fast integration-time underwater instruments for radiation measurements in extreme oceanic locations.

I will predominantly be involved in the project from the perspective of forecasting. Our part here in Durham is to create an innovative prototype Decision Support System that will inform key socio-political regional stakeholders, in real time, of imminent risks coming from radioactivity in marine environments: from both natural (e.g. an underwater volcano) and anthropogenic (e.g. nuclear waste disposal, nuclear plant decommissions, deep-water drilling, etc.) sources.

The project is planned to run until December 2024 and I look forward to working with other international experts on such an important but under-researched area.

Read more about the RAMONES project at ramones-project.eu, and for more information about Professor Nikolopoulos’ research interests, visit durham.ac.uk/business/kostas-nikolopoulos

Durham University Business School / IMPACT

Sustainability

Influencing change: the complexity of social media activism Social media is a powerful tool for inciting positive change – but it can also lead to disingenuous or even harmful outcomes. Dr Mariann Hardey reflects on its role in social activism.

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am feeling disoriented. At the time of writing, it is the end of summer, and the popular press has proclaimed it also to be the ‘end of the pandemic’. On the other hand, social activism continues to energise social media, with engagement around vaccination, climate change, war, humanitarian aid, natural disasters and an endless succession of cause and concern and scare and responsibility.

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Recent causes have made excellent use of social media. #OperationArk provided a realtime view into the urgent support and political leverage required to evacuate Paul (Pen) Farthing, a former Royal Marine, his staff and hundreds of animals from Afghanistan. The same social media activism reported on Pen and the animal airlift, but without his staff.

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Sustainability

It is hard not to be transfixed when real-time events unfold through global reporting. I view such observations as a study of social media’s own little ecosystem, with clear-cut rules and elements of chance thrown in. A president who would not behave. A young woman advocating for immediate action for climate change mitigation. A call for help from a war zone. These events and the swell of comments and feedback loops are complex systems. They evoke emergent behaviour and reactions.

In the midst of all this noise, I find myself wondering whether social media helps or hurts social activism.

The goals of social activism are similar to social media in terms of advocacy, action and sharing.

Each is designed to keep our attention (and time) on that platform when we engage with social media. One of the most compelling developments in humanitarian efforts has been the use of social media to promote social issues that would have otherwise gone unnoticed or received little attention. The benefit of using social media is that messages can ‘go viral’, gaining support for causes.

One of my favourite examples of the ‘going viral’ element is the increased attention around #DressLikeAWoman in 2017, which was in response to Donald Trump allegedly telling his female staff to "dress like women". The overarching goal was to draw attention to gender discrimination and challenge gendered expectations around dress codes, which the hashtag accomplished admirably.

Whether we think hashtags are helpful or just a fad, the 'Greta Effect', as described in recent Ofcom research, shows that the next generation will continue to use social media to connect with causes. For this generation’s parents, social

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media poses more risks than benefits to children. More than two-fifths of the 3,500 adults polled expressed concern about their children viewing content that encouraged self-harm.

Concerns like this remind me of the viral Italian video #SlapHer from Fanpage. It was published in 2015 and was about domestic violence. Boys aged 7 to 11 were asked to slap Martina, a girl. The campaign, which has received over 45 million views, is based on the shock effect, which can be instantly magnified through social media. Critics contend that #SlapHer fosters gender stereotypes by portraying women as submissive and men as aggressive; one boy claims that he "can’t beat her because she is pretty". Martina is objectified and has no self-autonomy in the sequence in which boys are urged to touch and caress her hair without her permission. Such a viral sequence triggers more discussions about complex subjects and raises further issues of concern for parents.

Younger generations use social media to educate themselves and effect positive change (clean up older generations’ catastrophic mess). Jack Harries is a renowned activist filmmaker with 3.75 million YouTube subscribers. People like Harries are referred to as ‘Green Influencers’ because they create stories, education and activism about climate change to prevent future disasters.

At the high level of environmental activists, we have our Greta Thunberg, Alexandria OcasioCortez (US congresswoman, known as on social media as ‘AOC’), David Attenborough and many more. The method of storytelling such

Younger generations use social media to educate themselves and affect positive change.

Durham University Business School / IMPACT

activists enact on social media is an effective engagement tool through which they are seen to hold key roles in enabling policy change.

Social media is not the orchestra of change here; it is an effective tool to help generate content and find and share information about a specific cause. Such a tool is more effective with a well-known creator as a figurehead.

Being an activist isn’t about numbers. Beth Kanter (@Kanter on Instagram) is an outstanding influencer known for enhancing the profile of charities and non-profits. Kanter is a microinfluencer with 5k followers, but her posts receive much attention. Micro-influencers create highquality social media content about a specific topic or have a specific skill level. As a result, they have an engaged and targeted following.

Yet, as the world comes to terms with the state of the planet and humanity, some ‘activists’ are being called out for making environmental concerns about themselves. These influencers travel to areas of climate devastation to take selfies or stage photoshoots at protests. Social media platforms encourage certain forms of progressive or educational content to enhance their engagement rates. I am sure you can recall similar content that tends to feature whimsical quotes with colourful, often garish, typeface and illustration. With this kind of content there isn’t much of a relationship between genuine engagement and promotion of the cause, simply a slew of corporate-like social media spew designed to generate Likes.

Such ready-made content is a cause for concern and potentially problematic considering how integral activist content is to social media and whether it is being used to promote a new vision of the world, reform ideology, or be commercially appealing. There are clear examples of brands latching onto popular social movements to create a social justice message to emphasise that they ‘care’. One of the most memorable of all, perhaps, is Pepsi’s attempt at a woke ad featuring Kardashian supermodel Kendall Jenner.

The ad was universally mocked as a corporation attempting to profit from the climate of political protest, specifically that concerning the Black Lives Matter movement. It has become a popular example of a failed activist marketing campaign.

Some ‘activists’ are being called out for making environmental concerns about themselves.

It is getting easier to recognise a dishonest influencer campaign, thanks to using content aggregation tools like Influencers in the Wild.

Posts uploaded to Influencers in the Wild – Twitter and Instagram accounts that track influencer activity – call out disingenuous accounts or simply outrageous (sometimes reckless) behaviour in the name of a cause. The risk of backlash, including death threats, reveals the complicated optics for influencers (no matter how genuine) of being seen to capitalise on a social media movement.

Social media will not save us, but it may connect us to the next cause that will.

Whether this will be for commercial profit or to save the planet is up to us.

To read more about Dr Hardey, who is also part of the Directorate for the Advanced Research Computing group at the University and Durham University Principle Investigator for Creative Fuse North East, visit durham.ac.uk/business/mariann-hardey

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Sustainability

More sustainable pensions call for transparent investments Some pension fund investments are better than others. Dr. Anna Tilba explores how to be money-savvy about retirement savings.

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etirement saving is probably one of the most important savings we make in our lifetime, alongside saving for a house purchase. Yet, when we think about our retirement income, we probably first think about different investment plans, our contributions and contributions that our employer would make.

We would also want our pension pots to be well managed. However, a regular pension saver would probably not closely interrogate how much it would cost to run a pension pot over its lifetime. This oversight can be a very expensive mistake to make if it is left unaddressed.

In my evidence submitted to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Pension Fund Costs and Charges I have emphasised that: "Pension fund investment costs differ significantly between actively managed and index-linked funds and their impact is often little understood by investors, who are not always aware that they are being overcharged…There is no conclusive evidence about higher-cost providers delivering higher performance. Indeed, there is more empirical evidence to suggest that higher-cost (active) managers charge higher fees with no corresponding performance".

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Indeed, existing empirical evidence suggests that an increase of one percentage point in annual charges on pension fund investment asset management can result in a reduction in future retirement benefits of 27% after 40 years of contributions. A lack of trustee understanding of operating costs of pension funds can significantly erode our future retirement incomes. Lack of understanding of pension fund costs and charges poses some real challenges for trustees in terms of scheme governance, oversight and decisionmaking. Trustee work has become more difficult, not just because of legislation but also because of the sheer amount of information trustees have to process, including complex information on costs, and the decisions they have to make.

The FCA’s Asset Management Market Study, to which I have extensively contributed, has brought to light significant losses in consumer value for money through unreported asset manager fees. The subsequent industry transparency cost templates initiatives by the Institutional Disclosure Working Group have given pension fund trustees a robust reporting framework to use when negotiating how much they pay to their asset managers.

Durham University Business School / IMPACT

However, improved transparency on investment costs is a journey on which some pension funds are more ahead than others. The Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) was the first to adapt and pilot the new cost transparency templates with success. Another good example can also be found in a recent report from Railpen pension fund, which is one of the UK’s largest pension funds that embarked on a costawareness exercise. The report focused on value for money for its members and highlighted that when Railpen conducted a full costdisclosure exercise, using the cost templates, it discovered an additional £210 million in costs on its original estimate of £80m. By the end of 2019 it was able to reduce its fund manager costs massively, adding ad valorem savings of £963 million over 8 years. Railpen saved nearly one billion pounds by demanding that its investment fund managers report on all costs using cost transparency templates and thereby being more aware of what its investments are actually worth. In so doing it was able to have a clearer picture on the value for money its asset managers deliver to the pension fund members.

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In today's climate, where there is greater emphasis on sustainability of investments, thinking about how much a pension is really costing and whether it is delivering a fair return over the long term is becoming an essential ‘hygiene factor’ in pension fund governance.

What pension fund trustees would have to do to achieve this is get the cost transparency templates, send them to their fund managers and then ask their managers to collate all the information so that they, the trustee, don’t have to spend any time ploughing through and collating lots of complex data.

Trustees also need to be brave enough to challenge their asset managers on costs if the latter do not provide this information.

For more information on Dr Tilba’s research interests, visit durham.ac.uk/business/anna-tilba

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Islamic finance and sustainable development Professor Habib Ahmed investigates how Islamic finance practices can contribute to UN sustainability goals.

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he Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were launched by the United Nations in 2015 as a plan of action for people, planet, prosperity, peace and partnership. The funding needed to achieve the ambitious SDGs is huge, and the shortfall in financing for developing countries is estimated to be as much as US$3 trillion annually. Although most of this is expected to come from governmental sources, the financial sector also has an important role to play to help fill the gap and give both industry and indeed society a realistic chance of meeting this challenge.

With the total values of the global bond market outstanding and equity market capitalisations being $123.5 trillion and $105.8 trillion respectively (compared with total banking assets of $155.4 trillion), the capital markets can certainly be tapped to raise funds for sustainable development.

Sustainable investments in the capital markets of developed economies have grown significantly, reaching 35.9% of the total assets under management in 2020. Such increases in sustainable investment are facilitated by guidelines issued by various international organisations on green, social and sustainable finance. For example, the International Capital Markets Association (ICMA) has published

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principles for green and social bonds – the Sustainability Bond Guidelines – that combine green and social elements. Similarly, organisations such as CICERO provide independent assessments of securities’ compliance with the green and sustainability bond frameworks.

But more can certainly be done, and additional financial support can be found in Islamic financing. Since the ethical and social values of Islamic finance are aligned with SDG-related issues, Islamic finance could potentially play a very important role in helping countries and industries meet the 2030 goals set by the UN.

Islamic capital markets and sustainable finance The principles of Islamic commercial law tie financing to real activities and introduce risksharing modes of financing. Since interestbased financing is prohibited, Islamic financial instruments are structured as sale-based, leasing, partnership and agency contracts. Accordingly, the bonds are structured as in 'sukuk', which are defined as investment certificates representing shares and rights in tangible assets, usufructs and services, equity of a given project or equity of a special investment activity. The total outstanding sukuk in December 2020 was $648 billion, with $174.6 billion issued in 2020.

Durham University Business School / IMPACT

Although most of the sukuk issued before 2015 did not consider sustainability-related issues, numerous social, green and sustainable sukuk have been issued more recently. Examples of those that did include the International Finance Facility for Immunisation (IFFIm) Vaccine Sukuk, issued in 2014 to raise $500 million to finance child immunisation and strengthen health systems in some of the world’s poorest countries; and the 100 million Malaysian Ringgit (MYR) Khazanah SRI Sukuk, launched in 2015 to improve accessibility to quality education in public schools in Malaysia. Several energy companies have also issued green sukuk to finance initiatives such as solar plants.

At a global level, the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) initiated a $1.5 billion Sustainability Sukuk in June 2020 and then issued a second, worth $2.5 billion, in March 2021 through the securitisation of its existing assets. The funds raised have been used to finance sustainability-focused projects in its 57 member countries and to help them recover from the adverse economic impacts of Covid-19.

"...The ethical and social values of Islamic finance are aligned with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) -related issues..."

Innovative instruments for promoting sustainable development

Below: The Government of Indonesia has issued Cash Waqf Linked Sukuk to fund social projects.

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Beyond the traditional social, green and sustainable sukuk, some innovative Islamic capital market instruments have been used to raise funds for social and sustainable development.

An interesting example is the retail Cash Waqf Linked Sukuk (CWLS) issued by the Indonesian government after the onset of Covid-19 in 2020.

With a two-year tenor and paying an annual return of 5.5%, CWLS is based on the concept of Islamic charitable endowments (waqf) that are created to advance specific social causes.

The purchasers of the sukuk donate funds either temporarily or permanently that are then used for projects such as public markets, hospitals, schools, etc. While in the case of a temporary waqf the donated amounts are returned to the donors upon maturity of the sukuk, in a

permanent waqf the principal amount is reused for other social and public projects. The returns on these investments are also distributed to social programmes in areas such as education and health, and used to finance micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises.

