South Wales Business Review V5 I1

Swansea Business SchoolYsgol Fusnes Abertawe

Vol 5

Issu

e 1

2013

Jane DavidsonSustainability and Employability A Dream Ticket for South West Wales?

The Big InterviewAndy Middleton on “Elegant Frugality”

Andrew CampbellSustainable Tourism An Oxymoron?

The Sustainability

Issue

Taking theSustainabilityDebate beyond the‘Green Gloss’

3 Editorial:GREENWASHED? Taking the sustainability debate beyond the green gloss

4 The Big Interview: ANDY MIDDLETON “Elegant Frugality”

6 Industry Perspective: SUSTAINABLE TOURISMan Oxymoron?

8 Opinion: OPTIMUM POLLUTIONAn Uncomfortable Concept

10 Point of View: SAM MORGANSustainable Competitive Advantage Through People

12 University Impact:RURAL VIBRANCY? Creating Sustainable Rural Economies

14 Think Piece: SUSTAINABLE BY DESIGN Re-Thinking the Product LifeCycle for the 21st Century

16 Point of View: THE CONSUMPTION CONUNDRUMA Marketing Challenge

18 Think Piece: SUSTAINABILITY AND EMPLOYABILITYA Dream Ticket for South West Wales

21 News and Events

22 Books

24 Next Issue: BRAIN-POWERED BUSINESSHow do we Value Intellectual Capital?

CONTACT US / CYSYLLTWCH Â NI

Web/ Gwefan: www.smu.ac.uk/swbr Email/ E-bost: [email protected] Twitter: @SWBusReviewPost: Lucy Griffiths

South Wales Business ReviewAdolygiad Busnes De CymruSwansea Business SchoolYsgol Fusnes AbertaweUniversity of Wales Trinity Saint DavidPrifysgol Cymru Y Drindod Dewi SantTy Bryn Glas CampusCampws Ty Bryn GlasHigh Street / Stryd FawrSwansea / Abertawe SA1 1NE

autumn/winter 2013Volume 5 Issue 1

2 │ Vol 5 Issue 1 2013

Alternative formatsIf you require this document in analternative format (e.g. Welsh, large printor text file for use with a text reader),please email [email protected]

Fformatau eraillOs hoffech y ddogfen hon mewn fformatarall (e.e. Cymraeg, print mawr neu ffeiltesun i’w ddefnyddio gyda darllenyddtesun), anfonwch e-bost [email protected]

ISSN 2049-5544

Disclaimer: The articles in this publication represent the viewsof the authors, not those of the University. The Universitydoes not accept responsibility for the contents of articles byindividual authors. Please contact the editor if you havefurther queries.

Ymwadiad: Mae’r erthyglau yn y cyhoeddiad hwn yncynrychioli barn yr awduron, nid rhai UWTSD. Nid yw’rBrifysgol yn derbyn cyfrifoldeb am gynnwys erthyglauawduron unigol. Cysylltwch â’r golygydd os oes gennychgwestiynau pellach.

Registered Charity Number / Rhif Elusen Gofrestredig1139800 © UWTSD 2013. All rights reserved/ cedwir pobhawl.

Front cover image: ©iStockphoto.com/PupkisThis Page: Image: ©CienpiesDesign/Shutterstock

inside

In this edition of the South WalesBusiness Review we focus on an issuewhich is of vital importance toeveryone on the planet - thesustainability of our life here on earth.We aim to look at sustainability from abroad range of perspectives, taking onboard the breadth of economic, social,environmental and politicalsustainability.

Although we are a small country, Wales isalready taking a position of leadership inthis field with the development of theFuture Generations Bill and we at theUniversity of Wales Trinity Saint David aredoing the same by putting sustainabledevelopment at the heart of our strategy.

Our award-winning INSPIRE project is thehub for sustainable development at theUniversity, and is led by Jane Davidson,former Minister for Environment andSustainability. Jane explains the uniqueopportunity we have in South West Walesto build a sustainable environmental andeconomic future on page 18.

Our big interview (p4) is with entrepreneur,speaker and educator Andy Middleton, inwhich he paints an inviting picture of afuture where ‘elegant frugality’ enables usto enjoy life more whilst maintaining longterm economic sustainability.

Andrew Campbell discusses the rhetoricand the reality of sustainable tourism onpages 6 and 7, and the Rural Alliancesproject highlights an example of howuniversities can have an impact onsustainable development on page 12.

On pages 8 and 9 regular contributorSteve Griffiths considers the somewhatuncomfortable concept of 'optimumpollution', and marketer Will Flemingexplores the complex set of issues facingmarketing professionals in engaging withsustainability debates with integrity andauthenticity on pages 16 and 17.

Debates around sustainability cut acrossevery aspect of our lives and everysubject area we teach and this is why weare embedding this cross-cutting themein all University of Wales Trinity SaintDavid programmes.

As ever, I very much hope you enjoyreading this issue, and that it encouragesyou to consider how the sustainabilityagenda impacts your own life and work.

Lucy

PS. To receive a regular copy by post or viewearlier editions of the SWBR online visitwww.smu.ac.uk/swbr.

PRODUCTION TEAM

Editor: Lucy Griffiths

Editorial Board:Kathryn FlynnSamantha MorganChristopher Thomas

Design & Print: UWTSD Print Unit

Selected Contributors:

Jane DavidsonJane is Director of INSPIRE atUWTSD and was Minister forEnvironment and Sustainability inWales from 2007 to 2011 duringwhich time the Welsh Governmentagreeing to make sustainabledevelopment its central organisingprinciple.

Prior to that she was Minister forEducation and Lifelong Learningwhere she introduced a newFoundation Phase for 3-7 year olds,the Welsh Baccalaureate, andEducation for SustainableDevelopment and Global Citizenship(ESDGC) into the Welsh curriculum.

Dr Jill VenusDr Venus is a Senior Lecturer in theFaculty of Business andManagement and leads a number ofacademic modules and projects.Her subject interests are in the areasof small business development, ruralregeneration, project evaluation andwomen and entrepreneurship, andshe is actively involved in researchand consultancy in these fields.

Sam MorganSam is Programme Director for CIPDprogrammes in the Faculty ofBusiness and Management at theUniversity of Wales Trinity SaintDavid, and brings vast experience asa Human Resources professionalwhich enhances the studentexperience in the appliedprogrammes she leads.

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ADOLYGIAD BUSNES DE CYMRU │

Editorial:Greenwashed?

LucyGriffithsEditor

Taking the Sustainability Debate Beyondthe ‘Green Gloss’

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The Big Interview: Andy Middleton │SOUTH WALES BUSINESS REVIEW

SWBR: You have built a highlysuccessful and sustainable business atTYF – can you tell us a bit about thephilosophy behind it?

AM: On returning from a couple of yearsof travelling in my early 20s, I wasreminded what an amazing place the St.David’s peninsula is and realised it waswhere I wanted to be. This corner ofWales is a place of extremes where thenatural beauty, weather and possibilitiesof wild play can be seen from manydifferent perspectives.

Our very first adventures were built onstrong principles as well as professionalpractice and I knew deep down thatdoing the right things was more importantthan any career that rewarded financiallywhilst damaging nature; that philosophyhas stayed with us as we’ve grown and ithas served us well.

SWBR: You also do a great deal ofwork beyond TYF in addressingsustainability at a ‘Macro’ level.What drives you as an individual totackle the big issues?

AM: Working with big businesses helpedme understand the connections betweenhuge projects and goals, and the actionsthat individuals and teams needed to putin place to make them happen. It was ashort step to bring the know-how fromthis area to help groups in governmentand communities relate their actions tothe big picture.

