Uni Cover/04 13/10/03 4:48 pm Page 1

UNIVERSITY OF STRATHCLYDE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS MAGAZINE AUTUMN 2003 PIONEER

SURVEY THE SCENARIOS IT COULD HELP YOUR BUSINESS

AIM FELLOWSHIP STRATHCLYDER OF THE YEAR ALUMNI BUSINESS SUCCESSES STUDENT CONSULTANCY PROJECTS Uni 2-3 /04 13/10/03 4:43 pm Page 1

editorial news

STRATHCLYDE IMPRESSED INQUISITOR JEREMY PAXMAN IN THE FIRST and... It’s good ROUND OF THE TV QUIZ ▲ WINNING PAPER AIMing high Professors Colin Eden and Fran Ackermann have won to be back the Graziadio Business MANAGEMENT IN THE SPOTLIGHT on improving business performance. School/Pepperdine Award for Professor Huxham will be focusing her the outstanding paper at the

▼ Welcome once again to Academy of Management

▼ Two USGSB professors have joined an research on the performance of organisations Pioneer. I am pleased to say conference in Seattle, which took elite group of 17 UK-based senior business in situations of collaboration, partnerships place from August 1 to 6 with the I am back at the helm of USGSB academics charged with the task of and alliances. theme of Democracy in a and my thanks must improving understanding of management’s Professor Johnson, author of Exploring Knowledge Economy. The paper is entitled Powerful and go to Alf Hatton who contribution to organisational performance Corporate Strategy, Europe’s best-selling book Interested Stakeholders Matter: took over as acting and the wider well-being of the country. on business strategy, will be using his three- Their Identification and Professors Chris Huxham and Gerry year appointment to focus on increasing Management. director during my This is now the fourth award Johnson have been awarded prestigious understanding of the management activities from the US Academy of absence. fellowships in the Advanced Institute for involved in developing and implementing Management in the past five There have been Management (AIM). Strathclyde is the only major strategic developments in businesses. years for USGSB academics. several staff changes Scottish university to be involved in the He said: “Such investment allows us to in that time, with multi-million-pound initiative, dedicated to focus on areas impacting management in management research in the UK. practice. As the only Scottish contingent, our Are you up to Paul Gunnion, open Funded by the Economic and Social findings will be of relevance and benefit to ▲ learning senior editor, Research Council, AIM’s objectives address the Scottish economy, as well as the rest of ETIVE REUNION and Muriel McGhee, MBM the current government agenda the UK.” More than 30 students from the programme administrator the challenge? full-time Etive MBA year (1992-93) enjoyed a 10th anniversary retiring, along with senior reunion in Glasgow over the weekend of June 6. lecturer John Bothams. Dr Bill After a drinks reception at Strathclyder of Year ▼ Jeremy Paxman is known for his cynical, doesn’t-suffer-fools-gladly, attitude to politicians Donaldson, Professor George the business school on the first – and his attitude is pretty similar on the long-running quiz show University Challenge. But evening, the celebrations Wright and Dr George Cairns left USGSB researcher Aidan McQuade succeeded in impressing the hard-hitting broadcaster continued the following night to take up new posts elsewhere. at a Park Circus property owned when his team trounced Oxford in the first round of the BBC Two programme. by one of the Etive year. Fine is▼ great ambassador Tuck Wah Wong is Strathclyder of the We are sorry to see them THE AWARD food, champagne and dancing go and wish them all the Year. This is the first time the title has gone RECOGNISES followed. to a graduate from Asia, underlining that the TUCK WAH’S The next day saw a more best in the future. Now, we Strathclyde community stretches further than DEDICATION sedate lunchtime meeting are in the process of recruiting St Hugh’s College, Oxford, reached the quarter- 4: The Zmutt, The Hornli, The Lion and The for the group at the Tron to the two Scottish campuses. complete the weekend. new staff who can add fresh The award is presented annually to a finals last year, but fell at the first hurdle this time Furggen are the major ridges of which alpine and Paxman said Strathclyde played ‘terrifically’. mountain? input and dynamism to our member of the Strathclyde community who has made an outstanding contribution to the In what was described as a ‘nail-biting match’ academic team. university or society and consequently has by the BBC, Aidan (MBA Oss), together with 5: Which effect may be described as the production

