Oral health gap research receives funding boost

Newcastle University Business School is leading research into the long-term imbalance in the UK’s oral health after being awarded an ESRC (Economic and Social Research Centre) grant.

Newcastle University experts are to help tackle oral health inequalities in Britain.

The team will be investigating inequalities in dental care and dental provision in a bid to help narrow health gaps among social groups.

With £200,000 of funding from the ESRC a team of academics from Newcastle University, in collaboration with University College London (UCL), and the National Centre for Social Research (NCSR) hope their findings will influence national and international health policy.

Using the Adult Dental Health Survey (ADHS) from 1988, 1998 and 2009, this 18-month study will inform academics and policy makers on how inequalities change over time, while also providing a vital benchmark to monitor inequalities in the future.

The scope of the research will fall into four main areas: to measure the level of socioeconomic inequalities and to decide what aspects of oral health to measure; to investigate health behaviours, dental service provisions and the interaction between oral health behaviours and the care provided; how these social and economic influences can lead to inequalities; and finally, to investigate the trends in oral health inequality over a 21 year period. 

Newcastle University Business School’s Professor of Health Economics, John Wildman, said: “We are aware of the lack of detailed research in this area of health, and aim for this research to lead and provide a template for future investigations into oral health inequality.

“It is hoped that this research will highlight where policy makers and practitioners can combat health inequalities specifically related to wealth, education or social position. Making the UK society fairer and healthier.”

Co-investigator Jimmy Steele CBE, clinical professor from the School of Dental Sciences and the person behind the Independent review of NHS dentistry in England in 2009, said:  “This collaboration will examine one of the crucial areas as we go forward. Dental health and access to dental health care has improved hugely in the last decade but not for everyone, everywhere.

“We will be seeking to determine why there are big differences, where best practice is and how that can be implemented across the country.”
Research team:

The team of researchers come from a range of backgrounds including: economics, public health and clinical dentistry. 
Principle investigator:
Professor of Health Economics, John Wildman, Newcastle University Business School
Co investigators:
Professor Jimmy Steele, from Newcastle University’s School of Dental Sciences, and Dr Jing Shen from Newcastle University’s Institute of Health and Society.
Three academics from University College London are also on the team: Professor Stephen Morris, Dr Richard Watt, and Dr Georgios Tsakos.
Finally, Elizabeth Ann Fuller will work on the project, and she is from the National Centre for Social Research. 

About the ESRC

The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is the UK’s largest organisation for funding research on economic and social issues. It supports independent high quality research which has an impact on business, the public sector and the third sector. The ESRC’s total budget for 2012/13 is £205 million. At any one time the ESRC supports over 4,000 researchers and postgraduate students in academic institutions and independent research institutes.

 

100% of placed Newcastle University Business School students are rated as effective team members by employers

Commercial placements helped 98% of placed graduates to a first class or 2:1 degree

Students from Newcastle University Business School have been given top marks by a range of employers based worldwide, and have gone on to achieve first class or 2:1 degree classifications. A recent survey of employers working with Business School placement students revealed that 100% of students were conscientious, showed initiative, were effective team members and over 70% of employers indicated that the students exceeded their expectations.

New statistics from the Business School also reveal that a staggering 98% of recent graduates who undertook a 12-month placement between their second and third year of study received a first or a 2:1 degree classification. 

The Walt Disney Company, Nissan, Estee Lauder, and Microsoft are just some of the global giants that welcomed students from the Business School on a 12-month placement opportunity, and the recent figures are among the strongest ever received since the Business School’s placement initiative was launched.

Placement opportunities promoted by the Business School give students the right type of environment and support to apply their academic theory while gaining valuable employability skills.

The types of roles available to the students vary, depending on what the organisation requires, and the skills and interests of the students.

Business School student, Sakshi Grover, commented on her placement at international organisation IBM:

“I believe the time on my placement helped me to develop as a strong individual and I’ve seen many positive changes in myself.  The year has been a great success; the steepest learning curve I have experienced so far!”

Marketing manager at Bel Valves, Alison Ennis, commented on the Business School students that were placed with them:

“We have been extremely encouraged by the aptitude displayed by the marketing placements we have taken on recently. Within a very short period of time the students contributed significantly to the departmental goals demonstrating not only a ‘no nonsense’ approach to applying marketing theory but also an impressive level of confidence and initiative.

