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BU final year students present at 5th Annual Promotional Communications Conference

Some 44 advertising, marketing, public relations, and politics and media undergraduates present their dissertation research at the Fifth Annual Promotional Communications Conference on 20 May at the Executive Business Centre.

The conference is a capstone event for the Corporate and Marketing Communications Department (CMC) within the Faculty of Media and Communication and is an opportunity to showcase the work of our undergraduate dissertation students. This year we expect more than 100 delegates, including our students and staff, but also industry partners and some mums and dads.

They’ll hear papers on the latest industry issues and trends from our students. Students are presenting their research on topics including what it means to be and the implications of brands being ‘cool’, the cost of unpaid internships on the advertising industry, using social media to communicate science, attitudes toward and the stigmatization of mental illness, how lad culture also hurts men, impulse buying on line, and so much more.

And we’ll all be treated to talks from two outstanding industry representatives: Camilla Kemp, COO at M&C Saatchi  and BU Public Relations graduate Rosie Warin (’09), who is is co-Managing Director of Global Tolerance.
“We created the conference to offer students an opportunity to share the work they’ve done on a project that culminates their studies, and we enjoy showcasing that hard work,” said Dr Richard Scullion, CMC head of department.

The department, which offers undergraduate and postgraduate taught degrees in advertising, marketing communications, public relations, and politics and media, created the conference as an opportunity for students to choose to, in addition to the written dissertation, present their research to colleagues on their course, academics and guests from the promotional communications industries. And again this year we’ll welcome proud parents and friends to the event.

In addition to the conference, CMC launched the Journal of Promotional Communications in 2013. The journal is an open-access, online journal that, since the first edition, accepts submissions from undergraduates and postgraduates from BU and beyond. Research published there can come from a variety of disciplines, such as marketing, advertising, PR theory, consumer culture and behaviour, political communications, media studies, sociology, cultural studies, and management.

So far, the journal has published three issues of student work. The latest edition, Volume 3, Issue 1, was published in April and includes some articles where students and staff co-authored papers.

Again this year, the top papers from the 2015 Promotional Communications conference will be published in the journal.

The students presenting at the conference are among the more than 200 final-year students in CMC who have worked for months on their individual research projects. CMC students can choose to write a traditional dissertation of 10,000 words or write a research paper in the style of an 8,000-word journal article and deliver a 20-minute paper at the student conference.

Dr Janice Denegri-Knott, Dr Carrie Hodges, Dr Dan Jackson, Dr Richard Scullion and Dr Shelley Thompson organize the conference.

Royal Society Pairing Scheme Opportunity

Guidance

Each year the Royal Society’s pairing scheme matches up 30 research scientists with UK parliamentarians and civil servants. By spending time in Westminster and the researcher’s lab, participants learn about each other’s work and gain a greater insight into how research findings can help inform policy making.

Places are available for this year’s scheme, which begins with a ‘Week in Westminster’ during which you’ll meet your pair. Over the week you will spend two days shadowing them, taking part in workshops and hearing speakers. After the ‘Week in Westminster’ your pair will visit you in your lab to get an insight into the world of research. This year’s ‘Week in Westminster’ takes place from Monday 23 – Thursday 26 November.  More information or to apply visit the Royal Society website or contact Rachael Mann.

HE Policy Update

Monday

Fees

As part of their ‘Does Cost Matter’ report, the National Education Opportunities Network discovered that 40% of university applicants might choose a different course if tuition fees were reduced to £6,000. Lower fees would mean different course choices, say students (THE).

University Spending

Analysis by the Complete University Guide reveals that class sizes are falling and universities are spending more on facilities. UK university class sizes falling, study finds (Guardian).

Tuesday

HE Pay Offer

Universities have made a 0.9 per cent pay offer for university employees. The University and Colleges Employers’ Association said the offer for 2015-16 was above inflation, and was being made “against a backdrop of unprecedented uncertainties and challenging circumstances” for higher education institutions. Universities make 0.9% pay offer to staff (THE).

