MBA Consultancy Projects - University of Birmingham in the production plants at Cadbury’s Bournville site. ... who completed the assignment to the brief ... 8 MBA Consultancy Projects

MBA Consultancy Projects

‘Triple-crown’ accredited

14826 MBA Consultancy Bro AW amended.indd 1 21/07/2017 15:02

CONTENTS

Introduction 3

The Birmingham approach 4

Deloitte trained 5

Selection 5

Examples of previous projects 6

What companies say 7

Timeline for companies 8

Confi dentiality 9

Costs 9

Project management (during the project) 10

How do I get started? 10

Appendix:Company Consultancy Project: Client Brief/Proposal Form 11


3MBA Consultancy Projects

Introduction

Companies in the UK and around the world

can commission our MBA students for summer

consultancy work that draws upon the diverse

professional skills of our experienced-hire

MBA students.

Consultancy projects allow our students to

demonstrate and develop their business acumen,

whilst providing an excellent strategic resource

to your company and allowing you to test their

abilities before you recruit.

Our MBA students combine their own

considerable business experience with the

analytical and management skills they learn

on the MBA to provide valuable input to

the client company. The format of these projects

is entirely fl exible. Students can be located

within the company or carry out the investigation

as a fi eld-based study from the University.

You set the brief and we source the right

student with the right professional background

and qualifi cations to successfully deliver what

you need.

Our students are ready to help you fi nd solutions

and provide you with tangible recommendations

based on the project outcome. Projects can

focus on any aspect of your organisation such

as Finance, Marketing, Strategy, Operations, IT,

HRM or any other business area.

The projects are approximately ten weeks

in duration, running throughout June and July

with some prep and negotiation time allocated

in May.

We ask companies to propose projects in

January by completing the proposal form at

the end of this document.


The Birminghamapproach

Project work usually starts in May, and will

end by the fi rst Monday in August, after which

the student is required to work on a dissertation,

so this period cannot be extended. Each project

is undertaken by a single student, but you

can submit multiple project briefs if you wish.

Following receipt of your brief, the student will

produce a research proposal that will explain

their understanding of the project requirements

and will set out a plan of action to complete

the research. This plan will include objectives,

proposed method, timing and costs. The

proposal will be subject to discussion and

negotiation and we will require your approval

of the proposal and costs before the student

fully commences work.

Students are expected to produce a project

that addresses your brief and provides useful

business information to help inform business

decisions. In terms of output, the student is

required to produce a Report (circa 4,500

words) for you by the fi rst week of August.

We also request that the company designate

an internal manager to the project. We suggest

a minimum of fortnightly catch-ups between this

person and the student throughout the project.

Dependent on the project requirements, it is

likely the student will need your support to

obtain internal data and access to the channels

necessary to carry out the research.

At the end of the project, we will send through

a short feedback form, which we request be

returned to us by the end of August, in line

with the student’s dissertation submission.

The project will be supervised by a member

of Business School faculty to ensure the

research methods and data sources being

used are appropriate and are being executed

in a professional and objective way. It will also

be overseen by the Business School Corporate

Relations Manager, who will keep in touch with

the client and student to ensure that

expectations are being met and will handle

any diffi culties should they arise.

4 MBA Consultancy Projects

You can request a presentation of the fi ndings

as well if you wish, which you can arrange with

the student to deliver at a time suitable to you

both. NB: whilst the report must be completed

at the time stated above, there is no stipulation

around any formal presentation of the work,

which you can arrange with the student to

be given any time as best suits yourselves.

In terms of input from the company, the

student will initially be asked to produce a

Project Management Proposal, as part of

their assessment in May. This will include the

deliverables of the project and the timescales

which the student must have agreed with you

by this date. The company is therefore asked

to ensure that time is allocated in May to work

with the student to achieve agreement on the

deliverables and practicalities of the project.

We then ask that you sign-off the document

to evidence to the assessor that this has

taken place.



