BIZ
the
Lord Ashcroft International Business School Magazine | issue 12
Barclays degree lands national award – Anglia Ruskin’s work-based learning programme is recognised by the CIPD | page 20 www.anglia.ac.uk/laibs
Dean’s welcome
Contents
In this issue of The Biz, we have many interesting and inspirational stories of our staff and students which I hope you enjoy reading. I was particularly delighted to learn that our innovative work-based degree with Barclays won a category at the prestigious CIPD National People Management Awards – see the article on Page 19. Very well done to all those involved in the programme.
NEWS 1 Senior Russian academics visit LAIBS to study work 2 Further achievement for the MA Corporate Governance degree in Chelmsford 3 Society’s Super-heroes! 4 ‘Open Arts’ – Promoting Staff Positive Wellbeing through Creativity 5 LAIBS wins funding to promote social entrepreneurship
We have gone through another recruitment round and this Semester we welcomed a record number of both academic and support staff to the Faculty. The Institute for International Management Practice, is now well established under the leadership of its Director, Professor Simon Down, and fully staffed, as are our three new subject Departments with Heads all now in post. I hope you all enjoy being a part of what we believe is an exciting Faculty, both here and in Cambridge. Our first year students will be nearing completion of their first Semester with us. I sincerely hope you are enjoying being a part of our community and are motivated by these stories of students who have fully embraced life at our University and taken on new challenges. I hope that you will take advantage of the numerous opportunities available to you during your time here. These include, guest lectures, trips to businesses, business competitions, student mentoring, study abroad, work-experience and internship opportunities. We welcome our new Student Experience Co-ordinator in Chelmsford, Amanda Shillito, who joined us in November. Your Student Experience Co-ordinators look after all aspects of your journey as a student. You will be contacted regularly via your student email account so please take the time to read these messages, because we usually have something interesting to tell you about. I would like to wish all our students and colleagues a very Happy Christmas and New Year. I look forward to seeing you in the New Year. With all best wishes, Dr Trevor Bolton Dean, Lord Ashcroft International Business School
Editorial Welcome to Issue 12 of ‘The Biz’, Lord the Ashcroft International Business School’s staff and student magazine aimed at keeping you abreast of developments and opportunities in our Faculty. We hope you enjoy reading it. The magazine is produced four times a year and distributed via issuu.com. Alternatively you can access copies of this and previous issues on the News and Events page of our website: www.anglia.ac.uk/laibs Contact us: Thank you to those of you who have submitted articles for this issue, please keep the good news stories coming. If you would like to offer us your news or ideas to us please contact christine.durrant@anglia.ac.uk. We look forward to hearing from you. Topics of interest could include those related to: o o o o o o
Good news stories Personal and academic achievements Events Research International visits Diary dates, etc.
…… or anything else you think may be of interest to your fellow students and/or colleagues. We would also welcome your feedback on the magazine, particularly on ways of improving it.
STUDENT NEWS 2 GRLI Student Ambassador wins all-expenses paid trip to South Africa 4 University Library’s New Computer Suite in Chelmsford 6 Work-based degree student reflects on her role as Venue Logistics Manager during the Olympics 8 Leavers’ Ball – Graduands celebrate in style SUCCESS STORIES 7 Lecturer collaborates with Arvada Police Sergeant in Colorado, USA 10 Microgenius goes live with hydro scheme – Community shares platform, backed by Anglia Ruskin start-up cash, is first in UK EVENTS 5 Best Paper Prize – Shadows and Darkness, Silence and Secrets: The poetics of Organisation Space 7 LAIBS making waves at Academy of Management: Mindfulness and spiritualty at work 12 Conference Keynotes – Professor Simon Down 12 Dr John Webb opens 2nd International HR Conference in Delhi 13 Success for the 4th Cambridge International Regulation and Governance Conference 13 Invited paper at Georgia Tec, Atlanta RESEARCH 14 Professor Packham takes Research brief – New Deputy Dean at LAIBS 15 GoGreen Movement – Being part of something bigger 16 100 breweries but how do drinkers choose? 17 The Police and Anglia Ruskin University 18 Oral Evidence to House of Lords Select Committee on SME Exports 19 Success in ESRC bid as a co-investigator BUSINESS ENGAGEMENT 19 Sponsors help charities go back to the classroom – Invest in Impact Scheme offers opportunity to access Anglia Ruskin course at half price 20 Barclays degree lands national award – Anglia Ruskin’s work-based learning programme is recognised by the CIPD ALUMNI 21 David gets the call for Success in Business Award – Telecommunications high-flier receives special Anglia Ruskin Alumni accolade
Left to right: Jan Skene, Deputy Head of Degrees at Work, Anglia Ruskin University; Irina Pervukhina, Ass. Professor, Department of Business Foreign Languages, Urals State University of Economics (USUE); Irina Tkachenko, Department Head, Corporate Business, Corporate Governance and Business Evaluation, USUE; Maksim Maramygin, Vice-Rector, USUE; Stephen Bloomfield, Director of Corporate Governance Unit, Lord Ashcroft International Business School; Marina Vidrevich, Deputy Director, Arena Multi-Media, Project Manager, USUE.
Senior Russian academics visit LAIBS to study work-academic links Four senior Russian academics spent a week with the Corporate Governance Unit at the Lord Ashcroft International Business School in early October to study UK practice in developing the links made between academic subjects and the world of work.
During the visit Maxim Maramygin (a vice rector of the university), Marina Vidrevich. Irina Pervukina and Irina Tkachenko visited the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators and the Institute of Directors in London for discussions with senior staff. They also met Jon Bouffler and Jan Skene of Anglia Ruskin’s Learning and Development Services in Cambridge.
The visit was funded by a grant from the British Council and is the result of a seven year association between LAIBS and the Urals State University of Economics in Ekaterinberg. The MA Corporate Governance/GradICSA, delivered from LAIBS’ Chelmsford campus, is a paradigm of linking academic and professional qualifications.
Stephen Bloomfield, Director, Corporate Governance Unit T: 0845 196 6834 E: stephen.bloomfield@anglia.ac.uk
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Further achievement for the MA Corporate Governance degree in Chelmsford ICSA Software has agreed to allow successful graduates of the MA Corporate Governance Course to be given certificates of basic competence in the use of their commercial software.
“This is further recognition of the class-leading characteristics of the MA Corporate Governance which has been consistently commended by external examiners for its content and coverage. Graduates of the course now receive an academic award of the highest calibre, a professional qualification and tuition in commercial software recognised as a sound platform for further development.”
ICSA Software produces a software programme called Blueprint which is used by most of the world’s largest companies to complete and maintain their statutory books. The award of the certificates is in recognition of the comprehensiveness and effectiveness of the tuition offered on the MA CG/GradICSA and is not subject to further referral to ICSA Software on an individual student basis. The MA Corporate Governance at LAIBS is unique among Masters level courses in the subject, in using Blueprint to act as the platform for much of the tuition on one of its central modules. Blueprint was introduced to the course five years ago.
Stephen’s wife, Gillian Bloomfield, wrote the original specification for the software while working at the chartered secretary’s professional institute over twenty-five years ago, before it was developed commercially. Revenues from the product now exceed £6m annually, from worldwide sales of the product suite.
