Radicic, D., Pugh, G. and Douglas, D. (2018).
Promoting cooperation in innovation ecosystems: Evidence from European
traditional manufacturing SMEs, Small
Business Economics. Accepted 01-08-2018. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-018-0088-3
Abstract
We investigate whether public support for innovation
increases the propensity of SMEs in traditional manufacturing industries to
cooperate for innovation—in particular, for incremental innovation—with other
firms and external knowledge providers. Using data from seven EU regions, we
find that support programmes do not promote cooperation with competitors,
marginally promote cooperation with customers and suppliers and strongly
promote cooperation with knowledge providers. These findings suggest that, in
this case, the role of public policy is systems conforming rather than systems
creating. Innovation support programmes can assist SMEs in traditional
manufacturing industry to consolidate and/or extend their innovation ecosystems
beyond familiar business partners by promoting cooperation with both private
and public sector knowledge providers. Finally, our findings suggest that
evaluation studies of innovation support programmes should be designed to
capture not only input and/or output additionality but also behavioural and
systemic effects.
Keywords
SMEs; Traditional
manufacturing industry; Innovation ecosystems; Innovation policy; Cooperation
for innovation; Behavioural additionality
Radicic, D., Douglas, D., Pugh, G. and Jackson, I.
(2018). Cooperation for innovation and its impact on technological and
non-technological innovations: empirical evidence for European SMEs in
traditional manufacturing industries, International
Journal of Innovation Management. Accepted 07-09-2018. https://doi.org/10.1142/S1363919619500464
Abstract.
Drawing on a
sample of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in traditional
manufacturing industries from seven EU regions, this study investigates how
cooperation with external organisations affects technological (product and
process) innovations and non-technological (organisational and marketing)
innovations as well as the commercial success of product and process
innovations (i.e., innovative sales). Our empirical strategy takes into account
that all four types of innovation are potentially complementary. Empirical
results suggest that cooperation increases firms’ innovativeness and yields
substantial commercial benefits. In particular, increasing the number of
cooperation partnerships has a positive impact on all measures of innovation
performance. We conclude that a portfolio approach to cooperation enhances
innovation performance and that innovation support programs should be
demand-led.
From the MAPEER project:
Radicic, D. and Pugh, G (2016). R&D programmes, policy mix, and the “European Paradox”: evidence from European SMEs, Science and Public Policy, 44 ( 4 ) ( 2017 ), pp. 497 – 512. doi: 10.1093/scipol/scw077. First published online: October 2, 2016.
Abstract
Using a sample of small and medium-sized enterprises from
twenty-eight European countries, this study evaluates the input and output
additionality of national and European Union (EU) R&D programmes both
separately and in combination. Accordingly, we contribute to understanding the
effectiveness of innovation policy from the perspective of policy mix.
Empirical results are different for innovation inputs and outputs. For
innovation inputs, we found positive treatment effects from national and EU
programmes separately as well as complementary effects for firms supported from
both sources relative to firms supported only by national programmes. For
innovation outputs, we report no evidence of additionality from national
programmes and cannot reject crowding out from EU programmes. However, crowding
out from EU support is eliminated by combination with national support. These
findings have policy implications for the governance of R&D policy and
suggest that the European paradox—success in promoting R&D inputs but not
commercialisation—is not yet mitigated.
Key words: R&D support; SMEs; policy mix; input and
output additionality; European paradox
Radicic, D. and Pugh, G. (2017). Performance
Effects of External Search Strategies in European Small and Medium-Sized
Enterprises. Journal of Small Business
Management, 55, 76-114. First
published on-line: Feb.15th 2017. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jsbm.12328
Abstract.
There is little evidence regarding the performance impact of
open innovation on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), especially across
different firm-size categories and sectors. Using new survey data from 28
European countries, we specify ordered logit and generalized proportional odds
models to explore how seven individual external search strategies (knowledge
sources) affect SME innovation performance across different size categories and
sectors. While we find some consistently positive effects, in particular from
using customers as an external knowledge source, we also find that some search
strategies may not be beneficial. These findings suggest managerial and policy
implications.
Radicic, D. (2020). National and international
R&D support programmes and technology scouting in European small and medium
enterprises. Journal of Science and Technology Policy Management 11(4), 455-482. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSTPM-10-2019-0091
Abstract
Purpose. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of
national and international R&D support programmes on firms’ technology
scouting, defined as firms’ use of external knowledge sources.
Design/methodology/approach. Drawing on a unique data set on
R&D support programmes for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
operating in both manufacturing and service sectors across 28 European countries,
this study reports treatment effects estimated by the copula-based endogenous
switching model, which takes into account unobserved firm heterogeneity.
Findings. Empirical results indicate that R&D support
programmes have heterogeneous effects on technology scouting. In particular, a
crowding-out effect arises in the case of informal sources of external
knowledge, whereas additional effects are reported for formal, strategic
sources.
