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warwick business school alumni association magazine: autumn 04

thepublic management issue

diary

autumn 2004www.wbs.ac.uk/alumni/nexus.cfm

Leading the way 6

Applying lessons 8

Meeting the challenge 9

Putting theory into practice 10

WBS goes public! 11

Executive education 13

DoCoMo success story 14

Networking 17

Event reviews 19

ACADEMIC UPDATE ON LEADERSHIP16 October 2004Radcliffe Speakers: Professors HowardThomas, John McGee, ColinCarnall and Senior TeachingFellow, MSM, Grier Palmer.Special Guest: Anthony Carey,National Technical Partner,RSM Robson Rhodes

IGPM ANNUAL CONFERENCE25–26 October 2004Scarman

LAUNCH OF PUBLIC SECTOR NETWORK26 October 2004 Speaker: Professor Colin Crouch

MBA 10 YEAR REUNION13 November 2004Radcliffe Mini academic updatefollowed by a Gala dinnerSpeakers: Professors JohnMcGee and David Wilson

WBS FORUM SERIESMBA Teaching Centre Dates, speakers and topics on website

REGIONAL EVENTSMidlands23 November 2004London (First Friday)3 December 2004

alumni in the news:

www.wbs.ac.uk/alumni/forthcoming.cfm

Designed by Parenthesis +44 (0)24 7622 9658

driven to workPa

ul Sm

ith

worthwhile investmentPhil White (MBA 2000–01) featured in TheIndependent on Saturday 3 April, in an articleheadlined Are returns from an MBA worth the cost?Now working as a sector development managerfor the telecoms group Energis, Phil presented astrong case for the Warwick MBA, and affirmed,‘I’m making use of my MBA and feel my time atWarwick was a worthwhile investment in myself.’

life-changingCarole Howlett (MBA 1988–90) was the subject of an in depth feature in The Independent on 29 April.Carole was sponsored by the Metropolitan Police to do her MBA at WBS and has subsequently experienceda series of fast track promotions through the ranks toher present position of Assistant Commissioner. In thearticle, Carole acknowledges the positive contributionof the MBA to her career path, saying: ‘the course wasreally life-changing in terms of the confidence andexposure to new ideas that it gave me.’

new skillsCarl Howard (EXMBA 2000–04) ExecutiveAssistant to the CE of Prudential UK, featured in anarticle on the MBA Job Market in The Times on 10May. He had just completed the modular ExecutiveMBA, sponsored by the Prudential. ‘It has meant an extra 20 hours work per week but this is a smallsacrifice. I was able to apply my new skills to thebusiness immediately,’ reported Carl.

chair for AnneNews of Anne Gunther’s (MBA 1989–91) chiefexecutive of Standard Life Bank new appointmentas Chair of the Council of Mortgage Lenders(CML) appeared in the Mortgage Finance Gazettein March. Commenting on her appointment,Anne said: ‘My job in 2004 is to ensure that themortgage market is not used as a political footballand that any proposed policy interventions areheld up to scrutiny.‘

Paul Smith (DLMBA 1985–89) Finance Director of Ford of Britain,featured in the April issue of Accountancy magazine, in a special reporton the Motor industry, entitled ‘Driven to work’. Paul was one of thefirst Ford sponsored MBA students. Commenting on his experience ofstudying the MBA by distance learning at WBS, Paul said, ‘I found itvery intellectually challenging and it got my brain back into gear.’

Anne

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immediate benefits

Vane

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Vanessa Markey (MBA 2000–01)was featured in The Independenton 6 May. Under the headline ‘In a good school, benefits areimmediate,’ Vanessa relates herexperience of studying the MBAat WBS and how her project withFord led to a full-time position.She is now Global BrandCommunications Manager forLand Rover.

