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FMC Research Seminar: ‘Communication Research’, Wed, 9 December, Room, W240, 3-5pm, Weymouth House

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Communicating Research
FMC Cross-Departmental Seminar Series 2015-16
Time: Wednesday, 9th December, 3-5 pm
Venue: The Screening Room W240, Weymouth House, Talbot Campus.

3-4pm: A Politics and Media Research Centre event:
Dr Jen Birks. University of Nottingham
Adapting to dominant news narratives: tax ‘fairness’ as a Trojan horse for anti-austerity politics

Over the past five years the issue of tax avoidance has broken through into mainstream news media and public debate, after many years in which the campaigning efforts of NGOs, trade unions and a few investigative journalists were met largely with indifference. Protest group UK Uncut have been widely credited with increasing public engagement in the issue. News routines are less reliant on official and elite sources than in the past, and protesters less universally delegitimised in dominant news discourse, but the political claims of social movements still tend to be neglected or reduced to vague or naive opposition. UK Uncut were conscious of the common pitfalls and attempted to fit their own framing of the issue into existing news frames. In presenting a practical alternative to cuts, they hoped to substantiate an argument against the broadly accepted ‘necessity’ of public spending cuts, smuggling an oppositional claim inside a familiar narrative.

Their framing of the issue in terms of compromised political interests and ‘fairness to taxpayers’ fitted with dominant news narratives and was widely adopted by other sources, including the Public Accounts Committee, and by journalists, but generally in terms of individual and organisational wrongdoing and self-interest rather as a systemic critique. This did little to challenge or disrupt the overarching dominant narrative of fiscal crisis, necessary cuts, and even of fair tax as low tax. However, the playful performativity of the protests themselves – although part of an activist repertoire, risking distancing themselves from the mainstream – were successful in achieving some limited press coverage of the cuts that they claimed could be prevented by corporations paying their ‘fair share’, but those arguments were not picked up by other voices.

This paper analyses the extent to which this ‘adaptation’ approach to news framing (Rucht 2013) or intervention in dominant narratives (Hirschkop 1998) was successful in advancing political claims and objectives, and whether this case supports the contention that strategically performative and rhetorical interventions in the public sphere can compensate for marginality and lack of discursive power.

Jen Birks is an Assistant Professor in the department of Culture, Film and Media at the University of Nottingham, where she teaches political communication and public cultures. She is the author of News and Civil Society (Ashgate 2014).
4-5pm A Narrative Research Group Event

Wednesday 9 December, 4pm
In the second of two special sessions focusing on the international research of Bournemouth academics, Drs Richard Berger and Peri Bradley will be presenting research recently delivered at the 2015 Popular Culture Association Conference.

Richard Berger – Activating Kafka: the double-logic of an adaptation.
In 1962 Orson Welles’ adaptation of Franz Kafka’s novel, The Trial, was released to lukewarm reviews. However, right up until his death in 1985, Welles persisted in telling interviewers that The Trial was his greatest film. In 1993, Harold Pinter again adapted the work for film – this time more ‘faithfully’ – and Welles earlier version was drawn back into a critical sphere where it was re-appraised as the definitive Kafka on screen. Far from straying too widely from Kafka’s seminal novel, Orson Welles in fact had a profound understanding of the German-speaking Czech writer’s work, and the his dark nightmarish humour. From Citizen Kane to Chimes at Midnight, the ‘utterance’ of Kafka is visible across all of Welles’ work, which has served to further Kafka’s paratextual ‘afterlife’.

Peri Bradley – Camping Out With Lady Gaga: An Investigation of the Political Potential of Female Camp Performance.
This paper explores the under-researched area of female camp, its relationship to feminism, and its political possibilities for women specifically. Previous studies of Camp and Camp performativity have relied on issues of sensibility and minority positioning – such as Sontag and Isherwood – but here I hope to expand on this original concept to provide a more inclusive definition of Camp that investigates the notion of female Camp as part of a historical and archetypal tradition present in both US and UK media that brings Camp and Camp performance out from the cultural periphery and into the mainstream in a positive – rather than negative way.

