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            <link>/business/blog/bangladeshs-labour-reforms-and-the-unfinished-fight-against-forced-labour-and-modern-slavery/</link>
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            <title><![CDATA[Bangladesh's Labour Reforms and the Unfinished Fight Against Forced Labour and Modern Slavery]]></title>
            <pubDate>Tue, 02 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[Authors: Muhammad Azizul Islam, Professor in Sustainability accounting and transparency, 51cg&nbsp;&amp;&nbsp;Jay Kerr, Campaigner, No Sweat, London
The fall of Hasina's government in August 2024 was a seismic shift in Bangladesh. The student-led protests brought down an oppressive regime that, for the past 15 years, had overseen the systematic exploitation of garment workers and the violent suppression of their demands for a living wage. The establishment of an interim government headed by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus, brought new hope as the interim administration offered many reforms, including labour reform. In April, the election of a new Bangladesh Nationalist Party&#8230;]]></description>
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            <link>/business/blog/rana-plaza-13-years-on-the-unfinished-fight-against-forced-labour-and-modern-slavery/</link>
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            <title><![CDATA[Rana Plaza 13 Years On: The Unfinished Fight Against Forced Labour and Modern Slavery]]></title>
            <pubDate>Tue, 19 May 2026 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[Authors:&nbsp;Muhammad Azizul Islam, Professor in sustainability accounting and transparency, 51cg &amp; Jay Kerr, Campaigner, No Sweat, London.
&nbsp;
Thirteen years ago, the collapse of the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh, which housed factories for major global fashion brands, killed over 1,130 workers and exposed the human cost behind cheap fast fashion. The deadliest disaster in the garment industry was meant to force binding accountability and transparency, not just voluntary promises. Yet despite major investments in factory safety since 2013, structural problems and modern slavery persist. With the political upheaval in recent years and now a new government elected,&#8230;]]></description>
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            <link>/business/blog/labour-rights-movements-and-modern-slavery-audit-disclosures-within-global-supply-chains-a-political-mediation-perspective/</link>
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            <title><![CDATA[Labour Rights Movements and Modern Slavery Audit Disclosures within Global Supply Chains: A Political Mediation Perspective]]></title>
            <pubDate>Tue, 03 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[Modern slavery audit disclosure is essential for corporate accountability in eliminating slavery from business operations, particularly in global supply chains. Detecting and disclosing modern slavery has become a crucial corporate transparency issue. Broader stakeholder concerns and recent modern slavery regulations create an unique research setting to explore how a particular transparency and accountability tool, the modern slavery audit (a form of social audit), is used to improve transparency in global supply chains. By employing the concept of political mediation from social movement theory, we examine the influence of protests by labour rights organizations and the political context in which these&#8230;]]></description>
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            <link>/business/blog/rana-plaza-12-years-on-impact-of-new-us-tariffs-weak-antislavery-laws/</link>
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            <title><![CDATA[Rana Plaza 12 years on: Impact of new US tariffs, weak anti-slavery laws]]></title>
            <pubDate>Fri, 25 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[Please note the original article published by Just Style can be found here:&nbsp;Rana Plaza 12 years on: Impact of tariffs, weak anti-slavery laws
In 2024, the UK&rsquo;s House of Lords Committee on Modern Slavery sought a public inquiry into the&nbsp; impact of the Modern Slavery Act 2015. The Committee Report shows evidence that modern slavery statements from companies are inconsistent due to a lack of mandated content requirements, hindering accountability despite a voluntary public registry.
The Committee Report also highlights an inconsistency that may stem from insufficient guidance and the absence of mandated topics for these statements. Accordingly, the Committee&#8230;]]></description>
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            <link>/business/blog/bridging-the-gap-how-women-use-volunteerism-to-combat-inequality/</link>
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            <title><![CDATA[Bridging the Gap: How Women Use Volunteerism to Combat Inequality]]></title>
            <pubDate>Tue, 10 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[

In a world where economic inequality&nbsp;seems insurmountable, one might wonder if simple, unpaid acts of kindness can make a difference. A recent study by Sessions and Zangelidis (2024) suggests that they can&mdash;and highlights the significant role women play in this effort.
The Motivation: What Drives Volunteering?
