New short course for business brains

A new short course for budding entrepreneurs has opened on the OU’s virtual learning environment.

Start Your Own Business has been created by Dr Haider Ali, Senior Lecturer in Strategic Marketing, and is designed to help learners develop their business idea into a commercial proposition and business plan. The 40-hour course can be started at any time and learners can work through at their own pace.

This is one of a number of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses available from the OU, which include Business School-led courses covering in-demand subjects such as analytical thinking, communication in the digital world, team leader skills, managing uncertainty, and many more.

The OU now has more than 100 short courses, including microcredentials, to help learners to upskill or reskill to get ahead. 

Attorney General visits OU Law students

The Attorney General, Victoria Prentis KC MP, visited the OU campus in Milton Keynes recently to speak to students as part of the 25 years of teaching Law celebrations. She spoke about her role as the top legal advisor to the government, her professional background, and championing government legal careers.

The Law School (sister to the Business School) hosted the event for students to learn about the diverse routes into law, as well as the pathways for progressing to careers within government. Students also had the opportunity to ask questions, which ranged from the emergence of artificial intelligence to how long legal papers should be archived.

The Attorney General said: “The Open University’s strength is that it offers flexible learning and opens doors for its students to explore new opportunities. The Government Legal Department (GLD) is similar in its approach, offering diverse routes into the profession, flexible working, inclusive workplaces and continual learning opportunities.” 

Read the full story.

On the panel were (seated L-R): Malcolm Sweeting, Pro-Chancellor and Chair of The Open University’s Council, The Attorney General, Victoria Prentis KC MP, Government Legal Department’s Head of Paralegal, Hugh Finnegan, and Head of The Open University Law School, Hugh McFaul.

The Bottom Line finishes its run on Radio 4

The final episode of The Bottom Line, an OU / BBC co-production, airs tonight (Thursday 27 July) on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds. Senior Lecturer in Strategic Marketing Dr Haider Ali is the programme’s academic consultant, with OU honorary graduate Evan Davis (pictured) hosting.

In this series, the business conversation show has lifted the lid on a range of topics including how the world of business is portrayed in TV and film, the booming market for second hand buying and selling, and food price inflation.

Check out the episodes and find out more about how an organisation’s business model can be a key indicator of success here.

Business Barometer continues to shine a light on large skills gap

This year’s Business Barometer report, published by the OU’s Business Development Unit (BDU) and the British Chambers of Commerce, shows that three-quarters (73%) of UK organisations are currently experiencing skills shortages, which remain one of the top challenges facing employers.

The annual report provides a temperature check on the UK skills landscape. It highlights that despite the ongoing skills shortage, more than half (54%) of organisations do not have any specific initiatives, skills programmes or workplace adjustments in place for specific talent pools including underrepresented groups such as people with disabilities, care leavers and people from diverse ethnicities.

The report suggests that employers are missing out on hidden talent pools and an opportunity to ‘grow your own’ talent during a time where two in four organisations say they have been prevented from filling roles due to lack of applicants. 

The role of sustainability in an organisation’s growth

The Business School hosted a webinar to discuss the role of sustainability in public, private and voluntary sector organisations, and why investing in sustainability is key to an organisation’s growth. The panel of experts discussed some of the most pressing questions for business schools, capital markets and the voluntary sector.

While sustainability is an essential tool in the mission to achieve the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), there is also huge potential to incorporate sustainability across an organisation and sustainability-oriented investing continues to produce powerful results in social, environmental, and economic progress.

The session was chaired by Senior Lecturer Liz Moody, with panellists Dr Anja Schaefer (pictured), a Senior Lecturer in Management, plus two of our Visiting Fellows – Christopher Mahon (Fund Manager at Columbia Threadneedle) and educational practitioner, researcher, and entrepreneur Dr Helen Britton from our Centre for Voluntary Sector Leadership (CVSL).

Watch the recording

Small and medium-sized enterprises and achieving Net Zero

Our Professor of Enterprise and Organisation, Richard Blundel (pictured), has contributed to the Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship's (ISBE's) Entrepreneurship Policy and Practice Insights. His piece, ‘SMEs and Net Zero: how to get there (from here)’, has been posted on the ISBE website and shared with its broader audience and it's membership of more than 4000 individuals and institutions, and beyond.

Reducing the carbon emissions that result from the everyday activities of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), both in the UK and internationally, is something society needs to address urgently. There is a strong case for focusing more attention on smaller firms – they are a bigger part of the problem than many think but could play a decisive role in delivering solutions and embedding lower carbon practices.

His paper provides some background to the issues and highlights a number of important challenges for researchers and policymakers with a few concluding examples of initiatives to point a way forward.

Cheers to our alumni in Munich!

Dr Richard Longman, Lecturer in Management, headed over to Munich recently to meet up with the local alumni community for beer and Schnapps at the World’s Largest Beer Garden.

The group (pictured) discussed each other’s business challenges and success stories, and they also spearheaded the idea for a worldwide OUBS alumni database.

For the next Munich alumni gathering, the group are considering either another Stammtisch or hiking trip to Austria! Their Christmas party will take place in early December with the location still to be confirmed.

If you’d like to get involved with any of our alumni groups around the world, then please do get in touch at oubs-alumni@open.ac.uk

Goodbye to the lovely Louise

Louise Clipson, a hugely valued member of the Stakeholder and Alumni Engagement (SAE) team, is sadly leaving us in August.

Having been with the Business School since January 2019 (and with the OU since 2009!), Louise has made a real impact in that time. She has been our main point of contact with the Alumni Council, arranged successful engagement events including the annual Student and Alumni Awards and developed flourishing relationships with our ambassadors.

Louise is leaving to enjoy an early retirement in her countryside home in Derbyshire with her husband, Nick, and their adorable pooch, Mabel.

We wish you all the best Louise!

Forty years of OUBS: Your reflections please!

As we celebrate 40 years of the Business School, we would love to hear about your experiences with us over the years. 

Milestone years offer a brilliant opportunity to reflect so if you do have a story or particular memory you wish to share, please get in touch via oubs-alumni@open.ac.uk.