The OU’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof Tim Blackman, said: “Her Majesty will be remembered as a figure of huge historical significance and one who has guided the country through the best and worst of times. 

All of us at The Open University, and beyond, owe her a huge debt for a lifetime of public service that has spanned so many significant moments and touched so many lives. Her Majesty was a passionate advocate for the power of education, as can be seen through her support of schemes such as the Queen’s Anniversary Prize and various endeavours over the years.”

Her Majesty granted the OU its Royal Charter in 1969 and visited our Milton Keynes campus with the Duke of Edinburgh on the institution’s 10^th anniversary, in 1979. She was met by a crowd of 6,000 staff and their families and was given a tour of the campus by the then Vice-Chancellor, Lord Perry of Walton, visiting research laboratories and seeing demonstrations of the University’s unique educational technology.

We at The Open University joined the nation and the world in mourning the loss of an extraordinary monarch.

Student and Alumni Awards 2022 on the way in October

We are excited to host this year’s Student and Alumni Awards at an on-campus ceremony in Milton Keynes on Friday 21 October, our first face-to-face awards event since 2019.

These awards celebrate the achievements, success and academic excellence of students from The Open University Business and Law Schools, together with postgraduate business alumni who have made an outstanding contribution to an organisation or society. 

There will be one outright Alumni of the Year winner and up to two highly commended awards, and we can’t wait to share their stories with you!

Trouble at Topshop lifts the lid on iconic brand’s fall from grace

The story of how a huge fashion brand fell dramatically to earth is the subject of a new two-part OU / BBC co–production. Through the testimony of insiders as well as fashion and investigative journalists,

Trouble at Topshop explores how the brand is transformed by a group of young, talented and creative women, into a mecca for everyone who loves fashion. The story culminates in its spectacular crash under the stewardship of controversial entrepreneur Sir Philip Green.

Dr Nela Smolovic Jones (Senior Lecturer in Organisation Studies) and Dr Yue Meng-Lewis (Senior Lecturer in Digital Marketing) are the show’s academic consultants from the Business School. With the first episode available on the BBC iPlayer, the second episode airs on Monday 3 October (21:00, BBC2).

Full story here.

Meet Martin, the main man for cost of living advice

The growing and troubling cost of living crisis has resulted in many requests for comment and opinion pieces from our personal finance expert Martin Upton (pictured).

After an article on the unfolding crisis in The Express* (plus a news article on our own OU websites), Senior Lecturer in Finance Martin contributed to the OU’s 2022 student recruitment marketing campaign. 

In an interview, which was syndicated across 190 commercial radio stations reaching a potential audience of 4.9m listeners, he stressed the beneficial impact on lifetime earnings of having a degree. The story was covered by a wide range of national, consumer and trade press – with coverage in The Sun, Mirror, Express, FE News and Student Times – reaching a potential readership of 65.5 million. 

The OU’s own social media activity achieved just under a million impressions online.

Jo quoted in Women and Equalities Select Committee Report

Professor Jo Brewis was invited to give oral evidence to the House of Commons Women and Equalities Select Committee in late 2021 on menopause and the workplace. 

This resulted in her being quoted fairly extensively in the far-reaching and substantial report from the Committee, based on oral evidence sessions and pre-submitted written evidence, which was released in July.

Our Professor of People and Organisations is particularly pleased to see the recommendation that section 14 of the Equality Act (2010), which allows for claims of dual discrimination to be brought, be enacted, and also appreciates the gender-inclusive language in the report. 

Jo now hopes that the Government will act on all the recommendations.

Further funding to improve RASSO investigation and response

The national research programme – Operation Soteria Bluestone – which seeks to improve the police investigation and response to rape and serious sexual offences (RASSO) has received additional funding to move into a second year.

Our Centre for Policing Research and Learning (CPRL) research team, led by Dr Emma Williams, has received £1.3 million to further support the workstream concerned with the embedding of officer learning, development and wellbeing in this area.

Emma, who is CPRL’s Director of Research and Strategic Partnerships, said: “I’m delighted about the further funding for this research within CPRL. It’s a credit to the hard work of the fantastic research team that we have been awarded this extended funding to enable us to really make a difference to the way police officers investigate RASSO and to feel more confident to do so.”

It’s GOZERO for Richard and the research team

Richard Blundel, who is Director of our Social and Sustainable Enterprise (SSE) research cluster, and other members of a multi-disciplinary research team have secured approximately £250,000 funding for GOZERO. This is a 20-month study of the governance of decarbonisation in small businesses, starting this September.

The Professor of Enterprise and Organisation said: “Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) often struggle to find reliable information on pathways to achieving net zero, while policymakers find it difficult to respond effectively given the sheer diversity of the SME population. The GOZERO project aims to provide a robust evidence base to support the multi-level governance of SME decarbonisation across the four UK nations.”

His partners are based at The Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford; University of Edinburgh; and Sheffield Hallam University. GOZERO was one of only three successful bids in a competitive funding call from the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) – eight were invited to submit full proposals from 24 expressions of interest.