A group of us have been exploring thebenefits and impacts of achieving ‘R10’goals – the 10/10 results that would beachieved if we fully took reality intoaccount and knew we couldn’t fail – andrealised early on that wildly ambitious

goals trigger all sorts of creativity andoptimism that incremental ‘box ticking’never sets alight.

Figuring out the rough cost and deliveryplan for say, giving every child in Cardiffthe skills to grow, prepare and cook tastycheap food would only take a dozenpeople a couple of hours. Big enoughquestions rarely get asked, yet when theyare, the doors of possibility are openedand new possibilities emerge. Whilst it’snot TYF’s job to make all of these thingshappen, we can take responsibility forkeeping a flag flying that raisesinspiration, ambition and hope.

“In a smarterfuture, we’ll behaving a muchbetter timeusing fewerthings.”SWBR: Can you give us a sense ofyour vision for a sustainable futuresociety. What would it look like?

AM: In a thousand years or so, peoplewill look back at the wreckage andremnants of our current ‘civilization’ andmarvel at the fact we somehow managedto survive, despite our collectiveblindness and ignorance. It’s too easy forpeople to forget that many of the thingsthat we are doing to damage our planet’slife support systems reduce ourprospects for the future, and take awaythe joy of the present too.

My vision is for a future where ‘elegantfrugality’ would be abundant. Elegantfrugality is a delightful concept that I firstheard used by Richard Davies, CEO ofthe Marches Energy Agency, that showshow simple things can be so much morefun than the avoidance and replacementof fear, and growing through over-consumption of limited resources.

In a smarter future, we’ll be having amuch better time using fewer things.Core services such as energy, food andwater will be provided by socialenterprises based where we live, and thecomplicated technology that we use on aday to day basis will be designed fordisassembly from day one.

Within 50 years, young children will notknow the meaning of landfill and ournatural resources will be valued as thetreasures they’ve always been. Oureconomy will be better balanced, with a‘full and fair price’ that includes all of thecost of making the product or serviceincluded in its price, not hidden away fora rainy day in the future.

Communities of all sizes will acknowledgethat climate change, sea level rise,biodiversity loss and resource shortagesare going to have major impacts on mostpeople, and the level of engagement toinvolve people in solving these challengeswill be two or three times higher than it isnow.

Andy MiddletonAndy Middleton is an entrepreneur, innovator and consultantwho co-founded TYF, one of the UK's leading sustainable adventureorganisations. He is an Associate Director of INSPIRE at the University ofWales Trinity Saint David, a Board Member of Natural Resources Wales andis currently co-developer of the ‘Do Lectures’. We asked him about his visionfor a sustainable future economy here in Wales and beyond…

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ADOLYGIAD BUSNES DE CYMRU│

SWBR: What needs to happen tobring it about?

AM: We need to recognise that it is notbusiness leaders’ or politicians’responsibility to lead on this agenda, butours; we must take individualresponsibility for knowing what needs tobe done, and playing our part in making ithappen. By showing others what’salready possible, by working out risks andopportunities, we can eliminate many ofthe risks that our leaders might use as anexcuse for not actually leading.

“When workfeels like play,the world reallystarts to comealive…”The teachers that we work with know thatchildren and students want moreconnection between now and the future.Our magic wand would see every studentleave education with a dozen experiencesunder their belt of having made realchange happen – sustainability actionsthat make a difference to other people.

The third thing on our wish list is a radicalup-skilling of the public sector’s 300,000or so workforce so that every person isable to draw a direct line between theirwork and the major changes that willhappen to their roles over the next 10years or so. By ensuring that everyperson knows what risks andopportunities are ahead, we’ll be able tobuild the ‘competent crew’ we need tosail this ship of ours safely into the future.

SWBR: What advice would you givebusinesses who are considering waysof becoming more sustainable intheir activities?

AM: There’s a huge array of informationout there advising business people whatdo – and much of it is conflicting. Themost valuable thing that I’ve learned isthe act of focusing on the ‘why’. Why aredifferent things important to you in yourbusiness? Why is it important to take‘reality’ into account? Why might youthink about what your kids will say aboutyour achievement? Why might yourcustomers care more if you do?

By focusing on the ‘why’, we have a setof values and a compass to navigate ourbusiness by – that’s already starting tomake a huge difference to us and ourcustomers. As for the technical thingsthat you might do – heating, lighting,packaging, products etc. – ask peoplewho have already done it for themselves,not the people who are selling products –those with experience will give you thebest insights.

Lastly, never doubt that doing the rightthing is the right thing to do. We’ve goneto the line time after time in makingdecisions that were true to our values andthat took into account the tricky seasahead. I don’t regret a single one, and theresult is that as a team, TYF has abecome a business where our retailoperations, adventure, education andconsulting work are all united by commonvalues and shared stories. When workfeels like play, the world really starts tocome alive…

“We need torecognise that itis not businessleaders’ orpoliticians’responsibility tolead on thisagenda, butours”

│SOUTH WALES BUSINESS REVIEW

Industry Perspective:Sustainable Tourism - An Oxymoron?

Sustainable tourism - clever marketingploy or an industry imperative? A setof fine principles or simply a load of“green hogwash”? The debate wasever thus, and after recent mediacoverage surrounding leaked IPCC“climategate” emails, it seems it everwill be.

The revelations over inaccurate globalwarming information were surprising,given society’s reliance and dependencyupon computer technology. Forecastsover the loss of Himalayan glaciers andArctic ice sheets – together with theanticipated 50% decline in North Africancrop yields have now been retracted. Inessence many claims have beendebunked and said to be exaggerated.For the climate change sceptics therefore,a victory of sorts.

The emails, which emanated from the“Summary for Policymakers” report, a sixyearly submission compiled by theIntergovernmental Panel on ClimateChange (September 2013), also madeclear though that the evidence for climatechange is irrefutable.

Although the rise in surface temperaturebetween 1998 and 2012 was 0.051C andwell below expectations, the atmosphereand oceans have warmed – and there isnow much less snow and ice in the world.

Each of the last three decades has beenwarmer than previous decades andweather patterns have become moreextreme. Temperature and sea levelforecasts to the end of the century havebeen reworked, but they are still set toincrease. The report stresses the need for

renewed efforts to cut emissions ofcarbon dioxide.

It would also appear that the media furoreconcerning these disclosures has had aneffect upon public opinion. In a recentYouGov survey, 39% of UK nationals nowbelieve that climate change claims havebeen exaggerated; whilst only 56% thinkthat climate is changing because ofhuman activity. In consumer researchterms this is an interesting snapshot forthe tourism industry. Such findings wouldalso appear to mirror governmentthinking, where more emphasis is nowbeing placed upon economic growth atthe expense of environmental protection.One wonders, in light of these attitudinalshifts, how Al Gore’s film, “AnInconvenient Truth” (2006) would bereceived today.

The IPCC report is, however, strong in itsdefence of reducing carbon emissionsand cites with “95% certainty” thathumans have been the dominant causeof global warming since the 1950s. Thedate has significance for those working intourism. It was from that time, in concertwith advancements in aviationtechnology, that the industry (excuse thepun!), really took off.

In 1960 international tourist arrivals were25.3 million; by 2008 that figure had risento 982 million; by 2020 numbers areexpected to reach 1.6 billion (WorldTourism Organisation, 2012). The rate ofgrowth has been phenomenal, and formany countries it has been a force forgood in alleviating poverty and improvingstandards of living.

