student businesswise

Welcome year 1 students

Celebrating success Graduation summer 2011

What your lecturers get up to when they’re not working with you

Grand opening of the new facilities in Cottesbrooke

It’s such an exciting time for students and staff alike

in Northampton Business School. With record student

numbers yet again this year, a dozen new staff and

the opening of our new student hub, we are looking

forward to many individual and team successes. Once

again the school’s teaching has been acclaimed in the

National Student Survey (2011) which placed Business

18th out of all UK business schools. Students are

our first, second and third priority and, as such, we

are investing heavily in our student centred facilities,

technology enhanced learning, employment orientated

activities, social enterprise and the broader student

social and learning experience. Graduates from the

school last summer have secured jobs in multiple top

companies while increasing numbers have chosen

to undertake a one year student placement during

their study. NBS is increasingly becoming a vibrant

and exciting, truly international business school with

students, business clients and partners from around

the world.

Message from the Executive Dean

Would you like to comment on any of the stories featured in this edition of BusinessWise? Got an idea for the next issue? Let us know –email [email protected]

Published by Northampton Business School T. 01604 892036 E. [email protected]

Editors: Hayley Hunter and Michelle Smith. Design: Stamp

www.northampton.ac.uk

Every effort has been made to ensure that all of the information contained in this edition of Business Wise is correct a the time of going to press. Please note that The University of Northampton accepts no liability for the accuracy of statements in this and other marketing publications.

Featured in this edition...The grand opening of the new facilities in

Cottesbrooke P.5

Welcome year 1 students P.6

What your lecturers get up to when they

are not teaching you P.8

The Centre for Employability, book your

appointment to discuss placement

opportunities P.10

Celebrating success Graduation

summer 2011 P.11

Comments

@ianbrooks6

BusinessWise - Student Edition Page 2

I originally heard about a placement year during my second year as a student. At first I didn’t think it would be for me as I wanted to finish my studies as soon as possible and I also didn’t think I’d need the experience as I was already involved in volunteering groups and my grades were good. I also wanted to work for a small company and didn’t think I would be able to.

Over the summer holidays, I went home to France and my family and friends convinced me to use my personal network to find a work placement there. Coming from an artistic family I really wanted to find a position in a theatre.

I was successful in getting a work placement as a PR & Marketing Assistant at Le Theatre de La Tempete in Paris. My job role was varied; I was responsible for developing relationships with prospective customers both companies and individuals, organising group outings, representing the theatre at events, developing marketing communication plans and working on a new mapping system to better segment customers.

The placement year offered me the opportunity to think about what I wanted to do in the future and how to get there. I feel that I would not have had the time to reflect on these issues if I had gone straight into my third year of study. I have been

given a new way of looking at life. Since completing my work placement I have increased my extracurricular activity and do not miss an opportunity to meet new people because I truly believe that they are the key to everything.

I am so glad that I decided to take a work placement. It is really helping me with my studies and since I came back to the UK I have received more calls from companies for permanent positions than ever before. I feel 100 times more confident in myself.

I would definitely recommend a work placement to other students, the experience is invaluable. My advice to those looking for a placement is to use your network, develop it, contact different companies and go and meet them!

BA (Hons) Marketing

“

“This year our students have secured work

placements in the following companies:

