Bring fresh thinking and cutting-edge research to your organisation by challenging our postgraduate students.
Organisations of all sizes and in all sectors can support student learning by offering a real-life challenge for them to work on as part of their degree studies. No two challenge briefs are the same and you can get involved at no cost.
“[The support team] were fantastic, helping us to define our brief and also outlining what was needed from our business for a successful project”.
How do the projects work?
Real-life experiential consultancy projects have played an integral part of Nottingham Business School’s postgraduate programmes for many years; students have successfully acted as free consultants within a wide range of different types and sizes of organisation. For all our project students, the consultancy project concept is an important and innovative part of our programmes, as it provides an opportunity to link the strategic knowledge and understanding acquired over the previous modules of the programme with managerial and organisational reality. In addition, the students are provided with a useful opportunity to develop team-working skills in a live situation and practice specific consultancy and project management skills.
The aim of these consultancy projects is to allow our students a chance to apply their research skills and subject know-how and come up with fresh ideas about a real-life strategic business issue. Organisations that have limited time, want a fresh perspective, or would like access to expertise not available to them in-house can gain objective, unbiased research insights that can be of genuine value. These projects offer organisations a chance to work with the University and its students in an innovative way and support our students’ career goals and personal aspirations.
We’re actively seeking challenges for a wide range of MSc and MBA students and we’re ready to tackle a diverse range of challenges. Popular project topics in the past have included:
- Business competitor analysis
- Review of business marketing strategy
- Research to inform updates in HR policy and practice, including staff recruitment, training, or equality diversity and inclusion policies
- Research of market potential overseas
- Cost benefit analysis
- Financial viability of new venture / product
- Change management.
We ask that you have at least two meetings with the students during the project period, to answer questions and ensure they are on track. We also ask you attend their final presentation and offer your comments and feedback to them. If you’re available to meet the students more often we’d welcome this, but it is not a requirement. When you’re agreeing the exact project brief the support team can let you know more about what to expect.
At the conclusion of the project you will receive a verbal report delivered by the students in your project team, and will have the chance to ask them questions and involve them in a Q&A session. Our MSc students also prepare for their client a written report of between 3,000 – 4,000 words. Our student projects have real impact: 88% of our past clients have told us that they will take forward business development ideas the students have suggested.
Not at all! We’ve worked very happily and successfully with a wide range of organisations both large and small. We often find that smaller companies and not-for-profits offer us very interesting challenges.
We’re actively seeking challenges for our MSc Consultancy projects that begin in May or October. These projects last approximately six to seven weeks until early July or December. Our MBA student projects take place at different times each year. We encourage you to get in touch at any time to discuss a challenge idea.
Get in touch for a conversation. We’ll help by listening and can even suggest project ideas for you if you’re not quite sure what to offer. Please contact the Experiential Learning team by email on NBSStudentProjects@ntu.ac.uk. You can also complete our enquiry form.
Challenges often touch on one or more of the following areas:
- Marketing, branding, and reputation questions, including consumer thinking and customer engagement
- Communication issues, including examining digital marketing and social media strategies
- Competitor and industry analysis
- Market analysis, including international markets
- Researching economic data, cost benefit analysis, and socio-economic profiling
- Examining management operations, tools, and planning, including use of technology and other resources as part of business strategy
- Recommending enhancements in staff training, recruitment, and staff development and engagement initiatives
- Financial reports and analysis to aid decision making, including for new products and services
- Complex issues around organisational change
- Any business issue that involves research, and some analysis and thought.
Case studies
Gomero
Headquartered in Sweden, Gomero is a small digital technology company with an international client base. The organisation helps electricity network operators and related organisations to monitor and manage assets within the electricity sub-stations they own.
KH Interiors
Established in 2021, KH interiors is a boutique interior design studio based in Nottinghamshire catering to private clients and property developers alike. The aim is to provide exceptional residential interior design services with personalised solutions locally and across the UK.
Shop Zero
Based in the centre of Nottingham, Shop Zero is a zero-waste store dedicated to sustainability and a circular economy. Sarah Maloy, owner and founder of Shop Zero, jumped at the chance to get involved with the support offered by NTU. Shop Zero has engaged with multiple business support initiatives offered by NTU since 2018.
Print 4
Print 4 is based in Bulwell, Nottingham, and has over 35 years of expertise in print manufacturing. Print 4 thrives on innovation and in challenging convention with a focus on environmental sustainability, such as using compostable vegetable inks and clean energy. Past clients include brands such as Cadbury, XBOX and EE.
Grown Green
Grown Green Ltd is a small, Nottinghamshire based organisation, that supplies environmentally friendly tree, hedge and vine guards. The guards offer a plastic free and therefore more sustainable alternative to the more usual tree guards used on farms, ins, and on estates.
Citizen Digital Foundation
Citizen Digital Foundation (CDF) is a not-for-profit organisation based in Southern India. Its core purpose is to promote safe and responsible navigation and innovation in the digital ecosystem in India.
Travis Perkins
Headquartered in Northamptonshire, Travis Perkins’ core business is the supply of building materials and other relevant services for the construction industry.
Discovery Trust MAT
Discovery Trust is a well-established and respected partnership of 13 primary schools and 2 Special Education schools in Leicestershire, Rutland and Leicester City.
Jimmy Chipolata
The Jimmy Chipolata brand retails specialist clothing and attire for the otherwise difficult-to-fit dachshund or sausage dog. The doggy-wear is designed and made in the UK using 100% British wool tweed.
Emmanuel House Support Centre
Emmanuel House Support Centre is an independent charity that supports homeless, vulnerable, and isolated adults in Nottingham. Its main aim is to prevent people becoming homeless and to support those who are already homeless into accommodation.
St Mary's Relief in Need
St Mary’s Relief in Need is a Nottingham based charity which can trace its origins back to the C16th. It makes available grants to people in the city who are facing economic hardship.
Hallam Agency
Hallam Agency is an award-winning, agile and fast-moving digital marketing agency based in the centre of Nottingham. It has grown steadily since it was first established in 2000, and now employs over 50 digital experts.
Nottinghamshire Clubs for Young People (Notts CYP)
The Notts CYP is a not-for-profit organisation passionate about helping young people in Nottinghamshire be healthy, safe, confident, and successful. It owns the Monty Hind Centre and the Maurice Youdell Lodge and hire out both spaces to many other youth groups and clubs across Nottinghamshire, alongside providing education and training through accredited courses.
Get in touch
To learn more and find out how we can help you, contact the team via email at NBSStudentProjects@ntu.ac.uk or complete our enquiry form.