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Sarah Bloomfield

I am a Lecturer in work-based learning and the Qualification Lead for the Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship (CMDA) programme at The Open University. I joined the OU central academic staff in 2021, having worked in Associate Lecturer and Practice Tutor roles for the University since 2009, and as a Senior Lecturer in Business and Management at Bath Spa University (where I still work as an external examiner). I gained my ESRC funded PhD and MRes at the University of Bath (where I maintain a role as a Visiting Research Fellow), and I have an MBA from INSEAD in France.

Before joining academia I had an extensive career in the consumer goods industry which included developing the launch of vacuum cleaners and washing machines; project managing a sponsor's on-site presence at the winter Olympic Games in Japan; and working as the UK Marketing Director of a major beauty brand.

Research interests

I am interested in the lived experience of work, with a particular focus on the lived experience of learning in and for work, recognising that each work situation is unique. This has led to two complementary research streams: one focused on work-based learning as a pedagogical approach; and the other related to how organisational contradictions are lived, and the impact those contradictions have on leadership, behaviour and organisations.

I use engaged methods of research, and have a published book chapter on employing an ethnographic methodology within organisational research.

Why not knowing what to do isn’t always a bad thing for leaders

Aug 16, 2024 06:08 am UTC| Insights & Views Business

In 2002, after a Pentagon news briefing, the then US secretary of defence Donald Rumsfeld was widely ridiculed for his thoughts about knowledge. Discussing the issue of whether Iraq was supplying weapons of mass...

Economy

Oil Prices Steady as U.S.-Iran Truce Uncertainty and Middle East Tensions Keep Markets on Edge

Global oil prices stabilized on Friday, but Brent crude remained on track for a weekly decline of more than 8% as investors assessed the uncertain future of the U.S.-Iran peace agreement and ongoing geopolitical risks in...

Asian Stocks Surge as Oil Prices Fall and Strong US Dollar Weighs on Markets

Asian stock markets rallied on Friday, with Japan and South Korea reaching record highs as easing tensions in the Middle East and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz pushed oil prices lower, reducing global inflation...

US Stock Futures Slip After Wall Street Rally Fueled by US-Iran Deal and Chipmaker Surge

U.S. stock index futures edged lower on Thursday evening, giving back some gains after a strong Wall Street rally driven by optimism surrounding a new U.S.-Iran agreement and a powerful surge in semiconductor stocks....

Canada, British Columbia Launch $5 Billion Infrastructure Partnership to Boost Housing, Transit, and Healthcare

Canada and British Columbia have unveiled a major long-term infrastructure partnership valued at more than $5 billion, aimed at accelerating housing development, expanding healthcare facilities, and improving public...

Japan Inflation Stays Below BOJ Target Despite Rate Hike and Rising Energy Cost Risks

Japans consumer inflation remained subdued in May, highlighting the ongoing impact of government energy subsidies even as the Bank of Japan (BOJ) signals concerns over future price pressures. The latest inflation data was...

Politics

U.S.-Iran Talks in Switzerland Postponed as Questions Over Interim Deal Persist

Planned negotiations between the United States and Iran scheduled for Friday at the Burgenstock resort in Switzerland have been postponed, according to a statement from Switzerlands foreign ministry. The delay comes amid...

Lee Jae Myung, Trump Discuss Step-by-Step North Korea Nuclear Strategy at G7

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung revealed that U.S. President Donald Trump was open to considering a phased approach to addressing North Koreas nuclear threat, prioritizing an immediate halt to Pyongyangs nuclear and...

IRGC Expands Secret Iraq Cells to Target Gulf States Hosting U.S. Forces

Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has reportedly established covert armed cells in Iraq to launch attacks against Gulf countries hosting U.S. military forces, according to multiple Iraqi security and militia...

US Military Strike in Eastern Pacific Kills Three Amid Legal and Human Rights Concerns

The U.S. military confirmed that a recent strike in the Eastern Pacific resulted in the deaths of three men, marking the latest operation in the Trump administrations expanding campaign against alleged drug trafficking...

Pakistan, Qatar Mediation Secures Preliminary U.S.-Iran Deal Amid High-Stakes Negotiations

Pakistan and Qatar played a crucial role in helping secure a preliminary U.S.-Iran agreement this week after weeks of intense diplomacy, according to sources familiar with the negotiations. The breakthrough deal, announced...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

Meta Seeks Legal Shield From Child-Harm Lawsuits Amid KOSA Talks

Meta Platforms is reportedly lobbying U.S. lawmakers to include legal protections for social media companies in the proposed Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), a move that could significantly impact thousands of lawsuits...

SpaceX Stock Slides After IPO Rally as Valuation Concerns Grow

SpaceX (NASDAQ: SPCX) shares extended their pullback on Thursday after a remarkable post-IPO rally, as investors locked in profits and questioned the companys lofty valuation. The stock, which dropped nearly 10% earlier in...

US Raises Concerns Over Possible ASML EUV Machine Transfer to China

U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has reportedly raised concerns with Dutch semiconductor equipment giant ASML regarding the possible transfer of one of its advanced extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines to...

Google Gemini Co-Lead Noam Shazeer Leaves for OpenAI Amid AI Talent Race

Noam Shazeer, a vice president of engineering at Google and one of the leaders behind the companys Gemini artificial intelligence models, has announced that he is leaving Google to join OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT. The...

SK Hynix Shares Hit Record High After Shipping Next-Generation HBM4E AI Memory Samples

SK Hynix Inc. saw its shares surge to an all-time high on Thursday after announcing the shipment of samples of its latest high-bandwidth memory (HBM) product, reinforcing its position as a leading supplier in the rapidly...