The retail feature of CWLS also enables individuals to purchase the sukuk as it is priced at IDR (Indonesian Rupiah) 1 million (equivalent to $68) for one unit. Because of this, a total of IDR 14.91 billion (equivalent to $1.07 million) was raised during OctoberNovember 2020 from 1,041 donors.

Another innovative capital market product used to raise funds for microfinance institutions is the Smart Sukuk issued by Blossom Finance in Indonesia. Using a fintech-based model has enabled sukuks to be issued in small denominations at low costs, which facilitates small- and medium-sized enterprises to access finance. Using an Ethereum-based blockchain framework, the ownership of sukuk is represented by tokens issued in local currency. The token uses industry-standard protocol ERC20, which allows them to be traded globally on public crypto-currency exchanges. The funds raised from investors are then provided to local microfinance institutions for financing microenterprises that generate revenue. Investors take on a partnership contract, whereby Blossom Finance keeps 20% of any profits as its share.

While the principles of Islamic finance are aligned with the SDGs, the industry’s contribution to sustainable development is still modest. Further contributions to the SDGs would not only require increasing the quantity of financing, but also changing its quality by embedding environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues into financial decision-making. This would mean coming up with innovative financing models and strategies that can facilitate the generation of resources from many different sources and employing them in a sustainable manner.

For more information on Professor Ahmed and his research interests, visit durham.ac.uk/ business/habib-ahmed

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Don’t ‘COP-out’ on sustainability reporting How do you ensure that sustainability is intrinsic to the financial reporting process?

Professor Carol Adams explores issues around sustainability and changing reporting standards.

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he talk about the ‘alphabet soup’ of reporting frameworks and standards might have died down, but the problem has not gone away. At this point the involvement of the IFRS Foundation, "overwhelmingly" welcomed by the private sector (in response to a somewhat misleading consultation paper), looks unlikely to achieve the promised harmonisation. Those with a stake are waiting with bated breath or perhaps bemusement to see how the dust settles.

Three possible scenarios (and there are of course more) for sustainability reporting are:

A. Continue as set out Under this scenario the IFRS Foundation Trustees appoint a chair for the ISSB (International Sustainability Standards Board), retaining the IFRS and ISSB acronyms (which don’t fit the stated aims or proposed content). The chair of the new ISSB is committed to ‘sustainability’ reporting that is concerned with enterprise value and cashflows, they have the backing of IOSCO and the big asset managers and are perceived as being able to win over the US bodies that were such a thorn in the side on the financial reporting harmonisation journey (despite so many compromises along the way).

Meanwhile, the EU will continue its work, full steam ahead, with EFRAG (European Financial Reporting Advisory Group), the GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) and Shift. Their consultation with a range of stakeholders will be rigorous and inclusive. They will follow a double materiality approach. The focus on the material impacts of an organisation on sustainable development (as well as disclosures of risks, opportunities, strategy and governance) will help national governments achieve their goals and investors will make more

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informed "Companies with decisions leaders whose about the judgement is clouded quality of by greed, will follow management. the new rules of the Other new ISSB Standards jurisdictions if and when will develop required." similar legislation to address the demands of civil society and other corporate stakeholders for accountability.

Companies across Europe will be required to follow these standards and have their disclosures audited. They will push these requirements down their global supply chains to avoid reputation damage (affecting enterprise value).

Large companies around the world seeking to retain their ‘licence to operate’ will want to at least appear to follow this practice.

Meanwhile, those companies with leaders whose judgment is clouded by greed, will follow the new rules of the new ISSB Standards if and when required. They will either remain in the dark about their own negative impacts on society and the environment or try to keep it to themselves while boasting about any positive impacts.

(This is greenwashing.) After all, who is to say what human rights abuses and damage to biodiversity will affect the bottom line and when?

Durham University Business School / IMPACT

The IFRS Foundation’s new board will develop a minimum base of standards that combine a broad focus on value creation for the organisation, society and the environment with accountability for material impacts on sustainable development.

B. Collaborate and learn The IFRS Foundation and its new board will address the concerns raised in numerous submissions to their consultation. (The new board won’t be called the ISSB because it's almost identical to GRI’s GSSB.) The new board will work with the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) to incorporate liabilities arising from sustainability issues into the balance sheet.

The conceptual framing in the Management Commentary Practice Statement Exposure Draft and the sustainability reporting consultations will be amended. It will reflect the notion that you cannot get to what affects enterprise value unless you have a rigorous process to identify material impacts on sustainable development. It will draw on the principles-based components of the integrated reporting framework and GRI Standards (supplemented by industry guidance).

Disclosures will be relevant to the sustainable development context of the organisation (as in the SDGD Recommendations).

The IFRS Foundation’s new board will develop a minimum base of standards that combine a broad focus on value creation for the organisation, society and the environment (an extension of the integrated reporting framework) with accountability for material impacts on sustainable development (from GRI Standards). [These might include the WEF indicators – or, more accurately, the small group of GRI indicators selected by WEF (World Economic Forum) as being not too challenging for its corporate stakeholders.]

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Sustainability

C. What should have been the solution in the first place The IASB will incorporate climate change and other sustainability issues into IFRS Standards so far as they affect the financial statements.

The Value Reporting Foundation (VRF) (which receives substantial funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies) will assist with this. The IASB, VRF and GRI will collaborate on the Management Commentary Practice Statement as an umbrella conceptual framework for corporate reporting.

The updated sustainability-fit IASB standards and Management Commentary Practice Statement will be mandated by Stock Exchanges. National governments will mandate GRI Standards updated through the partnership with the EU and an injection of cash. (Governments committed to addressing the UN SDGs and investors who recognise the importance of doublemateriality for long-term investment returns will contribute to the Global Standards Fund, along with consulting and assurance firms that derive revenue as a result of the standards).

Conclusion Scenarios B and C are better for people and the planet. And investors. Greenwash (to the extent that Standards are mandated) will be outlawed. Assurance will be mandated.

So investors will be confident companies have a process to pick up risks resulting from material impacts and mitigate them.

There are groups keen to monetise sustainability, but how do you put a price on natural resources and biodiversity and human rights? Maybe that’s for the future (I hope not). First, we need to understand the impacts of organisations on sustainable development and how sustainable development issues in turn affect organisations.

In any case, the quantity and quality of research in the field will continue to grow. Researchers will surely examine the outcome of any changes in the sustainability reporting landscape on greenwash, corporate, social and environmental performance, investor decision-making and so on.

For more about Professor Adams and her research interests, visit durham.ac.uk/business/carol-adams

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Durham University Business School / IMPACT

Sustainability

Collaboration, innovation and sustainability: creating Durham’s Energy Systems Management programme Dr Joanna Berry talks about working with Boeing and developing an exciting new interdisciplinary degree with the Engineering Department and the Business School.

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he last two years have emphasised the challenges facing global aviation – rebuilding after the Covid-19 pandemic is coupled with the need to accelerate the decarbonisation of aviation, in order to ensure a safe and sustainable future for the sector and wider society. Creating sustainable solutions requires new and innovative answers, with collaboration at the heart of the process.

The Business School has always prided itself on working collaboratively and we have worked with Boeing over the last decade. We represented this collaboration when we attended the Boeing Innovation Forum at Glasgow Airport in early October. This was an opportunity to show Boeing’s other industry partners how we have worked together to build innovative thinking across the organisation to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing aviation landscape.

Glasgow was gearing up for COP26.

Security guards were everywhere and the 350+ delegates were carefully screened particularly important when Scotland’s First

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Minister and Sir Martin Donnelly, President of Boeing Europe, were in the same room!

My colleague, Masters student Dylan McCleaft, and I were inundated with visitors as we discussed the tailored management development programme the School has run for Boeing over the last three years, the executive MBA and DBA, and student projects and internships contributing to the ecoDemonstrator parked outside on the tarmac.

Boeing's ecoDemonstrator programme aims to reduce fuel use and harmful noise and introduce more sustainable materials.

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Sustainability

COP26 may come and go, but the climate change agenda and UN Strategic Development Goals remain critically important to all political and practical agenda.

Our academics collaborate with Boeing in early-stage innovation thinking across a range of business ideas, resulting in product and business developments including disruption management, digital NOTAMS, fuel management, and gate turnaround management.

Our Durham Energy Institute (DEI) colleagues deliver leadership and solutions for energy decarbonisation and the transition to netzero that is so critical to the COP26 agenda.

Interdisciplinary research exploring solutions to make offshore wind more affordable and a reliable source of energy, exploiting geothermal energy from redundant mine workings and driving forward the UK hydrogen revolution are just some ways that they are moving this forward. Working closely with the DEI, and through intense collaboration between the Engineering Department and the Business School, Dr Grant Ingram and I have created the new Master of Energy Systems Management (MESM), which is looking forward to its first cohort in September 2022.

This full-time programme, for the first time, brings together these two critical disciplines in a specially designed, customised and innovative new programme. It has been specifically created to inspire and inform a new generation of students, through collaboration across both the University and our international industry partners.

Our students will emerge from the programme uniquely capable of translating between the two worlds of business and of engineering practice, informed by the latest in theoretical excellence, to take their place in global companies increasingly under pressure to find creative, innovative ways to go further than simply reaching net-zero.

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The Strategic Business and Engineering Project, which completes the programme, is an opportunity for each student to undertake an industry-focused, academically supervised practical piece of work of their own design. Each project will be rigorously vetted and overseen by a University supervisor and monitored by an industry partner, and will ultimately equip each student with a superb, live case study for their portfolio as well as being of practical assistance to the client company.

COP26 may come and go, but the climate change agenda and UN Strategic Development Goals remain critically important to all political and practical agenda. Grant and I are proud to be contributing to this ongoing work through the MESM programme and welcome any questions and enquiries about it.

For more information on how to contact Dr Joanna Berry, visit durham.ac.uk/business/joanna-berry To find out more about the innovative new Master of Energy Systems Management, visit durham.ac.uk/business/MESM

Durham University Business School / IMPACT

Sustainability

Traceability is king: how blockchain is ensuring fair work practices Dr Atanu Chaudhuri and his colleagues explore the challenges and benefits that come with using Blockchain technology to encourage ethical supply chain processes.

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lockchain could be an enabler for improving social sustainability, increasing transparency and eliminating risks, enabling companies to act in a more ethical manner.

In a recent study, we investigated how the technology can be deployed to support companies in becoming more vigilant about how their practices affect the world around them,

at every level, and in reducing potential risks companies might face from unethical activities in the supply chain of which they are unaware.

This research was conducted with Professor Keiran Fernandes at the School, and in partnership with Dr Bhatia of Coventry University, Professor Fosso Wamba of Toulouse Business School and Dr Kayikci at the Turkish German University.

Traceability using blockchain can ensure that fair practices are followed and minimise risks.

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Currently, global supply chains are subject to fraud, counterfeit products, child labour and the risk of low quality. Blockchain technology has been touted as having the potential to alleviate the above challenges.

Traceability using blockchain can ensure that fair practices are followed and minimise risks.

To arrive at these findings, we conducted interviews with the co-founders and CEOs of service providers providing blockchain solutions to diverse industries such as coffee production, aviation spare parts, shipping fuel and recycled plastics for consumer goods industries. The interviews provided us with a first-hand perspective on how blockchain implementation was improving social sustainability and reducing risk in the supply chain. To support these perspectives, we also requested additional information and evidence from the companies involved.

Concerningly, when identifying service providers to interview who had successfully implemented blockchain, we discovered that the majority of them had faced multiple challenges doing so.

Our research revealed a lack of understanding of the mechanisms needed for blockchain implementation to improve sustainability and risk management in supply chains. To tackle this, our study identifies a number of steps that blockchain service providers can take.

Developing user-friendly interfaces, customised secure digital payment systems and easily accessible technical support for suppliers are all suggested vital steps for ensuring that stakeholders across the supply chain can engage with each other effectively. Furthermore, applying locallevel knowledge and building relationships facilitates smoother adoption of the technology.

With companies under pressure to adapt their practices to better contribute to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and to be accountable to governments, investors and consumers alike, blockchain can be effective in highlighting problems in the supply chain and keeping track of how they are being addressed.

It also provides the opportunity for companies to continuously learn and improve their services.

As blockchain enables businesses to track and trace the complete movement of raw materials and products throughout the supply chain, the technology can help identify any potential risks or questionable practices and reduce risk.

The full research paper, Improving social sustainability and reducing supply chain risks through blockchain implementation: role of outcome and behavioural mechanisms, is available upon request.

"Blockchain can be effective in highlighting problems in the supply chain and keeping track of how they are being addressed."

For further information on Dr Chaudhuri and his research interests, visit durham.ac.uk/business/atanu-chaudhuri

Blockchain technology is a way of recording information that makes it transparent and difficult to hack.

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Durham University Business School / IMPACT

Society

Pandemic-speak: lessons learned from dealing with COVID

Optimistic or pragmatic? Fearful or reckless? Professors Russell Craig and Joel Amernic discuss how leaders in business and politics across the globe have used rhetoric to tackle the pandemic.

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he tone of much that has been written and spoken by CEOs and politicians during the Covid-19 pandemic (their pandemic-speak) has been emotional and self-serving. Often it has painted a rosy picture, contrary to the views of epidemiologists and public health statistics.

When confronted with the reality that the news is bad, CEOs and politicians should be honest and transparent and not raise expectations falsely.

They should acknowledge bad news about the Covid-19 pandemic plainly and calmly, along with some aspects of a strategy to survive it.

Former US president, Donald Trump, made confident statements that promoted untested drugs

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and injections of disinfectant. He was ridiculed for offering false hope and displaying hubris.

Trump’s excessively optimistic pronouncements were intended to shine the spotlight on him.