“In return we aim to offer the students opportunities to experience international marketing practice in all its guises from research and statistical analysis to creative design, customer liaison and event management.”

Ernst & Young’s Nigel Burgess counselled Business School student Tom Holroyde during his commercial placement and commented on his time with the company:

“Tom has shown great “people” skills and has built an excellent working relationship with his clients.  He performed his work to a high standard; remained professional at all times and was an ambassador for Ernst & Young and our values.”

Nicola Burnip, placement officer at Newcastle University Business School said:

“In the increasingly competitive higher education and labour market we want to ensure that, as a business school, we are doing all we can to prepare our students for the world of work.

“These recent statistics reveal the hugely positive impact a placement can have on a degree: a rounded experience of both theory and practice enables students to respond to academic questions with a commercial outlook. Something you cannot learn from a textbook. 

“Students get the chance to go anywhere in the world, however we ensure regional businesses benefit from the initiative, with a quarter of all placement opportunities taking place in the North East.

“The enthusiasm and positivity that a placement student can bring to a work-place can be invaluable. As students adapt to their working environments, they provide a refreshing new perspective to solving problems, displaying creativity and using their initiative.

“The majority of companies that have offered placements in the past continue to work with the Business School on an annual basis as they know that they are gaining a person who is knowledgeable, driven and, most importantly, eager to learn.”

If you think your organisation could benefit from employing a highly competent Business School student for 12 months please contact Nicola Burnip by phoning 0191 208 1632 or emailing nicola.burnip@ncl.ac.uk.

 

Ideas matter, by Dr Tyrone Pitsis

Impact?  Increasingly, there is an expectation that academic research makes an impact; but what does this actually mean?

Even at a superficial level it is not easy to define because impact can refer to one object hitting another with force, and it can also refer to the effect that force has on the object.

As such, it denotes a violent action of immediate cause and effect.  So when scholarly research is said to make an impact it means that as researchers and teachers our work has made a strong effect on something or someone. 

Such beliefs about impact have traditionally been dominated by the idea of scientific impact, such as the impact a new drug has on illness, or material sciences having an impact on the design of civil, commercial and military aircraft and so on.

In my area, organization and management theory, impact is rarely that straight forward, and seldom is it immediate: in fact it can take decades to evolve. My colleague, Professor Chris Carter has a favourite quote from the British economist J.M.Keynes, which fits well here:

“The ideas of economists and political philosophers, both when they are right and when they are wrong, are more powerful than is commonly understood. Indeed the world is ruled by little else. Practical men, who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influence, are usually the slaves of some defunct economist.”

In other words, ideas matter. Social science research is about knowledge, or what I prefer to call the materialization and seeding of ideas.  Lots of ideas flourish, both good ideas and bad ideas, and in social science we have plenty of good and bad ideas which are sustained. 

Fortunately, one thing I have learned is that good ideas generally outlive bad ones.  There are several articles by esteemed academics publishing in journals such as Academy of Management Review, Academy of Management Learning and Education, about the proliferation of bad ideas, and about management fads and the negative implications of bad ideas. 

An issue for researchers, particularly in business schools, is that the impact we make is rarely quick, and because what we deal with is knowledge, it often is difficult to demonstrate in practice.

 As governments move increasingly more towards ‘impact’ as a measure of quality, business schools will face increasing pressure to demonstrate that their research matters.

Impact however does not necessarily mean the research was any good, or well designed, it just means it was ‘taken-up’. The danger is that this leads to a clamour for easily implementable ‘quick fixes’ that do little to help the deep seated problems of organizations, and societies, or to advance scholarly knowledge.Instead, it leads to the emergence of sharp suited, ‘fast intellectuals’, whose stock in trade is to retail solutions for virtually every conceivable problem.

So now, organizations expect ‘fast’ value rather than ‘real’ value:  normalising fast value as the expectation, and normalising poor research practice and dissemination.My argument is that impact is a social process that forms and transforms with time.  As such for research to have impact it requires uptake and so the research must make sense to the community (or stakeholders), within which the research matters.

