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There are a few international highlights from the past months, and as always, there is also lots in the pipeline to look forward to.

Got bad news? Experts reveal how to break it to your employees

Building open communication with employees means being transparent about the reasons behind difficult decisions. Marjo-Riitta Diehl, Associate Professor of Management Studies at the School of Business, says it is easier to communicate and receive bad news if the measures are justifiable as part of a strategic plan, especially in the case of layoffs or pay cuts.

In these situations, she says managers should volunteer the most pressing information as soon as possible and walk straight into adversity.

‘The affected individuals have the right to know the facts fast, first, personally, and accurately. Pain should never be delegated, meaning that those in charge of the decision should be there to meet the affected individuals. Possible employee grief, anger, or bewilderment must be faced personally and respectfully.’

‘Simply listening and giving employees time to digest bad news is important. Further support should then be offered where possible, such as outplacement services or retraining opportunities in the case of layoffs.’

Read the article:

BlueSky Thinking is an online thought leadership platform committed to exploring the expertise, research and ideas of the leadings minds operating within the global business and higher educational sector, as well as influential management thinkers and business practitioners. The website has over 50,000 readers (200,000 page views), and is growing – with a dedicated following in the USA, India, mainland Europe, Canada and Australia.

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Language-based discrimination prevalent both in office and remotely

Language-based discrimination is a prevalent form of discrimination in multilingual organisations, finds new research by the School of Business.

Language-based discrimination is when people experience an unfair disadvantage as a result of their written and spoken language. For example, excluding employees from conversations as they don’t have the same first language.

The case study, conducted by researcher Hilla Back and Professor Rebecca Piekkari, investigated migrant professionals’ experiences of language-based discrimination across physical and virtual spaces.

Their findings reveal that when people work from home, language-discrimination was primarily organisational and more subtle than when people are office based.

The researchers say this is because in virtual spaces, it is easier to discriminate against other employees without getting caught. In these settings, it is less personal, therefore instigators don’t witness the effects of their discrimination.

Read the article:

Workplace Wellbeing Professional is an online platform publishing news and analysis on a broad range of employee wellbeing topics. Launched in 2022, it attracts a large and growing readership of around 14,000 per month, primarily based in the UK.

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Business schools’ transatlantic divide over ESG

Many European businesses have made sustainability core to their strategies, governance and reporting. This focus is mirrored in business schools across the continent, where sustainability is increasingly woven into the curriculum to meet the growing demand for graduates who can balance business growth with environmental responsibility.

A hands-on, multidisciplinary approach to sustainability is a hallmark of Nordic business schools. In Finland, Aalto University School of Business, for example, combines business with technology and arts, enabling students to tackle global sustainability challenges from multiple angles. It recently teamed up with Aalto’s schools of chemical engineering and arts and design to work on circular economy solutions for the clothing industry. 

‘We embed sustainability in everything we do, so students take these issues into consideration regardless of their major,’ says Timo Korkeamäki, the Business School’s Dean.

Read the article:

The Financial Times is a daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in the UK, it has editorial offices across Britain, the US, and mainland Europe. It reaches over 14 million readers around the world, with top readerships in the UK and North America.

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Funding mix raises questions over impact of business school research

External funding is the lifeblood of fields such as science and engineering, with large government grants and philanthropic or industry money propelling research forward. And, because this financial backing often comes with strings attached, it ensures accountability and real-world outcomes beyond publication in academic journals. But business schools are not in the same situation when trying to make their research applicable to business leaders, policymakers and others who can use it in practice. They receive far less external funding compared with other disciplines.

Moritz Scherleitner, Assistant Professor of business law at the School of Business tells his PhD candidates that frequent rejection of external funding proposals is part of the job. ‘If you cannot handle that, academia may not be for you,’ he says, noting success rates can be as low as one in 10. 

Scherleitner believes that competition for external funds raises the quality of research questions and sharpens its focus on impact. ‘Research funding is high-risk, high-reward,’ he says. ‘You have to be prepared to spend months on an application that may be rejected, but it pushes you to aim for better societal impact.’

Read the article:

The Financial Times is a daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in the UK, it has editorial offices across Britain, the US, and mainland Europe. It reaches over 14 million readers around the world, with top readerships in the UK and North America.

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Pride Month 2024: The loudest, proudest business schools

Business schools have never been more inclusive. More so even, during Pride Month. For this episode, Extra Credit podcast host caught up with two students – Emma Walsh in Aalto University School of Business, another student in INSEAD Singapore - to discover how they're celebrating the LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer/Questioning, and others) community and how they plan to keep the momentum after the festivities.

Emma Walsh was an Executive Board Member in student association in 2024, and responsible for DEI matters, sustainability, and communications in the student union.

Listen to the interview:

The Extra Credit podcast is a monthly podcast created to highlight experiences of studying abroad. It platforms the voices of students, graduates, and professors, and is run by Study International – an online platform covering the latest news and trends in the international higher education sector. Aimed primarily at a readership of students and potential applicants to higher education programmes around the world, it attracts a large readership of over 317,700.

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