Year on year, the volume of retail sales in September was 0.5 per cent higher than in September 2009. Predominantly food stores decreased by 2.3 per cent while predominantly non-food stores increased by 3.8 per cent. To see the full report visit the Office of National Statistics webpages.
Month: October 2010
Annual BCS Business Lecture 20.10.10
All Welcome
Annual BCS Business Lecture
Systems and Services in the 21st century, Technical, Social and Economic Challenges and Opportunities
Date:
Wednesday 20 October 2010,
Time: 6.30pm Networking & Refreshments, 7.00pm Presentation
Venue:
Faraday Lecture Theatre, Swansea University Campus | Map
Speaker:
Richard Taylor, Director of Technology Innovation for the National Policing Improvement Agency
Synopsis:
Services dominate the modern economic society. They represent the vast majority of economic activity, providing employment and export income. Within government, competent service acquisition, provision and management are probably the three most important duties that our elected bodies maintain. So why do they fail so often? Why do large complex services cost far more than expected, under-deliver and fail to match the rapidly evolving demands of modern society? Why is the largest part of the British economy still run as a cottage industry?
This lecture addresses what has to happen for the UK to move from this cottage industry approach to developing complex services and into a new industrial age. I will discuss the role of universities and their funding partners, government procurement and industrial practice. There are no easy answers to the problems posed by complex services, but the opportunities to innovate in research, development and delivery are enormous. Where there is muck, there’s brass.
Profile: Richard Taylor has worked in both the academic and private sectors, specialising in systems and services analysis, design and management. He has worked in both Europe and the United States as a Professor of computer systems engineering, as well as acting as a principal scientist at Hewlett Packard’s basic research facilities as well as its services and technology operating groups. He has been a co-founder of four technology startups (three of which did rather well), and is currently Director of Technology Innovation for the National Policing Improvement Agency with responsibility for successful innovation in English and Welsh Forces. He holds doctorates from the University of Manchester, a BSc from the University of Kent and an MBA from the University of Bath, is a member of a number of professional bodies and has more than fifty published patents to his name.
SALT Lunchtime Seminar: Embedding Employability in the Curriculum?
Embedding Employability in the Curriculum?
Friday 22nd October | Council Chamber
12.00-2.00pm
Graduate employability is becoming increasingly significant and is one the SALT themes for 2010/11. This two hour seminar will explore the issues surrounding embedding employability in the curriculum. Dr Janet Strivens from Liverpool University will set out some of the current issues and Adam Shore from the School of Business and Economics will show examples of how successful embedding of employability has been carried out in the School of Business and Economics.
Dr. Janet Strivens works at the University of Liverpool Centre for Lifelong Learning, where she is co-Director of the Postgraduate Diploma/Masters programme in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education and leads the module on Theory and practice in learning and teaching. In addition she is seconded for a day a week to the Centre for Recording Achievement (CRA) (http://www.recordingachievement.org) as Senior Associate Director.
Adam Shore is an Academic Champions of Enterprise (ACE) in the School of Business and Economics and has set up an innovative Entrepreneurship module. He also lectures in business mathematics incorporating his experience as an entrepreneur into innovative pedagogical teaching
To register for the seminar please email salt@swansea.ac.uk Lunch will be provided
CELT Seminar – Assessment of Learning in Higher Education
The Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) presents:
Seminar: Assessment of Learning in Higher Education
By Honorary Professor Lewis Elton
Wednesday 13th October 2010, 1.30-3.30pm
University of Wales, Newport, Caerleon Campus, Edward Anwyl, Room A16
The main – and often sole – purpose of assessment in higher education is to encourage good learning, which should include the needs to be aware of the often contradictory demands of good learning for immediate use and for life. Other purposes relate to certification and to satisfying the needs of educational and professional bodies and of employers; arguably of least importance should be the need to satisfy the demands of national and local governmental bodies. The seminar, which – it is hoped – will be strongly interactive – is intended to be conversation between all the participants.
Lewis Elton, DSc, AcSS is Honorary professor of Higher Education, University College London, Emeritus professor of Higher Education and distinguished Visiting Scholar, University of Surrey; and visiting Professor of Higher Education, University of Gloucestershire. He is an Academician of the academy of Social Sciences, fellow of the American Institute of Physics, the Society for Research into Higher Education and Royal Society of Arts, and an Honorary Life Member of the Staff and Educational Development Association. He holds Doctorates (honoris causa) of the University of Kent at Canterbury, the University of Gloucestershire and the University of London (External). He received the first Times Higher Lifetime Achievement Award, 2005 and has presented with a Festschrift by his former students. His most recent work has been concerned with the scholarship of teaching and learning, including the research/teaching nexus in higher education, the balance between collegial and‘top down’management in universities, assessment for creativity and academic writing in the disciplines.
Teas and coffees will be provided. Registration Required.
If you would like to attend please contact Vaida Andrijauskaite
Email: Vaida.andrijauskaite@newport.ac.uk Tel: 01633 435230
“Inspiring Research” funds
Many of you may know that SURF recently held an “Inspiring Research” Away Day. There is now a proposal form (closing date 21st October 2010) and information on how you can bid for funds to help develop Swansea’s interdisciplinary research culture here (http://www.cs.swan.ac.uk/~csharold/surf/btg/october2010/). (The fund total is £25k , so bids are typically expected to be lower than that).
The emphasis is on projects that will help us develop our research culture rather than on projects that will take forward specific areas of research. Examples of projects that SURF has supported in the past include cross-disciplinary visiting speaker series, the Research-as-Art competition, and research coaching scheme. (Future funding rounds will target seedcorn funding for specific interdisciplinary projects).
Initiatives may arise from the Away Day but it is not a requirement. The proposal guidelines are here (http://www.cs.swan.ac.uk/~csharold/surf/btg/october2010/guidelines.html). The proposal form and guidelines are linked from the SURF web page: http://www.swansea.ac.uk/research/surf/
We look forward to receiving your proposals!
The “Inspiring Research” Away Day was funded by the UKRC4SETWomen and SURF. The “Inspiring Research” funds are from the EPSRC BTG grant.
All best wishes, the SURF Board
Huw Bowen, Ele Fisher, Rich Johnston, Suzy Moody, Tavi Murray, Paula Row, Harold Thimbleby, Steve Williams
PS you can join SURF here: http://www.swansea.ac.uk/research/surf/JoinSURF/
Swansea University Library Blog for the School of Management 