Practical implications. For informal sources of external
knowledge, a random distribution of R&D measures would have a substantially
larger effect rather than using current selection criteria.
Originality/value. To the best of the authors’ knowledge,
this is the first study to explore the policy effects on technology scouting
applying a copula-based endogenous switching model. Most cross-sectional
empirical studies use matching estimators, although their main disadvantage is
the selection on observables.
Key words External knowledge search; Behavioural additionality; Copula-based endogenous switching model; European SMEs; Technology
GPrix project (November 2009 – February 2012) commissioned by the European Commission’s DG-Research. Full title: Good Practices in Innovation Support Measures for SMEs: facilitating transition from the traditional to the knowledge economy; Instrument: SP4-Capacities—CSA—Support Action; Call: FP7-SME-2009-1; Grant agreement Number: 245459. The website for this project, including aa very large number of deliverables etc., is currently available at http://business.staffs.ac.uk/gprix/en/index.htm
MAPEER project commissioned by the European Commission’s DG-Research. Full title: Making Progress and Economic Enhancement a Reality for SMEs. Funded under FP7-SME. Grant agreement ID: 245419. The MAPEER project website is no longer available but the results are reported in summary form on CORDIS: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/93511/factsheet/en
The two projects coordinated their questionnaire surveys to
facilitate analysis and eventual publication. Together, participants at
Staffordshire University contributed to seven publications arising from these
datasets.
The GPrix project
focused on evaluating innovation support measures for SMEs in traditional
manufacturing industries. In brief, three published articles and a UNI-MERIT
Working Paper arising from the project reported that:
the estimated effects of innovation support
programs are positive, typically increasing the probability of innovation and
of its commercial success;
although innovation support measures in the EU
are mostly designed to support product innovation in R&D intensive sectors,
for firms in traditional manufacturing industries a broader innovation (policy)
mix is more appropriate, including support for product innovation, process
innovation, marketing and organizational innovations (of particular
importance), together with internationalization, design and cooperation;
innovation support programmes can assist SMEs in
traditional manufacturing industry to consolidate and/or extend their
innovation ecosystems by promoting cooperation with both private and public
sector knowledge providers, suggesting that initial input and/or output
additionality from public support may be propagated and amplified by behavioural
and systemic effects; and
increasing
the number of cooperation partnerships has a positive impact on all measures of
innovation performance.
The MAPEER project focused on innovation support for SMEs more
generally. Three articles arising from this project reported:
that the
“European paradox” regarding SME support — i.e. success in promoting R&D
inputs but not commercialisation — is not yet mitigated;
new evidence on “open innovation” strategies, suggesting
not only some consistently positive effects, in particular from using customers
as an external knowledge source, but also that some search strategies may not
be beneficial; and
evidence that R&D support programmes have
heterogeneous effects on technology scouting – defined as firms’ use of
external knowledge sources – including a crowding-out effect on informal
sources of external knowledge but additionality with respect to formal, strategic sources.
For convenience, the abstracts of all seven contributions
are reproduced below
From the GPrix
project:
Radicic, D., Pugh, G., Hollanders, H., Wintjes, J., and Fairburn, J. (2016). The impact of innovation support programs on small and medium enterprises innovation in traditional manufacturing industries: An evaluation for seven European Union regions. Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy, 34(8) (December): 1425-1452. First published online December 18, 2015. doi:10.1177/0263774X15621759
Abstract
We evaluate the effect of innovation support programs on
output innovation by small and medium enterprises in traditional manufacturing
industry. This focus is motivated by a definition of traditional manufacturing
industry that includes capacity for innovation, and by evidence of its
continued importance in European Union employment. We conducted a survey in
seven European Union regions to generate the data needed to estimate
pre-published switching models by means of the copula approach, from which we
derived treatment effects on a wide range of innovation outputs. We find that
for participants the estimated effects of innovation support programs are
positive, typically increasing the probability of innovation and of its
commercial success by around 15%. Yet, we also find that a greater return on
public investment could have been secured by supporting firms chosen at random
from the population of innovating traditional sector small and medium
enterprises. These findings indicate the effectiveness of innovation support
programs while suggesting reform of their selection procedures.
Keywords
Small and medium enterprises, evaluation, traditional
manufacturing, innovation support, innovation outputs
Innovation
support measures in the EU are mostly designed to support product innovation in
R&D intensive sectors. To increase the still considerable contribution to regional
employment and competitiveness from SMEs in traditional manufacturing industries
a broader innovation (policy) mix is more appropriate. This paper draws data
from a survey of more than 300 SMEs from seven regions within the European Union,
as well as case studies, to address the question: How can innovation policy interventions
be improved to support SMEs in traditional manufacturing industries more
effectively? We claim that innovation support should be sensitive to the way SMEs
in traditional manufacturing sectors innovate and grow. We find that product innovation
(and support used for product innovation) is less likely to generate growth, than
(support used for) process innovation. Also (support used for) marketing innovations
and organizational innovations are of particular importance – together with
internationalization, design and cooperation. The increasingly selective application
procedures applied are not the most efficient to generate impact, since those
who are supported (and those who are supported more frequently), are the ones who
are most likely to take the same innovative steps anyhow, irrespective of
policy support.
