Diversity in STEMM: Establishing a Business Case

This report sets out the results of research commissioned by the Royal Society as part of their BIS-funded programme entitled ‘Leading the way: increasing diversity in the scientific workforce’. The research explored whether there is a business case for diversity in STEMM occupations (scientific, technical, engineering, mathematical and medical roles) and whether diverse teams are more likely to do ‘good’ science. The research focused on three of the nine protected characteristics in the Equality Act 2010: gender, ethnicity and disability

14. Recovery: the business case

This paper makes the Business Case for supporting recovery. We believe that this should be informed by three types of data: evaluative research (such as randomised controlled trials); the perceived benefits for service users – what might be termed ‘customer satisfaction’; and best evidence about value for money. Some of the ImROC 10 key challenges have a very strong research base. For example, there is substantially more randomised controlled trial evidence supporting the value of peer support workers (challenge 8) than exists for any other mental health professional group, or service model. Similarly, the scientific evidence for supporting self-management (challenge 1) is compelling. Other challenges have a strong evidence base indicating that they improve people’s experience of services. The positive experiences of students at Recovery Colleges (challenge 3) and the beneficial impact on experience of more involvement in safety planning (challenge 6) are clear

Returns on Resilience: The Business Case

Real estate projects designed to withstand the effects of climate change can provide substantial returns on investment and an array of other benefits, according to this new report. Case studies from 10 leading resilience projects are highlighted, ranging from a Boston hospital built to withstand coastal storms to a residential community in San Antonio built to withstand the effects of intense heat and drought. Other communities with highlighted case studies include Queens, N.Y.; Miami, FL; Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands; Nashville, TN; Tucson, AZ and Lancaster, CA.The study found an array of benefits from the climate-smart designs in addition to their strength against climate unpredictability. They include:Better energy efficiency. For example, multilayered impact-resistant windows save energy and reduce utility bills.Greater marketing, sales and leasing success driven by buyers' desires for well-built structures that will withstand harsh conditions and keep their value longer.Better financing options and lower insurance rates based on the reduced risk from resilient and hardened structures

The Business Case For Flexible Work Arrangements

The business case for flexibility aims to outline the documented positive effects on businesses when they provide their workers with options to work less or to have more discretion over when, where and how their work is done. This brief fact sheet lists some of the key findings from research on the business case for flexible work arrangements

Appendix: Case Studies of Financial Institutions that Offer Alternative Small Dollar Loans

This paper is an Appendix to the IABG paper, "Alternative Small Dollar Loans: Building the Business Case", and provides case studies of financial institutions that currently offer an alternative small dollar loan product -- many that are based in Illinois. These case studies provide examples of various strategies to implement an alternative small dollar loan program. Additionally, the data from these programs can begin to build a business case for this product

Diversity management and the business case

Managing for diversity is a management strategy that intends to make productive use of (ethnic and other) differences between individuals. It is based on the premise that - at least if they are well managed - diverse teams will produce better results and diverse companies will gain market advantage. In contrast to other employment equity policies, diversity management is primarily driven by the business case, i.e. by the argument that diversity and/or its management will increase organizational efficiency and profitability. With diversity management as a business practice becoming more and more popular in Europe, the question of whether this policy actually delivers the business benefits its advocates promise, becomes increasingly relevant to anyone involved in the discussion and implementation of employment policies relating to ethnic and other minorities. An examination of the literature, however, shows that there is no unanimous answer regarding the business benefits of diversity and its management. While for many advocates of diversity management the business case seems to be rather self-evident, academic research on the effects of diversity provides mixed and inconclusive results and has led critics to see a mismatch between research results and diversity rhetoric (Kochan et al 2003: 5). --

Business Case Development for Inter-Organizational ES Implementations

This paper describes my PhD research on the development of business case guidelines that can be used for complex information system implementations, such as inter-organizational enterprise systems (ES). I identify problems and solutions related to the issue of estimating the costs and benefits of such complex implementations. Next to describing the research method used in my PhD project, I discuss what my research adds to the body of research and why this work is of interest for both the research community and practitioners

COMPANY DEVELOPING IN INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS: CASE STUDY

In the present world having connections across borders becomes a competitive advantage. The easy access to a constant stream of information is making the opportunities countless, adding to the equation that the Internet and supplementary techniques such as different types of software are still very young, the opportunities will keep on emerge. There are still great gaps in terms of technology between countries, which enables fast growing companies to fill a niche and gain new market shares due to their technological lead and managerial practices. This research has put the emphasis on creating a guiding discussion on how an international expansion strategy could be formulated.tour operator, risk, globalization, strategy

A business case for work-life balance in retail management.

Retail is one of New Zealand’s largest sectors, employing close to 200,000 people full-time, but with changes in competition and growth in the industry, the expectations of retail managers are increasing, along with their workload. This research looks at why work-life balance is unattainable for some retail managers. Looking wholly at the retail industry, not one specific organisation, the research aims to show the impacts on performance when work-life balance is not achieved and to provide strategies for businesses that encourage work-life balance in retail managers. Using both secondary and experiential research, this study highlights how poor work-life balance is directly linked to poor performance and what it is costing businesses that have no work-life balance initiatives in place. Provisional results show that work arrangements and lack of training are key reasons for work-life balance being difficult to maintain in retail management roles. The researcher shares two recommendations that will improve retail managers’ work-life balance; re-evaluating work arrangements to use rotational rostering and companies investing in the development of managers, through specific training available in New Zealand