Avon Cosmetics Ltd – Category Co-ordinator – Northampton

Bovey Castle – Events Co-ordinator - Devon

Broad Horizons Enterprise Centre – Student Placement - Coventry

Carlsberg - Change Co-ordinator - Northampton

Covance CRU Ltd – SAS Programmer - Leeds

Cowley Manor – Management/Events Trainee – Cheltenham

Enterprise Rent-A-Car – Management Trainee – Newmarket

Estee Lauder Companies – MAC Special Events Intern - London

European Bioinformatics Institute – Junior Software Engineer – Cambridge

Faurecia Automotive Seating – Accounts Assistant - Banbury

Global Reach Partners – Financial Services Graduate - London

Gorgeous PR – PR Intern – Los Angeles, USA

Gringaux Accountants – Trainee Audit Clerk - Southampton

IBM – System X Sales Operations Support – Middlesex

Kettering Borough Council – Accounting Placement Trainee – Corby

LK Bennett – PR Assistant – London

News International – Fabulous – Fashion Co-ordinator Assistant - London

Pop PR – Press Assistant – London

Stones Events – Assistant Event Planner - Kibworth

Swarovski – Atelier Swarovski Intern – London

The Mansion House – Marketing / Events Assistant - Biggleswade

Travis Perkins plc – Business Risk Support Analyst - Northampton

University of Northampton, Student Union – Events Assistant – Northampton

University of Northampton, Northampton Business School – Placement and

Employability Assistant – Northampton

Vivacity – Sales, Marketing & Communication Manager - Peterborough

World Design & Trade, Firetrap – Marketing Internship – London

A year with BMWDavid Richards, a BA Business Entrepreneurship student took a one year placement at BMW, Bracknell, as an Internet Marketing Assistant. During his time there he undertook such duties as project managing new pages and applications, improving agency relationships as well as problem solving for new projects.

David commented:“I decided to take a placement year as I knew it would be beneficial for me to gain work experience and make myself more attractive to companies when looking for employment after university. I enjoyed gaining experience in the real business world and it has helped me to realise where I want to get to in my career. I also feel that taking a placement year has given me an advantage over students who haven’t.

Being on a placement year has really helped with my studies. I now have the goal to get a first, I had the goal before my placement but now I see the importance of this and how much it will help me in my career in the future. I would definitely recommend a placement year to anyone.”

Since graduating in July 2011 with a first class degree David has been employed as a Marketing Manager at local company USB2U.

Parisian Placement


Final year undergraduate students studying Financial Strategy responded well to the challenging assignment set by tutor Mike Eade. This year students were encouraged to write a business plan which could be turned into the reality of a full or part-time job on graduation. Given the state of the economy a business plan was seen as a useful way of integrating an understanding of operational management, marketing and accountancy. There is also the hope of making a fortune or at least a decent living.

A number of students thought through their ideas to the point where serious consideration is being given to trying to put the idea into practice. This will require the support of parents, friends and relatives on graduation. The businesses included proposals for a company that will provide pollination services to farmers and breeding services to apiculturallists (beekeepers), a custom-made soft furnishings business, a security company, Sew Perfect a tailoring company by Tasmina Begum, Coastal Cuisine Food

Delivery Service by Sulleman Petit and a cleaning company. From an academic perspective these assignments achieved a richly deserved A grade. From a practical standpoint some of these plans may turn into a successful business which employs others.

The real challenge for students is to come up with a practical idea which requires minimal financing and offers opportunities for growth to the point where the business can become fulltime. The usual practice in academia is to ask students to start a business with £25,000 from the mythical long lost relative in Australia. Starting as a micro-capitalist requires a lot more thought, research and planning. Throughout the business plan process there was plenty of help available to students during seminars.

Given the emphasis on employability and entrepreneurship, so vital to the global economy, Northampton Business School is again focusing on the issues faced by all businesses.

Accountancy visit from the expertsOn the Thursday of welcome week the new accounting students were given the opportunity to attend sessions that were organised by a variety of external visitors. The students firstly met with Lisa Day and her team from ICAEW (The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales) The students engaged in a business game organised by the members of ICAEW and aided by representatives of Grant Thornton where, in groups of five or six, they had the challenge of deciding which investment opportunity would give the best returns given financial and other information about several competing companies. Each group presented their decisions giving reasons for their choice and much discussion and debate resulted.

After a buffet lunch there were a number of talks including a partner from the local accountancy firm Hawsons who explained his career path over the years that resulted in his present position. Graduates employed by Nationwide also talked of their university experience and their experience of successfully applying for graduate positions. One of these graduates, Matthew, recently graduated from The University of Northampton with a first class honours, BA Accounting & Finance. The day finished with a talk from two recently graduated students, Sandra and Dana, with their tips on making the best of university life having also graduated with first degrees in Accounting & Finance.

A strategy for a million?

Final year students. Have your say in The National Student Survey –

coming to an Inbox near you in the new year.

When Luke Tate started out on the BA (Hons) Business programme with Northampton Business School he did not expect to become a poster pin up on graduation.

Luke took full advantage of the opportunity for a year out in industry and with the help of The Centre for Employability secured a placement with Carlsberg at the UK Headquarters based in Northampton. Following a successful placement year, Carlsberg offered Luke some part time work to fit in with his final year of studies.

