PULSE News and opinion from Liverpool Hope Business School October 2021 | Issue 13
The road to
COP26
Placement power
Graduation celebrations
You said, we did
Student shares success
Two years take the stage
New student Hub unveiled
News and opinion from Liverpool Hope Business School October 2021 | Issue 13
WELCOME TO PULSE The new term is well underway and it’s already been a busy one. The week before our new arrivals joined us in September, the University turned out for three days of graduation celebrations. Our Class of 2020 and Class of 2021 graduates were finally able to don their caps and gowns, and take to the stage at the Metropolitan Cathedral. You can see pictures from the event, and hear from some of our graduates who share their experience, on page six. It’s been my great pleasure to welcome both new students and several new members of academic staff. You can find out more about our new PostDoctoral Teaching Fellow in HR Management Muhammad Siddique and our new Lecturer in Accounting & Finance Fakhrul Hasan on page 10. Following the disruption of the pandemic, I’m aware that for some of our returning students, this may be their first experience of being taught face-to-face on campus, and it’s great to have you back. We’ve
been busy transforming the new Business School space and I encourage you to make the most of our latest addition – The Hub – which is designed to be a breakout work and social space (page nine). Elsewhere in this issue, Lecturer in Business Sustainability Revd Dr Tony Bradley reflects on the road to COP26 and what it means for the future of business (page five). He also shares some of the ways the Business School plans to get involved in the issues raised at this important climate conference – including a Business Breakfast on 25th November. Here in the Business School we’re always keen to strengthen our ties with local companies and organisations across the City, and our Knowledge Exchange is proving to be an excellent way to share our research expertise. On page eight, you can read more on how our academics and students have been helping to shape the Liverpool City Region’s agenda on Net Zero and sustainable business. I hope you enjoy this issue of Pulse. Ian McKenna Associate Dean of the Business School
IN THIS ISSUE Student numbers
Power of the placement
3 continue to rise
4
6
8 Knowledge exchange
Graduation
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The future is calling –
5 COP26
10 Introducing
SPOTLIGHT
Student numbers continue to rise
The pandemic has failed to deter ambitious young adults from looking to the future, as an increasing number of students join the Business School. Liverpool Hope Business School continues to be an attractive proposition to students seeking an academically robust degree programme, which is aligned with the needs of professional bodies and industry.
enrolments have increased slightly at 1.45 per cent and this subject still represents 48 per cent of our student numbers.
Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, last year’s student recruitment figures rose by an astonishing 71 per cent. This upward trend has continued this year as our firstyear student intake has increased by a further 14 per cent.
Ian McKenna, Associate Dean of the Business School, is delighted with the continued growth of the School. He said: “Our sustained upward trajectory is a testimony to the increasingly high reputation of the School, our superb academic and professional team and the currency of our curricula across all of our subjects.
Our Economics Major is growing quickly after last year’s addition to our portfolio and shows an increase in students of 81 per cent. The number of Marketing students on both single honours and combined degrees has increased by 25 per cent and our Accounting and Finance subject has experienced an increase in enrolments of 19 per cent. Business Management
“Students and their families recognise that Liverpool Hope has a compelling offer - a beautiful and safe campus in a vibrant city, with cutting-edge degree programmes - and despite the increase in student numbers, we continue to be fully committed to knowing our students one-by-one and offering a tailored degree experience to all.” PULSE Magazine | 3
STUDENT SUCCESS
Power of the placement Accounting & Finance and Business Management student David Johnson describes how he was inspired to take a placement year after recognising the ‘invaluable’ experience it would bring. He tells Pulse about his time at BDO Liverpool’s Shared Service Centre. Why did you choose Liverpool Hope? When it came to choosing where to further my education, Hope was the obvious choice. The Business School boasts a plethora of opportunities that I felt like I could benefit from. Initiatives such as Young Enterprise, its links with national companies and accrediting bodies like Jaguar Land Rover and ACCA, and a curriculum covering a wide range of relevant aspects within business. I initially enrolled as a single honours Business Management student, however, after a day at Everton Football Club - facilitated by the University - I developed an interest in Accounting & Finance. As a result, I switched to a combined honours degree.
What is your role at BDO Liverpool? BDO provides services across audit, accounting, tax and advisory. I work in the corporate tax team within Liverpool’s Shared Service Centre. My 13-month placement role started in July 2021, and I initially worked full-time from home. However, in recent weeks I’ve been able to visit the Temple St office 2-3 days per week. It’s a central hub for a wide range of key business processes, such as data management, workflow and finance.