Stephen Bloomfield, who introduced the software on to the course at LAIBS, said:
For more information contact: Stephen Bloomfield, Director, Corporate Governance Unit T: 0845 196 6834 E: stephen.bloomfield@anglia.ac.uk
GRLI Student Ambassador off to South Africa Charline Collard, a masters student at our university and Chair of the GRLI Ambassadors group running at Anglia Ruskin University, is one of the winners in the latest GRLI competition. The prize is an allexpenses paid trip to participate in the GRLI General Assembly *‘Young Ambassadors @ Africa Leads’ which will be held between 18 – 21 November 2012 in Stellenbosch, South Africa.
The GRLI provide lots of opportunities for students to engage in explorations and activities concerned with the development of the next generation of globally responsible leaders. More details can be found at www.grli.org There is an opportunity for students to get involved in the GRLI at our University, through a drop in session running in the library at the Cambridge campus every Tuesday evening between 7pm and 8.30pm. You can also follow the activities of the group.on Facebook: GRLI Anglia Ruskin University We are very proud of Charline's achievement and pleased she will be representing us at the conference – very well done Charline!
Charline will be representing the Lord Ashcroft International Business School at this event and we will be assisting her with travel costs. Upon her return Charline will give a presentation to the Business School on its outcomes and also write an article on the competition and the conference for The Biz so look out for this in the next issue.
Dr Jonathan Smith, Senior Lecturer T: 0845 196 2069 E: jonathan.smith@anglia.ac.uk
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Society’s super-heroes! Professor Gary Packham, Deputy Dean for Research and Development, argues that a vibrant and prosperous society needs growing businesses, increasing wealth, and, above all, its entrepreneurs.
It will take a coordinated approach and we need to have a realistic expectation of what the private sector can, and should, provide to society. Unrealistic expectations will result in unnecessary conflict and bureaucracy; diverting our entrepreneurs away from their primary purpose and contribution to the communities they serve: wealth creation within society through profitable activity.
Businesses don’t operate in a vacuum. They reflect the values and rules of the society in which they do business. People form new enterprises for a specific purpose: usually to create goods and services to sell to other members of their community. But if these businesses are to meet their obligations to society, they need to need to make money.
We shouldn’t just focus on business start-ups, or major inward investment. More recently, entrepreneurship and social innovation have also become cornerstones of economic and social development activity, with policy-makers starting to recognise (more overtly) the increased importance of the small business sector as a primary source of innovation and growth. We need most of all to focus on developing entrepreneurial mind-sets, behaviours and skills in our young people.
Profit is used to meet the expectations of all stakeholders. A healthy society has employees with good wages and career expectations. Investors deserve a return on their capital and new technological and product development rely on investment. Society also needs thriving businesses to pay taxes and make other contributions. Put more simply, without profit there is no business.
Entrepreneurship is more than just understanding how to start and run a business. It is about a different way of thinking, behaving and an ability to be agile, creative and resilient – skills and attributes that are all being demanded by businesses, governments and society. As a society we have come to acknowledge and value entrepreneurship in all its forms. Entrepreneurs are often cast in the role of ‘cultural super heroes’ fighting valiantly to drive innovation, change and growth. It is certainly an image that I have used successfully to inspire many of my own students to follow an entrepreneurial career path. But we need more of them.
My own experience with local businesses in South Wales tells me that enterprises interact with communities in different ways and for different reasons. Some interact at a purely local level, drawing employees and selling goods and services. Other firms however, extend beyond these boundaries, introducing new technologies and working practices which have a more profound impact in developing the wider economic and social society in which they work.
Progressive, entrepreneurial and business-orientated universities like Anglia Ruskin will play a significant role in this effort, committing to increase graduate entrepreneurship rates for the benefit of our economy and communities. We can’t do this in isolation: it is something that must be realised through stronger and more meaningful links with government and our business community. We must also continue to develop sustained flexible and timely support which builds the capacity and capability of our businesses. If our society is to reap the benefits of the much coveted knowledge-based and creative economy, we need our entrepreneurs to succeed.
The UK Government reported in 2011 that, of the 474,000 businesses in the East of England fewer than 1% employ more than 250 people. Whilst policy makers and the media may focus on larger organisations, the wealth of small companies within the region and around our cities, tells a different story of a society in which entrepreneurship is a vital, if invisible, thread. Our current economic and employment outlook remains uncertain. What we do know is that we must not rely on large multi-nationals and the public sector. Instead, we must continue to support and develop our private sector.
Professor Gary Packham, Deputy Dean for Research and Development T: 0845 196 5699 E: gary.packham@anglia.ac.uk
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‘Open Arts’ – Promoting staff positive wellbeing through creativity Being creative always makes my heart sing, it’s the essence of me. So when I heard about a staff pilot research project called ‘Open Arts’ – promoting positive wellbeing through creativity I knew I wanted a piece of the action and to grab this exciting opportunity! The low down; 6 week art course, 2 hour sessions each week which included collage, acrylics and printmaking. No experience necessary and free for ARU staff. It wasn’t a surprise that the 15 available places went like hot cakes! The first Monday night, 22 October, my friend Karine and I met everyone in the Sawyers Art room. I was already excited walking into a room full of colour, paints, sculptures and printmaking machines. The two artists – Dawn Van Win and Michelle Fazakerley welcomed the group to the ‘Open Arts’ class. Their passion for art was clearly apparent as was their friendliness, support and encouragement, as we ‘got arty’.
Nicole Tomlin and Karine Ditjacques with some of their ‘Open Arts’ art work.
As we introduced ourselves to the rest of the group I found it intriguing to hear why others were drawn to volunteer for this project. Generally it seemed people wanted some ‘me’ time and a chance to get creative and try new things. Often work and family life not allowing enough time to even think about being creative, some not doing anything artistic since printmaking with potatoes at school.
to work on a Monday before! From our conversations this definitely seems to have had a positive impact on people. I personally feel creativity does benefit and help people’s wellbeing. I believe it’s a no brainer. Some of our ‘Open Arts’ work will be exhibited in the ‘Rivermead Gallery’, ground floor of the Sawyers building, from about 7 to 21 December. Feel free to pop along and check it out! Maybe it will inspire you to be creative!
Each Monday night Dawn and Michelle would introduce us to an art theme, like collage show us various samples of work and different art techniques and then let us get cracking! We’d grab some card, glue and delve in the art boxes like eager magpies, gathering such materials as fabrics, feathers and beads. The atmosphere always being enjoyable, relaxed and messy.
For more information on the Open Arts Project, or the exhibition, please contact Research Fellow Dr K Margrove on: kerrie.margrove@anglia.ac.uk
I am gutted we only have two more Monday night classes left. Being involved in this art project has certainly given me an extra spring in my step. I’ve never been so keen about going
Nicole Tomlin Receptionist & Administrator Lord Ashcroft International Business School
University Library’s new Computer Suite in Chelmsford The new 200 Computer Suite is now ready for use and is situated on the 2nd Floor of the University Library in Queens Building, Chelmsford.
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LAIBS wins funding to promote social entrepreneurship Anglia Ruskin University’s corporate plan commits us to promoting enterprise and entrepreneurship to students. An important part of this work is around social entrepreneurship and social enterprise: businesses and ventures established for social purposes rather than private profit.
establish an effective eco-system for the development and growth of socially entrepreneurial activity within HEIs in England. In that sense it fits nicely with our other third sector work, which engages with practitioners from existing social enterprises, and which really demonstrated to the funders how seriously we take this work.”
