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www.lboro.ac.uk/sbe School of Business and Economics SHARING INFORMATION ON PROGRESS REPORT 2018 SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Letter of continued commitment signed by the Vice Chancellor ............................................. 3
Statement from SBE: The PRME Representative/Team ............................................................ 5
Executive Summary .......................................................................................................................... 6
CHAPTER 1: Brief introduction to the institution
1.1 An introduction to Loughborough University ....................................................................... 7
1.2 An Introduction to the School of Business and Economics ................................................. 8
1.3 An overview of Loughborough University’s Sustainability Strategy ................................ 10
CHAPTER 2: An Overview of practical actions
2.1 Practical Actions: The School of Business and Economics .............................................. 11
2.1.1 Ethics, Sustainability and Social Responsibility in Learning and Teaching ...... 11
2.1.2 Ethics, Sustainability and Social Responsibility in SBE Research ...................... 13
2.1.3 Partnerships with Business ..................................................................................... 16
2.1.4 The Dean’s Award for Corporate Social Responsibility....................................... 17
2.1.5 Responsible Management Seed-Corn Funding .................................................... 18
2.1.6 The role of the School in Community Outreach and Public Service ................. 21
2.1.7 The role of the School in the Local, National and International Community 24
2.1.8 Policies relating to Students ................................................................................... 24
2.2 Practical Actions: University Level ..................................................................................... 25
2.2.1 The University Sustainability Action Plan ............................................................. 28
2.2.2 University Level: Ethics, Sustainability and Social Responsibility in Research
and Development .................................................................................................... 28
2.2.3 The role of the University in the Local, National and International
Community ................................................................................................................ 30
2.2.4 Organisational Practices: List of Environmental Assessments, Certifications
and Awards received ............................................................................................... 33
2.3 Students: Ethics, Sustainability and Social Responsibility .............................................. 36
1
CHAPTER 3: Reflections on Progress
3.1 A reflection on progress made in the past reporting period ......................................... 41
3.1.1 Achievements from PRME Period 1 2016-2018 .................................................. 41
3.1.2 Opportunities for further development: for strategic consideration .............. 41
3.1.3 Possible challenges in future reporting periods ................................................. 42
3.2 Reference to any metrics being developed and used .................................................... 42
3.3 Accreditations and Awards ................................................................................................. 43
CHAPTER 4: Future objectives
4.1 PRME Reporting Cycle 2018-2020 ..................................................................................... 44
4.2 PRME Reporting Cycle 2020-2022 ..................................................................................... 44
4.3 Beyond 2022 ......................................................................................................................... 44
APPENDIXES ................................................................................................................................ 45
GLOSSARY OF TERMS ........................................................................................................... 47
2
FROM THE VICE CHANCELLOR: A LETTER OF COMMITMENT
Loughborough University is a successful research intensive, globally connected university
with excellent links to industry. We aim to lead research and practice in responsible
management through our application of the six PRME principles: developing student
capability as responsible leaders, incorporating the values of global social responsibility into
our activities and curricula, enabling learning processes for responsible leadership,
engaging in research for sustainability, working with our commercial and educational
partners, and facilitating dialogue on critical issues related to global social responsibility and
sustainability.
Hazlerigg Building, one of Loughborough University’s oldest standing structures opened in
1938 by Sir Arthur Hazlerigg, the Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire
Our mission and values are at the heart of what we do: to further knowledge and
understanding through internationally-recognised research; to provide a high quality,
comprehensive educational experience that prepares our graduates for their future lives and
the global workplace; to influence the economic and social development of individuals,
businesses, the professions and communities; and to shape national and international policy
and practice.
Similarly, ethics, sustainability and social responsibility pervade the way we work: in our
culture of respect and celebration of diversity; in the way we recognise and reward excellence
in our staff for their contribution and commitment; in how we are inclusive and value the
views of our staff, students, alumni and partners; how we respect the communities and
environments in which we operate; how we work together as a team with professionalism
and integrity; and overall, how we take pride in being the very best we can be. We are working
towards achieving our ten-year vision through four central themes – Investing in our staff,
Educating for success, Growing capacity and influence, and Raising standards and aspirations
– with research, teaching, enterprise and sport embedded in each.
3
Professor Robert Allisson, Vice-Chancellor and President of Loughborough University
At corporate level and as a member of the Environmental Association of Universities and
Colleges (EAUC), the University aims to ensure that our own organisational practices should
serve as examples of the values and attitudes we convey to our students. Through initiatives
such as the Loughborough Cup we have brought ethics, social responsibility and
sustainability to the attention of an increasing number of students. Over the next ten years
we aim to further embed the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) in
every aspect of the University’s practice.
As Vice Chancellor, I am delighted to make an institutional commitment to support the
Principles for Responsible Management Education; and will continue to encourage the
School of Business and Economics to lead best practice in teaching, research and enterprise
in respect of ethics, sustainability and social responsibility. Over the coming years we hope
to extend a welcome to the PRME community at our campuses in Loughborough, and
Loughborough University in London. My congratulations on your continuing success.
4
FROM THE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS
Loughborough University’s School of Business and
Economics is proud to be a signatory to the Principles
for Responsible Management Education (PRME). As a
research-led school our Discipline Groups, Research
Centres and Research Interest Groups are the principal
focus of our activity with numerous research projects
focusing on sustainability and responsible leadership.
Ethical practice is a theme embedded in our academic
programmes, which incorporate masterclasses and
thought leadership events on ethics and sustainability.