*This session will be followed by a festive book launch celebrating a number of recent publications by NRG members. Drinks and nibbles will be served in DG68 from 5-7pm, all very welcome.
About the series
This new seminar series showcases current research across different disciplines and approaches within the Faculty of Media and Communication at BU. The research seminars include invited speakers in the fields of journalism, politics, narrative studies, media, communication and marketing studies. The aim is to celebrate the diversity of research across departments in the faculty and also generate dialogue and discussion between those areas of research.

Contributions include speakers on behalf of
The Centre for Politics and Media Research
The Centre for the Study of Journalism, Culture and Community
Narrative Research Group
Journalism Research Group
Advances in Media Management Research Group
Emerging Consumer Cultures Research Group
Public Relations Research Group

Bournemouth Academic invited to present at Developing Social Data Science Methodologies workshop within the Alan Turing Institute

Research communication, Uncategorized

Katarzyna Musial-Gabrys was invited to present her work on complex social networks during the upcoming workshop organised by the Alan Turing Institute within the Foundation of Social Data Science initiative.tag_claud_2011

The Alan Turing Institute was established in 2015 as the UK national institute for the data sciences in response to a letter from the Council for Science and Technology (CST) to the UK Prime Minister (7 June 2013), describing the “Age of Algorithms”. The letter presents a case that “The Government, working with the universities and industry, should create a National Centre to promote advanced research and translational work in algorithms and the application of data science.” (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-age-of-algorithms).
Katarzyna’s presentation will contribute to shaping the portfolio of research challenges to be addressed within the Alan Turing Institute.

Title of Katarzyna’s talk: Methodological challenges in data aggregation in complex social networks.

Abstract of the talk:
For the first time in history, we have the possibility to process ‘big data’ (gathered in computer systems) about the interactions and activities of millions of individuals. It represents an increasingly important yet underutilized resource because due to the scale, complexity and dynamics, social networks extracted from this data are extremely difficult to analyse. There is no coherent and comprehensive methodological approach to analyse such networks which is crucial to advance our understanding of continuously changing people’s behaviour.
One of the methodological challenges is to cope with the variety of available big social data. This data comes from multiple systems (email, instant messengers, blogs, social networking sites, google searches, YouTube, etc.); in each system user can have one or more accounts; this data describes different types of activities (commenting, sharing, messaging, calling, etc.) and relationships (direct, quasi-direct and indirect). In order to be able to effectively process gathered data using data science approaches we need to develop new methodology that will focus on the multirelational (more than one type of connections in a network) character of data.
In general, there are two methods to do that: (i) analyse each relation type separately and then combine results from different layers or (ii) merge all relation types in one layer and analyse this newly created layer. Both approaches require effort in terms of redefining existing network analysis techniques. Analysing each network separately means that methods for combining results from different layers need to be developed. Merging some/all connection types into one heterogeneous relation means that a new approach for aggregation of data from different layers is required. Only by developing rigid approaches to data aggregation, the analytics task can be performed.

If you are interested and you would like to get some further information please contact kmusialgabrys@bournemouth.ac.uk.

Research Makes Sense for Undergraduate Students

Uncategorized

“Relationship between teaching and research is amongst the most intellectually tangled, managerially complex and politically contentious issues in mass higher education system” (P.Scott 2005)

arts design paractice and politics of digital mediaI had the opportunity to organise a research dissemination event for our Digital Media Design Undergraduate students, opening the event to MA and PhD students. Different topics were presented with touching points of debates centred on “Arts design practice and politics of digital media. Dr. Veronica Barassi (Goldsmith), Paula Callus (BU) and Dr. Daniel Ploeger (Royal Central, School of Speech and Drama) were invited to present their research in front of undergraduate students, master and PhD students; as result a kaleidoscopic afternoon spent with our students, unfolded a common ground both in methodology and critical approach. Looking at media from cultural studies, anthropologic and artistic point of views was of great help to empower students’ willingness to create cultural links to their practice but also to feel part of an active and critic citizenship where a global culture is promoted continuously.

We are all aware that research and teaching are often resolved into separate domains competing for time, resources and space.

On the other side embedding research into Undergraduate curriculum, shows greater involvement of the students, deeper understanding through inquiry-led learning.

