Professor Stephen Eldridge and Professor Guglielmo Lulli Department of Management Science lancaster.ac.uk/lums/managementscience Welcome to the Department of Management Science at Lancaster University Management School. I am excited to introduce you to our department, showcase the impressive work of our colleagues, and delve into what makes management science such a unique and appealing field. We are a highly intensive research department with activities spanning multiple disciplines: information systems; operations management; operational research; and project management. Our researchers are also actively involved in relevant cross-disciplinary work that involves members of staff from all four disciplines. Our ambition as a department and as a School is to produce high-quality, high- impact, world-class research. This is work that can be applied directly to our teaching to ensure our students benefit from up-to-date theories and practice. Indeed, Management Science stands as a beacon of excellence. The department ranks in the top 100 in the latest QS World Rankings for Operational Research. Within the following pages, we present a sample of our activities, which demonstrates our contribution and dedication to shaping a better world. As well as informing our teaching, our research aims to influence policies and good business practices, making a tangible impact on society and a contribution to the prosperity of industries and businesses. In the first article in this edition, Dr Nonhlanhla Dube presents her research on humanitarian crises around the world and how humanitarian organisations can better prepare their emergency response efforts. With a continuously growing number of displaced people around the globe, these organisations need to plan further into the future. In many instances, our research is explicitly aligned with the UN Sustainability Goals. Our PhD researcher Ophelia Chidgey investigated gender inequality in the fashion industry, which underscores the need for fashion brands to promote and prioritise gender equality within their supply chains. Professor Linda Hendry analyses different aspects of sustainable supply chains. In her first article, she emphasises the importance for retailers to engage more with consumers to reduce single-use plastic and effectively recycle packaging. In a second stream of her research, she investigates the real drivers and motivations that lead companies in emerging economies to adopt sustainable certifications. The department is also active on themes like ethics and Artificial Intelligence. Professor Darren Dalcher explains the importance of ethics when it comes to managerial and organisational decisions, and how moral codes help to ensure what we might deem acceptable actions. Professor Martin Spring is looking at the challenges and misconceptions facing professional services firms as they look to adopt AI into their processes, and how it might help them expand to new horizons. Professor Spring's work alongside Professor Kostas Selviaridis demonstrates how we can have a realworld impact with our research. They have investigated how the English National Health Service can better implement innovation through closer working with small businesses. Likewise, Professor Konstantinos Zografos's work on the OR-MASTER project brings practical insights and potential solutions for major issues affecting the air transport industry. A significant stream of our research focuses on the utilisation of technology and social media platforms. As an exemplar, Dr Ruilin Zhu presents his work looking at how official government social media accounts play a role in providing valuable emotional support – and how they sometimes only add to the problem. Our high-calibre research informs our educational practice, thus providing a well-rounded learning experience to our students. This strong link is further cemented by the many client-based projects we offer to our students. Developed in collaboration with organisations and companies, clientbased projects offer invaluable experiences for our students, providing them with real-world exposure to the future profession and preparing them for the challenges of professional practice. I hope you enjoy discovering our work; and if you would like to discover more, please do not hesitate to contact us. Welcome FIFTY FOUR DEGREES | 3
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