experiencing the future of business - university of waikato...

Experiencing the future of business

Every year, up to 500 students from Waikato Management School

undertake practical experience with real organisations.

As a business school we are committed to ensuring we integrate a

healthy dose of practice, as well as theory, into our degrees.

AN INVITATION TO GET INVOLVED

Practical student experience is compulsory within our Bachelor of Management

Studies (BMS) and Bachelor of Electronic Commerce (BECom) degrees, and is highly

recommended for students in our Bachelor of Communication Studies (BCS) degree.

Waikato Management School invites businesses and organisations throughout

New Zealand to become involved in supporting practical student experience.

It costs very little, but the benefits can be significant. Our students who have

undertaken projects or carried out experience within New Zealand firms, have been able

to add real value to those organisations.

Supporting student experience puts your organisation in touch with fresh thinking from

senior students at one of New Zealand’s leading business schools.

Most of all, it lets you play a part in shaping our future business leaders, from which we

all benefit.

To find out more, please read this brochure and talk to the student who gave it to you,

or contact:

Management Student Centre

Waikato Management School

Phone: 07 838 4990

Fax: 07 838 4033

E-mail: [email protected]

www.management.ac.nz/projects


www.management.ac.nz/projects 3.

All organisations that provide students

with valuable experience within their

business or organisation have the

opportunity to benefit from innovative

thinking, a fresh perspective and the

dedication of students undertaking

practical work experience. Students'

practical experience usually adds value

to the organisation; many businesses

and organisations have expressed their

satisfaction over the years.

Some organisations take the

opportunity to get a project completed

that has been long overdue because

of a lack of internal resources. In other

cases projects are commissioned where

in-house expertise does not exist.

For many organisations the opportunity

to observe a future potential employee

is a key attraction. At minimal cost you

get to assess the capability of a student

and whether or not he or she is likely

to fit into your organisation’s culture.

There is no obligation to employ the

student after the project has been

completed – many organisations are

simply pleased with the results and

happy to have provided opportunities

for the student to gain valuable

experience which the students can put

on their CV.

Supporting student experience is a

great opportunity for your organisation

to help tomorrow’s business leaders

complete their education. It is also a

way for your organisation to develop

a new link or enhance an existing

connection with one of the country’s

leading business schools.

Waikato Management School invites

you to tackle a problem or undertake a

project with students who will tap into

current thinking in key business sectors

and at the same time have experienced

academic staff expertise on hand to

assist in their problem solving.

What are the benefits of supporting student experiences?

4.

Best practice in the global marketplace

Practical student experience helps Waikato Management School prepare graduates to achieve

best professional practice in careers in a global marketplace.

This practical component of our business degrees ensures that our graduates have real-world

business experience during their education.

And it allows New Zealand firms to tap into the expertise of the School and future graduates.

Our graduates are sought after when they qualify because of this vital, practical component.

Practical student experience is also an important means for the School to interact with

business. We pride ourselves on academic programmes that disseminate not only

world-leading theory, but are also specifically relevant to New Zealand business and industry.


REBECCA COLLERTON

BCS graduate Rebecca Collerton is a consultant for

Awaroa Partners Ltd, a PR and strategic communications

firm in Wellington. For her 399 she went to PRINZ

– the Public Relations Institute of New Zealand – to

investigate the perceived advantages and disadvantages

of a PRINZ membership.

PRINZ national president Tim Marshall says Rebecca’s

report reinforced the organisation’s initiatives, and

refreshed its strategies for moving forward. “Rebecca’s

recommendations helped us think about things which

had been discussed in PRINZ over the years. It’s very

useful to get feedback from members as this revives,

re-focuses, or re-energises things we need to do.”

5.

Qualities of a Waikato Management School student

Our entry and quality assurance standards ensure high calibre students. Our aim is to ensure

students have:

• A creative, innovative and critical perspective on management

• The ability to think strategically

• Specialised knowledge in at least one area of management

• Practical skills in business problem solving

• Flexibility, independence and initiative

• Effective written, aural and oral communication skills

• Research and analytical skills

• Advocacy, networking and negotiating skills

• Leadership and teamwork skills

• Time-management and task prioritisation abilities

• Self-motivation, self-confidence and self-awareness

• A passion for their work.

Choose your skills

Students come from three degrees for these experience components:

• Management (BMS)

• Electronic Commerce (BECom)

• Communication (BCS)

MANAGEMENT

Students studying the Bachelor of Management Studies degree must complete a ‘499’ – a

Report of an Investigation of work or research undertaken in a real management environment.

