The British Academy (the United Kingdom’s national academy for the humanities and the social sciences) has tasked us with investigating the specific challenges that UK business owners faced during the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown, the strategies that they used to keep their businesses afloat, and how they engaged with financial and regional support.
We are also interested in how best to support members of the Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) business community.
To participate in our study, kindly fill the survey below and/or please share the URL with your networks if you know any other business owners:
Ethnic minorities were particularly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK and US, as in some other countries. In particular, the risk of death for some ethnic minority individuals who contracted COVID-19 in these countries was two to three times more compared to white individuals.
This disparity was a result of the underlying social and economic risk factors that ethnic minorities face, such as living in overcrowded and urban accommodation, being employed in riskier lower-skilled jobs, reduced access to healthcare, and structural racism. In other words, ethnic poverty in developed countries is driving higher infection and consequently death rates for ethnic minorities.
Drivers of Ethnic Poverty
Underlying the drivers of poverty for ethnic minorities in many developed countries are several socio-economic factors which include historical factors, discrimination, educational and entrepreneurial variations, and employment and pay disparities between ethnic groups.
Despite facsimile policies that emphasize equal access to education and employment in many developed countries, discrimination remains a critical barrier to equal employment. Several studies have found that both ethnic minorities are called back for interviews 50% less frequently than comparable whites, hired less often for high-skill jobs, and once hired are paid less. Thus, despite the increasing educational gains made by ethnic minority individuals, many are overqualified for the jobs that they do. Ethnic minority workers also often report not being given pay rises and being passed over for promotion.
Another very important driver for the disproportionately high poverty rates among ethnic minority groups is the concentration of such workers in low-paid work. Ethnic minority workers are more likely to work in low-paid sectors with limited progression opportunities and lower wages. Lack of movement out of low-paid work increases the risk of poverty among ethnic groups. In addition, there is generally a lower percentage of ethnic minority workers who are managers, directors, and senior officials.
Before the pandemic, BAME business owners were less likely than non-BAME business owners to obtain mainstream business support and in the early days of coronavirus, nearly two-thirds of BAME business owners felt unable to access state-backed loans and grants, leaving many on the brink of financial ruin.
BAME-owned businesses are traditionally concentrated in the sectors worst hit by lockdown such as retail, health and social care, education, restaurants and accommodation.
The economic crisis facing these businesses is aggravated by the fact that they are more likely to hire a considerable number of BAME employees and attract more BAME customers. The significantly higher risk among such groups from COVID-19 implies that these businesses would have had to incur considerable costs to protect their staff and customers.
Solutions
Ethnic minorities consistently report reduced access to education, lack of social and financial capital, unemployment, low-pay, and poor progression from low-paid sector work. This suggests similar solutions for all groups, which would lead to better-quality jobs and higher pay. However, given that some of the drivers of poverty, such as higher unemployment and inactivity rates disproportionately affect ethnic groups, specific forms of outreach activity and drawing on local knowledge may be needed in these contexts.
Similarly, government solutions to reduce ethnic poverty in developed country contexts include interventions that ensure that education, training and apprenticeships are provided for ethnic minorities as well as schemes that help tackle low pay among ethnic minority workers. There is a need for policies that focus the on education, skills and training for ethnic groups particularly digital, literacy, and numeracy skills. Moreover, policies should also be encouraged that monitor the workforce in relation to ethnicity, which should include the recruitment, retention and progression phases of jobs.
Authorities need to work with employers to provide better-paid jobs and they should do more to listen to and encourage employers to hire a diverse range of skills and experiences. It is advisable to consider putting targets for ethnic minority representation on boards, something that has proven successful in the case of gender. It is also important to recognise the benefits of positive discrimination in the labour market, rather than view legislation to combat ethnic inequality as red tape or political correctness. Mortgage market discrimination needs to be eliminated as this would allow ethnic minorities to take advantage of the benefits that come with owning a home.
State-backed grants and loans should be made more accessible as an incentive to business owners who have incurred additional costs to protect customers and staff. Crucially, the process to obtain them should not be too onerous and the criteria should be fair. Regional governments should also take care to plug BAME businesses into the supply chains of local projects in response to the pandemic.
Source: Author
All these should reduce ethnic poverty and the economic and health inequalities that the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted.
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.
Papi
Paul (Paul Dobson) has had extensive experience in supporting the hospitality
trade, including the successful start-up and running of pizza restaurant and
takeaways, both here in the UK and France.
On Friday 5th February, 1pm-2pm, Paul will be delivering a pizza making demo and chat which will cover a quick and easy way to make Nutella® pizzas and discuss the start-up and running of a pizzeria.