Keywords
Innovation;
SMEs; traditional sectors; low-tech; policy evaluation; manufacturing; process innovation
The global pandemic has put resiliency on the agenda of every company in the world. As they cope with the seismic changes brought about by COVID-19, businesses of all sizes and types have needed to adapt to remote work, reconfigured physical workspaces, and revised logistics and supply networks. They’ve also changed operating procedures to cope with the pandemic’s risks and effects.
But what do companies do now?
The reality is that supply chain shocks are usually impossible to
predict but happen with frustrating regularity. That means real value is at
stake.
The promising news is that organisations can both protect against
downside risks, such as pandemics, and gain substantial economic returns from
increased output and productivity.
The successful organisations today, and in the years ahead, will redesign their operations and their supply chains to protect against a wider and more acute range of potential shocks and disruptive events. Thus, there is a need for increased visibility on both the demand and supply side.
Supply chain digitization can enable organisations to have visibility
across the whole value chain—from the production of raw materials to the end
customer—and better meet the needs of their customers. A bonus: it improves the
agility and responsiveness of operations without increasing costs. In fact,
research by the World Economic Forum, in collaboration with McKinsey,
shows that companies often achieve significant and simultaneous improvements in
multiple performance measures when they integrate advanced digital technologies
across the value chain.
Marzena Reska
Before the coronavirus hit, most companies were already accelerating the digital transformation of their customer journeys and value chains. The expectation is digital technologies to be at the core of the new normal, enabling organisations to better meet the needs of their customers, and improving the agility and responsiveness of operations without increasing their costs. Companies often achieve significant and simultaneous improvements across multiple performance measures when they integrate advanced digital technologies across the value chain. This also allows them to build resilience which is an internal trait, but the disciplines and strategies that support it can also have a far wider reach.
During the crisis, many businesses have been able to overcome staff
shortages by automating processes or developing self-service systems for
customers. These approaches can accelerate workflows and reduce errors—and
customers often prefer them.
Digital approaches can transform customer experience and significantly
boost enterprise value when applied end to end.
Also, technology-enabled methodologies can significantly accelerate
cost-transparency work, compressing months of effort into weeks or days. These
digital approaches include procurement-spending analysis and clean-sheeting,
end-to-end inventory rebalancing, and capital-spend diagnostics and portfolio
rationalization. However, the businesses
will need to be smart and careful in their approach. Leading organisations are
adopting increasingly sophisticated techniques in their strategic planning, assessing
each resource and opportunity very carefully as the environment changes and new
data emerge.
Now, with the likelihood of prolonged uncertainty over supply, demand, and the availability of resources COVID-19 represents the trigger for operations functions to adopt an agile approach to transformation.
As we move through the Government’s Roadmap to ‘normality’ over the next few months, employers will be starting to consider what this may mean for staff returning to office environments. Many staff who have been able to work from home throughout the pandemic have reported increased productivity, better work life balance, saving time and money through the elimination of the commute, as well as many other benefits.
There have been some drawbacks, particularly where staff have had to juggle home-schooling and caring responsibilities, but as these staff become able to return to a normal working routine, it is likely that they will start to experience some of the same benefits as their colleagues
A recent YouGov survey showed that 91% of respondents surveyed who have been able to work from home during the pandemic, want to continue to do so at least some of the time. This pressure from employees (who have proved that they can successfully work from home), should be a catalyst for most organisations to make changes to the levels of flexibility they will allow. If organisations choose not to offer greater levels of flexibility in WHERE staff work, they may see their employees move to a competitor who IS willing this. More and more frequently ‘working from home’ can be found on job advertisements for professionals, allowing these organisations to take advantage of the changing demands of employees, and opening their vacancies to a much wider talent pool, giving them more choice in their chosen candidate.
What the ‘mass working from home experiment’ over the last year has taught us is that everyone in our organisations can benefit from a level of flexibility, and the organisation will benefit in return through higher levels of engagement and commitment. Consider another benefit to increasing flexibility, the ability to truly open vacancies to more diverse candidates, from those with disabilities for whom homeworking would be much easier, to increasing the number of women in the workforce (and in senior roles) through allowing more flexibility around WHEN the work can be done.