Instead of exhibiting any doubt by preparing for a worst-case scenario, Trump chose to act as Optimist-in-Chief, ostensibly to calm an anxious public. His language prioritised the well-being of the economy and the financial markets.

Other political leaders recklessly set an unrealistic tone of positivity for followers. On 3 March, 2020 (three weeks before his Covid-19 diagnosis), Boris Johnson, the UK prime minister, seemed blithely and arrogantly unaware of the potential for his actions to lead to infection:

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"I was at a hospital the other night where I think there were actually a few coronavirus patients and I shook hands with everybody, you’ll be pleased to know, and I continue to shake hands".

Brazil’s president, Jair Bolsonaro, has also adamantly denied the reality of bad news.

He frequently described Covid-19 as a "little flu" and thereby raised expectations falsely.

CEOs have made their share of inappropriate declarations too. In a letter to staff in May 2020, Gina Rinehart, executive chair of Australia’s Hancock Prospecting, suggested a remedy involving "intravenous injections of vitamin C and regular consumption of ginger, turmeric, and lemon water". Tesla CEO Elon Musk, in mid-March 2020, predicted that there would be "close to zero new cases in the US by the end of April".

There have been some laudable examples of pandemic-speak. The late Arne Sorenson, CEO of Marriott, was praised widely for the honesty, clarity and transparency of a six-minute video address he presented. He was visibly upset when announcing staff lay offs and stating that the pandemic’s economic effects would be greater than those of 9/11 and the 2007–09 global financial crisis combined. Sorenson backed up his calls for strong financial control measures by announcing that he would take a 50% salary cut.

A clear feature of the language of the pandemic has been that many terms, expressions and metaphors (such as pivot, flattening the curve, lockdown and the new normal) have entered our lexicon.

Some neologisms have appeared too (e.g. quarantine, doomscrolling, covidiot).

The level of mixed messaging has been remarkable. Many CEOs have urged followers to "stick together". This is an odd call given that the catch-cry mantra of the global pandemic is to engage in "social distancing".

Hyperbole has been rife. This is evident in the overuse of the adjective 'unprecedented'. Use of this term usually reflects little understanding of the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918–19. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one-third of the world’s population became infected with the Spanish Flu. An estimated 50 million people worldwide died, with

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about 675,000 of those deaths occurring in the United States.

Also ignored is the Bubonic Plague of the mid 1300s that killed about 20 million people in Europe or almost one-third of the continent’s population.

Thus, the word 'unprecedented' no longer means 'this has never happened before in the course of history'.

Rather, it now seems to mean 'this has never happened before in the (limited) understanding of history possessed by the author'.

The advice of the New York Times stylebook should be followed: "Use the term [unprecedented] rarely, and only after verifying the history. Then carefully specify the aspect that qualifies".

BlackRock chairman, Larry Fink, in his 2020 letter to shareholders, asserted that there was "an unprecedented medical, economic and human challenge". The economic challenges posed by the Great Depression (1929-33) did not seem to figure in Fink’s assessment.

Other extreme adjectives, such as 'extraordinary' have been overused and misused too. Is this just carelessness or part of a broader rhetorical agenda of CEOs? Do they want to condition readers so that they are more accepting of their impending announcement of poor operating and financial results? Or are they trying to deflect attention from their unpreparedness to assess risk and anticipate the effects of a 'Black Swan' event such as the Covid-19 pandemic?

JPMorgan Chase CEO, Jamie Dimon has diminished the power of the words 'extraordinary' and 'unprecedented', and has invested them with new meanings. Among the matters

Hyperbole has been rife. This is evident in the overuse of the adjective 'unprecedented'.

Durham University Business School / IMPACT

Dimon described as extraordinary in his letter to shareholders in April 2020 are "things", "efforts", "times", "crisis" (used nine times), "extension of new credit" and "team". He uses "unprecedented" to describe the "environment", "challenges", "times" and "situation".

Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, has been an exception to the broader body of CEOs (and their companies) who apparently were unprepared to cope with a catastrophic event.

In his letter to shareholders in February 2020 (before the full implications of the pandemic were apparent), Buffett was deserving of his sobriquet 'Oracle of Omaha' in observing that: "A major catastrophe that will dwarf hurricanes Katrina and Michael will occur – perhaps tomorrow, perhaps many decades from now.

'The Big One' may come from a traditional source … or it may be a total surprise involving say, a cyber attack having disastrous consequences beyond anything insurers now contemplate".

Consistent with Buffett’s view, there was ample forewarning of an impending global pandemic. In the past three decades, the world has confronted HIV/AIDS, avian flu, Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome, N1H1 (swine flu), Middle East Respiratory Syndrome and Ebola.

Much of the pandemic-speak associated with Covid-19 has deflected attention from the fact that companies and their CEOs were poorly prepared to cope with a damaging pandemic or other catastrophic events.

In his letter to shareholders of JPMorgan Chase mentioned above, CEO Dimon blamed Covid-19 for causing "hardships", "fears", "turmoil" and "further inequities in society".

He attributed responsibility not to human executives and their lack of preparedness for a pandemic, but rather the inanimate "virus."

He seemed to use Covid-19 as a whipping post to absolve his leadership of any possible blame.

Dimon was not alone in doing this. Many CEOs blamed Covid-19 for the misfortunes of their companies. However, they failed to mention their companies’ vulnerable business models and pre-existing financial ills. Few CEOs confessed that their companies’ pre-pandemic management of capital, cash flows, risk and long-term planning left much to be desired.

Dimon’s recipe for rallying his stakeholders in the midst of a pandemic seems to have been to confer blame on the disease, cite the need for progressive solutions and add a heavy dose of American patriotism.

In a crisis, CEOs should be calm and selfless.

They should avoid intemperate language. Such advice seems to have been lost on Tesla CEO Elon Musk. In March and April 2020, Musk used extreme and offensive language to express strong disdain for government stay-at-home orders.

Musk claimed that state health orders were "fascist" and tantamount to "forcible imprisonment." He called for people to be given back "their Goddamn freedom" and completed his tirade offensively by saying "What the f***". Such language is highly insensitive in the stressful environment of a pandemic, when many people are especially worried about their lives and those of their loved ones.

The best overall communications policy for CEOs in a pandemic is to acknowledge bad news plainly, humbly and calmly – and to present a narrative that includes elements of a realistic strategy to survive such a crisis.

This article first appeared on the University of Toronto’s website and is based upon the book Decoding CEO Speak by Professors Craig and Amernic, published by RotmanUTP Publishing (September 2021). For further details, visit utorontopress.com For further information on Professor Craig and his research interests, visit durham.ac.uk/business/russell-craig

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The impact of ethical leaders on today’s workforce Does having an ethical boss encourage us to challenge the status quo? Professors Olga Epitropaki and Les Graham investigate.

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hether it be Enron’s hiding of billions of dollars through special-purpose entities, Volkswagen’s tampering of carbon emissions reporting or FIFA officials being charged for racketeering and bribery, corporate scandals in the last 10 years have highlighted ethical leadership and the impact that those at the top acting unethically can have on an organisation.

A consensus has emerged - the majority of empirical studies and meta-analyses have shown the positive effects of ethical leadership on individual and organisational outcomes, such as work attitudes and job performance.

However, little is known about whether having the right influence at the top makes workers challenge others on their ethical practices – an important culture to have in organisations if they want to reduce unethical behaviours.

We were keen to understand whether ethical leadership made workers not just act ethically themselves, but more likely to call out unethical practices in the organisation too.

Working alongside colleagues from the University of Sheffield and the University of Northampton, we surveyed 1,737 UK police officers and staff and 448 professionals, asking them to rate the match of their personal ethical values to those of the organisational code of ethics, their integrity identity and the levels of ethical leadership within their teams. We also surveyed respondents on the likelihood of them raising concerns over the unethical practices of their co-workers.

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From the results, we found that workers are much more likely to challenge unethical behaviour if their manager is seen as an ethical leader.

Ethical leaders serve as important cues signalling the organisation’s ethical values and encourage workers to internalise those values. They make salient aspects of the employees’ selves that relate to ethics, such as their integrity identities.

The study shows that leaders can play an incredibly important role in their company when it comes to ethical practices. They can instil the organisation's values into their workers, and align their behaviours with these so that the level of unethical practices is minimised.

If a leader instils ethics into workers and practices as they preach, it’s more likely to make workers call out unethical practices.

This finding is incredibly important when it comes to creating the right company culture, where unethical practices are challenged by co-workers, not just by leaders.

How can leaders go about creating an ethical culture?

Organisations can encourage leaders to be ethical in a number of ways. These including creating a formal set of ethical principles to help leaders clearly communicate such values to workers, instilling those principles into everyday practices and actively valuing integrity, all of which will boost workers’ ethical voices within the organisation, according to the research.

Another method could be ensuring that recruitment processes prioritise hiring ethical individuals, i.e. those who will challenge and voice their opinion on unethical practices.

By fostering these values at every level of an organisation, leaders can ensure that the wider company is not tarnished by unethical practices and that there are no corporate scandals involving the actions of their workers.

Durham University Business School / IMPACT

For more information on Professors Epitropaki and Graham and their research interests, visit durham.ac.uk/business/olga-epitropaki and durham.ac.uk/business/les-graham

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Coping with Covid: the extra challenges faced by UK migrants It’s been a challenging time for everyone, but Professor Benedetta Cappellini’s research uncovers the additional barriers that migrant communities encounter when dealing with coronavirus.

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s Covid-19 secured its grip on the UK, our government and social bodies acted to put a number of schemes and measures in place to protect the public and support our day-to-day lives.

For companies struggling to operate under lockdown, the government introduced the furlough scheme, designed to enable employers to keep hold of their staff and pay them a fair wage whilst avoiding financial ruin.

For those reliant upon benefits with children to support, the government provided not only access to educational tools to help facilitate home schooling but also a boost to benefit payments and a continuation of free school meals. This would ensure that families could cope with the financial pressure

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of providing three nutritious meals a day.

And, of course, in an attempt to curb the rapid spread of the infection – particularly before vaccines became available – and to avoid near crippling pressure on our healthcare services, the government employed a variety of public safety interventions. These included communication campaigns through the media, healthcare support such as test and trace, enforced social distancing and both national and regional lockdowns.

That the elderly and medically vulnerable were at greatest risk of Covid-19 was well reported in the messaging put out by the government, health providers and the media.

However, little to no focus was placed on other areas of society that might be feeling the strain more than others because of the pandemic: in particular, the UK's migrant population.

Durham University Business School / IMPACT

Globally, looking back at previous widescale health emergencies (such as SARS, Ebola or, more recently, Zika) it is always migrant communities that seem to be affected more than other sections of established society. A key reason for this is the cultural barriers that exist in society, which can often hinder access to healthcare and welfare support as well as limit social and often economic capital for migrant families. To understand the causes further, a research project I undertook, together with colleagues Dorothy Ai-wan Yen of Brunel Business School, Hsiao-Pei Yang of Coventry University and Suraksha Gupta of Newcastle University London, sought to uncover exactly why migrants living in the UK experienced additional mental strain and anxiety during the pandemic.

We discovered that whilst policymakers the world over commonly overlooked the challenges faced by international migrants in their host countries during the pandemic, the UK in particular was the subject of controversial global reviews and scrutiny due to the government’s initial pandemic response and the high death toll.

To gain further insight, we conducted interviews with 60 migrants, of Chinese, Italian or Iranian nationality, living in the UK during the pandemic.

These nationalities were selected for a vitally important reason – the high number of Covid-19 related deaths in their home countries at the time our study took place. Because of their high death rates, these countries had enforced stricter prevention measures within their borders before such restrictions came into place in the UK. We asked the interviewees general questions about their personal background, profession, family and reasons for relocating to the UK to understand more about their lives, before asking more exploratory questions designed to gauge how well they were informed and understood the safety measures being enforced both in the UK and in their home country. We also asked questions about their experiences during lockdown – how well they had coped with confinement and the methods and routines they had employed to stay safe.

The results showed that, in a similar manner to UK nationals, migrants adapted their living and working habits during the lockdown in order to best comply with government guidance and to stay safe. However, in the early stages of the pandemic, many migrants reported experiencing unexpected and significant new worries that UK nationals did not. These worries were caused by the differences in virus protection and prevention methods employed by the UK in comparison with their home countries. Migrants experienced new sources of stress and anxiety if they chose to adopt any additional health and safety practices in line with the guidance distributed by their

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home countries that had not yet been advised or adopted by the UK Government.

A key example is mask wearing.

Whilst commonplace in the UK now, in the early months of the pandemic and at the time of the fieldwork, the UK government was still advising the general public against the benefits of wearing face masks. However, our participants were often in favour of mask use, citing sources from their home countries that included newspaper articles and information received through friends and family overseas.

Some became actively involved in convincing their somewhat sceptical British colleagues and friends of the benefits of masks, in a bid to try and keep them safe. However, whilst migrants were eager to protect themselves from infection, many remained reluctant or wary about wearing a mask in public: thus, at best, they would not seem different from their UK friends and colleagues; and, at worse, they would avoid negative or hostile reactions from members of the public.

Nor were such concerns unfounded. Our interviews revealed that negative responses and reactions did indeed occur as a result of their adopting such practices, triggering additional emotional stress and anxiety. To avoid this, migrants developed separate household-based and community-based protective strategies and behaviours.

Messaging failed to penetrate migrant communities where English was not a first language.

Worries were caused by the differences in virus protection and prevention methods employed by the UK in comparison with their home countries.

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Greater action should be taken to support migrant families and communities and to promote societal understanding and inclusion.

An additional source of strain came from closer to home. Families that encompassed multiple nationalities experienced further anxiety and conflict when migrants’ families overseas implored their UK-based relatives to adopt more cautious behaviour, particularly when British members of the family chose not to do so.