Students research a management problem within a firm or organisation. They research

and collate data within the firm and then draw on current management research to make

recommendations. Honours students complete a similar investigation (a ‘599’) which includes

a more detailed literature review on the subject examined, and includes recommendations

that bridge the gap between practical and theoretical knowledge in the area of investigation.

6.

Qualities of a Waikato Management School student

Our entry and quality assurance standards ensure high calibre students. Our aim is to ensure

students have:

ELECTRONIC COMMERCEERCE

Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Electronic Commerce (BECom) degree seek businesses

and organisations for work experience placements, which they must report on and

analyse as part of their degree. BECom work placements involve a student working for an

organisation, with a mentor or supervisor, for a minimum of four weeks, to a more desirable

maximum of 13 weeks over each summer. The students work on-site for the agreed

period, are often paid for the work they do, and are closely linked to the organisation as an

employee, not just an external student.

Companies or organisations looking for short term assistance in the electronic commerce

field should consider supporting a BECom student.


BRENDON MUIR

An ageing intranet at New Zealand Steel was the focus of Brendon

Muir’s 319. The BECom student did his research and decided on the best

option for the company. He then set about implementing the system

and is now contracted at NZ Steel one day a week to maintain it.

Peter Taylor, Brendon’s supervisor on the project says Brendon was

a great find. “Technically competent, highly enthusiastic and full of

creativity. For the work we wanted done he was a good fit.”

Brendon was with the organisation for three months, “over summer,

which was painful, but worthwhile. I learnt a lot about how big

business works, the dynamics of it, and NZ Steel basically got a very

cheap intranet.”

At 22, Brendon is director of his own company Spike Insights Limited,

and is now taking on his own 319 students.

7.

The organisation’s biggest commitment

is to ensure a student has sufficient

access to appropriate staff in their

organisation and has the necessary

resources to complete their project or

learn from their experience effectively.

The organisation plays an important role

in mentoring the student and allows

them to test and refine their skills and

knowledge in the commercial world. You

can expect a professional and disciplined

approach from students, who are

self-motivated and well-equipped to

work in a wide range of projects.

What does an organisation have to do?

COMMUNICATION

Students studying a double major in

the Bachelor of Communication Studies

(BCS) degree, combining any two Waikato

Management School majors (Management

Communication, Public Relations and

Marketing) can apply their learning to

investigate a real world communication

issue and suggest potential solutions for a

firm or organisation.

Organisations looking to solve a

communications challenge are invited

to consider working with a Waikato

Management School student to supplement

their own resources.

CATHERINE EWEN

Catherine Ewen completed her 499

at The Peninsular Beachfront Resort

in Mooloolaba, Queensland. Majoring

in both Tourism and Strategic

Management for her BMS degree,

Catherine’s 499 brief was to look at

customer satisfaction levels at the

resort. She designed a written survey

and conducted an importance-

performance analysis. “That meant

I was gathering data on what the

customers thought was important for

an enjoyable resort experience, and

how the resort measured up.

“The resort owners were able to

see what they were doing well, and

more importantly where they were

underperforming.

“All in all it was a win-win situation.

The owners found out what they

had to do to gain an even greater

market share, and I gained valuable

experience.”

8.

Any financial support is negotiated between

the organisation and the student. It is usual

for the organisation to cover a student’s

costs, e.g. travel, photocopying etc, while

they undertake the work assignment or

investigation. Some also agree a rate of pay

or financial reward for the work undertaken

while others employ the student to work for

their organisation, especially if the project

is being researched over the summer break.

The latter is considered normal practice and

students find it an incentive to take up

a project.

There is no requirement for an organisation

to make a major financial contribution. The

most important commitment is to provide

a student with solid, practical experience.

The actual remuneration, if any, should be

negotiated with the student and will depend

on the time involved and the level of capacity.

Supporters of the student experience usually

report outstanding value for money.

What are the costs?

ROB WEYMES

T-Systems is a UK company that provides comprehensive

IT and telecommunications solutions to business

customers worldwide. Rob Weymes did his 319 there, then

worked for them for three months and, once back in New

Zealand completing his BECom, continued working for the

company long-distance.

Andrew Finn, Rob’s supervisor at T-Systems says Rob

quickly fitted in and his manner and attitude to customer

focus was always 100 per cent appropriate when

diagnosing and resolving problems. “He was committed

and flexible and what was also great was that he could

often fix problems that other team members couldn’t.”

“I also had a good knowledge of SQL [Structured Query

Language] and that was put to good use,” says Rob. “It

meant the organisation could complete tasks without

breaching the SLAs [Software Licensing Agreement].”


