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Month: October 2022

Sustainable brand Sohuman holds inspiring fashion show at London College of Contemporary Arts

Posted on by Global University Systems

With the start of London Fashion Week, Spanish sustainable brand Sohuman presents an inspirational and hopeful new clothing and accessories collection. Hosted by London College of Contemporary Arts (LCCA), it highlights a bright new beginning finally blossoming after many times of darkness.

With the start of this Fall/Winter season, Sohuman is sharing a colourful and playful lifestyle through its collection, like roses that bloom after a long wait, full of youth, light and brightness. The brand, however, does not forget that darkness exists too, but can do nothing but fight against it with its fair, bright and active spirit. Sohuman never forgets its three pillars: exceptional quality, ethical manufacturing and radical transparency, as the brand looks to share and delicately nourish its incredible new collection with the public.

“The brand works towards a better future in fashion and women’s lives within the Fashion industry. We believe Sohuman is part of the beginning of a new era, and we don’t forget our responsibility in it. We want to dedicate this collection to the daring, powerful and sophisticated women that inspired us,” says designer Javier Aparici.

The show is hosted by London College of Contemporary Arts, a pioneer Fashion, Arts and Business college for creative, innovative, and artistic individuals. Commenting on hosting the show, Deborah Hayes, Managing Director, says. “We are extremely proud and happy that such an inspiring brand chose our campus for its fashion show during London Fashion Week. This week is crucial for our passionate students and LCCA is particularly committed to teaching sustainable and ethical fashion to durably change the industry”.

Sohuman thanks all the women that have inspired and work with it through this collection that reflects the work toward a better future with a bright and hopeful spirit.

Impactful research into the changing world of work

Posted on by Editorial Team

The quiet ambition of every academic is to have an impact, whether through teaching, research, publications, or involvement in public debate and discourse.

For that to happen, though, they also need the support and guidance of an institution which can provide opportunities and bring breakthrough work to the attention of a wider international audience.

Over the years, Lingnan University in Hong Kong has proved adept at doing just that, as confirmed by two significant metrics. One is the impressive number of citations, accolades and invitations its professors receive to speak at influential symposia and conferences. Another is the university’s consistently high position in comparative rankings of tertiary institutions in Asia and around the world.

Indeed, the mid-2022 Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings placed Lingnan third in the world for “quality education”. Within the Greater China region, it was in the top ten for overall impact and sixth for work related to promoting “decent work and economic growth”, which is one of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This particular SDG aims to facilitate sustainable and inclusive local economies, where people have decent job opportunities, fair pay, and the chance to create better lives for themselves and their families.

To that end, Lingnan has adopted governance practices to ensure staff well-being and prepare graduates for the world of work. And it is supporting important research into current economic models and modern workplace conditions.

The topics range from corporate leadership, psychological health, labour welfare and the loss traditional jobs to income inequality and the poverty trap. This allows scholars to engage with society, inspire knowledge transfer, and instigate real change.

For instance, from Lingnan’s Department of Management, Wang Nan is now exploring “Within-person dynamics of employee performance after disruption events”, something especially relevant after Covid-19. Chen Tingting is researching the phenomenon of employee silence at work plus what it means for bosses, colleagues and team productivity. And Yolanda Li Na is investigating the internet’s impact on employees’ daily work and outcomes, as well as how delivery couriers react to social media posts and frequent mistreatment by customers.

Exemplifying the interdisciplinary nature of much Lingnan research, Francis Cheung Yue Lok of the Department of Applied Psychology is conducting a pilot study on occupational health differences between locals and new migrants from mainland China. A team at the Department of Economics is asking if Hong Kong’s current competition policy is ready for increasing economic integration with the Greater Bay Area. And Pun Ngai of the Department of Cultural Studies is spearheading a project on “Migration, mobility and labour”.

Its objective is to assess labour conditions and measures in place to protect the interests of migrant workers in mainland China, with a special focus on newer sectors of the economy such as logistics, high-speed rail services, and online e-commerce platforms. The findings will help in understanding China’s new working class in the context of the country’s evolving “infrastructural capitalism”.

All the latest Lingnan University publications related to stress management, psychological health, working conditions, leadership and labour welfare can be found in the webpage.

Fighting wildfire with GPS data

Posted on by Editorial Team

A new research tool could be used to help predict wildfire evacuation behaviour, potentially saving lives in the process.

Developed by an international multidisciplinary team, led by the University of Florida and including Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury Professor Daniel Nilsson, the tool uses GPS data in conjunction with qualitative data, to track people’s movements during a wildfire. This data can then be used to help emergency services to best prepare for future events.

“To effectively plan for wildfire events, it is important to understand how people behave,” says Professor Nilsson. “By using GPS data, we are able to understand when people started their evacuation, what routes they chose, and where they evacuated to. We can also understand how many ignored official warnings and remained in their homes. We are one of the first groups applying GPS data to wildfire evacuation, enabling us to bring a new perspective and provide novel insights.”

Initially the research was based on surveys following wildfire incidents, such as the 2019 Pigeon Valley Fire in Nelson. While the surveys collected extremely valuable data, Professor Nilsson says there were clear biases in the responses.

“People do not always remember things accurately, especially a long time after the fire, or even just after the fire if they are emotionally distressed. Also, people may not want to admit to behaviour in a questionnaire study that may contradict official advice, such as when to evacuate.”

The use of GPS data was then piloted in a study led by the University of Florida with the collaboration of University of Canterbury, Massey University, RMIT University, and University of Utah to study the 2019 Kincade Fire in Sonoma County, USA, which forced 200,000 people to evacuate. The study is funded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
“The study in the US was extremely useful as it involved thousands of people in a very populated area, providing a more nuanced set of data,” says Professor Nilsson. “However it also showed that GPS datasets can be associated with their own set of limitations, such as the age of smartphone users, and passengers rather than drivers are more likely to be using their phones. So GPS data are complementary to questionnaire data.”

Currently the team is working on a real-time evacuation prediction model that could be used by emergency services during a wildfire.

“The idea is that real-time GPS data, along with other input, such as weather and socio-demographic factors, can be used to predict the evacuation process. This can then inform emergency services to know what areas to prioritise to get everyone out in time. Globally, wildfire events are going to increase with greater severity due to climate change and urban spread, so we need to be better prepared in the years to come.”