Executive Mini MBA Accelerator

Agenda

During the Mini MBA, you will develop a broad range of business management knowledge and leadership thinking in the core areas of human resource management, finance, marketing, operations, creative thinking and strategy.

Tutor(s)

Stewart McCombe - gunnercookeCONSULTING

Stewart has a career background in corporate banking, and is a highly experienced commercial individual, who commenced a transition into the not for profit sector at the end of 2009. He now has a portfolio of Chair, Board and consultancy roles across not for profits and SMEs.

Throughout his career, Stewart has developed a proven track record in the North West corporate market. In roles covering both relationship management and business development, his key skills of brokering and relationship building ensured the management of multiple stakeholders, at all times undertaken with outstanding levels of integrity. Core to his roles at Bank of Scotland were the management of key entrepreneur relationships for the bank.

In recent years, he has rapidly developed a profile in the not for profit sector, maintaining key board roles across a range of areas, including leisure and social care

Who he works for:

Stewart has a range of financial, operational and strategic experience in the private, public and not for profit sectors, including charities, local authorities, banking and venture capital. This has captured a range of areas, including direct roles in leisure, adult care, the arts, environment and recruitment, coupled with a wide range of sectors including manufacturing, service, retail, building products and housebuilding during his corporate banking career. Stewart is at ease in any environment, from start-up to plc boardroom.

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Professor Ruth Ashford - Chief Academic Advisor

Professor Ashford has more than 25 years’ experience in Higher Education management within post-92 Business Schools in the United Kingdom. She has previously served as Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of the Faculty of Business and Law at Manchester Metropolitan University and Executive Dean of Business and Management at the University of Chester. 

As the former Chief Examiner of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) she was involved with the International launch of the CIM Student Chapter and CIM Professional syllabus. She served on the Quality Assurance Agency review panel for the UK benchmark standards in Business and Management for both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.

Key areas of expertise include: strategic development for domestic and international programme growth; Business School restructuring; complexity and change management; curriculum development including apprenticeships and international franchises; leading School quinquennial reviews; professional body accreditation; recruitment/selection and mentoring senior academics; developing and designing school identities including visions, missions and communications strategies.

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Tim Evans - gunnercookeCONSULTING

Tim is an experienced coach and training development professional of 15 years working in behavioural change, personal development and organisational effectiveness. Operating at all levels of seniority with probity from c-suite through to delivery teams, customer service and sales teams, his focus is on building trust through consistent and supportive challenge of individuals to define and exploit their true purpose and potential.

Tim has a diverse range of skills enabling him to deliver considerable savings in efficiency and staff productivity. With first hand expertise in developing systems in the education sector, he is able to provide teams with the ability to apply strong leadership, improve job satisfactions and engagement, increase customer experience and achieve organisational KPIs.

Tim has experience building a rapport through a wide range of recognised business development and coaching methods – he helps clients to develop a deep understanding of their current practices and challenge their habits and beliefs to become more effective and fulfilled in their working lives.

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Matt Eld - gunnercookeCONSULTING

Matt is an expert in marketing strategy and business transformation. He is a senior leader with over 25 years’ experience of improving and growing businesses, gained from a variety of senior management roles. Matt has held MD and Director posts in a FTSE 250 organisation, Marketing and Communications agency and as a business owner. A CIM Marketer by background, Matt has amassed a wealth of commercial transformation and marketing communications experience. He is an accomplished communicator and is skilled at operating at all levels of the organisation, analyzing and quickly establishing business challenges and developing sustainable solutions. He has strong influencing and negotiation skills and can drive transformation change to success with authority and a clear vision. His broad range of experience covers multiple disciplines including marketing, communications and crisis management, commercial development, change management, organisational development, IT & technology deployment, project management and business improvement.

Matt is a director level project and transformation professional with demonstrated ability to create and translate strategy into measured operational performance improvement. He has extensive experience in marketing, customer acquisition, project management, organisational redesign and commercialization, which he has gained across direct and agency environments in Higher and Further Education, Media & Publishing and Local Government sectors. He is an accomplished leader and influencer from the boardroom to front line teams across multiple location.

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Benefits

The Mini MBA will increase your confidence and your managerial abilities, particularly in terms of strategic delegation, deadline organisation, problem solving, change management, and team development.

Network with peers and share best practice

During your learning experience at our Mini MBA, you will be able to meet other like-minded professionals and develop new, beneficial connections. Following completion of your course, you will become part of an exclusive alumni, offering you access to an ever-growing community of current and future leaders.

Turn theory into practice

You will learn how to apply theories and best practices in your current role through simulations, role playing, case studies and discussions. The learning methods we use will enable you to apply business and management principles and theories directly into leadership practice and organisational policy-making

Enhance your career and your business

With the networking opportunities and advanced management skills included in the Mini MBA, you will be able to implement improvements in your workplace and proceed to senior positions.

Other benefits include:

• The essential theory, practice and techniques of an MBA condensed in to high quality short programme;
• Savings in your time and the huge costs involved in enrolling for a traditional MBA course;
• Guidance on your strategic planning with current tools, techniques and thinking;
• Improvement on the bottom line with your increased financial understanding;
• Exponential improvement in your leadership skills and personal confidence;
• Measurable results with your enhanced knowledge of key strategic marketing tactics;
• Success in the project you undertake with a greater understanding of how to take a project from start to completion successfully;
• Improvement on your ability to influence and impact colleagues and clients;
• Enhanced negotiation techniques and skills to increase your success in commercial agreements

Who Should Attend?

The Mini MBA Accelerator is designed for those with a minimum 3 years management experience and provides the core material expected from a high-quality MBA programme.

It is also appropriate for MBA graduates who would like a ‘refresher’ overview of core MBA subjects. The Mini MBA has been designed for executives, managers, and senior stakeholders from a wide range of industries.

Accreditation

You can attend the Mini-MBA on an accredited and non-accredited basis

The Qualification

You can undertake the Mini MBA on an accredited basis, which on successful completion, will see you receive a PGCert in Business Administration (WBIS) from the University of Chester*

This Level 7 academic and work-based qualification is designed for senior people seeking to develop themselves as leaders and managers, who recognise they must satisfy various stakeholders and who want to invest in their own personal brand. They are looking to make the best use of resources, understand the need to innovate and optimise performance. They may also have to present arguments for change, construct business cases, lead change implementation and evaluate the impact of that change.

Results for the learner

• Know how to use an enquiry led evidence based approach to develop your leadership and management capability;
• Develop and enhance your personal brand;
• Develop, implement and evaluate high-level, strategic, business cases;
• Embed your leadership and management development in real work.

Impact for your employer

• Senior leaders and managers who have the ability to think and act strategically;
• Senior leaders and managers who make informed evidence based decisions;
• Motivated staff who can create and maintain a high-performance culture;
• Senior team members who are self-aware and take responsibility for self-development.

Assessment

• Learners will complete 3 assignments in order to achieve this qualification;
• Conduct top level organisational analysis, resulting in a research proposal for an empirical study into a leadership and management issue within the delegate’s professional environment.
• A robust data driven enquiry within the delegate’s professional environment that adds value through active participation in a learning community, and an evaluation of how this enquiry has added value to self and the organisation.

Student Support

You will be provided with:

• One to one telephone tutorial opportunities (as many as the student requires; typically, this would involve 3 one-hour tutorials);
• Group tutorials through conference calls;
• Monthly webinar events.

We encourage learners to engage with as many tutorials and learning opportunities as possible.

The blended learning method has been shown to provide flexible, student centred delivery and a high pass rate.