MBA pilgrimage to birthplace of Spitfire and Lancaster bomber

As part of The Brunel MBA programme of company visits, students visited the Jaguar plant earlier this year at its base in Coventry with MBA lecturers Professor Michael Bourlakis and Dr Emel Aktas.

MBA student ambassador, Anmol Dalal, gave his account of the Jaguar trip:

“For me it was a pilgrimage to the place which gave birth to the legendary Spitfire and the dependable Lancaster bomber. This was the place which gave Inspector Morse his car and the E-type which is still one of the most beautiful cars in the world.

On reaching our destination we were greeted by one of the Jaguar representatives and invited to sit through a company presentation which took us through the birth of the company, its former association with giants in the automotive industry and its current ownership under Tata who are giving it functional autonomy to do what the company does best: dependable, exciting and state of the art cars.

After tea most of us jumped into the display cars to get the feel of the cars. I remember most of my colleagues reverting back to their childhood while playing with the cars and getting their pictures taken with the beautiful machines!

Once we had finished tinkering with the cars we were taken on a tour of the manufacturing facility.  In the past I had the pleasure of seeing the manufacturing facilities of Suzuki and Honda, two Japanese automotive giants, hence I was not expecting to be surprised but I have to confess the efficient inventory management and built on order concept of manufacture at Jaguar blew me away. At Jaguar the manufacture process is poetry in motion.  It is man and machine working in tandem to produce a product of the finest quality.

The company has tied up with DHL and its people, processes, and services are geared to finding ways to reduce cost and inefficiency, clarify processes, improve delivery accuracy, as well as simplify the most complex and extended supply chains. DHL maintains the supply chain and Jaguar assemble the cars.  The engines are built on order near Wolverhampton, England and transported to the Coventry plant we visited.

At the Coventry facility automated robots are used to manufacture the cars from press moulded aluminium steel alloy sheets. These are glued and riveted together to construct the body and the chassis. The suspension and power-train of the car are put together in another cell of the assembly process which is divided into various functional cells.  Each cell had specific protocols to follow and if anything did not go accordingly there were warning sounds individualised to every cell. We saw the whole car being fabricated from sheet moulding, painting, coach building and drive train marriage.

On coming back to the seminar room the whole process was related to theory by an enlightening lecture given by our MBA Professor, Michael Bourlakis. It was a real industry application of the theory we were taught in class. Then came the time to leave the wonderful world of Jaguar behind. “

To find out more about the MBA company visits, please see our website.

More Brunel MBA international graduates able to work in UK this year

The UKBA have announced an extension to the Graduate Entrepreneur scheme for 2013, which will allow each Higher Education Institution to endorse up to 10 places on the scheme for MBA graduates, in addition to the 10 places for graduates of any subject. In general, the UKBA expanded the scheme from April 2013 to include an additional 1000 places for talented international MBA graduates.

Brunel University successfully bid for 10 places last year and following a rigorous application and selection process, we endorsed 5 Graduate Entrepreneurs, who have all since been granted their visas and are working on their businesses and business plans according to the rules of the scheme.

Brunel Placement and Career Centre will be running information seminars in April, with one exclusively for MBA students, to inform them about the scheme, and answer any general questions they might have. Following those seminars students will be asked to express their interest in applying for the Graduate Entrepreneur scheme through an on-line form. Please check the PCC website after Easter for details.

To find out more about the MBA programme please visit the Brunel MBA website. 

Prof Moscone helps create biobanks used to diagnose cancer in €2.5mln project

A European consortium of medical, research and higher education institutions is developing a network for banks containing digitalised images of human tissue—”biobanks”— which will help doctors to diagnose different types of possible cancerous tissues taken from patients’ biopsies in a shorter time. The seven partners across four European countries, including Brunel Business School in the United Kingdom, and other institutions in Spain, Netherlands and France are developing the project, known as BIOPOOL, with a budget of €2,500,000 from the European Commission.

