School of Management and Languages Newsletter - June 2010

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In this newsletter we highlight news and success stories from around the School. It is both inspirational and uplifting to read about the fantastic accomplishments of our students, graduates and staff. To keep up to date with the latest news from around School please visit the School website www.sml.hw.ac.uk or follow us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/heriot_watt_sml) Professor Gillian Hogg Head of School

School of Management and Languages

NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2010


UNIVERSITY NEWS

is informed by research findings from workshops, focus groups and on-line surveys and the visual design has been created in partnership with a leading web design agency.

40 years of Heriot-Watt

Professor Steve Chapman, Principal, said, “I am delighted with the new design. The website is critical to realising the University’s ambitions in terms of global student recruitment and research dissemination and positioning us as a thought leader on key global issues. This is an excellent start and we look forward to the next phase of development which will see Schools and Support Services migrate across to the new format”.

Exactly four decades after a ceremony marked the start of the construction of Heriot-Watt’s Edinburgh campus, Principal, Professor Steve Chapman, and Students’ Association President, Simon Eltringham, planted a maple sapling at the James Watt Centre to commemorate 40 years of the campus. In November 1969, the Chancellor, Sir Alec Douglas-Home, unveiled a plaque to commemorate building work starting on the 248 acre site, gifted to the University by Midlothian Council while cross-country runners brought the University standard from the city centre through a snow storm to the site! Since then the Campus has flourished and over 8,800 staff and students are now based here. The grounds, carefully nurtured since 1969, are one of the things most cherished by everyone who visits the Campus. Looking ahead, as part of the University’s strategic ambition to be at the forefront of research and research-led education in the UK and internationally, the Campus will see more changes. The Residences Project will bring new student accommodation not only to Edinburgh but also to the Scottish Borders Campus. With student needs and expectations at the heart of the project the new residences will incorporate more shared flats and fewer single study rooms, larger desks and improved noise control and ventilation. Already the plans have achieved the BREEAM 2 rating of excellence, signifying they are being developed to the highest environmental standards.

SCHOLAR programme celebrates 10 years

Simon Eltringham (left) and Principal, Professor Steve Chapman, planting the maple sapling.

New website for Heriot-Watt The University launched its new external website at the end of March. With a new look, new content, new navigation and layout, the launch marks the completion of the first phase in the transformation of the University’s web presence, and includes central pages for student recruitment, research, business services and alumni, as well as the School of Engineering and Physical Sciences. The new website

Heriot-Watt is a world leader in creating supportive e-learning environments that help students to learn at the times and in the ways they choose. Our innovative SCHOLAR programme is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. The programme, which provides online educational resources for secondary schools and a FE college support network, is one of the largest online learning programmes in the world with over 100,000 registered learners. Drawing on our specialist expertise in interactive and distance learning, SCHOLAR materials are written by subject specialists from schools, colleges and Heriot-Watt. The materials bring together the best of innovative learning with tried-and-tested educational approaches. SCHOLAR has come a long way since it began in 2000. From five Advanced Highers in the STEM subjects, the programme now has 30 courses, representing three suites of subjects: Maths and Sciences, Languages and Business with 90% of senior pupils in schools across Scotland having a SCHOLAR password. For more information about SCHOLAR visit www.scholar.hw.ac.uk

SCHOOL NEWS New Research Centres In May the University approved the formation of two new Research Centres within SML. These are the Centre for Finance & Investment, and the Centre for Research on Work and Wellbeing (CRoWW). The Centre for Finance and Investment (CFI) will be headed up by Dr Andy Adams and aims to foster collaborative links and research between Heriot-Watt University and the key finance and investment bodies and organisations. The CFI will also promote the study and understanding of finance and investment through courses and events including public debates, research seminars. The Centre for Research on Work and Wellbeing (CRoWW) , led by Dr Abigail Marks, will be a focal point for crossdisciplinary research in the key areas of contemporary practice in the world of work and employment with a distinctive focus on wellbeing in the workplace. The Centre aims to provide a strong link between practitioners and academics in order to demonstrate the value of rigorous, wellfounded research and to disseminate insights in a way that is helpful to practitioners and researchers alike.