We engage with not for profit organisations through
research, staff volunteering, student projects and
internships.
Professor Stewart Robinson
Our aspiration is that this report gives a flavour not only Dean, School of Business and
of the scope and diversity of activities relating to ethics, Economics
sustainability and social responsibility led by the School
of Business and Economics, but also to the distinctive culture of the School which we believe
is a key contributor to our success. That is, a culture where individuals take responsibility for
ethics, sustainability and social responsibility in every aspect of the School’s activities; where
our teaching and learning are informed by research; and where our business engagement
activities have real impact based on our expertise. Hence, our further aspiration is that our
students leave us very well equipped to be leaders who embrace the values of ethics,
sustainability and social responsibility; to embed these into their professional practices, and
to maintain those values throughout their working lives.
This is our first PRME ‘Sharing Information on Progress’ report. It aims to capture where we
are now, how our practice sits in the context of the wider university, and to give a flavour of
our aims and ambitions for the future. Ethics, sustainability and social responsibility are
themes throughout our research, teaching, enterprise, and institutional practices. I am proud
of what my colleagues have achieved so far, and we have set some challenging goals for the
future. We look forward to a continuing partnership with PRME.
5
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Loughborough University joined PRME in July 2016 and we are pleased to submit our first
‘Sharing Information on Progress’ (SIP) report. As a leading UK University with a focus on
excellence in research, learning and teaching and employer engagement; ethics sustainability
and social responsibility are themes that run throughout the institution. This report aims to
present the richness and diversity of these activities, from senior level strategic commitment,
with world-leading research, innovative pedagogy and curriculum, engagement with external
stakeholders and staff and student volunteering among the range of approaches adopted.
In the School of Business and Economics (SBE), Ethics, Sustainability and Social Responsibility
(ESSR) are embedded in the curriculum through a range of modules including: ‘Business Ethics
and CSR’, ‘International Corporate Governance’ and ‘Firms and Corporate Governance at
Bachelor’s degree level. At post-graduate level, relevant modules include: ’Corporate
Governance and Responsibility. In Spring 2018 the School has conducted a review of all
programmes and modules to audit content related to CSR and Ethics, with the aim of
identifying best practice as well as areas for further development. As a research-led School
our Research Centres and Research Interest Groups (RIGS) are a focus of our activity and our
multinational cadre of researchers and research students have provided numerous examples
of research linked to ESSR. The diversity and richness of this research reflects the School well
and include sector-leading work on sustainable supply chains, disaster recovery, sustainability
accounting and corporate governance. Our business partnerships are strongly connected to
the expertise of our academics, with key impact cases including work with ‘Care in the
Community’ undertaken collaboratively with Leicestershire County Council, and pro-active
involvement with a local charity, Action Homeless. Initiatives to support ESSR-related
development that the School has promoted have included the Dean’s Awards for Corporate
Social Responsibility, Responsible Management Seed-Corn funding (now in its second year),
as well as supporting staff volunteering.
Activities and achievements in relation to Ethics, Sustainability and Social Responsibility
(ESSR) within SBE have been developed in the context of significant University-level good
practice. This has included award-winning initiatives to promote staff wellbeing and British
Council Safety awards. University level practice is guided by the Sustainability Action Plan,
which develops the theme of Educating for Sustainable Development (ESD). Aims of the
Sustainability Action Plan include to create learning environments which promote ESD,
maximising the learning opportunities arising from our biodiverse and green campus, and
encouraging research with a positive impact on business and the community. Our students,
through the Student’s Union further enhance this community involvement through raising
over £1 million each year with RAG, the Community Action student volunteering programme,
and Ethics and Environment Week. Future goals include leveraging employer connections to
enhance impact and engagement, enhancing the Schools’ role in PRME nationally and
internationally, and developing our strategic perspective on Ethics, Sustainability and Social
Responsibility.
Dr Andrew Rothwell
PRME Liaison
6
CHAPTER 1:
BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO THE UNIVERSITY
1.1. INTRODUCTION TO THE UNIVERSITY
Throughout its history Loughborough University has built upon its distinctive characteristics.
Today it is one of the country’s leading universities, with a reputation for excellence in
teaching and research, strong links with business and industry and unrivalled academic,
experiential and sporting achievement. It has been named as WhatUni University of the Year
2018, is ranked 1st for Student Experience in the Times Higher Education Student Experience
Survey, 4th in the Guardian University League Table 2019, 6th in the Times ‘Table of Tables’,
7th in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide, and 7th in the Complete University
Guide 2019. It is Britain’s top university for Quality of Student Life (Lloyds Bank Survey), the
top mainstream University in England according to the 2017 National Student Survey and is
the best Sporting University in the World (QS Global League).
As a research intensive, globally connected university with excellent links to industry we aim
to lead research and practice in responsible management through our application of the six
PRME principles: developing student capability as responsible leaders, incorporating the
values of global social responsibility into our activities and curricula, enabling learning
processes for responsible leadership, engaging in research for sustainability, working with
our commercial and educational partners, and facilitating dialogue on critical issues related
to global social responsibility and sustainability. Accordingly, sustainability is directly linked to
the four main themes of the University’s ‘Building Excellence’ strategy.