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WBS Professoraddresses OECDProfessor David Storey,Director of the Centre for Small& Medium Sized Enterprises(CSME) at WBS had soundadvice for policy makers at theprestigious Organisation forEconomic Co-operation andDevelopment (OECD)conference in June. Hisrecommendations to Ministersand representatives from 64countries are based on years of observing policies aimed atsupporting SMEs.

new professorsat WBSWe are pleased to announce thatduring the past year, WBS hasbeen recruiting new professors,some of whom have joined usrecently and others who will bejoining over the coming months.

Their contributions will enhanceour reputation as one of the mosthighly regarded, research led,university based business schoolsin Europe.

The most recent appointments are shown here.

Wendy Currie, Professor of Information Systems, from Brunel University

Haridimos Tsoukas, returns to WBS as Professor of Organisation Studies

Andrew Sturdy, Professor of Organisation Studies, from Imperial College, London

Colin Crouch, Professor of Governance and Public Management, from the Instituto Universitario Europeo in Florence

Joining the Accounting & Finance Group (AFIN):

Mark Salmon, Professor of Finance and Director of the FinancialEconometrics Research Centre (FERC), from Cass Business School

Anthony Neuberger, Professor of Finance, from London BusinessSchool

Gordon Gemmill, Professor of Finance, from Cass Business School

Colin Clubb, Professor of Accounting, from Tanaka Business School,Imperial College

accreditation success Following a recent inspection visit, the Association of MBAs has re-accredited the Warwick MBA programme for the maximum five year period for meeting the high quality standards required by theAssociation, and accredited the Warwick MPA for the first time.Launched in 2000, the Warwick MPA has only just become eligible for accreditation. The AMBA assessors looked into all aspects of MBAand MPA teaching, from curriculum development to management ofprogrammes. Their feedback was positive, with WBS described as ‘an impressive school’.

WBS in the news

WBS welcomes

good news in latest rankingsIn May, several media rankings of universities and business schoolsappeared. The Times Good University Guide, which looks atundergraduate degrees taught in UK universities, was good news forboth the University and WBS this year. The University of Warwickrose from 8th last year to 5th, and in the individual subject tables,WBS rose from 8th to 4th place.

In the Financial Times’ ranking of customised executive non-degreecourses, WBS rose one place to 29th in the world and up to 11th inEurope, while retaining its 4th position in the UK.

WBS was also ranked in joint 4th place in Europe with RotterdamSchool of Management in the first MBA ranking of Junge Karriere,Germany's leading magazine for young professionals and university graduates.

WBS faculty, students, and alumni regularly appear in the media, whetherfor expert comment on a subject, or as news in their own right. Facultyhave been particularly busy in the broadcast media recently and here is justa snapshot of coverage.

Sue Bridgewater, MSM, was interviewed - in French - on Radio Franceabout UK football clubs, and Chelsea in particular with reference to theirdefeat by Monaco. She has also spoken on BBC Radio 5 about footballmanagement qualifications.

Andrew Burke, CSME, appeared on BBC TV Breakfast, BBC RadioScotland, and BBC Belfast, discussing entrepreneurship and families, havingpreviously been asked to speak on the BBC’s Working Lunch about hisresearch on current trends in the music industry.

Catherine Mitchell, CMuR, appeared on a debate following If… the lightsgo out, a BBC2 Newsnight docu-drama set in the winter of 2010, whenBritain is struggling to generate enough electricity to cope with demand.

Bob Johnston, OM, appeared on Radio 4’s You and Yours responding tolisteners’ questions on complaint handling and management byorganisations. John Benington, IGPM, appeared on BBC2 TV’s Newsnightspeaking about public sector reforms. Keith Hoskin, MSM, joined localradio to talk about the UK’s railway system.

Their contributions, and the many other contributions to printed media,are much appreciated by all those in WBS charged with raising our profile.

WBS Dean speaks at London’s Royal Albert Hall

Howard Thomas, Dean ofWBS, put the case for the roleof management education inkeeping UK businesscompetitive at the 2004Institute of Directors AnnualConvention at the RoyalAlbert Hall in April. Thisyear’s theme was BritainCompeting in the Modern World.

