inspiring research
Working with Business Every year Exeter staff work on around 1,000 projects with business and other organisations to provide smart solutions to global, national and local challenges. The value of this work is around £28 million pa. Our major partners include Shell, BT, EDF, Syngenta, Vodafone, GlaxoSmithKline, Thomson Reuters and the UK Met Office which is based in Exeter. We also ensure that the outcomes of our world-class research are translated into commercial application for the benefit of society and the economy. The University has its own business incubator on campus and links with the SETsquared partnership of Universities in southern England whose aim is
“Economists are trying to understand how people actually behave.” Dr Miguel Fonseca University of Exeter Business School
Economics is moving away from the assumptions of extreme rationality and self-interest. Now we are trying to understand how people actually behave, with a view to understanding issues like perceptions of climate change, or how identity issues affect economic behaviour. Regulators are becoming interested in what we’re doing, and businesses are paying attention to what they could do better. In experimental economics we set people a task which simulates an environment we want to investigate: bargaining, cartel formation, how group affiliation affects negotiations. I’ve had findings cited in a merger case. Being cited outside academia means you’ve made an impact. I came to Exeter from Manhattan, which was a shock! I made the right choice though. It’s a special place to live and work.
to encourage business incubation and growth.
worki n g with busi n ess
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