Such passenger movement has not comewithout costs however, particularly withinthe context of global warming. Travel andtourism are estimated by the WorldEconomic Forum to contribute 5% to allCO2 emissions. Economic success hasbeen achieved, but at the expense ofharmful environmental impacts. Forcommentators on sustainable tourism,this is the conundrum, where successmay be viewed as a contradiction interms. Factor in associated outcomessuch as overcrowding, congestion andnoise – and the impacts are intensified.No wonder then that for some, tourismshould simply be about staying athome.....walking and cycling, withperhaps the occasional trip on publictransport!

Within tourism, a realisation dawned overthe need “to protect the goose that laysthe golden eggs”; that the industry mustnow seek to operate within its ownmeans, conserving and enhancing theresource that it depends upon. Someguiding principles took root...that tourismmust: operate within its naturalcapacities; recognise the contribution thatlocal people and communities make tothe tourism experience; accept thatpeople must have an equitable share inthe economic benefits – and thatdevelopment must be guided andinfluenced by them (a “grassrootsapproach”).

That said, initial acceptance of this newway of thinking was slow. I well rememberhosting an evening for Pembrokeshiretourism operators in 1996, to discuss theneed to adopt a more environmentallysensitive approach. Audience reaction

Andrew Campbell Andrew Campbell, Head of Leisure, Events, Tourism and Sport at UWTSD’sFaculty of Business and Management reflects on the real challenges faced bythe tourism industry in tackling sustainability issues, and the surprisingopportunities sustainable approaches may present.

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was muted, in fact most reaction wasfocused upon my conversion to analternative lifestyle, with many goodnatured comments and questions aboutmy choice of sandals and beads!

A year later however, the same audiencereturned, but this time attracted by adifferent proposition, “to trade moreprofitably”. The emphasis this time wasnot so much upon environmentalsustainability, but upon cost savingswithin energy, purchasing,waste/recycling management andtransport. Outcomes were very differentand the evening was a greatsuccess.....making it so much easier toraise and debate the subject ofsustainability.

For the next seven years, delivering“green seminars” within tourism becamea major part of my life. This sleight ofhand in getting operators to acceptprinciples of sustainable practice providedan insight into motivations which drivemuch individual and corporate behaviour.Put simply, the dual objectives of profitand sustainability are inextricably linked.

For example, Ryanair has now reducedits fuel bill by flying slower – and bycharging customers for checking inluggage, which resulted in 140 millionfewer items being checked in during 2012(only 30% of all passengers now check inluggage). The maths is easy: less weight= less fuel used = less costs = increasedprofits. TUI saved £21 million between2008 and 2011 through implementinggreen initiatives. Walt Disney Companymade significant savings by reducinggreenhouse emissions by 50% between2006 and 2012. Similar stories aboundthroughout the industry, hastened inrecent times no doubt, by trading througha recession - and through the introductionof government climate change levies andtaxes.

Sustainable practice has not been soeasily attained within other areas oftourism, however, notably destinationmanagement. For some destinations,regulating visitor numbers has beenproblematic. In 1999, 100,000 cruise shippassengers visited Venice. In 2011, thatfigure had risen to 1.8 million, conveyedby 650 cruise ships. Vibrations from these“super liners” have caused irreparabledamage to buildings and pollutants havealso been harmful. Exasperated Venetiansstaged a three day protest in August2013 with the aim to “take back thelagoon”.

Successful destinations will often havetwo narratives. One is of offering leadingattractions and impressive facilities. Theother is a more hidden side,characterised by an unhappy indigenouspopulation, who may be experiencingmore serious issues such as poverty,exploitation, human trafficking andunemployment.

Frequently they may be suffering from asqueeze on basic resources such aswater. These problems apply todestinations in both developed anddeveloping countries....as much aproblem in London, as in Bangkok. Butconveniently authorities will often turn ablind eye to such injustice, for fear ofupsetting the status quo.

One often overlooked and importantcomponent within the sustainabilitydebate, as mentioned above, is thevisitor. Sustainability is not just aboutproviders. In market led economies, it isthe customer who dictates – and iscentral to all supply and demand theory. Ifone can change customer attitudestowards needs and wants, thensustainability will be more easily achieved. To take transport as an example, here inthe UK, 85% of distance travelled is bycar: 6% rail; 6% bus; cycling 2% - withbus usage outside of London in continualdecline. Not in the least bit sustainable interms of carbon emissions andcongestion, reflecting clearly someentrenched views over the use of publictransport. Although these views orattitudes could be changed throughgovernment intervention via taxation andregulation, a far more effective strategy touse would be education.

The role of education is muchunderstated and yet is by far the mostinfluential tool to effect change. Educationto provide knowledge and changeattitudes...and through that, productchoice, could influence to some degreesome of the destination managementchallenges discussed earlier.

Whilst admirable work is being carried outby charities such as Tourism Concern andthe Travel Foundation, to name but twowithin the industry, their voluntary statusmakes it difficult to achieve widespreadchange. Far better that the subject ofsustainability be introduced within schooland University curricula, where moredeep seated values could be nurtured.Here at UWTSD, the award winning workcarried out within this field, by JaneDavidson and the INSPIRE unit, is anexemplar which deserves further

consideration byother academicinstitutions.

In summary, thejury is still out onsustainabletourism. Manyview it as anoxymoron, whereindustry actions,taken in the nameof sustainability,mask the quest toincrease profits. Inclimate changeterms, questionscontinue to be askedover whether tourismis still ‘fuelling’ thecrisis, but in answerto the original setof questions set outwe can give someresponses…

Is sustainability anindustry imperative? Yes. A set of fine principles?Undoubtedly. Clever marketing ploy?In some cases.“Green hogwash”?Certainly not!

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Image: ©CienpiesD

esign/Shutterstock


Opinion: Optimum Pollution - anUncomfortable Concept

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Is there an acceptable level ofpollution? Can we live with pollution?While an emotional response frommany might be “No”, someeconomists might argue that it ispossible to measure costs andbenefits to identify a level which is‘acceptable’.

The concept of ‘the optimum’ is asituation where no better option exists. Inorder to reach this position economistslike to use the idea of marginalmeasurements, incremental additions ofpolicies, costs or benefits to define theoptima in many different models. Most ofus might recognise this at a personal levelif we are honest. In our desire for a bettermaterial standard of living we may wellcompromise our care for the environment. For example, how many of us are

prepared to pollute the environment forthe thrill of driving a fast sports car?The diagrams here illustrate how thearguments might develop.

Figure 1 shows the Marginal SocialBenefit (MSB) and Marginal Social Cost(MSC) curves to society of introducingmore and more antipollution measures.The MSB curve shows that from a baseof zero, in a world with no anti-pollutionmeasures, we appreciate very quickly thebenefits of being able to breathe cleanerair and walk in less dirty streets. At somepoint, however, as pollution is cleared theextra (marginal) benefits of even moreclean-ups are less and less valued.Another extra antipollution measure toclean pollution which is hardly perceiveddoes not make much impact.

In contrast the MSC curve rises relativelyslowly at first. In the zero measure world,the first policies to be introduced aresimple and cheap – targeting the easiestproblems to solve will be low cost andhave high benefit impacts. However asthe measures increase and becomeincreasingly more sophisticated, they maybecome increasingly costly (with fewerbenefits) as the world cleans up. At somepoint it could be argued that there will beno net advantage in adding moremeasures as the marginal cost will behigher than the marginal benefit. We willthen have arrived at our optimum level ofpollution.

This approach can, of course, becriticised, as economists will disagreeabout measurements and exactpredictions as well as the moral and

Steve Griffiths Steve is Assistant Dean of the Faculty of Business and Management at UWTSDand has taught economics and marketing at Swansea Business School for manyyears. His main research interests include analysing business ethics and CSRpolicies for business.

