Henley Business School at University of Reading MBA Career Services :: Client Services Project workforce Consultancy If companies have a specific project, it can often be adapted by the programme member to fit the requirements of their Project or Dissertation. Alternatively this project could be undertaken as a form of consultancy by a current or alumni programme member and can therefore be met at most times of the year. MBAs are available for long and short-term consultancy opportunities. Short-term projects As part of their studies, MBAs are required to undertake both an Integrated Strategy Project and a Dissertation, which are usually completed with one particular company. Integrated Strategy Project This is a practical piece of work requiring the programme member to undertake research within a particular industry/company/department to analyse the current situation and changes that are occurring or likely to occur, and devise a strategic plan for meeting them. Programme members work on this project at different times of the year but there is particular demand for client companies between November-May. The word limit for the assignment submitted to the College is 5-7,000 words. This can be an independent piece of work, or lead into the Dissertation. Past examples have included: ● Accelerating the pace of change: managing change within a company ● Turnaround of a new media start-up ● Employing a turnaround strategy for increased profitability ● Reaching a Top 5 position in a global industry ● Hotelling and the virtual office in the 21st century ● Repositioning of 'a company' as a responsible company operating in a controversial market and the resulting changes to the corporate and regulatory affairs function ● The implementation of the Kaisan programme to the company ● Changing distribution channels for new product lines Dissertation The Dissertation is a more academic piece of work requiring the programme member to analyse and review a management problem or issue. The word limit is approximately 15,000 words and the programme members can start throughout the year. Past titles have included: ● Establishing a best practice reward strategy for the UK not-for-profit sector ● New ways of working issues: An investigation of the rationale, appropriateness and manageability of remote working ● Project Management: generic skills or industry specific? ● Efficient consumer response - current maturity and future trends ● Cross-cultural stakeholder management for international projects ● Supply chain management in small/medium sized organisations ● Innovation management processes: the source of competitive advantage? ● How significant is market orientation in the international telecom services provider sector? ● Enhancing the effectiveness of development aid agencies through strategic knowledge management ● The use of information technology to provide differentiation for 'a company' ● Analysing the use of the internet for marketing in the commercial and industrial gas distribution industry ● The strategic implications of the internet and exporting: an Australian context http://www.henley.reading.ac.uk Tel: (+44) 01491 571454