WBS also welcomes newlyappointed Director ofMarketing, Simon Peatfield,who joined us in March andNathalie Walker who joinsus in September as Head ofAlumni Relations from ChristCollege, Cambridge.

The public sector has been a key

area of research at Warwick

Business School for over fifteen

years. As governance, public policy

and management are becoming

increasingly important in both real

and political terms, WBS has sought

to be at the forefront of translating

theory into practice. We have

attracted several cohorts of senior

managers from the public services

onto our MPA programme since its

launch in 2000 – the first public

sector MBA of its kind in the UK –

and as you will read later, the

knowledge and experience that

they have gained on the

Warwick MPA has made a real

difference to them, their organisations

and the people they serve.

As this edition of Nexus goes to

print we will have implemented

our plans to strengthen and

develop the research and teaching

on governance, public management

and policy. Along with the

organisational re-structuring of

the six research centres in this field

we have made two academic

appointments. We welcome Colin

Crouch – Professor of Governance

and Public Management who will

chair the Institute of Governance

and Public Management (IGPM),

the umbrella group under which

all the research centres in public

management will sit; Robin

Wensley – Professor of Policy &

Marketing and Director of the

Advanced Institute of Management

Research at ESRC, will lead the new

teaching group.

Of course this is not the only

activity at WBS. Our academics

continue to produce the sort of

world-class research across all of

their disciplines that have placed us

as one of the top three research

faculties in the UK. The media

rankings of all our programmes,

from undergraduate through MBA

and specialist masters to doctoral,

show a continuous upward trend

and place us in the premiership

of European, university-based,

business schools and on-track to

achieve our goal of being the best.

A recent external review of the

School praised not only the faculty

but also the non-academic staff

who, in their opinion (and ours)

are some of the best in the field.

5* research, excellence in teaching

and high service levels all contribute

to our strong performance and

attract the highest quality students

who become a strong alumni

network. The last piece to complete

the virtuous circle is to enhance our

facilities. We still aim to start the

next phase of the Scarman Road

building in Spring 2005,

providing much needed additional

teaching space for new and existing

programmes, which will in turn

help us to build the reputation

of WBS and increase the value of

your qualification. You can find

out more in the article on the

WBS Fund for Academic Excellence

(page 15).

Finally I would like to welcome

all those new WBS alumni who

graduated in July and thank those

former graduates who came to

give their support. We had a

magnificent series of reception

parties in the specially provided

marquee venue by the lake and

I hope that you will remember

the day fondly for many years.

I look forward to meeting you at

one of our many other events

throughout the year.

Bridgette Sullivan-Taylor, MSM, hasbeen awarded a prestigious LeverhulmeTrust Early Career Fellowship. Bridgette’sresearch on strategic managementimplications of global terrorism, will investigate the intricate inter-relationships between internationaltourism and terrorism.

This research builds on research intoemerging trends in internationalstrategy and global tourism. Bridgettewill develop the ‘Think Global, Act Local’ concept further to examinethe added dimension of terrorism andits impact on strategic managementpractices. The impact of nationalpolicies on tourist patterns and theoperational practices of nationalcarriers, which operate across bordersfacing added risks in their operationalactivities, will also be examined.

WBS Alumni Board call for applicantsThe WBS Alumni Board is seeking applications for new members in 2005. The Board was constituted in2002 and meets three times each year. It exists to engage Warwick Business School alumni in an effectiveassociation, demonstrably contributing to the achievement of WBS strategic goals and, equally, creating alifelong community.