Strategic Theme Examples of Sustainability Contribution
Investing in Staff ✓ Awards for initiatives to improve staff well-being, (British Safety Council
international safety awards)
✓ Improved health, reduced absence
✓ Increased engagement and experience of partnership working investing
in LU as a sustainable community
Educating for ✓ Educate and inspire our students to become socially responsible and
Success environmentally aware members of our future society
✓ Support academic colleagues and multi-disciplinary teaching to
incorporate sustainable development into teaching and research
Growing Capacity & ✓ Raising competitiveness through innovation that promotes development
Influence ✓ Improve our bottom line through resource efficiency
Raising Standards & ✓ Strengthen our standards and improve our performance in environmental
Aspirations sustainability
✓ To embed sustainability as business as usual linking the 3 core aspects
of sustainability (social, environmental and economic) through University
policy and strategy
7
In 2015 Loughborough opened a second campus on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London.
Loughborough University London has diversified and expanded the high-quality education
offered to both postgraduate students and those looking to advance their professional
development.
1.2. INTRODUCTION TO THE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND
ECONOMICS
The School of Business and Economics at Loughborough
University is a full-service, research led school with a high
proportion of international staff and international
students. It is among just 1% of Business Schools in the
world to have the prestigious ‘triple-crown’ accreditation
(AMBA, EQUIS, AACSB). Although the School can trace its
origin to 1971 when the department of Management
Studies was founded, the current School was established
in August 2010 from a merger of the Business School and
the Department of Economics. The School has an annual
turnover of over £35million (€40.3million; $45.5million).
Just over £30million of our income is derived from
teaching activities, including programme and short
course provision, with the remainder coming from
research allocation, grants and projects. The School is housed in a dedicated building on the
University campus which provides a number of small teaching and seminar rooms, as well as
teaching facilities for executive education. In addition, the School is a major user of pooled
University facilities, including lecture and seminar rooms, and computer laboratories.
The School continues to develop and grow steadily. In the UK Research Excellence Framework
(REF) exercise 2014, the School rose to 13th overall in terms of research power with 75% of
its research classed as ‘world leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’. Our research power
ranking is based on both the quality and the quantity of the School’s research. The School
also increased the proportion of its research rated as ‘world leading’ and ‘internationally
excellent’ from 60% to 75%. Within the area of Information Management, the School was
ranked 4th in the country for research power for IM research, with 100% of IM research being
rated as either ‘world leading’ or ‘internationally relevant’, and with an outstanding impact
rating of 100% ‘world leading’ and ‘internationally excellent’.
In the 2017 National Student Survey (NSS), all undergraduate programmes achieved high
levels of satisfaction, including being ranked 1st for Business and first for Information Sciences.
All core SBE programmes score >90% for overall satisfaction, showing an improving trend and
much improved consistency across School programmes. As a consequence of research and
teaching performance, the School is consistently ranked as a Top-10 UK business school by
national league tables. It was ranked 1st for Librarianship and Information Management, 4th
8
for Finance and Accounting, 6th for Business Studies and 8th for Economics in The Times &
Sunday Times Good University Guide 2018, the third year running that all School subjects
were ranked in the top ten in the subject tables in this guide. The School offers a full range
of named BSc, MSc, MBA, research degree and post- experience programmes. All of the
School’s programmes are designed to be rigorous and relevant. At undergraduate level we
now offer six full-time campus-based business programmes and five full-time campus-based
economics programmes. At the full-time Master’s level, the one year MSc programmes are
particularly attractive to international students, and include ‘generalist’ management
programmes and a suite of specialist programmes reflecting School strengths. Our post-
experience programmes cover a wide range of general and specialist management areas and
we currently offer a suite of management and leadership programmes, suite of organisational
resilience programmes, and a suite of automotive retail management programmes. Post-
experience MBA programmes are offered as executive (part-time) or as a full-time
programme. Currently the School employs over 200 staff, around 140 of whom are academic
faculty. Our current total student population numbers over 3,000 individuals, on all School
programmes. Approximately 35% of faculty and 32% of the combined student population
originate outside the UK.
The School’s policy for faculty and staff
involvement in ethics, responsibility and
sustainability is that, as far as possible, course
content must include these issues and that
staff members should be able to demonstrate
this from the way they engage with students in
the delivery of the modules (for example, by
paperless delivery currently being cascaded
through the undergraduate programmes,
switching off lights and electronic equipment
at the end of the lecture). These messages are emphasized at staff and discipline groups’
meetings. Moreover, the school publishes news items that speak of staff involvement in the
community as a way of encouraging more engagement with the issues of ethics, responsibility
and sustainability.
Over 30% of the student body comes from outside the United Kingdom, and in respect of
programme sustainability we have managed to move away from a very strong reliance on one
market (China), to a more diverse student body (a change from 17% of the total student body
being from China in 2013/14 to 10% currently). This is a direct result of a focus on our
marketing activities. The School’s values and ethos clearly outline the importance of
responsibility. Indeed ethics, responsibility and sustainability are reflected in our mission,
vision, aims. This is achieved in part by providing world-class research and education within
an environment that fosters a collegial community characterised by inclusivity, equality of
opportunity, the valuing of diversity, mutual trust, and respect. Through the Centre for
Academic Practice, all staff members are encouraged to attend “respecting diversity” training
to engender an atmosphere that recognises and respects diversity and promotes equal
opportunities within the school and the university at large.
9From an operational perspective, the energy performance operating rating of the School’s
building on campus was driven down from 85 in 2009 to 42 in 2014 (compared with a typical
benchmark rating of 100 for this kind of building) and is now in the second most energy
efficient band. The school is proactive in its recycling efforts and uses 100% recycled paper
for all of its everyday use. In this regard, there are appropriate bins for recycling on the three
levels of the school building. Moreover, staff members are encouraged to print messages
from emails sent within the school only if it is necessary to do so.