A team led from the Business School has just been successful in a funding bid, securing £25,000 from the HEFCE/UnLtd Social Entrepreneurship HE Support Initiative. The funding will be used to give awards to Anglia Ruskin staff and students (including recent graduates) who have an idea for a social venture. Andy Brady, who wrote the successful bid, stressed that the funding was part of a wider process of social enterprise support within the university: “The aim of the programme is to
The awards programme was officially launched at the ‘Business as Mutual’ conference on 12 September. For further information contact Andrew Brady. Andrew Brady, Programme Manager – 3rd Sector Futures T: 0845 196 6888 E: andrew.brady@anglia.ac.uk
Shadows and Darkness, Silence and Secrets: The Poetics of Organisational Space Best Paper Prize Andrew Armitage who attended the Sixth Arts of Management and Organization Conference at the University of York was awarded the Best Paper Prize entitled Shadows and Darkness, Silence and Secrets: The Poetics of Organisational Space.
around us. Pallasmaa was concerned with our visually dominated world, campaigning instead for an ‘architecture of the senses’, and identifying a trend towards what he describes as ‘retinal architecture’ – an observation that architecture has become ‘the art of the printed image, fixed by the hurried eye of the camera.
The conference was attended by a wide variety of participants from across the globe, including performance artists, painters, singers, poets, musicians, book illustrators, and academics from leading universities who are pioneering the use of artistic approaches to explore and understand management and organisational practice. Andrew’s paper explored the connection between space, aesthetics and organisational studies which have attracted a varied and a well-established set of literature, such as the emotional well-being of individuals and their psychological dispositions associated in dealing with things that please or cause concerns for those who encounter inanimate objects in offices and working spaces, and was a response to Pierre Guillet de and Juhani Pallasmaa.
Andrew’s paper used the lens of Gaston Bachelard’s The Poetics of Space to explore his organisational environment. Whilst Bachelard is an often forgotten thinker of the 20th century, his work had enormous impact upon those that followed him in the latter part of this century, including Foucault, Althusser, Lecourt and Derrida. Bachelard’s philosophy was a journey towards a concrete formulation of the imagination and reverie, the creative daydream is central in his emerging metaphysic, which becomes increasingly phenomenological in a manner reminiscent of Husserl. This resulted in and auto-ethnographic reverie, an aesthetic intentionality to provide a metaphysic of the imagination. Andrew’s alternative engagement with his work environment notes that Bachelard’s poetics of space allowed him the freedom seldom experienced through the more accepted modernistic discourse of organisational theory to explore his reality. This allowed his conscious existence to roam in the exploration of his work environment and in doing so revealed an alternative perspective of the organisation.
Monthoux has explored the seemingly unorthodox alliance of the arts, management and marketing claiming that art firms, as avant-garde enterprises and arts corporations have existed for at least 200 years, using texts, images and other types of art to create corporate wealth. Monthoux investigates how to apply the methods artists use in creating value to the methods more traditional managers use in running their businesses. The Eyes of The Skin describes the power that architecture has to silence the noise of external activity to focus on attention on one’s very existence away from everyday day life and in the present moment, and to initiate a private dialogue with the space
Dr Andrew Armitage T: 0845 196 6846 E: andrew.armitage@anglia.ac.uk
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LAIBS Work Based Degree Student reflects on her role as Venue Logistics Manager during the Olympics Lyuba Velcheva a pioneer student from the UPS work based learning degree talks to Rachael Hall and Vanessa Knowles, Principal Lecturers in Corporate Education & Workbased Learning at LAIBS, about her role in the London Olympics and Paralympics. How did you become involved with the Olympic project? I was undertaking the Anglia Ruskin University, BA (Hons) Management and Leadership work based degree programme with UPS. At the end of the second year of the programme, I was offered a position in London to support my functional assignment. I wasn’t told what the role involved but I still said yes... two weeks later I found out that I was in the core team managing the UPS’ sponsorship for London 2012!
Were there any scary moments? Of course, every new thing is scary in its nature. Three months away from the Olympic Opening Ceremony I felt like I had gotten into a washing machine that was spinning faster and faster!!! But, you just have to get through it, and stay focused on the task. Now when I look back I feel the satisfaction of a job well done.
When did you start working for the Olympic project? On the 1st October 2009, straight after the announcement that UPS was a main sponsor. I was so excited I was going to take part in staging what is probably the biggest peacetime logistical event – The Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.
What was the happiest moment of your time on this project? The time I spent with my crew. I had three deputies and about 17 crew members across three shifts, all from different backgrounds and we had so much fun learning together.
What roles did you undertake throughout the planning for the Olympic Games? I started as a logistics specialist setting up the UPS systems for small package as well as freight shipping for the LOCOG users. At the end of 2010 I was offered the opportunity to become part of Venue Logistics which involves the planning and executing of all logistics operations on venue. This includes on-site labour, distribution, receipt, handling and dispatch of furniture etc.
Now it is all over, what have you learned about yourself as a leader? That not everyone is like me. But that if I act honestly, recognise that as individuals we are all different and set clear directions of where we need to be as a team I can bring the best out in people. Is there anything you would have done differently? Yes, I would allow myself to absorb and enjoy the good moments better and create more relationships. An operation can always be improved one way or another but good moments are precious and making time for people is a skill I need to learn.
In June 2011 I became the Deputy Venue Logistics Manager at Lee Valley White Water Centre Canoe Slalom for the Test Event. A couple of months later I was promoted to Venue Logistics Manager and looked after Riverbank Arena and Copper Box during the games. Can you describe a typical day during the Olympic and Paralympic games? Oh...where do I start? In short – 24 hours of operation, very little sleep and a lot of fun.
How will you transfer this massive opportunity and the experiences that you have had to your career going forward? The wide range of skills that I have acquired over the past three years are invaluable. Also the contacts and networking opportunities have been great and in this industry it is very important that people know what you can do.
We would have the routine tasks that were necessary to manage the crew and run safe and successful logistics operations, but otherwise every day was different.
I have just accepted a new position which is a huge step up in my career with the Sochi Organising Committee for the Winter Games in 2014 – so I have lots more exciting times to come!
What was the highlight of the Olympic Games for you? The Olympics Closing Ceremony. I had the chance to be there with a lot of my colleagues from the venue and we had great fun – it really did feel like the end of an era.
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LAIBS making waves at Academy of Management: Mindfulness and spirituality at work of the action inquiry movement, Kathryn Goldman Schulyer and Susan Skeije, leadership consultant. It was part talk, part experiential. Bronwen Rees also has a chapter in the book entitled ‘East Meets West: The Development and Methods of Crucible Research’ which summarises her work to 2010 in developing ‘mindful methods for sustainable business’. The chapter places LAIBS clearly at the leading edge of a movement towards mindfulness which has grown to such an extent that over a period of two days, there were several other sessions on this approach including panel representative such as Richard Boyatzis and the executive director of Development at Google, Rich Ferendez who has agreed to give an interview on this and other methods for the March issue of Interconnections.
Over the summer, Dr Bronwen Rees, Senior Research Fellow at LAIBS, was invited to chair a panel at the Academy of Management conference in Boston, US in the Management, Spirituality and Work Stream. The panel consisted of Kathryn Goldman Schuyler, editor of the book Inner Peace: Global Impact, Yochanan Altman, founder editor of Journal of Management, Spirituality and Religion, Judi Neal, Director of the Centre for Spirituality and the Workplace and Victor Friedman, well-known author in the area of establishing communities of practice. The panel was created to establish world-wide networks of practice in the rapidly growing area of spirituality at work, and LAIBs work was well-represented in this area through both Bronwen Rees’ work with ‘mindfulness’ practices, and also Jon Smith’s hard work in creating and building spiritual networks in the UK.
