Business Management students’ expertise to help local charity

— 12.05.16

by Jody Dalton

Many modules at the Management School integrate real-world problems which students are asked to solve. For our 2016 third-year Business Management undergraduates, the ‘Management Project’ module, led by Michael Frize, is a great opportunity for their work and recommendations to actually make an impact on an organisation. This was demonstrated recently when problems in eight organisations were subject to the scrutiny of our students.

Bens Centre, a Sheffield charity that supports homeless people that are often vulnerable and involved with alcohol, presented a challenge; they needed to raise awareness of the charity and increase donations from the public in terms of funds and volunteering. The response from student Lily Robinson (pictured below), which focused on their marketing, discussed how shock advertising might help their cause; understanding students as a target demographic; and how they could enhance their digital platforms. The team was so impressed with Lily’s recommendations that they intend on integrating them into future campaigns.

Lily said: “The project involved writing a literature review, using literature to solve their issues and then coming up with recommendations. We then had to do a poster presentation to feedback findings to our company.

“After choosing to deliver on their brief I visited Bens Centre, got a feel for the charity and the work they do, and then got going! My placement year helped a lot as I have practical experience in marketing. I also got plenty of support from Michael, the module leader – I had weekly sessions I could attend where we discussed my coursework progress.”

Lily Robinson, Business Management with Employment Experience Student

Lily continued: “I found it so rewarding to do a piece of coursework I knew Bens Centre was going to use – it was a motivation. It was great to present back my ideas to them as they really liked my recommendations and are hoping to implement some of them in the future. I have not done many poster presentations before and it was a great way to improve my communication skills in an unfamiliar setting. My role was essentially that of a consultant and I think anyone looking to pursue entrepreneurial avenues after university would benefit from this module.”

The Management School is keen to hear from other organisations keen to benefit from our students’ expertise. Associate Dean for Learning and Teaching, Professor Paul Latreille, said: “I’m delighted to see that both parties have benefited from this module. Although our students are introduced to live case-studies throughout their degree, the Management Project puts onus on practical skills and making informed, realistic recommendations. We’re very proud of Lily and can’t wait to see Bens Centre thrive as a result of her project.”

Find out more about Bens Centre on their website:https://benscentre.wordpress.com/

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