Prof Francesco Moscone, Brunel Business School

“The network will enable clinicians to compare the image of a biopsy for a patient with biopsy images of a large number of other patients across Europe,” explained Francesco Moscone, Professor of Business Economics at Brunel Business School, Brunel University, west London, who is responsible for the business impact of this project.
“The benefits mean that there would be a faster and more accurate diagnosis of diseases, thereby preventing, or reducing, the need for multiple invasive tests.”
“Fast and accurate diagnosis will also help in identifying the more appropriate medical treatment, as well as reduce the length of hospital stay.”

The existing biobanks are organised collections of biological material and associated health information, for medical-scientific research and diagnostic purposes. In the recent years, biobanks have started digitalising their material, by scanning their samples and storing images and associated information in databases.
But the digital images are usually collected in various different formats, and stored in separated databases and facilities. While image collections carry very valuable knowledge in several fields, their exploitation requires tools to gather, access, visualise, and process large images.

Professor Moscone added: “From the point of view of medical research, the large amount of data shared within BIOPOOL will allow the scientific community to conduct more meaningful clinical trials, especially with respect rare diseases.The use of such interconnected sources of data is very promising, as it is expected to reduce diagnosis time and related costs,” he said.

Other Brunel Business School Team Members working on the BIOPOOL project include:

• Dr. Elisa Tosetti
• Prof. Keith Dickson

Roberto Bilbao, Director of the Basque Biobank for Research and coordinator of BIOPOOL project explained that the project involves a significant number of challenges, both technical and non-technical. It manages very large images, as digitalised bio-images are stored in huge files, even reaching 10-15 GB per image.

The scheme will aggregate data from biobanks until August 2014.

Professor Francesco Moscone is the Director of the Brunel MBA programme and the former head of the Centre of Research into Entrepreneurship, International Business in Emerging Markets. He has previously worked at the University of Leicester, University of Cambridge, and London School of Economics (LSE). He has held visiting scholar positions at University of California-Berkeley, University Pompeu Fabra, and LSE. He has worked as health economist for the National Collaborating Centre for Women and Children’s Health, and the National Agency for Regional Health Services (Rome, Italy). He is principal investigator on an ESRC (UK government funding) first research grant entitled “Statistical Modelling of Interdependence in Economics”. Additionally he is co-investigator for the grant “Economic Performance and Quality of Life in European Cities” awarded by the Economics Education and Research Consortium. Francesco is also a co-investigator for the grant “Development of new indicators to assess research within scientific areas” awarded by the European Social Fund. Additionally Francesco co investigates a major EU grant entitled “Biopool- Services associated to digitalise contents of tissues in Biobanks across Europe”.

He is associate editor of the journal Economic Modelling and a Member of ESRC Peer Review College.

Postgraduate Scholarships Available Now

Brunel University announced that it will offer Academic Excellence Scholarships to postgraduate students. The scholarships are more generous than ever before and make studying for a Business and Management degree more accessible for high quality applicants. These scholarships are offered to UK/EU and International students who have a first class degree from a UK university (studied in the UK or abroad).

Academic Excellence Scholarships

The Academic Excellence Scholarships will be awarded in August for courses starting in September and in December for courses starting in January to all students meeting the eligibility criteria.  The University will offer a discount of 15% off the fees for anyone who has obtained a first class undergraduate degree from a UK University, either in the UK or abroad. This equates to an average as follows:

• Home students discount for MSc programmes – £1200
• International students discount for MSc programmes – £2025
• MBA discount (Home and International) – £2775

Scholarships for Brunel Alumni

The traditional discount for students who have done their first degree in Brunel have improved as well, with Brunel graduates now enjoying 15% automatic discount if they wish to join the MSc or MBA programmes. The best arrangement however is enjoyed by those alumni who graduated with first class degree, as they would be able to benefit from a double scholarship of almost 30% discount as below:

1. Academic excellence scholarship – 15% PLUS
2. Alumni discount – 15%

And that’s not all….

Brunel International Scholarships

Students who do not meet the eligibility criteria for the Academic Excellence Scholarships are still able to apply for additional scholarships aimed at all International students, and we encouraged students to regularly review the Brunel International website for upcoming announcement. The Brunel International Scholarship deadlines are in May so students are requested to apply as soon as possible.