In this sense research should make a difference, should matter, and should make sense in a way that it provides insights and knowledge that are usable or translatable into practice.  However, there should be just as much onus on business and organizations to be curious, inquisitive and committed to well designed and conducted research as there is on academics who are expected to be ‘engaged’ with business. 

In this way, there is a greater challenge to ensure integrity in the research – that the research is warts and all without fear or favour. Research that tells people what they want to hear is seldom well designed research, and more importantly it’s useless – even though it can make an impact: but impact is not necessarily a good thing.  We need to celebrate good collaborative research, learn from it, develop skills and capabilities in doing it, and most of all really make sense of the term impact that is user centred.

 Tyrone Pitsis is Reader in Strategic Design and Co-Director of Strategy, Organisation and Society Group at Newcastle University Business School, and is Chair of Practice Theme Committee of the Academy of Management.

 

Who Can Help in the ‘Rehabilitation Revolution’?

James Timpson, Chief Executive, Timpson, and largest employer of ex-offenders in the UK

I’m really pleased that the political will is now firmly behind the rehabilitation of offenders, so that we as a country can try to help people in prison never to go back. Chris Grayling has started off on the right foot in my opinion. It’s obvious as I go around prisons recruiting people for our business that we need to be much better, more committed and fully open about the need to help people turn their lives around, and not assume they can always do it on their own.

I am working with the team at Newcastle University Business School to help train and inspire the North East prison bosses to become more entrepreneurial in their approach. Creating a culture in prisons that is about how you can fit into working life on release, and not about sitting on your bed all day, is one I know is right. I am determined to understand what can be done to reduce the justice system’s burden to the taxpayer.

In an open letter to the government (below), we called on government to act. Up to 80% of prisoners could work a full week towards their futures as citizens, yet only a fifth of them have been given this opportunity. Our academics held talks with community, policy and business leaders on this issue several weeks ago to gain a better understanding of the opportunities available to everyone involved.

To dispel fears about the possible negative outcomes of employing ex-offenders, education is just as influential to reforming the prison system as the results expected from private companies. Prison population is diverse and complex and full of untapped opportunity, but the question of how governors can unlock this potential will remain unknown unless they work well with companies.

It’s going to take a lot of experts from many areas to inform this ‘rehabilitation revolution’. Universities such as Newcastle and bodies like the Institute of Social Renewal are some of the best resources to advise prison governors towards a new way of thinking.

Prison governors need to become commercially driven to enable this cultural change. By starting a discussion on the type of ‘intelligent approach’, we can turn prisoner rehabilitation away from becoming a problem this country needs to solve and into something this country can use to its full advantage.

A commitment to allow prisoners to re-enter society, as opposed to just letting them rot, has real potential to improve the outcome of our justice system for everyone. So go for it Chris, go for it MoJ, go for it prison bosses, and as citizens we need to play our part in supporting this agenda.

Our open letter…

SIR – Working prisons provide offenders with the skills and support they need to turn away from a life of crime. Not enough of our prisoner population is in work, yet governors estimate as many as 80 per cent are in a position to work a full week.

The Government is pursuing an agenda to reform the prison system (report, October 9) in order to reduce re-offending rates. At the same time, the Government wants to bring outsourced operations of business back to Britain. If we allow prisoners to work, they can support their families and contribute to victims’ funds, relieving a burden to the taxpayer.

But there are commercial and practical challenges: prisons must be able to attract local employers and negotiate profitable contracts. And we, as a society, must overcome our intolerance of those who have committed crimes and realise that work is essential to their rehabilitation.

Professor James Timpson OBE
Visiting Goldman Professor of Innovation and Enterprise at Newcastle University Business School

To see the article on the Huffington Post website please click here >

 

Research reveals skill spillover between online gaming and real work life

Virtual worlds could be used to develop new staff training techniques, as a recent study revealed that skills used in role-playing games spill over to real-life employment

SPENDING your free-time playing online games can positively impact your leadership skills and learning behaviours at work, according to researchers at Newcastle University Business School and the University of Crete.

Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) – like World of Warcraft, Lineage II, and The Lord of the Rings Online – involve thousands of players from all over the world, and have been the centre of a study looking at the impact these virtual spaces can have on an employee’s behaviour at work. 