All MBA students who select a consultancy

project go through an intensive training

programme in April, devised and delivered

by Deloitte consultancy specialists to give

the student consultants the best tools with

which to deliver your brief. This includes:

project scoping, client engagement, interview

techniques, problem identifi cation, project

management and presenting recommendations

and feedback.

Companies are asked to propose projects in

January each year (or by mid-February at the

latest) for students to have time to review and

apply to by March.

Students then have the opportunity to put

themselves forward for any project of interest,

if they have achieved a combined average of

60% or above in the January examinations.

All students undergo an initial screening process

carried out at the Business School. Those with

potential will be asked to produce a one-page

covering letter outlining their reason for applying,

which is sent to the company together with their

CV. In instances where more than one eligible

student comes forward, we will usually ask

each student to provide a one-page answer to

a question set by the company designed to test

their understanding of the project requirement.

It is left to you to make the fi nal selection, based

on these documents, and whether you wish to

carry out interviews.

Upon making an offer to a specifi c student,

we recommend a meeting be held shortly

thereafter to talk through the logistics and

timeframe of the project, after which we

put our standard agreement in place if both

parties wish to proceed.

Deloitte trained

Selection


3P innovation

A Plan for Growth based on Competitor

Analysis.

A–Z Petroleum Products – Kenya

The use of International Joint Ventures (IJV)

to fi ll in the skills gap for African oil and gas

companies in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Bank of America

A competitive analysis between metro

and non-metro cities to analyse quantitative

and qualitative factors within Chester that

will attract and retain the needed talent from

London and New York.

Deloitte

Research the current composition of the Public

Services Practice and compare this to current

and future healthcare market to develop the

Midlands Practice recruitment strategy that

meet three-year growth targets.

Extra Energy

Identify current commercial business risk

to Extra Energy.

Flashsticks (Learning Labs Limited)

Identify the validity of gamifi cation as part of an

integrated marketing effort for new language

learning applications.

Hewlett Packard

Investigate HP’s future direction for supply

chain programmes related to requirements

of ILO conventions.

JLR

Identify uncontested market space in Brazil

using Blue Ocean Strategies.

KPMG

Identify who the modern entrepreneur turns

to for advice.

Mondelez

Revision of the Key Performance Indicators

used in the production plants at Cadbury’s

Bournville site.

Examples ofprevious projects




What companies say

The MBA student was excellent; a great example of a confi dent self-starting business professional, who completed the assignment to the brief – enhancing the end result with their own insights and recommendations.

KPMG ENTERPRISE – ADVISORY

We were blown away. We have never been in a position where we have such clarity and insight in where we are going, which is a direct result of the students’ fi ndings and recommendations.

SWISSPORT – EUROPEAN VICE PRESIDENT

I was delighted with the fi nal presentation delivered and the interaction between the student and our R&D UK team over the summer. It was also excellent to have the opportunity to interact with academic members of Birmingham Business School.A job well done! I am looking forward to supporting future projects.

RHODIA NOVECARE – VP R&D AND INNOVATION PARIS

The student’s research into ‘The Challenges and Methods involved in Large Scale Outsourcing of Government Services’, provided a very useful international perspective on a topic that we feel may well resonate in the UK in the coming months.

PA CONSULTING – SENIOR PARTNER



Timeline for companies

June–JulyProject work phase and two weekly review meetings

January–mid FebruaryComplete the Client Brief Form

MarchStudent application process

AprilProject scopingmeetings

MayScoping phasebegins

AugustProject completion

Mid-FebruaryProjects presented to students

March–AprilCompany interviews and selection

End of AprilDeloitte consultancytraining for students

Mid-MayProject Management Proposal signed-off

Timeline for



The project will be undertaken with due regard

for the University of Birmingham’s code of

conduct for research, and students will be

required to complete an ethics checklist as

part of the proposal. This latter checklist will

ensure that the rights of potential respondents

are respected in terms of confi dentiality

and anonymity.

Any associated cost is dependent on the nature

of the project and is negotiated accordingly.

In all cases, out-of-pocket expenses incurred

by the student must be covered by the company.

