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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
14826 MBA Consultancy Bro AW amended.indd 2 21/07/2017 15:02
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.
14826 MBA Consultancy Bro AW amended.indd 3 21/07/2017 15:02
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.
14826 MBA Consultancy Bro AW amended.indd 4 21/07/2017 15:02
5MBA Consultancy Projects
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
14826 MBA Consultancy Bro AW amended.indd 5 21/07/2017 15:02
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
6 MBA Consultancy Projects
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7MBA Consultancy 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
14826 MBA Consultancy Bro AW amended.indd 7 21/07/2017 15:02
8 MBA Consultancy Projects
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
14826 MBA Consultancy Bro AW amended.indd 8 21/07/2017 15:02
9MBA Consultancy Projects
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
14826 MBA Consultancy Bro AW amended.indd 9 21/07/2017 15:02
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.
10 MBA Consultancy Projects
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
14826 MBA Consultancy Bro AW amended.indd 10 21/07/2017 15:02
11MBA Consultancy Projects
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
14826 MBA Consultancy Bro AW amended.indd 11 21/07/2017 15:02
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Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom
www.birmingham.ac.uk/business
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