A connection of research and teaching in academic work, makes university education distinctive and the potential to generate additional research output and new knowledge as well as the creation and strengthen pathways towards postgraduate research become incredibly natural (Giller 2011). Additionally I would mention the bidirectional sense of “gratitude” that derives from a learning experience when integrated into the culture of sharing knowledge.

(more…)

Latest Major Funding Opportunities

BU research, Funding opportunities, Uncategorized

The following funding opportunities have been announced. Please follow the links for more information:

AHRC

Arts and Humanities Research Council and BBC Radio 3 invite applications for the New Generation Thinkers of 2016 scheme. The scheme aims to support early career researchers to communicate their research findings to those outside the academic community through BBC broadcasting. The scheme allows reseracers an opportunity to develop their own programme for BBC Radio 3 and a chance to regularly appear on air. Applications are welcomed in all areas of arts and humanities and those in social sciences and medical science whose work intersects with arts and humanities.

Maximum award: Not specified. Closing date: 07/01/16.

British Academy

British Academy invites applications for its International Partnership and Mobility Scheme, which aims to support the development of partnerships between the UK and other areas of the world where research excellence could be strengthened by new, innovative initiatives and links. Any branch of the humanities or social sciences is eligible and the intended focus is on collaborative research of a mutual interest, rather than purely establishing networks.

Maximum award: £30,000. Closing date: 10/02/16.

Economic and Social Research Council

Economic and Social Research Council invites proposals for its Secondary Data Alaysis Initiative (SDAI), which aims to deliver high quality, high impact research through the deeper exploitation of major data resources created by ESRC and other agencies. Funding is available for up to 18 months. Proposals should address the following core principles: maximising the use of key ESRC-funded data resources; developing the capacity of early career researchers to undertake research using complex data resource; working collaboratively with non-academic stakeholders and ensuring that the accumulated learning and ongoing research impacts from previous phases and projects is captured.

Maximum award: £200,000. Closing date: No deadline.

Medical Research Council

Medical Research Council in partnership with the Department of Health’s National Institute for Health Research invites proposals for the Methodology Research programme. Proposals may address: Research methods  in disciplines underpinning health research including biomedical, behavioural and social science, experimental and stratified medicine, rendomised trials, cohorts and other research designs investigating health, healthcare, health services and health policy; Methods for effective regulation (including indices for decision making), approval, adaptation and reporting of new interventions (including behavioural); Research methods for valid measures of health, e.g. health outcomes, exposure and risk (including behaviour, cognition and emotion) and wellbeing.

Maximum award: Not specified. Closing date: 21/06/16.

Natural Environment Research Council

Natural Environment Research Council and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council invite applications for their Knowledge Exchange Fellowship in the area of aquaculture.  The award will invest in a suitably qualified academic to broker links between academics and business within the UK aquaculture community and provide expert input and advice to the UK aquaculture network.

Maximum award: Not specified. Closing date: 17/03/16.

Natural Environment Research Council’s British Antarctic Survey Institute invites applications for its Polar Ship Research Opportunities, which support scientists who have secured funding and require access to work onboard polar research ships. The marine facilities planning service allows scientists to apply for access to marine equipment and ship-time and there are two types of applications: ship-time and equipment; marine equipment only.

Maximum award: Not specified. Closing date: No deadline.

Royal Society

Royal Society invites nominations for its Medals and Awards. Nominations can be made for excellent candidates from accross various disciplines and nominations for women, under-represented minorities and those undertaking research in industry are particularly encouraged, to increase diversity in awards. Please visit the award page for details of each award.

Maximum award: £10,000. Closing date: 01/02/16.

If you are interested in submitting to any of the above calls you must contact RKEO with adequate notice before the deadline.

Please note that some funding bodies specify a time for submission as well as a date. Please confirm this with your RKEO Funding Development Officer

You can set up your own personalised alerts on Research Professional. If you need help setting these up, just ask your School’s/Faculty’s Funding Development Officer in RKEO or view the recent blog post here.

If thinking of applying, why not add notification of your interest on Research Professional’s record of the bid so that BU colleagues can see your intention to bid and contact you to collaborate.