Volunteering is a global phenomenon, with one in every ten people giving their time to causes they care about. But what prompts such generosity? The study delves into this issue, with a special emphasis on gender dynamics and the larger socioeconomic backdrop of income inequality.
Women are more likely to respond to persistent income&#8230;]]></description>
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            <link>/business/blog/reflections-on-50-years-of-land-economy-progress-challenges-and-the-journey-ahead-for-scotlands-land-reform/</link>
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            <title><![CDATA[Reflections on 50 Years of Land Economy: Progress, Challenges, and the Journey Ahead for Scotland's Land Reform]]></title>
            <pubDate>Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[This month I enjoyed being part of a conference in Aberdeen celebrating 50 years of land economy teaching at the 51cg. As a graduate from 1999, it prompted a few reflections beyond immediate horizons.
One is simply the realisation that my time as a student there was halfway through the 50 years now being marked, which puts it firmly in the receding mists of time.
Another is what has changed, and what hasn&rsquo;t, in Scotland&rsquo;s land over those 25 years. For me, beginning a career in the land sector in 1999 felt an exciting time. With a new&#8230;]]></description>
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            <link>/business/blog/5-things-i-wish-i-knew-before-starting-my-mba-at-the-university-of-aberdeen/</link>
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            <title><![CDATA[5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting My MBA at the 51cg]]></title>
            <pubDate>Wed, 20 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[Starting an MBA is a transformative journey, especially when you're doing it in a new country. Adjusting to life as an international student comes with unique challenges, but a bit of preparation can make the experience smoother and much more rewarding. This guide is for those planning to pursue their MBA at the 51cg, helping you arrive ready to make the most of your time here. As an MBA Business Analytics student, here are my five key insights to keep in mind before you begin.
1. Define Your PurposeBefore you dive into your MBA, it&rsquo;s essential to be&#8230;]]></description>
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            <link>/business/blog/the-11th-anniversary-of-the-rana-plaza-disaster-a-decade-of-modern-slavery-crisis-in-the-fashion-industry/</link>
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            <title><![CDATA[The 11th Anniversary of the Rana Plaza Disaster: A Decade of Modern Slavery Crisis in the Fashion Industry]]></title>
            <pubDate>Wed, 24 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[On April 24, 2024, the global community marks the 11th anniversary of the Rana Plaza tragedy. The Rana Plaza, an eight-story structure that accommodated five garment factories with more than 5,000 workers, collapsed on April 24, 2013. The incident left the deaths of 1,132 workers and injured more than 2,500 workers.
On the morning of 23rd April 2013, the three pillars of the building got two-inch-deep cracks, and the following morning, anxious workers who noticed cracks attempted to refuse to enter the building and work. Despite visible cracks in the building, factory owners &lsquo;forced&rsquo; workers to enter the building and&#8230;]]></description>
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            <title><![CDATA[The Continued Popularity, and limits of Home-based & Hybrid working: Contemporary Experiences in Scotland]]></title>
            <pubDate>Fri, 23 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[The CIPD&rsquo;s Working Live Scotland 2023 report, which has recently been published, provides a valuable insight into various aspects of Scottish people&rsquo;s contemporary experiences of work, on topics as diverse as pay, job quality, employee voice, and the impact of the cost of living crisis. It is based on a subset of over 1000 Scottish workers from the UK Working Lives survey 2023, which was conducted early in 2023.
The focus here is on its findings in relation to one aspect of flexible working, WHERE people work, which provides support for the idea that home/hybrid working has continued at significantly&#8230;]]></description>
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            <title><![CDATA[A Discussion on Artificial Intelligence (taking place in a Virtual World)]]></title>
            <pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[On 22nd November 2022, Professor Donald Hislop, and Luciana Blaha (Associate Professor, Heriot Watt University), presented a seminar on the implementation of artificial intelligence technologies, which was organised and hosted by the Scottish AI Alliance. While it was an online event, it was not on one of the usual technology platforms such as Teams or Zoom, that have become very familiar to many since the start of the covid pandemic. Instead, it occurred in a virtual world, on a technology platform called Gathertown.
