Search results

A central role of UK higher education institutes is preparing graduates for the global economy. However, UK outward mobility targets for students set in 2017 remain lower than the original set by the Bologna Process in 1999; with other European countries achieving substantially higher outward mobility. Research in this field concentrates primarily on studying abroad, prompting exploration of the work placement context. The purpose of this paper is to examine employability and outward mobility in the context of the perceived reluctance of UK students to undertake work placements abroad.

The views of undergraduate business management students at the Brighton Business School were compared with those of German students studying at the Goethe University in Frankfurt. Staff from Brighton Business School and other UK universities were also surveyed to gather data on attitudes towards work placements abroad.

Students from Brighton and Frankfurt displayed similar barriers to going abroad but were motivated by different drivers. The difference in these drivers is further echoed in the variations of their definitions of “employability”. The research also found that lack of staff awareness or interest in placements abroad could negatively affect the students’ decisions about going abroad.

A small-scale study such as this presents only indicative findings. Further research is necessary to explore its implications in more depth.

The research provides more scope to the existing literature on outward mobility by addressing work placements rather than typically focusing on studying abroad. It adds value to the debate by examining placements and mobility through two different cultural lenses.

The purpose of this paper is to present a case study centred on steps taken at a Business School in a UK university, to improve local work placement provision, respond to student demand and engage more productively with local businesses. It is situated against renewed focus on universities’ engagement with local economies and the graduate labour market context as demonstrated by the government’s Industrial Strategy (BEIS, 2017) and the OfS (2018) business plan. It aims to emphasise how moving the focus back from graduates to placement students could offer a useful collaborative opportunity for local businesses to articulate what they want from future employees.

The paper follows a mixed methods approach, drawing upon a case study on a new intervention piloted in the Business School as well as qualitative research gathered from questionnaires and interviews with students. Responses to questionnaires and interviews were analysed thematically in the Grounded Theory (Glaser and Strauss, 1967) tradition.

The paper highlights the lack of literature on local placements and also demonstrates findings which echo existing research on typical barriers and drivers to placements in general. It offers original outcomes such as how for some students local placements offer a convenience value but for others they are part of committing to living and working locally after graduation.

The small-scale nature of the study means that only indicative findings are presented. Further research is necessary for a more detailed examination of its implications.

Recommendations are made for a systematic approach to developing, or establishing for the first time, university–employer relationships in order to future-proof local placement opportunities.

The paper fills a gap in the literature on local placements and also provides a fresh approach to how universities and employers might work together to identify local skills gaps and increase the provision of local placements. It also offers ways in students’ often negatively framed reasons for not undertaking a placement can be mitigated through engaging with the local context.

This paper aims to analyse sanctions regimes of multilateral development banks and to examine some of the topical issues surrounding sanctioning practices of these institutions. Under the Agreement for Mutual Enforcement of Debarment Decisions (the “Mutual Enforcement Agreement”), sanctions covering the sanctionable practices that are imposed and made publicly available by any participating MDB may be enforced by other participating MDBs. This dramatically amplifies the impact of debarment decisions taken by any one of the participating MDBs, while affirming the MDBs’ commitment to combating the sanctionable practices. Consequently, companies will need to invigorate their procedures with a view to managing their risks not only in relation to national legislation, but also in relation to the MDBs’ sanctioning frameworks, which have much broader geographic scope than that of national legislation. This paper first provides an overview of the tenets established by the Mutual Enforcement Agreement. Further, as all MDBs maintain their own sanctions mechanisms, the paper analyses individual sanctions regimes of the WBG, EBRD and ADB. The paper then describes the types of sanctions that may be imposed by MDBs and examines some of the challenging issues surrounding the banks’ sanctions practices.

This paper draws on the experience of senior lawyers who were intimately involved in the set-up of the sanctions regimes at the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation, the EBRD and the ADB and are currently involved in the work of sanctions boards at their respective institutions.

Companies and individuals dealing with MDBs should be aware of the fact that, as a result of the Mutual Enforcement Agreement, the profile of MDBs’ fraud and corruption cases has been raised significantly and could result in global sanctions for prohibited practices in a single country. Consequently, a company engaging in a prohibited practice in its business dealings with one MDB might find itself unable to obtain financing from the four other MDBs participating in the Mutual Enforcement Agreement, and furthermore its debarment would be published by all five participating MDBs (subject to the above-described limitations of ADB’s publication regime). As MDBs continue to develop their sanctions regimes, greater harmonisation among sanctions processes is to be expected and companies doing business with MDBs should, at the very minimum, ensure that their compliance and ethics programmes are up to date, both as a preventative measure or, if wrongful actions have already taken place, as a means of mitigating the severity of possible sanctions.

A lot has been written about the consequences of criminal convictions for bribery and other corrupt practices. However, much less attention has been paid to the evolution of anti-corruption policies and procedures which have been developed by a group of leading MDBs. In fact, for many corporates, sanctions regimes of MDBs remain unchartered territory, even though these sanctions proceedings can have far-reaching business consequences. This paper will, therefore, be of interest to all companies directly or indirectly involved with MDB-financed projects, as they need to be alert to the scope of MDB sanctions proceedings and the wide-ranging adverse business consequences that may result from any enforcement action.

The purpose of this paper is to explore evidence about the role played by micro-cultures in long-term care (LTC) settings in shaping residents’ mental health and wellbeing.

A scoping review on micro-cultures in LTC, including database search of academic and grey literature using pre-determined combinations of key terms and specific inclusion/exclusion criteria. The review followed the methodological framework of Arksey and O’Malley (2005).

Micro-cultures (localised, distinctive cultures of a small group of people) in LTC are complex, multi-faceted and multi-directional; they include social dynamics as well as structural and environmental factors. Although much work has been done on the nature of micro-cultures, limited work has focused on LTC for older people. Initiatives to promote the mental health and wellbeing of residents rarely consider micro-cultures in any holistic way; they tend to be taken into account either as part of a contextual backdrop, or as a uni-directional process often equated with the concept of “care culture” or “organisational culture”.

The role played by micro-cultures in influencing the mental health and wellbeing of older people living in LTC settings is significantly under researched. The findings of this review suggest that their complexity and multidimensionality challenges researchers. However if the authors are to develop interventions that promote the mental health and wellbeing of residents it is important to invest in work to explore their nature and systemic influence.

In response to an aging population and rising prevalence of disability, reablement initiatives have been introduced yet the evidence base concerning the long-term effects remains inconclusive. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of reablement on physical independence, care plans and care packages post-discharge for older adults.

A retrospective cohort design was used to examine patient records who had completed a reablement programme. Measures on internationally renowned and psychometrically strong tools, completed by trained healthcare professionals, were examined pre-and post-intervention with a consecutive sample (n=416) of participants since the introduction of the reablement programme.

Reablement had a significant impact on physical independence living scores and a corresponding reduction in care needs and care plans post-discharge enabling the person to stay at home.

The study’s findings present empirical evidence on the value of reablement health service programme developed to promote independent living at home following a short illness, for older people. While no examination of financial data was recorded in this study, the increase in physical ability and corresponding reduction in care needs and care plans post-discharge indicates a reduction in costs and a better standard of living.