Wednesday

Widening Access

An interesting analysis behind Ed Miliband’s comment that disadvantaged young people are 12 times less likely to go to university, questions the statement’s validity. The analysis shows stark differences in the probability of going to university between young people from the most and least advantaged backgrounds. Depending on how one defines ‘advantaged’, the least privileged are said to be between three and six times less likely to go to university than the most privileged.  Fact Check: are disadvantaged young people 12 times less likely to go to university? (The Conversation).

Thursday

PhD Loan Scheme

A study by academics at Newcastle University and York University suggest there is no evidence that the recently announced loan scheme for PhD students will widen participation in doctoral research.  The big payback: PHD loan scheme ‘may not be the right approach’ (THE).

Friday

Post-election

Senior sector figures reveal that whoever wins or holds the balance of power after the general election, there will be risks ahead for higher education funding, fees and policy. Andy Westwood, Associate Vice President for Public Affairs at the University of Manchester and Professor of Politics and Policy at the University of Winchester, argued that the policies all “suggest a shift towards technical or work-based higher education and to applied research”. Post-election scenarios assessed (THE).

Leaders Question Time

Last night, David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg faced a Question Time audience. Higher education was touched on when Nick Clegg faced questions on the Liberal Democrat’s U-turn on tuition fees. The following article gives a summary of the leader’s performance. Question Time election debate: How the party leaders fared in the spotlight (Independent).

CIPPM Co-Director publishes three Reports for the UK Government detailing the IP Implications of 3D Printing

Awarded & submitted bids, Business Engagement, Post-award, Publishing, Research themes

CIPPM Co-Director Dr. Dinusha Mendis together with Dr. Davide Secchi (From April 2015, Associate Professor, University of Southern Denmark) and Dr. Phil Reeves of Econolyst Ltd have published a sequence of three reports on the intellectual property implications of 3D printing resulting from a project commissioned by the UK Intellectual Property Office.  The three reports can be accessed here.

In 2012, the Big Innovation Centre, in their Report ‘Three Dimensional Policy: Why Britain needs a policy framework for 3D Printing’ provided a number of recommendations.  A key recommendation was to review the intellectual property (IP) implications of 3D printing.

In 2013, the UKIPO highlighted the lack of empirical evidence relating to 3D printing and the difficulty in determining whether this emerging technology will have an impact on IP laws.  The aim of the current project was therefore to respond to this limited research.  In doing so, the Studies adopted a legal, quantitative and qualitative approach.

Study I titled ‘A Legal and Empirical Study of Online Platforms and an Analysis of User Behaviour’ explores 17 online platforms dedicated to 3D printing and provides a legal and empirical overview of how the online platforms operate and aims to provide a clearer understanding of ‘how’ the sharing happens.  In this context, Study I provides an understanding of the ‘parameters’ for sharing, e.g. terms and conditions, rules and regulations that apply, together with restrictions and bounds that apply to the user behaviour and file-sharing.  As such, Study I evaluates the extent of this phenomenon amongst users.  In doing so, the research examines the price, downloads, licences, type of physical objects, which are shared and the implications for intellectual property laws and in particular analyses the legal provisions arising from the sharing and the copyright implications relating to software.  As such, Study I presents new findings on the current status of 3D printing relating to online platforms.  

Study II titled ‘The Current Status and Impact of 3D Printing Within the Industrial Sector: An Analysis of Six Case Studies’ explores the status, impact and adoption of 3D printing in the Replacement Parts, Customised Goods and High Value Small Status Goods Industries.

To map the impact that 3D printing technology is having on the UK’s economic and legal landscape, Study II represents six case studies which consider the current and future consequence of 3D printing.  The first two case studies address issues relating to Replacement Parts and consider how 3D printing will affect the supply of aftermarket parts to the consumer.  The two case studies within the Customised Goods theme address how 3D printing enables unique products to be manufactured that are tailored to consumers’ needs, and the IP challenges that arise from this. Finally, the two case studies within the High Value Small Status Goods theme look at the impact that 3D printing is having on consumer products that have a low functional purpose, such as collectible figurines or sculptures.