Share your passion for Nutella ® with a tweet by adding the tag @nutelladay and the hashtag #worldnutelladay. Become a follower of @nutelladay on Twitter, connect at nutelladay.com and share your World Nutella ® Day images on Instagram and Pinterest and tag your photos or stories using the hashtag #WorldNutellaDay.
Paul’s session will be delivered on Microsoft Teams. To join the session, click the following link at 1pm on Friday 5th February:
To take part in making your very own Nutella Pizza, you will need the following:
Ingredients :- 500g OO flour, plus extra to dust 1 x 7g sachet fast action dried yeast 1 tsp fine sea salt 1 tsp caster sugar 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to drizzle 1 tbsp semolina, to press out
Equipment: mixing bowl wooden spoon baking tray/pizza stone Oven at 220 degrees.
Olushola Fashola, Lecturer, Staffordshire Business SChool
Nuthall
(2019) asserted that the United Nations estimates that between 2% and 5%
(US$800bn–US$2trillion) of global GDP is laundered. The year 2019 saw global
anti-money laundering (AML) penalties going beyond £6billion (actual value was
£6.2billion which is equivalent to around $8billion), with the US imposing
double the quantum of fines imposed by UK authorities (Sweet, 2020). These facts
suggests financial crimes is on the rise, which is a worrying development for
societies, governments, organisations, and individuals. It is therefore
important that some sort of reflection (collectively or individually) be
undertaken by all concerned regarding how things have deteriorated to current
level in terms of emerging global narrative on financial crime. Consequently,
my own lived experience within a socio-economic and institutional context
offers a basis for looking at financial crime through the multiple lens of
three actors – “the vulnerable”, “the gullible” and “the
culpable”.
THE
VULNERABLE
Some
years back I was looking through job advertisements on various websites, hoping
to find a flexible job that will permit me to spend more time with my young
children. I did not search too long before I came across one placed by a
supposedly US based company. Though, the role was described as Administrative
Assistant, the job description was more of a home-based funds transfer officer.
Considering that I have practice experience in banking and finance, I quickly
applied and was very optimistic as to my chances of eventually getting the job.
Just as I had anticipated, I was offered the job. However, mode of operation
triggered some curiosity – the company will pay money into my account which I
shall subsequently transfer to various recipients!
THE
GULLIBLE
The
unusual nature of the responsibilities attached to this job role sent alarm
bells ringing. I contacted the website where I found the job to let them know
of my suspicion that something was not quite right about this company and the
job. The website’s initial response was to dismiss my suspicion, suggesting
there was nothing unusual about either the company or the job. Whilst pondering
as to the genuineness or otherwise of this job offer, I listened to the BBC
money box programme focused on money mules. This made the connection between this
job offer and money mule operations vividly clear. I contacted the website
again, now aware of the prospect of being used as a money mule based on what I
have learnt from the BBC programme. This time, the response was an apology and
commitment to bar the company from using the website. Prioritisation of
corporate social responsibility can help reduce the chances of financial fraud
occurring (Liao et al., 2019).
THE
CULPABLE
Whilst
I did not allow this company the opportunity to pay any money into my bank
account, I wonder how many people they had successfully persuaded into
accepting such payments through their banks. The banking industry is central to
economic growth and development, but also remains a vital part of the carefully
orchestrated dastardly design of financial crimes’ architecture. The growing
evidence against banks with respect to recurring culpability in facilitating
financial crimes is a worrying trend that compounds erosion of public trust in
them since the financial crisis of 2008/2009. Sanctions imposed on banks (see
below) for offences with a bearing on financial crimes bears testimony to
banking industry’s culpability.
Feb
2014: Standard Bank PLC fined £7.6m for failures in its anti-money laundering
controls (BBC, 2014)
May
2015: Barclays fined $2.4bn for forex rigging (Financial Times, 2015)
June
2015: HSBC pays out £28m “compensation” to Swiss authorities over
money-laundering claims (The Guardian, 2015)
November
2015: Barclays Bank (Barclays) was fined £72,069,400 for failing to minimise
the risk that it may be used to facilitate financial crime by the Financial
Conduct Authority (FCA) (FCA, 2015)
December
2019: HSBC to pay $192m penalty in US for helping clients hide $1billion dollar
worth of assets for tax evasion purpose (Financial Times, 2019).
