Leading plant and equipment management academic Professor David Edwards meets Sir Anthony Bamford, Chairman of JCB
At the Plant and Equipment Management Innovation Conference (PEMIC-11) event held in November 2011, Sir Anthony Bamford was awarded industry’s top professional practice prize, the Gold International Award for Excellence (IAE) for his (and his family’s) outstanding contribution to British industry. The award was accepted on behalf of the Bamford family by Mr Tim Burnhope, Group Managing Director, Product Development and Commercial Operations, JCB, but Sir Anthony later wrote to Professor Edwards to thank him for the prestigious industry award and invite him to JCB for an informal discussion and presentation.
On 30 May Professor Edwards visited the JCB World Headquarters in Rocester to formally present the IAE award and discuss new research being undertaken within the Business School at Birmingham City University.
Professor Edwards said: “It was a great honour and privilege to meet Sir Anthony but also an excellent opportunity to discuss the new research being undertaken into mini excavator stability, excavators used for object handling, and trailer wheel detachment. Safety management within business is a growing area of research activity within the Business School and the world’s largest professional body for plant and equipment research, OPERC, already funds a Professorial chair in this field (held by Professor Gary Holt). Birmingham City University is certainly building an excellent international reputation in this field.”
He continued: “Sir Anthony was most interested in this new research work and no doubt there will be future opportunities to collaborate with JCB in the years ahead. Indeed, JCB have already offered to host this year’s PEMIC-12 event in November and provide all delegates with a guided tour of JCB’s new heritage centre. An absolute must for any professional working within plant and equipment management. Such opportunities continue to affirm the industrial relevance and impact of research work being conducted within CBIE but also demonstrate the growing international reputation we now hold; this is with full credit to all research staff within CBIE.”
RESCON 12 date is announced
We are pleased to announce the date for this year’s annual research conference is Wednesday 18 July 2012. We hope as many staff and postgraduate students as possible are able to attend.
Following on from the success of RESCON11, the event will again see presentations and posters from both Students and Staff.
Further details, including information about the key speakers and a draft timetable for RESCON 2012 will be posted on iCity and circulated to Faculties soon.
For more information please contact jane.farrow@bcu.ac.uk or telephone 0121 331 6858.
Call for Papers - Interface 2012
This year’s Interface symposium for Humanities and Technology, hosted by BIAD at Birmingham City University will be held on 28, 29 and 30 June. The conference will provide an invaluable opportunity for participants to travel to the country’s second city to collaborate and share ideas with some of the industry’s most promising academics.
Interface 2012 aims to foster collaboration and shared understanding between scholars in the humanities and technology fields, particularly where their efforts converge on exchange of subject matter and methodology. Focusing on the interests and concerns of Masters, PhD students and early career researchers, the programme will include networking opportunities, as well as research exposition and various training and workshop activities. We aim to have as many female speakers at the symposium as possible and therefore strongly encourage women to submit their abstracts.
The event will host a range of 15-minute presentations, poster displays, workshops, installations and a concert across two and a half days. Authors wishing to participate in the event are required to submit a 200 – 300 word abstract, outlining their work and concept. The duration of the workshop will be 45 minutes and the presenter will be required to provide practical examples and approaches within the theme of the symposium.
Click here to find out more about requirements for the submissions
Research Papers Competition Winners 2011/12
We are pleased to announce that the joint winners of this year's Research Papers Competition are Birmingham City Business School's Dr Hatem El-Gohary and Mrs Cindy Millman.Dr El-Gohary was joint winner for his 4* research work published in Tourism Management entitled: Factors Affecting E-Marketing Adoption and Implementation in Tourism Firms: an Empirical Investigation of Egyptian Small Tourism Organisations. Mrs Cindy Millman was made joint winner for her 2* research work published in International Journal of Online Marketing entitled: E-Commerce Adoption by Micro Firms: A Qualitative Investigation in the UK Tourism Sector.