OU celebrates its Research Excellence Awards 2022

More than 250 staff, students, funders and partners were in London last Thursday (22 September) evening to celebrate OU research. 

The OU Research Excellence Awards recognised the wide range of ways research undertaken at the OU makes a positive difference to the economy, the environment and society. The awards spanned 12 categories at a glittering evening at the De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in Covent Garden.

Professor Jean Hartley and the Centre for Policing Research and Learning (CPRL) were the winners of the Best External Collaboration and Knowledge Exchange (pictured) – watch a short video here. 

There was also success for the Social and Sustainable Enterprise (SSE) research cluster as runners-up in the Environmental Sustainability Award. 

A full list of winners and runners-up here.

Upskill and unlock potential with our world-class professional development short courses

There’s still time to register for an OU microcredential, starting this October. Whether you’re looking to boost your own CV or develop your workforce, microcredentials offer a great way to upskill quickly and gain specialist knowledge to get ahead. Hosted on our social learning platform FutureLearn, they take just 10-12 weeks to complete.

Designed by our world-class academics, with many endorsed by leading industry partners, the OU now has 28 courses to choose from across in-demand subject areas, including eight OUBS-led courses.

Our end-of-course survey of learners who have completed a microcredential in the last year found that 96% rated the skills they gained as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’. One said: “The flexible nature of the course means that I could fit it around a busy working and family schedule. Developing recognised skills is important to me in terms of improving my versatility for job applications and in progressing my career. I will also be using the skills developed in this course in my role to develop our business services.”

Enrolment closes on Monday 10 October for postgraduate courses and Monday 24 October for undergraduate courses – find out more about OU microcredentials.

Driving forward new skills routes with logistics and transport sector

A new partnership with the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in the UK (CILT(UK)) aims to develop strategic and leadership skills within the sector. 

CILT(UK) has agreed to accredit a supply chain and logistics pathway of our MBA. Two elective modules, ‘Sustainable creative management’ and ‘Supply chain management’, were identified as the MBA pathway that would give leaders in the sector the overarching knowledge to understand how supply chains work and how managers can innovate in a sustainable manner. 

This means successful students will gain the knowledge requirement to meet the standards of Chartered Member with CILT(UK) – demonstrating sector-specific skills and knowledge. 

Full story here.

Congratulations to both Audry and Mark

Audry Deane and Mark Sandiforth are the two winners of our new book competition which featured in July’s issue. They will each receive a copy of ‘Implementing and Managing Collaborative Relationships: A Practical Guide for Managers’, co-authored by MBA alumna and business relationship management specialist Linda McComie. 

Linda, who graduated in 1994, is the Director and co-founder of SCCI Ltd, alongside the book’s co-author Andrew Humphries. Published by Routledge, this is a unique ‘go-to’ guide for all managers who should be looking at collaboration with other organisations as a new way to attain outstanding results that would not be achieved on their own.

Careers webinar: ESG Agenda – what does this mean for you, your organisation and your career?

Tine Thygesen, one of the top 10 most influential tech entrepreneurs and speakers in Europe, is the guest presenter on the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) agenda for this lunchtime careers webinar.

Student and Alumni Awards 2022

Taking place on campus in Milton Keynes, these awards commend the highest achieving students in the Faculty of Business and Law (FBL) from the past academic year, and alumni members who have made an outstanding contribution to an organisation or society.

Webinar – Public Sector Challenges and Opportunities for Strategic Change

This webinar will draw together academic expertise and practitioner insights to discuss the challenges and opportunities for strategic change facing the public sector during turbulent times. Faced with a variety of political, social, and professional demands, combined with institutional change, what is the future of the public sector and what role does strategic change have to play?

Conference – Violence Against Women and Girls: Policing, politics and practice

Our Centre for Policing Research and Learning (CPRL), which has an active partnership with 24 police forces across the UK, is engaged in a programme of leading research in the area of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). This conference aims to increase awareness and understanding of the key strands of work being undertaken in VAWG from a policing, politics, practice and research perspective.

Careers webinar: Diversity and inclusion, the rocket fuel of business success

Debbie Forster will share key insights of what organisations can do to move the dial in the important area of diversity and inclusion in this lunchtime careers webinar.

ESG Agenda – what does this mean for you, your organisation and your career?

The first lunchtime careers webinar of the 2022-23 academic year, exclusively for our alumni, is on Wednesday 19 October (13:00 – 14:00). The Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) agenda – what does this really mean and how are companies responding? Find out how to stay ahead of the curve from Tine Thygesen, speaker and strategist on tech entrepreneurship and sustainable business.

Diversity and inclusion, the rocket fuel of business success

Diversity and inclusion has come a long way and now takes a priority position on the agenda for many organisations. In this lunchtime careers webinar on Wednesday 16 November (13:00 – 14:00), Debbie Forster will share key insights of what organisations can do to move the dial in this important area.