Luke believes that having the opportunity to take a year’s work placement enabled him to stand out from the crowd. The confidence and experience he gained over this time made him more of an attractive prospect to employers.

After graduating with a First Class Honours degree Carlsberg were quick to snap Luke up on a full time basis as a Human Resource Advisor.

Luke was keen to share his story with other students considering a placement year so our central Marketing team arranged a professional photo/film shoot. The resulting video has been a major success on You Tube and on the University web site and this has also led to a poster campaign around the county where Luke can be seen adorning many of the bus stops.

The Centre for Employability has a new office located next to The Hub in Cottesbrooke so why not call in and make an appointment to talk about placement opportunities.


Our very own pin up

Northampton Business School were delighted to unveil the £1.7m extension to the Cottesbrooke building which boasts a new social learning space where students and staff can get together to work in small groups or share ideas over a coffee. Students were asked on Facebook for suggestions to name the new space and we opted for ‘The Hub’. The Hub will be open from 8am – 8pm and offers wireless connection to the internet, allowing students to work with their laptops, in addition we have vending facilities to get a hot or cold drink and a selection of snacks. The Hub provides a considerable enhancement to the student experience for undergraduates as well as our postgraduate and part time evening students. We hope the space will be a hive of activity allowing students to connect, learn, reflect and inspire.

The extension also offers new spacious teaching rooms equipped with the latest technology and student breakout rooms located on the first floor which can be used for group work and to practice presentations. Students can book these rooms through the business school reception using their student card. We also have an additional computer suite and a boardroom which will be used by students to simulate industry style meetings and agency presentations. Reaction to the new space has been very positive from students, staff and visitors alike.

On Thursday 6th October Northampton Business School invited students and staff to celebrate the official opening. Vice Chancellor Professor Nick Petford, and Executive Dean of NBS, Dr Ian Brooks, welcomed over 100 students and staff to the new facility’s official opening.

BBC Radio Northampton broadcast live from the opening, interviewing guests. Svetlan Iltsenko, aged 20, a second year student from Russia whose Tourism degree is based at the Business School said: “Last year we had nowhere to really go between lectures unless we wanted to keep walking back and forth across campus. Now we have this great space and I think our time will be spent far more productively. I’m very excited to use the boardroom and have professional space for presentations.”

During the opening students were entertained by Robert Gough, an award winning magician. Robert offers a fresh spin on magic and provides a unique humour. With his expert

sleight of hand, powerful card magic, and his ability to bend cutlery with his mind he was a big hit with all the guests.

Following the opening event pictures were posted on Facebook and students have been

tagging themselves and adding comments, Thomas Hughes posted his comment on Facebook ‘Very Snazzy’. Northants Chamber of Commerce tweeted ‘Just been to the opening of the Business School (@NBSUniNorthants) extension @UniNorthants. A fantastic facility’. We would love to hear your comments about the new facilities on Twitter @nbsUniNorthants.

The extension has been in tentative operation since September 2011, and the facility has already been

used for external meetings for the Bank of England for a conference on the ‘future of the UK economy’, as well as a seminar delivered by Floyd Graham & Co Solicitors on agency worker regulations.


Grand opening of theNEW Cottesbrooke facilities


2011 Freshers, pics from the first week

Want to share a

photo? Post on our

Facebook page

NBSUniNorthants


Olinga Ta’eed, was described in April 2011 as an “entrepreneur, investor and social activist” by a leading US University. Olinga joins Northampton Business School (NBS) as Professor in Social Enterprise at The University of Northampton, the only such post in the UK.

One of the key focuses for Olinga’s work at NBS will be to enhance the student experience of cross sector blended solutions, some with community engagement,

including how to manage and measure multiple agendas.

Olinga will offer guest lectures and one to one mentoring, as well as supervising research students particularly in areas of metrics, connected communities, microfinance, Faith 2.0, social media, regeneration and ‘Big Society’ paradigms. He built his corporate pedigree by specialising in hypergrowth companies and those in severe difficulty. He retired last year at the age of 50 from the business world, having held P&L responsibility in organisations from start- ups to US$ 600 million with 9000 staff, mostly as CEO/ Chairman positions across private, public and third sector organisations.

In the last decade Olinga has focussed his efforts in the third sector as Chair of some of the largest BME (black minority ethnic) charities in Europe in capacity development and mental health, as well as smaller charities in children’s environmental studies and Asian family issues amongst others. He remains involved in mentoring and the performance arts where he has considerable hands on experience. Olinga has returned to his academic roots to take up the position of Professor in Social Enterprise at Northampton Business School adding to some 70 published papers.