Professor David Edwards said: "Please join me in congratulating our deserved winners who continue to make significant contributions to research quality and taught practice within Birmingham City Business School (BCBS). These two highly professional and extremely capable individuals are a credit to the School and an absolute pleasure and privilege to work with; they set a standard for us all to follow and long may they continue to do so. I am extremely proud of them both".
NOTE: Call for entries to the 2012/2013 competition is now open. If you wish to enter this competition, please contact Professor David Edwards for an informal discussion.
Professor Scott to Present at 2020 Biodiversity Event
Professor Alister Scott, Professor of Spatial Planning and Governance at Birmingham City University will be visiting London next week as a guest speaker at the Biodiversity 2020 Strategy Conference on 13 December. He will be presenting his research findings in relation to the RELU (Rural Economy and Land Use Programme) on the rural fringe and highlight the important messages about the need to link ecosystem approaches with spatial planning. Having already been published in the Government Gazette and Town and Country Planning on this matter, the research has equipped Alister and his team extensively enough to provide a policy relevant for taking on the challenges that face biodiversity conservation towards 2020.
Playing around in the Rural Urban Fringe?
The battle to protect the green belt and the countryside can now be fought out via a new board game, which has been developed by researchers at Birmingham City University as a decision-making teaching tool.
Rufopoly is an interactive game that enables people to journey through the fictitious county of Rufshire which is under constant change from new pressures for development within the region’s growing population. Players are challenged to balance the needs of the countryside and the town by making decisions about the future development of the fringe space within the square they land on. Alister Scott, Professor of Spatial Planning at Birmingham City University, and Director of the project explains: “In the real world policy makers and planners are facing massive challenges in trying to accommodate the competing economic, community and environmental needs. The arena where this battle is most apparent is called the rural-urban fringe.
Where players land is determined by the throw of the dice and each square is related to one of the four themes identified within the research. From the sum of the different decisions that players make, they are required to build a vision of the fringe to complete the game. Read more on this story.
Looking for Laura is Number 1 Bestseller
The Centre for Applied Criminology’s Professor David Wilson’s new release, Looking for Laura: Public Criminology and Hot News has been ranked number 1 in the Amazon Media Studies Top 100 best selling books.
This thought-provoking book stems from the author's parallel experiences in the public eye - as a reporter for Sky News and contributor to BBC, ITV and both national and local newspapers and magazines, especially in relation to high profile cases and fast-moving events in the field of crime and punishment. 'Looking for Laura' provides a window through which to appreciate the media pressures that this can create even for a professor in this field and former prison governor with considerable experience of working with offenders who hit the headlines. The book also looks at the way in which crime is packaged and presented for consumption by a news-hungry public. By considering a range of media situations in which the author has been involved, it provides an absorbing context within which to understand the still relatively new field of public criminology. It has a Foreword by the award-winning investigative journalist Donal MacIntyre.
Looking for Laura is published by Waterside Press and is now available to buy from Amazon. Get more news, events and project information. Read the latest newsletter for the Centre for Applied Criminology.
More Publications for CRES
Fascinated by his own imagination, Coleridge secretly wrote that its characteristic blend of power and desire made him a 'Daemon': a being superstitiously feared as 'a something transnatural.' Coleridge and the Daemonic Imagination examines this simultaneous experience of exaltation and transgression as a formative principle in Coleridge's poetry and the fabric of his philosophy. In a reading that spans the breadth of Coleridge's achievement, through politics, religion and his relationship with Wordsworth, this book builds to a new interpretation of the poems where Coleridge's daemonic imagination produces its myths: 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,' 'Kubla Khan' and 'Christabel.' Gregory Leadbetter reveals a Coleridge at once more familiar and more strange, in a study that unfolds into an essay on poetry, spirituality, and the drama of human becoming”.
