Businesses from a variety of sectors are eligible to take part in the 12-week Executive Company Project initiative to gain free research for their company, and projects consist of an equally broad range of topics. Previous projects have involved market research, competitor analysis and research to support the development of future strategies and business plans.
Paul Male, Managing Director of PROCured Solutions Limited, recently asked for a student’s insights to support bringing a new company concept to realisation. The company specialises in procurement, supplier management and outsourcing. Paul requested research to identify the target market for the proposition of ‘Procurement as a Service’ for small-to-medium enterprises who have no, or limited, procurement capability in-house. MBA Global student, Sreemoyee Nag was well equipped to support the company in their area of interest.
Following the project, Paul said “one of the main challenges in a small consultancy business is to carve out sufficient time to work on the business as well as within the business…By engaging a postgraduate student on this project as part of a time-bound piece of work, this would create the bandwidth and focus required to progress these activities and help lay the foundations for a targeted marketing campaign later in the year.”
Sreemoyee worked closely with Paul throughout the project to provide the research requested. Of her experience the student said “it was great taking part in an ECP. The Bootcamp before the ECP was extremely helpful, all the important techniques and methods were taught that are required to carry out my research… this project has helped me to understand the practical challenges of growing a small business. It has helped me to develop many new skills and experiences that will help me in my future corporate life…I am very grateful to Paul for guiding me so well throughout this project.”
Paul Male said “if the project had not been undertaken as part of the ECP programme, it would arguably have taken up to another year to find the required time to complete the work internally and make an equivalent level of progress…it is a great way to make progress on a time-bound and targeted piece of work, without needing to commit to additional headcount, whilst knowing that it also provides a great learning opportunity for the student involved. A great example of a win-win!”
Our congratulations and thanks go to all involved in this brilliant project. Can your company also benefit from gaining insights from a postgraduate student? Contact us ecp@dmu.ac.uk for more information.