Durham University Business School wishes you a very Happy New Year!

In this issue you’ll find a snapshot of our latest research: an insight into B2B networks in BRIC countries and the real causes and effects of Mergers and Acquisitions, common themes in the current business world.

We very much hope to see you at some of our upcoming events wherever you happen to be. Share the latest thinking from Durham faculty through our D8 series in eight international locations, hear inspirational business speakers at the Durham Speakers Series and hear about the impact of Durham research in business thinking though the corporate forums in London, China and India.

For many organisations it is the time for business planning and budgeting. Whether you are looking to attract new talent into your organisation or develop the talent you have, we have solutions to support you, including new programmes and free of charge student consultancy projects.

We hope you enjoy this quarterly catch up with the Business School and look forward to seeing you at our upcoming events.

Katharine Aspey
Alumni Co-ordinator
t: +44 (0) 191 334 5277

Alexandra McNinch
Alumni Relations Manager
t:+44 (0) 191 334 5421

Georgia Backhouse 
Recruiter Relations Manager
t: +44 (0) 191 334 7187

Lauren Huntington
Head of Business Development
t: +44 (0) 191 334 5417

Anne Allen
Major Gifts Officer
t: +44 (0) 191 334 4483

Tracy Donnelly
Project Co-ordinator
t: +44 (0) 191 334 5891

Tracey Wallis Million
Corporate Relations Manager
t: +44 (0) 191 334 5231

Spotlight on...

Presenting New Programmes

The Centre for Global Learning and Executive Education at Durham University Business School announces the launch of two new programmes, the Executive Masters in Entrepreneurship and the Professional Development Programme.

For further information on the Professional Development programme please click here

For information on the Executive Masters in Enterprise please click here

Could your Business Benefit from our Expertise?

New Year planning? Do you need help with a business issue in your organisation?

Strategic business projects are a cost-effective way of acquiring expertise on a consultancy basis to address a specific business issue.The consultancy projects (June-Sept) form the concluding part of our MBA & Masters (Finance, Management, Marketing & HRM) programmes. Organisations define the remit of the project and select the student best fitting their requirements.

We are particularly interested in hearing from organisations with finance related projects - UK or overseas

For more information contact the Business Development team.

Constructing Identities in Indian Networks

Business-to-business networks and relationships help to make the commercial world go round, but in an age of increasing globalisation, different cultures and business practices come increasingly into contact and business networks are influenced by this. Although there’s an extensive body of literature on business networks in general, there’s very little in existence on emerging markets such as India and Brazil.

To read the full article click here.

What are the Causes and Effects of Mergers and Acquisitions?

Mergers and acquisitions take place all the time in the business world, not always amicably (remember the fuss when Kraft swallowed up Cadbury?). Commercially, the performance of the bidding company may vary before and after the acquisition as the markets respond. In these cases, previous research has suggested that the benefits typically accrue to the shareholders of the target firms, as the share price rises prior to buyout, while the bidding firms generally experience a loss.

To read the full article click here.

‘I Wouldn’t Say it’s Sexism, Except That … It’s All These Little Subtle Things’

Gender issues in the workplace aren’t always as obvious or as clear cut as they might be. Research has long suggested that women are subtly disadvantaged in science in general; now in an interview-based study, Dr Valerie Bevan and Professor Mark Learmonth set out to understand why and to identify ways in which some of the difficulties they face can potentially be addressed.

To read the full article click here.