Business collaboration | University of Essex

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How we work with business

As a business school, we collaborate with organisations locally and internationally to better teach our students about real world scenarios. We collaborate in order to give back to business and offer a cooperative, research led approach to business consultancy and project management.

Every business has a story to tell. We want to hear about their challenges, their successes and what they've learned along the way. We feed this insight back into our teaching through the exploration of case studies and by welcoming guest speakers. For us, the best way to understand organisations and business operations is by connecting and collaborating.

Our academic staff examine topical business case studies with our students in the classroom, while offering consultancy services to local businesses. We are at the forefront of business innovation and our students and staff are actively involved with business development through Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs).

It’s not enough just to teach the theoretical side of business; we want our students to understand business in practice. We help them understand how real businesses operate so they graduate workplace-ready. Our courses in accounting, finance, management, marketing and entrepreneurship are developed with this in mind and informed by a panel of business practitioners.

Located for innovation

Essex Business School's Colchester home sits proudly within the Knowledge Gateway, the University of Essex's growing research and technology park. Students can tap into the expertise at Studio X, the home of Essex Startups, and write their own success stories. Start-up businesses and SMEs can find low rent space in the Knowledge Gateway's stunning Innovation Centre, while more established SMEs and businesses have set ups their offices in the Parkside Office Village.

The University of Essex's Southend Campus is home to Essex Business School's Strategy, Operations and Entrepreneurship group which has a particular interest in practical business education, with a particular focus on researching best practice and operational strategies for start-up businesses and SMEs. The campus is located in Southend city centre, the heart of the Thames Gateway, one of the Government’s key areas for economic growth and a fitting location for entrepreneurial study. Here, the University of Essex's Business Incubation Centre helps expose students to the reality of launching a business.

The University of Essex is designated a University Enterprise Zone, which means we have access to Government funding for nurturing new digital and creative enterprises. We are dedicated to commercialising ideas which will benefit the local and UK economies.

"I know how exciting setting up your own company can be, but also how nerve-wracking. I know the mistakes people can make, and think I can help students avoid the regular pitfalls. Studio X is a fantastic home for students - we are here for any student, on any course, with any business idea."

Andy Mew Head of Start-up Support University of Essex

Our collaborations

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs)

The University of Essex is the number one university in the UK for Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs). Through Innovate UK funding, businesses can connect with academic partners at Essex to deliver business innovation projects which aim to tackle real-life business challenges.

Essex Business School students have participated in a number of KTPs to date, including; Laser 24 KTP and The Finishing Line KTP.

Essex Startups and Studio X

Essex Startups is the entrepreneurial section of the University of Essex and their aim is to provide every student and recent graduate access to resources that help them accomplish their entrepreneurial goals. From one-to-one advice, mentoring, workshops, bootcamps and pitching for investment, Essex Startups provide expert services that inspire the next generation of business owners to both dream – and achieve – big ideas.

Studio X is a dedicated and vibrant space which occupies much of the ground floor of the Innovation Centre. This space has been designed for students to develop business ideas and for entrepreneurs to connect with the University. Offering dedicated entrepreneurship and enterprise development programmes, drop-in sessions and one-to-one advice, University of Essex students can achieve their entrepreneurial ambitions with Essex Startups.

Essex Business School enjoys a close relationship with the Essex Startups team, not only due to proximity of location, but through the nature of our academic interests and entrepreneurial students. Many business school graduates go on to start their own businesses, often with the support and investment of Essex Startups.

The Startups team support our teaching and student experience by participating in workshops and extracurricular activities with our students, most notable, with our MBA cohorts.

The Essex MBA

The Essex MBA seeks to develop socially responsible entrepreneurs and working professionals who can deliver sustainable business. We offer part-time programmes to fit around your lifestyle and professional commitments.

The programme is designed to immerse students in the real world of business. We collaborate by bringing practitioners into the classroom and arranging company visits. Both enable students to develop an understanding into the values and mechanics of a variety of firms, handpicked so they can gain specialist knowledge and foster links with business.

With annual intakes every October and January and a variety of part-time study options to choose from, as well as our full-time MBA, there has never been a better time to find out more about the Essex MBA.

Successful Futures

Essex Business School students enjoy their own annual conference, Successful Futures.

