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Justin O'Brien

Senior Lecturer Marketing & Strategy, Royal Holloway
I am a mid-career industry practitioner who transitioned into a teaching focussed academic pathway after 16 years in international sales and marketing at British Airways. I teach marketing, entrepreneurship and management at Royal Holloway, University of London where I was the MBA Director 2009-2016.

My scholarship is overtly opportunistic, putting a strong focus on the student experience I have sought to ‘just say yes’ to nearly every opening that has presented itself to me for embedding real world engagement into the heart of my pedagogy. I have then looked for ways to codify and disseminate the rich learning garnered from consultancies, field visits and engaging with industry experts in a range of teaching focussed outputs, most notably as peer reviewed case studies and business journalism but also through videos, blog posts, pedagogic publications, external examining, conference presentations and other learning materials. The result of this multi-facetted and perhaps eclectic portfolio is enhanced discipline currency and a profound and diverse range of experience that energises my teaching and learning practise as a rounded management practitioner.

I have published peer reviewed articles on marketing in the transport, leisure and travel industries, as well as new online disruptor brands.

Car dealerships are reopening but the pivot to online sales has begun

May 29, 2020 13:56 pm UTC| Business

Car dealerships are among the next establishments to reopen in England from June 1. Its welcome news to an industry that suffered an enormous drop in sales following the nationwide lockdown that started on March 30. New...

Economy

BOJ Rate Decision in Focus as Sticky Inflation, Weak Yen Shape USD/JPY and Nikkei Outlook

The Bank of Japan (BOJ) is widely expected to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 1% when it concludes its two-day policy meeting on July 31, despite persistent inflation and continued weakness in the Japanese...

Asian Stocks Slip as Fed Holds Rates, Samsung Earnings Fail to Lift AI Sentiment

Most Asian stock markets declined on Thursday as investor concerns over artificial intelligence (AI) spending continued to pressure technology shares, overshadowing strong earnings from Samsung Electronics and upbeat...

Asian Currencies Hold Steady After Fed Decision as Dollar Finds Support

Asian currencies traded in narrow ranges on Thursday as investors assessed the U.S. Federal Reserves decision to keep interest rates unchanged while Fed Chair Kevin Warsh reinforced the central banks commitment to bringing...

Oil Prices Ease After Sharp Rally as Trump Warns of More Action Against Iran

Oil prices slipped slightly during Asian trading on Thursday after posting their biggest gains in weeks, as investors locked in profits while monitoring escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and tightening...

Fed Holds Interest Rates Steady as Kevin Warsh Says Rising Treasury Yields Tighten Financial Conditions

The Federal Reserve left its benchmark interest rate unchanged on Wednesday, maintaining the federal funds rate at 3.50% to 3.75% for a fifth consecutive meeting as policymakers continued to monitor inflation and broader...

Politics

China Vows Retaliation Over U.S. Ban on Chinese Robots, Power Inverters

China on Thursday pledged to resolutely retaliate if the United States moves forward with restrictions targeting new Chinese-made robots and power inverters, escalating tensions in the ongoing U.S.-China technology and...

Lebanon Lawyers Seek Probe Into Banker Over Alleged Netanyahu Dinner in Washington

A group of Lebanese lawyers has filed a legal complaint urging the countrys top prosecutor to investigate prominent banker Antoun Sehnaoui over allegations that he co-hosted a dinner in Washington attended by Israeli Prime...

U.S. Launches Air Strikes on Iran After Alleged Missile Attack on American Forces

The United States launched air strikes against targets in Iran on Wednesday night, marking a sharp escalation in tensions across the Middle East following what Washington described as an attempted Iranian attack on U.S....

New Jewish-Arab Party Seeks Young Voters Ahead of Israel Election Amid Debate Over Arab Vote

A newly formed Jewish-Arab political party is aiming to attract younger voters ahead of Israels October 27 parliamentary election, but critics argue its emergence could divide the Arab vote and strengthen Prime Minister...

Oman Proposes Strait of Hormuz Plan as U.S. Rejects Iran Shipping Fee Idea

Oman has presented Iran with a Gulf-backed proposal to help manage shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, including a system of voluntary contributions from vessels, according to Reuters sources. The initiative aims to...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

Sony Eyes $1.3 Billion Tamron Acquisition as Lens Maker Reviews Offer

Tamron (TYO:7740) confirmed Thursday that it has received a non-binding acquisition proposal from Sony (TYO:6758), following reports that the potential deal could be worth approximately 200 billion yen ($1.3 billion). The...

SpaceX Wins $1.6 Billion U.S. Space Force Launch Contracts for Falcon 9 Missions Through 2027

SpaceX has secured $1.6 billion in new contracts from the U.S. Space Force to carry out 18 Falcon 9 rocket launches through 2027, further strengthening its position as the Pentagons leading commercial launch provider. The...

Samsung Q2 Profit Surges on AI Memory Chip Demand, Forecasts Strong Second Half

Samsung Electronics reported stronger-than-expected second-quarter earnings, driven by soaring demand for artificial intelligence (AI) memory chips as global investment in AI infrastructure continued to accelerate. For the...

Russia Charges Telegram Founder Pavel Durov With Facilitating Terrorism, Seeks International Arrest

Russia has formally charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov with facilitating terrorist activity, accusing the messaging platform of being used by Ukrainian intelligence services to recruit operatives and organize attacks...

Meta Stock Drops After Earnings Miss as AI Spending and Legal Costs Weigh on Profit

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) shares fell 8% in after-hours trading after the social media giant reported second-quarter earnings that missed Wall Street expectations and issued weaker-than-expected third-quarter revenue...