Bronwen will be developing and bringing in this method and practice into short courses run for the business school.
In another session, which was attended by around 300 people, on ‘Mindful Leadership’ the book Inner Peace, Global Impact was launched in a three-hour long workshop. The launch consisted of a panel of management giants such as Peter Senge (who also has a chapter in this book), Bill Torbert, leader
For further information contact Bronwen at: E: bronwen.rees@anglia.ac.uk T: 0845 196 2238
Lecturer collaborates with Arvada Police Sergeant, Colorado Working jointly with a Police Sergeant from the Arvada Police Department in Colorado, Jonathan Smith, Senior Lecturer at LAIBS, is co-authoring a book entitled: Leadership Resilience: Lessons for leaders from the front line of policing. The final drafts of the manuscripts have just been submitted to the book publishers Gower Publishers, and the book is likely to be published early in the New Year.
three minute encounter with 8 people in a parking lot. The police officers who share their stories are from a variety of countries and from a range of levels within the police. One of the narratives is from Sir Peter Fahy, The Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, one of the largest provincial police forces in England and Wales. Sir Peter is also the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) lead on workforce development, and Director of the Strategic Leadership Course at the National Police Leadership College Bramshill. He is a strong advocate of police reform and innovation, was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal (QPM) and was knighted in the 2012 Birthday Honours for services to policing.
The book takes a practical perspective on how to develop resilience and draws on the narratives of seven police officers from around the world and argues that police officers and the police organisation internationally are good at building resilience and have to be able to cope with the challenging job they do. They suggest that leaders generally can learn a great deal from how these police officers cope effectively. The book draws on narratives from seven police officers that demonstrates this resilience in practice. These narratives range from the challenges of policing in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, policing during the troubles in Northern Ireland, to a
For further information contact: Dr Jonathan Smith, Senior Lecturer E: jonathan.smith@anglia.ac.uk T: 0845 196 2069
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Leavers’ Ball Graduands celebrate success in style Our Lord Ashcroft International Business School Leavers’ Ball was held on Friday 12th October 2012 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Downing Street, Cambridge. Upon arrival our guests were offered hand-made chocolate canapés from ‘Chocolat Chocolat’ and a complimentary glass of wine. Our female guests were given a beautiful golden rose (whilst gold is our graduate colour, in the United Kingdom gold or yellow roses signify ‘joy, gladness and friendship’). The evening’s entertainment began at seven with live music in the Bloomsbury Bar from ‘Midnight Blue’ a three piece Jazz trio and a selection of upbeat contemporary songs played by a DJ in the Orchard suite, whilst Magical Edd circulated the venue surprising our guests with his close up magic! A colourful mezze of European and International foods was served as a finger buffet from eight o’clock and this was followed by several athletic dance routines performed by a local dance troupe – who stayed on to give our guests a few basic dance lessons! During the course of the evening guests could try their luck on our ‘fun’ casino tables and four guests were lucky enough to take home a prize. Our faculty Dean Dr Trevor Bolton gave a short congratulatory speech and joined other faculty staff members who circulated the event, conversing and celebrating with our Graduands and their guests. Later in the evening our musical entertainment continued with two sets from ‘Party-Up’ a six piece London based band during which there was a balloon burst which scattered balloons and ticker-tape across the crowded dance floor. It was a splendid evening of entertainment and celebration that could not have been achieved without the support of faculty staff or our wonderful Graduands. We wish all our graduates a happy and successful future and look forwarding to seeing them again someday. Allison Beaumont Student Experience Coordinator, Cambridge T: 0845 196 2084 E: allison.beaumont@anglia.ac.uk
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Microgenius goes live with hydro scheme Community shares platform, backed by Anglia Ruskin start-up cash, is first in UK A technology that kick-started the industrial revolution is being brought into the 21st century with the support of Microgenius, the UK’s first community shares platform focusing on renewable energy projects.
awarded £10,000 to Mackay in December 2011 as part of its Enterprise Fellowship Scheme, and has also provided her with ongoing mentoring support.
One of the first schemes to use Microgenius is a share offer launch by Sheffield Renewables, which aims to raise £250k towards its Jordan Dam hydro power initiative.
Mackay’s not-for-profit website, which has the support of Cooperative Energy and Good Energy, is designed to link people with an interest in sustainable energy with communities that are developing microgeneration projects.
Cambridge-based Microgenius, backed by Anglia Ruskin University, is the brainchild of Emily Mackay. Anglia Ruskin’s Centre for Enterprise Development and Research (CEDAR)
Mackay said: “When I was looking to invest in renewable energy, I found it really difficult to find the community projects. It was so frustrating. I eventually found and talked to some
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co-operatives and ‘community benefit’ societies and I realised then how burdensome they find attracting investors and the administration that comes with it. So I could see that something had to be done to help.
“Microgenius is designed to simplify the process for both projects and investors. It is a web-based platform that has been specially developed to manage the administration of fundraising and also to make it possible to reach a much wider range of people with the share offer.
“Our Jordan Dam hydro project aims to generate 310,000kWh of electricity a year, the amount used by 80 typical family homes, and save the 170 tonnes of carbon-dioxide that would otherwise have been produced. It is the first in a number of local renewable energy initiatives. “Profits from the scheme will support local environmental projects, so by purchasing shares, investors will be contributing to creating a greener, more sustainable city. Investors will become members of Sheffield Renewables and gain an equal vote in how it is run. We plan to offer a modest rate of interest and have a target of 3% plus tax relief.”
“Sheffield Renewables is a great example of the type of community energy project that Microgenius aims to support. A proportion of the shares will be sold through our platform simplifying the process for investors.”
The Sheffield Renewables share offer runs until 31 December and Wells sees the benefit of partnering with Microgenius as a way of reaching a much wider community. He added: “We have strong grass roots support from the Sheffield community but want to expand our membership. Microgenius is exciting as it offers a new way for people to engage in community energy generation across the UK.”
Ben Mumby-Croft, Senior Lecturer at Anglia Ruskin and Mackay’s mentor said: “We are delighted to see the progress Emily has made since being awarded the CEDAR Enterprise Fellowship in 2011. She has taken her initial idea to a national launch in less than a year.
Another scheme to recently approach Microgenius for support is Woolhope Woodheat based in Herefordshire, the UK’s first green heat supply co-operative.
“CEDAR specialises in finding and supporting true entrepreneurship, which is about having a positive attitude, being tenacious, and not being afraid to try out new ideas and approaches, which are all traits Emily has aplenty. We are very excited to see this beta site launching.”
Woolhope Woodheat began life as a collaboration between Fownhope and District Carbon Reduction Action Group (CRAG) and Sharenergy Co-operative. It is aiming to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by installing wood fuel boilers in hard-to-heat local buildings and then to fuel these boilers using locally sourced woodchip, bringing neglected woodlands in the area back into management.
Community energy is thriving. There are some 59 energy cooperatives registered across the UK according to the Community Shares Action Learning Research Project and although the sector is still emerging, some are already generating energy using wind, hydro and solar power and other technologies, and there are many more projects planned. An estimated £25m has been invested in community shares in renewable energy to date.