SBE Principles for Responsible Management Education Web Page here.
1.3. AN OVERVIEW OF LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY’S
SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY
From the University Sustainability Strategy 2015-2020:
For the purposes of implementing its Building Excellence Strategy, the University defines
Sustainability as: Action by the University, and its staff and students that considers
environmental impact from a social, economic and environmental perspective following the
principles of inclusivity, integrity, stewardship and transparency, “embedding sustainability
into all our activities, operations and processes”.
The University defines Corporate Social Responsibility as: Action by the University, and its
staff and students, to maximise the positive and minimise the negative impacts of their
actions and activities in line with the principle of “good citizenship”.
Sustainability is strategically important to the University because: It is the right thing to do,
reflecting our mission and values; It builds on the work of our research; and that there is a
sound business case based on the contribution sustainability makes to achieving institutional
strategic goals which include legal compliance, aspiring to best practice and financial
efficiencies.
Sustainability is also of growing importance to a range of important stakeholders including:
✓ Prospective students (Campus environment, health & wellbeing, ethical practice);
✓ Prospective staff (Health & wellbeing, ethical practice);
✓ Current students (student experience, belonging and community);
✓ Current staff (retention, added value, engagement, funding and grants);
✓ Organisations and businesses (Award winning, good practice, compliant ISO 14001. A
list of further accreditations and awards is provided in Chapter 3).
Further references are made to the University’s Sustainability Strategy in section 2.2, below.
10CHAPTER 2:
AN OVERVIEW OF PRACTICAL ACTIONS
An assessment of progress made in the past reporting period.
Principle 1
We will develop the capabilities of students to be future generators of sustainable
value for business and society at large and to work for an inclusive and sustainable
global economy.
Principle 2
We will incorporate into our academic activities and curricula the values of global
social responsibility as portrayed in international initiatives such as the United
Nations Global Compact.
Principle 3
We will create educational frameworks, materials, processes and environments that
enable effective learning experiences for responsible leadership.
2.1. PRACTICAL ACTIONS: THE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND
ECONOMICS
2.1.1. Ethics, Sustainability and Social Responsibility in Learning and
Teaching
The School is committed to emphasising the importance of corporate social responsibility and
ethics across the courses it offers, and keen to reflect the values espoused. The matter is
constantly discussed at School and at Learning and Teaching Committee meetings and the
philosophy is that the value set of ethics, responsibility and sustainability should not be
reflected in a single module, but that many different modules should emphasise social
responsibility and ethics wherever possible.
In Spring 2018 the School has conducted a review of all programmes and modules to audit
content related to Ethics and CSR. The aims were to recognise aspects of best practice, and
to identify where further development was needed. In the light of the recent financial crisis
and corporate scandals, the school recognised that it is essential for management education
students to understand the symbiotic relationship between business and society, especially
11in terms of the moral dimensions of power placed in the hands of owners and managers. The
overall aspiration is that graduates leave the school fully equipped with the knowledge and
skills to act responsibly in their chosen careers.
The school has taken steps to address this need through a
number of modules. For example, International Human
Resource Management provides an understanding of
fairness in selection and promotion procedures. In the two
core Strategic Management modules for Business
students, Ian Hodgkinson provides students with an
understanding of personal consequences of a firm’s
relocation, downsizing, and there is a specific lecture titled
‘Business Ethics and CSR’; the topic is positioned relative to
competitive advantage. Corporate Finance and Financial
Management have sections on fiduciary responsibilities
and Information Management provides knowledge of
censorship and privacy. In the Analysing Careers option,
students are taught about the need to get a signed consent
Cathryn Hart, form from their participants and explanations are given
Senior Lecturer in Retailing and about being governed by the British Psychological Society
Operations Management ethical guidelines. In the core Retailing modules Cathy Hart
teaches Health and Safety legislation. The case study
workshops incorporate Managing a crisis event, Logistics and the Environment and a specific
Workshop on Managing Risks in Retailing. Maxine Clarke teaches Corporate Governance and
Ethics/CSR, on Organisations in the International Context (SBE core module for all first years)
and The Contemporary Business Environment (optional service module for second years).
Angelika Zimmermann teaches on corporate responsibility in Strategic Management at the
MSc level, as does Andrew Rothwell in the module Strategic Human Resource Management,
also at Master’s level.
Two modules/units by the titles International
Corporate Governance and Firms and Corporate
Governance are taught in the final year. The
former addresses issues of corporate governance,
including the board’s ethical leadership and
responsibility, within an international context,
while the latter focuses on the UK market with
emphasis on the role of accounting and auditing
on corporate decisions. These modules offer students an opportunity to learn about ethical
leadership. While most students will not proceed to leadership positions immediately upon
graduation, they still must develop a basic understanding of ethical leadership, board
responsibility and board-level decisions that have an impact on the triple bottom line (social,
economic and environment). The MSc Corporate Finance includes the module ‘Corporate
Governance and Responsibility’, which aims to explore different mechanisms of governance
and topical issues relating to ownership, control, executive compensation and accountability.
12At Under Graduate (UG) level, final year students can take the module ‘Business Ethics’, which
has as its aims: to develop an understanding of the role of moral and political philosophy as
applied to the responsibilities of business in the wider society, to strengthen awareness of
the ethical aspects of prior study in Management, to explore ethical questions encountered
on work placement or other work experience.