Fig 2 £

MSC MSB2 MSB1 0 Q1 Q2 Number of regulation measures

Fig 1

Money value of regulations

Marginal Social Cost

Marginal Social Benefits

0 Suboptimal level Number of Optimum of regulation regulation

measures Level of Regulation


Vol 5 Issue 1 2013 │ 9

ethical considerations. If it is accepted,however, it could be posited that not allantipollution measures will be worthadopting and so advocates of suchmeasures will need to demonstrate theirunderstanding of cost benefit analysisand find counter arguments worthy ofconsideration.

Another problem for the analysis is thedynamic atmosphere in which the debateis taking place. The nuclear disasters atChernobyl and Fukushima Daiichi havechanged the minds of many previouslypro-nuclear campaigners. In their riskassessment, even if the likelihood of adisaster happening is low; the impact if itdid take place is so devastating that theybelieve it is a risk too far.

On the other hand, particularly if you livein a nation without fossil fuel or mountainsfor hydro development and areattempting to meet carbon emissiontargets, nuclear is seen as the viableoption long term, given the uncertainty ofrenewables.

In Wales, with the centenary of theSenghenydd mining disaster this year, weare all aware that coal and gas industriesare not without casualties.

Where does this leave the advocates ofthe ecological element of sustainability?Certainly there remains a need forcampaigning. If society can be“sensitised” and informed ofenvironmental impacts of certainbehaviours it is possible to raise the MSBcurve as in Figure 2, and as technology

progresses, innovative measures toeliminate pollution will become cheaper,as in Figure 3.

Sustainability policies will put pressureon both these areas and will result inreducing pollution by raising the numberof antipollution measures in the optimum.Campaigners need to impress policymakers to take the long term viewpointand to measure all costs and benefitsfairly, including the wider, often hidden,costs to society of unregulated businessactivities. Now is the time to invest inconservation and renewables or it will beour grandchildren who will suffer for ourneglect.

“Campaigners need to impress policy makersto take the long term viewpoint and to measureall costs and benefits fairly, including the wider,often hidden, costs to society of unregulatedbusiness activities.”

Fig 3 £ MSC1

MSC 2

MSB

0 Number of regulation measures Q1 Q2

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Point of View: Sustainablecompetitive advantage throughpeople

“People are an organisation’s greatestasset”. How often have we heard thiswell-worn – but very true mantra?Talented employees are of course theonly asset which cannot be replicatedby a competitor and therefore arepotentially the key to sustainablecompetitive advantage. I saypotentially because, withoutcontinuous investment, like allassets their value to the businesswill depreciate.

Some have argued that in order to remainsustainable, individuals working inorganisations need to learn more quicklythan the pace of change (Purcell andSisson, 2010). Is this really achievable?Probably not, but I do concur with theview that sustainable organisations arethose who nurture talent and developknowledge within the business – as this iswhat adds real value in the long term.Indeed, for the Human Resource functiondoing this more effectively thancompetitors is an imperative, a key leverto achieving sustainable competitiveadvantage though people.

Nurturing talent and developingknowledge within a business is notsomething that happens accidentally,these are critical aspects of any businesswhich need to be planned for. As withany plan, appropriate resources need tobe attached, resources which if usedeffectively allow the plan to be met andthe benefits to be derived. This is whereHuman Resources can really make an

impact on the bottom line andconsequently the future sustainability ofthe organisation. Coupled with talented,knowledgeable experts in the field ofpeople management, organisations alsoneed to ensure that such experts haveaccess to adequate funds if they are trulyto achieve competitive advantage throughpeople.

Why then do organisations cut back oninvestment in people development duringtimes of austerity? I would stronglycontend that this is the very time thathigher levels of investment should bemade in learning – after all it is peopledeveloping solutions to critical businesschallenges that will improve results andcreate a more sustainable future.

The CIPD (2013) identified in their annualreview of Learning and Developmentactivities that in only 8% of cases has theeconomic/funding circumstances of UKorganisations improved over the past 12months, consequently organisationsacross all sectors are cutting back ontheir overall investment in developing theiremployees.

Whilst not surprising, this is stillconcerning, as when reduced funding inlearning and development is combinedwith a reduction in headcount withinorganisations, in many instancesemployees are required to take on awider remit. Regrettably the funding todevelop them to undertake additionalresponsibilities and deliver tangible results

to their struggling organisations is everreducing.

This may then lead to a cycle ofincreasing stress levels, higher absencerates and general disengagement fromthe organisation – all of which adds tohigher costs, poor performance anddecreased sustainability. This is of coursea vicious circle which many organisationsare currently experiencing.

Although it is appreciated thatorganisations do not have bottomless pitsof money to spend on training anddevelopment, most organisations do haveindividuals who have accountability forthe attraction and development of talent –usually the Human Resource function ordesignated persons. These peopleshould be central to designing anddeveloping innovative and lower costsolutions to attracting, retaining anddeveloping people, in order to help maketheir organisations more sustainable.Regrettably in times of austerity theHuman Resource Function’s attention isoften focused on facilitating exitstrategies, streamlining terms andconditions and managing disputes – allessential tasks, but not ones which willlead to long term prosperity.

Now is a critical time to invest in HR andallow them to innovate for the future; todo this effectively however theythemselves may need to developadditional skills and knowledge withintheir own teams.

Sam MorganSam Morgan, Programme Director for CIPD professional programmes atSwansea Business School explores an often overlooked element of buildingsustainability in to your business – valuing and retaining your people.


Vol 5 Issue 1 2013 │11

There are many ways to do this, butengaging in professional developmentprogrammes offered by Universities likeUWTSD that combine accreditation fromthe Charted Institute of Personnel andDevelopment (CIPD) will ensure that staffin Human Resources teams are able toapply the most relevant, up-to-date andresearch-led insights in their workingpractice.

Programmes are available fromFoundation level right through to Master’slevel, and all are offered on a part timebasis allowing individuals to effectivelymanage work and study commitments.Crucial to the success of the programmesis the teaching team which is made up ofexperienced practitioners who have awealth of Industry experience and whoare passionate about making a positivedifference to the skills and abilities oflearners.

Programmes that focus on exploring howemployees can become a key source ofsustainable competitive advantage withintheir respective organisations will help theorganisation reap the greatest rewards forinvesting in their people. By encouragingparticipants to consider the currentbusiness climate and the challenges thisrepresents for businesses and employees

of businesses, they become betterequipped to balance the needs andexpectations of individuals and theirorganisation to maximise the contributionof staff, whilst at the same time ensuringfairness, equity, motivation and jobsatisfaction are achieved.

The ultimate aim is to ensure your peoplebecome what they can and should be -one of your organisation’s most valuablesources of future competitive advantage.

“Nurturing talentand developingknowledgewithin abusiness is notsomething thathappensaccidentally.”

For further information on developingyour Human Resources team to gaincompetitive advantage contact:

Sam Morgan, Programme Director (CIPD) [email protected]

Image: ©mamanamsai/Shutterstock


Rural communities across Europecontinue to face a variety ofchallenges, such as population shiftsto cities and urban environments,globalised competition, reduction inservices and digital exclusion.However, they also have the potentialto respond positively to newopportunities such as the drive forsustainable energy sources, the slowfood movement, and the ability to usetechnology to work in remotelocations.

In response to these issues, Jill Venusand Lindsey Gilroy on the Lampetercampus of the University of Wales TrinitySaint David have been working withpartners in six North West Europeancountries to develop and support newapproaches that can contribute to thesustainability of rural communities.

The Rural Alliances Project (funded via theInterreg IVB Northwest Europeprogramme) supports and facilitates thedevelopment of rurally based alliancesbetween social and communityorganisations and local businesses withinrural areas; creating dynamic structuresthat can bring local social and economicbenefits.