Greg Leadbetter’s book, Coleridge and the Daemonic Imagination, is due to be published by Palgrave just after Easter. The book has received glowing reviews from leading scholars including Coleridge’s biographer and author of The Age of Wonder, Richard Holmes, and Seamus Perry of Oxford.
"Leadbetter's book offers us a new way into Coleridge, presenting a writer and thinker who repeatedly found his truest genius in the experiences that made him most uneasy. It is a compelling and encompassing account of a powerfully heterodoxical mind. Leadbetter has penetrating things to say across the whole range of the great career.”—Seamus Perry, Balliol College, Oxford. This new publication is available to buy from Amazon and Palgrave.
Book Praised in Leading Theatre Journal
PME’s David Roberts’ recent Cambridge UP study of Thomas Betterton has been described in the current issue of a leading journal, Studies in Theatre and Performance, as ‘a scrupulously researched biography [which] plugs a gaping hole in the history of London theatre.’ The reviewer, Peter Thomson of Exeter University, ‘doubt[s] whether any biographer has done such a good job’ of describing the political pressures of theatre management.
Professor Roberts, on his recent book publication and other current research activity in the centre said:
“all of these items are a tribute to the very high level of research conducted by the School and to the determination of colleagues to maintain such standards when there are so many other pressures on our time”. The book is available from Amazon.
Plant and Equipment Management Innovation Conference: PEMIC 2011
This year’s annual Plant and Equipment Management Innovation Conference (PEMIC-11) promises to be an event not to be missed. PEMIC embraces both academics and professionals in the plant and equipment business sector; to provide optimal opportunity for networking and for showcasing industrial, business and scientific innovation. It also serves as the platform for awarding recognition to individual contributions within the sector, through its International Awards for Excellence scheme.
PEMIC-11 is hosted by the Centre for Business, Innovation and Enterprise (CBIE) within Birmingham City Business School, in partnership with the Off Highway Plant and Equipment Research Centre (OPERC). The conference is organised by Professors David Edwards and Gary Holt of CBIE. The event is being held at Birmingham City University, City North Campus, Perry Barr on Wednesday 16 November.
A prestigious list of speakers will be in attendance, including representatives from JCB excavators, Balfour Beatty, Morrison Utilities, A-Plant, Finning (Caterpillar), Mentor FLT and numerous other international companies. This year’s keynote address will be delivered by former Director General of the CBI, Lord Digby Jones who will be talk about business innovation and enterprise. There is also a presentation from the UK Health and Safety Executive and adjoining static exhibits of innovative machinery, which may also include larger excavators and other plant items on show outside in the adjoining conference area.
Professor Edwards said: "We are absolutely delighted that Lord Jones will be speaking at this year’s prestigious Plant and Equipment Management Innovation Conference (PEMIC-11) event. As a highly successful business adviser, and originating from the West Midlands, he was an ideal choice as our keynote speaker and we are confident that conference delegates will find his respected views and opinions enlightening and informative, and his renowned banter entertaining”.
PEMIC -11 is also host to OPERC’s International Awards for Excellence. Professor Holt confirmed: “These prestigious honours are given to celebrate outstanding personal contributions throughout the plant and equipment sector in recognition of business, professional or scientific endeavour. What makes them particularly special is the fact that they recognise the contribution of recipients’ achievements, into the wider social and business communities”.
The conference day will conclude with a champagne reception and five-course gala evening dinner. A limited number of tickets are still available. If you want to know more please see the conference website or email Professor Edwards at david.edwards@bcu.ac.uk.
Philosophical Research with the University of Aarhus and the London School of Economics
Professor Mark Addis from the Centre for Research in English Studies is currently pursuing a number of collaborative research projects as part of his Visiting Professorship. He is currently a Visiting Professor at the Institute for Philosophy and History of Ideas at the Aarhus University, Denmark and a Research Associate at the Centre for Philosophy of Natural and Social Science at the London School of Economics. Mark is engaged in collaborative philosophical research in the philosophy of psychology and Wittgenstein studies. In the former area, he is working on the application of the philosophy of psychology to issues about cognition with a major part of the overall investigation being work on expertise and the cognitive science of religion.