All WBS alumni are welcome to apply and we consider your past and potential contribution to be equallyimportant. We particularly welcome applications from alumni who fulfil any of the following criteria:

h Graduated in the 1980s

h Industry background in the Public Sector or Government

h An undergraduate degree from WBS

If you would like to represent the interests and concerns of WBS alumni and help shape the direction of the

Alumni Relations programme then this is the job for you! For information about application requirements

please read the terms of reference online at w www.wbs.ac.uk/alumni/board.cfm If you would like to speak

to someone about applying, please contact Caroline Hughes on t +44 (0)24 7652 8487

The closing date for applications is Friday 19 November 2004 and successful applicants will then be invited to

join the Board for the term January 2005 – end of 2007. Previous applications will be considered along with new

ones unless we are advised differently.

a message from the Dean

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hot off the press

Dr Sally Dibb and Dr Lyndon Simkin, of WBS’s Marketing & StrategicManagement Group, have justpublished a second edition ofMarketing Briefs: A Revision andStudy Guide. Published by ElsevierButterworth-Heinemann, thisguide provides topical andinsightful overviews of keystrategic marketing concepts –everything from buyingbehaviour, CRM, value-basedmarketing, one-to-one marketing,target marketing, portfolioanalysis, marketing shareholdervalue analysis, competitiveadvantage and brand value. w www.bh.com/knowledgemanagement

A new publication:European Integrationand IndustrialRelations: Multi-levelGovernance in the

Making is the result of acollaboration by PaulMarginson, Professor ofIndustrial Relations and Directorof the Industrial RelationsResearch Unit (IRRU) and KeithSisson, Emeritus Professor ofIndustrial Relations. Published byPalgrave/Macmillan, it providesan integrated treatment ofindustrial relations at the EUcommunity, sector and companylevels; examines developmentswithin national systems in thelight of European integration; and analyses their interactionwith the emerging EU framework.w www.palgrave.com

IRRU Research Fellow,Dr Jane Parker, has recently publishedWomen's Groups andEquality in BritishTrade Unions.

Published by Edwin Mellen Press,this study shows the centrality ofwomen's organising to unionismand women's experience ofunions, and provides insights into the circumstances necessaryfor women's sustained activism. w www.mellenpress.com

Nigel Piercy,Professor ofMarketing, haspublished MarketingStrategy andCompetitive

Positioning, 3rd edition, with co-authors Graham Hooleyand John Saunders. The third edition focuses oncompetitive positioning at theheart of marketing strategy andincludes in-depth discussion ofthe processes used in marketingto achieve competitive advantage.w www.pearsoned.co.uk

An essential guideto qualitativeresearch methods inorganizations,edited byCatharineCassell and

Gillian Symon, published bySage, features a chapter on ‘Casestudy research’ by Jean Hartley,WBS Professor of OrganisationalAnalysis. Jean also co-authoredthe chapter on ‘Co-research:insider/outsider teams fororganizational research’ with JohnBenington, Professor of PublicPolicy Management, and Directorof the Institute of Governanceand Public Management. w www.sagepub.co.uk

Dr Duncan Angwin,MSM, has published a chapter on ‘TheManaging Executive in Post-AcquisitionManagement’ inAdvances in Mergers

and Acquisitions vol 3, edited byCooper, C and Finkelstein, S. Inthe third book in the Elsevier/JAISeries, leading international scholarsfrom a range of disciplines explorethe economic, financial, strategic or organisational behaviour aspectsof M & As. w www.elsevier.com/wps/find

‘Making Up People:Consumption as aSymbolic Vocabulary for the Construction of Identity’ is the title of a chapter byRichard Elliott,Professor of

Marketing & Consumer Research, in a new publication ElusiveConsumption: Tracking NewResearch Perspectives, edited byKarin Ekstrom and HeleneBrembeck, published by Berg.Covering virtually every aspect of the word 'consumerism', this book provides a state-of-the-art view of the highly commercialisedsociety we inhabit today. w www.bergpublishers.com

Details of just some of therecent research contractsand projects at WBS:

As part of a European Social Fundresearch project being run byAnne-Marie Greene, IndustrialRelations & OrganisationalBehaviour (IROB), a Diversity in Policy and Practice workshopwas held at WBS in April. The workshop provided anopportunity for participants froma broad range of sectors to shareexperiences, examples of goodpractice, and practical waysforward and also provided focusfor the research investigation intogetting practitioner input into theresearch design.