Events...3rd November 2011 11 – 3pmCareers Fair

Come along to The University of Northampton’s annual Careers Fair and talk to employers about the opportunities that they will have available when you graduate.

3rd November 2011 6 - 8pmGuest Lecture - Peter Whitehead Financial Times

How hard can it be to run a big business?

To book please e-mail [email protected]

23rd November 2011 1 - 2.30pmAccountancy careers talk hosted by Lisa Day of Institute Chartered Accountants England and Wales

8th December 2011 6 - 8pmGuest Lecture – Alan Fraser RushGlobal Planning Director, SwedenLowe Brindfors Advertising Agency

In F cus

Got an event to advertise or books to sell?Please feel free to use the designated student notice boards on the 1st floor in Cottesbrooke to advertise your events or sell books. Alternatively you can post a notice on our Facebook wall at NBSUniNorthants.

Children in need 2011Visit the Centre for Community Volunteering to see how to get involved

www.northampton.ac.uk/volunteers


Ever wondered what your lecturers get up to when they’re not working with you?Thailand TiesRoss Thompson, Senior Lecturer and Course Leader for the BAM Top-Up Degrees, spent five weeks working as a visiting professor at Eastern Asia University (EAU) in Bangkok (Thailand). Ross spent his time teaching the local students, working with EAU staff, meeting educational agents, visiting schools and educational fairs. Ross found the trip invaluable – apart from the heavy rains – and feels the experience has benefitted him greatly in terms of cultural understanding and sensitivity. Ross has been helping to finalise an agreement with EAU which will allow their students to study for one year in the UK and receive a dual Bachelor’s degree award.

Hugs and Kisses in ChileIn early September Susan Bailey, Principal Lecturer and Field Chair for Information Sciences and her colleague Carole Morrell were invited to the Technological University of Chile INACAP by Chancellor, Gonzalo Vargas and the Dean of International Relations, Joaquin Valenzuela. INACAP provided a very warm welcome to Susan and Carole. The Chileans have a habit of hugging and kissing you everytime you meet up! Susan and Carole delivered a lecture on the implementation of Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA ) across INACAP’s IT degree provision and provided workshop support, in addition they facilitated a comprehensive workshop for the faculty and administration team involved in the SFIA implementation process, on the practicalities of

embedding SFIA in the curriculum. Talks are now underway to look at the feasibility of offering NBS students the opportunity to spend a year studying at INCAP.

Global Entrepreneur ProjectDr. Shaowei He, Dr. Dave Burnapp and Professor Zhigang Yan (Shaoguan University) have been leading on a collaborative project with Shaoguan University in China, funded by the British Council Prime Minister’s Initiative for International Education (PMI2). The aim of this partnership is to help students of different cultures to work together to develop as global entrepreneurs, by enhancing their cross-cultural communication skills and knowledge of the business environment of other countries. In order to achieve this, the project team has created an innovative training module which aims to develop students’ cross-cultural understanding and communication skills alongside the traditional entrepreneurial and employability skills.

NBS Student Rachel Franklin took part in the project and said “I have found the experience to be exciting and rewarding. I enjoyed working with both students from Northampton and more excitingly overseas students. I also learnt quite a bit about entrepreneurship in the process. I think that this type of learning has great potential. To have the chance to study, talk and exchange ideas with students thousands of miles away in a totally different culture was the bit that was the most enticing for me.”

The Restaurant Inspector comes to townSenior Lecturer in Marketing Grant Timms was featured in Channel 5’s The Restaurant Inspector, after he gave his valuable advice and support to The Vineyard, a local family-run restaurant.

Grant Timms worked behind the scenes helping restaurant owner Amy Walder. Grant said ‘In these tough economic times it is more important than ever to focus on customers. Amy and I have been thinking creatively about finding new ways to attract customers and most importantly, building strong relationships to encourage them to keep coming back’.

Warm welcome for Izabela in BeijingDr Izabela Robinson, Programme Leader for MA HRM and PG Diploma HRM has returned from visiting Capitol University of Economics and Business in Beijing where she delivered a series of lectures to undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD students on the topic of Strategic HRM and the contribution of SHRM to organisational performance.


