
Public relations textbook sets out bold ambition for professional development
A new book co-edited by a Leeds Business School professor is aiming to tackle the biggest hurdles facing the public relations sector.

Finding Rest During Covid-19 Lockdown: Rejecting Capitalistic Productivity
Now I need to catch-up; I need to draw a plan for the lockdown period - the courses I had always wanted to take, new skills to learn and locked up wardrobes to unpack. I read out my to-do list every morning, trying to convince myself how important it was for me to invest time and achieve as much as possible during this period.

Life after Covid-19: Applications of futures and foresight thinking.
In March 2020, the global Covid-19 pandemic was in relatively early days, and people spoke of life soon returning to normal. As the pandemic has continued, through first and second waves, lockdowns, tiers and tears, the welcome (to most) news of a viable vaccine brings hope and a shift in terminology to an imminent return to a ‘new normal’.

Just what is the new normal? We need to make it with contrafactual futures thinking.
As we proceed through what many have called the ‘second wave’ of the Covid 19 pandemic, there is much talk of ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ with the arrival of various vaccinations that may or may not allow a return to normal. However, most would agree that what we understood as normal is not available anymore; instead we have to embrace a ‘new normal’ even if there is no agreement on what this is.
Business School academic scoops sustainability award for work in Colombia
More than ever, countries across the world are looking to sustainable solutions to help solve unique problems that they face.


Developing markets using sustainability values
How can business leaders adapt to global changes in markets, competition and supply whilst at the same time growing a sustainable business? Dr Neil Richardson argues that businesses must now align their values with customers who increasingly seek people, and planet-friendly products and services.

Ensuring the future of packaging is sustainable
The Retail Institute has released its ‘Future of Packaging’ report, which outlines the steps the government, organisations and the public can take to making sure that packaging is recyclable and sustainable in the future. In this guest blog, Olga Munroe and Ben Mitchell discuss the report’s findings.

Space time and shopping centres
Ahead of the opening of Barnsley’s Glassworks shopping centre in 2021, Senior Lecturer Dr Esther Pugh reflects on the enduring appeal of shopping centres in her latest guest blog.

Laying the foundations for integrated reporting in small and medium sized enterprises
Researchers at Leeds Business School have been working with partners across Europe to lay the foundations for the development of practices to support Integrated Reporting (<IR>) in small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). In this blog post Professor David Devins and Dr Brian Jones reflect on progress made to date in the Erasmus+ funded INTEREST project which seeks to develop training materials to support the creation and reporting of value by SMEs.

University module shortlisted for national award
The team who nurture the next generation of business minds at Leeds Business School have been shortlisted alongside the UK’s top businesses and universities for a prestigious prize.
'What Comes Next?' Independent Food and Drink Academy Discussion Group, June 2020
Businesses from across the hospitality sector in the Leeds City Region were invited to come together for a virtual IFDA event to discuss opportunities and challenges related to the COVID-19 lockdown and reopening


Management Knowledge Transfer Partnerships – A New Way to Grow Small and Medium Sized Enterprises in the Region
Innovation is a key to sustained business success. In this blog, Jo Griffiths provides an insight into the introduction of Management Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (mKTPs) by Innovate UK as an incentive to encourage university – industry collaboration and improve business productivity and performance.
Lifting the lockdown: Pricing perceptions and the paradigm shift
Following the gradual release of the lockdown, hairdressers and pubs, amongst other businesses, are opening their doors again and welcoming back customers. Some people are desperate to get back into these ‘non-essential’ spaces, to be pampered, to have fun and to leave the confines of their immediate environment.
Bloke-ification in a Feminising Industry
Do women have to start communicating and acting like men to have a successful career in a fast growing sector of the UK economy? In this post Dr Martina Topić explores ‘bloke-ification’ and its implications in terms of equality, culture and leadership in the public relations and communications sector.
Pandemic awareness, business models and (im)possible futures
In a series of five blogs published by the Real World Economic Review, Professor Jamie Morgan explores the development of pandemic awareness, public health business models and the construction of (im)possible futures.
The Phenomenon of Green Mothers
Heightened awareness and understanding of the impact of the sustainability agenda is impacting on society in many different ways. In a recent article in Retail Review, Shannen Li identifes the emergence of ‘green mothers’ as an increasingly prominent segment of the consumer market that exert a significant influence on the values of the next generation.
European communication professionals face ethical challenges, technology and data threats as well as competency gaps
At the end of May I launched the 2020 European Communication Monitor (ECM) findings evaluating the trends in strategic communications across 44 countries in Europe.

