Research Projects

A selection of Alina's key research projects include:

• since Spring 2020 the 2020 COVID-19 crisis and its UK-wide impact on businesses and employees. Data collection and analysis. Project entitled: 'Knowledge is Power - Business and the New Unknown"- assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on business and employees 

This is an invitation open to all UK businesses and employees to be part of the leading-edge research project "Knowledge is Power - Business and the New Unknown" helping with the COVID-19 pandemic at most uncertain times and informing policymakers about best decisions. A survey questionnaire is open for any UK employee or UK business, to assess the support needed to reach higher levels of job satisfaction, well-being and productivity.

How can this project make a difference to you? It will provide you and policy-makers timely, valuable, scientific information on vital business aspects to find out what works for business and employees, for whom and how to support you.

How is this research different than others? This is not just a one-time research project to write a report gathering dust; this is a scientific, in-depth and longer-term project for creating of value and meaning for business resilience, societal well-being and growth. Our research team is here for the long haul, collecting data from both business and employees, and we do this three times: (1) during the pandemic until 30 Jul 2020, (2) shortly after lockdown eases in autumn 2020 and (3) when things settle down hopefully to normal in early 2021. Only this long-term design, and a joint business-employee survey, can give employees, businesses and policymakers the best, most relevant and timely knowledge

Who is invited to take part? All UK employees and UK businesses are welcome to take part. Please feel free to share the two survey links (to our business and employee surveys) with UK employees (family/friends) and UK business.

What are you invited to do? Fill in the following on-line questionnaire, designed to take no longer than 15 minutes. Estimates is what we're after, no need to spend time typing exact figures.

All responses are kept strictly confidential, shall be stored in a GDPR compliant way, and shall be anonymised so that no employee or business can be identified in any reporting. If you have further questions or queries about this survey, please contact me, the team's research fellow via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (email monitored daily).

To take the employee survey, where you are invited to join in so that we can assess the impact of the pandemic on job satisfaction and well-being, new flexible ways of working and productivity, the link is:

https://www.research.net/r/KnowledgeisPower4You

while for the business survey please click on the link below, which we also encourage you to share with other businesses:

https://www.research.net/r/KnowledgeIsPower4Business 

All UK businesses and all UK employees are welcome to take part - please feel free to share the two links to our surveys as widely as possible.

• since 2008 and on-going, via numerous data analyses: assessing the use of workplace flexibility by UK business in relation to achieving corporate peformance - the latter is measured via financial turnover, redundancies and absenteeism
• in 2020 (work in progress) -  the Preston Model - an analysis of local reliance of supply chains and procurement
• in 2019-2020: an analysis of skills drain and skills mismatch (over/under-qualification and education), coupled with regional development analysis
• in 2016- 2017 and 2019-2020 - The Economis of Brexit: publication of two co-authored books on the economic costs of Brexit, with particular contribution from Alina consisting in a wide range of data sourcing (Office for National Statistics, World Bank, IMF, UN) for the entire book alongside input on the chapter on migration
• in 2017-18 assessing business preparedness pre-Brexit via SME data collection
• in 2017 analysis of gaps in regional development and business productivity in particular for Lancashire Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
• in 2016: the usefulness of business clusters and networking for regional growth and business productivity (scale-up, start-up analysis)
• in 2015 in relation to potential new industrial development in the North West (UK)
• in 2014: an analysis of workplace flexibility in relation to migration, in particular the migrant composition (share) of the workforce in a particular workplace
• in 2009 in response to the global credit-crunch recession, addressing the use of flexible work to avoid redundancies, decrease absenteeism and increase financial turnover; and similarly in 2011 post-recession. This involved primary data collection and analysis of Small and Medium Enterprises in Lancashire: the economic recession and workplace flexibility practices
• in 2007-8: based on data from the WERS 2004 - an analysis of workplace flexibility in relation to corporate performance in the UK private sector (pre-2008 global financial crisis)
• in 2006 assessing retail and productivity in the UK, to ascertain business performance in a cut-throat and fast paced vital sector for activity in the UK: research into retail business practices and competitiveness: understanding retail capabilities
• in 2003-2006 as part of doctoral research:  the impact of human resource management practices on job satisfaction; and an analysis of training and promotion as to whether employers 'cherry pick' their employees (i.e. deciding maybe to offer training perferentially to those workers who get promoted).

Completed Research Projects before joining UCLan

A short summary of Alina’s research projects previous to joining UCLan is as follows: