Innovative Teaching
Business - Innovative Teaching
A common feature on a number of our degree courses are trips to visit businesses to gain hands-on experience in real-life business environments.
Specifically on the BA (Hons) International Business Management, students spend the second academic year of the course on study placement at a university or college overseas, where they choose mostly from business and language-related subjects.
For the BA (Hons) Public Service Management, all students are expected to become involved in extra-curricular Public Service, such as University Officer Training Corps, Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Cadet Instructor, Volunteer Fireman, Special Constable, Territorial Army or similar.
Other teaching activities offered to Business students include computer based learning using Simventure software to create business simulations. There are also arranged real professionally facilitated events in the form of business simulations including taster sessions and extra-curricular enterprise events. See Curriculum Plus.
Boot Camp
The University selects enterprising students each year to take part in an Enterprise Boot Camp. The students compete with others from local universities pitting their business acumen and entrepreneurial skills against each other for a share of the £2000 prize.
The students are set an ‘Apprentice’ style challenge to find a solution to a real business problem. In past years the brief was set by Southern Comfort who asked the students to develop a responsible drinking marketing campaign aimed at 18-24 year olds.
Lois Ireson, Southern Comfort Brand Manager, said: “I was really impressed with the students’ maturity and the innovative ideas they came up with in response to what was a complex and serious brief.”
Placements 
Placements are also a beneficial and important aspect of the Business courses. The University strongly encourages students to gain appropriate employment experience prior to graduation via placements.
Students are prepared for placements through workshops and classroom based tutor support. A supervisor is allocated to each student during the placement period to provide support and advice if needed.
Student placements have recently been provided by HSBC, National Air Traffic Services (NATS), Skandia and Westland Helicopters.