A fundamental part of the inquiry is methodological questions about the philosophy of psychology including the philosophical and practical implications of these. Underlying motivations for research on expertise include the attempt to demonstrate that it is possible to be Wittgensteinian without adopting an anti-scientific perspective and to determine the appropriate philosophical significance of relevant experimental work in psychology and neuroscience. The work is being conducted with colleagues from the Institute for Philosophy and History of Ideas, the Interdisciplinary Centre for Organizational Architecture at the Aarhus School of Business, and the Centre for Philosophy of Natural and Social Science.
Mark’s research on the cognitive science of religion is concerned with developing a philosophical perspective on how cognition, meaning, symbolisation and knowledge relate to it. Producing such an account is essential for explaining the communal and collective character of religion adequately. He is doing this work in co-operation with the internationally renowned Religion, Cognition and Culture research group in the Faculty of Theology at Aarhus University. The research in Wittgenstein studies is being undertaken at the Wittgenstein Archives at the University of Bergen. It focuses on user driven thematic search in Wittgenstein’s philosophy of psychology and an ontology for searching his texts is being created. Nordforsk is supporting the work throughthe Joint Nordic Use of the Wittgenstein Archives at Bergen and the Georg Henrik von Wright Archives in Helsinki funding scheme and it is being carried out with a colleague from the Institute for Philosophy and History of Ideas.
Research Aims to Enhance the Employability of Birmingham City University Students
Employability is more than about getting a job. It is about having the mix of knowledge, skills, attributes and aptitude which sustain a successful career. With changes to Higher Education, and the current economic climate, the university is more acutely aware of the investment students are making in their future. Employability is at the core of BCU’s mission, whether to assist students onto their career path, or to help them progress in their existing role.
Clare Jones, a senior lecturer in Human Resource Management, is undertaking a research project in employability, focussing initially on the experiences of Business School undergraduate students during their placement year. The research project is supported by the Business School’s Centre for Business, Innovation and Enterprise (CBIE) and consists of two key phases. First, Clare is looking at the methods and criteria used by organisations to recruit students, and how the university prepares students for work. Secondly, she is exploring whether students’ belief in their own abilities and skills change during the work placement.
Looking at the initial findings from the research Clare said: “I have been able to gather very useful information about how different employers recruit and I have identified some common concerns shared by our students as they start their job. I can use this information to develop the way we prepare all our students for work.”
The final report will be available in autumn 2011, though Clare intends to continue to explore this theme with future students, and with employers. This project complements Clare’s doctoral research in employability among post-graduate students as she notes: “Employability is relevant to all our students, and my research will increase our understanding of employers’ expectations of students, enabling us to develop the way we prepare students for their chosen career”. Employability and employer engagement has a high profile across Higher Education and Clare’s research has attracted the attention of a leading academic journal interested in publishing the findings.
Creativity and Innovation in Teaching Methods Book Published following CRE Research Project
Remaking the Curriculum: Re engaging Young People in Secondary School is a book by Martin Fautley, Elaine Millard and Richard Hatcher from the Centre of Research in Education. The book, published by Trentham Books is based on an independent two year research study which was funded by Creative Partnerships. It describes a model of innovative, creative teaching and curriculum change that successfully engaged students in creative learning and earned participating secondary schools the Creative Partnership Award of Schools Creativity status. Get more information about Remaking the Curriculum: Re engaging Young People in Secondary School.
New Electronic Marketing Publication for CBIE
Hatem El-Gohary’s first book titled “Electronic Marketing Practices in Developing Countries: The Case of Egyptian Business Enterprises” published by German publisher, VDM Verlag, is now available in book stores.