Vanessa Oakes
One of the main challenges to remote working has been around managing (or monitoring) performance. This link between presence and performance has been prevalent in sectors where a judgement about performance is not based on measurable KPIs, rather about the complexity of work and behaviours demonstrated in performing it. This could provide challenges to organisations who are willing to improve the flexibility which they offer. This raises a series of questions for managers and leaders:
What does ‘good’ work look like? This will be a question that needs to be answered by each manager as they attempt to define what their performance expectations are within the new parameters of work.
Are managers communicating their expectations clearly enough?
Are they making themselves available, but not inserting themselves unnecessarily into the working day of their teams?
And most importantly, are they developing relationships built on trust with each of their team members? It is these relationships that will determine the success of the flexible working strategy and will allow the organisation to take advantage of the many financial and intangible benefits of a flexible workforce for the foreseeable future.
It’s really great to see a developer with a good reputation working for the first time in the city. Let’s hope this also encourages more developers to look at other sites in the city.
The plans will see the redevelopment of the Swift House site, which is owned by the council, transformed into The Goods Yard, with
180 new homes,
a 150 bed hotel,
25,000 sq ft of workspaces
10,000 sq ft of retail and leisure space
Personally, I’m very happy that we will have have quality accommodation right next to the University for all the visitors, students and guests that work with us. People will be able to walk straight out of the train station drop their bags at the hotel and then join us on campus. This ties in well with a new project by Paul Barratt and Prof Ruth Swetnam on the 15 minute campus to encourage less carbon intensive travel.
The addition of new workspaces hopefully targeting start-ups, creatives and digital businesses may also be one way to help keep graduates in the area and ties in well with the development of the Enterprise Zone on College Road.
Capital & Centric, who featured heavily in the BBC Two series Manctopia, are one of the UK’s most creative and active developers. They have worked on several award-winning projects in the North West, particularly Manchester and Liverpool, but this is the first time they have come down as far ‘south’ as Stoke-on-Trent, so it’s a real coup for the city.
The plan will see the present building demolished but its secret vaulted basement, which historically served as a goods yard and interchange between the railway and the canal, will be reimagined and opened up to the public as a workspace and leisure venue – possibly a waterside restaurant/bar.
I remember visiting this a few years ago when the GIS team used to work in the building. Good example of a hidden gem of Stoke on Trent.
There will be a new outdoor public space that links The Goods Yard to the train station, canal and wider area, and there’s even an ambition to create a water-taxi to Stoke City’s bet365 Stadium just one mile away. Located next to Stoke-on-Trent train station, and on the doorstep of Staffordshire University, the Trent and Mersey Canal and the A500, the site is in an ideal location for commuters, students, visitors and businesses.
Waiting to be transformed
The current ugly exterior will not be missed
Digital impression of what the site could look like when finished
So a promising start to 2021 and I can’t wait to see the project develop.
Once you have used these initial basic filters to find the
strongest ideas, the next stage is to use a more in-depth filter to make
decisions on the remaining ideas. Day (2007) recommends using a risk matrix. The R-W-W matrix is based to three key questions:
Is it Real?
Can we Win?
Is it Worth doing?
This is expanded into the following set of questions:
Is it real?
Is the market real?
Is there a need or desire for the product? Can the customer buy it? Is the size of the potential market adequate? Will the customer buy the product?
Is the product real?
Is there a clear concept? Can the product be made? Will the final product satisfy the market?
Can we win?
Can the product be competitive?
Does it have a competitive advantage? Can the advantage be sustainable? How will competitors respond?
Can our company be competitive?
Do we have superior resources? Do we have appropriate management? Can we understand and respond to the market?
Is it worth doing?
Will the product be profitable at an acceptable risk?
Are forecasted returns greater than costs? Are the risks acceptable?
Does launching the product make strategic sense?
Does the product fit our overall growth strategy? Will top management support it?
STAGE THREE
Once a few viable marketing innovation ideas remain, the
next stage is to consider the risks even further. This is where conducting a pre-mortem is a useful tool. This helps
organisations identify the possible failures of a project before they happen
and mitigate risk by pre-planning so that those failures don’t occur.
The following pre-mortem exercise has been adapted from Gray
et al. (2010).
Activity
Step 1
Imagine we are two years in the future. Things have gone completely wrong. What could have caused this? Generate a list of all the reassons failure occurred.
Step 2
List all concerns and rank them to deterimine priority
Step 3
Address the 2 or 3 items of greatest concern and list what actions you would need to take to stop the issues happening.
The list of risks and actions that
need to be taken to mitigate the risk can be used as Critical Success Factors (CSFs) for an innovation or project
launch.
Hopefully, this article has helped you think about the different types of innovation you can potentially pursue and how to evaluate the best route forward, using a systematic filtering process.
Fisk, P. (2017). Gamechangers:
Are you ready to change the World? Creating Innovative Strategies for Business
and Brands. West Sussex: John Wiley and Sons Ltd.
Gower, L. (2015) The
Innovation Workout. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.
