What Practice Means for Students – and for me

When I first became a manager in the Business School, I could go whole weeks without missing teaching.  Now, largely because of our Practice Weeks I find myself pining for teaching.

Being head of a department doesn't allow for teaching, partly because of the size of the management task and partly because the flexibility needed doesn't mesh with the fixed nature of a timetable.  So teaching stopped when I took on my current role last year.  What I get to do instead, however, is go to the high points for students.  I am invited to see what is going on, to give profile and to present prizes.  High points can be events such as Vietnam’s Women’s Day for the Vietnamese Society but most often they are the Business School’s Practice Weeks.

Modern Leadership Development

It is particularly pertinent at this time of year when the new wave of freshers start their leadership journey. These wide-eyed leaders of the future put their trust in University to start them off well. It is our responsibility to ensure we prepare them for the business world they face ahead rather than preach about the business world we knew at their age. All too often new generations of leaders are guided  only with the retrospective - and don't get me wrong - this is very useful. However, this is limited and must be accompanied by future led guidance. We must prepare this valuable young talent for the  next fast changing few years - not the ones just gone - or in some cases ones from a very long time ago - yawn.

Eating Soup with a Fork: Teaching Entrepreneurship to Business Students

More and more people are getting aware of the benefits of “inventing a job rather than finding a job”. Across the world, universities and colleges are rushing to introduce entrepreneurship classes. This phenomenon has rekindled the age-old debate, whether entrepreneurship can be taught in business schools or one is better off learning it ‘by doing’?