Deloitte works with WBS students

Consultants from multinational accounting and consulting firm Deloitte have been working closely with 68 Masters students at WBS on the Business Systems Integration & Consultancy (BSIC) module as part of their studies towards an MSc in Information Systems & Management. This sounds a familiar theme in many business schools, but this particular module has several innovative elements not seen or practiced before.

To start with, the module took six months of preparation work with academics, practicing Deloitte consultants, and programme administrators working together on the logistics of bringing concept to reality. It is usual for administrators to be involved in the logistics of delivering a study module, but not in the design of one, and practising consultants are usually brought in to give a presentation or to comment on students' work only during the actual delivery of a module.

Dr David Finnegan explained further, "This module is designed to give students the awareness and knowledge of the skills needed in systems integration strategy design and its implementation. The module provided learning opportunities for our students from an academic and management consultancy perspective. At the same time, we needed to meet the over-arching aim of linking practical experimentation with academic rigour to ensure students both learned and were able to apply what they learned. Therefore we had to take into account the need to retain this academic rigour while simultaneously developing students' specific skills in areas such as team-working, meeting deadlines, analysing academic literature to prepare assignments and presentations, and critical analysis of the practical processes they were experiencing within academic frameworks. A secondary benefit is that students realise the importance of reflective learning both for the short and long-term process of their personal development."

Jon Lees, Administrative Director for Masters programmes, explained the rationale behind his and the programme team's contribution, "Our input into the process and timing of assessment, student team organisation and dynamics was particularly useful and ensured that the module integrated successfully with the students' other commitments on the MSc. It was great to have an input into the module and see it through to its successful conclusion. I hope the partnership with Deloitte offers a model for other Masters programmes. The opportunity for students to develop and showcase their softer skills to a major UK recruiter was an invaluable experience for all involved."

The finalised module began when the students were divided into groups, each group forming and naming their own consulting firm, and electing their CEOs. There were 8 groups in all - Achte Consultants; Consultec; i3B Consultancy; i-Deal Consultants; Infinity Consulting; Orion Consultants; Proton; and Strands.

Over a period of five weeks they worked on a consulting case study provided by Deloitte, interacting with a client panel consisting of senior Deloitte consultants and the module leader from WBS, David Finnegan, to ensure they experienced all the key phases of a management consultancy project. Students were expected to turn up in smart dress to emphasise the real-life nature of their work, and all interactions with the client had to be carried out professionally.

The module concluded when all the teams came together for a 'showdown day'. They presented their implementation strategy to a panel of senior executives from Deloitte and senior academics. WBS Deputy Dean Professor David Wilson presided over the prize distribution, and Achte group was the overall winner.

Three students on the degree course comment on their experience of the BSIC module:

Naresh Menon from India and one of the students from the Strands group, comments, "David Finnegan said to us at the start of the module 'From now on, you are not students, you are consultants'. Now after completing this module, I feel that I have understood how the life of a consultant is and the role he plays in the success of an organisation. This will give me a competitive advantage over graduates from other universities. Moreover, partnering with Deloitte in this module brought about an extra significance among students. The Deloitte staff had informal chats with students and it was nice interacting with them."

Odudo Umoh from Nigeria, a member of the winning group Achte, said, "Overall it was a high energy, nerve bending, absolutely engaging, extremely challenging, and most rewarding experience. With the challenge came the opportunity to learn. The case study provided a perfect intellectual exercise for the mind. It drew the best from every facet of our being. Having the opportunity to go through a consultancy process from beginning to end with just the right amount of supervision was superb experience. In the end, I like to think we were all winners given the abundant learning opportunities that existed during the case study. We came to learn and we did, in a unique and masterful way. No winners, no losers, just gainers of knowledge. This is what matters."

Muminat Mustapha also from Nigeria and one of the members of Strands, said, "BSIC in one word was phenomenal. We were taught not just as students, but as real consultants who had to proffer solutions for their troubled clients. Thus we had to look at things beyond the obvious, be extremely proactive, innovative, organised, timely and competitive - in a good way. Before taking this module, I could not really figure out what consulting was all about. Now, I have a better perception of what to expect as a consultant in the real business world, and have no doubt in my mind that I have the right tools - knowledge and experience gained from this module - to succeed."

Paul Leigh, Deloitte Lead for BSIC, comments, "It was a real privilege to be involved to such an extent on this project. Combining theoretical learning with the practical aspects of project delivery gave the students a fantastic opportunity to apply their understanding in a consulting lifecycle case study. Senior practitioners from Deloitte who attended the final assessment day on the 1st December were impressed with the level of understanding and professional delivery of the presentations from the students. I look forward to Deloitte's involvement in this module in the near future."

Professor Wendy Currie, who was instrumental in the design of the MSc in Information Systems & Management, comments, "The BSIC module offers a close coupling between theory and practice which offers excellent benefits to students in terms of learning, career development and knowledge of business technology management, and to employers through recruitment opportunities, developing graduate students, and curriculum development with a leading university."

David Finnegan concludes, "The module was designed to give students a state-of-the-art demonstration and first-hand experience of delivering a full consultancy life cycle, synchronising academic understanding with practice. Our module is, I believe, unique in the UK in delivering this innovative facilitated way of learning. Five teams of senior consultants from Deloitte working with us over a period of five weeks was an experience that will stay with these students for life and be of enormous benefit for their future careers."