Another workshop is planned in 18months time when many of thesame participants will reviewprogress. The project is leadorganised by Anne-Marie, withGill Kirton from Queen MaryUniversity of London, and involvesacademics, senior managers, andtrade union officials.

Members of the Centre for Small& Medium sized Enterprises(CSME) met with success inrecent funding applications.Stuart Fraser is being fundedby the Bank of England and otherleading staff organisations tocarry out a major survey of UKsmall business finances. This willbe the first survey in the UK togather detailed information on

the cost and availability offinance to small businesses alongwith comprehensive data onbusiness and owner-managercharacteristics.

Kevin Mole, Francis Greene andDavid Storey are beingsponsored by the Small BusinessService to review business supportservices across countries belongingto the Organisation for EconomicCo-operation and Development(OECD). The review focuses onthe choices that policy-makershave when designing businesssupport programmes.

Recent studies carried out byNigel Piercy and Nikala Lane,Marketing & Strategic

Management group (MSM), withDavid W Cravens of TexasChristian University on gender research in sales andmarketing, have discovered that as companies move fromtransactional selling torelationship selling, women in first line management roles in sales seem to be particularlyeffective in managing thisstrategic transition, especiallywhen compared to their malecounterparts. The evidence isthat they are just as demandingand critical as male managers.The differences seem to be in the ways in which they managetheir salespeople.

research news

Lby Professor Jean Hartley Academic Director of the Warwick MPA (2000–03)

aunched in January 2000, the Warwick

MPA was the first public sector MBA of its

kind in the UK, being modelled on similar

degrees at Harvard and elsewhere in the USA,

and over the past five years has attracted

considerable attention in both the academic

and policy communities, for its innovative

curriculum and methods of teaching.

Several other leading UK universities are now

developing MPA degrees, but Warwick

is still seen to be the path-breaker.

The syllabus is distinctive in combining

analysis of the public policy context with the

development of practical skills and advanced

capabilities for leadership and strategic

and operational management. It provides

an internationally recognised qualification

which is portable across different sectors

(public, private, voluntary and grassroots

community), different levels of government

(European, national, regional, and local) and

different services, organisations and

countries. Voluntary sector managers have

also signed up for the programme in

considerable numbers, as have some private

sector managers who work closely with the

public sector.

The Warwick MPA is designed primarily

as a modular programme for busy, working

managers, studying as they work. Thirteen

one week modules allow for concentrated

study on key subjects, with the opportunity

to put ideas into practice on return to the

workplace. Nine of the 13 modules are core

and compulsory, while electives are to be

chosen from a long list which includes a

number at Warwick and several international

options:

h Brussels to study European public policy

h Cracow, Poland, for a European MPA

summer school

h South Africa for two weeks studying

social exclusion and sustainable

development

h The USA for two weeks, studying US

and global public in Washington DC

and governance and leadership at

the Kennedy School of Government

at Harvard.

The distinctive teaching and learning

approach is based on a carefully balanced mix

of lectures, case studies, project work, small

group discussions, debates with practitioners,

and enquiry visits. This adds up to an

intellectually stretching and highly

interactive style of teaching and learning,

as theory and ideas are tested against practice

and experience.

This often stretches beyond the confines of

the classroom, to include enquiry visits to

other organisations. As part of their module

on managing people and change, MPA5

(the fifth intake which started in October

2003) took part in an enquiry visit to

Onley Prison near Rugby and the University

Hospital (UHCW) in Coventry.

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The 50 students were split into small

sub-groups, who each interviewed staff from

the top of the organisation to the front-line,

in order to examine particular challenges

of organisational and cultural change.

The questions had been suggested by the

Governor of the prison and the Chair and

Chief Executive of the hospital as change

issues which they currently had to address.

On the following day, the MPA groups

reported back to the senior management

teams of both organisations on their findings,

and discussed the change strategies. The MPA

participants and the prison and hospital

management teams found this opportunity to

test the application of academic theory and

frameworks to practice to be valuable in

sharing and comparing knowledge about how

to lead and manage change in complex

organisations.

