Skin-deep skills needed

A neologism in the latest edition of the Collins English Dictionary has emerged from research by two Strathclyde University lecturers. Dennis Nickson of the Scottish Hotel School and Chris Warhurst of the department of human resource management have been researching what they call "aesthetic labour". According to the dictionary, aesthetic labour is defined as "workers employed by a company for their appearance or accent, with the aim of promoting the company's image". Editor-in-chief Jeremy Butterfield says it is one of his favourite entries.