Full upfront payment discount

Students who settle their fees upfront will be automatically awarded a further 2% discount.

MBA students prepare for their Business Tour. Destination – India!

Professor Ashley Braganza, the Director of Business Life and a truly motivational force, met with MBA students in a recent class session to prepare them for the next international business tour. Five students will be selected to travel to India where they will meet heads of top level corporations and small not-for profit organisations. This will enable students to truly understand different sectors of the Indian market – a booming, globally significant economy.

Read a moving student report from last year’s International Business Tour here: MBA Students learn a humbling lesson on Business Tour to India

Students being their International Tour at the Gateway to India in Mumbai

Making Growth Happen: Meeting of Industry, Academia and Students

Brunel Business School recently hosted an annual Capstone event: ‘Making Growth Happen – What can be done to achieve an authentically sustainable economic growth?’ under the umbrella of Business Life: Employability Programme.

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Flavia de Facendis, an MBA student who took part in the event this year, writes:

The Eastern Gateway, Brunel Business School’s brand new building, was an ideal venue to host ‘Making Growth Happen – What can be done to achieve an authentically sustainable economic growth?’, where industry representatives, academics and students were able to share their experiences and develop collaborative ideas.

After a welcome from the Vice Chancellor, Professor Chris Jenks, high profile business leaders delivered engaging presentations about growth and sustainability.  A diverse range of organisations were represented, from the Confederation of British Industry, to British Airports and Telefonica. The property and development company Cathedral Group were also present, as were the environmental management consultancy Giraffe Innovation.  The challenging and thought-provoking ideas of Brunel’s newly appointed Professor of Contemporary Thought, Will Self, concluded the speeches and the first part of this event.  To find out more about Will Self’s involvement with Brunel, read here.

The second section of the event comprised of contributions from all of the attendees, focusing on collaboration between participants: business leaders, academics and students worked together to produce a call for action.  The participants were encouraged to identify a definitive Ten Point Plan for enabling a sustainable business growth.

The afternoon ended with a valuable networking opportunity for the students to engage with industry professionals.  One of the students attending, Sayantan Das, commented:

‘The event was a great networking platform for the business students and a great occasion for us to meet delegates from various industry sectors.  I have interacted with some interesting people in my discussion group and created contacts that will be useful in my job search.’

MBA vs Specialist Masters – a choice that will decide on your future career.

Prof Francesco Moscone from Brunel Business School gives his view on the choices faced by candidates wishing to pursue Postgraduate Study in the area of Business and Management.

MBAs and specialist Masters have many strengths and similarities, and they differ in several aspects, including contents, students’ experience, and projected career paths.

Essentially, an MBA is a ‘post-experience’ qualification in general management, although some business schools may offer specialist MBA programmes in areas such as aviation and health care. The aim of an MBA is to offer students a holistic overview of how a business works, covering all major functions and practices of a business. As a result, MBA graduates will acquire theoretical and applied knowledge of several core subjects including marketing, international business, entrepreneurship and human resources.  One of the strengths of an MBA is fostering organisation, persuasion, leadership ad team-building skills as well as skills for innovation which are needed to expand career prospects, and tackle the most difficult issues facing businesses and societies. The plurality of students’ professional backgrounds is another key benefit as they may profit from networking with their peers. 

Specialist Master programmes are designed for people in the early stages of their career; immediately after their undergraduate degree or after one/two years on the job. These courses focus more on the theoretical side of the management field than the MBA, equipping students with more specialist knowledge.  A student may opt for a specialised Master if she is more interested in acquiring specific skills required by the industry.

From a pedagogical point of view, although some Masters cover the similar material as the MBA, they have a different teaching style which is more lecture-based. MBAs, in contrast, tend to focus on teamwork, business case studies, and the exchange of individual experience.

In this period of economic downturn investing in a post graduate management course is worthwhile, as the need for well-educated and internationally-oriented graduates will not cease or decrease in the long-term.