We are also busy with plans to enhanced the university’s reputation. Sally Semple, Peter MacDonald and Scott of an electrical voltage when a material is under ▲ Tuck Wah has been a local counsellor for FORESIGHT create new office space in the Torrance, humbled their rivals by 45 points in a mechanical stress or vice versa, in other words the CONFERENCE MBA students since 1988. He was the first show filmed earlier this year and broadcast on production of a mechanical force when a voltage is William Duncan building and Building on the success of the local counsellor to be appointed to USGSB’s he is paid for, and is well-respected by them. September 15. applied, and is often used to convert mechanical or hope to have this complete by “I feel humbled by this award and am 2002 conference, the second overseas MBA, having done an MBA himself The next round sees the team up against acoustic signals into electric ones, for example International Conference on at Strathclyde in 1983 – three years after particularly honoured as a graduate of the early next year, in a bid to offer Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge. in microphones? Organisational Foresight is to achieving first-class honours there in university on two occasions,” he said. “I can be held at USGSB from August better use of space to both staff The team may have made it look easy against engineering. He has taught in every intake of testify to it being a place of useful learning, 26 to 28, 2004. and students. the overseas MBA programme in Singapore as it laid the foundation for my career and St Hugh’s, but could you have done so well? 6: Beating Katherine Hepburn’s record of 12 Oscar The first conference Below are some questions Strathclyde answered nominations, which actress received her 13th produced a book entitled On a personal note, I am since his appointment. has continued to open doors for me. Managing the Future, to be correctly. nomination in 2002, when she was in the running particularly glad to be back Tuck Wah was chosen for the award “My role as counsellor is as part of a published by Blackwell, and a because of the work he has done for USGSB team which helps to deliver useful learning to for Best Supporting Actress for the film Adaption? special edition of Futures. from convalescence in time to In this Strathclyde conference and the university outside his normal role as those on the MBA programme. I facilitate the 1: “A visible expression of the business-like, but welcome participants joining our counsellor, and the long and valuable service learning from theory into practice and vice 7: The official name of which of the United States series, the organisers are looking straightforward spirit which marks this up-to-date to explore ways in which private, versa. programmes this year, he has given the School in South East Asia. movement” was a Daily Mail reporter’s description concludes with the words ‘and Providence public sector and voluntary He has been an excellent behind-the- “Over the years, I’ve had opportunities to and to be at the graduation of the attire of which British politician in 1934? Plantations’? organisations make sense of scenes operator, pursuing Strathclyde’s best consult across national boundaries, sit on their environments and of ceremony in November to see our interests wherever he may be. boards and be elected onto committees themselves in order to cope with 8: The national flag of which country features the the uncertainty of the future. MBA, MBM and BITS “I’m constantly trying to promote the looking into economic and labour issues at a 2: In physics and mathematics, what name is given British Blue Ensign and a stylised representation USGSB centres, the Centre good name of the university and to ensure national level. That broadens my outlook and to a quantity which requires both a magnitude and a students being rewarded for their of the Southern Cross constellation, displaying four for Scenario Planning and that those who earn their MBAs will do like- thought process.” direction to specify it completely? Future Studies and the Centre hard work. stars? wise,” said Tuck Wah. The Strathclyder of the Year is presented for Strategic Learning and

As a counsellor for human resources and with a silver trophy contributed by the Old Knowledge, will host the 3: The flag of which overseas territory is a Blue Zealand. New 8 Plantations), Providence conference.

Professor Colin Eden, director, for management, strategy and the internation- Boys’ Club of Allan Glen School, and Tuck

Ensign with a coat of arms featuring a sheep and and Island Rhode of State (The Island Rhode 7 Streep, University of Strathclyde al environment, he gives at least twice as Wah is travelling to Scotland to receive it at Meryl 6 effect, Piezoelectric 5 Matterhorn, The 4 Islands,

the Desire, the ship of John Davis who discovered many hours of help to the MBA students as this month’s graduation ceremony. Falkland The 3 Vector, 2 Mosley, Oswald 1 Answers: Graduate School of Business the territory in 1592?