As the Rural Alliances project team state:“Rural Areas across Europe areexperiencing rapid changes. Youngpeople leave, not to return, new peoplemove in and have to make new friendsand connections with local life. Theelderly wonder how long they can stay ontheir own.

The old ways of earning a living from theland have changed, no longer dependanton agriculture and forestry. New types ofbusinesses are setting up & adapting tomodern trends. Families andcommunities have changed, fromeveryone knowing each other and helpingeach other out, to greater segregation &sometimes isolation. The spark, themixture of what makes a village, town orarea vibrant, is now more elusive.”(Rural Alliances, 2013).

Ten of the project partners work directlywith communities and businesses. Therole of the University of Wales Trinity SaintDavid (together with colleagues fromPhilipps University, Marburg, Germany) isto develop, test and provide supportinginformation, tools and models and todocument and disseminate examples ofgood practice.

The project runs until 2015, and a rangeof tools have been developed and arenow in the testing stage. For examplethere is a Skills Plotting Tool that assistscommunities to undertake an audit oftheir own community, and considerationwork has explored what is meant by aRural Alliance, the importance of differentparticipants (individuals andorganisations) and their commitment toshared goals.

In rural communities, approaches toAlliance Building are an importantconsideration, and project partners in theNetherlands have been working at a verylocal level to develop the OsterwickModel for Alliance Building which hasnow been extended to the whole of theBrabant region.

“The spark, themixture of whatmakes a village,town or areavibrant, is nowmore elusive.”

University Impact:Rural Vibrancy - CreatingSustainable Rural Economies

12 │ Vol 5 Issue 1 2013


Within the Rural Alliance Project theUniversities have adapted this model, andincorporated good practice fromelsewhere to produce a draft blueprint forAlliance Building. This is seen as acyclical process with four stages:

• Building (selecting members, agreeinga purpose, planning how to operate)

• Managing (structuring and mobilising, organising governance, delivering)

• Reviewing (monitoring, evaluation)• Long Term Planning (sustaining,

scaling, moving).

In order to examine and explore wellbeingin communities and other conceptsrelated to sustainability the project hasdeveloped and defined its own conceptof Rural Vibrancy:

“'Rural Vibrancy' describes the conditionof a rural community, which ischaracterised by active involvement andthe creative, dynamic interaction ofpeople from different generations andgroupings, with the capacity to act jointlyand create common interests andobjectives.”

The Rural Vibrancy Index is a tool thatallows communities themselves to reviewwhat is happening at local level and touse a traffic light system (red, amber andgreen) to code the communities’ sense oftheir own wellbeing against a series ofmeasures relating to:• Participation, • Organisational capacity, • Civil society, • Infrastructure.

Sustainable communities need stronginternal structures, with mutuallysupportive approaches that facilitateinterdependency and the generation ofnew initiatives and concrete actions forthe benefit of local people.

Communities have always had suchmechanisms and finding ways to enhanceand build on these strengths will allow ourrural areas to maximise on opportunities –this is where the Rural Alliances project istaking steps to develop and share ideasand good practices.

This project is one of several current andrecent projects involving the University ofWales Trinity Saint David that are workingto develop understanding, tools andresources to support communities andlocal businesses, and demonstrates thereal-world impact Universities can have insupporting their regional, national andinternational economies.

Vol 5 Issue 1 2013 │13

“'Rural Vibrancy' describes the condition of a rural community,which is characterised by active involvement and the creative,dynamic interaction of people from different generations andgroupings, with the capacity to act jointly and create commoninterests and objectives.”

Image: © Simon Greig / Shutterstock

14 │ Vol 5 Issue 1 2013


Hardly a day goes by without somenew edict calling upon us to reducethis or cut that. In the name ofsustainability we are being called uponto rethink, refuse, reduce, reuse, repair,recycle and up-cycle. The calls forimmediate action have reached suchhysterical proportions and predictionsof the end of the world as we know itseem to come from so many quartersthat it can seem that we've passed thepoint of no return.

The numbers quoted and the impactspredicted are too large to take in. Manyare tempted to just give up and live fortoday and therein lies the problem. Like a'yo-yo' dieter we go from one green fadto another whilst all the time we get fat onexcess consumption.

The aims of policy makers andenvironmental campaigners are laudable.Their objectives are well intended andmust surely be embraced by society atlarge. However, we seem no closer torealising the dream of a sustainablesociety than when William McDonoughand Dr Michael Braungart published ‘TheHannover Principles: Design forSustainability’ back in 1992. In 2002 theywent on to publish ‘Cradle-to-Cradle:Remaking The Way We Make Things’,and this seminal book marked atransformation in the way we see thecycle of sustainability.

For them, the end of a product’s lifebecame the catalyst for the birth of a newproduct, and thus seeing in the materialcontent of an existing product the‘nutrients’ of the next, turns recycling intoa positive rather than a negative.Considering how we can re-use a

product’s constituent materials ratherthan disposing of them revolutionisessustainable design.

In the US, in the 1970s, John Lyle wasone of a number of academics andforward thinkers who led the field indeveloping closed loop systems forsustainability. In this system a product’slife should be seen in the context of the‘Circular Economy’. However despitedecades of warnings and campaign aftercampaign we remain stubbornlyindifferent to calls for radical change.

It’s time to enlist the help of potentially thegreatest ally in the fight for sustainability,the consumer. We need to rediscover thevalues that we once esteemed. WilliamMorris the 19th century designer, artistand social reformer, alarmed at therelentless rise of industrial productiondeclared,

“Have nothing inyour house that youdo not know to beuseful, or believe tobe beautiful.”

William Morris

How appropriate are those words to ustoday. Useful things last and beautifulthings are cherished. Objects maintaintheir value when we retain our love ofthem. We have grown accustomed to theconsumption of cheap products that failto stand the test of time. Either throughtechnical obsolescence or simply falling

out of fashion products are, all too often,discarded without a second thought.

With that said, we need to attractconsumers towards sustainability not justtry to scare them into it. Like the old storyof the wind and sun we need to create adesire to change and in this the role ofdesign is vital. Designers andmanufacturers have a duty to worktogether in this scenario. If we fail thenthe results could be catastrophic.

It is important to note that the effects ofover-consumption are already evident inthe environment. It is evident thatconsumer demand and market creationhas reached the point where the planetcan no longer keep up with it; it is likepedalling a bicycle down hill and beingunable to pedal fast enough to keep upwith the speed of the wheels turning. Thesocial responsibility placed on designersis enormous as they are in the bestposition to control the productsdistributed and the environmental impactsthat ensue.

The designer’s role is often to designproducts that are beautiful to look at,technologically advanced andappeal to theconsumer’s senseof well-being orself-esteem.However,many of themost

Think Piece: Sustainable by Design – Re-thinkingthe Product Life Cycle for the 21st Century

Dr Ian Walsh Dr Ian Walsh, Director of the Institute forSustainable Design at the University of WalesTrinity Saint David, explores the possibility of afuture where products are designed withsustainability in mind.


successful products on the market breakall the rules regarding sustainableresourcing or design for disassembly. Inthis case the designer and manufacturerhave broken the closed loop. Theconsumer accepting the product thencompounds this act of unsustainability.

Sixty years ago the psychologist AbrahamMaslow sought to identify the factorsbehind an individual’s desire to fulfil theirpersonal needs. His hierarchy has beenused to explain the motivation behind thedevelopment of western consumerism.As we progress up the hierarchy webecome more fulfilled and eventually fullysatisfied with our lot. What Maslow hadnot bargained on was the relentlessdevelopment of consumerism. Theparadox of which is that the more weconsume the less content we seem to be.