The one month study – carried out by Dr Despoina Xanthopoulou, from the University of Crete and Dr Savvas Papagiannidis, from Newcastle University Business School, of a sample of employees who were also gamers, revealed that playing MMORPGs can have beneficial effects on real-life work through the transmission of virtually practiced leadership skills and active learning behaviours (learning by doing), according to the research published in the journal, Technological Forecasting and Social Change. 

In the achievement-orientated world of MMORPGs, many of the combat-related activities needed to gain points, solve quests or enhance the social capital of an avatar1, hold similarities to common work tasks. From collaboration to meeting targets, team work to resolve complex missions, strategic planning, allocating resources, to recruiting new players to form groups, there is a clear link between the skills needed to enjoy a good game performance, and the real corporate world.

For this reason, the players who have had to manifest good leadership skills and gaming behaviours to succeed in MMORPGs, were more likely to see these characteristics spill over from games to their real work-life. This spill over effect was particularly evident when combined with high performance standards in the game.

The researchers – using self-perception theory – argue that when players see their avatars acting in a certain way, it is highly probable that they will change their behaviour in the real world to be consistent with their online self.

The study revealed that it could be viable for organisations to develop staff training methods within specially designed metaverses2 to help employees harness leadership skills, active learning behaviours and professional development.

Dr Despoina Xanthopoulou stated: “Despite the fact that the literature on the negative (addictive) effects of games is quite rich, research on the potential positive effects of gaming is scarce.

“This is one of the first studies that investigates how online games can be beneficial for our real-life employment. One of the unique features of this study is in the finding that in-game leadership skills and learning behaviours spill over to work, particularly when combined with high performance in the game. When certain leadership skills and learning behaviours are combined with feelings of competence and success, these are highly valued, and that is when people tend to mimic them outside the game environment.” 

Newcastle University Business School’s head of innovation and enterprise and senior lecturer, Dr Savvas Papagiannidis, said: “As a ‘gamer’ myself, I have always had an interest in how gaming behaviour can transcend the borders of the gaming environment. The results from our research support the connection between in-game transformational leadership, and active learning, spilling over into work. 
 
“As the working world demands international collaboration across continents within online environments like emails, webinars and e-conferences, we are more virtual than ever before.   Through this increase in interactive business activity via the evolving information systems available, and our research findings, I believe that MMORPGs could be a viable training method used by corporations to aid staff development, and hone good leadership skills.”

 

Two Business School students awarded Excellence Scholarship

Newcastle University Business School undergraduate students, Kimberley Lee and Monica Molesag, have been selected to receive £2,000 worth of tuition fee discounts to put towards any of the postgraduate taught programmes offered by the University’s faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (HaSS).

Now in its second year, the Excellence Scholarship aims to encourage high-achieving Newcastle University undergraduate students to further their study in a postgraduate programme following their graduation.

Along with their recent academic grades students are required to apply for the scholarship themselves by completing an online application form including a personal statement indicating their motivations for applying, why they should be considered for an award and what their career direction is.  This year saw over 20 students from the whole University apply for the chance to reduce their tuition fees,with 14 being awarded the final prize.  Successful students can also benefit from the 20% alumni discount as graduates of Newcastle University.

Kimberley, who has chosen to study an MSc in E-Business (E-Marketing), commented on what it means for her to have won this Excellence award:

“I am delighted to have been awarded the scholarship offered by the University as I was playing with the idea of beginning a master’s degree and this has allowed me to make a decisive decision about where and when to study.

“It’s really comforting to know that I am coming back to University here in Newcastle in September, as I definitely was not ready to leave.”

The awards recognise academic achievement and commitment to further study, with a long term vision of related employment or research opportunities.

The Business School looks forward to welcoming all of its new students in September and welcoming back those returning for their second and third years.

To read more on the PGT Excellence Scholarship please click here>

Business School teacher bags place on BBC documentary

A serial entrepreneur, who teaches at Newcastle University Business School, and her innovative company Baggers Originals is one of 18 businesses out of 7,000 to make it through to the final of a BBC documentary called Be Your Own Boss.