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focus STRATEGIC THINKING SO WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF SCENARIO PLANNING? SCENARIO PLANNING CAN BENEFIT ALL It is an extremely ‘fluid’ methodology, in that Obsolete assumptions which It emphasises thinking about the it can be shaped according to the nature of may be deeply ingrained in the future in a way that highlights the BUSINESSES, NO MATTER HOW SMALL, the terrain in which it is to be used, and business are forced to the surface to be thinking process rather than the requires no costly computing capability. dealt with and, as a result, it promotes bureaucracy of planning. The emphasis is SUGGESTS RON BRADFIELD With a relatively short learning curve, it organisation learning. not on extrapolative forecasts, but on does not require the addition of an It provides a framework within which making sense of the dynamics, patterns expensive professional planner to the organisations can scan, encode, update and trends that will shape the future management ranks. and understand the future as it unfolds. business landscape.

ompanies, governments What’s required for business success is a nium – for obvious reasons, perhaps – there has Projects of this nature are obviously beyond and communities today have forward-looking, open-ended and creative been a resurgence of interest in scenarios. the scope of most SMEs, but USGSB’s Centre to deal with larger-scale, approach to strategic thinking. Adopt an You may think only large businesses and for Scenario Planning and Future Studies, more complex and systematical- open view of the future business organisations can benefit from, or afford, for example, has undertaken a number of ly interwoven problems than environment and challenge the the luxury of this technique. It’s a common scenario projects with a range of SME clients. theyC have at any time in the past. inertia and pitfalls of traditional perception within small to medium-sized They include a consultancy firm, a local further As the business environment changes and business-as-usual thinking. enterprises (SMEs) that scenario techniques education college, an engineering services business conditions become increasingly Managers need to develop a sixth are complex, costly and require a significant provider and a video production company. ambiguous and confusing, the response is to sense, and a vehicle to move in this investment in management time. Although all these businesses were batten down the hatches. This is currently direction is scenario planning. well-established, there was a common disquiet much in evidence, as businesses curtail invest- Modern scenario planning Not only multinationals about what they saw as an increasingly ments, slash operating costs, rein in expenses originated with Herman Kahn, This perception is reinforced by the fact that the uncertain and confusing business environment. and cut prices. That’s a recipe which has tradi- a defence analyst at the RAND best-known proponent of scenarios is the Royal Heightening the unease was the fact that all tionally worked for organisations of all sizes, Corporation in California. Dutch/Shell Group and most of the were contemplating significant investments and the assumption is that what worked before In the late 1950s, he literature on the subject tends to discuss and seeking reassurance they were doing the will work again. wrote nightmare scenarios in the context of large international right thing. scenarios for the institutions and national governments. military, exploring However, scenario planning is just as crucial Structured approach Revenue streams possible ways nuclear to small business success. Scenario work that The consensus from the companies we Cost control and management are essential in weapons might be is significantly less resource intensive – yet worked with was that the value of scenario every business, but on their own they are insuf- used by hostile nations. equally interesting and useful – can be done planning was not in the end product – the ficient to allow companies to survive and pros- He left RAND in the within SMEs. scenarios themselves – but in the structured per. They may, at best, slow the haemorrhage mid-1960s, founded the “Scenario planning isn’t rocket science,” approach to thinking about the future of loss, but will not lead to new business ideas, Hudson Institute and as Peter Schwartz, president of Global Business business environment. new business opportunities or new revenue expanded the scope Network and former head of scenario planning All client teams indicated the process had streams. of scenarios to areas at Royal Dutch/Shell, has often said. resulted in new and valuable perceptions of outside military There are many definitions of scenarios, how the future might unfold – and a better 10 TIPS strategy. but common to almost all is that scenarios are understanding of what was happening in the The concept of hypothetical in nature – they include an initial business environment. Smaller businesses scenarios spread state in the present and a terminal state at some should not rely on the belief that everything ■ Realise not everything stays constant and to consulting predetermined date in the future, and they around them will remain constant. Everything the future may not be ‘business as usual’. describe a sequence of actions, consequences ■ establishments such as changes continually. SMEs should, perhaps, Allocate a few hours each month to talk and events, which are conditionally or causally about what is happening in your marketplace. SRI International and consider engaging in scenario planning about Batelle, and organisations related, between the initial and terminal states. once a year if the industry is fast-paced. ■ Allocate regular time to plan for the future. The significant departure of scenario ■ such as Royal Dutch/Shell Smaller businesses can benefit from Establish a core planning team with a planning from conventional long-term planning cross-section of expertise. which, through the work of scenario planning as the process focuses models is that scenario methodology assumes ■ Get the support of top management. Pierre Wack, produced the first attention, often dramatically and persuasively, it is neither useful nor possible to forecast the ■ widely-documented scenario on a larger range of possibilities that need to Choose someone other than the CEO/director future and therefore does not attempt to to act as facilitator. planning success story. be considered in planning for the future. present the future as a single point, but rather as ■ Consider bringing in an objective third party After the 1973 oil crisis, the scenario At the same time, scenarios enable to help with scenario planning. methodology grew rapidly in popularity a range of plausible alternatives. managers to identify and experience potential Scenario projects with multinational companies ■ Identify and comprehend possible threats and, by the early 1980s, half of all US upheavals in the contextual environment to your business. Fortune 1,000 industrial firms were reported generally take more than six months and before they actually happen. That allows ■ Encourage a free flow of ideas and diverse to be using scenario techniques in one form involve numerous interviews, several managers to develop policies better adapted points of view. or another. Interest in scenarios waned in workshops, discussions with experts and to the emerging business environments than ■ Be ready for change. the 1990s, but, since the turn of the millen- significant research efforts. their competitors’. LOOKING TO TOMORROW 4 PIONEER AUTUMN 2003 AUTUMN 2003 PIONEER 5 Uni 6-7/04 13/10/03 4:47 pm Page 1 ▲