BALEAP success for English Section The School’s English section has gained accreditation from the British Association of Lecturers in English for Academic Purposes (BALEAP). The accreditation was won during the Section’s busiest ever programme in which over 250 international students attended. The English section – housed within the School’s Department of Languages and Intercultural Studies - offers a range of foundation and in-sessional English language courses to international students across the university.

The accreditation visit evaluated the standard and quality of provision in a number of areas including course design, teaching and learning, assessment, student welfare, resources, and management. The Section’s Academic Director David Finn, said: “The BALEAP accreditation provides us with a quality platform from which we can develop and expand. ‘Our hope is to enhance the quality of our academic programmes and work with other schools and disciplines to support international students wherever we can.” For more information on the English section and the English language courses available please visit www.english.hw.ac.uk

External Programmes Through a global network of Learning Partners the School’s External Programmes team provides a range of flexible learning undergraduate degree courses in business and management to students around the world. The School is delighted to welcome two new institutions to our network of Learning Partners. We recently signed agreements with Oxford College of Business in Sri Lanka and HSI Limerick Business School in Ireland and look forward to the first student intakes from these centres in summer 2010. Delegates from our new partners in Sri Lanka and Ireland were amongst those attending the Heriot-Watt International Partner Conference 2010 hosted at the Edinburgh campus in June. This was the University’s first Learning Partner event and provided an opportunity for our international partners to come together to share good practice and learn about Heriot-Watt’s new international and branding strategies. As the conference coincided with the SML graduations it was great to see so many of our partners taking the opportunity to both attend the conference as well as be part of the graduation celebrations.

One of our largest partnerships is with the School of Higher Education in Trinidad and Tobago and we are happy to announce that we have secured full government approval from the Accreditation Council of Trinidad and Tobago for the delivery of SML external programmes. This will be a major boost to recruitment and is a validation of the learning experience offered in Trinidad. In celebration of this, the University will deliver the first official graduation ceremony in Trinidad in February 2010. As well as expanding programme delivery to new countries we also strive to continually develop and improve our programmes and ensure Heriot-Watt remains one of the market leaders in flexible learning education. We are currently working on the development of an Honours year which will be rolled out across our Learning Partner network from September 2011 and will provide additional flexibility and progression opportunities for our students. To support this the External Programmes team will be appointing a new Academic Head and also two Teaching Fellows in 2010. And finally, from summer 2010 we will begin working in collaboration with the School of Life Sciences on the delivery of the BA in Management and Psychology through our Learning Partner network.

New student study area for School The University’s Information Technology unit, in collaboration with the Estates Department, have completed the installation of a new computer facility for the School of Management and Languages. The new computer study area in the Esmee Fairbairn building is for the School’s postgraduate and final year undergraduate students. With 15 computers and a separate


wi-fi area with desks and self-study space, the facility is already being used by postgraduate students working on their dissertations.

accounting and finance knowledge and skills with managerial knowledge and skills. The courses are aimed at those who seek careers encompassing managerial responsibilities in an accounting or finance organisation.

Students will also be able to access Information Technology’s new University Desktop Service which will be replacing PC Caledonia this summer.

More information on these courses can be found on the School’s website at www.sml.hw.ac.uk/postgrad

New Undergraduate prizes for SML

Procter & Gamble to fund PhD Studentship

The School is pleased to announce several new prizes for undergraduate students to be awarded in the academic year 2009-10.

Lord Penrose Prize Awarded to the best Business Law student in Year 4, the Lord Penrose Prize includes a quaich and a cheque. Lord Penrose is a noted Scottish judge and also Chairman of Court at Heriot-Watt University.

Lord Smith of Kelvin Prize and the Irene Adams Prize This third year prize is for outstanding achievement in the core economics modules of Advanced Economics, Introduction to Econometrics, and the Econometrics Project. One prize goes to the outstanding male student (Lord Smith prize) and the other to the outstanding female student (Irene Adams prize). Each prize comes with a cheque for £500.

