The summer is here and so is the World Cup!

Congratulations and a very warm welcome to recently graduated members of the DUBS Alumni Network! To ensure that you are able to access the great package of alumni benefits and career resources available on our website, please register for access here. For existing members wanting to ensure that they are kept up to date with Business School communications including the latest news and events please ensure that we have current details for you on record here.

With most of the world currently gripped by the World Cup, we thought this an opportune moment to share some of the latest football-themed research from Business School.  Dr Mat Hughes examines the difference between the long and short-term impacts of managerial change, and Dr John Moffat explores the exodus of players to foreign leagues in the 'Muscle Drain vs. Brain Gain' paper.

Also in this issue we focus on the most desirable workplace skills to get ahead in your career, how to leverage the global network and our pick of international job opportunities. Our upcoming events features Local Association Get-togethers in London, Sao Paulo and California as well as our upcoming DUBS 50th Anniversary weekend in Durham.

As always we hope you find this e-newsletter informative and that many of you will take part and engage with fellow alumni in our worldwide get-togethers.

Enjoy the rest of the summer, whether your team is a winner or not!

The Alumni Relations Team

The Ultimate Workplace Skills…

Every job has different requirements, but there are some skills that reach across nearly all roles particularly in business. The top eight skills include:

1. Business acumen

Business acumen is about having a good understanding of basic finance, market conditions, who the desired customers are and how you can reach them; it’s about understanding the detail and the bigger picture, the wider issues and being able to see them in relation to your company, department and role. To improve your business acumen read trade and industry magazines; ask people in different departments to you about their role; be interested in every facet of the organisation and get to grips with financial jargon.

2. Problem solving skills

One of the most highly desired skills, the ability to analyse and find solutions to potentially serious business issues is vital to any business. Be proactive and resourceful in dealing with problems, don’t moan about them or sit back and let someone else deal with them.

To read the full article and for a wide range of other careers-related articles visit the DUBS Alumni Network Careers Newsroom.

Give Back to Your Alma Mater through the DUBS Mentor Scheme

The DUBS Alumni Network run a mentor scheme whereby current students are matched with mentor volunteers from the alumni and business community. Most correspondence takes place by telephone, email, Skype or other agreed forms with some partnerships agreeing to meet face to face. The scheme runs for one academic year however this may be longer for those on the Global or Executive programmes and mentors are from around the globe.

The scheme is a great opportunity for DUBS alumni to give back to the Business School with the experience being both fulfilling for mentors and invaluable for mentees. Past mentors have commented that the scheme is ‘a great way to stay in touch with the Durham fraternity and in the process give back to the alma mater’ with mentees commenting that ‘it is great to have a contact with relevant work experience, interesting to hear about their career pathway, gain more insight into certain industries, etc.’

The Alumni Relations Team asks for volunteers from across the alumni community, from those who have recently graduated to those who have been part of the network for many years. To register your interest in becoming a mentor please contact the Alumni Relations Team.

Short Term vs. Long Term Impact of Managers: Evidence from the football industry

Sacking the manager - is it a good thing or not? Football fans are divided and so, in a wider management context, are academics. Previous studies have not revealed a consistent benefit or otherwise of management change but have produced three contrasting theories: mangers sacked early may be scapegoated for deeper failings; management change may create a vicious circle in which disruption brings in tensions and instability; managers who are given time may improve matters over a longer period.

A team of researchers led by Dr Mathew Hughes examined the difference between the long and short-term impacts of managerial change. They chose to look at a sector with which many people are familiar (and on which many have an opinion) - football.

To read the full research piece click here.

Leveraging the Global Network

The ability to manage change, to adapt to new working practices and company cultures, as well the ability to continually look outwards to spot new opportunities, are key to career progression in our global age.

It is important in the business world that you continue to develop your global connections with networking becoming a more common and sophisticated job search tool. Building international networks with colleagues in overseas branches or in companies around the world, sharing best practice and building collaborations can all benefit your company and, in the process, help to raise your profile. If you would like to improve your networking skills you will find a helpful guide in the form of the eBook '135 Networking Career Tips'.

DUBS Alumni Network can also assist you in strengthening your global reach by connecting you with fellow DUBS alumni worldwide through a combination of using the LinkedIn alumni tool and contacting our Alumni Relations Team who can make specific introductions to fellow alumni on your behalf.

Developing Your International Employability

In order to develop, or just benchmark, your current international employability, you can access a range of useful resources on the Careers Gateway section of the DUBS Alumni Network website. Relevant resources, exclusively available to DUBS alumni, include:

• Online Skills Index to help you gauge how to effectively ‘Work Across Cultures’

• International Recruitment guides to the Top 100 Global Recruiting Companies and International Business Companies

• Career Intelligence resources to research international companies' performance and ‘Best to work for’ rankings

• DUBS 2014/15 Webinar series including upcoming topics on 'Cross-Cultural Leadership'

Muscle Drain vs. Brain Gain: Technology transfer through player emigration and manager immigration

It used to be the case footballers played in the land of their birth and the manager of a national side came from that country, too. But with increased mobility, within sport and in other sectors of society, that is no longer the case. Now it is not unheard of for a top-ranked club team to put out a side composed entirely of non-nationals, and the manager of the national side is much more likely to be foreign. Whether that’s a good idea is the cause of much debate among fans.

Questions such as these stretch beyond national pride and there is a small but growing body of academic research on the subject. While some may argue that the exodus of players to foreign leagues – the so-called ‘muscle drain’ – weakens national football teams by lowering the standard of the domestic league, there is empirical evidence to suggest that when these ‘migrants’ return to play for their national team, they bring with them enhanced skills and tactical knowledge.

In this piece of research the Business School's Dr John Moffat and Dr Grant Allan from the University of Strathclyde discuss the effects of the so called muscle-drain.

To read the full research piece click here.