We welcome keynote speakers, many of whom are Essex Business School alumni, from all sectors including banking, digital marketing and artificial intelligence. They present both their own experiences of work and the latest innovations in their field. From robots to crypto-currencies, Successful Futures encourages Essex Business School students to expand their ideas and apply themselves to a world where they will be the difference.

Our graduates in business

Our Advisory Board

Enriching links with business

The valued Essex Business School Advisory Board work with our academic and professional services staff to ensure all of our courses reflect current and future business needs.

Our members bring their expertise on national and international commerce into the classroom and maintain a watching brief on course content. The role of the Essex Business School Advisory Board is:

to provide advice on the strategic development of Essex Business School, including teaching, research and knowledge transfer
to enhance the reputation of Essex Business School and promote its activities
to connect and engage with our stakeholders
to increase external support for Essex Business School with the aim of securing additional capital and operational funding for the School

Meet our board members

Professor Nicolas Forsans

CHAIR, Professor of Management and Marketing and MBA Director

Essex Business School, University of Essex

Nicolas joined the University of Essex in 2018 as Professor of Management and MBA Director. He previously held academic appointments at the University of Exeter (2013-1018) where he repositioned and led the growth of the MBA. Prior to that he worked as a FME Research Fellow, Lecturer then Associate Professor at the Centre for International Business, University of Leeds (CIBUL).

Professor Claudia Girardone

Dean of Essex Business School

Professor of Banking Finance, University of Essex

Claudia is Dean of Essex Business Schoool and Director of the Essex Finance Centre (EFiC). She is currently on the editorial board of several journals including the Journal of Financial Economic Policy and The European Journal of Finance. Her current research areas are on banking sector performance and stability, bank corporate governance, the industrial structure of banking and access to finance.

Professor Ileana Steccolini

Professor of Accounting

Essex Business School, University of Essex

Ileana Steccolini is a Professor of Accounting and the Director of Research at Essex Business School. Her expertise develops at the interface among accounting and public administration and management. She has published on public sector accounting, budgeting, performance management and accountability, reform and change processes, governmental financial resilience, inclusion, participation and gender in public services. She is the President of the International Research Society of Public Management, the chair and founder of the Public Service Accounting and Accountability Group, the Chair of the EIASM conference on Public Sector Accounting and Accountability, and the Chair of the Standing Scientific Committee of the European Accounting Association. She is a member of the Italian Public Sector Accounting Standard Board and of the Advisory board of CIPFA International.

Dr Noelia-Sarah Reynolds

Senior Lecturer in Management and Marketing

Essex Business School, University of Essex

Dr Noelia-Sarah Reynolds is a Senior Lecturer in Management and Marketing and the Director of Education of Essex Business School, where she is also part of the Senior Management Team. Her research interest is rooted in strategic change and growth with a particular interest around company mergers as well as sustainability and strategic change. She has published work in world leading journals such as Organization Studies, International Business Review and Sustainability.

Philippa Stokes

Director of Global Relations and Compliance

Department/Centre, Rolls Royce

Essex Alumna and HR professional Philippa has been leading the HR team at Rolls Royce for nine years and previously rose through the ranks of HR at British Airways for the previous nine years.

Managing Director

Department/Centre, Portcullis Legal

With over 30 years experience in the legal services profession, Trevor specialises in estate planning bringing the expertise needed to protect clients and their families, after creating the business as a 23 year old.

Head of Corporate Affairs, Adnams

Oliver made a name for himself as a PR and marketing professional, rising to Director of External Communications at Marshall Aerospace before joining Adnams as Head of Corporate Affairs in April 2019. Essex Business School has a long standing relationship with Adnams, who have been hosting company visits for five consecutive years. As well as sitting on our Advisory Board, Oliver shares his expertise with our MBA students through Director's workshops.

Investment Fund Specialist

Non-Executive Director, Independent Director and Senior Business Adviser , Various Alternative Asset Funds

Essex alumna Kevin is an Alternative Asset Specialist, guiding the delivery of global, commercial business strategies for the Financial Services sector. He built a NED/Independent Director/Advisory portfolio leveraging 25+ years' experience across all verticals of the hedge fund sector including asset management, fund admin, legal and prime brokerage.

"When the job market is highly competitive, it is important to have a strong differentiator in the eyes of recruiters and employers."

Philippa Stokes advisory Board member director of gloal relations and compliance, Rolls ROYCE

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