2.1.2. Ethics, Sustainability and social responsibility in Research
Principle 5
Research: We will engage in conceptual and empirical research that advances our
understanding about the role, dynamics, and impact of corporations in the creation of
sustainable social, environmental and economic value.
Principle 6
Dialogue: Highlights of prominent or impactful events (e.g. forums, workshops,
roundtables, conferences), including an assessment of their impact.
As a research-led school our Research Centres and Research Interest Groups are a significant
focus of our activity with numerous research projects focusing on sustainability and
responsible leadership. The School follows the codes of practice on research and teaching
recommended by the University’s Committee on Ethics.
Our Research Centres are key components of the School’s
research agenda and aim to be instrumental in shaping
policy and practice across both the public and private
sector. The work of Dr Alok Choudhary from the Logistics
and Transportation Analysis Research Interest Group (RIG)
is a notable example, as he has lead two multidisciplinary
and international projects funded by the EU and the British
Council in the area of sustainable and resilient supply
chains. Alok has also been the recipient of one of the
School’s ‘Seed Corn’ awards (in collaboration with the
Carbon Trust and Copenhagen Business School),
investigating ‘Industry- Academia partnership for learning
and research in responsible and sustainable supply chain
management’. The Centre’s forthcoming event,
'Knowledge Management from the Front Line', is the latest
Dr Alok Choudhary, in the Sustainable Knowledge Management series,
Reader in Supply Chain featuring a senior speaker from the National Health
Management Service. In the Centre for Productivity and Performance,
13Professors Alberto Franco and Gilberto Montibeller won the School’s Impact on Research
award for their research into managing bio-security threats in May 2017.
In the Centre for Professional Work and
Society (CPWS), the work of Dr Iain Coyne
on bullying and cyberbullying is
internationally recognised, with other
research on ethical practices and
sustainability including contributions by Dr
Eva Selenko (precarious employment),
Professor John Arnold and Dr Stanimera
Taneva (thriving at work in late career), Dr
Chloe Vitry's work on zero-carbon homes,
and Dr Andrew Rothwell's research on
employability and the sustainability of work.
(Pictured on the bottom left) Iain Coyne, The CPWS also hosts events related to
Programme Director, Work Psychology and ethical aspects of work, such as the
Business Psychology MSc programmes screening of the film 'I Daniel Blake', and a
masterclass by the former HR Director of
Save the Children on Work-Life Balance. The Centre for Service Management (CSM) again
features some notable examples of sustainability research, such as Dr Lili Yang's work on
water resource management and evacuation modelling.
One of the significant ‘impact’ achievements of the CSM is activity related to the ‘New
Services Operating Model’ community of practice, which involves designing processes to
efficiently deliver products and services based around seven elements, the seventh of which
relates to ‘strategy governance and leadership’. CSM events have included ‘International
Service Innovation in Emerging Markets (January 2017), and a Transformative Service
Research Symposium (June 2017) on the ‘Wellbeing of Individuals, Families and Ecosystems’.
The Research Interest Groups (RIGs) in the School of Business and Economics are clusters of
faculty, researchers and PhD students working on a common research theme. These groups
evolve over time and represent emerging areas of research strength in the School. Current
and recent projects that have a strong orientation towards ethics and sustainability include
Dr Lili Yang’s work in the Emergency Management RIG on disaster recovery, Dr. Huw Edwards’
research on the complex relationship between multinational corporations and SME’s (Firms
in the Global Economy RIG), and Professor M.N. Ravishankar’s investigation of ‘impact
sourcing’ (socially responsible outsourcing) in the Global Sourcing RIG. This RIG is also the
base for to the another of our PRME ‘Seedcorn’ grants led by Ian Herbert, who is investigating
‘Earn to Learn’ as a source of sustainable employability development. This work is being
undertaken in collaboration with Salford University, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, and
Grovelands, a recruitment consultancy. This work evolved from Ian’s previously reported
research on outsourcing, which culminated in findings which pointed towards concerns about
sustainability in the industry.
14The Knowledge Management RIG, linked to the CIM, has undertaken work in relation to
sustainability in Knowledge Management (KM), and KM in the energy sector, with a research
event in June 2016 on the latter. Previously the group have focused on KM in the Voluntary
Sector. The Money and Developing Economies RIG has a range of relevant, current projects,
notably ‘Determinants of African financial under-development’, and ‘Financial repression in
newly liberalising countries’. The Town Centre RIG continues its’ previously reported research
towards new research evidence that will help users as well as academics understand the
different drivers of current and future town centre behaviour. The Visual Decision Processes
RIG (VDP-RIG) is the base for an innovative project involving people who are social service
users, focusing on developing a methodology to engage with hard-to-reach people.
As one might expect, there is a considerable focus on the
financial aspects of business, these being represented by
Research Interest Groups for Management Accounting,
and Money & Developing Economies. Professor Noel
O’Sullivan’s work focuses on the role of auditing in firms.
