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Simon Sweeney

I lecture on International Political Economy (IPE) and international business. I joined TYMS full time in January 2011, moving from Sheffield Hallam University where I was Senior Lecturer in International Business and Governance. Before that I was Head of MA International Studies at York St John University. I’ve a long association with York, being a graduate (MA Linguistics and ELT, 1990) and working as an Associate Lecturer in three departments over several years.

In 2006 I won a National Teaching Fellowship from the Higher Education Academy. I have always had a multidisciplinary approach to my work, having taught politics and International Relations, management, teacher training, English Language Teaching, modern foreign languages, European studies, and educational studies.

In 2006 I was appointed as one of 15 UK Socrates Erasmus Bologna Experts sponsored by the European Commission and the British Council. This involved promoting reform in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). I am the author of Europe, the State and Globalisation (Longman, 2005) and numerous books in the field of English Language Teaching and Business Communication.

I am Director of Postgraduate Programmes in York Management School.

I occasionally run half marathons and like listening to the music of Frank Zappa, Miles Davis, and Radiohead.

Briferendum Aftermath Series

EU agencies: a Brexit loss nobody's talking about

Apr 14, 2017 02:45 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy

Brexit doesnt only mean the UK leaving the European Union, the single European market, the European Economic Area, the customs union, the European Investment Bank and the European Atomic Energy Community. There are also...

The European Republic: a bold vision to save the union

Mar 20, 2017 14:37 pm UTC| Insights & Views

The outstanding successes of the European Union are its historic contribution to peace and reconciliation across the continent, its post-Cold War role in the ongoing transformation of 14 former dictatorships into...

Briferendum Aftermath Series

What the government's plans for a hard Brexit mean for the UK's universities

Jan 24, 2017 15:55 pm UTC| Insights & Views Economy Business

Theresa Mays confirmation that Brexit means leaving the single market has been met with anxiety in many UK universities. The sector currently contributes 73 billion annually to the economy (2.8% of GDP), 757,000 jobs (2.7%...

Briferendum Aftermath Series

Frozen like a rabbit in G20 headlights: Britain struggles to deal with Brexit

Sep 07, 2016 11:18 am UTC| Insights & Views

So Brexit means Brexit according to the UKs new prime minister, who has repeated this rhetoric for the benefit of world leaders at the G20. But Theresa Mays government seems frozen like a rabbit in headlights, desperately...

Briferendum Series

What has the EU ever done for us?

Apr 08, 2016 07:58 am UTC| Insights & Views

Think labour protection, enhanced social welfare, smoke-free workplaces, equal pay legislation, holiday entitlement, and the right not to work more than a 48-hour week without overtime. Also consumer protection, product...

Economy

Cuba-U.S. Talks Begin Amid Deepening Energy Crisis

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel confirmed Friday that Cuba and the United States have entered into official negotiations, marking a significant diplomatic development as the island nation struggles under a crippling oil...

Iran War Sends Oil Prices Surging Past $100 as Hormuz Crisis Deepens

Global oil markets continued their dramatic climb on Friday, with Brent crude settling at $103.69 per barrel a 3.2% daily gain while West Texas Intermediate rose 3.7% to close at $99.31. The surge marks a staggering 43%...

U.S. Stocks Slide as Iran War Fuels Oil Price Volatility and Market Uncertainty

U.S. stocks closed lower on Friday, wrapping up a turbulent week as surging crude oil prices rattled equity markets. All three major indexes the Dow Jones, SP 500, and Nasdaq posted both daily and weekly losses, while...

Asian Currencies Tumble as Indian Rupee Hits Record Low Amid Oil Market Turmoil

Asian currencies came under broad pressure Friday, with the Indian rupee sliding to a historic low as global markets grappled with escalating energy disruptions tied to the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran. The selloff...

Dollar Surges to Three-Month High Amid Iran War Crisis and Energy Shock

The U.S. dollar climbed to its strongest level in over three months on Friday, marking its second consecutive weekly gain since the outbreak of war with Iran. As global markets buckled under geopolitical pressure, the...

Politics

U.S. Offers $10 Million Reward Targeting Senior Iranian Officials Including New Supreme Leader

The United States government has announced a reward of up to $10 million for actionable information on ten senior Iranian military and intelligence figures, including Irans newly appointed Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba...

Federal Judge Blocks Trump Administration's Move to End Temporary Protected Status for Somali Immigrants

A federal judge has temporarily halted the Trump administrations attempt to terminate legal protections for nearly 1,100 Somali nationals currently living and working in the United States. The ruling, issued Friday by U.S....

Ukraine Peace Talks Delayed as U.S. Cites Middle East Tensions

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy revealed on Friday that the United States had requested a postponement of the latest trilateral negotiations aimed at resolving the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia, now...

Israel-Iran War Escalates: Gaza, West Bank, and Lebanon Death Tolls Rise

Nearly two weeks into the expanded Israeli military offensive, violence continues to surge across multiple fronts Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, and Iran with casualties mounting and millions displaced from their homes....

Trump-Kim Talks Revival? South Korea's PM Raises Nuclear Diplomacy in Washington Visit

South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok met with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington to discuss the potential resumption of direct talks between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, according to South Koreas...

Science

SpaceX Pivots Toward Moon City as Musk Reframes Long-Term Space Vision

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has revealed a significant shift in the companys near-term space exploration strategy, announcing that SpaceX is now prioritizing the development of a self-growing city on the Moon rather than focusing...

SpaceX Prioritizes Moon Mission Before Mars as Starship Development Accelerates

Elon Musks SpaceX is shifting its near-term space exploration strategy, choosing to prioritize a return to the Moon before pursuing missions to Mars, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report citing sources familiar...

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Technology

Anduril's $20B Army Contract Signals Major Tailwind for Palantir

Anduril Industries has secured a landmark $20 billion firm-fixed-price contract with the U.S. Army, marking one of the most significant defense-tech awards in recent memory. The 10-year agreement, running through March...

Microsoft Azure First to Validate NVIDIA's Vera Rubin NVL72, Signaling a New Era in AI Infrastructure

Microsoft has become the first cloud provider to begin validating NVIDIAs Vera Rubin NVL72 system, a landmark move that could reshape the competitive landscape of AI infrastructure. CEO Satya Nadella announced the...

Meta Faces Major Layoffs Amid $600B AI Infrastructure Push

Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ: META) is reportedly planning its most significant workforce reduction since the 2023 Year of Efficiency, with cuts potentially exceeding 20% of its total headcount. Citing a Reuters report, the...

U.S. Pulls Back Proposed AI Chip Export Rule Amid Policy Uncertainty

The Trump administration has withdrawn a proposed rule that would have reshaped how artificial intelligence chips are exported to countries around the world. The U.S. Department of Commerce quietly removed the draft...

Apple MacBook Neo Earns Best Repairability Score in Over a Decade, But Falls Short of Competitors

Apples newly announced MacBook Neo, starting at just $499 for students, has received the highest repairability rating the company has achieved since 2014, according to a fresh analysis by iFixit the well-known repair...