BBS Students get ready for international programme in Korean Aerospace University (KAU)

Following the success of the international exchange programme in South Korea last year, Brunel Business School students prepare for another summer in the land of Psy.  The study exchange programme is organised by Dr Wafi Al-Karaghouli and Dr Habin Lee with local partner Mr Joon Lee at Korean Aerospace University (KAU). The School will be covering their flight and tuition expenses.

KAU founded 60 years ago and it is one of the top-tier universities in Korea. The university plays a pivotal role in East Asia’s Aerospace and Astronautics. KAU is the only university in Korea specializing in aviation and aerospace, and one of the few universities in the world that has its own runway!

The exchange programme will see four students from BBS travelling to KAU (South Korea) during the summer and two students from KAU to study at level 2 (year 2) at Brunel for two terms. BBS students will be staying at KAU’s campus for the duration of the programme, like their counterpart who will stay at Brunel Campus. The selection process at both universities is very rigorous. BBS students go through two phases, involving application and an interview.

BBS/KAU Exchange Students 2012 with Dr Wafi Al-Karaghouli

The exchange programme is aimed at Level 2 (year 2) students of the BSc Business Management and BSc International Business programmes at Brunel Business School and provides an excellent learning experience (practical and cultural). It exposes students to the aviation industry and provides them with a competitive edge over other graduates who will be competing for jobs in the civil aviation sector.

The School is currently in discussions with the Korean university to possibly establish such exchange programme for the Brunel MBA (Aviation Management) students, as KAU offers similar degree.

2013 KAU Summer Programme

BBS Student shortlisted for MTV Student of the Year Award!

Abdelrahman Nada, in the second year of International Business BSc in Brunel Business School, was recently selected from thousands of students across the UK to be in the top 20 nominees for the MTV Student of the Year Award.  Congratulations!

Vote for Nada on the MTV website – let’s give him all of our support!

Visit the MTV website to view Nada’s video and get to know more about him.

“Born in Cairo, Egypt and raised in Abu Dhabi, UAE I think its safe to say that whilst growing up in an international school I have learned to absorb handfuls of different ideas, thoughts, mind sets, and influences.

I took advantage of my multicultural surrounding as I tried to analyze and approach all kinds of difficulties using several different points of views and perceptions. Helping to bring about the best of me and contribute the most I can.

Vote for Nada!

I personally enjoy learning about things that I love and when it comes to art, music, and fashion I’m always trying to find new inspirations. MTV has been around for me by introducing me to the life I live today.

From the music videos to the TV shows to the interviews and documentaries I have watched ever since I was a little “Nada”, I owe MTV a lot for being such a huge part of my life and now that I am finally in London, I feel like its my chance to try and give back as much as possible.”

Share this with your friends and help Nada scoop up the MTV award for all of us by voting on the MTV website!

5 Things You Need To Know About Successful Postgraduate Study

Dr Jill Collis from Brunel Business School provides advice on how to be successful and what to expect from a postgraduate study experience in a UK university. Follow her advice if you are about to start your MSc or MBA degree.

Jill Collis is Director of the Accounting and Auditing Research Centre at Brunel University and the Programme Director for Accounting and Business Management MSc . In addition to her research publications, she has published text books on accounting and research methods. Her accessible writing style and active-learning approach reflects her experience as a mature student and her understanding of lecturers’ needs.

1. Make the most of your investment

• Prepare for lectures/seminars
• Take notes and ask questions
• Read and conduct independent study
• Make use of lecturers’ access hours
• Take advantage of Library, ASK and Business Life
• Take formative feedback to heart
• Excel at coursework and exams

2. Explore available knowledge and gain better understanding

• You’ll be exposed to knowledge and critical understanding of theoretical and applied perspectives on a range of business and management topics
• Develop the capacity to understand historical and current developments in response to changes in the business environment

3. Get your cognitive thinking hat on

• The ability to think critically and independently is key: question and critique to arrive at your own perspective
• Master the ability to solve complex business problems and make decisions in the face of uncertainty: typically includes establishing criteria, using appropriate decision-making techniques, identifying and evaluating options and making recommendations

4. Gain practical, transferable skills for life

• Train how to use information and knowledge effectively: typically includes scanning and organising data, synthesising and analysing in order to abstract meaning from information and share knowledge
• Develop  numeracy and quantitative skills
• Develop effective written communication of complex ideas and arguments
• Develop sustainable independent learning skills

5. Don’t mistake UG and PG research

Criteria to be satisfied by a Bachelor’s dissertation:

• A well-structured and convincing account of a study
• The resolution of a problem or the outcome of an experiment
• Evidence of awareness of the literature

Criteria to be satisfied by a taught Master’s dissertation:

• An ordered, critical and reasoned exposition of knowledge gained through the student’s efforts
• A comprehensive review of the literature

 

Find our more about our range of taught Master’s, an AMBA-accredited MBA programme and the chance to undertake doctoral research leading to a PhD here.