W.S Johnstone Memorial Trophy This fourth year prize is awarded by Balmoral Asset Management to the most outstanding performance by an Honours student in the School. The prize includes a rose bowl trophy, commemorative plaque and cheque for £500. The School is extremely grateful to Lord Penrose, Lord Smith of Kelvin, Irene Adams, and Balmoral Asset Management for their generosity in gifting these prizes.

New postgraduate courses for 2010 From September 2010 two new postgraduate courses will be available within the School. MSc International Accounting and Management, and MSc Finance and Management are designed to combine core

The School’s Logistics Research Centre has been awarded a PhD Scholarship by Procter & Gamble to fund a three year research project on the development of a home delivery system for consumer products. The research will examine the cost-effectiveness and environmental impact of different options for supplying goods that customers order online. This will build on earlier research that the LRC has undertaken on the logistics of online retailing.

PRINCE2® Training Courses The School of Management and Languages has teamed up with Brightedge Project Management to offer PRINCE2® Foundation and Practitioner qualification training courses at the Edinburgh campus. PRINCE2 (PRojects IN Controlled Environments) is a structured approach to organizing, managing and controlling projects. It can be applied to any type of project and tailored to suit any size of organisation or industry. It is this versatility that makes the PRINCE2 project management method ideal for most organisations and creates high demand for PRINCE2 qualified practitioners. PRINCE2 is widely used by the UK government and public sector and for any business or organization who works with government or the public sector PRINCE2 expertise is vital. The courses are run over 5 days with the next course taking place in early September 2010 - details can be found on our website at www.sml.hw.ac.uk/cpd

Making an Impact Tessa Padden, Teaching Fellow in the School’s Department of Languages & Intercultural Studies was recently shortlisted for Newcomer of the Year at the 2010 Impact Awards for her work with the School’s BSL UPTAKE Project. Organised by PraxisUnico, the Impact Awards recognise people and groups who have made outstanding contributions to society and the economy through innovation. A spokeswoman for PraxisUnico said, “Tessa was nominated for the Newcomer of the Year Impact Award for her work in advancing public policy development on Deaf issues. Tessa engaged in meetings and conversations with members of Scottish Government, Parliament, the Civil Service, universities, Deaf organisations and community groups. Using knowledge, information and suggestions gained from this outreach work, she worked with the project team to build a bilingual website.’ Just one example of how Tessa’s work has made an impact is through her BSL blog. In the run-up to the general election in Many Tessa highlighted on her blog just how little information is made available in BSL by the political parties, citing research previously undertaken at Heriot-Watt University by Dr Steve Emery which showed that Deaf people feel politicians do not understand the Deaf community or its priorities. The topic was been picked up by The Scotsman as well as generating discussion on the www.bsluptake. org.uk website which prompted a Deaf businessman to offer to pay the deposit for an independent Deaf candidate to stand at the next by-election in order to highlight this issue. Tessa said about her nomination: “I was delighted and surprised to be shortlisted for the Newcomer of the Year. BSL:UPTAKE is a team project and as the Knowledge Exchange Associate and the on-screen ‘face’ of the project I pull together and present the sum of our collective efforts. It is a great honour for both the project and Heriot-Watt University that the Impact Awards have recognised our work in this way.” For more details about the BSL UPTAKE project and to see Tessa in action visit www.bsluptake.org.uk/

SML Professor gives lecture series in Australia Professor Alan McKinnon, Director of the School’s Logistics Research Centre, gave a series of guest lectures in Australia during March this year. The main themes of the lectures were freight transport trends, ‘green logistics’ and the ‘decarbonisation’ of supply chains Alan gave three lectures in Melbourne as well as further lectures in Canberra and Sydney. While in Sydney Alan also lead a research seminar at the University of Sydney’s Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies, of which he is a board member. For more details on the Logistics Research Centre, visit www.sml.hw.ac.uk/logistics/

SML Lecturer wins an ‘Oscar’ Heriot-Watt University Students’ Association (HWUSA) held their inaugural Learning and Teaching Oscars in March this year. The Oscars provide an opportunity for students to recognise staff that have inspired, guided or aided them the most over the course of the academic year.