Financial
service regulators may have demonstrated a commitment to ensuring banks do not
act as facilitators of financial crimes through these sanctions, but the
inherent culpability of the financial regulatory system in certain
jurisdictions means that these fines do not address why they have become a
magnet for financial crime. The public prosecutor in the HSBC/Swiss regulator
case as cited in The Guardian (2015) sums up the real source of financial
service industry culpability in financial crime thus:
“When
we have a law that doesn’t punish financial intermediaries accepting doubtful
funds then we have a problem. This problem dates from long before the HSBC affair.”
REFLECTION
ON EVIDENCE
Criminals
adept at committing financial crimes often targets the vulnerable. They are
also very clever at deciphering individual vulnerabilities. Unemployment was a
vulnerability ready to be exploited in this case. However, various other
vulnerabilities can be the focus of the ploy of these criminals. For instance,
search for acceptance and love (BBC 2020), desire to help others and outright
greed, are a mix of vulnerabilities often exploited by advance fee (otherwise
called “419”) fraudsters.
Individuals
or organisations should not think they are above gullibility when it comes to
financial crimes. The website involved in this case is a subsidiary to one of
the major global online platforms. Yet their vetting process allowed this job
advertisement to be placed; and initial response to contacting them laid bare
their gullibility – a failure in their social responsibility obligation to
society!
Banking
industry and its regulatory framework remains an important defence line in
society’s response to combating financial crime (Ryder, 2017). A basic line of
defence where banks had in the past dropped their guards is with respect to
“Know Your Customer” (KYC). This important anti-money laundering requirement
needs full compliance for the global fight against financial crime to be
successful. Specifically, a risk-based approach to KYC practice can help
operators in the financial services industry balance regulatory compliance with
business exigencies. Such an approach can help focus attention on potentially
risky clients such as the politically exposed person (popularly referred to as
PEP). The need for some sort of global regulatory alignment to ensure that
there are no safe havens for illicit wealth (Nance, 2018) will require every
nation to review its laws and ensure that loopholes exploited by financial
criminals and their intermediaries are plugged.
CONCLUDING
REMARKS
Fraud
triangle comprising of opportunity, incentive/pressure, and rationalization
(Cressey, 1953) had received wide scholarly attention, it is perhaps time we
switched attention to actors whose moral gap facilitates financial crime.
Vulnerability, gullibility, and culpability represents a collection of
attributes that helps financial crime to spread like wildfire and the criminals
that benefit from them to take the rest of society for granted. Hence, the need
for every individual and organization to undertake a self-assessment as to
whether they may be tacitly facilitating financial crime as a vulnerable,
gullible, or culpable actor in a dark web that leaves society morally and
economically bankrupt.
Liao,
L., Chen, G. and Zheng, D. (2019) Corporate social responsibility and financial
fraud: evidence from China. Accounting & Finance, 59(5),
pp.3133-3169.
Nance,
M.T. (2018) The regime that FATF built: an introduction to the Financial Action
Task Force. Crime, Law and Social Change, 69(2), pp.109-129.
Ryder,
N. (2017) The financial crisis and financial crime in the United Kingdom: A
critical analysis of the response by Financial Regulatory Agencies. The
Company Lawyer, 38(1), pp.4-14.
Creativity and Innovation Week offers students a huge variety of sessions delivered by academics from both Staffordshire Business School and the School of Digital, Technologies and Arts along with some fantastic guest speakers.
As well as our keynote presenter, Ian Reid – Chief Executive of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022, we will also be welcoming the team from Alton Towers, including Janet Gurr – Hotels and Accommodation Development Director, Neil Crittenden – Commercial Director, Jo Mountney – Divisional People Partner/HR Director and Jason Mumford – Senior Recruitment and Learning & Development Manager.
The Creativity and Innovation Week 2021 is also an ideal opportunity for you to gain additional micro-credentials to enhance your employability. Use this time to take a MOS exam in Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Outlook, or perhaps even all four. This will also help you to save time in future assessments through the use of appropriate presentation tools and shortcuts to complete assessment tasks. There are also 11 LinkedIn short courses embedded into the programme.
To view the full schedule of sessions, click below:
Angela Lawrence, Associate Dean, Staffordshire Business School
This morning I was labelled a geek. I don’t mind being called a geek (I probably am a bit of a geek) but what is interesting is that this label was awarded as a result of me sharing a plan on twitter. The plan for my allotment in 2021.
Now I don’t feel that planning makes me geeky – I’m a big believer in planning and the saying “fail to plan, plan to fail” is one that I use often. I plan a work “To Do” list at the end of each working day, a shopping list before walking down to the shops, I plan holidays months if not years in advance and yes, I plan which vegetables I am going to grow at my allotment and which beds they will go into. That way I can be sure that the soil will be right for them, the light conditions will suit them and that everything grows together in harmony to produce bountiful harvests.
