ISSUE FOUR • June 2018
INTRODUCTION • 03
IMPACT ISSUE FOUR Diversity and Internationalisation This fourth edition of IMPACT exemplifies in many ways how our School continues to demonstrate its strength in its core strategic domains: research, education, student experience, and in embracing diversity and inclusion both inside and outside the classroom. Diversity and internationalisation are intrinsic to our School’s ethos and encompass our vision and mission to continue to yield leaders who showcase the very best in business practice around the world. Diversity – we mean this in many senses of the word. The School is at the forefront of diverse thinking thanks to the excellent research produced by our faculty, which is very much connected to the challenges facing the modern world. Professor Susanne Braun considers how diversity can mean many things. Her latest study looks at the differences between ‘surface level’ and ‘deep level’ diversity attributes from an organisational standpoint, and why businesses should care about embracing diversity, especially in leadership. Professor Mark Learmonth discusses his research on gender equality, and looks at the various characteristics that must be considered in work environments. Internationalisation – an important element to the School’s ambition to be listed amongst Europe’s top 20 institutions by 2027. Professor Kiran Fernandes looks at the School’s international collaborations in his article ‘Why it’s better to work together’, emphasising why it is important for business schools to conduct their business on the international market and engage with their global networks. Dr Jorge Lengler talks about his work with Brazilian export SMEs which aims to transfer knowledge of international marketing strategies, developed by Business School researchers, to the participating SMEs. This helps build their competitiveness in foreign markets. This edition also looks at the impact of our research across the world and also in our local region. Professor John Mawson provides an overview of how the Institute of Local Governance, located within the Business School, is working to create change in the North East of England. Professor Laurence Ferry’s research into accountability of public services has also impacted on local government at British Parliament. Professor Ferry has also provided evidence cited by Select Committees and distributed to MPs, influencing their thoughts on key issues like Brexit. Dr Barbara Bechter and PhD Candidate Michael Nower also consider the next steps and future implications of Brexit for the UK in their research.
As a leading international business school, we aim to create an environment which maximises the benefits of our diverse international community who, in turn, aim to achieve their full potential to attract and retain some of the most talented and motivated people from across the world in their own organisations. With faculty from across the globe, over 3,500 students comprising 100+ nationalities and an exceeding 25,000-strong international alumni in over 150 countries, our community is a key example to learn from. The excellent result for the School’s MBA programmes in the Financial Times’ (FT) annual MBA ranking earlier this year highlights that it is a world-class programme valued by students across the world. Additionally, being ranked 3rd in the UK and 35th globally in the FT’s first-ever ‘Top 50 MBA Programmes for Women’ list demonstrates the importance of business education for women, and how our School is taking a leading stance in breaking down the gender barriers that divide our future business leaders. Our School values external engagement and our programmes include a variety of opportunities for students to be involved with our global business networks. We’ve welcomed a number of guest speakers to the School this year, including Mahmoud Mohieldin, Senior Vice President at the World Bank Group and Marco Migueis of the Federal Reserve System, as well as former Financial Director of Whitbread PLC Chris Rogers, who presided over the MBA Boardroom Exercise. Also core to our programmes are the international study and business experiences which further enrich students’ education. Our continued success relies on the combined and considerable talents of not only our academics and staff, but our students and alumni of who we profile from various countries. They share their experiences in Durham and their day-to-day lives at the School, and how these have helped to shape their careers. As always, I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to this edition of Impact magazine. The support from all of those featured, from staff and students to alumni and our business connections, has been exceptional. This demonstrates our excellent and collective commitment to further building our diverse and international community. Professor Susan Hart Dean of Durham University Business School