As people leave jobs in industries as a result of the economic crisis, an MBA is a unique opportunity for ambitious leaders to secure a better management position. A specialist Master is a worthwhile investment in order to stand out in a demanding and competitive job market.

Professor Francesco Moscone is the Director of the Brunel MBA programme and the former head of the Centre of Research into Entrepreneurship, International Business in Emerging Markets. He has previously worked at the University of Leicester, University of Cambridge, and London School of Economics (LSE). He has held visiting scholar positions at University of California-Berkeley, University Pompeu Fabra, and LSE. He has worked as health economist for the National Collaborating Centre for Women and Children’s Health, and the National Agency for Regional Health Services (Rome, Italy). He is principal investigator on an ESRC (UK government funding) first research grant entitled “Statistical Modelling of Interdependence in Economics”. Additionally he is co-investigator for the grant “Economic Performance and Quality of Life in European Cities” awarded by the Economics Education and Research Consortium. Francesco is also a co-investigator for the grant “Development of new indicators to assess research within scientific areas” awarded by the European Social Fund. Additionally Francesco co investigates a major EU grant entitled “Biopool- Services associated to digitalise contents of tissues in Biobanks across Europe”.

He is associate editor of the journal Economic Modelling and a Member of ESRC Peer Review College.

Academic collaboration with Sudan

Brunel Business School secured funding from the British Council Sudan for an academic collaboration project, led by Dr Wafi Al-Karaghouli and Dr Tillal Eldabi.

In this two year project, BBS will be collaborating with the School of Management Studies, University of Khartoum. The project aims to develop a rigorous programme for quality improvement at the School of Management Studies with knowledge transfer and support from Brunel Business School (using the MBA programme as a demonstration vehicle) to improve curriculum development processes; teaching methods; research and industrial/executive education. The project outcomes will directly lead to improved quality of the MBA programme at the School of Management Studies and will further establish their quality framework. The collaboration between the two academic teams will go beyond the project and will lead to joint publications and other funded programmes.

 

Latest Business School Newsletter is here!

The latest edition of our School newsletter has finally arrived! Enjoy the stories about our students, alumni, staff and the school and so much more for the best insight into what’s on in BBS. Here’s a sneak preview of some of our stories.

Please read the full newsletter here.

2nd International Conference on Islamic Marketing and Branding

We look forward to the 2nd International Conference on Islamic Marketing and Branding organised by the faculty of Business and Accountancy from University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur and Brunel Business School, Brunel University, London.

Korea – UK Exchange Programme

Four Brunel Business School students Merisa Bishwakarma, Abubakr Chaudhry, Sara Kahsay and Claire Munday have been taking part in the Korea Aerospace University’s (KAU) foreign summer exchange programme from 5th June to 20th July this year.

Empowering public sector communities in Europe by live video-to-video

Headed by Prof Zahir Irani, the research team from Brunel Business School are participating in LiveCity – a technology integration trial which offers advanced services to over 3000 users in five European cities.

Please read the full newsletter here.

Branding students learn real-life agency – client relationship

In May, MSc Applied Corporate Brand Management students embarked on a company visit to Telefonica Europe head office as part of their study. The visit was led by Professor T C Melewar and organised by the Business Life programme.

Students learn high flying strategy in British Airways HQ

A group of MBA students recently visited the British Airways global headquarters. The aim of the visit was to gain a detailed insight into the history and the future challenges facing this leading player in the aviation industry.

Jaguar and MINI: automobile industry from a management perspective

To bring the tools and techniques of supply chain and logistics management to life, students on the MSc Global Supply Chain Management embarked on a visit to the MINI production plant in Cowley, Oxford. 

Please read the full newsletter here.

International Work Placements are a hit in BBS

The Placement and Careers Centre (PCC) team of Brunel University offers students the opportunity to gain work experience by way of 1-year placements, and more frequently students take up these placements abroad.

Best Placement Student Award

Best Placement Student Award was won by Siobhan Feeney, a Business and Management Undergraduate who did her placement in SAP.

