Centre for Business, Society and Global Challenges

About us

The Centre for Business, Society and Global Challenges (BSGC) brings together researchers who are actively engaged with some of the core challenges facing contemporary societies, from refugee entrepreneurship, ageing society, human rights in businesses, sustainable tourism and consumption, markets and inequality, to security, digitalisation, and the changing world of work and organisations.

With its multidisciplinary research profile, the centre has the ambition to offer a critical contribution to the research agenda on global challenges and the industrial strategy.

Research and knowledge exchange activities focus on some of the major societal, economic and organisational challenges of our times through close collaboration with companies, policy makers, NGOs, practitioners and the wider public across the globe. A core motivation underpinning our research is to provide insights into the competing interest of globalisation.

Part of

Oxford Brookes Business School

Leadership

Professor Peter Lugosi

Deputy Director of the Centre for Business, Society and Global Challenges and Research Lead for the Hospitality and Tourism subject area

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Projects

Completed projects

Completed projects

Project title and description	Investigator(s)	Funder(s)	Dates
Maritime Dimension of Transnational Organised Crime A research project in response to the Partnership for Conflict, Crime and Security Research (PaCCS) call on transnational organised crime.		PaCCS	From: December 2016 Until: September 2018
Intelligence Organisation in the Early Modern World Exploring the evolution of systemised intelligence through an economic lens, the project contends that Venice’s intelligence apparatus undergirded her commercial expansion that reached its peak in the mid-Sixteenth century.	Dr Ioanna Iordanou	British Academy	From: September 2016 Until: August 2018
Identifying pathways for refugee integration and employment in the UK and Brazil For migrants and refugees, contact with state, charitable and commercial organisations when settling into ‘host’ societies and entering the labour market significantly shapes their experiences. Since 2016, Dr Peter Lugosi from the Oxford School of Hospitality Management, Dr Clara Della Croce and Dr Sonia Morano-Foadi from the School of Law have been researching how refugees transition into employment. This work has now been extended through a British Academy Newton funded project involving Dr Thiago Allis from the University of Sáo Paulo, Brazil.	Professor Peter Lugosi	British Academy	From: March 2018 Until: August 2021

Research

Ensuring Sustainability and Social Justice

The Earth’s population increased fourfold in the 20th century. As human numbers increase, so do demands on old systems of production and consumption, political organisation and the planet’s resources. How do we ensure sustainability in the economic, social and political arena? How do we take account of demographic changes, satisfy current and future needs and protect resources and stabilise communities?

‘Sustainability’ is about more than the environment – it explores the interconnectedness of the present and the future, across the natural world and man-made systems. How can organisations and governments plan to ensure replenishment, and the possibility of growth?

Our researchers examine the sustainability of values, behaviours and business – from farming to tourism and beyond, and ask what steps can be taken to ensure continuity and security.

Human Challenges: Communities, Inclusive Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Whilst developments in commerce and communication offer increasing connectedness, the human challenges of fractured communities, isolation and individualism appear to grow. The elderly suffer loneliness, millennials face work insecurity and migrant communities suffer hostility.

Who is benefitting from social change, why and how? What are the obstacles to social mobility and challenges for newcomers such as refugees? How do SME’s drive innovation and change in the global economy? What are the social, economic and environmental challenges of the fast growing visitor economy? And who are the stakeholders in tourism destination development?

Globalisation, Technology and Organisations

In the 21st century, our lives are increasingly intertwined while nation states no longer solely decide the future. A Washington tweet produces immediate effects on Asian markets and an isolated terrorist attack induces heightened security around the world. As industries, technologies and communities share new connections and dependencies, people and ideas are shifting.

Our researchers examine the challenges and opportunities of the local-global interface: How can multinational corporations ensure shared values and practices across linguistic divides? What can seemingly opposed ideologies learn from one another when tackling issues like healthcare? What characterises the interconnections of trade, transportation and technologies? How do we organise for security? How can technologies be used to map movements, reduce congestion and improve quality of life? How can social media address wellbeing and social isolation? How can individuals be happier and how to navigate the increasingly complex world of work?

Global Markets: Economic Development and Inequality

From the financial crash in 2008 to energy demand and poverty, our research addresses core economic challenges in today’s world. We combine macroeconomic and microeconomic approaches to improve the understanding of such economic issues as international trade, economic growth, economic reform and development practices, agriculture and food policies, irrigation, poverty, fair trade, consumer behaviour and investor behaviour within financial markets and institutions.

Research also aims to address policy implications of key issues such as climate change and carbon emissions, inequalities and poverty reduction, strategies for economic growth, agriculture and food security, the impact of mergers and acquisitions.

world map with coins and bank notes layed out over it

Knowledge Exchange

The Centre for Business, Society and Global Challenges has the aim to advance strategic thinking and address core issues of the Industrial Strategy by collaborating with local, national and international clients and partners (businesses, NGO’s, policy makers and thought-leaders).

Our academics have the expertise to explore and address challenging problems, such as: How can firms plan for the future and enhance their practice and performance? What are the drivers of community engagement and customer ‘loyalty’? What are the major waste and energy challenges? How to develop a social enterprise? What are current risk management strategies in the hospitality sector? And how to best facilitate knowledge transfer between higher education and industry?

Economic Impact Studies (EIS)

Oxford Brookes Business School has built a track record in providing bespoke EIS for client organisations who wish to understand the effect their operation(s) have on the local, regional and national economies.

By utilising industry-standard metrics and engaging with clients on project design, the team has designed and delivered projects for clients in diverse industries such as heritage assets, potential facility expansion and new, green-filed projects. This work has helped inform future strategies and priorities for client organisations, who can engage with us over a number of years to establish the quantum of change over an extended period.

Exemplar project:

Blenheim Economic impact study

two people sitting at a desk going through paperwork

Consultancy Projects

Organisations engage with Oxford Brookes Business School to help develop solutions to a wide range of challenges and opportunities. These can take the form of formal, commissioned, self-contained multidisciplinary projects, or an open-ended engagement to identify root causes or to use academically rigorous approaches to develop solutions.

On occasion, this can include engaging postgraduate students as well as academic and research staff, providing clients with a wide range of skills across a range of disciplines, including marketing, finance, human resources, management and leadership and strategy development and implementation.

Bespoke Management Development Programmes

Drawing on the expertise of our staff, the Oxford Brookes Business School has designed and delivered a range of in-house bespoke training programmes for clients. By being embedded within an organisation, the team is able to develop programmes specifically tailored to diagnose issues, develop solutions and improve capacity and capabilities across a range of teams.

This has been most successful where a programme has been delivered across a cross-section of staff through a number of cohorts, enabling managers – and aspiring mangers – to understand their impact on, and contribution to, organisational success.

Exemplar project:

Brita / Key2 Futures / Guideposts

Knowledge Exchange Portfolio

Our academics are actively engaged in realising the Sustainable Development Goals through constantly developing a curriculum of responsible management and entrepreneurship education (PRME) as well as to tune in with industry through University-Industry collaborations.

At the same time we offer expertise for businesses and organisations in such fields as: knowledge and quality management; risk assessment; consumption and well-being; spending behaviour; public policy; organisational change; spirituality; sustainable business and social enterprises; performance management; charity performance; internationalisation; and micro finance.