Planning is a big part of business success – we create business plans, marketing plans and project plans in all aspects of our working life. Without things like business continuity planning, risk management, financial planning, many businesses fail to survive in today’s fast-moving work environment. Students are taught planning not only as part of their studies, but also as part of their own lifestyle management as a student – our students even brought together some tips to share with others in this YouTube video.
Some
would say planning has been difficult during 2020 and it’s hard to plan when we
don’t know what we will be able to do. I think this is actually all the more
reason to plan – if plans didn’t materialise, as so many failed to during 2020,
then we suck it up and plan all over again, whether it be a holiday, a
birthday, a wedding or a study plan for the year. What has been bumped from the
top of the list now goes back into the list again for re-scheduling.
Plans give us hope and they psychologically prepare us, they build anticipation, and they demonstrate commitment. When we plan, we mentally get organised and prepare ourselves and this is a good thing – it saves us from stressing about the unknown, relieves some uncertainty and helps us to cope better.
Plans
don’t have to be big, they don’t have to be impressive, they don’t have to be
written down (although I do get great satisfaction from planning on paper) and
they don’t have to be shared. They may not mean a thing to anybody but you, and
that’s just fine. I can guarantee that you will enjoy your planned activities
far more for having planned them and that you will stress less and cope better
with things that challenge you.
Happy planning – you have a whole year ahead of you, LET’S GO!
Staffordshire Business School is a premier centre for business education with decades of experience in providing business courses at the forefront of industry and technological developments. Business planning is integrated into all of our new business courses – click here to find out more.
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
Paul Walters, Lecturer, Staffordshire Business School
The event sector which includes hospitality and tourism, has seen a significant decline in commercial activity, since March 2020 and as we come to the close for the year 2020. Many small to medium size business saw a complete loss of business, this included the festival industry which had somewhere in the region of 7 million visitors attending festivals in the UK each year. It is reported, the UK prior to the COVID restrictions had somewhere in the region of 400 plus festivals throughout the UK each year. Even the largest event provider on the planet ‘Live Nation’ experienced financial difficulty and received $500 million from a Saudi investment fund. Live Nation furloughed 20% of its staff to save $600 million and Live Nation artists were informed by the company to take a pay cut. This was a similar situation and mirrored in most cases across the Event Sector.
Companies
within the sector that had Interruption Insurance, attempted to make a claim
because of the Government shut down. The sector will fully understand
what is meant by ‘interruption Insurance’. As some insurance companies
decided to decline claims on ‘Interruption Insurance. Insurance companies
argued that many claims did not specify or have insurance for the specific type
of interruption. However, there was some light at the end of the tunnel,
a High Court ruling on the 15th September 2020 which represented
370,000 policy holders who are some way clearer to an answer and pay out under
their interruption insurance claim. So, what do we learn from this, it is
not just necessary to have interruption insurance but also specify the type of
interruption be that Government shut down, a pandemic and what type of virus,
be that SARS, Zika or any other known type.
Some event companies within the sector made an early attempt to re-engage with their consumers through a different medium. Those that made the immediate change rather than cancel maintained a presence in the commercial marketplace and some saw a significant increase in revenue.
If you haven’t heard of Tomorrowland outdoor music festival, let me refocus your attention. This is a festival that takes place in Belgium and has a 15 year history. In 2019 Tomorrowland had 250,000 attendees at the festival site. When the pandemic hit the global economy, Tomorrowland didn’t cancel or postpone, they created over a period of three months an online virtual festival. Two million people registered for a ticket and 400,000 people received an invite. Some commentators say the industry in the main wasn’t quick to respond to the change to the environment, thus providing a short-term alternative solution for their customers.
In the North East of England, we saw the first licensed outdoor music event that ran for a period of 6 weeks. With a maximum capacity of attendees each day of 2500, contained in their own Covid secure zones, a maximum of six per zone. The event was sponsored by Virgin money as title sponsor. For the event to have a return on investment, a schedule of live performances over six weeks was the only solution.
So, the
question on everyone’s lips, will the event industry recover and what will it
look like in 2021 going forwards.
There is no guarantee for this virus to completely dissipate from society even with a vaccine and we as a nation may experience another rise in transmission during 2021 and possible government shutdowns. The events industry must be flexible and ready to respond to the change in the environment to maintain some financial stability and continued growth. Alternative methods for delivering events should be considered and factored into the planning process with a viable contingency if immediate change is required.
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).
You must be logged in to post a comment.