Dr Suzana Grubnic’s research interests are in the areas of
sustainability accounting and performance management
in the public and private sectors. She has co-edited an
issue of Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal
on Climate Change and will in the future co-edit a
themed issue on sustainability for Public Money and
Management (with Professor Ian Thomson). Professor
Alistair Milne is a past president of the International
Banking, Economics and Finance Association (IBEFA),
www.ibefa.org, which brings together researchers from
central banks and universities from around the world
working on issues of banking and financial regulation. He Dr Suzana Gubric,
Senior Lecturer in Management
is also an editor of the Journal of Banking Regulation and
Accounting
of the Journal of Financial Market Infrastructures. Petros
Vourvachis’ research focuses on the reporting and measurement aspects of corporate social
responsibility (CSR) information and how this can be embedded into reporting templates.
Many of our research students have topics related to ethics, sustainability and social
responsibility. An excellent example of innovative research on ethics, and of collaboration
between our research centres, can be found in the recently completed PhD project of Abrar
Al-Enzi, which was jointly supervised by Dr Louise Cooke (CIM) and Dr Andrew Rothwell
(CPWS). Ms. Al-Enzi’s research investigated the use (and misuse) of ‘Wasta’ (broadly speaking,
connections and reciprocal favours) in the context of Kuwaiti business and public life and
represented a highly innovative perspective on an embedded aspect of Middle Eastern
culture. Other notable PhD projects within the School that have an ethics and sustainability
focus include Ghosia Ahmed (‘Knowledge Security’), Alfred Ignatius Ajayi (Cloud computing
and emergency management), Adedoyin Babajide (Conflict and economic growth in
developing countries using Nigeria as a case study), Dimitrios Bolovinos (organisational
responses to the Greek banking crisis), Alqaas Chaudhry (macroeconomic policy in developing
15countries), Xuan Hai Dinh (Fiscal sustainability and economic growth), Kayode Ejodame (best
practices through ERP), Hannah Evans (well-being and work life boundary), Hilda A.
Mwangakala (viability of e-health systems to improve rural population’s healthcare seeking
behaviour), Syed Muhammad Taqi Zaidi (board members and corporate governance).
2.1.3. Partnerships with Business
Principle 5
Partnership: We will interact with managers of business corporations to extend our
knowledge of their challenges in meeting social and environmental responsibilities
and to explore jointly effective approaches to meeting these challenges.
Principle 6
Dialogue: Highlights of prominent or impactful events (e.g. forums, workshops,
roundtables, conferences), including an assessment of their impact.
Our research is far more than academic activity, and has a real and lasting impact on business,
the community and society. In addition to activities within the Research Centres described
above, the Research Interest Groups that have a direct impact on ethics, responsibility and
sustainability include the Corporate Governance Research Interest Group which explores
issues of board leadership and the impact of governance failure on employees, investors and
the state. Current research from the group has examined the inclusion of female directors on
the board of directors, and their effect on corporate decisions and performance. Moreover,
the research carried out by various members of
the faculty is published in outlets that reach the
wider community in academia, practice and
policy circles. Such work is also disseminated in
seminars and conferences around the world,
thus contributing to the scholarly and practice
debate on sustainability. One notable impact
case is the work of Dr Antuela Tako whose work
on ‘Participative Simulation Modelling’
(PartiSim) has enabled decision making towards
a more efficient use of resources in the UK
Healthcare sector. Dr Tako has also undertaken
Antuela Anthi Tako,
Reader in Operational Research
work in relation to Care in the Community for
Leicestershire County Council.
16A further example of our strategic external stakeholder engagement is our connection with a
number of professional accreditation bodies who lend approval to our courses. For example,
the School is pleased to be approved by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and
Development for the delivery of CIPD-approved level 7 awards via an MSc in Human Resource
Management and an MSc in Employment Relations and Human Resource Management. We
are extending our involvement with the practitioner community, including hosting a number
of CPD events and masterclasses. For example, the HRM programme team, with the Centre
for Professional Work and Society hosted a presentation by Infinite Perspective Consulting,
who specialise in supporting businesses through ethical challenges. In this session the
consultancy team, comprising specialists formerly from Rolls-Royce and Ford, shared insights
and learning from several high-profile business ethics cases, including matters that have been
the subject of investigation by the Serious Fraud Office and the UK Equality & Human Rights
Commission. The consultancy has played a leadership role in helping different organisations
develop best-practice responses to these situations.
2.1.4. The Dean’s Award for Corporate Social Responsibility
The School of Business and Economics has recently instituted the Dean’s Award for Corporate
Social Responsibility. This recognises any UG or PG student or graduate who has
demonstrated exceptional achievement in relation to one or more of the followings:
community impact, corporate social responsibility (CSR), volunteering, environmental and
ethical best practice. The criteria are that students will have demonstrated exceptional
commitment to CSR, either as art of their studies or outside of their degree studies which has
resulted in notable and made an impact or good practice. Graduates and students who have
studied at the School of Business and Economics are eligible for nomination. Nominations
have been considered by a panel, and applications will normally be invited during the Autumn
term. The panel convenes in January, and the Award will be made at the annual Prize-Giving
event in the Spring. The value of the award is at the discretion of the School.
17Picture above: Recipient of the Dean’s Award for Corporate Social Responsibility, Tek
Simkhada pictured here in Nepal.