SML lecturer pilots ‘action learning’ for undergraduate students

A number of ‘Oscars’ were awarded to staff across the University, but SML Lecturer, Dr Kathy Waite, was voted Heriot-Watt’s very own “Mistress of Vision”! The award recognised Kathy’s use of Vision, Heriot-Watt’s virtual learning environment, as “timeous, innovative, understanding and engaging”. Kathy, who also chairs the School’s Undergraduate Student-Staff Committee, said “There is a lot of ‘behind the scenes’’ work required by both academic and support staff in developing VISION and I really appreciate that students have taken the time to show that they value the online learning support provided by SML”.

Kathy Waite accepting her ‘Oscar’

Universities are going to suffer collateral damage from the financial crisis and will be under increased pressure to find more efficient methods of teaching students. One strategy is to make the curriculum more rigid. Another is to involve students much more. With support from the Higher Education Academy’s Economics Network, senior SML Lecturer Dr Robbie Mochrie, is going to develop the latter approach. Almost 40 years ago, Reg Revans, a management consultant working in the NHS developed the ‘action learning’ approach. Working with senior managers, he showed them how to use this approach to improve the management of complex projects. In the intervening decades, many groups have picked up on the idea of action learning, applying it to a wide range of situations. However, up until now no one has tried to use it in undergraduate teaching in the UK. The idea of action learning is very simple. A group of people agree to meet regularly. At these meetings, they take turns to outline progress on a project, and then they are asked questions designed to help them make progress in solving problems. It seems very simple, but to work effectively, people have to be good at ‘critical listening.’ That’s very different from the sort of listening that usually takes place in lectures and other classes. Robbie has already piloted the approach with a final year economics class. He explained that, “It was a very odd experience. I arrived at the first class having no idea what would happen between the third week and the exam. I had to trust the students to generate interesting material from resources to which I pointed them. For example, I wasn’t expecting to get an essay on the cognitive failures in decision making that led to the war in Iraq.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT School of Management and Languages t +44 (0) 131 451 3497 f +44 (0) 131 451 8336 e enquiries@sml.hw.ac.uk

www.sml.hw.ac.uk


STUDENT NEWS SML student wins Business Competition

Student Success in CIMA Global Business Challenge A team of students from the School of Management and Languages at HeriotWatt’s Dubai campus were runners up in the UAE regional final of the CIMA Global Business Challenge Competition 2010. The competition, for undergraduates who are interested in finance and business, attracts over 1400 universities across 18 regions. The winners of each regional final then go forward to the global final.

Sara Votta celebrates with the other award winners in Reykjavik, Iceland SML undergraduate student Sara Votta recently won second prize in an ‘Elevator Pitch’ competition in Iceland, part of an MIT Global Start-up workshop held in Reykjavik. The aim of the workshop was to connect the next generation of entrepreneurs with some of the world’s most renowned business leaders, entrepreneurs and supporters, and the event included keynote lectures from leading global figures. At the workshop, Management with Marketing student Sara, and fellow student, Julien Dufour, both entered the Elevator Pitch competition at the event, with ideas developed by their respective project groups in the SML’s third year Business Venturing module. This was a new experience for the students who were up against 28 competitors from countries across the world, some of whom have been in business for several years. An elevator pitch is 55 seconds in which the speaker summarises their business idea in as compelling a fashion as possible in order to capture the interest of a potential investor. Neither Sara nor Julien had participated in such an event before and Julien, who is French, was presenting in English, his second language. Sara won second prize, beating established business people, MIT students and pitchers from all over the world. Her pitch to an audience of 300 people featuring the Fruit Elixir product, a puree of exotic Caribbean fruits presented in a squeezy tube to add zest to home cooking, baking and drinks. Both Sara and Julien were awarded certificates for their efforts, with Sara also receiving $500 for her second place in the competition.