The third publication – an Executive Summary – brings together the findings and conclusions from the two Studies and provides recommendations.

The Studies concluded that there is no urgency to legislate at present as 3D printing is not a mass phenomenon yet.  It warned that a premature call for legislative and judicial action in the realm of 3D printing could stifle the public interest of “fostering creativity and innovation and the right of manufacturers and content creators to protect their livelihoods”.

However, as 3D printing continues to grow it is important to address the IP issues arising in this area in order to cultivate a climate better suited to tackling impending IP issues more successfully and in a manner, which takes into account the interests of all stakeholders.

As such, the Studies make some important recommendations to Government, the Industry and Intermediaries (online platforms) about how to regulate 3D printing without resorting to legislation.

Recommendations to Government suggest the setting up of a Working Group to review the technology and the IP status particularly the position in relation to the software (Computer-Aided Design (CAD) Files) and the traceability of spare parts. The Reports also suggest that the Government should adopt a ‘wait-and-see’ approach.

The Studies conclude that 65% of users engaged in the activities of 3D printing on online platforms do not license their work, leaving their creations vulnerable and open to infringement whilst losing the ability to claim authorship. The Study therefore recommends that online platforms provide more awareness and understanding of the different types of licences. The Study suggests that this aim can be achieved by explaining the nuances relating to each licence in clear and simple language, rather than simply ‘encouraging’ the user to adopt a particular type of licence. Furthermore, online platforms can assign the most appropriate licence as a default with ‘opt-out’ as an option.

Finally, in relation to Industry, the Study recommends the adoption of new business models and provides a number of suggestions in this regard. The Reports also suggest the licensing of CAD files more widely, thereby opening up doors to a range of outlets selling 3D CAD files. This will avoid locking the manufacturer into an agreement through a system such as a ‘one-stop-shop’ for (spare) parts. Although a one-stop-shop may take away the costs of manufacture, transportation and storage whilst reducing potential infringement of IP laws, it can lead to a monopoly-situation, which should be avoided.

A press release led to the research being picked up by various media outlets including IPP Pro, Pan European Networks, Phys.org, Nanowerk and 3Dprint.com amongst others.

A further write-up of the research was published by the UKIPO following the publication of the reports.  Bournemouth University’s Research Chronicle also presented a feature article in March 2015 on the research and its findings.

Following the publication of the reports, Dr. Dinusha Mendis, the Principal Investigator of the project, was invited by the Australian Government to present the research in March 2015, highlighting the impact of this research in another jurisdiction.  Dr. Mendis also presented the research in March at the University of Tasmania in Australia and the Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne.

International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics (IAGG) European Region Congress in Dublin.

 

At the weekend Samuel Nyman and Michele Board were at the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics (IAGG) European Region Congress in Dublin. This was a fantastic conference with about a 1000 delegates from around the world, all interested in ageing!  The Prime Minister (Taoiseach) of Ireland, Enda Kenny, opened the Congress and we were treated to traditional Irish songs by retired public transport workers.

The days were full of sessions from a broad range of disciplines. The sessions about ageing in place, nursing care and assessment of those aged over 65 years in acute settings and residential settings were of great interest to Michele. Key points from the research presented was the importance of participation of older people throughout the research process, the significance of application to practice and the creative dissemination of research.

Michele had a poster displayed at the conference from her PhD studies on “How Does The Life Course Influence The Meaning Of Home For Six Baby Boomers?”,There was a lot of interest and some useful ideas from the more experienced researchers on developing the work further. Dublin Poster