Ben Dodd, Development Manager at Woolhope Woodheat said: “We are aiming to bring ‘green heat’ to South Hereford and have set up the co-operative to involve the wider community. Already we have over 100 prospective members and have negotiated a contract with a local supplier of wood chips from a sustainable source.
Sheffield Renewables is a social enterprise that aims to reintroduce hydroelectric generation to the city and provide a social, environmental and financial return to investors. The Jordan Dam hydroelectric scheme will use a ‘fish friendly’ Archimedean screw, which turns as water is channelled through it generating electricity. The site chosen already has a weir and the project will include a fish ladder to improve fish migration up river. Mark Wells, Business and Funding Director of Sheffield Renewables, said: “Fast-flowing water was the powerhouse that started Sheffield’s steel industry. Sheffield Renewables is drawing on that heritage and inspiration to create an entrepreneurial community with an interest in sustainable energy and developing hydroelectric generation.
“Capital is required to purchase the first boiler and we are well on the way to achieve this through the share offer. By teaming up with Microgenius we hope to reach a wider community and attract more members and support for the project before the share offer closes on 28 September.” For further information about Microgenius, please visit www.microgenius.org.uk Microgenius, the UK’s first community shares platform focusing on renewable energy projects, is now up and running and is supporting a hydro power scheme in Sheffield and a green heating initiative in Herefordshire.
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Dr John Webb opens International HR Conference in Delhi On the 13 October, Dr John Webb attended the 2nd International HR conference on “Exploring Non Linear growth through HR driven Strategies” Conference organised by Institute of Management Studies (IMS) Noida and sponsored by Anglia Ruskin University, in Delhi and attended by 200 delegates. As per Indian Hindu tradition, the event was preceded by a traditional lamp lighting ceremony in which dignitaries were invited to take part. The audience was primarily from India and came to hear how HR practices need to be embedded into organisational and individual learning. John’s talk was on work based learning and the integration of degree education into company structures and culture. The audience were introduced to the experience of LAIBS through our Barclay’s and Harrods’ courses and the work undertaken by the Degrees at Work team. After the presentation John was interviewed by the student radio reporter.
Dr John Webb (centre), and Professor P K Agarwal, Head of Department and Dean, Institute of Management Studies (IMS) Noida (right), at the lamp lighting ceremony
Conference Keynotes Professor Simon Down, Director of the Institute for International Management Practice has recently given Keynote Addresses at the following conferences: SME Regulation: Building Better Policy, at the 10th SME Research – Policy Symposium, at the invitation of The New Zealand Centre for SME Research at Massey University, New Zealand The focus at this year’s conference was on SME Regulation. Building better policy on SME regulation is a key concern for modern developed and developing economies. The World Bank measures and monitors business regulation in their annual reports on Doing Business. In this symposium there were presentations on the latest international research and policy perspectives. The symposium provided an opportunity to participate in discussion and debate on building policy on regulation for New Zealand’s SMEs. The 5th Annual Conference of the Higher Education Institutional Research Network in association with the Journal of Organizational Ethnography and the Journal Ethnography, University of Liverpool Management School
At the heart of Institutional Research lies a desire to understand better the operation of our institutions of higher education, both in themselves and in comparison with other institutions. By increasing this understanding, it is hoped that the quality of policy formation and decision making can be enhanced. Institutional Research provides relevant information for governments and funding bodies as well as university leaders and managers; it offers tools to assist in steering the development of our higher education institutions and to help inform crucial human judgements. Today, all over the world, higher education faces massive challenges, including the pressures of competition, new funding arrangements, increasing expectations from students and from society in general, globalisation and new technology. In such circumstances, the need to understand our universities and colleges more fully is increasing all the time.
The theme for the HEIR Conference 2012: using Institutional Research to strengthen institutional effectiveness within the rapidly changing world of higher education.
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Success for the 4th Cambridge International Regulation and Governance Conference Over 80 delegates from all seven continents attended a full-day conference in early September jointly organised by Stephen Bloomfield from Lord Ashcroft Business School and Paul Sanderson from the Centre for Business Research at the University of Cambridge. The conference which was held in the 20th anniversary year of the Cadbury Committee’s Report on Corporate Governance, was on the theme of ‘More Governance or Better Stewardship – Optimising the Means and Ends of Good Governance.’ Among the high-profile speakers participating in the Conference, were Professor Brian Cheffins, from the University of Cambridge; Alan Hughes of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry Ltd, Britain’s oldest manufacturing company, established in 1570; Peter Montagnon of the UK Financial Reporting Council; Professor Simon Deakin, University of Cambridge; Stephen Bourne, President of the Cambridge University Press and Sarah Wilson of Manifest, Europe’s independent, global proxy voting and corporate governance support service. At a pre-conference dinner, the delegates were addressed by Philip Augar, bestselling author of Chasing Alpha and a former Group Managing Director of Schroders plc. Thirty-five papers were presented at the conference on topics that included company governance, regulation and ownership; the composition, performance and pay of boards; regulation in the financial sector; the powers and protection of shareholders; regulating and managing businesses for the long term; and the limits of the comply-or-explain principle. The conference concluded with a closing address from Sir Adrian Cadbury, who reflected specifically for the conference, on the evolution of corporate governance in the twenty years since the publication of his committee’s report.
Joint organiser Paul Sanderson, who also lectures in Regulation at Anglia Ruskin’s Faculty of Health, Social Care and Education remarked: “This year the particular aim of the conference was to foster discussion and the exchange of ideas between governance/ regulation practitioners, policymakers and academics. We were very pleased with the high level of debate in pursuit of this”. Stephen Bloomfield said :
“Judging by the reaction of delegates and speakers, the conference was a resounding success and we hope to build on that in future years”. Karine Ditjacques, Lord Ashcroft International Business School T: 0845 196 6842 E: karine.ditjacques@anglia.ac.uk
Invited paper at Georgia Tec, Atlanta Dr Emanuele Giovannetti, Reader in Economics in the Institute for International Management Practice (IIMP) presented an invited paper entitled Attractors and repellors: a game theoretic interpretation of the cycles in provider-customer relations at the “Workshop on Internet Topology and Economics” at Georgia Tec, Atlanta, one of the highest ranked US Universities in the field of Sciences. Workshop Theme: The Internet is composed of tens of thousands of interconnected diverse, self-owned smaller networks, called Autonomous Systems (ASes). These ASes engage in strategic decision making to maximize their profits, reliability and performance. The business agreements (e.g. peering and transit) between these ASes play a major role in how the Internet is structured today and how it evolves over time. This important aspect creates a strong connection
between networking research, economics and game-theoretic network formation models. The aim of this workshop was to bring together these different communities from research (Internet Topology Measurement, Economics, Theoretical Computer Science, Network Science) and related industry (ISPs, Content Providers, CDNs etc.) to help narrow the gap between research and operational practice. The workshop allowed Dr Giovannetti to establish working relations and future co-authorships with colleagues from the Cooperative Association for Internet Data Analysis of the University of California, San Diego, the leading world Research Center for Internet Research.