A further key issue highlighted by our study concerned the ways and means by which safety messaging and instruction was shared with the UK public. The government’s effectiveness to curb, contain or control the virus became significantly hindered by only publishing or promoting safety instructions in English and on English channels.

As a result, its messaging failed to penetrate migrant communities where English was not a first language. Consequently, instructions were either not understood or missed entirely because these communities were not engaging with the British media or news channels. This meant that lockdown rules were not always followed as closely as they could have been, and vital support services were not fully taken up.

Alongside the need to cope with the pandemic, migrants also had to cope with the hostile reactions that their initial coping strategies provoked in those around them, on top of the additional challenge of trying to keep up with current government advice or navigate various support systems with little help or direction. Migrants essentially had to had to learn to cope with coping.

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In discovering this anomaly, and the significant struggles faced by migrant communities in the face of such extreme circumstances, our study highlights a number of crucial points for governments and policymakers to consider in the event of not just further Covid-19 lockdowns but also future pandemics. In general, greater action should be taken to support migrant families and communities; in addition, more should be done to promote societal understanding and inclusion amongst the UK public so that people are less likely to feel wary of taking different – if unusual – precautions.

Simple actions, such as ensuring that official safety messaging is available in different languages or formats through a variety of media and seeded into communities at a local level, can help to ensure that everyone is acting in the safest possible manner and understands what support they may be entitled to. In a wider sense, international information exchange, collaboration and cohesion on safety measures could also prove to be an effective means of virus control and ensuring public safety.

With winter ahead and yet another possible rise in Covid cases to come, maintaining public safety for all has never been more important.

We are all better versed in the dangers and stakes now, but we must continue to ensure that we protect ourselves and others.

For more information on Professor Cappellini's research interests, visit durham.ac.uk/business/benedetta-cappellini

Durham University Business School / IMPACT

Society

Exposing the stigma around social housing For those living in social housing, the extreme stigmatisation of estates has had an impact on everything from employment to healthcare. Through documentary analysis, focus groups and interviews, Dr Mercy Denedo and Dr Amanze Ejiogu are working towards an in-depth understanding of the problem.

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ink estates'. ‘Zones of criminality’. ‘Drug infested’… These are just a few of the common phrases routinely used to describe social housing estates in the UK – communities that account for 17% of the UK’s housing stock and are home to more than 3.9 million people. And the number is growing. According to a government report, from April to September 2020 (there were 76,000 new social housing lettings in the first 6months of 2020/21), a decrease of 49,000 or 39% compared with the same months of 2019.

The decrease in social housing lettings has been linked to the lack of government investment in building social housing and government policies to prioritising homeownership. Together, these factors have resulted in the residualisation of social housing stock for the poorest and the most vulnerable tenants. As a result of negative societal perceptions of social housing, resulting

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in part from its residualisation, families living in such dwellings are tarred with a biased brush and assumed to be ‘work shy’, ‘uneducated’, ‘lazy’, ‘getting something for nothing’, ‘benefit scroungers’ or ‘lacking in aspiration’.

The depth of the problem is shocking. Like all stereotypes this perspective is not only widely unfair, it is also highly damaging – it is bad enough that society in general might hold this opinion of a person because of their postcode, but what about when that perception is held by or influences the actions of their landlord, their local MP, their employer or even their family GP? Unfortunately, it took a tragedy – the Grenfell Tower fire disaster in London, that led to the death of 72 council-housing tenants – to render visible for the debilitating impacts of these dehumanising perceptions. In the years following that event in June 2017, the experiences of those living in social housing within the building

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have become a tragic yet vitally important case study into how social housing stigma can perpetuate and adversely affect a household or community at every level of their day-to-day lives, making them feel like ‘second class citizens’.

Whilst the official enquiry into the events that led to the Grenfell Tower fire is still going on, we, Dr Amanze Ejiogu of Newcastle University (formerly at the University of Leicester) and I, became inspired to investigate and to develop an in-depth understanding of how stigma is constructed, experienced and challenged in social housing in England. We set out to study how actors in the social housing sector in England (tenants, politicians, social housing providers (including the councils), the media, etc.) contribute to the construction of stigma; how tenants (and other actors) have experienced stigma and its impact on them; and then how social housing stigma is being challenged by different actors (including advocacy groups, tenants’ bodies and trade bodies) in England.

Through our work, we tried to understand exactly why this has become an accepted norm, how stigma manifests itself in tenants’ lives, how it has been challenged previously and why such actions have been ineffective.

Our report, Stigma and Social Housing in England, includes consultations not only with tenants but also with social housing landlords (housing associations and council housing providers), government officials, trade bodies and advocacy agencies – conducted through 45 individual semi-structured interviews and 29 focus groups with over 200 participants – to gain a wider perspective on the core issues at play. In addition, we conducted an in-depth review of the role of the media in setting, encouraging and reinforcing the stigma of the social housing sector over the years.

Lastly, we reviewed the effectiveness of social media campaigns and activities by social housing advocacy groups and other bodies.

The report reveals several concerning yet important findings, highlighting government policy and messaging to be at the crux of the issue as a key influencer of public opinion. For example, the government has, for too long, promoted homeownership as the ideal living standard for society to attain. In contrast, the idea of social housing has become less desirable, side-lined for those who cannot (or will not) achieve homeowner status - the neediest members of society and, as such, the bottom rung of the social ladder.

Interviewees revealed that they had been denied employment opportunities after disclosing their social housing status or address to a potential employer.

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Durham University Business School / IMPACT

The problem has been further compounded by how the government has directed and allowed social housing to be structured over the years, from clustering purpose-built social housing within communities, to the creation of specific entrances – dubbed 'poor doors' – for the socially-supported tenants of private accommodation blocks to use. Such actions have created a physical separation between private and social renters and, as a result, social housing communities have become easy targets for criticism. For example, deliberately locating those with additional care needs or vulnerabilities together in a specific area of a town or city not only further reinforces social divides but also makes such locations vulnerable to negative influence and crime. Such social problems reinforce stigma. The media then affirms such perspectives in its reporting.

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Our study also revealed how stigma influences the landlord – tenant relationship. Interviewees described the damage caused by the seemingly paternalistic attitudes of landlords and workmen contracted to carry out works at their homes, who failed to consider or acknowledge residents’ needs, feelings and even basic rights. Through interviewing tenants, we encountered a common and longstanding complaint about the typically poor maintenance of socially-owned property and of being ignored by their landlords and disrespected when requesting repairs to be made.

To add insult to injury, tenants also revealed their frustrations with ineffective complaint procedures that often made them feel powerless.

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We also recorded evidence Through our work, we of stigma at play within the tried to understand local community, with some exactly why this has interviewees sharing experiences become an accepted of receiving poor service from norm...[and] how their GP practice or a seemingly stigma manifests lesser amount of care or attention itself in tenants’ from emergency services. In some lives. instances, interviewees revealed that they had been denied employment opportunities after disclosing their social housing status or address to a potential employer.

It is a bleak outlook, but we would be wrong to say that the problem had gone unchecked and unchallenged until now. In fact, the government has made efforts to reduce – even eradicate – social stigma. Housing associations have been retraining their staff and are attempting to give residents a greater voice. However, these projects have had limited effects.

The reason, we believe, is that too much attention has been focused on surface-level fixes. These include attempts to rebrand social housing by making communities look more appealing, through government planning policies encouraging mixed tenured estates and the regeneration of social housing estates. Whilst these projects are well-intentioned, the problem is much more complex. A key challenge is that social housing intersects with many other societal stigmas at play. Our report found that poverty and benefit stigma, crime stigma, mental health stigma, disability stigma, race and immigration stigma all interlink with general perceptions of those living in social housing. Isolating just one stigma to fix another will ultimately prove unsuccessful. A bigger societal shift needs to occur to address the stigma associated with social housing estates and their tenants.

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It is a mammoth challenge, requiring every part of society to pull together. As a starting point, Amanze and I have made some recommendations to the government, politicians, the media, housing providers and tenants. These include: 1. Adopting a rights-based approach to housing that positions access to affordable housing as a fundamental human right.

2. Discouraging policies that encourage the residualisation of social housing.

3. Taking action to better address the acute shortage of safe and affordable housing.

4. Developing policies that recognise the intersection of social housing stigma with other stigmas.

5. Facilitating stronger tenant voices at local, regional and national levels.

6. Redesigning the regulatory and governance arrangements to make social housing providers more accountable to tenants.

7. Encouraging fairer media reporting on stories relating to social housing.

Furthermore, our work does not end here.

We have also invited these parties to respond to our study by offering their own perspectives on the purpose of social housing and whether it should be recognised as a fundamental human right. Our consultation concluded at the end of October. Our respondents' feedback, along with our own investigations, will guide us in producing a set of society-wide recommendations on how politicians, the media and other bodies of social power can be encouraged to drop stigmatising language, give residents a greater voice and make social housing providers more accountable to their tenants.

For more information on Dr Denedo’s research and interests, visit durham.ac.uk/business/mercy-denedo

Durham University Business School / IMPACT

Society

Empowering North East communities through adaptable research Dr Ladan Cockshut discusses how the University is supporting local regeneration projects through knowledge exchange

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ne morning in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, families gathered in Auckland Castle's Deer Park to allow their children to play, explore and interact with other children through the various sports equipment and organised activities on offer. At any other time, this might seem like a normal summer day; however, since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, these occasions

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have become a novelty for many families.

Opportunities for health support and meetups between new parents with little ones have been disrupted, as critical mechanisms of early years support were affected by Covid-19. The Auckland Project’s (TAP) community engagement team, which hosted the day out in the park, worked in partnership with the NHS to support participating families by helping to signpost local resources and answer any questions.

The event was part of TAP’s ongoing work, particularly its Woodhouse Close Regeneration Project, to support the wider Bishop Auckland community. The work has been funded (largely through a grant from the Garfield Weston Foundation) to support sustainable, communityled regeneration in the area. Woodhouse Close Central is the most deprived lower-layer super

Auckland Castle Deer Park, where family activities are held as part of the Woodhouse Close Regeneration Project.

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output area (LSOA) in County Durham and the 150th most deprived LSOA in England (out of 32,844 LSOAs). With high levels of deprivation, poor health outcomes and unemployment, this legacy echoes the economic and societal changes that North East England has faced as mines and other industry – once the economic powerhouses of the region – closed and new routes to economic growth and stability were disrupted or diverted, creating a lasting impact on generations of local families.

Working with local stakeholders for expertise and collaboration opportunities, TAP is committing many years to this complex and significant project. One such opportunity includes a research collaboration established in December 2020 between TAP and the Creative Fuse North East (CFNE) project, in the Management and Marketing Department at Durham University Business School. The Durham team, including project lead and principal investigator, associate professor Dr Mariann Hardey, project coordinator Ann Howard, business development manager Ed Ruck-Keene and myself, are focused on supporting and mapping the creative economy across County Durham. It is part of the regionwide CFNE partnership of all five of the North East’s universities, which works closely with creative practitioners, businesses and organisations to strengthen the creative economy across the region. It operates across the intersection of interdisciplinary support and interventions and also facilitates research collaborations and knowledge exchange that benefits the creative landscape and university research.

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The TAP-CFNE research collaboration supports the TAP community engagement team in its regeneration work through knowledge exchange activities and by providing research insight and resources from the University that complement TAP’s work at Woodhouse Close.

"Our aim in supporting Woodhouse is to empower members of the community themselves to actively participate in designing and choosing the nature of any support we might offer. We want what we do to be of relevance to the community so it can thrive and grow by using people-centred approaches to acknowledge how past challenges have affected those living in the area and work together to find solutions that support the community".

Laura Emerson Roberts, head of community engagement, The Auckland Project In February 2021, CFNE hosted an interdisciplinary showcase This level of ongoing event, where over two dozen interaction and support researchers from across the between the two University gathered to learn partners is central to the ethos of about the regeneration project CFNE’s research and to consider future collaboration collaboration with TAP. This led to TAP and mindset. assistant professor Jed Stevenson (Anthropology) working together on Masters level dissertation research with new mothers at Woodhouse, to explore their experience of parenting support during the pandemic. CFNE is also hosting educational seminars for the TAP team, with the first seminar, on understanding how participatory research can work in complex systems, delivered by emeritus professor David Byrne (Sociology) in July 2021.

Durham University Business School / IMPACT

The CFNE team is also holding regular mentoring sessions with the team at TAP around identified areas of concern, such as evaluation methods, project adaptations and optimising reporting mechanisms for funding bodies. In August 2021, as Covid-19 restrictions eased, I was able to observe the work of the community engagement team and explore further refinements and project activities. This level of ongoing interaction and support between the two partners is central to the ethos of CFNE’s research collaboration mindset: action research-driven, organisation-focused, mindfully supportive and adaptive to their needs.

This approach is allowing the collaboration to adapt to the needs of the project, for example the transformation of TAP’s 300-acre Binchester Hall Farm. Through the commitment and engagement of the Sedgewick family, who have farmed the land for generations, and the vision and support of Tam Mayor, TAP community projects officer, the working farm will transition to using holistic farming methods.

It will also set up an innovative educational centre that will not only demonstrate novel and timely approaches to farming in the midst of the climate change crisis but will also provide critical access to a natural learning environment to benefit the local community for generations to come. The work at Binchester Hall Farm is just getting underway. In the meantime, Creative Fuse NE has recently committed to hosting another showcase event in early 2022 for the Farm, to help it identify resources and potential research partners from all disciplines to join it.

"We want the farm to be a resource for the community: a place that supports not only the wellbeing of its people but also the land itself."