What inspired you to pursue a placement year? Until the end of my first year at university I had very little intention of undertaking a placement. However, over the summer, I looked at the placement and internships section on MyHope and felt a placement year would be invaluable. The opportunity to gain experience, knowledge and develop practical skills are some of the main aspects that enticed me. At BDO they offered this in abundance, working in the Corporation Tax Team is allowing me to learn and develop constantly, along with the added benefit of working alongside experienced professionals within the industry.
How do you think your work experience with BDO will help you in the future? Work experience in any form has a range of benefits, particularly when it comes to employability. Gaining 13 months of experience supports me massively when I come to looking at graduate roles. Whether I choose to work
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within the industry or not, experience in a professional firm and any references I can acquire from my placement will be incredibly useful additions to my CV, let alone the knowledge and practical skills gained. In addition, I expect having a more in-depth look at individual aspects within accountancy may help me when deciding on what specific career path I would like to go down.
What support did you receive from the Business School/Careers to help you through the selection process for this opportunity? Securing a placement did at times feel like an insurmountable task, however it was made substantially easier with the help from the Business School/Careers team. They set up lectures solely focused on the process of getting a placement, what to expect and advice on how to give yourself the best chance of being successful in each stage of the selection process. The advice given in lectures on the assessment and interview process aided me highly; knowing what to expect and the best ways to prepare was in incredibly beneficial to my quest to secure a placement. In addition, the LinkedIn group had new placement opportunities posted every day, in fact I was made aware of the BDO placement, through an email sent to me by the Careers team.
What advice would you give someone considering undertaking a year in industry placement? Be resilient, placements/internships are incredibly useful however with that, comes the fact they are extremely sort after. Rejection will be an inevitable part of your placement search - it certainly was to mine! The more processes you go through, the better you will get which will serve you very well in the future when undertaking graduate recruitment processes. I would also encourage other students not to be afraid to apply for a specialty or aspect they had not thought about. There’s a lot to gain when doing something you know little about, and may open doors to different careers or opportunities you weren’t previously aware of.
EXPERT COMMENT
The future is calling COP26 Revd Dr Tony Bradley, Lecturer in Business Sustainability, Social Enterprise & Innovation, believes young people are creating a defining moment for business and the globe. The road to COP26, Glasgow, is proving to be a bumpy one. The 26th annual meeting of the Conference of the Parties, organised by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), will be the most significant since COP21, in Paris, 2015, the Copenhagen Declaration, of 2009, and, arguably, the Rio Earth Summit, of 1992, when the climate and biodiversity crises began to take centre-stage at global political and diplomatic gatherings. But, the meeting of the UN preceding the COP, at the Youth4Climate conference in Milan, revealed just how far away we are from the sorts of agreements and global consensus on addressing the climate emergency that many are looking for. Youth activist leader Greta Thunberg denounced the meeting of global leaders as ‘youth-washing’ and so much ‘blah, blah, blah’. Of course, the significance of youth leader activity and protests is one of inter-generational justice. My generation, and that of the global leaders, has bequeathed to our children, grandchildren and future generations a deeply unsustainable world. But, business is making a difference. From the relatively small initiatives of companies like Carlsberg - working with WWF to reduce manufacturing emissions, ocean plastic and restore seagrass habitats
(you may have seen the advert with the seal) - to some of the world’s largest corporations, such as Schneider Electric, France, Orsted, Denmark and Banco de Brasil, global business is leading the way towards climate mitigation (2021 Global 100 ranking, Corporate Knights). Admittedly, only two UK corporates feature in the top 50 Corporate Knights, Atlantica Sustainable Infrastructure plc (12th) and BT group (35th, but up from 65th last year), with former leaders, such as Unilever, losing their moral high-ground. Even so, British industry and thought leadership, not least by school and university activists, continues to exercise an important role. At Liverpool Hope Business School, we’re joining the discussion, by helping educate ourselves about the significance of COP26 and the role that business is playing. We’re holding a Grand COP26 Quiz Night on 4th November, taking part in the COP26 Coalition events on 6th November, as well as hosting a COP Business Breakfast for city businesses on 25th November. The road to and from COP26 may well be full of potholes, but we’re doing our bit to help fill-in some learning along the way, to enable our students to recognise and address ‘youth-washing’ wherever they see it.