Getting a good degree is not enough; employers are looking for graduates that stand out from the crowd, have relevant experience, can think outside the box and who can demonstrate key skills through practical examples.

Volunteering is recognised by university’s as a way for students to gain experience and try out career paths and it has the added benefit of helping communities and charities provide vital services.

The Centre for Community Volunteering (CfCV) is The University of Northampton’s own campus based service to help you find the type of volunteering that best suits your needs. So whether you want to do something based on your studies, interests or a passion, CfCV has hundreds of opportunities that you can get involved in and a team of friendly staff offering advice, guidance and support.

One recent Business Studies graduate, Peter Sara, found himself leading his own project, planning and organising a range of awareness and fundraising events for Fair Trade and commented “ Without this experience I would be leaving university without a strong direction to follow, I’ve developed loads of skills and, as a result of my volunteering I want to pursue event management in the voluntary sector’.

CfCV will be holding regular drop in sessions in Cottesbrooke C121 on Wednesdays between 9.30 and 12.00 during term time so if you have questions about volunteering or you simply want to find out more about opportunities please pop into to see us or email [email protected] or visitwww.northampton.ac.uk/volunteers

Thoughts on the

FINANCIAL TIMES...

Northampton Business School are pleased to continue offering daily copies of the Financial Times free of charge to students. The feedback from students is very positive and there is a real sense of how much this helps students with their studies.

“Since I have engaged with this paper over the last couple of months it gives me intellectual knowledge and allows me to participate in discussions both within and outside the university. The FT has given me the confidence to speak openly about what is happening in the world which has helped me to develop hugely as a person.”

“The finance pages originally scared me but now I am able to take my time to read through and look over to gain knowledge and understanding of the subject….. The broadsheet paper has enlightened me. At first I was most apprehensive about opening the daunting paper but now I am almost excited at the thought of picking out stories, facts and figures to share with my peers.”

“The FT has helped me in my lectures and seminars as I can now understand the tutors and think the same way. This also means that when I come to write up assignments I can use the vocabulary in my work to show that I have a good understanding of the business world.”

“I believe the FT to be a very good source of information, which when read regularly can be a really good way to increase your knowledge and give you a better understanding of business and therefore better grades.”

THANK YOU TO ALL THE STUDENTS AND STAFF WHO TOOK PART IN THE MACMILLAN COFFEE MORNING. IN TOTAL WE RAISED £160.00 FOR THIS VERY WORTHY CAUSE.

The case for volunteering

News Flash: Mike Eade has been awarded a Fellowship

of The Institute of Chartered Secretaries

and Administrators (ICSA)

Tambudzai Mangezi Lecturer in Financial Services

Dr Nikolaos PappasLecturer in Marketing

Dr Cristina Quinones Lecturer in Human Resource Management

Dr Holger SiemonsSenior Lecturer in International Business

Dr. Olinga Ta’eed Professor in Social Enterprise

Tannish ThakkerPlacement and Employability Assistant

Sandra Whittleston Senior Lecturer in Information Technology Service Management


Dr Ilenia Bregoli Lecturer in Marketing

Bettina DowningEnglish as a Second Language Leader

Dr Andrew Gough Lecturer in Operations Management

Lisa HansonEnglish as a Second Language Instructor

Philipp Kuhl Project co-ordinator

Dr Kai LiuLecturer in International Business

Dr Lien Luu Senior Lecturer in Financial Services

iNorthampton helps you stay connected to The University of Northampton from wherever you are, on or off campus. Use iNorthampton to find anyone in the directory and get in touch instantly, stay in-the-loop with the latest campus news, watch videos from recent campus events, check timetables and courses as well as browse our library catalogue, or even check out our latest events.

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The Northampton Business School Centre for Employability is based within The Hub. You can book an appointment with staff to discuss a wide range of work placement opportunities. In addition the Centre will provide a space for students to meet with University Careers & Guidance Officers, Advisors from the Centre for Academic Practice and The Volunteering Team.

Centre for Employability Mon – Friday 10 - 4pm

Community Volunteering - Wednesday 10 -12 noon

Careers & Guidance – Friday 10 -12 noon

Centre for Academic Practice – availability to be advised

To...

THE CENTRE FOR EMPLOYABILITY

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Celebrating success Graduation summer 2011

Issue 36