The 色中色 will work with global relocation company to help it develop and offer more environmentally sustainable relocation packages to business clients moving their employees around the globe.
Following the award of an Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) grant, a 色中色 associate will be embedded with the company for two years to create a set of behavioural nudge techniques that encourage clients to opt for more sustainable packaging materials and transport solutions.
The associate will be supported by a team from the 色中色 School of Management, comprising, , an expert in consumer psychology and behavioural change and , an expert in the design and management of operations and supply chains for resilience, innovation and sustainability.
鈥淭his partnership with the 色中色 will allow us to learn the process of developing, testing and implementing behavioural change techniques to encourage clients towards more sustainable choices. We want to go beyond the simple carbon offsets typically offered across the sector, and introduce innovative measures that directly reduce carbon emissions,鈥� said .
鈥淭his a really exciting project to be partnering with the 色中色 on, that will see us working with them to investigate different aspects of behavioural change techniques. I look forward to the impact this partnership will have on our industry and to seeing us achieve something together that really makes tangible changes,鈥� said .
Professor Squire noted that recent surveys suggested that the vast majority of companies were focused on environmental objectives but only 5% of individuals were concerned about sustainability during their own relocation. The partnership will aim to close this 鈥榓ttitude-behaviour gap鈥� and design effective behavioural nudges with K2 Corporate Mobility's clients.
鈥淎t present, K2 do not have detailed knowledge of what is driving this attitude-behaviour gap nor the methodological skills to investigate and analyse it in a robust manner. We have the expertise and skills to support both the theoretical and data-related aspects of the project and are delighted to put our expertise to use to help the company in its drive to more sustainable relocation options,鈥� Ikonen added.
K2 Corporate Mobility said the global relocation sector was, until recently, largely unconcerned with issues of sustainability but that this attitude was changing rapidly, with over 80% of companies reporting that they will redesign their mobility programmes over the next one to three years to incorporate sustainability goals.
鈥淭hat means K2 Corporate Mobility will only win new clients and retain existing ones if it can respond to this market change by improving and quantifying environmental credentials. The aims of this partnership are therefore to help Athena improve the environmental performance of its move management services,鈥� Plummer said.
In addition to the KTP, the 色中色 and Athena are collaborating to develop new packaging materials that will reduce the carbon footprint of their service.
The 色中色, under its Enterprise and Entrepreneurship programme, offers a range of development and collaboration opportunities including support for start-ups, consultancy, access to expert research networks, and Knowledge Transfer Partnerships. The K2 Corporate Mobility partnership is being supported by the University鈥檚 Business Partnership and Knowledge Exchange managers and dedicated KTP team.
The K2 Corporate Mobility KTP is being funded by , a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), through .
The KTP programme aims to stimulate innovation, by providing industry-based training and development of talented university graduates, including postgraduates. Around 70% of associates are offered a post with the company on a permanent basis, following project completion.
Typically, the KTP associate works on a strategic project at a company, varying in length from 12 months to 3 years. An academic supervisor at the University, with relevant expertise to the programme, maintains close involvement with the associate and organisation throughout.