Richard Dron tells you about what its like to learn web app development here in Salford Business School

Are you looking for a Business Management programme where you can learn technical skills, like web app development? Are you interested in working in the digital space after you complete your degree? Or are you a business looking to work with a university because you need students with a business perspective who can manage the process of managing web app development projects?

I’m Richard, Programme Leader for BSc Business Management with Innovation and Technology, and also I look after the Web App Development module. I think it’s great and it might just be what you’re looking for!

What makes our web app development module so special? Well, firstly its part of the BSc Business Management with Innovation and Technology programme, that trains managers to run businesses of the future and harness the power of tech. I might be biased but I think it’s a brilliant programme. We’re an amazing academic team and we’ve got fantastic students too!

We use the term industry informed to describe this undergraduate degree programme. But what does that mean? Well, we’ve co-created this module with industry in mind. To make our students even more industry ready, this year they are working to client briefs and industry expectations with a local industry partner, on their way to working in digital careers where the skills they develop here will be really important.

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Yousef Essali tells you why lack of experience should not limit your ambition

In the 2nd year of my BSc at Salford I applied for a lot of placements. Not even once did I get to the interview stage! What was I doing wrong? That was during my undergraduate degree where everyone was fairly similar in age and experience. But, when you think about  the postgrad level it gets even tougher. Suddenly you find yourself competing with peers with wider levels of experience and talent.

Why did I return straight away after graduation to start MSc International Business? One reason was the opportunity to do an internship or placement as part of my course. However, after the rejection fiasco in my Undergraduate degree I knew I needed a new approach! How could I change the playing field to my advantage, bypass the traditional recruitment process and get face-to-face with potential employers?

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Alex Fenton, Co-Producer of Creative Entrepreneur explains why you should attend our industry collaboration event

Have you heard of Creative Entrepreneur 2016? It is Salford Business School’s industry collaboration event! Here at Salford Business School, industry collaboration is really important. We really want to make sure our teaching is real-world relevant and that our graduates are as employable as possible.

How do we do this? How do we create a bridge between theory and practice? Creative Entrepreneur is one of the ways! This will be our third year of holding the event at MediaCityUK and we hope, once again, to grow. I am always amazed by the generosity and wealth of talent of the range of industry experts, students, alumni and organisations involved each year. 2016 promises to be bigger and better than ever!

At the event you will meet young entrepreneurial students as well as staff and businesses from nearby and further afield. Join us at MediaCityUK on Wednesday 23 November from 9.00am to 5.00pm. The programme and registration for the 2016 event is now open. But, before you signup here is a taste of some reasons you should come to Creative Entrepreneur 2016.

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How 3D printing works

How does 3D printing work? Have you heard abut 3D printing technologies? There are lots of things you could print. We have already been printed a few things already, like a duck, a Salford ambition sign and a butterfly clip!

Recent improvements and falling prices of 3D printers meant that the technology is more accessible to everyone. . 3D printing works by a layer-by-layer creation of physical objects based on digital files that of their design. Nowadays, 3D printing technologies have become an affordable and viable tool for business and consumers. So, how can 3D printing transform online retailing?

Retailers can sell blueprint design plans that consumers can purchase on the web and print at home or at 3D print shops. 3d printing has become very popular and industry in its own right since the world’s first 3D print shop opened in Zurich in 2012.  Since then more pops up opened in Munich and Vienna in 2014. These shops have begun to offer bespoke final prints and designs can be adapted to improve and modify functionality. Also, electronically transmitting digital design printing have no tax costs. Nike has marketing its first athletic shoe with 3D-printed components to download and templates for shoes that can be printed out overnight. Besides industry and business, 3D scanning and printing can be used for educational purposes in schools and universities. Teachers and students can creatively combine engineering, maths, design process and history. 3D printing is also starting to revolutionise manufacturing in a wide range of industries.

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How do beacons work?