Tam Major, TAP Community Projects Officer For Creative Fuse NE, working in close collaboration on a project like this has allowed it to provide critical skills support for the delivery team while also positioning itself as a supportive, action research-oriented partner that helps cultural organisations, or charities like TAP, not only achieve their goals but also know that they can look to their nearby university for support in the critical work that they do.

It speaks to the vision of a university that is not merely a site of learning and research for its members, but is also a place of mutual transformation and growth that can benefit itself and the wider community around it through collaboration and knowledge exchange.

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The Durham team...are focused on supporting and mapping the creative economy across County Durham.

Part of the project sees TAP and Creative Fuse NE working together to support natural learning environments.

The Auckland Project is a philanthropic organisation, established in 2012 by Jonathan and Jane Ruffer to support the economic and cultural regeneration in the southwestern part of County Durham. It is centered largely around Bishop Auckland and the renovation of Auckland Castle and its related estate. The project aims to stimulate the local economy by increasing tourist trade and other local work and community projects. Work has included renovating and reopening the Castle in 2019; supporting the launch of the live outdoor show Kynren in 2016; the maintenance, protection and development of over 350 acres of land, including the deer park, the walled garden and Binchester Hall Farm; the building and opening of the Auckland Tower, the Mining Art Gallery; the Faith Museum and the Spanish Gallery; and championing local development and engagement projects aimed at supporting community growth and resilience.

For more information, visit aucklandproject.org For more information on the Creative Fuse North East project, visit creativefusene.org.uk Creative Fuse North East is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

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Society

Moving to a "high-wage, high-skill" economy in a post-Brexit UK The UK’s departure from the European Union has resulted in numerous assurances of an upgraded economy.

Professor Bernd Brandl investigates the reality of how this transition will impact businesses and their workforce.

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oris Johnson has recently promised that the government will show more "guts" than any before, by moving the UK "towards a high-wage, highskill, high-productivity economy" in which "everyone can take pride in their work and the quality of their work".

At first glance, this announcement appears to be good news for low-wage and lowskill workers. But is it also good news for businesses and isn’t there a hitch for workers?

To answer the question, you have to understand that businesses have to operate as cost-effectively as possible in order to be able to compete in national and international markets. For many companies in the UK, the ability to pay low wages to workers is essential for their competitiveness and therefore for their survival. If companies are not competitive enough, businesses will go bust and workers will lose their jobs.

Over many years, many companies in the UK were very successful and prospered by relying on a low-wage and low-skill workforce.

There were few incentives for companies to increase wages and almost nothing prevented them from lowering wages.

There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, in the past decades there was a constant influx of migrant workers who were willing to accept low(er) wages; secondly, apart from the minimum wage, there was almost nothing in place that prevented companies from keeping wages low.

For example, there were no encompassing (e.g. sector-wide) collective wage agreements in place to prevent companies from dumping wages in order to gain a competitive advantage.

In fact, companies were allowed to compete with each other on the basis of lowering wages;

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furthermore, there were far fewer incentives for companies to compete and prosper on the basis of new and innovative technologies that need a high-skilled and high-paid workforce.

In other countries, for example in Scandinavian countries, encompassing collective wage agreements exist which establish high(er) wages and working conditions for all companies in the same way, and therefore companies are not able to compete on the basis of wages.

So, to gain a competitive advantage and make profits, companies that fall under encompassing collective agreements are ’forced’ to invest in a productive and high-skilled workforce to survive.

UK companies have not had the same pressure to invest in the skills and productivity of their workers, as they were allowed to rely on low wages. In fact, companies in the UK were even able to import cheaper labour instead of investing in a skilled workforce to increase productivity.

The lack of encompassing collective wage agreements is certainly one important reason why the British economy can be described as a "low-wage, low-skill, low-productivity economy".

On the one hand, this means that the British economy is made up of a large share of lowwage and low-skill workers; on the other hand, this business model ensured that British businesses prospered and workers had jobs.

However, this model is now under threat from the new economic vision of the prime minister.

This vision looks to replace mass immigration with higher wages and better conditions, to encourage people into key sectors in order to keep the British economy moving "towards a high-wage, high-skill, high-productivity economy" in which "everyone can take pride in their work and the quality of their work".

Durham University Business School / IMPACT

Now, the question is: Will this transition work, and to make it work will it take only "guts" or is more needed?

For many years I have been investigating the question of why in some countries we find a "low-wage, low-skill, low-productivity economy" business model, and why in others "a highwage, high-skill, high-productivity" business model. In particular, I have investigated the role and effects of differences in collective wage bargaining systems on wages, skills and productivity. In this context, I have also been looking at how a transition from one model to another can succeed, and how long and 'painful' a transition can be.

So, what can I say about the success of the prime minister’s economic vision to move the British economy "towards a high-wage, high-skill, high-productivity economy", in which "everyone can take pride in their work and the quality of their work"?

Firstly, it will take a lot of patience, as the transition will take time. While for some sectors the transition might succeed within a year, for many other sectors the transition is likely to take many years if not more than a decade.

Certainly, a key factor in the speed of transition will be how well the government manages the transition. For example, the training of a large number of HGV drivers could be realised within a few years, but this depends upon how well training is organised by the government and/ or by business organisations, such as the Road Haulage Association (RHA) in this case.

Secondly, the transition will be costly, as new institutions and structures (e.g. training facilities) need to be established.

Thirdly, if the institutional and organisational framework that generates a high-skill labour force takes time to develop, the transition will be painful as job losses and economic disruptions are likely to occur. In fact, many companies will not be able to afford to pay higher wages and will go bust. Therefore job losses are inevitable in the short run. This in turn, might lead to costly industrial conflicts, including strikes and protests, that damage the economy further. So, the transition is likely to lead to economic disruption and potentially also to social unrest in the near future.

Will "low-wage, low-skill" be gone forever?

No, not at all. In the short run, jobs in lowproductivity companies that cannot afford higher wages will be lost, since these companies will be pushed out of the market. However, such job losses are likely to be temporary, since more successful and more productive competitors can take over the market share and re-employ workers. If encompassing collective agreements also ensure that equal wages and working conditions are established for all companies in a sector, the overall effect would simply be the replacement of jobs in low-productivity companies with jobs in high-productivity companies. This further implies that there will be an overall positive effect on the productivity of the British economy in the long run.

Against this background, it takes a lot of "guts" for the government to initiate this move, as voters in the next election might go to the ballots on the basis of the short-term pain they are already experiencing instead of fully considering the long-term economic gains.

For more information on Professor Brandl and his research interests, visit durham.ac.uk/business/bernd-brandl

The transition will be costly, as new institutions and structures (e.g. training facilities) need to be established.

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Society

Researching police wellbeing Professor Les Graham’s research delves into the mental and physical welfare of the police workforce.

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n 2017, in recognition of the uniquely challenging work and the stressful demands faced by the policing workforce, the then Home Secretary, the Rt Hon. Amber Rudd, awarded £7.5 million for the establishment of a new national police wellbeing service (NPWS).

Since its launch, the NPWS has grown rapidly and is now being used by police forces across the whole of the UK. In recognition of the rigour and impact of research conducted by the Durham University Business School Policing Research Unit in February 2019, the NPWS appointed me to lead a three-year research project to assess the wellbeing of all officers and staff in the UK (approx. 215,000 people). A further key aim of this research was to provide evidence and insight to guide future policy and practice on improving police wellbeing.

The first ever National Wellbeing Survey of Policing was conducted in November 2019. More than 34,000 police officers and staff across England and Wales responded (the research report is available on the NPWS Oscar Kilo website).

The research findings confirmed that urgent action was needed to support the wellbeing of the police service workforce. The levels of exhaustion and mental health of many of its members were found to be of concern.

Emotional energy – which refers to the amount of emotional and mental energy individuals have available to them to meet the daily demands and challenges they face in their roles – was found to be at a moderately low average level for police officers, while police staff reported a moderate average level.

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An important factor in individuals’ wellbeing is their ability to recharge their internal resources outside of their normal working hours, in order to recover the energy expended dealing with the daily challenges they experience in their work.

Prior research has shown that insufficient time spent asleep (less than six hours) and poor-quality sleep are strong predictors of exhaustion and reduced wellbeing. Almost half of police officers who responded indicated that they were having less than six hours of sleep a night, with those working shifts more likely to experience poor sleep quality.

Predictive analyses of the data confirmed sleep quality to be an important predictor of individual wellbeing and work effectiveness.

Poor sleep quality was found to be associated with increased general and mental fatigue, and lower levels of physical wellbeing. It was also found to negatively affect individuals’ job and life satisfaction, and their levels of professional commitment and work engagement.

In response to these findings, Chief Constable Andy Rhodes, NPCC wellbeing lead and Service Director for the NPWS, commented: "The Oscar Kilo National Police Wellbeing Service team are already linking in with staff associations, wellbeing leads across the UK and experts from around the world to establish a specific area of work on fatigue as part of the national programme, to ensure we address this".

The second phase of the research was conducted a year later, in November 2020. Again, the full research report and commentary on actions being taken by the police service have been published on the NPWS website (see Oscar Kilo).

The CEO of the College of Policing, Bernie O’Reilly, commented: "We ask our officers and staff to do an incredibly challenging job every day. It’s vital we look after them and importantly understand their needs and that’s why this survey is so important".

Durham University Business School / IMPACT

The levels of exhaustion and mental health of many of the people making up the policing workforce were found to be of concern.

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Society

As the second phase of research was conducted during the coronavirus pandemic, it was possible to investigate the impact of the pandemic, on officers and staff.

Although overall demand decreased during the pandemic, with a large reduction of crime occurring, the police faced the challenge of a new and unfamiliar role in public health policing.

While it was possible for many police staff to work from home, police officers were required to continue to work in communities and have close contact with members of the public.

While a relatively small proportion of police officers reported having high concerns for their own health, many reported concerns that their exposure to the virus may pose a risk to the health of family members.

At the time of the second survey, in November/ December 2020, which was when the third national lockdown occurred, over a quarter of police officers responding to the survey reported that they had experienced Covid-19 symptoms.

Despite these challenges, on average the overall wellbeing of police officers had improved slightly. While over a quarter of police officers indicated that they still experienced high levels of fatigue, overall average levels of police officer emotional energy and sleep quality were found to have improved since the previous survey.

In contrast, there was a slight decline in the health of police staff. Specifically, the average frequency of experiencing symptoms of anxiety and depression was higher than that reported in the first survey. Although home working was

viewed positively by many police staff, they reported lower average levels of feeling connected to others in their work. Both police officers and staff reported feeling more valued by their force than they did in 2019.

Following the success of our previous two years of research in this area, my colleagues, Marisa Plater and Natalie Brown, and I were awarded a third research grant, bringing the total research funding for this project to £288,000. A third national wellbeing survey will be conducted in autumn 2021.

As much of the academic research previously conducted on wellbeing has used cross-sectional data, where variables are collected at a single point in time, a major limitation of the literature has been that cause-and-effect relationships cannot be investigated. The longitudinal data collected from this three-year research project will allow previous academic calls for research on the need to examine causality in the study of wellbeing to be acted upon. Applying this more robust research methodology is needed to confidently inform recommendations for changes to policies and procedures. These findings will be important to a wider audience beyond policing.

The research findings confirmed that urgent action was needed to support the wellbeing of the policing workforce.

For more information on Professor Graham’s research interests, visit durham.ac.uk/business/les-graham

During the pandemic, officers had to navigate complex challenges that came with public health policing.

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Durham University Business School / IMPACT

Society

An inclusive, diverse and equal place to learn The Business School is committed to becoming a more inclusive environment for learning. Professor Gretchen Larsen explains the latest developments.

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he work that universities and business schools do to ensure Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) is more important than it has ever been. In recent years, several high-profile social justice movements have laid bare how much there is still to do to address long-standing structural inequalities around the world.

At the Business School, we strongly believe that all staff and students are happier, enjoy their work and studies more and perform better, in an environment where everyone understands the value of different people working together; where everyone is treated fairly; and where negative behaviours and attitudes such as prejudice, discrimination and harassment are unacceptable.

As our Executive Dean, Professor Susan Hart, has said: "We are wholly committed to developing ourselves further as an inclusive business school, where diversity and equality of opportunity are at the heart of everything we do".

This commitment is a core element in our strategy, with one of our strategic aims being to create an equitable, diverse and inclusive learning and working environment where staff and students can reach their full potential.

Our work so far To support this commitment to EDI, we’ve implemented a number of initiatives.

A key area of our work has been our ‘Athena SWAN Bronze Award and Action Plan’. Advance HE’s Athena SWAN Charter recognises good practices in higher education towards the advancement of gender equality.

The University and School both hold the Bronze Award, which means we’ve done a detailed examination of where we are with gender equality. We’ve also developed a detailed action

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plan to help us address gendered inequalities in the institution.

The following points underpinn our action plan.

We are: • working towards achieving a more balanced cohort of staff and students, as measured against sector benchmarks • encouraging more female colleagues to participate in running the School • working to fully embed a culture of equality, diversity and inclusion, particularly with regard to valuing the diversity of people and roles that make up the business of what we do.

Decolonising the Curriculum project This is a University-wide project and is being undertaken in collaboration with the Students' Union. Funding has been provided to employ student interns to work closely with academic staff in decolonising our curriculum.

Our aim at the Business School is as follows: by 2022–23, no student will complete a degree without significant exposure to the issues that are directly relevant to the decolonisation of the curriculum.

The way forward We also have several other strands of EDI activities and initiatives. These include Lunchtime Fora on topics such as ‘How to Talk About Race’ – which supports the work being done by the University towards its application for an Institutional Bronze Award of the Race Equality Charter – and events marking occasions such as International Women’s Day and Black History Month.

