Business School MSc Consultancy Projects Students Supporting Business
Business School MSc Consultancy Projects: Students Supporting Business or Business Support Students?
Click to edit Master title style Agenda Business School MSc Consultancy Projects • The backdrop to growth in consultancy projects • The tensions in business education • The skills gap • The research • Student perspective • Business perspective • A final word
Click to edit Master title style
Clickbackdrop The to edit Master to growth title style in consultancy projects • 29% of all final projects are in the form of a field or consultancy project (Rotterdam School of Management, 2013) • UK Government challenging the ‘pay back’ to students in terms of future earnings and skills (5 November 2018, BBC) • At Nottingham Business School we have been running the Consultancy Module for 15 years and have seen 3500 students engage in projects with local businesses • Our employability record is high in the sector, MSc Marketing course scored 92% in 2017.
MSc Consultancy Projects at Nottingham Business Click to edit Master title style School • Consultancy project module – Students in teams of 5 to 6 – Provided with a pre set brief and problem to address – An academic supervisor supports the process – A 7 week consultancy process – Assessment involves a group presentation, group report, reflective report and academic literature review – Local businesses of any type – A student Experiential manager finds the briefs and engages and briefs clients on their role – Performance on the first two elements of the module tend to be higher than in the last.
Click to edit Tensions in business Master title education style • Student • Business • Skills and knowledge expectations • Focus on theory • Focus on practice • University has to connect and align student and business • University also has to deliver a ‘liberal’ education
Clickresearch The to edit Master and module title style • 12 students recently graduated who had taken the consultancy project module • 8 client organisations from a cross section of corporate, small businesses and not for profit organisations • A focus group with staff however the interest here is with students and clients
Clickstudent The to edit Master perspective title style
Clickbusiness The to edit Master perspective title style • Students brought new ideas especially with respect to social and community initiatives for a social housing organisation • Confidence in marketing practice for those not skilled in marketing practice – showing knowledge in their subject area • Provided an honest view and didn’t just repeat what the client wanted to hear – displaying critical skills • A number of clients welcomed the use of theory, but they tended to have either degrees or MBA’s • Clients tended to be softer on them recognising their age and experience
Click to edit Insights from. Master the university title styleperspective • Manage expectations with the client (one client disappointed that students hadn’t developed a full segmentation and customer profile – this was an impossible task given the timescales • Brief the client on student ability and set expectations especially around the softer skills • Establish a brief and sign off process to set expectations and prevent scope creep
- Slides: 10