Angela McLean and her re-launched company Baggers Originals – rainwear and swimwear that fits into an attached pocket to make a handy bag for children to carry – is part of the new BBC 3 series fronted by Richard Reed, co-founder of Innocent Smoothies.

Be Your Own Boss will see Richard Reed follow the 18 businesses seeing the winner clinch £1million investment, in a bid to nurture and invest in the next wave of young entrepreneurs.

Following the team, the film crew will capture the business ups and downs of the re-launch.

Angela McLean said: “Taking part in this BBC 3 show has been brilliant.“One of the main reasons for re-launching Baggers is down to the fact that I have told the Baggers story to over 3,000 students over the last 12 years and the feedback about the product range is always fantastic, and I am always asked ‘where can I buy it’?”

And with the BBC cameras present, Angela – who has worked with the Business School for over 12 years teaching enterprise, entrepreneurship and marketing – invited students who take part in the Partners Summer School to hear about the re-launch of Baggers Originals: a company she started over 22 years ago.

Angela continues: “I was delighted to involve the Partners students as I have taught the Summer School for over eight years now and have always been impressed with the standard of the students.  They are a delight to teach and were excited to have the opportunity to be on television.  It was a great experience for them and that is what learning is all about.”

As a business, Baggers ran in to difficulty the first time-around, not due to profitability but due to cash flow – one of the main reasons new businesses fail.   Angela believes that these lessons are invaluable to students or anyone starting up in business, and nascent entrepreneurs need to understand the risks of starting an enterprise and running a business. 

The new clothing range is similar in design to the originals, retaining the bright, bold colours that made Baggers so recognisable 22 years ago, but the colours have been updated to ensure they are on trend. 

The business model has been adapted with a strong internet presence and an e-commerce site, www.baggersoriginals.com, is due to launch this month, with an active social media campaign to engage customers ahead of the website launch.  

Baggers Originals will also be selling in key retailers nationwide including Fenwick and has secured export sales into a children’s retail chain in Ireland.

Angela commented, “I am a great believer that once you have a good idea it is always a good idea, and the students’ response did inspire me to give it another go.” 

Newcastle University Business School Alumni, Anelise Siddle, who has worked alongside Angela since graduating in 2011, will be heading up the re-launch with Angela and her daughter Jessica. 

A current Business School student and former Partners student, Natalie Diver has also been integral to the development of the new brand, working with Baggers on a summer placement.

Angela is adamant that without the business knowledge and acumen of Anelise and Natalie the company would have struggled to restart and she plans to employ more students from the Business School in the future. 

Anelise Siddle, a first class honours Business Management graduate said, “I have learnt so much in my time working with Angela in the field of enterprise and entrepreneurship, and re-launching the business has furthered my personal belief that many of the skills needed in running a business can’t be learnt out of a textbook.

“Baggers acts as a live case study and makes our teaching more relevant, current and exciting for students, allowing them to develop transferable skills that are much needed for the workplace.”

To find out what happens to Baggers Originals tune into BBC3, Be Your Own Boss, from Wednesday 12 September, 21.00.  The series lasts six episodes.

Newcastle University Business School appoints new director

Professor John Wilson to oversee next phase of institutional development

Newcastle University Business School has announced the appointment of its new Director, Professor John Wilson. Joining from the University of Liverpool, where he was Professor of Strategy at the Management School, Professor Wilson will officially take up the post at the Business School from 12 November.

With strong academic credentials and senior management experience within higher education, as well as an impressive track record in securing significant external research funding, Professor Wilson will now lead the Business School from its new £50m headquarters in the heart of Newcastle, home to 2800 students. Newcastle University Business School’s research expertise is helping to influence current business policy and practice and its focus on teaching core aspects of management has helped it achieve global accreditation. 

At the University of Liverpool, Professor Wilson was responsible for teaching activities across the undergraduate and postgraduate curricula as Director of Programmes at the Management School, where he oversaw a trebling in postgraduate student numbers from 250 to over 700, in just three years. Previous appointments have included Director of Research at University of Central Lancashire, where he was instrumental in the last major national Research Assessment Exercise.