Essam Dingankar, Bijinder Dhanni, Onray Donpaul, Zawar Hakeem performed extremely well and were commended by Barclays PLC on their team spirit and professionalism in the competition. To reach the final the team had to analyse and produce a substantive report making recommendations to a Board of Directors of an international business specializing in mobile phone technology. In the final the team then had to present these recommendations to a panel of judges made up of senior managers representing global businesses. Academic Head of the School of Management and Languages in Dubai, Michael Clarke, said “I am delighted with the success and accomplishments of our team in the competition. Second place is a fantastic result as is the commendation from Barclays PLC.”

SML STUDENTS WIN SALTIRE FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIPS

penultimate year of study at a Scottish university, offers the chance to experience the working environment of global multinational companies for 8 weeks. By broadening horizons and opening doors, the aim is to encourage each intern to develop their confidence, skills and capacity to succeed with a positive, can-do attitude and an enterprising outlook. The internships include flights, accommodation and £200 living expenses per week.

International Management and Languages student, will both go to Berlin to improve their German language skills and get to know the vibrant capital. The four week course will focus on literary, cultural, political and economic aspects of contemporary Germany. Both will receive a grant of 850 Euros to cover the course fees and living expenses. Ani and Andrew will also have the opportunity to take part in an extracurricular programme.

John will be based in North Carolina in the USA with Quintiles – a global pioneer in pharmaceutical services who deliver new drugs and cures for the world’s most challenging diseases. Rachel will be based in Tokyo, Japan with DHL Supply Chain who design and implement customized supply chain and corporate information solutions. Natasha will be based in Sydney, Australia with Telstra who are Australia’s leading telecommunications and information services company.

The DAAD scholarship programme is offered every year and is open to undergraduate students from any discipline with a good command of German. More information can be found on http://london.daad.de

Languages students receive DAAD scholarships to study in Germany Ani Deal and Andrew Durie, undergraduate students in the School, have been awarded a scholarships from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) which will enable them to spend the summer in Germany on an intensive language course. Ani, an Interpreting and Translating student in her second year, and Andrew, a first year

Three undergraduate students from the School of Management and Languages have won prestigious Saltire Foundation Internships for 2010. Year 3 Business Management students John Charalambous, Rachel Lippett, and Natasha Walls will be spending their summers working with some of the world’s most successful multinational companies. The Saltire Foundation is an independent charitable organisation providing opportunities through experience, learning and business networking to help create Scotland’s next generation of business leaders. The Undergraduate Internship Programme, open to students in their

DAAD scholarship winner Ani Deal (centre) pictured with Professor Chris Tinker, Head of Languages and Intercultural Studies and Regina Schmid, DAAD Lektorin

MSc Logistics student wins Government internship MSc Logistics and Supply Chain Management student, Lena von Fritschen, has won the Freight Best Practice ‘Student of the Year’ essay competition. The Freight Best Practice programme, funded by the Department for Transport (DfT), is an initiative designed to promote operational efficiency within the freight transport industry. This year’s essay competition, open to all UK-based university students, challenged entrants to write an essay entitled ‘Technologies or behaviour: how do we decarbonise our supply chain?’ Professor Alan McKinnon, Director of the School’s Logistics Research Centre said “ Lena’s essay examined various ways in which companies can reduce CO2 emissions from their distribution systems, comparing the relative

MSc International Fashion Marketing students and staff in Milan

contribution of technological advances, such as the redesign of trucks, with behavioural changes in, for example, the way that trucks are loaded, routed and driven.’ Lena wins a £500 prize, which will be presented at the Logistics Research Network conference in September, and a placement with the Department for Transport. Arthur Mwanje and Tanya Girdhar, also students on the MSc Logistics and Supply Chain Management course, won second and third places respectively in the essay competition.