Integrated Thinking - A Key to Superior Value Creation
Society has become more informed and less tolerant since the advent of the internet and social media, particularly in light of increasing concerns over climate change, social inequity and injustices, corporate scandals and the 2008 global financial crisis.
Economic policy under the coronavirus: an unconventional challenge
The COVID:19 (aka coronavirus) is hitting all aspects of human civilisation, including the global economy and international financial system.

International Women’s Day: Have we achieved equality?
Since 1911, International Women’s day has been celebrated on 8th March with the aim of ‘celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women’.
How will new technology shape the world
Professor Jamie Morgan, from Leeds Business School, examines the next step-change in technology, known as the fourth industrial revolution.

Supporting Small Business Growth through Business Mentoring, Strategy tools and Certification
‘Everyone should have a good mentor’ is a phrase that has gained considerable currency over recent decades which have seen mentoring reach the mainstream of human resource development practice and business support policy.


Sustainable Business Model Competition 2020
Following a successful introduction last year we are delighted to announce the Leeds Business School Sustainable Start-up Competition for 2020.


New Research Study reveals the 1970s Culture of UKs Newsrooms
A new study on women in journalism that Carmen Bruegmann and I conducted based on 20 qualitative interviews with women journalists working in the press, shows a disturbing culture of UK newsrooms, which resembles a culture of the 1970s.
Why bother to give feedback?
We want all our team members to perform well in their roles, deliver their results, and hopefully have an enjoyable time while they are doing it.

Moving towards a plastic free environment
There can be few issues that have brought sustainability to the public consciousness in 2019 more than the role that packaging and waste plays in pollution of the environment.
Work Discrimination and Bias against Women in Public Relations Literature : A Full Circle of Women’s Plight for Equality
I recently released a report from my EUPRERA project on ‘Women in Public Relations’, which provided a systematic overview of four decades of research on women in public relations.

Using simulation to develop business mentoring and strategic capability amongst entrepreneurs
Developing business strategy skills to sustain and support the growth of start-up firms in an increasingly complex, uncertain and volatile environment can be a risky challenge.
Do we need leaders and managers in the workplace?
Recently I read two articles written by SharpstoneSkinner one called Love your managers* and the second called Leaders vs Managers – who would win?* And it got me thinking .!

Women in UK’s Advertising Industry: Female managers better bosses, but women not listened to
I recently completed an analysis of data on the UK’s advertising industry, which revealed some problematic findings.

Social Enterprise on the Rise
Thursday 21 November is Social Enterprise Day, marking day four of Global Entrepreneurship Week.
Productivity Performance: Hitting the High Notes together
Whilst the manufacturing sector in the UK has declined as the economy has become increasingly reliant upon services, it remains a significant part of the economy accounting for almost half of our exports and seventy percent of the UKs research and development (Oxford Economics.)

#gew2019 – Opportunities for students at Leeds Beckett
10 million people in more than 170 countries have participated in entrepreneurship-related events, activities and competitions during Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW).


We need to celebrate Brilliant Women More Often
We were delighted to welcome Cathy Newman to open the 2019-20 Leeds Business School guest lecture series this year.

Trust survey reveals it’s not what is said but who said it that matters - External advocates more trusted than communications professionals
Over the past six months I have been working with colleagues from Germany and Italy exploring the issue of trust in different organisational stakeholders.
Driving sustainable value through responsible leadership and management
Leeds Beckett University is proud to be a support member of The Good Governance Academy established last year to develop ‘conscious leaders who pursue value creation and the development of healthy, purpose driven organisations within the context of inclusive capitalism and sustainable development in all three dimensions of economy, society and the environment&rsquo
Artificial Intelligence in communications
Knowledge, adoption and perceptions of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in strategic communication and public relations is one of the key topics explored in the European Communication Monitor 2019.
Sugary drinks tax is working – now it’s time to target cakes, biscuits and snacks
A sugar tax on soft drinks has now been in operation in the UK for more than a year and results so far seem to indicate it’s working. But campaigners say more still needs to be done and that the next target should be biscuits, cakes and snacks –- many of which contain high amounts of sugar.


