Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure in the UK. In collaboration with the University of Bristol, BU is in receipt of (another) three year grant that ultimately, we hope, will lead to the discovery of new treatments to prevent kidney failure developing in patients with diabetes.

The work, using patient data and BU’s Drosophila (fruit fly) kidney model, will look at how preventing the disruption of energy within kidney filtration cells called podocytes might slow or prevent kidney failure. The image shows the surface of a podocyte-like cell within a fruit fly, with linear arrays of filtration slits covering its surface. These minute structures are common to both human and fly cells and become damaged when energy is depleted in the cells – leading to loss of cell function. Flies allows us to understand the molecular basis of how this leads to kidney failure in humans – and guides us as to which molecules to target in the patients.

Dr. Paul S. Hartley.

Sustainability goals implementation in the Era of Digitilisation in North African Countries

3-4 December 2018, Golden Tulip El Mechtel, Tunis

Dr. Kaouther Kooli, Conference Co-Chair

Dr. Kaouther Kooli, Conference Co-Chair, opening ceremony.

Professor Hamida Skandrani, University of Manouba, Chair of the Ligue, Conference Chair

In collaboration with the Interdisciplinary laboratory of University-Enterprise Management (LIGUE-ISCAE), the centre of Research on Retail and Digital -FSA- University of Laval-Canada; the Academy of Marketing B2B SIG au Royaume-Uni, The Association pour la Promotion de l’Innovation et de la Qualité (APIQ) and The University of Manouba, Bournemouth University has organised a fantastic conference on the 3rd and 4th December 2018 at the Golden Tulip El Mechtel in Tunis.

Professor Derrick De Kerkhove brilliantly highlighted the connectedness of nowadays world in the plenary session, and, set the tone for this conference that addresses sustainability, one of the shared global issues strongly supported locally, regionally and internationally. Indeed, North African countries are signatories of the General Agreements on Customs Tariffs and Trade (GATT-WTO), among so many other countries. To comply with the 2030 sustainability agenda and with the expectations of their international partners, these countries have to adopt and integrate the sustainability objectives. However, considering the low level of integration of sustainability and social responsibility in the strategic objectives of the different stakeholders, the arguable diffusion of Information and Communication Technologies, the degree of adequacy of the legal and legal framework (standards, certifications, etc.),  and the recent sociopolitical changes in these countries, it is essential to debate the challenges / obstacles / levers for integrating the 2030 sustainability perspective and to discuss possible routes for the different stakeholders involved in a conference.

Top level keynote speakers have enriched this debate :

Professor Derrick De Kerkhove brilliantly highlighted the connectedness of nowadays world in the plenary session, and, set the tone for this conference that addresses sustainability, one of the shared global issues strongly supported locally, regionally and internationally.

Dr. Julie Robson, Associate Professor of Marketing at Bournemouth University (UK).She is a specialist in Financial Services Marketing, Banking Marketing, Insurance and Islamic Finance and is a member of the Editorial Board of The International Journal of Bank Marketing.

Professor Samir Trabelsi, Professor of Accounting at Brock University (Canada).  His research interests include governance, transparency, financial risk management and social responsibility.

In addition to the British Academy’s indexed conference proceedings, five ABS journals sponsored the conference with special issues: Journal of Customer Behavior; Qualitative Market Research- An International Journal; Cogent Business and Management; Social Business and Transnational Marketing Journal.

More than 140 participants took part in this event. As well as academics from different management science disciplines from the UK, Canada, Egypt, Spain, France, Italy, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia, practitioners operating in various economic sectors (private or public) i.e. educational, social, technological, governmental, Not for Profit, etc. joined the conference to discuss the results of scientific research, professional experiences, challenges, concerns and levers for implementing the sustainability goals. The results consisted in a very fruitful exchanges that were widely appreciated by all attendees and commented on extensively by the media covering the event (TV216, El Janoubia TV, press unit of Universincity of Manouba) and on social media (mainly Facebook).

Friendly ambiance and lots of networking at the El Medina restaurant.

During two intensive days, roundtable discussions on experiences, challenges, prospects for the implementation of the sustainability goals, local government governance, smart cities, the link between trust and sustainable development, the role of the media in achievement of the sustainability goals, water issues as a public issue, networking workshops, meetings with the editors  of the Journal of Customer Behavior, Qualitative Market Research- An International journal, Cogent Business and Management, Social Business and Transnational Marketing Journal; and research paper sessions, provided an opportunity to develop collaborative networks on common issues leading to future collaborative projects. In this regard, several projects were discussed and meetings were held and / or are planned to concretise these collaborations.