Designers and manufacturers need toacknowledge their share of responsibilityfor this condition, and by accepting ourshared responsibility, as consumers,designers and manufacturers, we canbegin to deal with the big problems facingus. We need a cultural shift away frommaterial acquisition as the means offulfilling our need for belonging and self-esteem to one where sustainability, inevery sense, brings us social acceptance.Only then will we begin to re-appraise thevalues that have drawn us into thedownward spiral of over-consumptionand the consequent effect on our naturalworld.

How do we tackle these problems? Well,organisations such as the Institute forSustainable Design (ISD) at the Universityof Wales Trinity Saint David in Swanseaare examples of the supportthat is available tobusinesses inaddressingunsustainablepractices. ISDworks withfirms and

individuals to help them embedsustainable design thinking into theirbusiness. We can assist businesses indeveloping and adopting sustainabilityaction plans and implementingsustainable workflows. ISD also works toassist business in accessing researchpartners to aid the development ofinnovative solutions. Above all the aim isto build a networked community of strongindependent businesses deliveringsustainable design and manufacturingacross Wales.

Without genuine partnership andacceptance of equal responsibility, truesustainability cannot be realised. AsWales prepares to receive a third round ofEuropean development funding we needto build a culture of innovative andsustainable design. A culture based uponvalues of sustainability that work withpeople rather than against them.

Find Out MoreContact The Institute forSustainable Design E: [email protected] W: www.isdwales.com

Image adapted from:©GorbashVarvara/ Shutterstock

“By accepting our sharedresponsibility, asconsumers, designersand manufacturers, wecan begin to deal with thebig problems facing us.”

Vol 5 Issue 1 2013 │15

16 │ Vol 5 Issue 1 2013


Point of View: The ConsumptionConundrum – A Marketing Challenge

People love ‘choice’ and people love‘things’, and so it follows thatorganisations create plenty of choiceand plenty of things for those who arematerially driven in their desires. Easyaccess to finance helps fuel thisdemand and we have witnessed a sea-change in attitude towards creditwithin a generation.

My parents, for example, would save tobuy the things they wanted and receivingcredit was never encouraged, in fact itwas seen as a sign of personal financialtrouble.

I, on the other hand, was taught thatcredit could let me get what I wanted,and get it now; so I think nothing of usingmortgages and loans to get what I want. Iam now often embarrassed by the sheernumber of clothes, cars, televisions,mobile phones, laptops, notebooks,games consoles, books, CDs, DVDs etc.that my family own and it always remindsme of John Hodge’s poem ‘Choose Life’:

“choose washingmachines, cars,compact disc players,and electrical tin openers.Choose good health, lowcholesterol and dentalinsurance. Choose fixed-interest mortgagerepayments. Choose astarter home. Chooseyour friends. Chooseleisure wear andmatching luggage...Choose your future.Choose life…”

(John Hodge)

Essentially, peoplechoose to fill theirlife with ‘stuff’.

Marketersencouragechoice astheyattempt to“satisfypeople’sneeds andwants” usingmarketing toolsand techniques likebranding, advertising and plannedobsolescence to encourage demand and[re]consumption to increase sales /contributions for our organisations tosecure their long-term future. It is all too easy to blame marketers forencouraging people to buy things thatthey do not need because they are a vitalcog in the wheel of the machinery thatrequires perpetual growth for survival.They, however, might argue that they aremerely responding to the demands of theconsumer, especially the middle classes.

It is no accident that economies with alarge middle class are strong and activeeconomies. Recent reports on some ofthe largest growing markets in the worldnamely Brazil, Russia, India and China(often referred to as the BRIC countries)have identified the influence of growingnumbers of the middle classes on thesegrowing economies, clearly good newsfor the Brand Managers and MarketingDirectors of the major global productsand services.

What we have known for decades,though, is that this drive for more choicecomes at cost. Since the industrialrevolution mankind has been exploiting all

the resources accessible to them in thepursuit of a better way of life and inthe process we are creating havocin the ecological environment.As the world population growsand the number of people whocan afford more things growsthen, if we do not change theway we operate and thedemands placed on our naturalraw materials, we will reach the

point where the world’s ecologycannot handle the drive of the main

developed economies for furthergrowth. It simply cannot continue and it isnow common knowledge that there is aneed for a much more sustainableapproach.

In 1987 the Brundtland commissionpresented their definition of SustainableDevelopment, as “development thatmeets the needs of the present withoutcompromising the ability of futuregenerations to meet their own needs".The three main pillars of sustainabledevelopment include economic growth,environmental protection, and socialequality. Achieving a sustainable economywill, I believe, have importantrepercussions for marketing and themarketers of the future.

Working With Governments

In Wales the sustainability agenda hastaken on a greater sense of importancewith the Welsh Government’s forthcomingFuture Generations Bill. This is a responseto what is seen as market failure andsuggests that governments believeconsumers need to be protected fromtheir own actions as it is unlikely that theywill arbitrarily decide to reduce theirconsumption.

Will Fleming Senior Lecturer in Marketing at SwanseaBusiness School, Will Fleming, unpicks thechallenges marketers face in addressingissues of sustainable consumption, and howthey might respond…

Vol 5 Issue 1 2013 │17


The issue here for marketers will be notjust lobbying politicians to protect theirown interests but learning how to worktogether to negotiate better withgovernment officials to ensure that theyget a fuller case across. As marketers areexpected to understand their customersthey could play a vital role in anticipatingresponses to evaluate and judgegovernment actions not only for theintended consequences they are trying toachieve but more importantly theunintended consequences of theiractions.

Working With Consumers

In the ideal marketplace the consumerswould be driving the changes needed.Unfortunately this has not occurred as itis difficult for customers to come togetherto build a consensus to drive the change.

We have seen a number of anti-consumption groups but their fragmentedand piecemeal approach has meant thatnone of these have become mainstream. The sheer scale of the fundamentalchange in behaviour that is neededmeans a much more holistic approach isneeded if the issue is to seep into thepublic’s consciousness. Somehow we donot seem to equate that the damagedone now will make it worse for our futuregenerations.

At its most basic level people are beingasked to be less selfish and to give up the

things that they perceiveto be making their life

more pleasurableand that will bea tough task.

However,here again Ifeel marketerscould make animpact in

working withconsumers. Now

that there is a clearconsensus in science that climate changeis due to the actions of humans thenmaybe we can address what needs to bedone. The challenge for marketers here isto use the marketing communications

tools and techniques they have topromote individual brands and how touse them for key issues.

It must be more than just a governmentadvertising campaign asking us all to cutdown a little. It requires a co-ordinatedand co-operative approach by theorganisations concerned to produce fullydeveloped integrated campaigns focusedon a clear and concise message thatincludes and involves the keystakeholders like suppliers andintermediaries, financiers, localgovernment, the media, pressure groups,educators, members of the communityand professional bodies.

The Marketing Response So Far

Green marketing (including environmentaland ecological marketing) has been themarketer’s response to these issues. Themain theme has been to marketproducts, services and brands as beingenvironmentally and/or ecologicallysensitive. In fact in some cases it wasdeveloped to create a sustainablecompetitive advantage over competitorsto, you guessed it, buy more of ours thantheirs, and so some commentatorssuggest that it is yet another cynical ployby marketers to make people buy more.

This for me gets to the real challenge formarketers and that is how to introducesustainability into the organisation andpermeate into all aspects of the businessso that green marketing is not just apromotional fad but is integrated into allaspects of marketing.