People People

Question ANDREW SHOESMITH WAKES UP A MARKET FOR SLEEPER time FURNITURE AND AFRICAN TRAVEL In Dan’s world, Running AFRICAN SELECTIONS HAS BUILT UP YVONNE MALTRY IS AN ATTRACTIVE RANGE OF FURNITURE MARKETING AND SALES for Africa CONSULTANT AND TRAINER AT INTERTEAM- ▼ Months of training have paid off for SWITZERLAND IN nothing gets blown the USGSB running team, with NICARAGUA ANDREW AND SARAH participation in the Great Scottish WANT A WORLD SONS Run netting £2,300 for an education Yvonne, when did you do CULLEN (RIGHT) AND BEN your MBA? WILL BE ABLE TO ENJOY project in Africa. out of proportion Researcher Aidan McQuade (MBA As a fan of Scotland, I chose

▼ If you are looking for somewhere out of small local companies importing or Oss) was one of the runners, and his to come to Glasgow to study the ordinary to say “I do”, how about an manufacturing units, often combined with and studied full time for a personal experience as an aid worker year, graduating in 2000. Business idea inflatable church, wherever you want it? renting bouncy castles – so it’s always been prior to his MBA was the deciding The year was an experience InnovationsUK.com is the company behind considered a second-class advertising factor in where the money should go. I would not have missed. the idea, but the production is all down to medium.” Fellow researcher Peter McInnes USGSB alumnus Dan Vandevoorde, the proud Dan aimed to change that perception. He (MBA More) galvanised the team, What did you enjoy comes out of Africa owner of X-Treme Inflatables. put together a multilingual team, each with ensuring they kept going with the most? Dan has also produced his or her own specialisation, training programme. Getting to know 80 people – inflatable pop and alcohol bottles, and quickly developed cold-air The runners, under the team name A visit home to Zimbabwe gave found me having a few drinks leadership field, but by the time and in that way get closer to ▼ sharks and monkeys – anything, in inflatables. of The Pensadors – based on the Andrew Shoesmith the inspiration with old friends,” said Andrew. he had finished, he found his real more than 30 countries fact, an organisation requires to InnovationsUK.com has symbol of Angola – took part in either for his new business venture, “One owns Savanna Wood – interest was in new venture around the world – was a market products or events. signed a long-term contract for the half-marathon or 10-kilometre African Selections. Now based in now my principle source of creation and running his own fabulous thing. I also particu- Dan’s business acumen has paid inflatable churches and Dan race around Glasgow, with many of Kent, England, Andrew retails railway sleeper furniture – and I show. larly enjoyed the strategy- off – his Belgian branch will have aims for market leadership in them running competitively for the carefully-selected African products was telling him what I’d learned “Until recently, I admit to being building and general manage- its tenth anniversary next year, six EU countries and a network first time. ment parts of the course. for the home and garden in this about the internet from my time quite sceptical about the value of while the Dutch branch will mark of agents worldwide. ‘bricks and clicks’ business, helped with a small business, Totcars, as the MBA,” he said. three years in 2004. “A high point was when we AIDAN (LEFT) AND PETER Tell us how your life RELAX AFTER THE RACE by his wife Sarah. well as what I’d learned from the “It was a massive investment He did Strathclyde’s European DAN’S BUSINESS IS... started to win larger contracts at has changed since you EXPANDING Products include railway MBA. I offered to promote his for me – as a family, we Management Programme in 1993 a European level, such as with graduated sleeper furniture, Zambezi teak products. ploughed all our savings into it, and started the Belgian branch of Red Bull and the Tour de I love change. I consider furniture, African ceramics, “The next day he called to say we borrowed to live for the year X-Treme Inflatables the following year. France project, where we drove the technology myself a generalist and find fabrics, sculptures and batiks. he was prepared to send me a and it was a huge strain, as we “My studies helped me acquire plenty of further than we could ever have believed.” it challenging doing different African Selections can also container load of furniture on a had a nine-month-old, Cullen, skills, from developing a corporate strategy to things – hopefully, not too arrange vacations, incentive trips consignment