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GRADUATION
Double celebration as Graduation returns It’s been a bumper year for graduation celebrations, as we toasted to both the Class of 2021 and the Class of 2020. After all the delays due to Covid-19, we were delighted to be able to hold Graduation ceremonies across the University at the end of September. The ceremonies were held at Liverpool’s Metropolitan Cathedral and provided an opportunity for the city to celebrate the first in-person university graduations since the pandemic. In total, more than 2,000 students attended.
Brian Ricketts, Assistant Head of School, said: “As always, these ceremonies are very special, but it was particularly rewarding to be able to meet up with our graduates from 2020 and to find out what they are up to now, after such a difficult year.
The first batch of ceremonies were for the 2020 graduates, and the ceremonies that followed were for the 2021 graduates. 6 | PULSE Magazine
“Many of them are settled into new jobs and this has provided us with the opportunity to develop our Alumni links and to open up new opportunities for our graduates next year. There was a very high turnout from our 2021 graduates. It was clear they enjoyed the day and, as always, the tutors enjoyed meeting families as well.”
GRADUATION
“Things might have moved online, but the attention to detail never changed. I always felt at home here and I’m happy to be graduating now. I’m the first member of my family to graduate, so they all came along and were really excited.” Danni Wray graduated with a first-class honours degree in Accounting and Finance, and has already secured a job at one of the large accounting firms in Liverpool. She has since been encouraged to embark on her professional training.
Two of our graduates shared their experiences: Management and Marketing student Jason Stocks is the first person from his family ever to graduate from university. He completed an Access course in Marketing at his local college before embarking on a degree at Hope.
Mr Ricketts commented: “This will not only give Danni the opportunity to develop her career, but will also provide the Business School with another well-placed alumna. Danni is a classic example of how hard work can pay off.”
Speaking about his time at university, Jason said: “The Covid-19 lockdown was pretty tough, but my whole three years at Hope was great and the support we got from our tutors never changed.
“The Covid-19 lockdown was pretty tough, but my whole three years at Hope was great and the support we got from our tutors never changed.”
As we start a new academic year, tutors will focus on supporting our students to achieve the best they can, so that they too can enjoy their Graduation Day. You can view pictures from all three Graduation days on our Flickr gallery: www.flickr.com/photos/liverpoolhopeuniversity/albums
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BUSINESS ENGAGEMENT
Expertise exchange Business School academics and students have been exchanging their knowledge with companies and organisations across the City. In addition to providing excellent undergraduate and masters-level programmes, the Business School takes its role as a catalyst for Knowledge Exchange very seriously. This is a process that brings together academic staff, students, companies, and wider groups and communities to exchange ideas, evidence and expertise. Current evidence of this occurring is the Greening Markets research. Through this project, academics are engaging with local companies and stakeholder groups to explore how the findings of their research can help companies to grow and make informed business decisions related to environmental issues and sustainability. Our research expertise in this area is also helping to shape the Liverpool City Region’s agenda in terms of Net Zero and sustainable business.
Students can help address an issue for which a company does not currently have the skills, or provide a resource that frees up the valuable time of existing employees. An example of this is the Crowne Plaza Hotel at Liverpool Airport, which launched an effective social media presence with the help of a team of Business School students.
“It has been really exciting to see so many companies engage with our academics and students over the past year.”
Business School colleagues also sit on the boards and committees of bodies such as the Learning and Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and the Chamber of Commerce - contributing to a wide range of policy discussions.
Associate Dean of Liverpool Hope Business School Ian McKenna said: “Obviously, knowledge transfer works both ways and it has been really exciting to see so many companies engage with our academics and students over the past year.
However, it’s not just our academics who are helping to make a difference, our students also play a huge role in knowledge exchange as they engage in internships, year-in industry projects, consultancy projects and work placements. Even before graduation, they possess high-level skills sought by employers and their presence in a company, even on a short-term basis, can bring significant advantages.
“They have helped to inform our curriculum, and increase our students’ knowledge of the importance of employability skills and the potential graduate careers available to them. Now that society is opening up as we learn to live with Covid-19, we are looking forward to once more ramping up the levels of company engagement and knowledge exchange.”
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STUDENT CONSULTATION
You said, we did
Student feedback has led to the launch of our brand-new Hub, where members of the school can meet to work, discuss or recharge. Following consultation with students, we are pleased to announce the Business School Hub is now open to all students of the School. Our students requested a resource – not as formal as the library and not as informal as the cafés we have on campus – a place where they could meet to discuss, work and recharge.
