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For many UK higher education business schools, the continued recruitment of UK, EU and international students is crucial for financial stability, viability and independence. Due to increasingly competitive funding models across the sector, many institutional leaders and administrators are making decisions typical of highly marketised consumer environments. Thus, this paper explores academics' perceptions of the impact of consumerisation in UK higher education business schools. To achieve this, 22 business school academics were interviewed within three UK higher education institutions (HEIs) in the North of England. Participants had a minimum of three years teaching experience. Data was analysed using template analysis taking an interpretive approach. The findings indicate that academics perceived the introduction of tuition fees to have been the catalyst for students increasing demonstration of customer-like behaviour: viewing the education process as transactional, with the HEI providing a 'paid for' service. It is argued that these changes in UK higher education have created tensions between university leaders and academics, creating genuine dilemmas for those with decision-making responsibilities who must balance academic integrity and long-term institutional financial viability.High Educ (2018) 76:85-100

Diversity in British University Business SchoolsResearch into cultural differences in higher education is a growing phenomenon and there is a need to establish a theoretical framework that supports Business Schools in the personalisation of the pedagogical process. This paper investigates the role of Business School academics in shaping the pedagogical process that is culturally responsive to the unprecedented diversity in higher education. This paper attempts to uncover the pedagogical machinations that govern how academics teach, interact and engage with their culturally and ethnically diverse students. The paper argues that university Business Schools should consider a culturally responsive approach when formulating pedagogy, which takes into account prior student experience as part of the student learning. The notion of culturally responsive teaching that shapes this research is influenced by US research on education and diversity. Such a perspective begins with an acceptance of the rights of teachers but also learners.Keywords: ethnic minorities, culturally responsive teaching, Business education, diversity IntroductionThe aim of this paper is to investigate the role of culturally responsive teaching in UK higher education. We intend to present the findings of our qualitative research of academics in higher education Business Schools. The aim of the research was primarily concerned with investigating the methods and techniques of pedagogy formulation employed by academics, and how these are used to support the learning and educational journey of ethnic minorities.The theoretical underpinnings of this paper draw upon the pedagogy of culturally responsive teaching, represented by prominent US research of Nieto (1999Nieto ( , 2000, Gay (2001) & Villegas & Lucas (2002. They identify a clear link between poor ethnic minority experiences and low ethnic minority achievement. There are various variables that influence the attainment of ethnic minority pupils providing a climate of low achievement and inappropriate experiences (Nieto 1999, 19).Gay (2001) and Ladson-Billings (1995) saw the need to be more responsive to the needs of students in US high school and primary institutions represented by diversity. The need and subsequent research by Gay (2001) and Ladson-Billings (1995) resulted in a theoretical approach defined as culturally responsive teaching. The theoretical approach was an enabler for teaching methods that allows for the use of cultural characteristics, experiences, and perspectives of ethnically diverse students as conduits for teaching them more effectively. When academic knowledge and skills are situated within the lived experiences and frames of reference of students, they are more personally meaningful, have higher interest appeal, and this facilitates the intuitive learning experience (Gay 2001).To provide a theoretical context for this paper we will begin with considering the unprecedented ethnic diversity in British higher education institutions. The discussion will then move onto the adapted ...

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The research and thinking pertaining to blockchain have thus far focused on cryptocurrency and Bitcoin. However, there is increased interest in using the technology to solve operational challenges in manufacturing and service supply chains. In this study, we introduce a new implication of using blockchain technology and propose two unique contributions. First, we introduce the notion of computational costs (measured in units of gas) as an essential mechanism for completing operational transactions in the blockchain environment. Second, we discuss the use of smart contracts and their influence on operational transactions. To investigate the link between blockchain transaction and computational costs, this study uses an experimental methodology. We develop and implement a fully functional virtual public blockchain to store, validate, and maintain transactions. The methodology provides a process to measure the computational costs, frequency, and intensity of transactions. This research contributes to conceptual research on the blockchain implementation paradigm. Its novelty stems from the identification of computational costs for operational transactions and use of an experimental methodology. This research provides managers an insight into the design of smart contract transactions in a supply chain from a cost perspective.

SMEs collectively account for a significant proportion of greenhouse gas emissions and so there is a need for urgent action to be taken by SMEs in the journey to achieve net zero. In this article, we provide a comprehensive conceptual framework for SMEs to draw from in the journey towards net zero by synthesizing the academic and grey literature. By bringing together key strands of the literature, we derive a conceptual model that provides a clear pathway for SMEs to embark on their net zero journeys. The framework we invent involves understanding the position of the SME in the value chain, understanding the pressures from stakeholders, undertaking greenhouse gas accounting to measure current levels of carbon emissions, undertaking internal changes towards the net zero agenda, undertaking external facing changes towards the net zero agenda, uncoupling, community participation, and updating business activities regularly. This model acts as a progressive decision-making and continuous improvement framework that will be an asset to SMEs as they undertake net zero activities. Overall, the paper contributes to the sustainability literature by being the first to synthesize the academic and grey literature to develop a comprehensive conceptual framework for SMEs to attain net zero.

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