Host a student project

About student projects

Student projects are research dissertation projects carried out by masters level Management School students, set by you as the host organisation and guided by us. 

Students can work with your company on a particular issue or challenge for a period of around three months from June to August and will provide you with a report on completion of the project.

Why host a project?

Providing students with the opportunity to undertake a student project enhances their applied learning experience, creates fresh ideas and brings enthusiasm directly into your organisation. It’s a chance for you to examine current business issues and gain extra support in finding possible solutions.

Bringing our expertise to you

Here is an outline of our areas of expertise and ideas for project topics:

People

Every organisation or business relies on people. Our students welcome the opportunity to practise their research skills in areas concerning people in organisations.

Projects could examine topics including work and wellbeing, managing the physical work environment to maximise effectiveness, change management, developing employee innovation, recruitment and selection processes, and interpersonal communications (between departments, different levels of seniority or functions).

• An evaluation of training programmes and the impact on the workplace
• An analysis and evaluation of top-down communications during organisational change
• A review with recommendations to help establish a fair and just reward system

Management

Our management programmes develop students who are motivated to build a career in management and leadership in organisations of all sizes. Projects could examine issues around entrepreneurship, leadership, communication, intercultural communication and operational issues. Students also examine how businesses operate on an international level, looking at global marketing strategies, elements of an inter-country supply chain, and the potential implications of an international workforce.

• Attracting, employing and retaining millennials to an international business
• The development of a leadership and development programme
• Opportunities to maximise volunteers for a third sector organisation

Operations and Logistics

All businesses rely on efficient processes, either within an office environment, or within supply chain or logistics. They are all essential for an organisation to be effective and efficient.

Our students learn practical and theoretical approaches to process improvement and mapping, effective waste management, developing and managing sustainable business practices, and logistics. Our specialist students can bring their knowledge and expertise into your organisation. They can help to suggest possible solutions to improve supply chain operational procedures which add value to your organisation.

• Opportunities to introduce lean methodology in a warehouse environment to achieve improvements in stock control and haulage costs
• The mapping of call centre processes to identify inefficiencies
• An analysis of route planning for a complex organisation to maximise driver efficiency

Marketing

Our marketing students are given a comprehensive understanding of both theoretical and practical aspects of marketing communications, consumer behaviours, media and PR, and brand management.

Undertaking a project allows students to expand their practical understanding of marketing methods in both UK and international settings. Projects are typically carried out in a B2C environment, however, B2B projects are also possible, depending on the availability and access to customers needed for students to carry out the necessary project research.

• Research into the development and delivery of a new product line
• The development of an international marketing plan to target markets around the world
• Social Media review and strategy

Finance and Accounting

Our students studying finance are aiming to start their careers in the areas of financial management, financial services, auditing, investment banking and asset management.

• An analysis of current organisational financial systems
• Break even analysis on purchases

 The process

Projects are typically sourced from September to December to be undertaken by students the following summer. The process is almost a year from start to finish, but your involvement will vary throughout, with key times being the project sourcing stage and then project delivery.

• September to December: Project sourcing
• September to December: Project brief agreement
• January to February: Projects advertised to students
• March: Students allocated to projects
• June to August: Project delivery
• September: Feedback to organisations