Contributors

Andrew Cumbers

Before moving to Glasgow, I worked at the Universities of Durham, Middlesex and Aberdeen as a researcher, lecturer in economic geography and in economic development. My research interests include economic geography, urban and regional development, public ownership, economic democracy and employment relations.

Amanda du Preez

Amanda du Preez is Professor in the Department of Visual Arts at the University of Pretoria, where she teaches Visual Culture Studies. She obtained a DPhil in English from the University of South Africa on the topic of cyberfeminism and embodiment in 2003. She has co-edited South African visual culture (2005); edited Taking a hard look: gender and visual culture (2009) and authored Gendered bodies and new technologies: rethinking embodiment in a cyber-era (2009). She served as assistant editor of two accredited journals, Image & Text and De Arte. Currently she serves on the editorial board of Gender Questions, advisory board Persona Studies, the VIAD (UJ) advisory board, and most notably the International Association for Visual Culture. She has a C2 rating from the NRF and received the award as researcher of the year (Arts Cluster) in 2013 and Lecturer of the Year (Humanities) in 2015. Research focus areas: critical visual culture, feminist theory, gender, embodiment, cyber culture, the sublime, self-portraiture, social media, selfies, place and sense of belonging, digital humanities

Alan Gregory

Alan Gregory is a Professor of Corporate Finance. Prior to taking up this position, he held professorial positions at both the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, and the University of Glasgow. In addition to his position at Exeter, he was a full panel member of the Competition Commission for two successive for year terms until September 2009 and is now External Advisor to the Commission‘s Finance and Regulation Group. His consulting experience includes acting as advisor to one of the largest accounting firms on a number of issues, advising HM Treasury, and consulting for fund managers on investment strategies and asset allocation strategies. His work at the Competition Commission involved being a panel member on a number of inquiries, including a regulatory inquiry into airport pricing, market inquiries into domestic bulk liquid petroleum gas and the UK grocery market, and merger inquiries relating to the GUS / Littlewoods mail order operations and the takeover bids for the London Stock Exchange by Euronext and Deutsche Börse. In addition, he has acted as a consultant to other inquiries including the mobile phone and storecards inquiries. He has also undertaken expert witness work for the Treasury Solicitors’ Department, and in connection with Australian Gas Distribution pricing cases. My current research interests are as follows: The general area of market-based empirical research, particularly with regard to the robustness of conclusions that can be drawn from such studies in the light of documented risk factors. At present, this interest principally focuses upon the areas of take-overs and mergers together with returns to, and valuation of, corporate social responsibility agendae. Related work has focused on market reaction to directors’ trading activity, and the success of initial public offerings. A Leverhulme research grant of approximately £78k funding work on directors’ dealing around takeovers has recently been completed. The empirical estimation of cost of capital, which has included the award of a an ESRC Grant of approximately £300k (started in December 2012). Outputs to date include a recent JBFA paper the empirical testing of the Fama-French and Carhart models in the UK, and a working paper to be presented to the BAFA Conference later in 2016 on beta estimation. Both these papers are with Dr Rajesh Tharyan and Dr Shan Hua, with whom I provide downloadable data on Fama-French style portfolios and factors for the UK and the ESRC grant is, inter alia, to to support the regular updating of these data for benefit of UK academic researchers via the Xfi website. I am lead researcher on the grant with three other co-reaserachers at Exeter. My interest in CSR has included two studies of the performance of ethical and non-ethical UK unit trusts which were published in the Journal of Business Finance and Accounting (JBFA). Current work is investigating the returns to, and market valuation of, CSR in relation to the US and two papers have been published in Journal of Business Ethics on this theme. A final paper on eranings persistence and firm value is forthcoming in JBFA. I have had a long standing interest in the long run returns to UK acquirers. This led to me being invited to give a keynote paper at the 2015 ICAEW “Better Markets” Conference. The paper, “How far does financial reporting allow us to judge whether M&A activity is successful?” is forthcoming in Accounting and Business Research.

Alan Lester

Alan Lester's first degree was from the University of Cambridge and his PhD from the University of London. He has been at the University of Sussex since 2000, becoming Professor of Historical Geography in 2006 and the University's first Director of Interdisciplinary Research in 2013. He has held visiting lectureships at Rhodes University and the University of Fort Hare, an Erskine Fellowship at the University of Canterbury and an inaugural fellowship in humanities at La Trobe University His role is as director of Interdisciplinary Research, Professor of Historical Geography, and co-director of the Colonial and Postcolonial Studies Network He has have facilitated projects in collaboration with Kew Gardens, the British Library, the National History Museum, the Met Office and various humanitarian and global health-oriented NGOs. As director of Interdisciplinary Research he is now engaged in a wide range of such collaborations. His is also international partner on the Australian Research Council-funded project, 'Minutes of Evidence', based at the University of Melbourne. Working with a number of state and Aboriginal organisations, this has seen a performance of the play Coranderrk: We Will Show the Country in a number of venues including the Sydney Opera House. The play is a verbatim re-enactment of a nineteenth century colonial commission of inquiry into an Aboriginal reserve and it lays at the heart of new teaching materials and approaches in Victoria.

Abigail Marks

Professor of Work and Employment Studies, Heriot-Watt University Director of the Centre for Research on Work and Wellbeing (CroWW). Dean's Representative for Exam Boards Course Co-ordinator for Changing Trends in Employment, Critical Approaches to Management, Qualitative Research Methods Teaching - Research Philosophy & Design Abigail’s research interests focus on workplace and community identities, social class, the meaning of work and the ICT industry. Abigail is on a number editorial boards including Work, Employment and Society, New Technology Work and Employment and the Journal of Human Resource Costing and Accounting. She has held several visiting positions including the University of Melbourne, as well as a number of external examining appointments.

Andrew Norton

I've worked at the Open University since 1992 and am now Professor of Astrophysics Education in the Department of Physical Sciences. I'm a former Vice President of the Royal Astronomical Society and am Editor-in-Chief of the journal Astronomical Review. My research interests are in various aspects of time domain astrophysics with a current focus on stellar photometry from wide field surveys to investigate close binary stars. I carry out research on all sorts of variable stars, including white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes, and I edit the International Exoplanet Newsletter. I am co-lead for the materials and learning objects for the PLATO Education and Public Outreach Coordination Office in support of ESA's mission to discover rocky exoplanets in Earth-like orbits around Sun-like stars. I am passionate about outreach and public engagement - being both a STEMnet ambassador and a public engagement ambassador for the National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement. I wrote a story book about Exoplanets for young children called "Oogle-Flip and the planet adventure". I also co-wrote the series of "60 second adventures in Astronomy" and am a frequent Academic Consultant for OU/BBC astronomy co-productions, My Erdos-Bacon-Sabbath number is 13.