Over the past 20 years, Professor Wilson has submitted research papers in the US, Asia, Europe and Latin America, and is an active contributor to conferences, workshops, and seminars in his specialist subject areas of management history, international business history, and strategy. The Co-operative Group sponsors his current major project, and he is also involved in international projects looking at inter-corporate networks, bank-industry links, and technology transfer.

Professor Wilson currently edits a prominent four-star academic journal, ‘Business History’, and possesses a balanced portfolio of publications across books – as author, editor and contributor – and leading academic journals.

Commenting on his appointment, Professor Wilson said:

“I am enormously enthused by both the people and facilities at Newcastle University Business School. There is no doubt my predecessors, and the current Executive Team, have laid solid foundations on which we can build an internationally renowned institution.

“I’m really looking forward to collaborating with my Newcastle colleagues in research terms, as this is an essential component in the further development of our reputation for world-class status. From a managerial perspective, I’m looking forward to applying my experience and knowledge around research, teaching, accreditation, and strategic development, in an exciting, ambitious environment. 

“We have an extremely rich pool of talent at the Business School, at both academic and professional support levels. Working as a team, I have no doubt that we can continue to create something very special, and take the Business School’s profile to the next stage, internationally.”

Professor Chris Brink, Vice-Chancellor, Newcastle University added: “Professor Wilson’s appointment will help to consolidate the progress that we have made at the Business School in recent years which culminated in the opening of our brand new campus last year.

“The Business School has attracted a wide and talented pool of staff and students from around the world and has established an increasingly high profile in key global markets such as India, China and the US, due to a rise in student numbers and steady growth in both research output and industry collaboration.
“I look forward to welcoming Professor Wilson to Newcastle.”

Professor John Leopold has been Acting Director since Professor Ian Clarke stepped down earlier this year, and will return to his Deputy Director role in November.

 

Professor and research cited as example of good practice

PROFESSOR Pooran Wynarczyk, director of the Small Enterprise Unit (SERU) at Newcastle University Business School, and her work on the Formula One in Schools Technology Challenge has been acknowledged in a new national report,  launched  at  ‘Higher education & the third sector: Making access to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) happen’  conference in London.

The report entitled ‘Unblocking the pipeline: How the third sector can increase higher education participation in STEM,  sponsored by the National  Higher Education STEM  Programme, refers to Professor Wynarczyk’s ‘role-model platform for young scientists initiative’ as an example of good practice.

The platform builds upon a key strand of Professor Wynarczyk’s research that assesses participation in STEM information education and extra curricula activities, and the impact this has on future education and career aspirations amongst young people.

Her research in this area links closely with the Formula One in Schools Technology Challenge, a global STEM initiative that seeks to provide a multi-disciplinary learning experience through the appeal of Formula One, with the purpose of  promoting  a positive  perception of STEM, particularly amongst the younger generation. 

The North East Regional Finals of the Challenge was held at the Business School in February this year, where over 80 pupils from schools around the North East took part to collaborate, test, manufacture and then race miniature Formula One cars.

Professor Wynarczyk commented:

“I am delighted that the research and work we’ve been carrying out at Newcastle University Business School has been cited within this recent report.

“The initiative and the annual competition we host at the Business School is always a hugely successful activity where we see many of the region’s young people put on a display of their scientific and creative talents.

“The research is part of a wider goal to engage higher education institutions, like Newcastle University, with young people to help encourage and grow their interest in the areas of science, maths and technology.”

What a difference a year makes

Dr Tyrone Pitsis discusses last year’s riots:

This time last year the UK witnessed unprecedented public rioting. One year on, and in the midst of Olympic jubilation, Dr Tyrone Pitsis, Newcastle University Business School, looks at the reasons people revolt and how collaboration and hope promote social cohesion.

As the UK remembers the rioting that tore through towns and cities a year ago, the Government has released a report exploring the reasons why they happened. Unsurprisingly, the causes were found to be complex and deep-seated: problems that go back generations.

My own research work into social economics addresses some of the issues to which the Government’s experts attribute last year’s riots. Why have so many of the young generation lost hope? Why is social mobility so difficult in the UK? What can we do to stop history repeating itself in the form of future generations with similar problems? There will be no easy answers to these problems.

