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Research from the University Nottingham (UoN) has identified the importance of agricultural business management in improving business performance. UoN-led work enhanced the on-line Farm Business Survey (SBS) Business Benchmarking service, supported by bespoke knowledge transfer and exchange activities. Analysis from the 2011/12 FBS shows that 15% of farmers "frequently benchmark at whole farm level" achieving an average Farm Business Income (FBI) of £128,900 in contrast to £63,000 for the 85% of farmers that do not benchmark. FBS Farm Business Benchmarking is the only free-to-use, non-data commitment, service that offers both national and international benchmarking options to the agricultural industry.
The body of research on responsible and sustainable business education has shaped the policies of key institutions working in the area of responsible business education, notably the Academy of Business in Society (ABIS) and the UN Principles for Responsible Management Education (UN PRME). It has also contributed to the guidance that UK higher education bodies give to Business Schools through the Higher Education Academy. ICCSR's research has also made available guidance and examples of best practice to these policy institutions through which business schools have been able to access evidence-based resources in their endeavour to develop effective practice.
The impact in this case is based on 20 years of research, dissemination and interactions with policy-makers and practitioners. It culminated in the OECD/APEC Athens action plan (2008) which currently drives global policy on support for SME internationalisation, the establishment of a new School of Entrepreneurship and Management at the Romanian Academy of Economic Studies and generated 132 new entrepreneurial businesses (2010-13). This led to a Barclays-funded project in South Africa (2012) to support the internationalisation of 30 local businesses. The research has therefore resulted in improved SME performance and entrepreneurial management which drives economic growth nationally and globally.
Professor Martin Charter has directed The Centre for Sustainable Design ® at UCA since 1999. During this time he has developed a body of research concerning sustainable and eco-innovation, and sustainable and eco-design, with a particular focus on organisational implementation within business. This has led to a widespread programme of dissemination and application to SMEs through funded projects, publications, consultancy and training. The specific beneficiaries of this research are the SMEs through these projects, guidance and training.
Building on research in integrated information systems and their impact on organisational culture, Newcastle Business School (NBS), via a two-year Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP 8193), assisted Inpipe Products (IPP) to increase its operational efficiency and turnover. IPP is a world leading company in the design, manufacture, supply and rental of pipeline maintenance equipment for the global oil and gas industry. The KTP explored and developed the cultural environment for successful implementation of an integrated information system. The result for the company is improved operational efficiency, with the processing time for products from sales to engineered drawings reduced from five hours to 15 minutes, a reduction in late deliveries due to better information on product specification and a 14% reduction in rejected products. Product sales turnover has increased from £5.5 million to £6 million per year.
The Centre for Business, Innovation and Enterprise (CBIE) has conducted extensive research that has significantly, positively impacted upon the health and safety management of plant and machinery, throughout businesses in the UK and internationally. The outputs of this research are firmly embedded within an academic multi-collaborative framework that has profited from tangible contribution via partnerships with business, industry and government stakeholders. The impact has benefitted original equipment manufacturers (e.g. JCB); the equipment supply chain (e.g. Hilti UK Ltd., A-Plant plc.); end users (e.g. the US and UK armed forces); and society at large, by making people's workplaces safer.
Costas Markides undertook several studies on two broad topics related to corporate innovation: (a) business model innovation; and (b) radical product innovation. His work has been published in top academic and practitioner journals, and has been broadly disseminated in several best-selling books. His ideas and findings have made an impact in several large multinational companies who have adopted his ideas in their practices; his research has also had an impact through executive education and keynote speeches. His work on innovation has led to his membership of the Thinkers 50 management guru list every time the list has been compiled since 2005.
According to the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA), co-ops provide 100 million jobs globally, and there are 6000 in the UK with an annual turnover of £37 bn. Research into what constituted the distinctive features of co-operative management practice within membership based co-operative and mutual businesses helped to establish a changed development agenda for the international co-operative movements. This work supported the International Co-operative Alliance Statement of Co-operative identity and demonstrated that co-operatives should be recognised as different from other forms of small business. Dr Peter Davis's work in the Unit for Membership Based Organisations at Leicester's School of Management led to policy and educational initiatives that have been globally adopted, cited and emulated.
This case study refers to the development of strategic public affairs management and associated research on political risk and the regional economy at the University of Chester. It demonstrates both impact on business strategy at international levels and influence on government policy. The Bank of America (MBNA) case is evidenced as an example of effective public affairs research. The business is the largest service based centre in the region, accounting for 3% of Cheshire's GDP (2011). The research has informed both strategy and policy for business and government resulting in the retention of a major international business in the North West.
Research at Aston University has influenced and shaped business support policy in the UK and changed the strategic direction of small businesses in the Midlands region, which has led to increased growth and profitability. A specific impact of the research nationally has been to inform the Coalition Government's business support policy and form part of the underlying rationale for the new Growth Accelerator business support programme in England. At regional level the research has changed strategic thinking, specifically in the Greater Birmingham and Solihull region through its Local Enterprise Partnership, the Leeds City Region, and the Greater London Authority, influencing business support strategy and practice in those areas. On the ground, Aston's research has had a direct impact on the growth, job creation and profitability of small businesses in the Midlands.