The Independent Food and Drink Academy turns to the topic of Recruiting Staff and Keeping Them
We were very proud to host the third Independent Food and Drink Academy quarterly event, this time based around on the topic of Recruitment and Retention.

Stakeholders for Productivity Getting in the Right Orbit
There are plethora of potential stakeholders who are attempting to engage SME’s in helping them improve their productivity.
Business School Start-up Competition Winner receives Royal Recognition
More than seventy students participated in the first start-up model competition introduced in the Business School earlier this year.

Workplace Stress and Emotional Labour in Public Relations
Public relations is a stressful occupation. According to the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) annual member survey, ‘heavy/unmanageable workload’ is the top factor contributing to workplace stress (59%), followed by ‘unrealistic deadlines or expectations from colleagues’ (46%).

An entrepreneurial celebration at the House of Lords
The Small Business Charter Summer Reception at the House of Lords provided an opportunity to hear about how business schools and small businesses are working together to benefit our society and economy.

Degree Apprenticeships
The new framework standards for apprenticeships were introduced by the UK Government in May 2017.
SME Internationalisation – Innovation through sharing research and practice
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are important for economic sustainability, not only because of their capacity to create jobs but also due to their innovativeness and agility.

Engaging with the UN Agenda for Sustainable Development: A role for Integrated Reporting in universities
The United Nations’ Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is one of the most ambitious and important global agreements in recent history. The agenda, with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at its core, is a guide to tackling the world’s most pressing challenges – including ending poverty and bringing economic prosperity, social inclusion, environmental sustainability and good governance to all countries and all people.


Reshaping our Towns and Cities
At a conference earlier this year Bill Grimsey, author of two influential reviews on town centres, provided a vision for the future.

Re-launch of the Independent Food and Drink Academy
Olga Munroe, Head of the Retail Institute at Leeds Business School welcomed business leaders, academics and others to the re-launch of the Independent Food and Drink Academy (IFDA).


Life as a KTP Associate at Leeds Beckett
For over 40 years the Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) has been a successful part-government funded initiative that has contributed towards the growth of Research and Innovation in businesses across the United Kingdom.

It's a matter of balance
Leeds Business School Guest Speaker Series welcomed Charlotte Valeur, recently appointed Chair of the Institute of Directors who talked about the importance of balance and the value of a perspective that blends together social, economic and environmental dynamics, spatial dimensions and the nature of power at various levels of society and organisations.


What makes a good business mentor for entrepreneurs?
“A Mentor is Someone Who Helps You to Wake-up and Smell the Coffee”

Leeds Business School Start Up Competition 2019
Learning about enterprise and entrepreneurship while at university introduces students to alternative perspectives on career options.


Business in Action
The Business in Action module is designed to address the need to understand the functions of the business environment whilst developing our students professional and academic skills.

The Economy in 2019 and Beyond - 5 Key Takeaways
In the first Leeds Business School Guest Lecture of 2019 sponsored by Yorkshire Bank, Will Holman one of the Bank of England’s two representatives in Yorkshire provided some significant insights into the state of the economy ahead of the UK’s departure from the EU.


Pioneering business mentoring in Europe
“A mentor helps people to get where they really want to go.”
Measuring and mapping the productivity maze in smaller businesses
The Business School and Lloyds Bank continued their collaborative research partnership with a second productivity roundtable event. The roundtable provided an opportunity to combine research, knowledge briefings and conversations about improving productivity.

Opportunities for Internationalisation of British SMEs
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can benefit greatly from internationalisation, as illustrated in a new report prepared by Dr Martina Topić. The research, which is funded by the EU as part of the Interreg COMPETE IN project, highlights opportunities abroad to show how businesses can internationalise, increase their profits, and engage with the global community.

UK Government policy on Obesity
The role of the government is to set and influence the public health agenda, and where relevant set expectations and boundaries for associated actors that have a role in supporting healthy behaviours

Innovative Solutions for Sustainability in Higher Education (ISSUE)
Professor David Devins and Dr Fiona Robertson were delighted to attend the first meeting of international partners working together on the ISSUE project.
Death of the Christmas Ad
This year's highly-anticipated Christmas adverts have been more miss than hit, according to the critics.
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