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Professor Packham takes Research brief New Deputy Dean at Anglia Ruskin’s Lord Ashcroft International Business School Professor Gary Packham has been appointed as Deputy Dean (Research and Development) of the Lord Ashcroft International Business School. Prior to joining Anglia Ruskin, Professor Packham was Head of the Glamorgan Business School at the University of Glamorgan and also Director of the university’s Centre for Enterprise. Professor Packham began his career in the financial services sector before returning to Higher Education. In 2001 he completed his doctorate, which examined management practices in fast growing firms. He has led and managed a wide range of research and business engagement projects over the past 12 years; working for organisations such as the European Commission, Belgian Science and Policy Office, Welsh Government, Sector Skills Council and the Federation of Small Businesses. Professor Packham has also been the academic lead on a number of European projects ranging from the use of e-learning to support entrepreneurs and business start-ups, examining key issues surrounding women’s entrepreneurship across the European Union and the early stage commercialisation opportunities associated with university research and intellectual property. He continues to publish widely in international peer reviewed journals on subjects such as economic development policy, entrepreneurship education, small business management and strategy, technology transfer, innovation management and commercialisation. Professor Packham currently holds visiting professorships at the Moscow International Higher Business School and the University of Glamorgan. His current research includes examining small business development and performance, ICT use in SMEs, the emergence of entrepreneurial universities and the contribution of women to the economy through selfemployment.
He is a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute, the Higher Education Academy and the Institute of Enterprise and Entrepreneurs (IoEE). He is also a member of the SFEDI advisory Council and on the board of trustees for the Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ISBE). Professor Packham said:
“I am delighting to be joining Anglia Ruskin University at a time when we are making a significant investment to develop research and business engagement within the Business School. “It is truly an exciting time and as a leading entrepreneurial university I am look forward to working closely with our business community and ensuring that we are delivering research, enterprise and innovation which can contribute directly to both our economy and society.”
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GoGreen Movement – Being part of something bigger From Research Assistant to GoGreen Pioneer I first spoke to Greg O’Shea during my second year studies about the possibility of taking an internship through the summer of August 2011. This idea soon formed into something much more attainable with a scheduled interview with the then Director of Research Rob Willis. The interview was nerve wracking as whilst I had attended many job interviews, an interview for a research position was within my unknown. Not being sure what to expect, I went along with another student to discuss what areas I was interested in within my degree and examined what research options were available. It was after this interview that I met with my new team; Dr Beatriz Acevedo and Romas Malevicius. From that moment on I knew I was in for an exciting ride. Dr Acevedo and I scoped out what my research assistant role was, how best to conduct the research and what the end product should look like. The next few months saw my research methods advance quickly to adapt to the fast approaching deadlines set by Dr Acevedo, a method we adopted together as it was clear I worked best under pressure. Being part of the Go Green team; Beatriz, Laura, Luis, Romas and Souvenir was such a fantastic experience. It enabled us to work as a team through a variety of events; from travelling down to Hastings to gather research on two of the participating companies, to spending every Friday morning at 8am in Costa to update how our research was going and challenge each other’s ideas. Being a part of this new project group was so enlightening for both my personal development and my professional knowledge on the topic. After completing the majority of the research assistant role, my focus turned to my dissertation. The research opportunity I had been given through Anglia Ruskin enabled me to focus my dissertation topic very early on and therefore put me in good stead to spread the workload out for the year ahead. Not many students are able to really pull apart a topic as I did and not only did being part of the Go Green team help me focus my dissertation and have a large base of research to use, it provided a great support network of students and staff when times inevitably got tough. With such a diverse group, whatever support was needed there was always someone on hand to help. The pilot drew to a close when the student team handed in our dissertations and bid farewell, but it wasn’t all over for me. Still working with Dr Acevedo, I was given the opportunity to attend the British Academy of Management (BAM) Conference 2012 in Cardiff to support the proposal of a development paper. Participating in the conference was a priceless and unforgettable experience. I seized the opportunity to challenge Keynote Speaker Professor Jeffrey Pfeffer on the topic of integrated work experience within the education system. BAM
Francesca Rust and Dr Beatriz Acevedo also provided a platform to speak to Academics from across the globe on topics ranging from sustainability to performance management and get a real insight to what it is like to focus on research and the opportunities that can come from it. Being a part of the GoGreen project has helped me identify areas within my current role as Students’ Union President where sustainability can be enhanced. Be it through simple lighting techniques used in the companies we analysed or researching into conservation topics that we might be able to contribute to. It has also added an additional layer on to my degree at ARU, not many students get the chance to be a part of something like this and so should the opportunity arise again – don’t miss out. I have been exposed to different types of teams, working directly with three different companies. Interviewing at all levels within the staff structures at Showtrax, including the CEO. Again, not an opportunity that is open to all. Sometimes I have to pinch myself because I cannot quite believe the opportunities I have had during my time at Anglia Ruskin, to have been part of something bigger. Francesca Rust
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1000 breweries but how do drinkers choose Camra’s announcement that there are now more than 1000 brewers in the UK is good news for cask ale drinkers and welcome news for an industry reeling from pub closures during difficult economic times. Demand for cask ale, which accounts for around 16% of total beer sales, remains relatively buoyant against a background of declining beer sales overall. It’s the increasing number of micro-brewers that accounts for the resurgence in the cask ale sector which generates around half a billion pounds in tax revenues. With more beer available from more brewers decisions about which beer to drink become even more difficult. The draught beer market as a whole is dominated by global giants who drive high levels of brand awareness through huge promotional spend and high profile advertising campaigns. This is not the case in the cask ale market where drinkers typically approach the bar with very little product or brand knowledge and the brands themselves typically have very low levels of brand awareness. CAMRA itself recognises this problem: “the only real problem cask ale faces is a lack of product knowledge and awareness.” So how do consumers make their cask ale choices at the bar? This is the subject of research undertaken by Tim Froggett, Senior Marketing Lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University, which reveals an interesting array of decision making strategies.
and the product but most importantly a means of grabbing the consumer’s attention. Brewers use a range of creative approaches and styles: naughty words, erotic imagery, historical events, cultural or mythical figures, hop varieties can all feature in pump clip designs. More often than not there is a story for the brewer behind the pump clip design. With increasing choice in the cask ale sector the important thing for brewers to remember is that a wide range of images compete for the consumer’s attention at point of purchase: the pump clip should both attract attention and assist the consumer with their decision making.
Some consumers are highly involved in their product choice, have high levels of product knowledge, know what they like and will often ask the bar staff for a small taster of a number of beers before making their choice. With beer generally in excess of £3.00 a pint this is an effective strategy but requires considerable time and effort. Most drinkers prefer to rely on simplified decision making strategies requiring considerably less effort. Some will ask the bar staff for a recommendation but with tastes and preferences being so personal this can often lead to disappointment with the product chosen. Other drinkers prefer consensus and will find out what is the popular choice. The positioning of the “pump clip” for some drinkers can be the main choice factor with the left most pump clip being favoured corresponding with the way we process visual information from left to right.
To help drinkers make choices at the bar Tim Froggett has used his research findings to develop a web based mobile app called AskCask which connects brewers and drinkers at point of purchase and has already been adopted by Peterborough based Oakham Ales. Based on QR codes in the pump clip design brewers can use AskCask to send tasting notes, news, promotional offers direct to the drinker at point of purchase.