basis. when the course started and Ben many at the same time! boosting sales and marketing techniques and • Find out more at: and holidays to southern Africa. “I then called some of my old joined us during the final exams. giving me an open mind towards the www.X-Treme-Inflatables.com After graduating, I spent Andrew (Oss, 2001-2002) and contacts from the days when I Talk about a challenging year! two years in a leading Swiss opportunities in the world,” he said. www.inflatablechurch.com Sarah were brought up in ran a portfolio of businesses in “Now, there’s not one part of management school as a Dan did an internship after his studies with The team’s hard work will benefit a Zimbabwe and spent ‘many Victoria Falls and, to a greater or the MBA that is not useful. Not consultant for in-house a large multinational, but this only made him project by CCF, an international child- fantastic years’ in Harare and later lesser extent, I’ve managed to get least, the ability to do a full day’s management training. decide to shun the world of multinational focused humanitarian and Victoria Falls, where they lived similar arrangements for African work and then go home and do A strange twist of fate business and, instead, do his own thing. development organisation, in the and worked with the people who sculpture, ceramics and Tonga another day’s work at night.” brought me to Nicaragua. “The Belgian and EU province of Benguela, Angola. have now become their friends door furniture. • To find out more about A colleague wanted to go inflatables More than 95 per cent of adults in and who supply products for Father-of-two Andrew says Andrew’s products, visit the abroad and I accompanied market was Benguela are illiterate and families him to an information event African Selections. when he started the MBA he was website at can’t afford to keep their children about Interteam-Switzerland. “A trip home to Victoria Falls hoping to pursue a career in the www.africanselections.com supplied with basic text books and He didn’t take up the chance to go with that organisation writing materials. The funds raised will to do development work in help build a school extension, as well Nicaragua, but my partner GETDEFUZZED IN OUR FOURTH STROLL as buying books and training and I did. fuzzywords THROUGH THE JARGON ALPHABET teachers. Money is still needed to take the So what do you do in project forward and there is still time foreseeable future: A nebulous timeframe used by pop-under: A browser window that opens behind your Nicaragua? business people when they don’t know or don’t want you active one. It usually carries an ad and is considered less to contribute – email Aidan My official task is to support to know what they plan to do next. “There are no plans for annoying than a pop-up window, which obstructs the ([email protected]) or Peter Nicaraguan non-governmen- layoffs in the foreseeable future.” This could mean two page you’ve clicked to. This marketing technique annoys ([email protected]) for details of tal organisations (NGOs) as days, two weeks or two years. you only after the fact. how to do so. More information is a consultant and trainer in available on the intranet at marketing, sales and general ohno-second: The fraction of time (slightly longer than a thanking you in advance: A phrase that expresses nanosecond) that it takes to realise you’ve just made a less-than-sincere gratitude, while assuming you will do www.intranet.gsb.strath.ac.uk. management. mistake of some sort. For example, that moment of horror what is being requested. Considered an offensive cliché, My main client is the when you realise you’ve ‘replied to all’ in an email you it continues to proliferate, particularly in business Fundación Centro Nacional intended for only one recipient. correspondence. de la Medicina Popular If you have any news or comments contact Audrey Chisholm, Press & Publications Executive, University of Tradicional ISNAYA. Strathclyde Graduate School of Business, 199 Cathedral Street, Glasgow, G4 0QU, or email [email protected]

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PROJECTS CONSULTANCY

Government-funded Everyone benefits organisation

▼ Ishbel Morrison chose not to take the from MBA projects corporate route and instead approached a government-funded body for her project. She initially contacted one of her lecturers CONSULTANCY WORK from her undergraduate studies at GENERATES BUSINESS INSIGHTS FOR STUDENTS’ ORGANISATIONS Strathclyde, who has a business on campus, and he steered her toward an organisation, of which he is non-executive director.