Fashion Marketing students ‘go moda’ in Milan Students and staff from the School’s MSc in International Fashion Marketing course visited Milan over four days during February, taking in world-famous concept store 10 Corso Como and luxury department store la Rinascente in the world’s most important fashion capital. The trip provided a real-world insight into fashion retailing and marketing in a global style capital and students were able to immerse themselves in the glamorous reality of one of the world’s most creative industries.

Professor George Davies, founder of the MSc International Fashion Marketing course The intensive four day trip included management presentations by 10 Corso Como, a pioneer of the concept of ‘slow shopping’, with art, books, music, fashion, food and boutique accommodation all under one roof. Unfortunately we just missed seeing Victoria Beckham who had shopped there a couple of days previously! Students also explored Milan’s golden fashion triangle area and visited some of the world’s most famous luxury flagship stores located in the area, including Armani, D-Squared, Dolce et Gabbana, Tom Ford and Juicy Couture. There was also some time for fun and frolics in Milan’s many trendy bars and clubs for the students, and some well-earned relaxation time for staff to indulge in the delicious delights of Milanese pasta, pizza and mirto!


GRADUATE NEWS When networking is a Sound thing to do When Melvin Simpson, BA Business Organisation 1980, joined the Ministry of Sound last year as a consultant to work on their website the task was to launch a new website for Hed Kandi, one of Ministry of Sound’s brands. “I was only supposed to be here for ten weeks. Within a fortnight, the company who ran the website and fulfilment had gone into administration. My new task was then to manage a team to build and launch a new e-commerce platform from scratch. It was a bit of a challenge but we did it in seven weeks!” As a result Melvin became Head of Internet for the Ministry of Sound with responsibility for e-commerce, online marketing, social media and engagement, web development and digital design. The idea of realising your potential by being taken out of your comfort zone is something Melvin has been used to right from his days at Heriot-Watt. “I had an inspirational lecturer in International Business who opened my eyes in a way no-one else had. I was challenged to read widely and think about things in a different way.” This has stood Melvin in good stead throughout his career. But Melvin also sees networking as a key career development tool and is evangelical about networking and expanding your

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network at every opportunity, regardless of what stage you are at in your career. “Pretty much everything I’ve done over the last 15 years has been as a result of networking and knowing people. It’s so important to go to networking events, talk to people and connect with people. It doesn’t always have to be your peers – it can be people more experienced than you or people just starting out”.

Strategies for Success A few years backs Simon Dunn, MA in Management 2003, was voted by Scotland’s leading marketing magazine, The Drum, as one of its ‘Top 30 under 30’. Driven to succeed, Simon has risen through the ranks since joining Redeem Plc in 2003 and last year, at the age of 29, was made Sales and Marketing Director for the firm which recycles mobile phones, used electronics and printer cartridges. The company itself was started from scratch in 1999 in a back bedroom with a £2,000 investment by Chief Executive, Jamie Rae. Since then Redeem has diverted over 134,000 tonnes of waste from landfill (including over 3 million mobile phones and over 8 million printer cartridges) and generated over £5 million for charities and good causes as well as opening offices around the globe in Ireland, Italy, Turkey and Hong Kong.

Simon has been instrumental in diversifying Redeem’s marketplace from simply recycling for good causes to expanding to allow employees of large companies and the public to recycle their mobile phones for cash. Large corporations including Boots, British Gas, Sainsbury’s and Amazon are currently Redeem clients. He says “Heriot-Watt taught me how to think on another level. I learnt about the strategies involved in growing a business, which has been invaluable when working in a high growth business like Redeem. Without Heriot-Watt I wouldn’t have the confidence gained through my understanding of the technical theory.” For more information about Redeem, visit ww.redeemplc.com

From Royal Mail to ITV Heriot-Watt graduate Adam Crozier recently took up the post of Chief Executive with the broadcaster ITV. Adam, who graduated with BA Business Organisation in 1984, started his career as a graduate trainee with Pedigree Petfoods. He has held positions with Saatchi and Saatchi, The Football Association and most recently as Chief Executive of the Royal Mail.


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