ESRC funded project: “Dementia Friendly Architecture – Reducing Spatial Disorientation in Dementia Care”

Research news, Uncategorized

ESRC logo New ESRC-funded project in Psychology and BUDI

This week saw the start of a two year ESRC-funded project entitled “Dementia Friendly Architecture: Reducing Spatial Disorientation in Dementia Care Homes”. The project, which has been awarded to Dr Jan Wiener (Psychology/BUDI), aims to develop design guidelines for dementia-friendly architecture that minimise spatial disorientation, one of the earliest signs of dementia.

Post-Doctoral researcher Dr Ramona Grzeschik, who started on the first of December, and Chris Hilton (PhD student) will test how different aspects of build environments affect orientation and navigation abilities in people with dementia. In order to do so, they will use cutting-edge virtual environments and eye-tracking technology (https://microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk/wayfinding/) which allows for systematic manipulations of environmental properties.

This international multidisciplinary project brings together researchers from cognitive psychology, dementia research and architecture. It is a collaboration between Bournemouth University’s Wayfinding Lab, BUDI (Bournemouth University Dementia Institute), Northumbria University (Prof Ruth Dalton, Co-I), UWS (Prof Anthea Innes, Co-I) and the German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases (Prof Wolbers, Prof Nestor, both project-partners).

 

Dr. Fiona Kelly invited guest speaker at Cecily Saunders Institute, King’s College London

BU research, conferences, Featured academics, Uncategorized

fiona Cecily SaundersOn 25th November, Dr Fiona Kelly attended the Cecily Saunders Institute at King’s College London as an invited guest speaker to present research on determining what aspects of the design of care environments might be important for people with dementia nearing the end of life. The key messages of her presentation were the importance of firstly assuming the ability of people with dementia to engage with the senses, whether through touch, sound, smell, sight or taste and then to provide the means of engaging with whatever sense was appropriate or possible. The presentation was followed by a panel discussion with the audience in which the practical application of design principles within hospital settings was debated. The consensus was that even small changes can make a big difference. Following the presentation and discussion, the panel made a commitment to include consideration of dementia design principles in staff education within the Institute.

Fleming, R., Kelly, F. and Stillfried, G. (2015) ‘I want to feel at home’: establishing what aspects of environmental design are important to people with dementia nearing the end of life, BMC Palliative Care. http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-684X/14/26

‘Psychosocial Studies Tackles Austerity’, 4 December,1-3pm, Birkbeck College, University of London

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Panel Discussion:
‘Psychosocial Studies Tackles Austerity’

Friday 4 December 2015, 1-3pm

Room B04, Birkbeck Main Building, Torrington Square, London WC1E 7HX

You are invited to a seminar organised by the Association for Psychosocial Studies

 

A Panel Discussion, with Dr Lisa Baraitser (Birkbeck, University of London), Dr Tracey Jensen (University of East London) and Dr Chris Scanlon (University of East London).Each will offer a short provocation to the audience, followed by an open discussion. The event is chaired by Professor Candida Yates (Bournemouth University)

3.00-3.30pm: Tea and cake

Everyone is invited

Book your place here:
http://psychosocial-studies-tackles-austerity.eventbrite.co.uk

We look forward to seeing you there.

Best wishes,

The Association for Psychosocial Studies
admin@psychosocial-studies-association.org

Academy of Marketing 3rd B2B Marketing Colloquium in Paris, 11-12 APRIL 2016: Opportunity to publish in Special Issue, Journal of Industrial Marketing Management (3* ABS ranking)

conferences, international, Publishing, Research communication, Uncategorized, writing

Dear All,

Université Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne in partnership with Bournemouth University is hosting 3rd annual colloquium for academics and professionals investigating the theory, context and practice of the B2B marketing.

Please see details on the theme, the indicative programme and submission instructions below. We are also pleased to inform that Professor Peter Laplaca is coming to facilitate the session aimed at helping you to write and publish in high quality journals. Moreover, the colloquium is sponsored by the Journal of Industrial Marketing Management (the lead ranking journal for the B2B marketing, 3* ABS ranking).