Student expertise

Students studying Management offer

services for practical projects in the areas of:

• Accounting

• Economics

• Finance

• Human Resource Management

• Information Systems Management

• International Management

• Management Communication

• Management Systems

• Marketing

• Public Relations

• Strategic Management

• Supply Chain Management

• Tourism Management

Students studying Electronic Commerce offer

expertise in the areas of:

• Accounting

• Electronic Commerce Technology

• Finance and Economics

• Information Systems Management

• Marketing and Communication

• Strategic Management

• Supply Chain Management

Students studying Communication offer

services for practical projects in the areas of:

• Management Communication

• Marketing

• Public Relations

KATE MCGOWAN

By completing a 399 project Kate

McGowan had her eyes opened to the

business world and in particular, the

advertising industry.

Kate’s project was with Saatchi &

Saatchi NZ where she investigated

the critical role that relationship

management plays in the

advertising process.

“The single best thing was gaining the

ability to communicate effectively with

different people on different levels. I was

dealing with people from the billboard

agencies, television and radio, and so I

had to adapt and learn how to relate to

each of these groups effectively. I also

learned that relationships are the core

of any business transaction, and if you

don’t have a good relationship it can

fail down the line.” Kate is now working

in the media, recently being appointed

Auckland promotions and events

manager at the ZM radio Network.

10.

Examples of practical student experience

Investigations by Management students

• Analysis of the cost accounting system in a dairy company

• Market research project for a new manufactured product

• Business plan for a new small business

• Analysis of a firm’s information systems and technology needs

• Promotional strategy for a medical centre

• Public relations campaign for a major charity

• Review of effectiveness of a staff initiative scheme

• Study of food costs at a hospital

Work Experience by Electronic Commerce students

• Development of an online payment system for a telecommunications firm

• Benchmarking website standards in the photographic imaging industry

• Exploring e-commerce solutions for a large conglomerate

• Website development for an internet design organisation

• Developing the web/internal systems interface for a dairy company

• Study of web presence possibilities for a small manufacturing firm

• Project management of web-based initiatives

Investigations by Communication students

• Survey of the effectiveness of organisational communication

• Investigation into the effectiveness of public relations practices

• Internal communication audit for a city council

• Investigation into how brands can successfully communicate with today’s youth

• Public perceptions of a not-for-profit organisation


Though Bachelor of Management Studies

students commence their practical

projects any time between January and

November, there are two bulk intakes, one

in June and one in November.

November

To take advantage of the university

holidays and break from academic studies,

many students seek to complete their

project between the third and fourth year

of their degree. Whilst these students

commence their projects in November,

they will need to start planning their

projects in June-August to have their

applications in by the final week of

August. Organisations that are considering

taking on students for projects during

the summer break will need to start

advertising between June-August.

June

Students commencing in June, need to

start planning their projects in

January-March to have their applications

in by the first week of April. Organisations

that are considering taking on students

for projects mid-year will need to start

advertising between January-March.

What is the timing?

STEFFAN SINCLAIR

Steffan Sinclair has every reason

to blow his own trumpet; his

499 project helped the Waikato

Orchestral Society solve a complex

accounting issue.

During the final year of his BMS,

Steffan investigated the society’s

asset management policy and as a

result of Steffan’s investigation the

society established a new reporting

procedure for depreciation.

Orchestral Manager Paul Kane says

depreciating assets can be difficult

for orchestras as some assets actually

appreciate in value. “We wanted to

depreciate the music library and

instrument base so our reporting

would be more accurate, but it’s a

complex issue because these assets

appreciate with age.

“With the help of Steffan’s report

we worked through the issue and

established a more accurate reporting

procedure.”

12.

Please note: The 499 or 599 Report of

Investigation takes students six months

to complete.


Bachelor of Electronic Commerce students

usually carry out their work experience

during their summer break (mid-November

to February). Posting of potential position

descriptions is a continuous process, and

begins as early as June, although some

don’t get posted until August, September,

or sometimes even October.

Bachelor of Communication Studies

students undertake their practical project

during the second half of their third year of

study, beginning in July and completing

in November.

13.

Make practical student experience work for you

Hundreds of firms and organisations have

benefited from a Waikato Management School

practical student project.

You won’t just be helping yourself. You’ll be

helping to shape our future business leaders and

management professionals.

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14.


Please provide us with details on:

Your contact details:

Nam

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Com

pany name

Address

Phone

Fax

E-mail

Your organisation’s possible investigation or work

placement assignm

ent:

The type of student it would suit i.e. w

hat subjects they should be studying:

Get in touch

with fresh

thinking from

senior students

at Waikato

Management

School.

If you’re interested, please contact:

Management Student Centre

Waikato Management School

The University of Waikato

Private Bag 3105

Hamilton

New Zealand

Phone: 07 838 4990

Fax: 07 838 4033

E-mail: [email protected]


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