Have you heard about beacons? How do beacons work? Beacons are one of many technologies that Salford Business School’s PUPRU is working with. If you don’t know by now what #PUPRU is, you can read about it here. The #PUPRU team are a group from the Centre for Digital Business with a focus on researching the use of emerging and disruptive technologies in business. Disruptive technology is defined as:

… new digital goods and services that revolutionise, change and disrupt accepted methods of performing business activities and transactions …

We have all been exposed to disruptive technologies, but perhaps not been aware. All disruptive technologies have potential to be the next big thing, creating significant opportunity, as with past disrupters like the Internet, smart phones and Google. You may not see the relevance, but unforeseen digital disruption drastically impacts business revenues. For example, GAME group closed 277 stores in the UK and Ireland in 2012 when consumer habits changed and more people began downloading their games. EE’s 2015 third quarter results showed a 10.3% collapse in voice minute revenue as customers moved to VOIP communication apps like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and WeChat. Desktop PCs and laptop sales declined by 9.5% in 2015 with increased global demand for tablets and smart phones. It is no longer necessary for you to own desktop PC devices when there are cheaper mobile alternatives, offering mobility and additional functionality. A new service could disrupt an existing business and is a strong motivator to rethink IT strategy and align it with business strategy. This is where #PUPRU comes in and looks to engage with organisations investigating the use of emerging disruptive technologies in their strategies.

Now – to beacons – what are they?

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Professor David Spicer

Salford Business School Academics show innovation and insight in business thinking.

I am delighted to be able to introduce you to the second issue of the Salford Business School (#SalfordBSchool) magazine Ignited. Having recently joined the School I had done my research before I joined as Dean. I knew that Salford has a great reputation for innovation in applied, industry focused programmes and research. When I arrived, I was delighted to find out just how much great work was being done here at Salford that I wasn’t yet aware of. This magazine showcases some of the best in thinking and research here at Salford. I’ll highlight just some of the articles below.

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Le Hung, The Salford MBA student

Lê Tuấn Hùng came to Salford Business School from Vietnam to study for The Salford MBA. He had originally studied at the University of Transport and Communications in Hanoi, Vietnam, majoring in Construction Economics and after graduating, worked for a shipping company as a sales executive.

“My main job was to search for potential clients and convince them to use my company’s services, while dealing with and keeping existing clients the company had assigned. In this time, I achieved many new and well-known clients for my company. After that, I moved on to work for a Japanese freight forwarder as a sales manager.”

At this stage, Hùng realized that, if he wanted to progress his career, he would have to return to study to update his skills and to fill the gaps in his business knowledge.

“I realised that the practical experience and knowledge I had gained were not enough for the personal development of my career. At this time I also decided to study in a developed country to acquire this knowledge in the best way.”

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Seema Dosanjh, MSc Marketing student

The sixth annual North West Finance Awards took place on Thursday 1st October at The Premier Suite in Macron Stadium and had approximately 700 guests in attendance, including staff and guests from Salford Business School. The Salford Business School Employability Hub also invited finance and accounting students (Undergraduate, Postgraduate, PhD and graduates) to experience the event.

The North West Finance Awards are known for “recognizing unsung heroes” across all levels in finance and accounting in the North West of England. Entry for nomination is free and can be made by colleagues, business associates, clients, as well as self-nomination. Nominees are reviewed by a distinguished panel of judges, which included Eileen Roddy, Associate Dean at Salford Business School International.

The North West Finance Awards gained some help this year as a few postgraduate students from Salford Business School took on an internship at the organization as a part of their Business Innovation Project.

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Namitha Muthukrishnan

An integral part of the MBA experience is an overseas visit, in which I had the opportunity to spend an intensive week in the United Arab Emirates. This experience enabled me to meet like-minded leaders and be immerse  in another business culture. This year’s visit  included a Global Leaders Industry Visit to the Intercontinental Hotel in Abu Dhabi.

The intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG) is a global hotel company traded on the New York as well as the London Stock exchange. Present on over 100 countries worldwide with one of the largest room inventories of over 177,000 room in 4900 hotels, there is no surprise when IHG has been named on FORTUNE Magazine’s 2014 World’s Most Admired Companies list. The question when the Salford MBA students entered the hotel was, what makes them ‘amazing?’

In conversation with Ivor Prestwood, the General Manager of The Intercontinental Abu Dhabi, the Salford Business School MBA students were given an insight into the exciting and challenging world of hospitality.

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Katrina Winstanley

Almost a full year ago I wrote about why I chose to study MSc Marketing at Salford Business School. And now, almost twelve months later, I wanted to write an update on why this is one of the best decisions I have ever made.

When I last wrote about my attendance of the business school, I was two and a half days into my first module… Fast forward a year and I have now finished all four of my Masters modules and have moved on to the Business Innovation Project in order to turn my Postgraduate Diploma into a full MSc in Marketing.

After working extremely hard and overcoming various obstacles and challenges, I have so far been thrilled with my grades, and have most definitely exceeded any initial expectations of myself and hope to continue to do so throughout the somewhat lengthy process of researching, presenting and writing up my final project.

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