Key to any of the work we do is understanding the experiences of all who work and study here.

This means we can refresh the work that we’re doing to ensure that the School is a place where all can flourish.

We’ve explored this in a number of ways, including a series of group discussions and interactive events on a range of EDI issues. The insights gained inform and shape the focus of future activities.

For more information about Professor Larsen and her research interests, visit durham.ac.uk/business/gretchen-larsen

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Society Engagement

Switching lanes from finance to sustainability Former Masters student, Therese Seiringer, takes us on her career journey so far.

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riginally from Austria, Therese Seiringer is an alumna of the MSc Management programme. After having lived in the UK for more than two years, Therese now lives in Dusseldorf, Germany. In her role as Head of Sustainability, Vodafone Germany, she and her team are in charge of transforming Vodafone Germany into a completely climate neutral company. Since completing her Masters in 2019, Therese shares her story.

Why did you choose to study at Durham University Business School?

I honestly did not know much about British universities before applying to Durham. The collegiate system, as well as the rankings, made Durham my first choice and I was extremely happy when I received my offer to study at the Business School. When I arrived at Ustinov College a few months later, I immediately fell in love with the city itself. Durham is so different from many other cities in the UK. After only a few months, you somehow get the feeling that you have lived there forever, and Durham really became a second home to me. My time in Durham ended up being the best year of my life, so far.

Where did your career take you after graduation? And what led you to your current role in the sustainability sector?

Before my Masters, I worked as a project manager in a bank and also specialised in finance during my Bachelor’s degree in Vienna. It therefore felt logical to pursue a career in finance, which is why I ended up moving to London to work in the finance sector. This decision did not turn out to be right for me, which is why I decided to apply for a sustainability role at Vodafone Germany. I had never lived in Germany before, nor had I been to Dusseldorf and I did not know a single person there – so moving there during a pandemic and a strict lockdown did not make it easy.

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However, I soon knew that I had found my absolute dream job. Within the sustainability industry, it might sound rather unusual to work for a big corporation like Vodafone.

Yet, such large companies have a massive impact, especially when it comes to enabling the wider economy to reduce their carbon emissions. Within only a few months, the position of 'Head of Sustainability' opened up and I took the chance.

I now head up the sustainability department and I am extremely grateful for such a fantastic opportunity at this early stage of my career. In this role, I get to coordinate Vodafone’s ‘GigaGreen Strategy’, our path to net-zero emissions.

Durham really became a second home to me.

My time in Durham ended up being the best year of my life, so far.

Sustainability is a topic that everyone seems to be interested in at the moment – what would you tell people who want to start a career in sustainability?

Sustainability is not only a very current topic, but it will continue to be one of great importance in the coming decades too. Achieving net zero is a massive challenge across all industries and sectors, one that will require employees who are passionate about sustainability to be able to manage the change and transformation within companies. So, when we hire new team members I am looking for people that are interested in what happens in the world and also those who know what they can contribute to the various aspects within sustainability.

How did your time in Durham help you get to where you are today?

The educational system, collegiate structure and careers sservice, as well as all the support that comes along with them, enhanced my experience at Durham University. My time in Durham really inspired me to always keep looking for a purpose in the work I do, to think big and to have trust in myself.

For more information on the School’s range of Masters programmes, visit durham.ac.uk/business/masters Learn more about our new Master of Energy Systems Management on page 31.

Durham University Business School / IMPACT

Engagement

The benefits of MBA mentoring Former MBA students-turned-mentors, Paul Barron and Claire Rose, discuss why they offer Durham’s current cohort their insight into the world of business.

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ach year, in addition to their formal education, Durham MBA (Full-time) students are offered the support of a mentor to help them navigate the demands of MBA study and prepare for the transition back to the workplace. Managed by the Business School’s alumni team, the mentor scheme matches current students with mentor volunteers from the alumni and business communities. Most of the mentors are MBA graduates and are matched based on their professional interests.

Mentors Paul Barron and Claire Rose outline below why they make the time to help.

Paul Barron, Managing Director of Barron Williams Ltd, has mentored two MBA students. During his time as mentor, he has helped his mentees find the right study balance to do sufficient work without drilling excessively because they find the subject so interesting. Mentors also help orient MBA graduates in the real world, Paul describes it more as helping to ask the right questions or pointing students in the right direction, rather than trying to be an expert yourself, just as you might as a Non-Executive Director or trustee.

"I thoroughly enjoyed my time doing my MBA – it never leaves you," Paul shares. He confesses that all his MBA notes are still within a few feet of him in his office and he continues to refer back to them. "That ongoing association with the School is valuable, as well as supporting those who are treading the same path as you’ve done previously - that’s rewarding in itself," he says. "There were times doing the MBA when you feel you’re sinking under the workload, so being able to pass on some of your own

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experience or where you went for help, that’s rewarding. For the commitment of an hour or so, on a call roughly once a month, the return on investment in terms of satisfaction makes it easy to say I’ll do it again next year."

Claire Rose, Director of Thedevelopmentspace.com, has been a Durham MBA mentor for a number of years. Claire enjoys working with the Durham team and supporting our MBA students on their learning journeys and ongoing professional development.

Claire says: "MBA mentoring is a great way to contribute to the development of current MBA students and a super way to stay connected, as an alumnus, both to current international business thinking and to the Business School".

Associate Dean of MBA and DBA programmes, Professor Amir Michael also sees the benefits mentors bring to our MBA students: "Our MBA mentors help, support and provide a flavour of the world of practice, i.e. what the challenges are in the workplace currently. Mentors play a vital role - they can help students change their mindset or see the progress they need to make, especially those looking to change sectors. Mentors provide both networking opportunities and external reflection as students journey through the programme and develop their post-graduation plans."

For more information on becoming a mentor, please contact Penny Hawley and Tracey Baker in the Business School alumni team by emailing business.alumni@durham.ac.uk

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The 6,000-mile doctorate: my first year in the Durham DBA The time difference, studying in lockdown and balancing commitments, Asrif Yusoff talks about the challenges and rewards that come with being a Durham DBA candidate.

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round this time last year, I wrote a post on the Durham University blog about my intention to document my experience of the Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) programme. The plan was to share my progress every other month as a reference for prospective students. Today, 12 months later, that piece remains my only post on the blog.

Admittedly, I have underestimated the challenge and rigour of the DBA. Don’t get me wrong, I was in no way overly confident of my learning aptitude. I just did not expect the year to fly by as fast as it did. After all, I was just at home under a never-ending Covid-19 lockdown.

I guess time does fly when you’re having fun.

The DBA is delivered over four to six years as a part-time programme for aspiring leaders from around the world. In Years 1 and 2, students undertake five taught modules – namely Leadership in Organisations, Ecology of Organisations, Marketing Theory & Practice, Power, Control & Resistance in Organisations and Research Design.

Years 3 to 6 are supervised research.

For each of the taught modules, students are scheduled to attend residential sessions on campus for lectures, supervisory meetings and networking with peers and faculty. This was the part I was looking forward to, because during residentials I’d unplug from work to fully immerse myself fully in engaging with the classroom and enjoying the beauty of Durham.

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In the year that has been, however, because of Covid-19 travel restrictions I couldn’t leave my front gate let alone the airport. Our residential sessions were instead brought online, and thanks to the Durham DBA team the experience has been nothing short of wonderful. I’ve gained knowledge, made friends and mastered the art of unmuting myself.

Learning 6,000 miles away, in Kuala Lumpur, is, just as it sounds, not without its challenges.

Thanks to the time difference, classes were held between 9pm and 2am local time. You could say that I have it slightly better than my classmate in California, who was tuning in at 5am. I owe it to the English Premier League for being attuned to staying up in the wee hours.

Our first module, Leadership in Organisations, was one that truly resonated with me. As a learning and development practitioner, this subject has opened my eyes to the world of adult education research.

Diving deep into the literature made me realise how I’ve only scratched the surface all this time. The experience has also been an opportunity for me to put theory into practice.

In my current role, I work with a group of instructional designers to develop corporate training programmes. One of our biggest challenges is evaluating outcomes. The framework for ‘transfer of learning’ that I’ve picked up on the module has been highly relevant to the work that we do. Even the conversations that we have at work are becoming richer.

The framework for ‘transfer of learning’ that I’ve picked up on the module has been highly relevant to the work that we do.

Durham University Business School / IMPACT

The second module was Ecology of Organisations, which certainly took me out of my comfort zone. The focus of the subject is the longevity of organisations' survival within the ‘ecosystems’ in which they exist – not an idea that I am used to, but the complexity of the literature certainly pushed my thinking. Surprisingly, I did reasonably well in the assignment.

The past year also exposed me to the need to formulate my research proposal. This includes developing problem statements and questions, conducting literature reviews and deciding on the appropriate methods. I am on my third draft of the research proposal now, and I am confident that there will be many more until I get it right.

I owe my progress to the patience and perseverance of my supervisor in entertaining the barrage of questions that I throw at her.

Academic writing is a skill that I struggle with, even after two postgraduate programmes. It is one of those things that you can never be fully ready for – like bungee jumping. (Some might even prefer bungee jumping, for that matter.)

In summary, I would describe my first year on the Durham DBA as ‘enriching’. I’ve managed to validate my understanding of what I think I know, and more importantly I am clearer on the skills gaps that I have when it comes to conducting research. As the old saying goes – the more you know, the more you don’t know.

My hope for Year 2 is firstly for a safer world, so that I can attend campus sessions. As much as it’s appealing to tell my children how I’ve earned a doctorate from half a world away, I very much want to be in Durham. Even if I have to study from a distance, there’s still Years 3 – 6 to return to campus. Let’s hope it’s not actually Year 6!

For more information on the DBA programmes offered by Durham, visit durham.ac.uk/dba To read Asrif’s original blog, go to ‘Why study for a doctorate in business administration?’

Asrif Yusoff is a learning and development practitioner based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and a candidate on the Durham DBA programme.

He can be reached at asrif.org

In summary, I would describe my first year on the Durham DBA as ‘enriching’.

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Engagement

MBA Strategic Business Projects can reenergise your organisation Before commencing my MBA journey at the Business School, I worked as a lead for the business intelligence team at Sembcorp Energy India Ltd., one of the most highly regarded utility companies in India. I chose to do my he energy sector is undergoing a rapid transition globally strategic business project with Durham Energy to drive down greenhouse gas emissions. To tackle climate Institute (DEI) as I have over nine years of change it is essential to proactively and effectively expand professional experience in the energy sector and energy research domains. Globally reputable researchI really value the inspiring work that they do. based universities are doing just that, expanding their Durham Energy Institute is the hub of energy energy research domains and funding through their energy research and activity at Durham University. It institutes with their strategic alliances, academic staff, industrial is an interdisciplinary institute that promotes a partnerships and funding mechanisms. whole systems approach to energy, drawing on the insights of science, social science and the humanities to produce world-leading research addressing global energy challenges. Key areas of research leadership include offshore wind energy, decarbonising heating and cooling, low carbon energy transitions, hydrogen, energy materials and ensuring just transitions, to name but a few.

The purpose of my business project was to review the strategic aims, goals and achievements of DEI over a five-year period from 2020 to 2024. The main focus of the project was to analyse current performance and where appropriate, to define future strategies to promote the Institute as a global resource in energy and climate change. With greater commercial and academia competition in the energy research landscape, it is essential for the organisation to focus on the critical success factors that can strengthen its global reputation.

A situational analysis of DEI's critical success factors The project gave me formed the basis of the project. immense satisfaction – The aim was to identify those it fundamentally factors that could be built upon broadened my further in order to reposition the perspective and Institute as a key global influencer expanded my in energy research. Thus, I was able knowledge in to thoroughly review the capabilities a multitude of DEI, including limitations in its current of ways. performance and constraints in managing and implementing its long-term strategic objectives. On completion of the project, my report provided clear, evidence-based strategic recommendations and management actions ready for implementation by DEI, which they could use to transform the existing operating model and further strengthen its position globally.

Read about Sindhura Kalyanam’s insightful strategic business project with the Durham Energy Institute.

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Durham University Business School / IMPACT

Sindhura’s analysis of DEI’s strategy was an extremely valuable contribution to our planning activities and has given us much food for thought.

Having an outside perspective on the Institute’s goals from a skilled ‘critical friend’ was hugely informative, and we congratulate Sindhura on her work completing and presenting this project.

Professor Simone Abram Director of Durham Energy Institute

Between June and September, our Fulltime MBA students work with companies to complete a strategic business project. This is a marked component of the MBA and the project is a great opportunity for organisations to benefit from Durham’s talented students and to tackle a business challenge head-on. Our students work across all sectors and functions, applying their skills and knowledge to deliver results that can move a business forward. A business project also provides an excellent opportunity for students to gain practical experience during their study which is relevant to their career aspirations and enhances their experience and professional network.

Durham Energy Institute

I was truly motivated to deliver the outcomes of this project. Everyone involved shared the common view that energy will continue to grow as a key priority for the UK government as part of the net-zero emissions commitment.

The project gave me immense satisfaction – it fundamentally broadened my perspective and expanded my knowledge in a multitude of ways, particularly on my awareness of the energy research being conducted across the globe on reducing the global carbon footprint of the utility sector. This project also provided me with an excellent platform to fully apply the skills and knowledge that I learned during my MBA which enabled me to produce a comprehensive report and presentation for the Durham Energy Institute Advisory Board on completion of the project.

I congratulate Sindhura and all our MBA students on their work on the business projects this year.

It is such a valuable experience for both the cohort and our industry partners to work together on a business need or area.

