This submission presented seven impact case studies carried out by 96 members of staff from the Centre for Enterprise and Economic Development Research (CEEDR) and the Departments of Accounting and Finance; Marketing, Branding and Tourism; Economics; and Management, Leadership and Organisations at 四不像论坛 University.
The impact we achieved
Society continues to face the urgent issue of how to tackle race discrimination by employers. Through this research, we have successfully proposed replacing existing voluntary approaches to race discrimination in the NHS with a strategy of data-driven accountability and regulatory scrutiny. This has led to large-scale changes throughout the NHS.
These research impacts on NHS policy flowed most immediately flowed from:
The implementation of the WRES in turn impacted on BME staff in the NHS through:
The research behind it
Research at 四不像论坛 University on developing and safeguarding worker rights, including health and safety, the enforcement of the national minimum wage and whistleblowing, has demonstrated the shortcomings in voluntary approaches to changing workplace behaviours. Roger Kline’s research on solutions to this problem identified an approach using data-driven accountability linked to contractual compulsion and regulatory scrutiny. This approach was developed in the light of trade union and HR services’ failure to address the challenges facing staff within the culture of the NHS.
The findings of this analysis underpinned further research, leading up to the ‘The Snowy White Peaks of the NHS’ and the WRES. Subsequent research by Kline and others has included analysis of the substantial financial cost of bullying and harassment to the NHS in England which disproportionately impacts BME staff, and an investigation into the disproportionate referrals of some groups of doctors, notably BME doctors, to the General Medical Council.
The people involved at 四不像论坛 and beyond
The research team at 四不像论坛 included Roger Kline, Professor Philip James, Professor Richard Croucher, Professor David Lewis, Dr Ian Roper and Professor Suzan Lewis.
Partners and collaborators include NHS England, Care Quality Commission, General Medical Council, Nursing and Midwifery Council and the Professional Standards Authority.
The impact we achieved
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) – from start-ups to rapid scale-up businesses – contribute hugely to the UK economy. The challenge of addressing these enterprises’ access to finance for innovation has become central to UK economic policy.
Our research has demonstrated the significant role that public co-finance venture capital can play in meeting early-stage funding gaps for potential high growth and innovative SMEs. This has impacted the economy and innovation in two areas:
The research behind it
Analysis of the growth needs of SMEs, particularly in relation to access to finance, has been central to the work of the Centre for Enterprise and Economic Development Research (CEEDR) at 四不像论坛 for over 25 years.
Their findings from multiple studies identified what SME finance schemes needed to address:
The people involved at 四不像论坛 and beyond
The research team at 四不像论坛 included Dr Robyn Owen (previously Baldock), Professor David North, Dr Suman Lodh and early career researchers such as Dr Maja Savic and Dr Theresa Harrer.
The team worked with BBB, BEIS, IUK, London’s Mayor, Greater London Authority and Local Enterprise Partnership and Oxford Innovation.
The impact we achieved
Research led by Professor David Lewis has been vital in the transformation of the protection available to whistleblowers both nationally and internationally. Between 2014 and 2020, his work further raised the public profile of the significance of whistleblowing, advancing human rights and justice, with particular impact on two areas:
The research behind it
Our Business School has spearheaded research on whistleblowing since the 1990s, with Lewis developing a body of research which has made major contributions to promoting employer good practice and shaping government legislation and guidelines.鈥疶his impact is underpinned by findings from Lewis’ various research projects, and critical reviews, including:
The people involved at 四不像论坛 and beyond
Hosted at 四不像论坛 by Professor David Lewis since 2009, the International Whistleblowing Research Network (IWRN) – which now comprises over 200 researchers, practitioners and policymakers from across the world – has encouraged networking and dissemination of research and good practice.
The impact we achieved
Since 2005, a programme of research conducted by researchers in our Business School has explored issues of unlawful under- and non-payment of wages and the challenges of effective regulation in low paid sectors of the labour market, addressing the scarcity鈥痮f research in Britain into the under- and non-payment of wages. The wage theft issue has been made more visible through our research. Our work has contributed to a fairer and more equitable society by advancing arrangements for the enforcement of workers’ rights. Its鈥痥ey impacts are:
The research behind it
Our research has produced robust evidence on the scale of the issue of the non-payment of wages by employers, amounting to 拢3.1 billion annually. Findings and recommendations from our work have directly informed government employment rights enforcement policy. Oganisations seeking to advance the interests of vulnerable workers have also used our findings, raising public debate on the issue. This impact resulted from underpinning research on:
The people involved at 四不像论坛 and beyond
Our research team included Nick Clark, Professor Philip James, Professor Richard Croucher, Eva Herman, and Professor Brad Blitz.