For any information related to the event and submission/registration process, do email Dr Elvira Bolat at ebolat@bournemouth.ac.uk and Dr Kaouther Kooli at kkooli@bournemouth.ac.uk

Theme: ADDRESSING THE BIG PICTURE: MACRO-ENVIRONMENT CHANGES AND B2B FIRMS

 

Organising team:

Université Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne

Bournemouth University

  • Dr Kaouther Kooli, Lecturer in marketing, Faculty of Management, Bournemouth University, kkooli@bournemoth.ac.uk
  •  Dr Elvira Bolat, Lecturer in marketing, Faculty of Management, Bournemouth University, ebolat@bournemouth.ac.uk
  • Dr Julie Robson Senior Principal lecturer   in marketing, Faculty of Management, Bournemouth University, Jrobson@bournemouth.ac.uk
  • Dr Nektarios Tzempelikos, Tzempelikos , Senior lecturer in marketing, Anglia Ruskin University, Lord Ashcroft International Business School, nektarios.tzempelikos@anglia.ac.uk

To-date, B2B research has examined the factors that drive successful buyer/seller relational exchanges in business markets. However, the focus has mainly been on the supplier, the customer and/or the interaction between them, with little attention being paid to the impact of macro-factors on these interactions. The result is limited knowledge of the complexities that the broader macro-environment encompasses, how these affect the theory and practice of B2B marketing and how their management could be a source of differentiation for B2B firms. In other words, the ‘big picture’ of where and how B2B firms operate is still lacking.

Macro-environmental changes are both major and uncontrollable. They range from political and legal changes, to demographic and social conditions, as well as technological developments, natural disasters and civil wars. These factors influence firms’ decision making, their strategies, innovation, technological prowess, and market performances. . This need, to address the big picture of the impact of the macro environment on B2B firms, provides the topical basis for this Call for Papers.

Relevant topics for the Colloquium and special journal issue include (but are not limited to):

  • Analysis of B2B relationships and firm responses to macro environmental changes.
  • The management of macro-environment changes by B2B firms in the present and the future.
  • The effects of political changes on B2B relationships g. the current discussions on Britain’s continued membership of the EU
  • Legal changes, g., the growth of patent applications and issues of Intellectual property as indicators of firms’ R&D and innovation activities in a country or countries.
  • Social and psychological effects of B2B activities with the business custom
  • The impact of technological changes, g. how Social media is affecting B2B firms’ intelligence gathering and product marketing for their B2B
  • How environmental factors affect (positively or/and negatively) relational exchanges in B2B m
  • Value co-creation between firms and/or sub-contractors in similar or different industries
  • Other topics affecting B2B firms, such us services marketing, customer relationship management, supply chain management and log

This colloquium is dedicated to researchers in B2B marketing. Day one will provide an opportunity for authors to present their papers and gain feedback from their B2B peers. On day two the keynote speaker will provide insight into how to get published in top B2B journals. Papers presented at this conference will be considered for publication in a special dedicated issue of Industrial Marketing Management.

 

Programme

Day 1

8.15-8.30         Welcome and refreshment

8.30-10.30      Parallel Session 1 Paper presentation ( 2 x 4 papers)

10.30- 10.45    Coffee break

10.45-13.00     Parallel Session 2 Paper presentation ( 2 x 4 papers) 13.00-14.00 Lunch

14.00-15.45     Parallel Session 3 Paper presentation ( 2 x 4 papers) 15.45-16.00 coffee break

16.00-17.30     Parallel Session 4 Paper presentation ( 2 x 4 papers)

19.00              Dinner

Day 2

7:30 – 8:00      Refreshment

8:00 12:00       Keynote Session: How to get published in a top B2B journal

Chair: Professor Peter Laplaca

12:00 – 12:15 Coffee break

12:15-14.00     Keynote Session: B2B research needs: Advancing the discipline & Close of Colloquium

Chair: Professor Peter Laplaca

14.00               Lunch

 

Deadlines

  • 11th January 2016 :   paper submission closes at midnight
  • 25th January 2016     Paper decision notified to authors.
  • 12th February 2016 Conference registration deadline for those presenting

Paper Format & Review

Full-length paper submission according to the guidelines of Industrial Marketing Management to B2Bcolloque@gmail.com

Manuscripts must be original, unpublished works not concurrently under review for publication at another outlet and are expected to follow the standard formatting guidelines for IMM (Guidelines can be found at https://www.elsevier.com/journals/industrial-marketing- management/0019-8501/guide-for-authors ). Do not submit a paper at the IMM paper submission website. Address questions regarding the special issue to any of the organising team.