In the early 1970s some U.S. marketingacademics developed a concept theycalled the Societal Marketing Concept(Kotler and Armstrong, 2012:33). It haslofty ambitions in that it challenges

organisations to deliver marketing in aform that is in the best interests of theconsumers and society. It could be ofstrategic importance in the organisationbecause it may free professionals fromthe pressure of short-term aims andobjectives like sales volume and salesvalue. There is a remit for marketers toengage in this agenda and a body ofwork already in place to draw upon, but itis now up to us to look at our modes ofoperation so that we can fully participatein the agenda.

The Challenge For Marketers

One of the biggest challenges wemarketers face is how we evaluate andcontrol marketing activity from asustainability perspective. In manyrespects the current nature of marketsthrough the desire to provide customersatisfaction and maximisation of returnsfor organisations has made life relativelyeasy for marketers.

Certainly it has limited its horizons andallowed professionals to focus on growth.There now needs to be a change ofemphasis on what we regard asimportant, what and how we report andhow we view success. For example weneed to make as much of consumptionreduction and efficiency as we do forreturn on capital employed and returns oninvestment.

Clearly a number of governments aroundthe world will be watching the Welshexperience before committing themselvesto public policy. If more do follow then thesustainability agenda could really offer anumber of marketers a new reality, one inwhich they will have to think differentlyand act differently, where they need tolearn new skills and work together withtheir key stakeholders and help to changethe world, maybe it is time to “choosesomething else”.

Think-Piece: Sustainability andEmployability – a Dream Ticket forSouth West Wales?

There is a big vision for South WestWales in the air at the moment, avision of transforming one of the mostbeautiful parts of Wales and the UnitedKingdom into an attractive destinationfor more knowledge orientatedactivities, particularly in energy,advanced engineering/high valuemanufacturing, tourism/food,architectural services, legal andaccounting, media, IT, businessservices, construction and real estate.

Delivery of this big vision is at the heart ofthe new Swansea Bay City Regionapproach across the 4 local authorities –Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire,Swansea, Neath and Port Talbot - servinga population of 685,000, supportingsome 280,000 jobs, and containingaround 20,000 businesses.

The new Swansea Bay City Region’sEconomic Strategy 2013-2030 makes itclear that the vision must be sustainable,delivering opportunities for futuregenerations, not just for the present. Itmust embrace long term solutions –some of which will be extremely difficultand challenging – building on the CityRegion’s existing strengths, whilst beingresponsive to new opportunities.

It recognises that protecting andenhancing our substantial environmentalassets is an essential component of theregeneration goals. The strategy does notcall for quick fixes as past experience tellsus that stubborn problems cannot beaddressed in this way.

The Challenge

In this think-piece, I’m going to argue thatif the principles of sustainability canunderpin the City Region approach, thenthe stage is set for a hugely exciting,transformative development; playing toour environmental strengths, whilefostering a collaborative and co-operativeapproach to a more socially just economyin South West Wales.

We are privileged to live in a glorious,natural environment which includes 320miles of coastline i.e. more than 30% ofthe new Wales Coast Path, two NationalParks, the first Area of OutstandingNatural Beauty (AONB) in the UK – theGower peninsula – and dynamic urbancentres including Swansea city centre,and attractive market towns serving aslocal economic, leisure and service hubs.

We have globally significant firms, forexample, Tata Steel in Neath Port Talbotand Valero in Pembrokeshire. We havetwo universities, providing a valuable mixof research-oriented and appliededucational and innovation opportunities,as well as major tourism assets andleisure attractions. We can provide anaffordable choice for families, with anaverage housing cost of under £110k,compared to more than £160k in the UKas a whole. In a number of key sectorswe have the potential to drive realproductivity gains and boost oureconomic competitiveness, both throughour existing companies and potentiallythrough new in-movers and furtherenterprise development in energy,advanced engineering/high valuemanufacturing, tourism, media, IT andbusiness services.

But even with all these advantages, amajor productivity gap has emergedbetween the City Region, the rest ofWales and the UK. In 2010, ourproductivity was equivalent to only 94%of the Welsh level and 77% of the UKtotal. On skills, we have insufficientpeople with higher level qualifications andtoo many people with no qualifications atall. Only 28% of our residents haveNVQ4+ qualifications (degree level orequivalent), compared to 33% across theUK. Further, 14% of our working ageresidents have no qualifications, against acomparable figure of 11% in the UK.

We don’t fare well on unemployment andeconomic inactivity either. All placesacross the UK have suffered as a result ofthe recession in terms of risingunemployment and economic inactivity.However, economic activity is now wellbelow national levels – at 71% comparedto 76% in the UK (and 72% in Wales).Further, jobs are all too often in thoseoccupations which tend to pay relativelylittle.

The Delivery

Mark Twain once famously said “If youalways do what you’ve always done,you’ll always get what you’ve alwayshad”. The new opportunity of theSwansea Bay City Region is anopportunity to do things differently; to notjust try and drag a share of anyinvestment in SE Wales into SW Walesbut to play to our strengths – thelandscape, the seascape and the qualityof life and target what will work best forus and best for the companies we wantto attract, because that will also be bestfor Wales.

Jane Davidson Jane Davidson, Director of the Institute for Sustainable Practice, Innovation andResource Effectiveness (INSPIRE) at the University of Wales Trinity Saint Davidexplains how our region has a fantastic opportunity to lead the way onsustainable development.

18 │ Vol 5 Issue 1 2013



Vol 5 Issue 1 2013 │19

“The stage is setfor a hugelyexciting,transformativedevelopment;playing to ourenvironmentalstrengths, whilefostering acollaborative andco-operativeapproach to amore socially justeconomy in SouthWest Wales.”


20 │ Vol 5 Issue 1 2013

First and foremost, we have to tackle theskills deficit in our region as our ability toattract the very companies we wouldwant is substantially diminished by having3% more unqualified residents and 5%fewer residents qualified to degree levelor above, than other parts of the UK.Closing this gap is daunting, but we havethe advantage of a couple of uniquecollaborations here which could play asignificant targeted role in up-skilling thepopulation.

The first is the unique Central and SouthWest Wales Regional LearningPartnership (RLP) which brings togetherlocal government (both education andregeneration), the two universities –Swansea and the University of WalesTrinity Saint David, the five colleges offurther education, third sector partners,work based learning and private sectorrepresentatives, JobCentre Plus andCareers Wales. It covers the localauthority boundaries of CarmarthenshireCC, Ceredigion CC, Neath Port TalbotCBC, Pembrokeshire CC, Powys CC andthe City & County of Swansea with theaim of ensuring publicly funded learningproviders and associated organisationswork collaboratively, effectively andefficiently across the areas of educationand regeneration to meet the needs oflearners and the regional economy.

Ultimately, the partnership seeks to alignregional learning and employment needsactivity to the regional economic context.The RLP is the only one of its kind andhas been acknowledged by WelshGovernment as ‘transformational’ for itsability to plan collaboratively acrosssectors, to identify gaps and to providehigh quality data on the basis of whichmembers can take decisions about howand where to invest in up-skilling. TheRLP is currently facilitating thedevelopment of the Swansea Bay CityRegion plan for employability and skills.

The second unique collaboration is myuniversity, the newly transformedUniversity of Wales Trinity Saint David(UWTSD), including Coleg Sir Gâr andColeg Ceredigion, with almost 27,000students on five campuses in Swansea,six in Carmarthenshire, three in

Ceredigion and two in London as well asthe International Academy of Voice basedin Cardiff.

This is a new university model – a first forWales - designed to serve the city regionby delivering tangible benefits for learners,employers, industry and communities byoffering a new integrated approach fromschool level to post-doctoral researchacross the Swansea Bay City Region,thereby actively addressing the skills gapsidentified.