The 2018 Dean’s Award was given to Tek Simkhada. Tek graduated in 2017 and has been
involved with raising money for and working directly with various agencies in Nepal to help
them following the earthquake of 2015. He is of Nepalese origin but had not been to Nepal
before 2015. He decided to do his placement year there and secured an unpaid marketing
role in a trekking and travel agent in Kathmandu. The country was then devastated by a huge
earthquake. His placement was still viable, but he spent the next 2-3 months in
Loughborough raising money to fund some reconstruction projects while he was over there
on placement. Tek set up the ‘Loughborough for Nepal’ facebook group and raised nearly
£6,500 to take to Nepal. He set up a blog post letting people know how he was spending the
money and what projects he was involved in. He also had a successful placement where he
helped set the company back on their feet and restored some of the essential operations and
processes to enable tourists to return to Everest expeditions. He continued to work and raise
money for the organisations and schools he worked with when he was back in Loughborough
for his final year. He also travelled back to Nepal last year to continue supporting the work
that he started on his placement year. (nominated by Jo Higham, SBE Placements).
2.1.5. Responsible Management Seed-Corn Funding
As a strategic stimulus for research, enterprise and curriculum development in relation to
ethics and sustainability, the School of Business and Economics has instituted an annual
round of ‘Seed-corn Funding’. Responsible Management Seed-corn Grants support the
School’s Responsible Management strategy by stimulating research and teaching
collaborations in relation to business ethics, sustainability, and responsible management
practices. They can be used to develop pedagogic practice, stimulate new curriculum
18initiatives, encourage sustainability in the management of the School, develop external
connections, or develop research. They can be used to build on existing practice, develop on
existing links or to initiate new areas of work. Seed-corn Grants are now in their second
successful year of operation, and represent excellent practice in industry-academic
partnerships, research and curriculum development.
YEAR 1 PROJECTS
Dr Alok Choudhary is a Reader in Supply Chain Management: His project, ‘Industry-
Academia Partnership for Learning and Research in Responsible and Sustainable Supply
Chain Management’ was undertaken with the collaboration of The Carbon Trust, and
Copenhagen Business School, Denmark. The seed-corn funding aimed to initiate further
grant-funding bids, to develop research student capacity, to promote dissemination through
workshops, to engage a network of companies, to develop learning materials such as case
studies, and academic publication. Dissemination was undertaken in September 2017
through the Supply Chain Sustainability 2nd Annual Conference at Loughborough University,
London Campus. The event brought together 65 experts from more than 50 companies
including Carbon Trust, LEGO, M&S, Telefonica, Willmott Dixon, CDT, GSK to discuss and
share ethical, responsible and sustainability practices from across the industry. This event
helped to significantly improve SBE’s visibility for ethical, responsible and sustainability
related research among a diverse group of industrial experts. In addition, the team
developed two video cases of leading companies (Willmott Dixon & Telefonica) for ethical,
responsible and sustainable practices for SBE teaching. Furthermore, it supported
international collaboration with Prof. Julian Hsuan (Copenhagen Business School) in the
areas of Sustainability related research.
Ian Herbert is a Senior Lecturer in Accounting and Financial
Management. His project Research and development of a
work-based learning (WBL) framework that will establish
stronger links between academic theory and work practice -
involved collaboration with the University’s Careers and
Employability service, Grovelands Ltd., and a stakeholder
group including business leaders, senior civil servants, and
student representatives. This project aimed to develop an
innovative way of learning, whereby students gain practical
workplace skills at the same time as they are studying,
through the development of business processing centres
(BPC’s) co-located with University campuses. The principal
activity during the operation of the project was a number
of workshops, where the various stakeholders contributed
to knowledge creation, including the use of the ‘World
Ian Herbert, Café’ format. Final dissemination was through a series of
Senior Lecturer in Accounting conference presentations. Key findings included that
and Financial Management Graduates with high levels of social capital (e.g. from family
role models) will have an advantage in adapting to
19organisational contexts, as will those who have undertaken substantive, relevant and paid
work experience alongside conceptual studies. Evidence was submitted to Select Committee
on Higher Education Funding (UK Govt.). This was accepted as evidence for the call: ‘Is the
current structure of post-school education and training, and the way it is financed,
appropriate for the modern British economy?’ September 2017.See Ref. HFV0056 here. A
‘white paper’ report can be found here.
Although a business partner for further development of the project has yet to be identified,
there is extensive support for the EtoL concept, at national level from both government
departments and business leaders.
YEAR 2 PROJECTS
The second year of Seed-corn funding saw
the approval within the School of two very
different projects, both rather more related
to curriculum development and student
engagement. Dr Rahul Kumar is a Lecturer
in Entrepreneurship and Innovation. His
project was undertaken with the
collaboration of the Department of
Computer Science and the Loughborough
University Student Enterprise Initiative. The
project, entitled: ‘From Values to Ventures:
Dr Rahul Kumar,
Inspiring sustainability by enabling students
Lecturer in Entrepreneurship and Innovation
to translate their learning into open source
apps, business models, solutions that tackle grand challenges outlined in UN Sustainable
Development Goals’, looks beyond the PRME principles to the SDG’s and is therefore
consistent with the future aims of the School in extending the scope of activity relation to
ethics sustainability and social responsibility. Specifically, the project aims to develop an ‘App’
to help students across the University engage with the
SDG’s, to create on-line learning materials to help
embed the SDG’s in the curriculum, to support
workshops involving students, industry experts,
practitioners and researchers. Anticipated outcomes
include a portfolio of sustainability-enhancing apps,
video narratives of student and collaborators’
experiences, and the development of interdisciplinary
learning. Future activity towards sustainability of this
work may also involve a collaborative funding bid.