Another example of this approach was the

two week elective module in South Africa

in June. The first week was spent in

Johannesburg studying Economic & Social

Exclusion, with lectures by staff at the School

of Public and Development Management at

Witwatersrand University, meetings with

senior South African government officials,

and visits to Soweto and other parts of the

city. The second week on Sustainable

Development was spent in the Western Cape,

with lectures and case studies by staff at the

Sustainablity Institute at Stellenbosch

University, practical project work, and two

nights staying (in pairs) with families in two

of the townships, to provide opportunities for

more direct engagement with questions

of social exclusion and sustainable

development, through conversations

with people experiencing these challenges

first hand.

A further link between theory and practice

takes place when participants apply MPA

knowledge and skills in their work

environment. Many examples of this are

documented in the dissertations which form

the final part of the course work.

In the following articles, three of our MPA

graduates give an insight into the challenges

they face in their particular sector and how

lessons learned on the MPA have been put

into practice.

Jean Hartley is Professor of Organisational

Analysis at Warwick Business School. She is

an ESRC Advanced Institute of Management

Research (AIM) Public Service Fellow, and also

Lead Fellow for the group of 12 Public Service

Fellows across the UK. Her research for AIM is

examining innovation and improvement in

public services. At Warwick she has helped to

develop research and teaching on public policy

and management working both in the LGC

and IGPM. She is the Research Director for the

evaluation of inter-organisational learning and

service improvement through the Beacon

Council Scheme in local government. She

undertakes research on political leadership in

public services, using the Warwick Political

Leadership Questionnaire.

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profile

Jean

Har

tley (

left)

applying lessonsby Andrew WoodDirector of EDM, Countryside Agency

Ijoined the first cohort of the

Warwick MPA in January 2000 and

graduated in July 2003. I derived a huge

amount of enjoyment from these three

years: benefiting from the uniformly

high standard of the teaching, the

amazing quality of some of the visiting

speakers and the friendship (and

network building potential) of my fellow

students. But, of course, the real point of

participating in the programme (apart

from getting the badge!) was to take

something useful back to the day job.

Not all of this learning has been directly

transferable – I have sometimes been

surprised by the cross-fertilisation of

ideas that has occurred. For example,

it is perhaps obvious that much of the

material in the Operations Management

& Service Delivery module would help

me in delivering audit services to a range

of public sector bodies; but maybe less

obvious that learning about queue

management through visiting a bowling

alley in Leamington should help me to

theorise about the application of choice

in public services. Equally, Corporate

Citizenship not only helped develop my

understanding of sustainable

development but was also a profound

influence on my thinking about strategic

regulation, with its ideas of triple

bottom-line accounting and of the

need for organisations (irrespective of

their sector) to give something back to

the community.

Many of the modules helped by giving

practical support with day-to-day

management issues (Financial &

Resource Management, for example) or

by providing explicit articulation to

previously tacit knowledge – in other

words, validating what I thought I

already knew (Managing People &

Change). But the sum total of the

programme and, in particular, modules

such as Strategy, Leadership & Values,

Systems Thinking & Learning and

Designing & Managing Networks &

Organisations, have changed the whole

way I approach any job and stood my

problem-solving strategy on its head.

They have given me a range of tools to

manage my working life (soft-systems

analysis, for example) and a whole new

language to describe and illustrate what

I am trying to do. No-one from Cohort 1

will ever forget the concept of ‘frog

boiling’ I’m sure, although it does

sometimes take a little explaining for

the uninitiated!

I started the MPA as Director of District

Audit Wales and was subsequently

promoted to Head of Policy for the

Audit Commission, an independent

public body responsible for ensuring

that public money is spent

economically, efficiently, and effectively

in the areas of local government,

housing, health, criminal justice and the

fire and rescue services. In June 2004,

I moved to the Countryside Agency as

Director for Evaluating, Disseminating

and Mainstreaming (EDM). The

Countryside Agency is funded by the

Department for Environment, Food

and Rural Affairs (Defra) and works to

improve the quality of the countryside

and the quality of life for all who use it.