MBA students have demonstrated their ability to complete projects successfully, as the concluding part of their programme. Our industry partners provide fantastic opportunities and often use the recommendations of the students in their business going forward. A great partnership.

Claire Ketley Engagement Manager (Corporate)

For more information on the Durham MBA (Full-time), visit durham.ac.uk/mba; and for more on how to get involved as a sponsor of strategic business projects, visit durham.ac.uk/business/bp To find out more about Durham Energy Institute, visit durham.ac.uk/dei

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61

Engagement

Irreplaceable experiences and connections

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nternational study experiences are an essential and important element of many of the Business School's postgraduate programmes. These include the Durham MBA (Online), Durham MBA (Full-time) and Durham-EBS Executive MBA, as well as our MSc Management, MSc Finance, the Durham DBA at Fudan and more.

While this year the students could not travel because of Covid-19 restrictions, 136 students took part in virtual alternatives.

These virtual experiences included ‘visits’ to Spain (Madrid and Barcelona) with partner ESADE Business School, to Germany (Mannheim) with Mannheim Business School, and to Switzerland (Geneva), France (Paris) and the USA (San Francisco).

With these 'visits' taking place via Zoom, students could use its functionality to directly communicate with company representatives and academics as well as peers.

Akansha Agrawal, MSc Management (Finance) Being an enthusiastic learner throughout my finance career, I have experience working in the field of accountancy and finance in India as an auditor and a consultant.

We began the year with a lot of uncertainties. We weren’t sure about being offered the ‘International Study Tour’ module because of travel restrictions.

Nonetheless, some of the

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optimists amongst us (one being me!) chose the module in the hope of a better future.

Within a week, the Business School team informed us that a complimentary virtual study tour would be offered. Pushing all my past doubt to one side, I was very excited about attending it!

The five-day study tour introduced us to companies in France and Spain. This meant that from simply in front of my laptop screen, I interacted with some of the most inspiring leaders of my life.

The tour started with Ernst & Young’s (EY) Europe, Middle East, India & Africa activation leader from Paris, who introduced the impact of Covid-19 on decision-making, operations and strategy in multinational corporations or companies (MNCs). Being an amateur in the field of geopolitical business groups, I was amazed to learn that EY and similar organisations have such dedicated departments. It made me look at my career growth from a different perspective.

We were also introduced to Havas Blockchain’s strategic consultant, who outlined their revolutionary technology integration with the financial sector and global economy. Alongside the industry point of view, I also had an opportunity to communicate with a professor from the University of Barcelona who discussed the opportunities that bloomed for Spain’s global export economy through efficient use of the Catalonia sea port.

The tour then focused on the challenges faced by the European banking sector, and how banks such as CaixaBank are leaning towards innovation and growth through local talent and technology. The tour ended with a cutting-edge presentation on how technology solves daily

Durham University Business School / IMPACT

issues. The discussion was led by the executive vice-president of Atos who instilled in me the eagerness to learn more about ‘digital transformation’ in the global economy.

What really mattered to me was the one-to-one conversations with industry professionals. From the beginning of the tour, the Business School team encouraged us to ask questions of the presenters, which made the tour very interactive.

I asked them about the attractive career paths in my field of interest – finance and consultancy.

Meeting a remarkable female strategist, a blockchain expert and the leaders of the bank who enabled Europe’s digital transformation, the study tour not only had me intrigued to learn more about upcoming areas of business but also introduced me to various new departments in existing industries that I had no idea about.

My initial reservations about the virtual study tour were unfounded, as I had an amazing learning experience. Despite the pandemic, the study trip was made available and the knowledge I ended up gaining has been irreplaceable. Normally It would be difficult to engage personally with such exceptionally knowledgeable leaders, but the Business School team successfully organised the virtual trip to make it possible.

I’d like to thank the team for their efforts and continuous support throughout the trip. It was a wonderful, one-of-a-kind experience and I would encourage every student to get involved and grab an opportunity like this!

Despite the pandemic, the study trip was made available and the knowledge I ended up gaining has been irreplaceable.

Rojin Amouzadeh, MSc Finance (International Banking and Finance) Being in Durham this year was a brand-new experience for all of us. However this pandemic contributed to numerous changes to our way of living and education; hence, its effect on student life too was inevitable.

One of its consequences was having to attend study tours virtually. Initially, I was disappointed, but ironically, the tour went beyond my expectations; I could not believe that I could visit different companies in different cities virtually and gain that much valuable experience. The virtual events were just as rewarding as a ‘normal’ situation would be, as the team tried their best to maintain standards of quality.

This five-day international tour gave me the opportunity to become familiar with different companies in the modern finance sector. Their

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representatives discussed the new challenges they have faced for reasons such as Covid-19, the fast pace of technology improvements and the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in the finance sector. In addition, they shared with us their strategies to for dealing with such unexpected events and explained how they improve their operations.

During all the events, I had the chance to converse with entrepreneurs, employers and owners of various companies. All of them shared valuable experience without hesitation and made the events intriguing to us.

The highlight was the effort and support of the team who put on these events. Before the tour, they held workshops to fully explain the sessions.

We were also split into different groups and asked to research the invited companies. This idea not only helped me to be more prepared during the sessions, it also enabled more teamwork and as a result I made some good friends. In addition, the team always encouraged us to talk, debate and ask questions. This attitude helped me to put aside my shyness because I knew that I would have their support – and something that will always be in my mind, as they repeatedly mentioned it, is "No question is silly".

I could not believe that I could visit different companies in different cities virtually and gain that much valuable experience.

All in all, participating in this virtual journey was a flawless experience for me. I became familiar with new challenges and technology in the finance sector, whilst also increasing my networking not only with experts but also with my Business School peers from different backgrounds. It helped me to broaden my horizons in terms of my future career development and my dissertation topic.

I would like to thank all the members of the international business team for organising such informative sessions. They have helped me to become more familiar with the practical aspect of my major. I strongly recommend that students not miss such opportunities in the future, as such valuable ones can be rare.

For more information on the Business School’s postgraduate programmes, visit durham.ac.uk/business/programmes

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Engagement

Recruitment bootcamp

To better equip Durham students for the complexities of the recruitment process, Alex McNinch and her colleagues came up with a unique solution. Read more about their popular five-day bootcamp, which tackled everything from CVs and psychometric testing to assessment centres and Zoom interviews.

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urham students have always been sought after by recruiters. They are very employable, you could say.

The combination of their academic experience with opportunities to enhance their knowledge and skills through extra-curricular activities, via our college and extensive Clubs and Societies network, produces well-rounded individuals – individuals who possess the skills required to secure a job in the most competitive of industries. And there’s no doubt that there is a direct link between understanding and prior experience of the recruitment process and students successfully securing a placement, internship or graduate role. Opportunities to learn and practise all steps of the recruitment process have been available through the Careers & Enterprise Centre for a long time, but one thing the Business School really wanted to trial was putting all those steps together in a recruitment bootcamp.

This kind of support is especially crucial for students from Widening Participation (WP) backgrounds, who potentially lack the contacts and experiences of some of their peers. The same can be said of international students who may wish to stay in the UK. These groups of students, as well as others who lack the experience of formal recruitment processes, need the opportunity to practise and to get

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For years we've focused on graduate attributes and generic skills when thinking about employability.

Alexander Bradley argues that we also need to teach students how to be successfully recruited.

WONKHE 2021 comfortable with the process in order to put the best version of themselves forward and be their most confident selves when the time comes. This ‘gap’ has been exacerbated by the greater need for access to technology during the pandemic, during which employers made a swift transition to digital recruitment practices. WP students are less likely to have experience and confidence in using tech for job searches and recruitment, and less likely to have access to good-quality IT or a suitable environment to work in.

To address this issue, I worked together with Gary Dewey (BSc Accounting Programme Director) and Donna Carr (Career Adviser) to create and run an intensive five-day pilot programme. The pilot would allow the Business School the opportunity to assess the scalability of such a programme, with the ambition of being able to offer it to all Placement Year students across the Business School.

Durham University Business School / IMPACT

The pilot was trialled with BSc Accounting and BA Accounting & Finance students, and we had 30 students enrol on this non-credit-bearing module. We expected asking students to attend a virtual bootcamp for five consecutive days during the blistering heatwave of early June to be a challenge, but their engagement and participation was incredible despite the glorious weather and the pull of more social events on campus.

The schedule followed that of a typical graduate recruitment process, which many of our students are likely to encounter in year two when applying for placements and internships or in final year when looking for a graduate job. From Monday to Friday, we worked our way through CVs, cover letters and psychometric tests, to digital and mock interviews and then finally assessment centres and group activities. The programme was jam-packed, and only made possible with the help of some of our esteemed alumni who stepped in to play the role of recruiter/employer for the mock interviews.

The pandemic restrictions meant that on campus events were not possible. Thus, to ensure a balance of content, individual practice activities and reflection were completed via Learn Ultra (the University’s e-learning platform) using the Career & Enterprise team’s career e-learning resources.

All the interactive elements of the bootcamp,

Student feedback "Durham University students bring to prospective employment a wide range of experiences, interests and ambitions. Preparing these students through practice interviews was a real joy and has hopefully helped them to understand their value in a world where employers are seeking a diverse, representative workforce."

Andy Lucas (BSc Mathematics at Grey, 2009–13), Mazars

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%

felt extremely or somewhat confident at the start of the week.

WITH

88% selecting either extremely confident or somewhat confident at the end of the week.

including the workshops, practice interviews and mock assessment centres, were conducted virtually using Zoom. This allowed us to hold small breakout rooms for a greater depth of discussion.

Feedback on the bootcamp was overwhelmingly positive, with with 100% of our participants stating that they would recommend the event to future students.

Following staff, and more importantly student evaluation, we are confident that we now have a blueprint for future events which, with more resources, we hope to roll out to wider student cohorts in 2021–22 and beyond. We will make some changes: some tweaks to timings; a possible reduction to 2/3 days; and an attempt to embed more personalised feedback, since the evaluations state that students found this the most useful element of the programme.

Although this one event was resource-intensive, the student comments and feedback made it so rewarding for the staff involved. We do know that our soft outcomes have been achieved, through feedback from the students and their self-reported increases in confidence, experience and knowledge. We are yet to see the impact on hard outcomes, which we will find out next year when we see how many have secured placements and internships for 2022–23.

Employer feedback "By participating in these interviews, students will have gained a real advantage when it comes to the real thing."

Innes Gibson (BA Accounting & Finance with Placement Year 2014-18), Deloitte

"It was wonderful to see how much energy and passion the students brought to their interviews."

Emma Warrick (MA Management 2006-07), KPMG

For more information on placement opportunities offered by the Business School, visit durham.ac.uk/business/placements

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65

Engagement

Engage With The World Week: a business trip like no other How we interact with the world has changed dramatically, with business, networking and learning taking on new and exciting digital forms.

Find out below how our first ever Engage With The World Week welcomed global speakers to the virtual stage.

O

ver the last 18 months, our working life has changed so drastically that many of us are still adjusting as we continue to navigate what comes next. The very same applies to our students. No one could have predicted that some students would spend an entire academic year being taught online, and we know how hard that has been for both the students and our teaching colleagues themselves. This virtual way of life is probably here to stay, and even though family Zoom quizzes are finally a thing of the past, we are still going to be connecting with each other online more than ever before. As individuals, our students still need to develop and build their global awareness – a must for any modern organisation – and it is as important as ever to ensure that our students are ready to engage with the world virtually, even if they may not be able to physically.

The International, Engagement and Careers Team decided to take advantage of this new way of life for our students and virtually bring them together with businesses from around the world in the first ever Engage With The World Week. This inaugural event, held between 7 – 10 June 2021, brought in key speakers from a wide range of international industries.

They presented to our students on key topics concerning their companies, job roles and how

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they are moving forward in this new normal, sharing some of their incredible expertise. Our students signed up in the weeks leading up to the event and had exclusive access to these fantastic live presentations that took place all over the world, gaining an insight into companies through this single event - something that previously would not have been possible!

Global reach Dialling in from all four Our audience tuned in from over 15 countries corners of the globe, including across Europe, Asia, Portugal, Singapore, Nigeria, North America and Vietnam, Switzerland, Canada Africa, creating a truly and Belgium, the speakers and international virtual their presentations; presentations experience by focused on a key theme for each crossing continents day of Engage With The World Week and time zones. and encompassed Finance and Fintech, Global Talent Management, International Trade and Digital Innovation. Students were able to tailor their own event experience and join for all the days or just focus on one of the themes they wanted to develop further.

Our audience tuned in from over 15 countries across Europe, Asia, North America and Africa, creating a truly international virtual experience by crossing continents and time zones to participate in this enriching event.

The students also had the opportunity to interact with our speakers through Q&A sessions. This provided an even further in-depth look at how critical thinking is pushing boundaries in business today. All the students also received a personalised certificate for participating in the event.

Durham University Business School / IMPACT

Highlights Some key highlights of Engage with the World Week included learning how customer experience management at Singapore Airlines is accelerating changes in digital services; advice on how to adjust to different business cultures when working internationally from our very own Durham alumni; and how data analytics is turning the world on its head with targeted consumer behaviour from a leading Analytic Strategy Manager at Accenture AI. A live podcast episode of The Lemonade Principle was also recorded with Dr Carl Hunter OBE as part of the sessions on International Trade, which can be found on Apple, Spotify and Google. To give the attendees another opportunity to interact with each other in an engaging way, we also held a global awareness quiz. Participants could answer the questions live and message the host and each other via chat functions, and the winner received special recognition on their event certificate.