Professor Len Tiu Wright, Dr. Julie Robson (BU), Dr. Hazeem Rasheed (College of Management and Technology, Alexandria) and Dr. Kaouther Kooli (BU), presenting on behalf of the editors of :Qualitative Market Research- An International Journal, Transnational Marketing Journal, Cogent Business and Management, Journal of Costumer Behaviour and Social Business

The conference was sponsored by prestigious organisations that were also represented in the conference through contributions to very rich roundtables. These are : PMS Service Company, Societe National de Petrole SNDP Company (AGIL), Tunisair; Biolive, Justech. Ms. Zeineb Attia (HR Expo); Dr. Khaoula Ben Mansour (INLUCC); Ms. Zohra Boussetta (Biolive); Prof. Aysha Karrafi (ATGL, APER); Mr. Nizar Nouiri (Factory 619); Ms. Sana Oueslati (e-Government Unit, Prime Ministry); Ms. Souad Siala (Canadian-Tunisian Chamber of Commerce); Mr. Charfeddine Yakoubi (ATCP); Dr. Slim Mehrezi (Mayor of the la Marsa Council); Mr. Sami Marrouki (President of IRSET) and Mr. Nabil Smida (CEO of SNDP).

Conference main outcomes

1. Publications for academics from all participant countries i.e. North Africa and beyond in ABS journals bringing new research approaches/methods that are more specific to an under researches part of the world.
2. Joint projects linking academics from different countries i.e. Dr Cherifa Lakhoua presented a paper on the impact of the socio-political situation, images and intention to visit: how to develop a sustainable image of a country and a destination? Taking the case of Tunisia. She is now collaborating with Dr Hazeem Rasheed from the College of Management and Technology in Egypt, to collect further data from Egypt.
3. The conference is one of the very few opportunities for North African countries to meet and debate over shared issues.
4. Joint bids for funding are planned i.e. an application for the following funding (Society for Libyan Studies, GB) is being developed in collaboration between Dr Julie Robson, Professor Adele Ladkin Dr Kaouther Kooli (BU), professor Len Tiu Wright ( De Montfort University) and Professor Hamida Skandrani (The University of Manouba, ISCAE), Dr. Fatma Smaoui (The University of Tunis, ISG)
   

   Roundtable discussion: Chaired by Professor Derrick de Kerkhove, impressive panel at ‪#colloqueinternationalduLIGUE ‪#B2BSIGConference2018 president of ‪@tunisair_info, minister of finance of Tunisia, various NGOs – all to discuss how Tunisia  acts on UN Sustainability Goals

5. Collaboration of Dr Kaouther Kooli (BU) with Professor Derrick De Kerkhove (Italy) on the project “I am Bizerte” which is part of a bigger project “Smart Bizerte”.
6. Collaboration between Bournemouth University and the College of Management and Technology in Alexandria on a future conference. In addition, to initiating a partnership led by Professor Sangeeta Khorana and Dr Kaouther Kooli between both institutions.
7. Dr. Kaouther Kooli is nominated a mentor for researchers/academics working at the College of Management and Technology, Alexandria, Egypt.
8. Initiating a partnership between the American University in North Africa AUNA in Tunis and Bournemouth University.

All these outcomes will contribute to BU 2025 Strategic plan:

Build capacity and capability to deliver the BU2025 outcomes through (1) leading thoughts and research looking at an under explored region in the world, (2) through publishing relevant research that touches pertinent issues, hence with strong potential impact on the society, (3) through enhancing BU position as a sustainable organisation that is ahead of the curve in reflecting upon the inclusive environmental impact.

The event contributes also to BU reputation and networks by developing BU network of partners. This is much needed especially if we consider that the UK is going through tremendous changes triggered by Brexit.

Finally, this event contributes to BU strong commitment to ensuring equality and diversity, through collaborating with colleagues in North Africa on key global issues.  During the conference, contributions from academics, practitioners and other stakeholders, have emphasised North Africa as an important player, alongside with other international stakeholders, in achieving the 2030 sustainability agenda. These contributions took different forms i.e. research papers, roundtable discussions.

Closing ceremony picture, Golden Tulip El Mechtel, 4 -12 – 2018

A big thank you for two wonderful ladies: Dr. Julie Robson and Dr. Elvira Bolat for their dedication and contribution before and during the conference.