▼ The project at the end of the MBA get the feedback from one of the course is a useful component of the organisations. This government-funded body was set up to assist the marketing of recycled materials, programme for students, allowing them • Our students have a wide range of with the aim of helping to meet European to put into practice what they’ve work experience before embarking on targets for recycling. When Ishbel learned. But it’s equally valuable for the the MBA programme. Your organisation approached the agency, they quickly found participating organisations, as they gain could also benefit from their skills and a project she could work on. a valuable three-month consultancy knowledge – contact Irene Aitkenhead She said: “My brief was to investigate report on a chosen area of their Taylor ([email protected]) if you the market potential for a new foam-glass business. would like to find out more about how construction material made from recycled Here, we profile three of the projects you and your company can get involved glass, which could potentially divert materials of this year’s full-time MBA course and with USGSB. from landfill. The client saw my involvement as a good opportunity, since they would have had to do the work themselves at some Royal Bank of Scotland point and this brought the timing forward.”

▼ As an alumnus, John Needham knows ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND’S first-hand the quality of those on the MBA HEAD OFFICE Radisson SAS

programme. A part-time course graduate from ▼ Radisson SAS opened the doors to 1994, he is now deputy director of the Royal its Glasgow hotel in November 2002, Bank of Scotland Group in charge of account providing Mayank Arora, Tanuj Garg and management operations, and approached Smita Ramakrishna with an ideal subject. USGSB this year with a general idea for a “We thought that, as a new hotel in project on performance measurement. Glasgow, the Radisson would be looking Paul Beatton, David Pickering and Diego for a clear long-term direction, as the hotel Stuppia were interested in both the project and market in Glasgow is becoming working for a large organisation. They put for- hyper-competitive,” explained Tanuj, ward a joint proposal and it was accepted. For who went on make a call to the general the past three months, the team has been look- manager. After a meeting, the hotel ing at the quality of service in the back office. agreed to take part in the project. Paul said: “We’ve been looking at “Creating a competitive strategy is measurement of service quality. A lot of about establishing differences, creating new research has been done on the front office and learned on the MBA actually in practice and strategic positions and making trade-offs. what’s different about our project is that we’ve working together.” To succeed, you need to own a place in been looking at it from the ‘back office’ Diego said: “It made everything come alive the market. To own a place, you need to perspective. This is important, as the back office and, for us, was the strongest part of the MBA.” articulate it. Our premise was to recommend is really the engine room of the bank.” a long-term competitive positioning strategy The full-timers have been appraising the for the hotel,” said Tanuj. system of measurement of tasks behind the Company view The team concluded that a thorough

scenes of the bank group, such as processing ▼ “This has proved to be a mutually beneficial industry and competitor analysis would account applications and setting up standing exercise,” said John Needham. “RBSG provided be invaluable to the hotel and made orders. the students with a challenging and rewarding strategic recommendations on how it The idea was that if this is running well, it project and they’ve produced an insightful and should position itself for sustainable will have a positive impact on the front office thought-provoking report. Customer service is, competitive advantage. and improve customer satisfaction. in my view, the most important competence for “We helped Radisson identify some key The team got a lot out of the project, putting any financial services organisation for differenti- issues it was facing, or likely to face, in the theory in action, David reckons. ating them in a fiercely competitive market. foreseeable future and come up with “We’ve just spent a year in the safety of “There’s an acute shortage of academic implementable strategies. the classroom,” he said. “But, for the project, research in this area, which has served to “The general manager has informed us we’ve gone right into the heart of a business, heighten the importance of the research that the issues and recommendations raised working with the staff four to five days a week conducted here. The recommendations are by us were duly considered during their at head office, with access to key personnel. By practical and relevant and I fully intend pursu- day-long meeting to discuss the business doing so, we got to see all the things we’ve ing their implementation.” plan for the next financial year,” said Tanuj.

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