For many micro-brewers the pump clip is the only means of communicating with the consumer at point of purchase. The pump clip is a means of creating an identity for the brewer
For more information on Tim’s research contact him at: E: tim.froggett@anglia.ac.uk T: 0845 196 2212
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The Police and Anglia Ruskin University Policing and spirituality are something of an oxymoron to many, which is what first attracted Jonathan to explore this area. This was back in 2000 when spirituality in the workplace was a relatively new field and Jonathan was a Director of Studies at the National Police Training Centre in North Yorkshire. His PhD began with exploring the relevance of spirituality in the training of trainers for the police, although this soon expanded into examining the challenges of operational policing and how spirituality may be able to assist the organisation as well as individual officers cope with the enormous challenges they encounter on a daily basis. Since then he has been on a bit of a journey. He joined LAIBS to give him more opportunity to conduct research in this area. He was invited by the FBI in America to be part of a working group at the FBI Police Academy exploring the relevance of spirituality in policing in America. He took part in two working conferences in 2008 and 2009 in Washington and as a result of this work a course is now taught at the FBI Police Academy. This course has so far been offered as an undergraduate course during ten National Academy sessions and as a graduate course during two sessions. He has continued to work with two people from that FBI working party, Ginger Charles, PhD, a police sergeant and research psychologist working in the Criminal Investigation Department at the Arvada Police Department in Colorado, and Frederick Travis, PhD, Director of the Center for Brain, Consciousness and Cognition, and Dean of the Graduate School Maharishi Vedic Science University, Fairfield, America. Jonathan and Ginger discovered that they had conducted similar research on spirituality in policing at the same time and found similar things, although they were unaware of each others work. They have written several academic journals on their work together now, presented at a number of international conferences and conducted further research with officers in the UK and America. Jonathan and Ginger are also just completing a book which was submitted to the publishers at the end October 2012. This is focused on developing leadership resilience and targets a much wider audience than just the police. See Page 7 for further details on the book.
Jonathan, Ginger and Fred, building on their previous qualitative research have also conducted some quantitative research with police officers using EEG brain integration tests. High levels of brain integration have been shown by Travis to be an indicator of better abilities in coping with stress – a key factor not only for the police but also for organisations internationally. This was a pilot study and only involved 11 police officers from Colorado, but the research revealed some of the highest levels of brain integration Travis has ever known. Ginger, Fred and Jonathan are now left exploring the reasons for these high levels – is it because the respondents are police officers, that the respondents all have well developed spiritual practices, the training they have received within the police, some other factor, or a combination of all the above? They are planning now to extend the pilot study and are aiming to conduct tests with 50 police officers in the UK or America. He is looking to submit a number of grant applications within the next year to support this and other related police research. Jonathan is currently supervising a Major in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Police who is doing a PhD with us looking at strategic leadership development within the UAE police. He is also working to develop contacts within the police locally, nationally and internationally and is developing programmes of new recruit, 1st line supervisor and leadership training. There are eight people at Anglia Ruskin University who are involved in some aspect of police work, research or teaching and Jonathan has established a VLE for those at Anglia Ruskin University who are involved in research or teaching with the police, or are interested in the fascinating area. With considerable changes currently taking police within the UK police training environment he is hoping to establish a centre of expertise at ARU to capitalise on this. This would be focused on research and teaching for the police or for the emergency services and could build on the excellent work and reputation that LAIBS have already established with a number of fire and rescue services in the UK. Jonathan is keen to hear from anyone wishing to get involved in the work, or with experience or expertise in this area. For further details please contact Jonathan: E: Jonathan.Smith@anglia.ac.uk T: 0845 296
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Oral Evidence to House of Lords Select Committee on SME Exports Professor Lester Lloyd-Reason on his day at ‘The Lords’. policy communities with a deadline of 14th September. In addition to the written evidence, a small number were invited by the Select Committee to provide oral evidence to the Committee at the House of Lords. The Committee is due to produce their conclusions and recommendations for Government action in February 2013. In providing oral evidence to the Select Committee, Prof LloydReason drew primarily upon his research with UK Trade and Investment where 1,000 small and medium sized enterprises were surveyed and his work as expert adviser to the OECDAPEC 44-country survey ‘Removing Barriers to SME Access to International Markets’. Prof Lloyd-Reason suggested to the Select Committee that ‘If we really want to have an impact, then there are three key messages for the Government: 1. All too often we hear that what is needed to help international SMEs to grow their exports is financial assistance. But it is not about money at all. Rather if we are to help our SMEs to compete effectively in international markets, what they need are skills, knowledge and experiential learning. A mix of simple ‘how to’ training through to managing complexity. 2. Having developed a typology comprising: the curious, the frustrated, the tentative, the enthusiastic and the successful, it is the enthusiastic category where the Government can generate the highest return for minimal investment. These firms, which have high growth potential, typically employ around 30 staff, have strong domestic markets, some international successes and although they face many challenges, these challenges are often easily addressed.
Back on the one of the few sunny days of the summer, Prof Lester Lloyd-Reason, Director of the Centre for Enterprise Development and Research (CEDAR), was invited down to the House of Lords to be interviewed for the position of Special Adviser to the House of Lords Select Committee on SME exports. Prof Lloyd-Reason was one of four UK academics interviewed for the role and although it did not work out due to the time commitment involved, he was invited back in October to provide oral evidence to the Select Committee. The background to the Committee is as follows. In May 2011, UK Trade and Investment, the Government export promotion body, unveiled their new strategy: Britain Open for Business: growth through international trade and investment. In response to this strategy document, Lord Cope of Berkley established the House of Lords Select Committee on SME exports to examine what the Government is doing to assist and promote SME exports. In order to gather information, the Committee sent out a call for written evidence to the academic, practitioner and
3. The emphasis on language skills is a myth. All successful international SMEs tell us that it is not a question of language but of developing what we call “international skills”. That is, the ability to perform effectively when faced with a totally alien environment. When seeking to operate effectively in countries such as China, Russia, Brazil, the issue is not language, but the ability to successfully negotiate your way through a strange, unfamiliar, often hostile environment trading environment. ‘ Reflecting on the process, Prof Lloyd-Reason commented ‘It really was quite an experience. Even though I was there to assist the Select Committee, the questioning was pretty robust. It really gave you an insight into what those summoned to give evidence, such as Alistair Campbell and Rupert Murdock, must go through. It was a very stimulating day, but if I am ever asked back, I really hope my invitation means exactly that!’ For further information on Prof Lloyd-Reason’s experience or on the work of CEDAR, please contact: lester.lloyd-reason@anglia.ac.uk
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Success in ESRC bid as a co-investigator Ruth MacNally, Principal Lecturer in Innovation and Technology Management has recently been awarded funding from the ESRC as Co-investigator on ‘Socialising ‘big data’: identifying the risks and vulnerabilities of data-objects’. The aim of this project is to pilot a repertoire of methods for socialising digital data object by re-attaching them to the diverse social practices and specific situations of their production. Starting next March, the project will build on her previous and ongoing research on big data funded by awards from the e-Science Institute and the ESRC Digital Social Research Directorate.
Her research draws on science and technology studies (STS) with a focus on innovation in the biosciences and biotechnologies. She has published and researched on forensic genomics, next generation sequencing for genomics, animal genetic engineering, biopatenting, environmental release of genetically modified organisms, proteomics, and UK law on abortion for risk of handicap. She has published four books including Truth Machine: The Contentious History of DNA Profiling. Truth Machine was winner of the 2011 Distinguished Publication Award by the Ethnomethodology and Conversation Analysis Section of the American Sociological Association.