Finally, I would like to thank Professor Michael Baker, Professor Ibrahim Sirkeci and Dr Andrew Lindridge for supporting the conference with special issues of ABS journals, hence, providing academics in North African countries and others with a huge opportunity for publication.

I wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Dr Kaouther Kooli, Conference Co-Chair

It may surprise you but your heart is nothing new. Insects that evolved nearly half a billion years ago had already developed beating hearts. Much of the genetic machinery that controls our own heart beat and heart’s contraction has been conserved during evolutionary time – nature has not deemed it necessary to change it much. OK, the scale and shape of our hearts has changed a little since flies evolved but the molecular mechanics underpinning each heart beat haven’t. This means we can use flies and their genetics to understand human hearts. This is especially useful for ageing research when other models are simply too challenging to manipulate. Research work funded both in the UK by the British Heart Foundation and the USA by the National Institutes of Health is now being summarised in this review. The image shows the Drosophila (fruit fly) heart tube (HT) with associated kidney-like cells either side of it (purple) and alary muscles which act like guy ropes, pinning the heart to the fly’s abdomen. Remember this the next time you wash your car’s window-screen – you’re scraping away a lot of very cool biology!

Dr. Paul S. Hartley – your local ‘heart Drosophilist’

Abstract

People with dementia often find it more difficult to understand and navigate built environments. Dementia-friendly environments compensate for impairments to maximise independence and quality of life. During the last week of November Prof Jan Wiener, Dr Michelle Heward, Amanda Adams and Dr Sarah Hambidge from the Ageing and Dementia Research Centre (ADRC) launched the new SustAining residenT NAVigation in care environments (SAT NAV) education programme, running two workshops with 28 local practitioners including care home managers, architects and interior designers.

The aim of the workshops is to enable practitioners to develop strategies to support people with dementia in unfamiliar environments. To facilitate this, practitioners learnt about existing ageing and dementia friendly design principles and audit tools as well as how navigation research can support wayfinding in care environments. This included an overview of the ADRC empirically validated design guidelines, a key output from a two year ESRC grant and over 10 years of research by Prof Jan Wiener, to support effective way finding in people with Alzheimer’s disease in care environments. Design suggestions made by students from the Bournemouth Arts University Graphic Design course led by Alice Stevens were also included to give practitioners ideas for implementing the design guidelines in their own practice.

Feedback from the workshops suggests that the practitioners ‘…have a better understanding about navigation and orientation for people with dementia’ and that the ‘training has given me ideas to take back to workplace’. The team will continue to develop the education workshops and plan to hold several more in 2019. Evaluation of the impact of the workshops in practice will include following up with the practitioners at a later date to explore how they have applied the learning in their own practice.

To register your interest in attending a future workshop please contact Michelle Heward.

The editorial board of the Journal of Promotional Communications (JPC) would like to announce the publication of its new issue.  Volume 6 Number 3 is now available for download at:  http://promotionalcommunications.org/index.php/pc

In this issue, we include the top six papers presented at last year’s Promotional Communications annual conference organised by the Corporate & Marketing Communications (CMC) Department in the Faculty of Media and Communication.  Papers deal with subjects that many of you will find very interesting and topical (branding politics, Trump, gender equality, neuromarketing, monetisation and public health).

The journal was launched in 2013 with the help of BU Fusion Funding and is the first open-access, peer-review journal for the study of promotional cultures and communication to publish outstanding undergraduate and postgraduate work.  More recently the journal has published issues showcasing excellent collaborative papers written by BU students and their tutors.

The journal welcomes submissions from a range of disciplinary areas, including, but not limited to advertising, cultural studies, consumer research, sociology and political communications

If you would like to get involved with the journal or edit a special issue on a topic of relevance, please contact the editors: (Janice Denegri-Knott, jdknott@bournemouth.ac.uk or Carrie Hodges, chodges@bournemouth.ac.uk.) 

Sue Sudbury, Xue Han, Charlie Mott and Julian McDougall’s article on the Hunger By the Sea co-creation project has been published in the International Journal of Students as Partners. 

This research was generated by the co-authoring scheme funded by CEMP and Uo23, led by Anna Feigenbaum. Sue and Julian committed to working together on this interdisciplinary reflection on a project which connected Sue’s award-winning approach to film as research with Julian’s work on student learning in ‘the third space’.

Hunger by the Sea: the film

Hunger by the Sea: the research output