I'm a friendly, outcomes-focused Business Studies tutor with over 25 years’ university teaching experience, supporting students from undergraduate to research levels.

Learn more about Steve

• When did you develop an interest in your chosen field and in private tutoring?

  I became interested in work, organisations, and society quite early on, probably because my family experienced some difficult times during the industrial and economic upheavals of the 1980s. I found myself wondering: why is this happening to us? Over time, that curiosity developed into a career in Human Resource Management, Employment Relations, Organisation Studies, Diversity Studies, and Research Methods within UK universities.
  
  My teaching and mentoring experience emerged naturally alongside my academic journey. After more than twenty-five years working in research-intensive universities, I realised that some of the most rewarding academic work happens in one-to-one conversations: exchanging ideas, helping someone finally “get” a difficult concept, untangling complex theories within a dissertation chapter, or helping students build confidence in themselves.
  
  Private tutoring can be much more tailored than standard supervision arrangements or large classroom teaching. Every student has different strengths, anxieties, ambitions, and ways of thinking, and I enjoy helping people develop their intellectual curiosity in a way that feels genuinely their own.

• Tell us more about the subject you teach and the topics you like to discuss with students (and possibly those you like a little less)

  With more than 25 years of experience in university lecture theatres and classrooms, I have taught and supported students in:
  
  Human Resource Management (HRM)
  Employment Relations
  Organisation Studies
  Research Methods
  Qualitative Research
  Critical Thinking and Academic Writing
  Sociology of Work and Organisations
  Dissertation and Thesis Development
  I particularly enjoy discussing how organisations operate “beneath the surface” — how power, leadership, culture, institutional behaviour, and wider social and economic systems shape workplaces and education.
  
  I aim to help students move beyond simply describing ideas toward using them analytically and confidently in argument and discussion. Watching somebody realise how theory can illuminate real-world problems is always rewarding.
  
  The areas I probably enjoy slightly less are highly mechanistic, quantitative, or purely technical aspects of management education, where students are sometimes expected to memorise frameworks without fully understanding the deeper human or organisational dynamics underneath them. That said, helping students navigate those requirements pragmatically is still part of the job!

• Did you have any role models; a teacher that inspired you?

  Yes — my sociology and geography A-level teachers, Nari Aniruth and Geoffrey Barber, encouraged me to think freely and not be too afraid of getting the wrong answer. They taught me that recognising the limitations and unknowns is often the first step toward deeper understanding.
  
  The teachers who influenced me most were those who inspired students through their own knowledge, research, and practical engagement with the world, even when we were still developing confidence ourselves. They created space for curiosity, disagreement, and independent thinking rather than simply rewarding conformity.
  
  Good teachers understand that scholarship is not just about being clever; it is about learning how to think carefully, honestly, and critically about the world. Good teaching is usually a shared process rather than a one-way transfer of knowledge.

• What do you think are the qualities required to be a good tutor?

  A good tutor needs several things simultaneously:
  
  Subject expertise
  Patience
  Clear communication
  Emotional intelligence
  Intellectual honesty
  Adaptability and open-mindedness
  But perhaps most importantly, a good tutor needs the ability to understand where a student currently is — not where the tutor wishes they were.
  
  Many students are not “bad” at a subject. Often they are overwhelmed, underconfident, poorly guided, or simply trying to understand ideas that have never been explained clearly enough.
  
  Good tutoring involves helping students build confidence whilst still challenging them intellectually. It is about creating an environment where students can ask questions without feeling embarrassed and where improvement feels achievable rather than mysterious.

• Provide a valuable anecdote related to your subject or your days at school.

  I have always been fascinated by the relationship between ideas and human behaviour — the connection between what people say they believe, the theories they use to understand the world, and the actions and decisions that follow from those beliefs.
  
  One comment from a senior academic stayed with me throughout my career: “There’s nothing as sexy as a useful idea.” At first it made me laugh, but over time I realised how true it was. Good ideas are not just abstract theories sitting in books; they are tools that shape how people make decisions, organise institutions, solve problems, and justify actions.
  
  That insight changed how I approached teaching and research. I became interested not only in what causes things to happen in organisations and society, but also why certain issues matter ethically and socially.
  
  A good example is institutional discrimination. Often, inequality is not simply caused by openly prejudiced individuals, but by organisational systems and decision-making rules that unintentionally advantage some groups more than others. Once you begin to examine patterns carefully — who progresses, who is excluded, whose voices are absent — you start to realise that what is missing can sometimes be as important as what is visible.
  
  That idea has stayed with me throughout my career: analytical discovery often begins when somebody notices that something important is absent, inconsistent, or unexplained. I try to encourage students to develop that same curiosity and critical confidence in their own thinking.

• What were the difficulties or challenges you faced or still facing in your subject?

  Like many people in academia, I have occasionally struggled with imposter syndrome” — that feeling that you are somehow not quite good enough yet, despite your experience or achievements. I think uncertainty is a normal part of intellectual life and learning how to work constructively with uncertainty is one of the biggest challenges in higher education.
  
  The world changes constantly, and academic knowledge changes with it. A few years ago, universities were rapidly adapting to remote learning during the Covid pandemic; today we are trying to understand the opportunities and risks created by increasingly powerful AI tools. Our understanding never really stands still.
  
  One reason I value tutoring is that it creates a calmer and more reflective space where students can develop confidence, judgement, and independent thinking, rather than simply trying to “survive” university. For me, education is not just about collecting information or passing assessments — it is about learning how to think more clearly and thoughtfully about complex problems and situations.

• Do you have a particular passion? Is it teaching in general or an element of the subject or something completely different?

  I am passionate about understanding how ideas shape the world around us. Much of my academic work has focused on how organisations, institutions, and social systems influence people’s opportunities, experiences, and life chances. I am particularly interested in how assumptions, rules, and ways of thinking can sometimes create unintended social problems or inequalities without people fully realising it.
  
  What I enjoy most is helping students connect theory to real life. Concepts become much more interesting when you can see how they help explain workplaces, universities, politics, technology, or everyday social experiences rather than remaining abstract ideas inside textbooks.
  
  More broadly, I enjoy helping people develop confidence in their own thinking and judgement. Good education is not just about memorising information; it is about learning how to ask better questions and think more carefully about complex issues.
  
  Outside academia, I enjoy art, travel, cooking, renovation projects, strategy games, following international cricket and rugby union, and long conversations about politics, philosophy, and society — ideally over decent food and a glass of wine somewhere sunny!

• What makes you a Superprof (besides answering these interview questions)?

  I think what distinguishes me is the combination of:
  
  Extensive senior level experience within "Russell Group” universities;
  genuine intellectual breadth;
  developmental support rather than judgement;
  and an ability to explain difficult ideas clearly and accessibly.
  I have worked with undergraduate students, master's students, doctoral researchers, early-career academics, and experienced professionals across many different contexts. I understand both the academic side of higher education and the human side — confidence, anxiety, motivation, imposter syndrome, career uncertainty, and the realities of institutional life.
  
  I also genuinely enjoy helping people think better rather than simply helping them "pass". When students leave sessions feeling clearer, calmer, and more intellectually capable than when they arrived, that is the part of tutoring I value most.