The other researchers are PI: Dr Evelyn Ruppert, Open University, ESRC CRESC. Co-Investigators: Prof Penny Harvey and Dr Hannah Knox, Manchester, ESRC CRESC; Dr Adrian Mackenzie, ESRC Cesagen; Prof Celia Lury, ESRC DTC Director and Centre for Interdisciplinary Methodologies (Warwick); Dr Ruth McNally joined the the Lord Ashcroft International Business School, Cambridge in September as Principal Lecturer in Innovation and Technology Management and Leader of Research in the Department of Economics, Strategy, Marketing and Enterprise.
For further information contact: Dr Ruth MacNally, Principal Lecturer in Innovation, Technology and Management E: ruth.mcnlly@anglia.ac.uk T: 0845 196 5666
Sponsors help charities go back to the classroom Invest in Impact scheme offers opportunity to access Anglia Ruskin course at half price Managers from Essex-based charities and social enterprises have an opportunity to access an accredited university course at half price, thanks to sponsorship from local businesses.
Helen Robinson, who works for the Salvation Army and is a trustee of Chelmsford YMCA, added: “It’s great to see a course covering the topics which are relevant to managers in the sector, including areas in which they need to develop, like social impact and marketing.”
Britvic Soft Drinks and Central Essex Community Services CIC are backing Anglia Ruskin University’s Invest in Impact scheme, which sees sponsors paying half of the £4,500 fee for the Charity and Social Enterprise Management course. Organisers of the two year course hope this will encourage smaller local charities to join this September’s intake.
The sponsors for Invest in Impact, which allows applicants from Essex to apply for a bursary of up to 50% off the course fees, were attracted by the opportunity to make a difference.
The course, which now has over 100 students enrolled following its launch last year, offers students the chance to study six modules via distance learning and gain a Certificate in Higher Education in Charity and Social Enterprise Management. The topics covered include leadership, finance, marketing and social impact assessment, and the flexible learning delivery has proved popular with students who are looking to develop their careers in the voluntary sector and social enterprise. Suzanne Harris, from the Rural Community Council for Essex, said the course was attractive to her because of its specific focus on charities and social enterprises. She said: “I hadn’t been able to find a qualification that was aimed at voluntary and third sector work. I would definitely recommend this course to other charity managers.”
John Niland, Chief Executive of Central Essex Community Services CIC, a social enterprise providing health and social care services in Essex, Waltham Forest, Redbridge and Cambridgeshire, explained: “As a social enterprise we are passionate about using any surplus we generate to help local charities and other social enterprises to become better, and Invest in Impact gives us a really good way of developing the people who can give them a brighter future.” Lauretta Lamont, from Britvic Soft Drinks, added: “We have always been committed to helping local charities. The nice thing about Invest in Impact is that we can help both the individual manager and their organisation, which benefits from better management and more sustainable services.” For more information visit: www.anglia.ac.uk/csem
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Vanessa Knowles, Anglia Ruskin Principal Lecturer, Corporate Education (third from left in the group), Rachael Hall, Anglia Ruskin Principal Lecturer, Corporate Education (fourth from the right), Patrick Kilty, Guest Speaker (second from right, at the back) and Mike Thorne, Anglia Ruskin Vice Chancellor (right)
Barclays degree lands national award Anglia Ruskin’s work-based learning programme is recognised by the CIPD Anglia Ruskin University, in partnership with Barclays plc, has won the Talent Attraction and Management Category at the prestigious CIPD National 2012 People Management Awards. Barclays and Anglia Ruskin’s Lord Ashcroft International Business School have successfully designed, developed and managed the Retail Development Programme (RDP), which has adopted the BA (Hons) Management & Leadership degree as its academic award. The RDP specifically targets new talent to the business with the aim of the trainees achieving the position of branch manager, or equivalent, within three years of joining the programme. Since the programme has now seen three cohorts successfully graduate, there was a significant amount of management information data available to tell a compelling “valued added” success story, and also highlight achievements in relation to diversity, retention, academic success and simultaneous career progression. Anglia Ruskin was shortlisted alongside Boots plc, Cape, MITIE Group plc and NHS London (Strategic Health Authority), and won first place after delivering a presentation and being interviewed by a panel of judges, which comprised of representatives from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), Hays, and Marks & Spencer plc.
The judges commended Barclays and Anglia Ruskin “for their innovative work-based undergraduate assessment and degree, placing emphasis on the cultural value the programme has given rise to through creating opportunities for a broad pool of candidates – many of which have come from disadvantaged backgrounds”. Will Rist, one of the first Anglia Ruskin graduates from the programme, was invited to attend the awards evening in recognition of his career success and on-going contributions to the Retail Development Programme. Other representatives included Anglia Ruskin’s Vice Chancellor Professor Michael Thorne, Course Leaders Vanessa Knowles and Rachael Hall, and Johannah Lynch, the RDP Programme Manager at Barclays. Vanessa Knowles said: “This work-based degree programme is an excellent example of how the Lord Ashcroft International Business School is successfully developing its practice-based agenda and employer engagement activity.” Work is now commencing on the recruitment and selection of the sixth cohort of students to begin studying in September 2013.
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David gets the call for Success in Business Award Telecommunications high-flier receives special Anglia Ruskin Alumni accolade Anglia Ruskin University graduate David Hyett, who is enjoying a sparkling career in the telecommunications industry, is the recipient of this year’s Alumni Success in Business Award, sponsored by the Luminus Group. The 33-year-old, who lives in Chelmsford, graduated from Anglia Ruskin in 2001 with a BA (Hons) Business Administration degree and went on to become Managing Director of the Excalibur Group Ltd, which offers IT and mobile solutions to businesses across the UK, before forming his own company – Foneshop.com
also contribute to the future success of Anglia Ruskin’s Lord Ashcroft International Business School by offering his expertise as a guest lecturer.
It wasn’t long before David’s burgeoning reputation attracted the attention of telecommunications company Excalibur Group Ltd, and in 2005 David was installed as their new Marketing Manager. His promotion was swift, joining the board as Marketing Director after just two years at the company and then becoming Managing Director in 2009.
In October 2010 he sold his stake in Excalibur to form his own company, Foneshop.com Ltd. In the first year his turnover was £1.2m and he is on track to achieve a turnover of £2.5m this year.
In the period that David worked there, Excalibur doubled its turnover and dramatically expanded its product range. Under David’s guidance, the company’s distribution business also flourished, increasing its turnover by 25%.
Sue Jacobs, Head of Alumni Relations at Anglia Ruskin, said: “David is an excellent role model for our students and is a worthy winner of the 2012 Alumni Success in Business Award. Constantly pushing himself to succeed within new business environments and challenges, David has a bright future of entrepreneurial success ahead of him.
David’s strong links with Anglia Ruskin were instrumental in securing two Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs), which gave Excalibur the expertise it needed to launch into new markets across Europe. David has been keen to create opportunities for our students and graduates through various business support programmes such as mentoring, internships and Low Carbon KEEP, and
BIZ
the
“From his Business Administration degree at Anglia Ruskin, to managing a multi-national company with over £15 million turnover and setting up his own business, David has brought exceptional skills, capabilities and dedication to both his studies and his career.”
Editor: Christine Durrant Marketing, Communications & External Relations E: christine.durrant@anglia.ac.uk T: +44 (0) 1245 493131 (Ext 6882)
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Corporate Marketing 12-13/042/DS
David’s first role after leaving Anglia Ruskin was with MBO, a direct marketing agency. After three years of unprecedented success for MBO, David was appointed as Marketing Manager at MR Plastic in 2004, where he increased yearly sales by 25% and started their highly successful mail order website project.