The papers will undergo a rapid-response review process by end- January and must not be submitted to a journal prior or during this time. Success in the review will not guarantee publication in the special issue, but in order to be accepted for special issue publication, papers need to be presented at the colloquium.

Colloquium fees: Academics € 300 PhD students € 200

IMPORTANT

  • For any cancellation after the 01 March 2016 there will be no refund of the fees

To register for the colloquium please go to http://b2b2016.sciencesconf.org

Open Access Highlights from BURO – December 2015

Uncategorized

There has been a massive 269% increase in deposited files for journal articles in January to November 2015 compared with the same period in 2014.

The Mock REF will have accelerated this depositing but we hope that, with the HEFCE deadline of April 2016 fast approaching, researchers will upload their accepted files to BRIAN (for BURO) as soon as they receive the publisher’s email advising them of acceptance.

BU researchers-article deposits: 1 January- 30 November 2015
ARTICLES.DEPOSITS1JAN-30NOV 2015

BU researchers-article deposits: 1 January- 30 November 2014
ARTICLES DEPOSITS 1JAN-30NOV 2014

The Faculty of Science & Technology (SciTech) has been particularly good at uploading files. Witness the increase of 244% on same period last year.

SciTech researchers- all deposits: 1 January – 30 November 2015
SCITECH ALL ITEMS 1JAN-30NOV.V1

SciTech researchers- all deposits: 1 January – 30 November 2014
SCITECH ALL EPOSITS 1JAN2014-30NOV2014.V1

To be eligible for submission in the next REF, journal articles and conference proceedings (with ISSN) accepted for publication after 1 April 2016 must be made open access.
In practice, this means the outputs must be deposited in an institutional repository (BURO) or subject repository within a three-month period from the point of acceptance for publication.
Depositing your manuscript in BRIAN, as soon as it is accepted, ensures that it will be eligible for submission to the next REF. This may mean that manuscripts need to be put online before they are formally published. Items under publisher embargo in BURO are still REF compliant.

We need to maintain the momentum!
So REMEMBER
As soon as you receive the email informing you that your output has been accepted for publication, upload the file to BRIAN.

See our guide Open access and depositing your research

Any queries about depositing please contact the BURO team.

Bull run – archive research and lectures in Pamplona

international, Research assessment, Uncategorized

Pamplona in the Spanish province of Navarra is renowned for the annual Running of the Bulls, popularised by Ernest Hemingway, and as being on the path of the Camino de Santiago. It is also home to the Universidad de Navarra whose Faculty of Communication has two strong links to BU.

Associate Professor John Oliver of the Faculty of Media & Communication (FMC) is one of the leaders of the European Media Management Association (EMMA) which is very active in Pamplona and includes the university’s President. Professor Tom Watson of FMC collaborates with public relations historian Dr Natalia Rodriguez-Salcedo, a regular participant in the International History of Public Relations Conference held each year at BU.

From November 23-27, Professor Watson visited the Pamplona university and spent time in its excellent archive researching the development of public relations education policies by European professional bodies from the 1950s to 1980.

“Dr Rodriguez-Salcedo has catalogued the records of pioneer Spanish practitioner, Joaquin Maestre Mora, who was very active in the International Public Relations Association (IPRA) from the 1960s to 1980s,” he said. ‘This links with BU’s own IPRA archive. My Spanish colleague investigated IPRA archive in 2014 and identified gaps in our files that could be filled from the Maestre archive.”

The investigations of both archives have led to journal articles and conference presentations by the two researchers, with another paper to come in 2016. “As archives are digitised, access to this basic material of communication history research will become easier but there is still nothing like leafing through paper files and finding the unexpected,” said Professor Watson.

While at the Universidad de Navarra, he gave guest lectures to UG and PG students on management of corporate communication, crisis management and the measurement and evaluation of public relations. Professor Watson also discussed current developments in research assessment with staff in the Faculty of Communication.

