MBA Consultancy Projects Contents Introduction Page 2 The Birmingham Approach Page 3 Deloitte Trained Page 4 Selection Page 4 Examples of Previous Projects Page 5 What Companies Say Page 6 Timeline for Companies Page 7 Confidentiality Page 8 Costs Page 8 Project Management (during the project) Page 9 How do I get started? Page 10 Appendix: Company Consultancy Project: Client Brief/Proposal Form 1
MBA 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. Students draw on the analytical and management skills they learn on our MBA programme, in addition to their own business experience, multi-language abilities, cultural skills and knowledge of their home market or sector specialism to provide valuable input to the client company. The format of these projects is entirely flexible. Students can be located within the company or carry out the investigation as a field-based study from the University. You set the brief and we source the right student with the right professional background and qualifications to successfully deliver what you need. Our students are ready to help you find solutions and assist you by delivering recommendations at the end of the project which can be in Finance, Marketing, Strategy, Operations, IT, HRM, or any other business requirement. The projects are approximately nine to 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. 2
What is the Birmingham Approach? Project work usually starts in May, and will end by the first 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 companies can submit multiple project briefs if they 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 but 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 first Monday in August. You can request a presentation of the findings 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, for a specific date in May (the student will inform you of this). 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. 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, this person must also be briefed to support the student by providing data and opening up 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 3
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 difficulties in relationships or student progress should they arise. Deloitte Trained 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, problem identification, project management and presenting recommendations and feedback. Selection 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 the company as to how you wish to make your final selection based on the above documents, and whether you wish to carry out interviews. Upon making an offer to a specific 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. 4
Examples of previous projects: 3P innovation A Plan for Growth based on Competitor Analysis. A Z Petroleum Products Kenya The use of International Joint Ventures (IJV) to fill in the skills gap for African oil and gas companies in Sub-Saharan Africa. Bank of America A competitive analyses between metro and non-metro cities, with aim of analysing 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 PS Midlands Practice recruitment strategy that meets our 3 year growth targets. Extra Energy Identify current commercial business risk to Extra Energy. Flashsticks (Learning Labs Limited) Identify the validity of gamification 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. 5
What Companies Say The MBA student was excellent; a great example of a self-starting confident business professional, who completed 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 findings and recommendations. Swissport European Vice President 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 I was delighted with the final 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! Looking forward to supporting future projects. Rhodia Novecare VP R&D and Innovation Paris 6
Timeline for Companies Jan mid Feb Complete the Client Brief Form Mid-Feb Projects presented to students March Student application process March April Company interviews and selection April Project scoping meetings End of April Deloitte consultancy training for students May Scoping phase begins Mid-May Project Management Propsoal signed-off June July Two weekly review meetings August Project completion 7
Confidentiality 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 confidentiality and anonymity. All information collected by students in the course of the project, and the final report itself, will be treated in complete confidence and will not be disclosed to third parties or published. Note: the report will need to be read and assessed by selected Business 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. Costs 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 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 the 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 is bringing significant 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 will act as first liaison with the company in such cases. 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. 8
Project Management (during the project) 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 throughout from their dissertation supervisor who will help them to structure and time-manage the work. 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 confirm 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 difficulties with progress resolved (meetings can be face-to-face or over the phone etc). 3. Delivery outputs should be agreed at the start of the project e.g., Copy of the dissertation, Executive Summary, Presentation. The company is asked to demonstrate the agreement in writing by signing off the student s Project Management Proposal by the specific May deadline set each year. 4. A final deadline date for these deliverables must be agreed to ensure project completion by the first Monday in August. 5. A Project Agreement document, outlining responsibilities and commitments of both parties, confidentially 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. 9
How do I get started? If you wish to propose a project for our MBA students, please fill in the form below or contact: Andrew Miles Corporate Relations Manager +44 (0) 121 414 6254 a.t.miles@bham.ac.uk 10
Company Consultancy Project: Client Brief/Proposal Form Company Name & Contact Details and Website Address Background to the Client Organisation Please provide a brief outline of your company and links to any further information Project Aim and Objectives Please describe the project/s including; overall aim, key objectives and outcome expectations Please return to Andrew Miles: A.T.Miles@bham.ac.uk
Project Aim and Objectives (Continued) Skills/Knowledge/Interests Required by Student Consultant Support for the Student Consultant Please say how salary (if applicable) and out of pocket expenses will be covered e.g., on presentation of receipt for previously agreed expenses. Also, highlight any other benefits to the student e.g., opportunity to network Please return to Andrew Miles: A.T.Miles@bham.ac.uk
Consultancy Time Period and Contact time The 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. E.g. i. Will an orientation period at the company be helpful? ii. Do you foresee a benefit 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 Please return to Andrew Miles: A.T.Miles@bham.ac.uk