This includes travel, phone calls, photocopying,

report purchases etc. Often, there is no further

charge, although it is not unusual for the

company to pay some form of additional

compensation during the project or a

discretionary bonus to the student at

the end of the project based on outcome.

We do ask you to consider the value of the

work to your organisation and the hours you

are asking of the student in delivery of that work.

Where the student is required to carry out tasks

at the company as part of the research, take

on regular hours over the summer, or bring

signifi cant expertise, as a result of their own

professional background, then it is likely

that appropriate remuneration will need to be

negotiated accordingly. The Business School

Corporate Relations Manager can advise on

these matters.

We also expect each company to designate

an appropriate member of staff to be the internal

manager of the project and plan this resource

and time allocation accordingly. The designated

person must make themselves available

throughout the project period (May–August)

and we suggest a minimum of fortnightly

contact points be arranged.

All information collected by students in the

course of the project, and the fi nal report itself,

will be treated in complete confi dence and will

not be disclosed to third parties or published.

Note: the report will need to be read and

assessed by selected academics and it

will be put through an electronic plagiarism

check. Beyond this, the content will not be

disclosed. We have a standard agreement

form to be signed by the client and the student,

which outlines the responsibilities of both parties

and assures non-disclosure.

Confi dentiality

Costs


Students and companies are advised to do

the following to ensure the smooth running

of the project:

1. At the initial company meeting, the student

and company representative should agree

a principle project timeline. This should be

followed up with an email to confi rm this

in writing.

2. There should be regular two-weekly

meetings between the company and the

student to provide a time when progress

can be reported and diffi culties with progress

resolved (meetings can be face-to-face or

over the phone etc).

During the project delivery stage, the student is responsible for the effective management of the consultancy project and all communications with the client and the Business School. However, the students all receive support and guidance from their dissertation supervisor who will help them to structure and time-manage the work.

Project management(during the project)

3. Delivery outputs should be agreed at the

start of the project eg, format of fi nal report,

whether a presentation is required etc.

The company is asked to demonstrate

the agreement in writing by signing off the

student’s Project Management Proposal

in May.

4. A fi nal deadline date for these deliverables

must be agreed to ensure project completion

by the fi rst week of August.

5. A Project Agreement document, outlining

responsibilities and commitments of both

parties, confi dentially and ownership, must

be agreed and signed by both the company

representative and the student. We will

provide the Agreement in our standard

format for your review.


All companies and students will be briefed

on these guidelines by the Business School

Corporate Relations Manager.

How do I get started?

If you wish to propose a project for our MBA

students, please fi ll in the form on the opposite

page or contact:

Andrew Miles

Corporate Relations Manager

+44 (0)121 414 6254

[email protected]



Company Consultancy Project:Client Brief/Proposal FormCompany name, contact details and website address

Background to the client organisationPlease provide a brief outline of your company and links to any further information

Project aim and objectivesPlease describe the project/s including; overall aim, key objectives and outcomes expectations

Skills/knowledge/interests required by student consultant

Support for the student consultantPlease say how salary (if applicable) and ‘out of pocket’ expenses will be covered eg, on presentation of receipt for previously agreed expenses. Also, highlight any other benefi ts to the student eg, opportunity to network

Consultancy time period and contact timeThe Project will run from the start of May to the start of August. Please state what your expectations are in terms of Student Consultant contact time. eg, i. Will an orientation period at the company be helpful?ii. Do you foresee a benefi t to the student working at the organisation a set number of days a week?iii. How regularly would you like to meet with the student during the project period? NB: we ask, as a minimum, that the student and company-lead-contact touch base in person or via phone at least once every two weeks throughout the project.

Any further information


1482

6 ©

Uni

vers

ity o

f Birm

ingh

am 2

017.

Prin

ted

on a

recy

cled

gra

de p

aper

con

tain

ing

100%

pos

t-co

nsum

er w

aste

.

Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom

www.birmingham.ac.uk/business

Designed and printed by


Documents

MBA Consultancy Projects - University of Birmingham in the production plants at Cadbury’s Bournville site. ... who completed the assignment to the brief ... 8 MBA Consultancy Projects