Redevelopment work continues ahead of the Business School's re-opening in Autumn 2013.

Welcome to the first edition of our quarterly 'Executive News'.

In this issue we have two research features from our faculty. Firstly, Dr Victoria Wells looks at renewable energy and examines the attractive tax status and investment opportunities for the Isle of Man for marine bio-energy; The second looks at findings of Global Diversification research from a Chinese perspective by two members of our Finance faculty, Emma Black and Dr Michael Guo.

We also hear from Jason Coleman, Development Executive, who discusses the School's fundraising priorities. One of our biggest fundraising campaigns is the redevelopment at Mill Hill Lane which is due for completion by September 2013. We invite you to take a look at the site plans online and of course, come and visit us when the building is reopened.

We encourage you to peruse our extensive international events programme which provides fantastic networking opportunities for you and your colleagues free of charge.

Finally, if you are looking to recruit you may be interested to see the 2012/13 Full Time MBA Yearbook. The class come from 18 different countries and bring with them a wealth of international experience, cross-cultural awareness and language skills. On average they have around seven years’ work experience and three years’ management experience. In addition to the intensive academic programme, we are proud of our Leading Edge programme which imbeds all the interpersonal and communication skills so sought after by employers in today’s competitive market-place. To request the full CV Book or selected CVs by function, sector or geography please contact mba.careersupport@durham.ac.uk. We can also advertise roles more suitable to Undergraduate and Masters graduates. Please contact business.alumni@durham.ac.uk.

We hope you enjoy this quarterly catch up with the Business School and welcome feedback and suggestions for future issues.

Spotlight on...

China has rapidly emerged onto the global socio-economic landscape since the turn of the century.

Diversification: Does it really add value? Evidence from China.

Here, two of our faculty members Emma Black, Teaching Fellow in Accounting, Finance and Economics and Dr Michael Guo, Senior Lecturer in Finance, share some of their most recent research.

Since the seminal work of Markowitz in the fifties, academics and practitioners alike have debated the value of diversification. Defined as the spreading of risk, investors were recommended as being able to benefit from diversification through combining together assets that do not move in perfect harmony (i.e. they exhibit less than perfect positive correlation), such that an investor can benefit from combining for example Apple with Wal-Mart to the extent that they do not move in the same manner as each other. The benefits of diversification have been shown to be optimally gained with approximately thirty stocks held within a portfolio of equities, while research has promoted further diversification of risk through the inclusion of different asset classes into the overall held position. In recent times, we have seen diversification sought not just across industries, but across countries. Diversification has mimicked globalisation and has spread investor portfolios onto a global scale. To continue reading please click here.

The School's Mill Hill Lane site is due to reopen Autumn 2013.

Philanthropy: Helping Durham University Business School become the best.

The world's leading business schools utilise philanthropic funding from alumni, corporations, trusts and foundations to further advance their academic activities.

To enable DUBS to attract students with the highest potential to come to Durham we seek your help in a number of areas and would like to invite you to learn more about our development programme.
We have identified a range of development needs which we prioritise as being: scholarship funding, particularly at postgraduate level; endowed professorial chairs in a variety of academic disciplines; naming rights for rooms and spaces in our impressive new redeveloped site in Durham (reopens October 2013); and funding to support the activities of our research centres. It is in these four areas, primarily, that we hone our conversations with alumni, corporate partners and philanthropic trusts and foundations. There is of course scope for innovation in our fundraising endeavours and we invite executives from industry, among others, to provide this insight.

To build our 'network' of supporters we have embarked upon a series of initiatives. To read more, click here.

10% of all electricity generated is now coming from renewable sources.

Seaweed and waste: making bioenergy cost effective and subsidy free through combined waste remediation.

Durham's own Dr Victoria Wells and Dr Felicity Greenwell are looking to better understand public perceptions towards renewable energy.

The UK’s 2011 “Renewable Energy Roadmap” has recently been updated by the DECC, reflecting progress made on renewable energy over the latest period for which results are available (July 2011/12). Some of the key changes include a 27% increase in overall renewable electricity generated and a 40% increase (over the same period) in renewable electricity capacity, with over 10% of all electricity generated now coming from renewable sources.

The UK’s first coal-fired to biomass-fired electricity generation conversion opened during 2012 at Tilbury, a second is soon to follow at Ironbridge and the UK’s largest coal fired plant is planning to switch half its generation to run on biomass, highlighting the importance of continued investment in growth of biomass energy.  Researchers from the Business School alongside colleagues from the Department of Earth Sciences and the School of Biological and Biomedical Sciences are part of a multi-discipline project that is carrying out a feasibility study to explore the potential for macroalgae (seaweed) growth in United Kingdom coastal waters to provide an alternative gas supply source for the local domestic gas market.

To read more on how a feasibility study using the Isle of Man is being considered as a case study to identify real barriers and solutions, click here.

Broaden your horizons with our part time Executive Masters.

Durham University Business School introduces its portfolio of post-experience Executive Masters programmes.

Offering blended learning solutions that meet true professional development needs, our programmes deliver immediate high-impact results for the individual and the organisation.

Aimed at managers who want to enhance their skills and knowledge our suite of Executive Masters includes:

• Executive MA in Management (begins September 2013)
• Executive MA in HRM (begiins September 2013)
• Executive MA in Entrepreneurship (begins April 2014)
• Executive MA in Marketing (begins April 2013 and April 2014)

Combining academic rigour with real-world business relevance, our thirty-month programmes offer world-class management education. All instruction is provided by leading members of Durham faculty at the frontiers of business and management knowledge. Each programme is delivered via block-taught residential workshops in Durham and online instruction through our state-of-the-art virtual learning environment, enabling you to fit your learning around your life. Moreover, with access to careers support services, professional development activities and your own dedicated Personal Tutor, you will be guaranteed a truly world-class executive education experience throughout.

For more information about our Executive Masters, including applying, click here.

Doug Bailie addressing Business School students.

Unilever's Chief HR Officer on Leadership and Talent Challenges.

The Business School was proud to welcome Doug Baillie, CHRO at Unilever, to Durham in March.

Doug spoke to a packed room of students and staff and outlined the future for Unilever and how growth and sustainability do not have to be in conflict. Doug was also joined by Mark Woodcock, Business Operations Finance Manager, who spoke about the Unilever Future Leaders Programme. In addition to engaging with our students, Unilever are involved in a number of corporate activities with Durham and will be participating in the Leading Edge Conference on the Friday 26th April at the London Chamber of Commerce.

To find out more about how your company can work with the School, click here.