Sustainability challenge A final part of the event was a sustainability challenge competition. Students were given the chance to enter either individually or in teams, and had to submit a short report on how they would implement changes in business based on one of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Shortlisted entrants presented their ideas and findings to a live virtual audience in a special session. The work, passion and drive put into these presentations was inspiring and our students showed a true appetite for building a better future. As with any competition, there could only be one winner, and the winning team, chosen through a live audience vote, were Jenny (Le Yi) Teoh and Angelica (Yunqi) Wang.

Jenny Teoh (left) and Angelica Wang

Jenny and Angelica’s Sustainability Challenge competition entry centred around the UN SDG to do with Responsible Production and Consumption (no. 12). Their 200-word winning proposal suggested the adoption of ‘Glocalisation’ in relation to supply chains, with benefits including mitigation of the effects of global trade disruptions, reduced carbon footprints, supporting the development of local and regional industries and a reduction in inequalities. They both walked away with a #Togetherband – an appropriate sustainability-focused prize.

Feedback Feedback indicated that Engage With The World Week’s debut was a resounding success, with a satisfaction rating of 4.4/5 overall. Students even requesting further such events to be held in the future. Students also rated highly the range of guest speakers and companies involved in the event, as well as the topics that were explored on each of the days.

Student quotes

Speaker quotes:

"It was done very well overall. I would recommend more of these to take place during the year with different speakers for different industries/ degree courses. It was very valuable being able to actually engage (like the title of the event says) with everyone. Thank you for doing this!"

"Really enjoyed being back at Durham virtually and sharing my experiences. Thank you for the opportunity. Also, excellent questions from the students, and a big thank you to all of them for their engagement."

"Insightful. Many thanks for availing us the opportunity to participate."

Senior Manager Customer Journey at Singapore Airlines

Caroline Gazeley "It was such a pleasure to give a presentation on behalf of BritishAmerican Business. Thank you for allowing us to be part of your virtual global business trip. Looking forward to working again with you soon!"

Rita Davids Manager, Corporate Engagement and Trade at BritishAmerican Business

The lemonade principle live podcast durham.ac.uk/business/podcasts

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67

News and events

Masters rankings rise for Finance and Management Business School Masters programmes have continued to perform strongly in key global rankings.

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n June, the Durham MSc in Finance was reconfirmed as a global top 50 programme by the Financial Times Masters in Finance Ranking 2021, with a rise of three places to 46th. Our overall programme satisfaction was among the top 15 globally for graduates, with an enviable average of 9.17 out of 10.

To further solidify this success, graduate rating of the School’s careers provision and employment outcomes continued its upward trend of recent years with Durham, being positioned 3rd in the UK and 17th globally on this important ranking.

This level of careers support has seen 97% of School MSc in Finance graduates find employment within three months of finishing the programme, placing Durham joint-highest in the UK, level with Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford.

The Employed at 3 Months criteria also positions the School joint 12th globally.

Sebastian Marland, who graduated from the MSc Finance (Finance and Investment) in September 2020 and now works as an Equity Research Analyst at AFS Group, Amsterdam, said: "Durham University Business School taught me not only to think independently and prepare me for a career in the stock market but also provided me with invaluable advice.

The alumni talks, a definite highlight of my time in Durham, coupled with the expert industry knowledge of the career consultants, made searching for a job a more fulfilling experience."

Then in September, the Financial Times Masters in Management (MiM) 2021 ranking placed Durham University Business School =5th in the UK and the programme =52nd globally, a rise of 11 places. This is based on the main MiM route.

When looking specifically at career progression, the programme was ranked 6th globally, 5th in Europe and 2nd in the UK, reflecting the rising seniority of our graduates and the increasing size of company they are working for since graduating.

Finally, in October the Economist Masters in Management 2021 ranking placed our programme 3rd in the UK, 22nd in Europe and 28th in the world. In the ‘Placement success’ element of the ranking, our programme came out top in the UK, with the highest employment rate of all UK schools.

97% of School MSc in Finance graduates find employment within 3 months of finishing the programme.

Nour Mouakke, alumnus of the programme, said: "I absolutely loved every minute of my time at Durham University Business School. There is a very special vibe at Durham; it gives you a sense of ‘home’.

I met some of the most wonderful people and built lifelong relationships with people from all over the world. It’s fair to say that what inspired me to be an entrepreneur and to solve problems was Durham University."

Professor Susan Hart, Executive Dean of the School, commented: "It comes as no surprise that our masters programmes consistently rank highly through the teaching and delivering by our world-class faculty, whose leading research underpins the student learning experience. One-year, full-time programmes, give students the opportunity to develop and enhance practical skills that employers are looking for, and our strong focus on values and ethics in business further develops the attributes of our graduates."

For more information on the School’s MSc in Management programmes, visit durham.ac.uk/business/masters-management

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Durham University Business School / IMPACT

News and events

Managing and leading change: webinars for MBA alumni An MBA at Durham doesn't end at graduation. Our alumni are offered the chance to attend a series of webinars in which University academics discuss their leading-edge research in the world of business.

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s part of the School’s commitment to supporting the continuing professional development of its graduates, in July it offered an exclusive series of live, Managing and Leading Change webinars to its MBA alumni, sharing insights from recent research to keep them at the forefront of changing business demands. Each webinar also provided the opportunity for alumni to question and discuss the research with the professors.

The series began with a session by Professor Julie Hodges, the former Associate Dean for our DBA and MBA programmes, on Managing and Leading Organisational Change. In the webinar Professor Hodges explored how to engage key stakeholders, including employees, with organisational transformations in a proactive way that helps to ensure their inclusivity and engagement with continuous change. Professor Hodges reflected: "With so much changing so fast, it’s easier than ever today for people to feel that they are not engaged with the change and they will therefore resist it. Addressing that anxiety is one of today’s greatest leadership challenges." She went on to explore how managers and leaders can engage people with, and guide them through, change so that they emerge at the other side of the transformation with their wellbeing intact and benefits achieved that are sustainable.

Dr Jorge Lengler, programme director for the online MBA, drew on his extensive experience with emerging market enterprises, export SMEs, business authorities and policymakers to help alumni make the most of Exporting in Challenging Times. He helped the MBA graduates to develop their understanding of the different strategies firms have adopted to remain competitive in foreign markets.

Full-time MBA programme director and new Associate Dean for our DBA and MBA programmes, Professor Amir Michael shared

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the findings of his recent research using artificial intelligence and data analytics to detect fraud and forecast overspending, in the webinar on Fighting Fraud in Healthcare.

The series concluded with a webinar from MBA alumnus and honorary Professor Simon Haslam on approaches to Strategic Decisions in Uncertain Times. Simon drew on agile strategy and contemporary leadership theories to show graduates how they might contribute more to effective decision-making within their organisations.

"With over 6,000 MBA alumni in over 140 countries, the willingness to engage online that has come about during the pandemic has presented us with an opportunity to keep in touch with our graduates while it has been difficult to travel," observed alumni manager Penny Hawley. "It’s a testament to the value of our colleagues’ teaching that years later hundreds of alumni turn up for more." The webinars were a strong collaborative effort across the School, with engagement managers Tim McCollum and Chris Roberts hosting events, and Tracey Baker, Julie Tuten and Gillian Conn providing support.

Business School alumni can access audio recordings of the webinars.

The MBA and alumni teams are also piloting alumni MBA guest speaker sessions. These started with Dr Kostas Nikolopoulos welcoming MBA alumni to a lecture on Did Covid kill cash? in June as part of the MBA technology pathway. MBA alumni whose contact details are up to date on the alumni website (dunelm.org.uk) will be sent details of the sessions planned for the 2021–22 academic year.

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News and events

Adapting to the pandemic:

Dr Lara Small reviews the competition’s new and improved offering following the introduction of insightful online events during lockdown.

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hen just IMAGINE if… was last featured in IMPACT (Issue 7, January 2020), we had just enjoyed the launch of the 2020 competition, with founder, British entrepreneur Paul Lindley OBE, and several of the competition’s counsellors visiting Durham University Business School for an afternoon of inspiring presentations and discussions. The competition final should have taken place in March 2020, but the global pandemic put plans on hold. Since then, together with Tim Hammond, I have been working with just IMAGINE if… and partners to improve the offering and accessibility of the prize for all finalists.

Re-thinking competition plans because of the pandemic

Re-launching and capitalising on virtual opportunities to connect

Following the launch in November 2019, the plan was to select ten finalists who would receive a package of support from Durham University and the competition’s counsellors and sponsors. For all ten, this would include support to prepare their pitch for the final to be held in Durham; and for the ultimate winner, bespoke research support

Founder, Paul Lindley OBE, at the launch of the 2020 competition.

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from the University to further develop their idea or business.

After competition entries closed in February 2020, a judging panel of expert business leaders, sponsors and Durham University colleagues met in London. The competition received over 250 applications from around the globe, with ideas ranging from mobile apps and e-learning, to machinery and alternative housing. The business propositions tackled the breadth of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, from good health and wellbeing to responsible consumption and production. From these, ten finalists were selected. They were then paired with a counsellor experienced in supporting enterprises relevant to their idea, allowing preparations to begin for the final.

By early March 2020 we knew the final couldn’t go ahead. The team wasn't sure whether it was best to postpone the original timetable, move completely online a few months later or create a hybrid programme.

We waited and listened to colleagues and contacts on how we should proceed.

After a pause, we concluded two things: we wanted to eventually meet face-to-face, if possible; and, there were some low-risk highreward opportunities we could tap into online through our just IMAGINE if… community.

Before the pandemic, several partners had offered training – some immediately after the final in Durham, and others at different locations, making it difficult for some participants to take part because of the timing and financial expense.

The pandemic resulted in changes to working practices, which offered some solutions. We could now offer the finalists more opportunities to access training, before the final, on a wider range of topics, through online events run by our sponsors and supporters. Through this work, the support package for all ten finalists significantly increased.

Durham University Business School / IMPACT

just IMAGINE if… is working with Durham University to find fantastic but simple ideas from around the world that can really address one of the sustainable development goals and make a big real change to our world for the better.

Paul Lindley OBE Founder

We relaunched the programme in July 2021, renaming it just IMAGINE if…2022, with an online event to gather and reengage our community of sponsors, counsellors and our original finalists from 2020. Nearly all the finalists joined us in real time, while others sent in videos, to introduce themselves, and then the session continued with talks, presentations and discussions.

Piers Linney, former BBC Dragon’s Den investor, founder of Moblox and just IMAGINE if… counsellor, shared some thoughts about how the world of business has been changing, and Professor Karen Johnson highlighted some of the Durham University projects that are tackling the 17 UN sustainable development goals.

The finalists also had the opportunity to hear from previous 2019 competition finalist Dave Okech. He was interviewed by Yasmina Siadatan, Series 5 winner of The Apprentice, another of the competition’s counsellors.

Dave’s entry was a mobile phone app that allows women fish traders to connect with the fish trade on the Kenyan side of Lake Victoria without fear of sexual exploitation.

Dave gave a progress report: "The innovation is not only tackling sexual exploitation in the fish trade, it’s increasing productivity and tackling environmental challenges by enabling farmers to reduce pollution of the lakes and rivers and helping reduce CO2 emissions.

The competition has given me the confidence to continue pursuing my wild imagining of trying to change the fish value chain in Kenya. Helped through the interaction with fellow entrepreneurs and just IMAGINE if… competitors. I have gained a lot from the mentorship, including refining my idea and learning how to articulate my views and how you can commercially, or sustainably, run your idea post the competition."

Dave’s app is able to help Kenya's fish trade through its adoption by around 3,000 fish farmers and 500 fish traders.

The event ended with a panel hosted by Philip Honour, Associate Director at Porter Novelli, on the challenges of running an innovative sustainable business and why it’s worth persevering. The panel also featured Ella Robertson, MD of One Young World, John O’Brien, Managing Partner at the ONE Hundred Agency and Alex Wankel (2019 winner).

What happened next?

The 2022 finalists cover a range of sustainable development goals, with ideas that are varied and far-reaching: using waste plastics to make useful new products such as modular shoes, aggregate for concrete and other construction materials; sustainable alternatives to leather; algorithms to tackle biases in AI; technologies to improve crop growth sustainably, even in poor conditions; optimising biofuel production; solutions for tackling both fish feed costs and waste management in Ghana; affordable, sustainable housing for communities in crisis; and 3D printing to produce low CO2 concrete to protect reefs and coastlines.

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A snapshot of our digital relaunch in July 2021.

Top Left: Prof.

Karen Johnson, Top Right: Paul Lindley, Bottom Left: Dave Okech, Bottom Right: Piers Linney.

Over the summer, the finalists met Peter Allen, the Business School’s Associate Dean for External Engagement and Impact, and Business Durham’s Incubator Manager, Leon Howe, to identify bespoke support for each idea as well as relevant contacts in the Business School, the wider University and the wider competition community.

The finalists can attend activities currently being run by the Durham City Incubator, and there are opportunities with other sponsors to support all ten finalists, in the run up to the final.

As we get closer to March 2022, our counsellors from the business world will work with the finalists to prepare for the two-yeardelayed final in Durham; we hope that combining online interactions in 2021 with an in-person final in 2022 will give them the best of both worlds.

The just IMAGINE if…2022 final is now scheduled for 24 March 2022 in Durham. You can read more about the competition at justimagineif.co.uk and in issue 7 of IMPACT magazine: durham.ac.uk/business/impact

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The Durham MBA (Online) Inspiring Business Leaders

Ranked

7th

At a glance

• 2-year part-time programme • Personalise your programme to support your career goals • Flexibility – study fully online or complete some learning at Durham

in the world and 3rd in the UK Financial Times Online MBA Ranking 2021

Find out more at durham.ac.uk/online-mba

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Durham University Business School / IMPACT