Our Different Approach

Should alcohol advertising be banned…? How effective are marketing techniques in encouraging young people to exercise more and feel healthier…? What role can Buddhism play in global economics…?

These are just some of the questions being explored online by The Open University Business School as part of the Economic and Social Research Council’s Festival of Social Science, running from 12th – 21st March 2010.

Visit our dedicated website at www.openuniversity.co.uk/esrcfestival (live on 12th March)

Click on 'Marketing to Change Minds' to explore how social marketing could change your behaviour. Hosted by ISM-Open (the Institute for Social Marketing at The Open University) you can explore interactive online activities on what social marketing is, the way marketing is used to influence behaviours such as alcohol reduction and smoking cessation, as well as promoting healthy eating and safe driving. You can:

• watch videos explaining what social marketing is
• vote in our poll on whether alcohol advertising should be banned
• put forward your opinions on how effective advertising campaigns are 
• provide your thoughts on the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle and the damaging effects of smoking and alcohol.

We also enlisted the help of some experts to demonstrate how we can all adopt a healthy lifestyle. Double Olympic gold medallist Rebecca Adlington tells us how swimming is accessible for everyone and former women’s England rugby captain Jo Yapp provides her views on making time for exercise. Elsewhere, author and food expert Prue Leith promotes the importance of educating children into liking healthy food, and GP and author Rachel Pryke provides some practical top tips for happy healthy meals. You can also read about how one simple life-changing decision to adopt a healthier lifestyle led to Bobby White becoming a member of the Great Britain handball team and an exciting journey towards the London 2012 Olympics.

Click on 'Buddhist Economics' to explore what's wrong with shareholder value and how Buddhist economics might provide a foundation for encouraging businesses to adopt a more radical approach in the pursuit of their social and economic objectives. You can :

• listen to podcasts on Buddhist economics and shareholder value
• read about the implications for business and society 
• share your thoughts on what society should do and ask questions

Click on 'Research at a Glance'  to uncover  the range of business research undertaken in The Open University Business School through a series of posters produced by our academics and research students. You can:

• vote for your favourite poster
• put forward your thoughts and ask questions about research

Feel free to browse the site and take part in the discussions and voting - your thoughts are greatly valued so we would love to hear your views.

Please contact us if you have any queries about any of the events.