&nbsp;Gathertown is part of a technological development towards the use of immersive, virtual worlds, which comes under&#8230;]]></description>
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            <link>/business/blog/experiences-challenges-of-implementing-artificial-intelligence-technologies-in-the-workplace-shifting-public-attitudes-from-a-terminator-to-a-big-hero-6-perspective/</link>
            <guid isPermaLink="true">/business/blog/experiences-challenges-of-implementing-artificial-intelligence-technologies-in-the-workplace-shifting-public-attitudes-from-a-terminator-to-a-big-hero-6-perspective/</guid>
            <title><![CDATA[Experiences & Challenges of Implementing Artificial intelligence Technologies in the Workplace: Shifting public attitudes from a Terminator to a Big Hero 6 perspective!]]></title>
            <pubDate>Thu, 29 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[In the podcast episode I was recently a guest on alongside&nbsp;Dr. Luciana Blaha for the Scottish Artificial Intelligence Alliance, one of the key challenges to the implementation of AI technologies at work that is discussed is the level of trust that workers and customers have in artificial intelligence and robotics technologies. Without workers and customers having trust and confidence in these technologies, their effective implementation may be inhibited. Evidence suggests that such trust and confidence does not always exist. For example, in research on the use of AI in recruitment and selection activities, many candidates had a preference for these&#8230;]]></description>
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            <link>/business/blog/social-audits-and-modern-slavery-have-factory-working-conditions-changed-since-rana-plaza/</link>
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            <title><![CDATA[Social audits and modern slavery: Have factory working conditions changed since Rana Plaza?]]></title>
            <pubDate>Mon, 25 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[On 24 April the world commemorated the ninth anniversary of the Rana Plaza disaster in Bangladesh &mdash; a catastrophe in corporate history. The eight-storey Rana Plaza building contained five garment factories with 5,000 workers making clothes for Benetton, Matalan, Mango, Primark and other major brands. On the morning of 23 April 2013, two-inch-deep cracks appeared in three factory pillars. The following day, 24 April, distressed workers who had seen the cracks in the pillars tried to refuse to start work. The building owner &lsquo;forced&rsquo; them to enter the building and work. Later that day, the building collapsed, killing more than&#8230;]]></description>
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            <link>/business/blog/my-phd-journey-nglaa-ahmad/</link>
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            <title><![CDATA[My PhD Journey: Nglaa Ahmad]]></title>
            <pubDate>Tue, 08 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[Why did you choose to study at Aberdeen?
I chose to study at the 51cg because It is a distinguished university with a long history. It is internationally recognised for its excellence in world-leading research.
What inspired you to do your PhD?
I have been working in academia since my graduation. In fact, being an academic has always been my dream job as I have an immense passion for teaching and doing research. Therefore, doing a PhD seemed an indispensable step to follow my dream and advance my career.
Can you please tell us more about your thesis&#8230;]]></description>
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            <link>/business/blog/women-bear-the-cost-of-covid-fashion-industry-disruption/</link>
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            <title><![CDATA[Women bear the cost of Covid fashion industry disruption]]></title>
            <pubDate>Fri, 28 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[

How many of us know where and how the clothes we are wearing were made? The uncomfortable truth is that by buying clothes in the Global North we might be directly or indirectly contributing to the exploitation of people making them in the Global South.
&nbsp;


Our research published this week, commissioned by the Modern Slavery PEC with the funding of the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), explored conditions of women workers working in UK retailers&rsquo; supply factories based in Bangladesh during the Covid-19 pandemic. Our report, entitled 'The impact of Covid-19 on women workers in the Bangladesh garment&#8230;]]></description>
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            <link>/business/blog/tackling-modern-slavery-a-sustainability-accounting-perspective/</link>
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            <title><![CDATA[Tackling modern slavery: a sustainability accounting perspective]]></title>
            <pubDate>Fri, 17 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[Unethical working conditions are a major issue in many parts of the world, and workers are often exploited by retailers in wealthier countries to maximise their profits. Professor Aziz Islam, Chair in Accountancy at the 51cg is investigating how societal demand for sustainability accountability and transparency can help drive these organisations towards ethical practices.
Alongside Professor Pamela Abbott and Dr Shamima Haque, Aziz has run a project investigating how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected Bangladeshi workers, especially women, and is using their insights to develop policy recommendations. &ldquo;Lockdowns and decreased demand led to the cancellations of orders by&#8230;]]></description>
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