Samuel chaired a symposium entitled, “New directions in promoting physical activity among older people”. Samuel presented the first paper on Do Strategies To Increase Physical Activity Among Older People Work For Individuals? This was from a series of n-of-1 randomised controlled trials used to evaluate the use of behaviour change techniques to increase walking activity among older people. Dr Merja Rantakokko from Finland presented the second paper onEnvironmental Characteristics And Life-Space Mobility In Community-Dwelling Older People. This was from an observational study with a two-year follow-up that investigated cross-sectional and longitudinal predictors of restriction of outdoor mobility among older people. Dr Anne Tiedemann from Australia presented the third paper on Fitbit Pedometers And Health Coaching To Increase Physical Activity Among Older Community-dwelling People. Using a subset of the intervention group from a randomised controlled trial, Anne presented findings for, the acceptability of a new intervention that aims to increase physical activity without also increasing falls. The final paper was presented by Dr Annemarie Koster from The Netherlands on More Movement During Sedentary Time Is Positively Associated With Metabolic Outcomes. This was from an observational study that used accelerometers to investigate the benefits of physical activity for older people even during seated activities.

Despite being the last session of the day, we had a good sized audience who asked lots of interesting questions. This was a great networking opportunity and has provided some fresh ideas and new contacts for future work.

The social sciences at BU

Research assessment

In response to an open email invitation, a group of social scientists from across BU met on Tuesday 17 March to discuss prospects for inter-Faculty collaboration. As in previous meetings between FMC and HSS colleagues, it was apparent that there were opportunities for more collaborative work than currently exists, and that there is considerable enthusiasm for developing links. A growing presence of the social sciences in BU, and of BU in the social sciences, was felt to be essential to BU’s development as a university with a rich intellectual community. If you haven’t received the report from this meeting by email, and would like to do so, please email Prof. Barry Richards (brichards@bmth.ac.uk)

“Academic engages with filmmaker for impact & wider audience”

 

Bournemouth University offers two opportunities to learn how in-depth research was turned into the award-winning biopic, RUFUS STONE.  Premiered in 2012 at Bournemouth, the film has gone on to be screened by universities and by service providers across the UK and abroad.  Since the first of the year, the film has also been available for free on the Internet and has been viewed over 9,000 times around the globe.

On Thursday, 14 May RUFUS STONE will be screened on the Talbot Campus of the University in the Marconi Theatre in the Kimmeridge Building, 14:00-15:30 (Please note there will refreshments available from 13:30). This is an opportunity to see the film on a large screen with a sophisticated sound system—the best way to view the poetic rendering of this breath-taking story. Following the half-hour screening, Project Lead, Author and the film’s Executive Producer, Dr. Kip Jones, will take part in a Q & A with the audience. Dr. Trevor Hearing from the Media Faculty will moderate the discussion.

Please register for free at: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/from-ivory-tower-to-silver-screen-academics-engaging-with-filmmakers-for-impact-and-to-reach-a-tickets-16206925350  The screening is part of a series of events during the week at Bournemouth University celebrating interdisciplinary research.  More info: https://research.bournemouth.ac.uk/interdisciplinary-research-week-2015/

Rufus Stone is the key output of the three-year research project, “Gay and Pleasant Land? -a study about positioning, ageing and gay life in rural South West England and Wales “. The Project was a work package in the New Dynamics of Ageing Project, “Grey and Pleasant Land?: An Interdisciplinary Exploration of the Connectivity of Older People in Rural Civic Society” and funded by Research Councils UK.

Award-winning author and educator, Patricia Leavy, describes the plot in her review of the film for The Qualitative Report: The film tells the story of a young man in rural England who, while developing an attraction to another young man, is viciously outed by small-minded village people. He flees to London and returns home 50 years later and is forced confront the people from his past and larger issues of identity and time. 

“Seven years of you life? Was it worth it?” A second opportunity, the following week on Monday, 18 May at 2:35 p.m. in the Executive Business Centre 206, Holdenhurst Road BH8 8EB, will provide a chance to hear just how Jones went about developing the project bid and obtaining funding from the Research Councils. Jones will tell the tale of the three years of development that went into securing the funding for the research and finally, the production of the film.