Gray, D., Brown, S. & Macanufo, J. (2010) Game Storming: A Playbook for Inovators,
Rulebreakers, an Changemakers. Sebastopol: O’Reilly Media, Inc.
Keeley, L., Pikkel, R., Quinn, B. and Walters, H. (2013). Ten Types of Innovation: The Discipline of
Building Breakthroughs. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Osterwalder, A. and Pigneur, Y. (2010). Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers
and Challengers. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Supporting SME leaders to create resilience and manage uncertainty in 2021 and beyond
Access free ideas, guidance, peer & 121 support to help your business to manage the uncertainty of steering through the pandemic and impacts of Brexit for up to TWO leaders in your business.
Staffordshire Business School is supporting regional business by delivering free training in leadership and management to provide exactly what business needs most to build a resilient future.
This is cohort 5 of the SBLP and the positive impacts of previous cohorts are being felt across the region. Here is what Rhys from XP VR thought of the course
Why choose to be part of the Small Business Leadership Programme? ▪ Make your business more resilient ▪ Boost business performance and growth ▪ Create an innovative and agile organisation ▪ Recover from the impact of COVID-19 ▪ Find solutions to the impact of Brexit ▪ Build leadership skills, confidence and effectiveness ▪ Plan for a solid future for your business ▪ Build lasting relationships with small business leaders ▪ Improve risk management and efficiency
When does the course start? Tuesday the 30th March 2021 (1st webinar at 3pm)
If you would like to have a chat about the course then please email one of our experienced Entrepreneurs in Residence with your phone number and they will call you back,
Here’s what another business thought of the course: Geoff Barton, General Manager of Canalside Farm in Great Haywood near Stafford said: “It’s allowed me to connect with other businesses, and I’ve learned much and managed to strengthen a few knowledge gaps and boost my handling of the business during these unique times.”
What’s involved? Eligibility requirements ▪ Your business must be a Small or Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) based in England. ▪ Your business needs to employ between 5 and 249 people and have been operational for at least one year ▪ The participant should be a decision maker or member of the senior management team within the business with at least one person reporting directly to them. ▪ The participant must be able to commit to attending the full programme
Time commitment The programme is designed to be manageable alongside full-time work and furloughed staff can join the programme.
Participants will attend 8×90- minute webinars across ten weeks, and complete up to 2 hours of independent development and peer-supported engagement per week.
Places are fully funded by the Government to support the resilience, recovery and growth of SMEs during and after COVID-19. The programme is completely free to attend but places are strictly limited.
Register Now There are two ways to register.
Email one of the Entrepreneurs in Residence as listed above and they will talk you through the process.
Follow the simple instructions below (this takes 3 minutes) and we will be in touch: • Go to https://smallbusinesscharter.org/sblp-registration/ • Choose ‘West Midlands’ from the pink vertical menu on the left • Scroll through the list of centres until you find Staffordshire University (start date 30th march) & click register
PLEASE NOTE: Your business can send up to two eligible delegates to this programme and delegates can be furloughed. Please do one registration for each person.
Over the last few months we have been running a module on
‘Innovation, Value and Markets’ to over 70 Staffordshire business people, as
part of our Small
Business Leadership Programme.
During the workshops it was very clear that most small businesses have had to rethink their business model to adapt to massive shifts in consumer behaviour (and supply chains) because of Covid. The UK Government defines innovation as: The successful exploitation of new ideas. Innovation may involve an organisation’s:
Products and services
Processes (e.g. exploiting new technologies)
Business model (e.g. new income sources/
improved supply chain)
Business Model Innovation
According to Fisk (2021) although there are an infinite
number of potential business models some of the most common formats (applicable
to nearly every type of business) are:
Advertising-based
models. Services are free to users, whilst advertisers pay to engage with
the audience attracted, e.g. Google, Facebook.
Razor-and-blades
models. The facilitating item, like a razor, is sold cheaply, then
accessories, like blades, at a premium, e.g. HP, Nespresso.
Added-value
models. The facilitating item, like an iPad, is sold at a premium, then
accessories, like apps, sold cheaply, e.g. Apple.
One-of-one models. The company donates a
product to a charity, or person in need, for every product sold, e.g. Toms,
Warby Parker.
Cashflow
models. High volumes are generated at low margins, payments received
quickly from customers, paid slowly to suppliers, e.g. Amazon, Dell.
Platform-based
models. These bring buyers and suppliers together, typically charging both
of them to connect and transact, e.g. Airbnb, Uber.
Subscription-based
models. These charge a regular, e.g. monthly, fee for unlimited use of a
product or service, e.g. Netflix, Zipcar.
Freemium
models. These encourage trial or a basic level of usage for free, but
charge for additional or premium options, e.g. Spotify, Fornite.
Direct to
consumer models. Products which in the past would have been sold through
intermediaries are sold direct, e.g. Allbirds, Casper.
