Name: Dr. Mike Hemmings
Courses being taught in 2019-20:
1BMB08 Organisational Behaviour in the Digital Age
2BMH02 Developing Talent in Organisations
3BMH01 HR Policy and Practice
3BMH02 Globalisation and Contemporary HR
MMBB01 Researching Contemporary Business Issues
MMBH03 Employment Law in Practice
What research are you currently involved in?
I have recently completed fieldwork research in England, Scotland and Wales, supported by YBS Qr funding, for a project on managing homelessness. The project is titled ‘Ending rough sleeping? A qualitative longitudinal study examining the impact and effectiveness of government initiatives to end rough sleeping on voluntary sector organisations across the UK’. The findings from this research will be analysed over 2019-20 with a view to presenting at conferences and publishing journal articles in 2020.
Why did you choose this research topic, how is it important to you and relevant to society?
This is a topical research project with potentially significant impact outcomes. This topic is important to me as I first started working in organisations working with homeless people in 1978! During this time the homelessness crisis in the UK has escalated, most significantly with austerity since 2010. I am interested in the effectiveness of government policy and strategies to deal with ‘wicked issues’, such as rough sleeping, which require strategic multi-agency and collaborative management approaches across the public, private and voluntary sector covering areas such as housing, substance misuse, mental health, police and criminal justice and welfare benefits. The study covers voluntary organisations in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as it is important to understand how spatial variations and different approaches impact on social outcomes.
How can students get involved with/benefit from your research?
Students can get involved in the research directly if they wish by helping with the coding and analysis of the research data over 2019-20. Students will also benefit more generally from my experience in conducting the research through my teaching on the MMBB01 Researching Contemporary Business Issues module and as the research covers key management areas, such as policy and governance, strategic management and leadership approaches and organisational and HR development students will benefit from the research through teaching on the OB and HR modules I teach on this year.
Why did you choose to work at York St John University?
I chose to work at York Saint John University because of its ethos, rooted in ideas of community, inclusivity, activism and community engagement, and its teaching approach, which is supportive and informed by research and aims to create an inspirational learning environment. This fits well with my research and teaching approaches.
What has been a highlight of your time teaching at York St John University?
I have worked at York Saint John for over 4 years and in that time I have seen many changes and had many positive experiences. The highlights have been the graduation ceremonies which celebrate the achievements of both staff and students and the numerous opportunities to interact and engage with academics both from within and outside the University to develop projects. Last year I was given the opportunity to visit Paris on an Erasmus teaching exchange so learning from that experience was a particular highlight.
Is there anything that makes working at York St John University unique?
In some sense all Universities are unique but I feel the ethos and approach at YSJU is unique and is something to be valued. The emphasis on community, inclusivity, activism and community engagement and creating a supportive environment for students where every individual count is not unique to YSJU but is something that is in danger of being lost in an increasing commercial and instrumental time and should be preserved.