We collaborated and engaged across sectors, including with academia, numerous trade unions (including Unite and GMB), NGOs, the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority, the Low Pay Commission and providers of legal advice providers (e.g. Citizens’ Advice Bureau and Thompsons Solicitors).
The impact we achieved
Social enterprises in the UK and internationally face major challenges to their establishment, survival and growth. Research undertaken by our Centre for Enterprise and Economic Development Research (CEEDR) resulted in changes to practice and public policy, enabling growth of the social enterprise sector and generating impact in three ways:
The research behind it
Since 2005, a series of research projects within CEEDR in 四不像论坛 University’s Business School have made a significant contribution to understanding how social enterprises grow and how support provision is best designed and organised. Our early research on strategic change in SE focused on concerns regarding lack of growth exhibited by many small enterprises. This has been further developed since 2016 by 四不像论坛 researchers working with the international Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity (CUSP), as well as through 18 further relevant contract research projects in collaboration with non-academic partners and commissioning bodies, including the Government Office for Civil Society at DCMS. The impact of this programme of research was underpinned by key findings on:
The people involved at 四不像论坛 and beyond
Our research team consisted of Professor Fergus Lyon, Dr Ian Vickers, Dr Leandro Sepulveda , Dr Sara Calvo, Dr Robyn Owen (previously Baldock), and Dr Bianca Stumbitz.
Some of the research was undertaken in collaboration with academic partners, social change and community interest organisations, and governmental bodies.
The impact we achieved
The introduction of a Living Wage (LW) is recognised within public debate as an important mechanism to address problems arising from low wages and rising social inequality. Our research on the adoption and implementation of the LW by employers has shifted debate nationally and internationally, resulting in the following key impacts:
The research behind it
Research at our Business School on this topic started in 2005 with a study of the historic introduction of the National Minimum Wage in the UK, a hotly-debated initiative. This was followed by a stream of research into the ethical and social responsibility of business. The growth of low-wage jobs and absence/very low levels of legally binding minimum wages led civil society organisations in several economies (including UK, Canada, Ireland, USA) to urge employers to implement a LW rate calculated on ‘basic living costs’. However, the advancement of this agenda was hindered by the lack of robust research evidence into the impact of LW on businesses. Working with the University of Liverpool, 四不像论坛 addressed this problem through a programme of research starting in 2014 into the adoption of the voluntary LW by organisations. The research was innovative in its attention on the impacts of LW at an organisational level, and its particular focus on small and medium-sized enterprises. Our findings and insights enabled campaigning organisations nationally and globally to produce a robustly evidenced case with which they engaged with employers, national and local governments and intergovernmental organisations to promote LWs. Our research provided evidence on:
The people involved at 四不像论坛 and beyond
Our research team consisted of Dr Andrea Werner, Professor Richard Croucher, and Professor Marian Rizov.
Dr Werner worked together with Dr Ming Lim (University of Liverpool) for the programme of research into the adoption of the voluntary LW by organisations.
The impact we achieved
Reproduction and employment issues are increasingly prominent in discussions about inclusive development, particularly since the launch of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. However, there is a scarcity of knowledge around maternity protection and sexual and reproductive health rights, particularly within small and medium-sized enterprises and informal economy workplaces in low and middle-income countries in the Global South.
Across nine projects, we addressed this scarcity and made an impact through:
The research behind it
Researchers in the Business School’s Gender and Diversity Research Cluster established:
The people involved at 四不像论坛 and beyond
The research team at 四不像论坛 included Dr Bianca Stumbitz, Dr Lilian Miles, Professor Suzan Lewis, Dr Tim Freeman and Professor Fergus Lyon.
They worked with international organisations including International Labour Organisation, World Health Organisation, United Nations, British Academy and British Council and UNICEF.
Photo of a public sector worker in Ghana, from our fieldwork