10 Types of Innovation
If we want to expand the UK Government’s three categories of
innovation, recent research has identified ten main types of innovation (Keeley et al., 2013):
Profit Model: The way you make money (e.g. Netflix changed the video rental industry by implementing a subscription model)
Network: Connections with others to create value (e.g. Target works with renowned designers to differentiate itself)
Structure: Alignment of your talent assets (e.g. Whole Foods has built a robust feedback system for internal teams)
Process: Signature of superior methods for doing your work (e.g. Zara’s ‘fast fashion’ strategy moves its clothing from sketch to shelf in record time)
Product Performance: Distinguishing features and functionality (e.g. OXO Good Grips costs a premium but its ‘universal design’ has a loyal following)
Product System: Complementary products and services (e.g. Nike+ partnered shoes, sensors, apps and devices into a sport lifestyle suite)
Service: Support and enhancements that surround your offerings (e.g. Zappos “deliver WOW through service” is their #1 internal core value)
Channel: How your offerings are delivered to customers and users (e.g. Nespresso locks in customers with its useful members only club)
Brand: Representation of your offerings and business (e.g. Virgin extends its brand into sectors ranging from soft drinks to space travel)
Customer Engagement: Distinctive interactions you foster (e.g. Wii’s experience draws more from the interactions in the room than from on-screen)
The ‘Business Model Canvas’ is one of the most used
templates in business to map a business model (Osterwalder and Pigneur, 2010).
This is a useful tool for rethinking the whole business, seeing connections and
then innovating the business.
Fisk, P. (2017). Gamechangers: Are you ready to change the World? Creating Innovative Strategies for Business and Brands. West Sussex: John Wiley and Sons Ltd.
Keeley, L., Pikkel, R., Quinn, B. and Walters, H. (2013). Ten Types of Innovation: The Discipline of Building Breakthroughs. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Osterwalder, A. and Pigneur, Y. (2010). Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers and Challengers. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Author
Tanya Hemphill can be found on twitter @DigitalTanya she has recently joined Staffordshire Business School. She teaches on the MSc in Digital Marketing Management which includes a credited workplacement.
Are you looking for free support, ideas and a team to talk to that will help your business through the pandemic, Brexit and beyond?
Staffordshire Business School is now delivering free training in leadership and management to help you and your business exactly when you need it most.
When does the course start?
We have two starting dates either:
Tue 12th January 2021 starting at 3pm
Wed 13th January 2021 starting at 3pm
If you would like to have a chat about the course then please email one of our experienced Entrepreneurs in Residence with your phone number and they will call you back,
Why choose the Small Business Leadership Programme?
Make your business more resilient
Boost business performance and growth
Create an innovative and agile organisation
Recover from the impact of COVID-19
Build leadership confidence and effectiveness
Plan for the future of your business
Build lasting relationships with small business leaders
Improve risk management and efficiency
Eligibility requirements
To join the Small Business Leadership Programme:
Your business must be a Small or Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) based in England.
Your business needs to employ between 5 and 249 people and have been operational for at least one year
The participant should be a decision maker or member of the senior management team within the business with at least one person reporting directly to them.
The participant must be able to commit to attending the full programme
Your commitment
The programme is designed to be manageable alongside full-time work. Participants will attend eight 90-minute webinars across ten weeks, and complete up to two hours of independent study and peer-supported learning per week.Places are fully funded by the Government to support the resilience, recovery and growth of SMEs during and after COVID-19. The programme is free to attend, and places are limited.
Register Now
There
are two ways to register. Either email one of the Entrepreneurs in Residence as
listed above or follow the simple instructions below (this takes 3 minutes)
and we will be in touch:
Choose either North West (for 13th January start) OR
West Midlands (for 12th January start) from the pink vertical menu on the left.
Scroll through the list of centres until you find Staffordshire University and the date you prefer & click register. There are some screen grabs in the document below if you need them
The pandemic has illustrated how important a good website, good ecomerce offer and good social media are to business. Those that already had these established have been able to keep taking orders and in many cases to pivot their business.
To get our Masters students ready for the industry we have two modules:
‘The Management of a Digital Marketing Project’ – this module will prepare a tri-partite agreement between the student, the academic staff and the organisation as to the focus of the project, existing benchmark measures, what is to be achieved and how to make the project sustainable (so that it can continue after the student leaves). This is carried out between January to March/April
The Work Based Digital Marketing Project – a credit work experience (450 hours) to deliver the project with the organisation concerned. (April to August)
The project can be in any type of organisation e.g. private sector, public sector, charity or a university. It is essential for the work project activity to take place at the premises – many of the projects have been remotely delivered due to COVID.
We have built in flexibility to the work-placement so it could be that you would like a portfolio of tasks to be completed rather than just one main project. Examples could be – creation of a digital marketing strategy, audit and re-launch of social media, budget and investment plan for marketing, devising and implementing a training plan for existing staff.