Professor Tom Watson addressing the CorpComClub at Universidad de Navarra

Professor Tom Watson addressing the CorpComClub at Universidad de Navarra

HE Policy Update

Uncategorized

Monday

Gender Pay Gap

Information from the Office for National Statistics has revealed that the gender pay gap in higher education narrowed significantly over the past year. Gender pay gap in higher education shrinks (THE).

Tuesday

Graduate Recruitment

Early data collection by the Association of Graduate Recruiters suggests that last year about 8 per cent of job offers by graduates were accepted but turned down at a later date. Graduates are being advised not to rush into applying for lots of graduate jobs as they often turn down offers if they are given another offer later down the line, this can lead to employers not having enough time to fill the vacancy. University students told not to panic over job pitches (Financial Times).

Research and Teaching

The Green Paper is argued to create a possible disconnect between research and teaching with the introduction of a new TEF. Reform could force universities to choose between teaching and research (The Guardian).

Wednesday

Spending Review

George Osborne’s Spending Review revealed the following implications for higher education:

  • The BIS budget will be cut by 17%.
  • A reform of funding for health students by replacing grants with student loans and abolishing the cap on the number of student places for nursing, midwifery and allied health subjects
  • The Nurse Review recommendations will be implemented. Therefore subject to legislation, the government will introduce a new body – Research UK – which will work across the seven Research Councils.
  • The science budget will be protected in real terms including a new £1.5 billion Global Challenges fund to ensure UK science takes the lead in addressing the problems faced by developing countries whilst developing our ability to deliver cutting-edge research.
  • Part-time students will be able to receive maintenance loans from 2018-19.
  • Tuition fee loans will be available for all higher skills students on apprenticeships.
  • Loans will be extended for postgraduate students for everyone under the age of 60 from 2016-17.
  • For all STEM subjects, tuition loans will be extended to students wishing to do a second degree from 2017-18.
  • The government will take forward a review of the Research Excellence Framework in order to examine how to simplify and strengthen funding on the basis of excellence, and will set out further details shortly.
  • The government will reduce the teaching grant by £120 million in cash terms by 2019-20, but will allow funding for high cost subjects to be protected in real terms.
  • Current students and graduates who took out loans after 2012 will be asked to pay more in repayments, via a freeze in the £21,000 repayment threshold until April 2021.
  • Thursday

Martin Lewis

Martin Lewis, founder of the Money Saving Expert website has criticised George Osborne’s plans to freeze the student loan repayment threshold at £21,000, the government had originally pledged to uprate the threshold in line with earnings. It will mean students have to pay back more of their student loan repayments. Martin Lewis: George Osborne ‘doesn’t have balls’ to tell ‘millions’ they must pay more on student loans (THE).

HEPI

Nick Hillman, Director of the Higher Education Policy Institute reveals that although universities did not suffer as much as expected in the Spending Review, poorest students may well struggle. Universities got off lightly, but will poorest students pay the price? (Guardian).

Friday

Freedom of Speech

Peers have called for Universities UK and the National Union of Students to “live up to their responsibilities” and protect freedom of speech in universities. Lords call on universities to do more to protect freedom of speech. (Research Professional). 

Metrics

An academic has argued that metrics are ultimately not about the individual student, or teacher.  Rather, they are about making educators accountable which could mean that academics will lose sight of what they are supposed to focus on. Our obsession with metrics turns academics into data drones (Guardian).

A special call of the Fusion Investment Fund – Hubs of Practice

Uncategorized

You may recall from Dr Sonal Minocha’s email introducing Global BU to all staff in October that the first ASEAN Hub of Practice was supported through the last round of the Fusion Investment Fund. We are now looking to set up two more Hubs in India and China and welcome applications in support of this.

The deadline for applications is 12pm on Monday 18th January 2016. For all the updated strand policy documents, application form and more information please visit the FIF website, the Global BU pages on the intranet, and see the Global Engagement Plan.

The Fusion Investment Fund is managed by Corrina Lailla Osborne and the Co-ordinators are Sue Townrow and Sarah Oliffe.

If you would like to discuss your ideas please contact globalbu@bournemouth.ac.uk. For enquiries about the application process please contact the Fusion Fund.