The Gay and Pleasant Land? Project was a research project that took place as part of the New Dynamics of Ageing Programme (a unique collaboration between five UK Research Councils—ESRC, EPSRC, BBSRC, MRC and AHRC) on ageing in 21st Century Britain. If that wasn’t complicated enough, our project at  Bournemouth University was one of seven projects in The Grey and Pleasant Land? group being funded by the NDA in south west England and Wales. Hear how Jones navigated this knotty progression, always keeping his eyes on the prize of making a professional film based on in-depth research.

Open to the public and free. More information at: http://blogs.bournemouth.ac.uk/research/2015/04/27/hss-sharing-research-experiences-day-18-may-2015/

 


 

Working with VeggieEAT

Olivia Magnante, Undergraduate Student

I worked alongside Heather Hartwell and Veggieat to conduct my research for my dissertation project, which proved to be a great and interesting experience .  Veggieat is a European project so it was quite unique to be able to be part of such a large scale project for my dissertation, as it would have been impossible for me to organise and conduct the same research without the help of Heather. This was not only a great experience, but it allowed me to gather really interesting and in depth results to discuss within my dissertation, as well as obtain a substantially larger sample size.

It was exciting to be working alongside so many researchers and for the time that I assisted, I was not seen as a “helper” or a “volunteer”, but as a researcher doing the same work and input as others which was also really important. Most importantly though, it was an enjoyable way to conduct research. Many people do not have the resources or time to conduct research on this scale so it was great to have the opportunity to be a part of something a bit different. I feel this gave me a really good set of results which can give you the basis of an interesting discussion. As a final year it is really important to try and strive to achieve what you want, and the dissertation is a good example of how continuous hard work can pay off.

PG Researcher Development Workshops available throughout May

PG research

For all postgraduate Researchers – the following PG Researcher Development workshops are available throughout May:

  • Friday 1 May 2015 – ResearchPAD – A beginner’s guide
  • Wednesday 6 May 2015 – Creative Thinking
  • Thursday 7 May – IT Skills: Word – Structuring your Thesis
  • Wednesday 13 May 2015 – How to Conduct a Literature Review
  • NEW for 2014-15: Wednesday 13 May 2015 – Careers Series: Marketing yourself in person: Interviews
  • Thursday 14 May –  IT Skills: Excel – Introduction to Essential Features
  • Wednesday 20 May 2015 – Ethics: ethical systems, requirements and professional standards
  • Thursday 21 May – IT Skills: PowerPoint 2010: Create and Enhance your Presentation
  • Thursday 21 May 2015 – Interviewing in semi-structured interviews
  • NEW for 2014-15: Wednesday 27 May 2015 – Careers Series: Commercial Awareness
  • Thursday 28 May – IT Skills:  Introduction to Access
  • Thursday 28 May 2015 – Introduction to Focus Groups

See PGR Workshops – An Overview for further information about the workshops.  If any are of interest to you, booking is via myBU Graduate School PGR Community (don’t forget to log on with your student username and password)

Open Access and the research lifecycle: a guide for researchers

Guidance, Post-award, Publishing, Research assessment

 

 

 

 

 

 

With recent requirements imposed by major research funders, researchers are presented with both opportunities and challenges – opportunities to re-use and re-purpose published outputs and datasets, and challenges in making one’s own work legally and ethically available to others.

Last year, thirty Northampton researchers contributed to focus groups looking at open access publications and data, with a particular focus on compliance with funder requirements. From the outcome of the focus groups, University of Northampton developed an Open Access and the research lifecyle guidance, which has been adapted to fit in with BU’s institutional policies.   

This guide, which is part of a JISC-funded Open to Open Access project, is intended for researchers who wish to engage with the open access agenda, but aren’t entirely sure how best to achieve this. This short guide highlights some of the issues to consider at each stage of the research lifecycle and the tools that are available to support you.

Please click here –  Open Access and the research lifecyle guidance to access a printable version of the guidance. For further queries, please get in touch with Pengpeng Hatch (pphatch@bournemouth.ac.uk) at RKEO.