Below are some of the current students – either reach out to them directly or contact jon.fairburn@staffs.ac.uk
Jessica Bell
Jessica Bell – Ideally, I would like a placement within events or tourism, but I’m very flexible and I am open to offers.
I recently completed my bachelors degree in Tourism Management, in which I obtained a First Class honours. I am now studying a masters degree in Digital Marketing.
I am extremely enthusiastic about travelling and understanding different cultures around the world. I decided to take an internship during my gap year where I worked in a prestige country club in South Florida for 7 months and later I worked in a country club in Connecticut for the remaining 5 months. After I completed my degree my manager in Connecticut asked me to go back to work for them for another year in 2019. During my time in America I worked in the front of house as a bartender and server, I worked events, worked on the reception and worked in the office helping to plan events and create content for the clubs website. Aside from working in America, I also have voluntary experience working for the Stone Food and Drink Festival 2018, as well as becoming a student representative for my course.
During my time at university I worked with a number of different softwares including SPSS, Excel, PowerPoint and I also obtained a Microsoft Office Specialist for Word in 2019. I also have experience working with small social media advertising campaigns to build a brand image.
Overall I am strong team player, I have good work ethics and
I’m a fast learner that can work independently as well as in a team if needed.
Ideally, I would like a placement within events or tourism, but I’m very
flexible and I am open to offers.
I have recently graduated with a 2:1 in BA (Hons.) Event Management. Previous to that I completed a National Vocational Qualification level 3 in Hospitality supervisor and leadership at Cardiff.
I am currently working as a team member at Staffordshire University Student Union bar. For my volunteer work, I had experience working with Channel 4 and at the Stone Food and Drink Festival.
Before this, I helped out at events that were hosted by the college which includes the chef forum and local MP conference, and at a hospitality competition. The skills that I have are customer service, good at solving problems, have a positive attutude to everything I do, good communication both written and oral, time-management, reliable, and confident talking to new people. I also have computer skills that include Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and confident in using social media. Additionally, I am opened minded and can adapt to new environments as well as willing to learn new things.
In 2018 I graduated with a BSc (Hons) degree in Computer Science at Keele University. Whilst undertaking my degree, I worked as an IT Intern for a houseware distribution company. After graduation, I started working as a Junior Graphic Designer for Dee Set, a company that focuses on driving growth, market share and ROI to a large range of clients, such as ASDA, Tesco and Wilkinsons. I then quickly progressed into a more senior Graphic Designer role within a Digital Marketing company, BWAR Ltd. I opened my own Digital Marketing business ‘Yello Dog’ in December 2019. To assist me with running my business and further my knowledge and experience of Digital Marketing, I decided to apply for a MSc Digital Marketing Management Degree at Staffordshire University.
My work experience and qualifications have provided me with an extensive and broad skillset. My Computer Science degree has enabled me to understand the technicalities associated with building websites, computer software and assist with many digital trends of today. My role as a Graphic Designer has provided me with an understanding of brand identity, digital marketing and social media. Owning my own business has given me the opportunity to obtain and work with my own clients, identify ways of marketing my own business and manage my own projects and deadlines.
I have graduated with 1st class BSc (Hons) Computer Science and 1st class MBA (Post-grad) degree in HRM and marketing specializations. Due to my keen interest and evolving technologies in Digital marketing and its immediate growth in a new dimension, I am pursuing my 2nd Master in digital marketing management with Staffordshire University.
I have gained eight years of corporate experience internationally with leading IT companies from leading markets such as Asia (India), Middle East (Dubai) and Europe (UK ) with wide range of expertise in the field of business technologies management, solutions automation (such as ERP/CRM/ED-Tech/E-learning solutions), SAAS model implementation, digital marketing management & content creation, performance analysis, brand management, SEO and corporate website management including email & online marketing, PR & CSR activities promotion and media management etc.
I am currently looking for a project with a reputed organisation that challenges me with my expertise & skills to excel in my career and helps me to gain further experience in digital marketing & management. Moreover, being multilinguistic I am always a great team player and I want to help organizations to grow in the new dimensions of digital marketing and experience its potential. Ideally, I would like a placement within IT sector, but would not mind if it’s an exceptional offer from other fields. Contact information – Sruthy AB | LinkedIn /Email Sruthyab@gmail.com
Sandra Decowska
Sandra Decowska – bilingual in English and Polish
I have graduated with a BA (Hons) in Tourism Management at Staffordshire University with Upper Second (2:1) and I am now studying an MSc in Digital Marketing Management.
Bi-lingual – fluent in both Polish and English.
Recently, I have experience working as a Planning Distributor at TK Maxx
Newcastle-under-Lyme. In this role I am working closely with the planning and distribution team. This
role is office based within a very busy, fast-paced environment.
This has taught me a lot of transferable skills such as computing skills,
implementation new team strategies, efficiently manage the office duties,
dealing with administration, customers and suppliers.
