Self-employment among the Armed Forces Community

The Institute for Employment Research at the University of Warwick, QinetiQ and X-Forces Enterprise were commissioned by Forces in Mind Trust to understand what more could be done to support the Armed Forces Community in pursuing self-employment and thereby help to maximise their chances of a successful and sustainable transition. This research seeks to fill the current gap in knowledge and contribute to policy-making and service delivery

IT Leadership In A Global Environment: An Analysis Of Critical Success Factors And Software Engineering Best Practices In Context Of India

Over the past few years, the IT landscape has changed dramatically to facilitate new entrants from emerging economies in the global market. Some nations such as India and China are poised to emerge as IT superpowers in the years to come. In this paper, we attempt analyze some of the critical success factors (CSF) that facilitate the development of IT leaders. Taking India as an example, we explore CSFs like educational system, governmental policies, infrastructure and entrepreneurial activities that are necessary for creating and fostering IT leaders.  We conclude by describing the best practices for implementing software engineering projects in an offshore environment

Prudential regulatory governance of the risks associated with IT multi-sourcing strategies within the Australian banking sector

Concerns about the adequacy of the Australian Prudential Regulatory Authority (APRA) prudential standards to govern the risks associated with the Australian banks’ multi-sourcing IT service delivery strategies provided the motivation for conducting this study. Three research questions were developed to investigate prudential risk management in the banking sector of the Australian Financial Services Industry (AFSI). RQ1: Do the banks employ complex multi-sourcing solutions driven by business unit demands to deliver their IT services? RQ2: What are the risk and governance model/s used by the banks to manage risks associated with their IT services multi-sourcing strategy? RQ3: Is the AFSI IT operational risk exposure adequately covered by the current APRA risk framework and prudential standards? The two largest Australian banks, Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) and Westpac Banking Corporation (WBC) referred to as the ‘banks’ in this research are selected as the sample. CBA and WBC are the first and second largest banks when measured by capitalisation within the banking sector of the AFSI and represent 43 percent sample of the capitalisation value of the AFSI. Although profitable, the banks are under pressure from the market to reduce their cost-to-revenue ratio. One of the main strategies the banks employ to reduce IT costs is the outsourcing the delivery of IT services. Over the past five years a trend has evolved with the banks using offshore-outsourcing to deliver IT services and gain further IT savings. However little empirical research has investigated what impact this trend has had on the risk profile of the banks and the Australian banking sector as a whole. This research identified and investigated the different IT services delivery models adopted by the banks by analysing on the relevant literature and documentation available in the public domain in relation to the AFSI. The findings of this research developed a picture of the IT delivery landscape within the banking sector of the AFSI. Findings of this research also demonstrates the complexity of the banks operational environment which can be attributed to the banks’ introduction of their IT multi-sourcing strategies. Finally the findings of this research raise some questions about whether the risks associated with an increasing reliance on IT multi-sourcing to deliver IT services is adequately managed by Australian banking sector and the regulatory framework of APRA

Systematic review of community business related approaches to health and social care

This report provides insight into the impact of community business-related approaches to health and social care on users’ outcomes, in particular exploring how effectivethey are in delivering outcomes for users. Community businesses are rooted within a particular area, trade for the benefit of the local community, are accountable to and led by the local community and demonstrate broad community impact. In recent years community businesses have emerged in the wider health and social care market to address factors in local communities that may benefit or harm health and wellbeing. Moreover, publications focused on the evaluation of health and wellbeing benefits of community businesses have also increasedwithin the last four years

The growth and locational dynamics of the UK computer services industry,1981-1996

The central aim of this thesis is to explore the key structural, organisational and locational trends within an innovative, fast growing and strategically important producer service sector in the UK, the computer services industry. The thesis has five more specific objectives; firstly, to examine the ongoing internationalisation processes in this sector; secondly, to profile the spatial, structural and occupational structure of the UK industry in the context of these processes; thirdly, and most importantly, to explore the factors behind the uneven development pattern in this sector (London and the South East accounted for 59 per cent of employment in 1993); fourthly to contribute to the theoretical understanding of uneven development in contemporary economies; and finally, to consider the policy implications of the growth dynamics of the sector. The research is based on three main tranches of fieldwork. Firstly, 17 interviews with managers and officials in the Irish software industry provide a case study of the highly internationalised nature of the package software industry. Secondly, nine interviews with representatives of the top suppliers in the UK industry illustrate how these dominant firms are restructuring both spatially and functionally to meet the needs of the developing, international market. Thirdly, the results of a structured interview survey of 173 firms spread across four counties (Hertfordshire, Berkshire, Cheshire, Tyne & Wear) are presented to illustrate the regional variations within the industry's structure, new firm formation process and linkages that both underpin, and reflect the uneven development pattern in the sector. The analysis concludes that the dominance of the Greater South East in this industry is largely unassailable; based upon the historic growth of the industry, the region has long since achieved the critical mass to create many new firms which then reinforce the dominance, supported by the availability of labour, an acceptable living environment, and proximity to a large, high-order, regional market. The investment and restructuring strategies of key foreign-owned multinationals are also a key contributor to the South-East's primacy

Co-Producing Social Futures Through Design Research

This report summarises findings and outcomes from a 9-month, AHRC-funded research programme called Developing Participation in Social Design: Prototyping Projects, Programmes and Policies (henceforward ProtoPublics) that took place during 2015. A key aim of this report is to clarify how a design-oriented approach complements and is distinct from other kinds of cross-disciplinary, co-produced research in relation to social issues