While Newcastle and the North East were happily not affected by last year’s riots, we still see some of the social issues that precipitated them. First, I want to cut through the hype. The riots were not the evidence of the steady decline of society. It is much more complex than that.  Some may have rioted because they feel alienated from society.  For others it was opportunism, for others still it was about being in ‘the flow’ of things: or what is referred to as being in the moment – caught up in a sense of something that would be ‘fun’ or daring.  The remarkable thing about the riots is that most people, and especially young people, did not partake.  So, we tend to focus on what people did, rather than what they did not do.

Even so, the riots were real, and they do point to the fact that something needs to be done in the UK.  My opinion is simple: once people lose hope anything goes, and hope transforms into hopelessness.  This is destructive and self-defeating – it offers answers that lie in taking short cuts, in crime, in just taking what you want. We cannot separate human action from the social context within which it occurs.  All human action is a dynamic political process.

I am interested in the idea of hope, and because of that my research concentrates on the idea of designing society: the concept that we ourselves can design how society’s institutions, its policies, regulations, social norms and its infrastructure and even buildings are integral to the kind of community and society we live in. 

Universal design is a simple principle, originating in Japan, which is underpinned by the idea that when designing products and services they should be designed to be inclusive rather than exclusive.  This is a straightforward idea and applies to societies and communities.  If you design cities with all activities occurring in one space, you cannot complain that other parts of the city and country suffer. For example, a risk to the North East is that we depend heavily on the public sector for employment; similarly London, having been “designed” as a financial centre, has a strong reliance on that one sector.

The UK, compared to other parts of the industrialised world has a poor level of social mobility – which put simply means the opportunities for people to make better prospects for themselves. I believe this is because the whole social and economic infrastructure has not been best designed to offer opportunities for growth at a personal, interpersonal, community and national level. Social mobility is about access, democracy, and a vibrant and sustainable economy and society.

While there may be no simple answer to such complex issues, I am however convinced that the idea of design thinking is a process well worth investing in at all levels of government and industry. There is a critical factor here called “inter-organisational collaboration” – that is, collaboration between governments, industries and different sectors to design the future of the UK, its cities and its communities, and more importantly its place in a global economy that is undergoing ambiguous and uncertain transformation.

I’ve long been interested in how collaboration works in mega-projects, for example the delivery of the Olympics. Those involved would attest to the fact that different parts of the system are so fragmented that it’s a real challenge to get different organisations, departments and institutions to talk to each other, let alone work in unison.

My research over the years has shown that collaboration is a creative, dynamic process and requires very different skills and capabilities from those which we currently demand of organisations and society.

But there is real hope here – one only need look at the Olympics to see an example of how collaboration can really engineer success. Just one year on from the riots, the energy and optimism from London 2012 can be harnessed to bring people together to make real change. There is a general mood of positivity in the air, which can be turned into something tangible.

Collaborative design and relationships, however, are only part of the answer when it comes to designing society.  The big questions include what kind of economy are we designing and how do things work? How do the financial systems work, and how are they regulated?  How do universities and schools work? What will the infrastructure look like?

To my mind there are two key areas that the UK must attend to: technological innovation (from medical to information technologies), and cultural innovation (such as the arts and cultural diversity). I believe that if you want a smart society, you have to encourage a culture of doing smart things.
Problems of inequality, lack of opportunity and how communities can adapt in times of rapid social and economic change, are exactly the sort of issues that prompted Newcastle University to launch the Institute for Social Renewal this year. As a world-class civic university, we have focused a large part of our research efforts into tackling profound global challenges – known as the societal challenge themes, they include ageing and health, sustainability and social renewal. We take very seriously our duty to make a difference to the world around us; not only to be a leader in thinking, but also in action.

The new Institute, led by by Professor Mark Shucksmith OBE, is intended to be a dedicated centre for research into some of the biggest problems faced by individuals and communities today. The Institute brings together the expertise of academics from across the University, to tackle the “big questions” faced by society.

For further information on Newcastle Institute for Social Renewal, visit www.ncl.ac.uk/socialrenewal

For further information on Dr Pitsis and his work, visit www.ncl.ac.uk/nubs/staff/profile/tyrone.pitsis