Business cases & consultation projects

"Real work" situations such as case studies and consultation projects can provide great opportunities for students and employers alike.

Businesses can propose projects which provide students with challenging organisation-based, action-learning, designed to give them hands-on experience of working with companies. It allows them to have realistic experiences where they can put their academic learning into practice to address real problems. Projects normally require students to critically analyse a particular management/organisational situation or problem and then make strategic or operational recommendations for future activities. Businesses benefit by receiving academically rigorous research with possible solutions to a challenge they face.

  • MSc International Business and Entrepreneurship programmecurrently includes credit-bearing group consultancy projects with external organisations. The International Management Solutions course takes place in the second semester, with around nine groups of 4-5 students each. There are 1-3 visits with the paired organisation, culminating in a business report of 12k words and a presentation given to company at the end of the project (hosted on campus). Previous companies involved include:
    • Altogether Travel
    • Highlander Scotland Ltd
    • UWI Technology
    • Angel's Share Glass
  • MBA (Master of Business Administration) provides an opportunity for to put the theories learned during the programme into action through its Consultancy Week. During Consultancy Week projects, students complete a project for a real company - answering a company’s business problem. Previous participating organisations include
    • Grant Thornton
    • Amazon
    • BAE Systems
    • Lynnet Leisure Group
    • McGhees Bakeries
    • Other small to medium size enterprises and charitable organisations.

Projects have involved creating business plans, reviewing training provisions, conducting market analyses, looking for ways to improve productivity, improving customer relationship management activities, operational project planning, producing a distribution analysis and resource management.

Engineering students in discussion while working on machinery

Examples of employability in your studies