 

BU Social Science extends its European links

Der Rathaus (town hall) Bremen

Last week we (Prof Sara Ashencaen Crabtree and Prof Jonathan Parker) were fortunate to have been in Germany sharing and discussing social science research and its potential for achieving positive change in people’s lives.

First of all we attended the XVII SocNet98 conference held at the Hochschule Bremen, taking with us eight students from the Department of Social Sciences and Social Work in the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences.

At the conference we presented two extended workshop sessions and hosted a publishing meeting. The first session was particularly exciting for us as it introduced faculty and students from across Europe, including Finland, Belgium, Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic and the UK, to the centrality of religion and spirituality in understanding and accounting for people’s welfare needs; especially important given continuing migration patterns and recognition of a super-diversity of ethno-cultural and religious positions.

It was great that our three first-year sociology students attending with us were able to assist us in facilitating discussion subsequent to the presentation and to offer their own perspectives; something to add to their CVs!  The five social work students who attended with us expressed recognition of the importance of intercultural and international sharing of ideas. All students found this opportunity illuminated their understanding of their discipline within the broader framework of academic internationalisation.

The Whiting & Birch international book series Critical Studies in Socio-Cultural Diversity has published two books relating to proceedings in previous SocNet98 conferences. Following the publishing meeting held in Bremen it was decided that a third would be published from this year’s conference edited by our colleague Prof Dr Christian Spatscheck and ourselves. This will include the paper given by our three sociology students Dan Marsh, Emilie Reeks and Ceyda Vasif and us; an excellent outcome for them in stepping up to their first academic publication.

Secondly, we gave an invited lecture at the University of Vechta, a dynamic rural university with a fascinating history reflecting preoccupations with prisons, penology and intensive animal farming. Vechta itself boasts of being the home region of the fabulous, real-life Baron von Munchausen. The invited guest lecture allowed us to promote awareness of the plight of the Orang Asli of Tasik Chini from our ethnographic research undertaken on study leave in Malaysia last year; a study that is now being written up.  We heard later that the lecture was very well received by students and staff attending. To our pleasure and surprise we also bumped into former Erasmus students from Vechta who had joined our sociology classes last year. We look forward to receiving more Vechta students this coming Autumn.

Subsequently, we negotiated research and publication opportunities with academic colleagues and an extension of our Erasmus links for student exchanges as we move forward towards approving our new Sociology and Criminology programme later this year. Vechta is well placed for partnership with this programme having a prison right next to the University – our colleagues assured us that the barbed wire atop the walls were not to keep in their students! Academic staff at Vechta were excited about developing programmes in English for reciprocating BU Erasmus exchanges and about possible prison visits and observations. In the late afternoon we visited an old prison within the town fort’s arsenal, replete with history and stark examples of potentially dualistic practices of disciplining the body and humiliation of the spirit throughout the history of regulating social behaviour in Vechta.

All-in-all this was a great week for today’s students, bodes well for future students and was a very productive one for ourselves.

Jonathan Parker & Sara Ashencaen Crabtree

‘Prosperous Dorset’ Business Consultation

Business Engagement

Mark Painter, Centre for Entrepreneurship Manager, was invited by the DCCI to participate in a business consultation with the Dorset local authorities focussing on economic development.

Dorset’s nine councils are looking to promote economic growth and cooperation by working together differently and are inviting businesses and stakeholders to have their say.

All of Dorset’s councils believe economic development is a priority. Council leaders have agreed that it makes sense to review whether or not their combined governance in the field of economic development and transport strategy could be improved. This would cover such things as how decisions are made on overall priorities. Separate to this, councils are also considering bringing together in one team some of the staff involved in providing the economic development and transport services.

The Councils asked the DCCI to be engaged in the consultation who invited their Business Partners to a dedicated Business Partner consultation with senior representatives of the local authorities in the area covered by Dorset County Council and Bournemouth and Poole Unitary Councils.

Mark Painter said, ‘I was delighted to have been invited to this consultation and enable Bournemouth University to contribute to this important discussion around key issues and opportunities in the local economy.’

Further details can be found at www.dorsetforyou.com/prosperous-dorset