Graduation Ceremony 2012

The graduating class of 2012 enjoyed magnificent weather and celebrations during an exceptional week in Brunel University including the exhilarating spectacle of the Olympic Torch Relay.

Red Carpet event for students

The BBS Academic Programmes Office organized an exciting red carpet event for our final year undergraduate and postgraduate students as they celebrated the submission of their final year dissertations.

The art of Alumni Networking at the Saatchi Gallery, London

The School hosted the annual Alumni Reunion in March 2012 at the beautiful restaurant of the Saatchi Gallery in Central London. This is another of such events held in London, following last year’s successful event in the Albermarle Gallery.

Prof Jarvis chairs Chartered Banker Professional Standard Board’s Advisory Panel

Professor of Accounting, Robin Jarvis from Brunel Business School, has recently been appointed to chair the Advisory Panel of the Chartered Banker Professional Standard Board (CB:PSB).

Dr Yen explores the notion of “guanxi” in new book

Dr Dorothy Yen published a chapter in the book “Exploring Western and Chinese Business Relationship Paradigms”. It provides a comparative overview relating to the Western literature on business relationships and the Chinese notion of “guanxi” – translated as ‘relationships’ and ‘connections’ in English. 

Please read the full newsletter here.

MBA students learn high flying strategy on visit to British Airways HQ

A group of current MBA students recently visited the British Airways global Headquarters as part of the Business Life Employability Programme of Brunel Business School. The visit was organised by Dr. Aida Haijro of the Business School. The aim of the visit was to gain a detailed insight into the history and the future challenges facing this leading player in the aviation industry.

British Airways HQ

The British Airways HQ at Waterside is a series of buildings joined together by a glass roof and a few interconnecting walkways to form a complex which has a large enclosed public area. The BA compound included a water feature resembling a running stream, a mini supermarket, and a coffee shop with people on the terrace either sitting on their own with laptops or discussing in small groups. If it’s not for the ubiquitous aviation-themed sculptures and the occasional groups of crew and pilots in uniform walking past, it could be mistaken a mini indoor city rather than a corporate head office.

After a short welcome session students visited the Heritage Centre and were introduced to the fascinating history of British Airways which can be traced back to the early 20th century when civil aviation began. The years that followed saw many changes to the company both in terms of its organisational structure and its aircrafts. Students particularly enjoyed listening to stories about the Concorde, its supersonic glory and the unfortunate end to its legacy.

With an idea of the history of the company in mind, students listened intently to the presentation on British Airways business plan and strategies for delivering its vision for the future: “to be the most admired airline across the world’s key cities.” There was plenty of emphasis on improving the BA brand and further developing customer loyalty.
The presentation was followed by a visit to the Operation Crisis Control Centre (OCIC). The OCIC is a large oval shaped room with two rows of curved tables surrounding a long straight table at the centre, behind which are a few large screens used to show presentations or live camera feeds. It is a location where various departmental Heads of British Airways come together during an emergency to coordinate responses, recovery actions and resources. Answers to questions such as the different types of crises that tend to arise and how they are dealt with helped students understand the true extent of such complex operations.

Lunch was served during a presentation on learning and development strategy. It is a subject of particular interest to students on the Brunel MBA Programme as Brunel Business School is currently collaborating with BA’s HR department on the “Learning Academy” project. It is an initiative that aims to replace training with self-initiated learning as the first step on a journey to becoming a learning organisation. The presentation itself gave students a broad understanding of the project and the Q&A session that followed helped to clarify certain key concepts and approaches. The visit finished in the early afternoon.

Some of our MBA students in British Airways HQ

Students agreed that the trip was extremely interesting and beneficial, particularly for those who have chosen to specialise in Aviation Management.  It has given our students an unprecedented insight into the past, present and future of the aviation giant. Understandably, with increasingly intensified global competition in the market, the future is uncertain, but it is satisfying to know that continued efforts have been made to ensure the organisation stays competitive in the future.

The report has been provided by Xiaolei Guo and Elizabeth Huang, Brunel MBA students.