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. 

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.

Management students prepare for International Study Tour to Turkey

Seven of this year’s MSc Management students will be given an opportunity to take part in a Business Tour to Istanbul, Turkey in May 2013, following the success of last year’s Istanbul tour. The 2013 tour will last for 5 days, and will be hosted by Galatasaray University. This University has recently suffered a major fire in its main building, so the tour is being deferred from February to May 2013, in order to enable alternative arrangements to be made for accommodating the tour party. Brunel Business School is most grateful to Professor Sibel Yamak and her colleagues at Galatasaray for agreeing to continue hosting the tour for our MSc in Management students, and providing us with so much hospitality and support under these difficult circumstances. The tour party are looking forward to the fantastic schedule of factory tours, office visits, speaker and social engagements that Galatasaray have again agreed to provide, promising very useful insights for all into the Turkish economy and culture.

To read a report from last year’s visit please see story Business Tour takes MSc in Management Students to Turkey.

Brunel to join David Willetts MP on visit to the Gulf region

Professor Zahir Irani, Head of Brunel Business School, has been invited to join Rt Hon. David Willetts MP, Minister of State for Universities and Science, alongside senior representatives from institutions such as the LSE and the University of Southampton on an upcoming visit to the Gulf region.

This tour seeks to help showcase UK Education throughout the Gulf region and will coincide with the British Council-supported Going Global 2013 Conference in Dubai on the Internationalisation of Higher Education.

Brunel University has a strong and growing reputation in the Middle East and Gulf region, where it educates many students across a range of disciplines on its Uxbridge campus in the UK. Brunel Business School also has a physical presence in the Kingdom of Bahrain, where it has almost 40 students hosted at its collaborator University site undertaking PhD level research in subject areas that are of regional interest. Professor Irani and colleagues in the Brunel Business School have also been successful in securing external funding from the Qatar National Research Fund, further raising the profile of Brunel in this region.

BBS graduates share stories of their university experience

Successful graduates from Brunel Business School look back at their time at Brunel University and share their memories and the experiences they gained while studying for a Bachelor Degree with BBS.

It’s been an amazing journey

Waleed Ahmed Marketing and Admissions Team Brunel Business School

After visiting Brunel, my final decision about my future university was very clear. The first thing that caught my interest was its campus. It has everything: restaurants, a bank, bars, coffee shops, a massive library, an incredible sports and athletics centre all in an easy reach for its students. This really appealed to me. It was clear to me that this would be where I would like to live and study and it wasn’t long before I became a student here. Read more….

Graduated from BSc (Hons) Business and Management (eBusiness Systems), 2012

The support to help me gain my placement was beyond my expectations

Angel Chen Business Analyst, Morgan Stanley

I did a year’s placement in Morgan Stanley. The experience was invaluable as I had first-hand experience in the Operations department.

During my placement year, my performance was monitored by the placement tutor and there were regular contacts from the university. I felt supported in my personal and professional development by the academic staff. Soon afterwards, I was offered a graduate job by Morgan Stanley based on my performance during my placement year. Read more…

Graduated from BSc Business and Management (Accounting), 2010

The opportunities available to me have been outstanding

Siobhan Feeney  Volunteered for Global Vision International

Throughout my time at Brunel, the academic standard of lecturing was exceedingly high. The Business Life programme in BBS gave me the opportunity to develop many skills such as team work, and leadership. It increased my confidence in communication and presenting. I was provided with endless amounts of development and networking opportunities. It lead me to meet and work with some really amazing people! Read more….

Graduated from BSc Business and Management, 2012

 

Brunel Business School has supportive academic staff

Phillip Hughes IM Project Manager & EMEA Sales IT Ops Leader GE Aviation

I wanted to study in a campus university where there are lots of student activities happening on campus hence I chose Brunel. I made the right choice. Brunel Business School has supportive academic staff and the curriculum was designed to help students to gain graduate employment. Many of the modules were tailored to develop students’ work skills that are sought after by employers

such as analysing financial data, preparing a marketing plan etc.

There are many business schools to choose from – but I am glad that I chose Brunel. Read more…

Graduated from BSc Business and Management, 2010

Read more of these and other stories on our website. For more information about our Undergraduate Courses visit our Course pages.

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