The Hub will also feature reference books that are designed to remain in the space for the benefit of all students. If you wish to donate any books – particularly after you graduate – these will be most welcomed.
The new-look Hub is a flexible learning and recreational space that includes: è Breakout seating areas for group or individual work è White boards for project design and discussion è Access to a student printer è A number of student computers, with space to bring and charge your own devices è Articles, magazines and journals è Chess and table football for play and relaxation
We ask all those using the space to keep it tidy, clear up after themselves, and say hello to fellow students - and of course, enjoy!
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IN PROFILE
INTRODUCING The Business School is excited to welcome two new academics to the team. Muhammad Siddique
Fakhrul Hasan
Post-Doctoral Teaching Fellow in HR Management
Lecturer in Accounting & Finance
I joined Liverpool Hope in September 2021, having previously worked at Newcastle University Business School as Programme Director of the undergraduate studies in Human Resource Management. While at Newcastle University I also completed my PhD in high-performance work systems and organisational performance in the banking sector. My research explores how relational coordination by frontline workers contributes to performance outcomes in service settings, with a particular focus on banking and healthcare organisations. Working with the founder of the theory of Relational Coordination, Professor Jody Hoffer Gittell, I have been the first to test the Theory in the financial sector and also the first to provide insights from the developing country context. My research proposes that highly interdependent work is most effectively coordinated through relationships of shared goals, shared knowledge, and mutual respect, and demonstrating how organisations can support the development of relational coordination through the design of relational work systems. I have scholarly international paper authorships on HPWS, relational coordination, and performance, and regularly presented in various global forums, including the UK, Denmark, Sweden, and the USA. In addition to research, I’m engaged with the industry in conducting training on HR practices, RC, and performance with regulators and other collaborating institutions. I’m currently working on an extensive research project that brings in researchers from the UK, Denmark, Norway, and the United States of America, but more importantly covers almost nine countries within its scope. Given the warm welcome and support, I’m very well placed to be a part of the team and looking forward to adding value to my role at Liverpool Hope University.
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I have been teaching for a number of years now at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. I taught at De Montfort University, University of Cumbria, and Keele University before joining Liverpool Hope. I hold a PhD in Economics from Keele University, and my thesis investigates the dividend-signaling theory from the perspective of behavioural finance using UK data. Before starting my postgraduate studies, I obtained a BA (Hons) degree in Accounting from the University of Hertfordshire and I also achieved a part qualification certificate from the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. I’m also an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA). I have been active in doing research in the area of Accounting and Finance. I have published a number of research papers in various internationally reputed journals. I am currently work as an Associate Editor for the American Journal of Engineering and Technology Management (AJETM) and Qubahan Academic Journal (QAJ). My research agenda focuses on behavioural asset pricing and dividend policy. In particular, investigating how psychological and sociological forces affect decision making under risk and may sway the behaviour of individual investors and the dynamics of financial markets. I’m also working on capitalism effect on dividend policy and business innovation and sustainability. I’m joining Liverpool Hope University at an exciting time, with most of my fellow colleagues not only returning to campus after working from home for the past 18 months, but also to a new location for the School in the EDEN building.
THE BUSINESS SCHOOL
ABOUT US: LIVERPOOL HOPE BUSINESS SCHOOL The Business School curriculum is cutting-edge with all teaching research-informed and delivered by staff with both professional and practical backgrounds. A high number of staff have PhDs, while several members of the School have run successful businesses. This means the School is highly qualified at an academic, professional and experiential level, to engage in research that connects with the business sector.
The School works closely with accreditation bodies and is a member of various professional networks. These include the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), the Chartered Association of Business Schools (CABS), the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and Professional Liverpool.
With strong links to a range of leading local and national companies, professional bodies and organisations, and a range of innovative ethical and social enterprises, the School has a reputation for developing students with sound theoretical principles and a thorough understanding of contemporary business practices. Guest lecturers and practitioner input allows students the opportunity to visit companies, study abroad and work via Young Enterprise to develop and run their own business.
WHO WE WORK WITH:
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To find out more please visit: www.hope.ac.uk/businessschool
Pulse is published by Liverpool Hope Business School, Hope Park, L16 9JD.
T: 0151 291 3087 E: businessschool@hope.ac.uk
The views expressed in the magazine are those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent those of Liverpool Hope University.
LiverpoolHopeUniversity @LiverpoolHopeUK