The book’s aim was to analyse the current practices of Electronic Marketing (E-Marketing) by Egyptian business enterprises, the different factors affecting the adoption of E-Marketing as well as the different forms, implementation levels and tools of E-Marketing used by these enterprises. Within the book a theoretical model to assist the understanding and interpretation of these relationships and evaluating the potential of E-Marketing in developing countries (Egypt) was tested. The research work conducted in the book builds on previous research in the fields of E-Marketing and adds to the relatively limited empirical research that has been conducted on E-Marketing in an Egyptian business context.
The book develops and validates a conceptual model based on systematic positivist research philosophy with a quantitative approach. It unveils research undertaken in relation to E-Marketing and its adoption by Egyptian business enterprises. It divulges findings that E-Marketing adoption by Egyptian business enterprises is affected by their perception of E-Marketing relative advantage (usefulness), ease of use, compatibility as well as some Egyptian business enterprises internal factors such as owner skills and support, available resources, organizational culture, product type, international orientation and the enterprise size.
On the other hand, Egyptian business enterprises internal factors were found to have a positive direct impact on Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Innovation Diffusion Theory (IDT) related factors such as perceived ease of use, perceived relative advantage and perceived compatibility. Moreover, the findings indicate that Internet Marketing and E-Mail Marketing are the most commonly used E-Marketing tools by Egyptian business enterprises.
In terms of contribution to knowledge, this book provides an insight for entrepreneurs, policy makers, practitioners, researchers, and educators by providing a clearer view and deep understanding of the issues related to E-Marketing adoption and practices by Egyptian business enterprises. It addresses some research gaps in the field, particularly in terms of the factors affecting E-Marketing adoption. Overall the theory in the field of E-Marketing is still in its infancy stage and is not yet well established. The book can be considered as an important step towards theory building in the field of E-Marketing and has brought to light a number of concepts for the practises of E-Marketing by Egyptian business enterprises.
On his recent publication, Hatem El-Gohary said: "I believe that publishing such a book will have a good impact on my research profile which in turn will have a high good impact on the school and the Department of Marketing and Business profiles. Within this context, I am doing all my best to continuously develop my research profile and to make good and pro-active contribution to the success of BCUBS”.
Integra Project Reaches Phase 2
Integra - Fusing Music and Technology, is a 1.9 million, EU-funded project led by Birmingham Conservatoire (UK). The project initially started in 2005. Now in its second phase, Integra promotes live electronic music across Europe and provides composers and performers with powerful, easy-to-use tools that enable live interaction with computers.
Bringing together 11 internationally recognized organizations from nine countries, five new music ensembles and six research centres - Integra achieves its aims through concerts, commissions of new works, modernisation of existing repertoire, development of new software, training sessions for performers, an education programme and outreach activities.
Our partners are divided into two groups - artistic and scientific.
Artistic
Scientific
Summer Book Release for CBIE’s Researcher
Dr Lisa Q Zhang’s first book publication, titled Retail Internationalization in China – Expansion of Foreign Retailers will be released in July 2011 by Palgrave Macmillan and will be available to order from Amazon.
China is potentially the largest retail market in the world, attracting unprecedented attention from international retailers. Many experts claim that success in China not only provides access to this enormous market, but improves the capabilities of international retailers to succeed globally. Yet little research has been published on the expansion process of international retailers operating in China. Lisa Qixun Zhang fills this gap with her case study research and the presentation of a new theoretical model focusing on retailers’ post-entry stage of internationalization. Her model provides an internationalization and future research on retailers’ performance. Based on empirical results, the author also offers pragmatic advice including:
Adapting to the local cultural and regulatory environment- Identifying and evaluating locations for new international retailing operations
- Establishing a bridgehead for such operations
- Expansion and market development
- The challenges of learning from experience.
The book represents Lisa’s current research agenda. If you are interested in research relating to this field or beyond or would like further information, please contact lisa.zhang@bcu.ac.uk.
Read more about Lisa's work