My ideal placement if possible would be within the events, tourism or
hospitality industry. However, I am willing to try anything new that may
broaden my knowledge and skills.
I
have recently graduated with a BA (Hons) in Business
Management. Having grown up in a small family business which sold food and
beverages, I have been able to gain insider knowledge of how to run a business
successfully. When studying Business Management at university I successfully
created a business from scratch working within a small team.
I have previously worked as a Healthcare Assistant and much recently as a Call Handler at an urgent care centre. By working in these positions, I have learned to become a more compassionate person, as I show more kindness and empathy towards other people in my daily life.
I have a passion for Digital Marketing that is why I am pursuing a master’s degree in Digital Marketing Management. The master’s course has taught me how digital marketing strategies can be applied to a business and given me extensive knowledge on different marketing tools. For the last year I have been running a blog on Instagram and WordPress. This experience has made me efficient in creating content that connects with diverse audiences and have gained solid understanding of different media platforms.
I am
a highly creative individual on the other hand I am extremely analytical, what separates
me from a lot of people is my enormous desire to learn. I am looking for a
placement in an organisation that will help me gain further experience and
knowledge in Digital Marketing.
If you would like to
contact me, email me at : tembo.aj@outlook.com
If you wish to take a look at my blog, you can find It on Instagram: arnoldwrites_blog or if you want to take a look at my blog on WordPress: ARNOLD WRITES – BLOG (wordpress.com)
Niamh Beer
Niamh Beer – runs her own Etsy shop
I have a BA (Hons) English Literature (2-year fast track) where for my placement I worked with my own small Etsy Business and focused on the importance of Social Media in the online marketplace. Creating my Etsy shop enabled me to learn about SEO as well as the use of their marketing services as well as those which are provided by different social media platforms.
My interest in the sector is within social media as I feel like I understand it well and have been a user for more than a decade. I have used my knowledge of Social Media to run a Twitter account for a small business a family member was starting and help with brand building. This was great experience for me as I was able to learn what went well and what could be improved on. I currently am applying the skills I am learning in my Digital Marketing Management MSc to my own Etsy shop which has seen great improvement. I am experienced in using analytics as well as identifying different demographics, I also have the ability to create Marketing Communications Plans and Global Digital Marketing strategies.
I am a quick learner and am always enthused to learn more in order to further my career. I am looking for a placement which can enable me to enhance my skills and can challenge me. Email me b010250h@student.staffs.ac.uk
Jack Dutton
Jack Dutton experienced in film and video
I currently have a BA Experimental Film Production (First class). My experience ranges from volunteer to paid work, as well for my own interest. My main skills lie in social media and videography, which I have an extensive knowledge of. I have a range of experience creating content whether it is for business or different groups. Primarily this is promotional materials, such as logos, business cards, and videos such as trailers or adverts.
I have a keen interest in Digital Marketing, specifically around content curation and social media management. I am currently undertaking an MSc in Digital Marketing Management. Before starting my course, I have worked with Staffordshire University to introduce prospective students to camera equipment and walkthrough the film courses at the university. In addition, I have worked with Stoke Council to go into schools to deliver presentations around anti-smoking, and then work with groups of students to produce these anti-smoking messages into short films. I also currently hold an FLT licence which I gained whilst working at B&Q .
At present I am looking for a project or work placement that helps
me further my experience in digital marketing, in order to develop my skills
and pursue a career in the future within the industry.
I have recently completed my BSc (Hons) Sound Design in which I obtained a 2:1, this focussed on sound for visual media. I strengthened my skills in digital media, including sound for film, TV and games using tools such as Logic Pro X (Certified Pro), Pro tools ultimate and Adobe Audition and Premiere. I comprehensively studied music production and technology including use of industry standard hardware. Within this time I also improved my skills using Adobe Photoshop and completed my certification as an associate in visual design. I also obtained experience within Microsoft Office, namely Word, PowerPoint and Excel. I also have a lot of experience with virtual meeting rooms such as Microsoft teams.
Within my pursuit of an MSc in Digital Marketing Management
I have gained skills and knowledge of content marketing, marketing strategy and
planning, SEO, email marketing and social media marketing. I would love to
further my experience in all of these aspects of digital marketing specifically
SEM gaining hands on experience with PPC and other digital marketing tools.
I have recently been successful acquiring a digital
marketing role within a B2B company in which I can further my knowledge and
experience in social media, content curation/creation, SEO, website management,
visual design and analytics. Within this role I am gaining experience with
tools such as Zoho, WordPress and Google analytics.
My experience mostly consists of customer facing roles, this
includes seasons abroad with PGL Travel in Spain and France, Customer team
member at Coop (ongoing) as well Student Ambassador for Staffordshire
University advocating the university on open days as well as with the Unibuddy
chat service (ongoing).
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