Dr David Roberts is a Senior Lecturer in International
Relations. His project, ‘The Responsibility to Engage:
David Roberts,
Senior Lecturer in International researching the impact of visual learning strategies
Relations for dyslexic students of Management Education ‘, has
a strong focus on teaching. It is pedagogical inquiry
20into engaging and including dyslexic students in management education strategies. The
project aims to develop existing knowledge and practice relating to neuro-standard students
in Management Education and many other disciplines regarding the benefit they derive from
the introduction of multimedia lecture modalities. This project intends to establish the
efficacy of image use in large group lectures for dyslexic students of Management Education
in terms of increasing their engagement with academic content. The funding aims to support
research into dyslexic students’ learning and teaching needs and will ultimately lead to both
academic publications and research-informed curriculum development.
We anticipate that Responsible Management Seed-corn Funding will be a regular and
sustainable part of the School activity relating to ethics, sustainability and social
responsibility.
2.1.6. The role of the School in Community Outreach and
Public Service
Principle 3
Method: We will create educational frameworks, materials, processes and environments
that enable effective learning experiences for responsible leadership.
Principle 6
Dialogue: We will facilitate and support dialogue and debate among educators,
students, business, government, consumers, media, civil society organisations and
other interested groups and stakeholders on critical issues related to global social
responsibility and sustainability.
In addition to research the School also supports more direct interventions. In August 2014,
the School part-funded the Summer Residential Camp for the ‘LYOS Programme’. The
Leicester Riders Basketball Club in association with Leicester City Youth Offending Service
(LYOS) and SBE piloted a summer residential camp for young offenders within the Leicester
City and Leicestershire County areas. This pilot residential camp utilised the Leicester Rider’s
boarding facility known as ‘Field House’. The camp provided a variety of activities to engage
the interests of young offenders alongside short educational sessions including; knife crime,
sex education, substance misuse and anti- social behaviour. SBE became involved in this as
our interests lie in building the knowledge and understanding of social enterprise amongst
a group of young people from a disadvantaged demographic.
Integral to the mission of the School is the delivery of value to society both locally and globally.
One element of that relates to the active engagement of the School with the regional non-
21profit sector to support the locality within which the School is based and of which the
University forms an important part. To date such engagement has been driven either by LSU
led student initiatives or the voluntary activities of individual members of staff. Clearly these
are important forms of engagement and the School is committed to supporting such
initiatives. However, it is equally clear that to fulfil its commitment to delivering value to
society it is necessary to take a more proactive approach to engagement. Thus, in summer
2014, SBE partnered with Action Homeless, a charity/ social enterprise based in Leicester
(http://actionhomeless.org.uk/). This partnership thus became the focal point of much
activity within the school to support delivering value.
Maxine Clarke, Director of International Programme, helps collect donated food and household
items to be sent back to the Action Homeless offices.
Since September 2014 a range of activities have taken place in SBE for and/or with Action
Homeless to support the partnership. These include:
✓ In March 2016 SBE hosted an evening seminar on Social Enterprises to mark our
partnership with Action Homeless: approximately 60 individuals and organisations
from the Leicestershire charity / social enterprise sector attended;
✓ Staff from AH have participated in the Institute of Directors programmes in the
School, including the CEO;
✓ Mark Grant (CEO) has acted as guest speaker on lectures (for example, in the
undergraduate ‘Small Business and Entrepreneurship’ module);
✓ In the run-up to Christmas, SBE holds a collection for toys/games/clothes/food to
contribute to Christmas parcels for people using AH and also held a collection for
selection boxes for children affected by homelessness;
✓ Regular monetary donations have been made to AH through the VIP tickets available
for Leicester Riders games / Nottingham Panthers games;
22✓ As part of the ESSAM programme groups of MBA students have undertaken a number
of projects on behalf of AH. These have included a short term social enterprise project
with AH in the area of “Developing a distribution supply chain for surplus food from
supermarkets and other suppliers”, which provided useful recommendations for AH.
Another example in summer 2017 was the investigation into rental v buying property
for AH;
✓ In September 2016 staff from SBE took part in a volunteer day, helping to renovate
one of the Action Homeless refuge properties.
We are also investigating ways that our student body can become involved in this initiative
and have consulted with the Student Council. We see this relationship as developing and
expanding in the future, both with Action Homeless and with other charities in the local area.
As part of its partnership with Nottingham Panthers and Blue Bell Hill Academy the School of
Business and Economics has supported
a long-term Community Schools
Programme at The National Ice Centre.
Five sessions were scheduled each
season involving over 300 primary
school children from five schools visiting
on each occasion to watch training and
then skate with the players. The
children joined the Panthers squad at
their training sessions and had
classroom activities which involved
finding out more about being healthy,
looking after each other, behaving and
working as a team. Schools from
Nottinghamshire who have participated
in the programme include Blue Bell Hill
Academy, Arnold Hill, Sycamore
Academy, Carlton Digby, Arno Vale,
Oakfield School and Brocklewood. The Dan Spang, Nottingham Panthers,
support from the School of Business and Loughborough School of Business and Economics
Economics in 2017 and 2018 enabled 15 MBA Graduate 2017
schools to participate in the project.
There are a number of examples of staff volunteering. In a recent survey around 15% of all
SBE staff reported some voluntary activity, not related to their subject area. A substantial
proportion of this was in local education, such as Schools or pre-schools and also in
organisations such as Guiding or Scouts. There was also activity in fundraising and charities,
both nationally and locally. Colleagues have taken on the role of Hall Wardens, and many are
involved in their local community and church organisations, servicing the local communities
in various ways at a personal level. At the local level, the School believes very strongly that it
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