The University intends to play a pivotalrole in the promotion of social justice,economic renewal and the developmentof cultural and environmental wealth, forfull time and part time students. As Iwrite, staff members across the universityare busy reviewing our current courses,testing their fitness for purpose andcreating new ones for next Septemberfocused on employers’ needs using datafrom the RLP.

Having looked at universities across theworld, the new UWTSD has veryspecifically put the principles of‘employability’ and ’sustainability’ at theheart of the new university’s strategicplan. Rather than focus exclusively on ourindividual course offer, as universitieshave often historically done, we alsointend to focus on the graduate attributeswe want our students to demonstrate.

Quite simply, we want our graduates tobecome the next generation of creativeproblem solvers and active citizens – tobe able to appreciate the importance ofenvironmental, social and politicalcontexts to their studies and to thinkcreatively, holistically, and systemicallyand make critical judgements on issues.

After all, many of them come from withinour beautiful region and choose to staywithin it, so how better to educatetomorrow’s community leaders? Theeducation we deliver, underpinned byhigh quality research, will be distinctive; itwill develop the minds and skills of ourstudents, and also be inclusive,professional and employment-focused. We have just introduced a new TSD+Employability Award to deliver on these

attributes and the more traditional ones ofteamwork, self-reflection andcommunication. Hywel Evans, Chairmanof Swansea Business Forum said lastyear, “My prospects would have beenbetter and less constricted – as indeedwould those of most of my peer group - ifthe programme you now propose to runat UWTSD had been available to us atSwansea those many years ago.

Broadening students’ academicexperience through offering them anopportunity to gain “real-life” expertiseduring their college days has manybenefits. Students also gain by beingable to more effectively evaluate the likelypersonal demands upon them of anyspecific job opportunity - based on thewider set of skills and backgroundexperience they have acquired throughthe TSD+ programme.”

“The role of INSPIRE isto work across the wholenew University”

The role of INSPIRE is to work across thewhole new University to deliver more‘inspired’ education, work-based learningand knowledge transfer opportunities toour region as well as to those full timestudents we attract here through ourlocations and our offer.

We want to explicitly tackle the skillsdeficit as well as offer new professionalpractice opportunities in partnership withothers - but to do it in a new, moresustainable way.

Without under-estimating the challengesahead for the new Swansea Bay CityRegion, we believe that holding ourcollective nerve to focus on sustainabilityand employability at the heart of the newcity region, might just be the dream ticketwe need for south west Wales.

The INSPIRE Projectwon the award for ‘BestSustainability Project’ atthis year’s GuardianUniversity Awards.

Vol 5 Issue 1 2013 │21


27th November 2013

4th December 2013, 6pm

16 January 2014, 6pm

23 January 2014, 6pm

Welsh Economics and Business Society(WEBS) Student Conference. Open togroups and individuals from all SixthForms and FE Colleges.

Speaker: Mr Iestyn Davies, Head ofExternal Affairs, FSB Wales. Open eventat Swansea Business School, allwelcome.

Speaker: Gareth Mahoney, Director, YGorau o Gymru / Best of Wales Ltd.Open event at Swansea Business School,all welcome.

Speaker: Dr Thomas Jansen. Open eventat Swansea Business School, allwelcome.

Issues in Business and Economics

Small Business in Wales: The sustainability,employability and survival agenda

Best of Wales A Welsh SME online tourismbusiness start-up and growth case study

Culture Shock: the experience of buyingfrom and selling to China

Events @ Swansea Business School News and Events For full details and booking for any of the

below events please contactJamie Tavender (Faculty Marketing Officer):

[email protected]

Swansea Business School hosted itsinaugural Postgraduate AlumniConference this September, providingan opportunity for graduates,students, staff and our businesspartners to come together to learnfrom a host of industry experts andbuild their professional networks.

The programme includedindustry speakers from TataSteel, Linde Severnside

(Managing Director Trevor Walton ispictured here with Assistant Dean SteveGriffiths), Coastal Housing, FusionCorporation, and inspirational advice from‘Red Shoe Business Woman’ RebeccaJones.

Dr Margaret Inman, Head of the Centrefor Postgraduate and

Professional Studies andconference organiser, said‘this was a fantastic event,

and an opportunity for alumni to benefitfrom being part of the lifelong learningcommunity we aim to offer our studentsand graduates. This is one example ofthe range of networking and learningopportunities we offer our graduates tohelp them continue to develop as

professionals beyond theirstudies with us.’

Business School Hosts Inaugural Postgraduate Alumni Conference

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Accounting and Finance

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22 │ Vol 5 Issue 1 2013

Books:Breadth and Depth in Defining SustainabilityMichael Blowfield (2013) Business and Sustainability,Oxford, OUP.

Blowfield’s textbook is a lively account evaluating the meaning ofsustainability and its implications for business (defined in the widestmanner). He claims that he is reviewing the general strategies,alternatives and drivers of this increasingly powerful business andacademic theme, however there is much here for managementfunctions, sustainable marketing, finance and managing people andstakeholders, to name just a few specialist fields.

Many concepts will be familiar, the Triple Bottom Line, ResourceConstrained Economy (RCE), the 5 Capitals of sustainable organisations,etc. However the book integrates them and puts them in context,testing their relevance to different cases and contexts. ThroughoutBlowfield effectively communicates that life is not and will not besimple.

Future developments and organisational structures led by leaderswho acknowledge the sustainability ethos, will have to struggle tobe innovative, overcoming resistance, resource constraints andsocial/political opposition.

The scope of sustainability goes beyond simple ecologicalconcern, through green energy, externalities and the exploitationof finite resources, and quasi political themes such as equitabledistribution of resources. Sustainable organisations will have tochange their structures and modes for competing, consulting anddevelopment. Active engagement with diverse stakeholders, global governance andcitizenship, collaboration with rivals for sustainable new product development, avoiding destructivecompetitive activities and responding to international intrusive regulatory frameworks, all seem to be part ofthe future.

This more sensitive, socially interactive approach will need new skills and competences. The message isthat we need to be investing now, if we are to meet the needs for sustainability in business. Progress is notinevitable. Haunting all of Blowfield’s discussions are the implications of not making changes andrespecting the need for action: the prospect of future catastrophic breakdown. While this is not bluntlystated in this well-reasoned and referenced work, it may be inferred by the reader. Blowfield ratherdemonstrates the business case for development and innovation.

The structure of the book is accessible to specialists or the general reader. It would be relevant to moststudents analysing future business environments. It offers no simple solutions to the complex challenges,but does provide approaches at various levels to help stimulate discussion and analysis of cases. Chaptersare well laid out with supportive free online study material for students and tutors and a wealth of casestudies directed at the different themes contained in the book. It will definitely be on my recommendedreading list.

Reviewed by Steve Griffiths

DISCOVER

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A NEW

www.tsd.ac.uk/newcourses

CARMARTHEN SWANSEA LAMPETER

Accounting and Finance

Agriculture and Rural

Ancient Civilisations

Anthropology

Archaeology

Architecture & Built Environment

Art

Automotive

Business and Management

Chinese Studies

Classical Studies

Computing

Counselling

Design

Digital Media

Education

Engineering

English and Creative Writing

Environmental

Events

Geography

Glass

Health and Social

Heritage

History

Humanities

Leisure and Tourism

Manufacturing and Logistics

Performing Arts

Philosophy

Psychology

Religion and Theology

Sport

Welsh

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VIBRANT CAMPUS EXPERIENCE, COURSES FOR THE REAL WORLD, OXBRIDGE-STYLE EDUCATION

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Out February 2014To reserve a copy please visitwww.smu.ac.uk/swbror email your name and address to:[email protected]

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