In this position I will oversee the

evaluation of all the socio-economic

work which is due to transfer from the

Agency. I am also leading the process

of dissemination and managing the

transference of functions and staff to

receiving organisations from the

Countryside Agency as set out in Defra’s

Rural Strategy announced in July 2004.

While the focus of these jobs has been

respectively, operational delivery, policy

development and programme evaluation

and dissemination; all three have

included significant elements of change

management. I have therefore drawn

on a wide range of the skills and theories

taught on the MPA.

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by Jane Scullion, Assistant Chief Executive, Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council

meeting thechallenge

hat is it that is providing the

challenge for managers in local government

at the moment? From my experience in the

borough of Stockport, it is not the task of

managing the budget or streamlining services

so much as leading, driving and managing

change within the political context of public

services.

Working in an organisation with 12,000

employees and a budget of £285 million, not

to mention a demanding and articulate

population of just under 300,000 people,

means that every day fresh problems and

challenges arise. One of my tasks as Assistant

Chief Executive is about ensuring that the

organisation keeps its focus on longer-term

goals as well as the day to day tasks.

This means ensuring timely feedback on

performance as well as running a robust

system of internal challenge designed to

stimulate improvement.

Whilst I was participating in the very first

Masters in Public Administration (MPA) I

moved from being an operational manager

to my current strategic role.

My job gives me a role in influencing and

shaping policy, and involves working closely

with local councillors on a daily basis. The

MPA certainly helped prepare me to take on

new responsibilities and gave me the

confidence to strike out in a new direction.

Working alongside colleagues from health and

central government on the MPA broadened

and deepened my understanding of the whole

of the public sector. Suddenly the world

beyond the narrow confines of local

government became clearer and the possibility

of ‘joined up’ government became visible. I

also gained an invaluable network of friends

across the public sector that go on providing

me with information and support. These are

the people you can call upon for help when

you are tackling a particularly intractable

problem, or just when you want some advice

on the next job.

The course expanded my horizons in a

number of different ways. There was the

exposure to a wider European and

international perspective on government

through travel to Brussels and the United

States. In both cases the cultural experience

matched the academic experience:

memorable and thought provoking.

I also benefited from the wide

variety of speakers with very

different and sometimes

extremely challenging views.

I personally appreciated the

intellectual rigour which was

given to the examination of

public sector practice.

My dissertation project

considered the impact of the

changes to decision-making

arrangements in local

government, just as the new

approaches to governance

were being implemented for

the first time. I gained a

great deal from the work of

Mark Moore and in

particular his concept of

‘creating public value’ when working

alongside politicians. Much of management

literature does not address the unique

challenges and choices facing public sector

managers working in a political environment.

One of the outcomes of completing the

Warwick MPA, for me, is a renewed sense of

the importance of ensuring that public sector

managers are equipped to do the best possible

job. I have begun coaching and mentoring

younger managers who are at an earlier stage

of their careers, and the results are rewarding.

wJa

ne S

cullio

n

profile

by Chief Superintendent Irwin Turbitt

Irwin graduated in July 2004 and was therecipient of an Outstanding MPA Citizenaward. He is currently on secondmentfrom PSNI to the Police Standards Unitin the Home Office where he leads onnational projects which aim to improvepolice performance in a number ofcritical areas.

putting theory into practiceDr

umcr

ee

Drumcree Parish Church is set inbeautiful rolling countryside two milesoutside Portadown in County Armaghin Northern Ireland.

It would be unremarkable, except as amildly interesting tourist attraction,were it not for the fact that the word‘Drumcree’ has become internationallyknown and associated with trouble,disorder and religious conflict.

I found myself responsible for theoperational policing of this event whenI was appointed as the DistrictCommander of Craigavon district ofthe Police Service of Northern Ireland(PSNI) in December 2001.

I commenced my study of the MPA atWBS in October 2000 and whilehelping police the Holy Cross Schooldispute in North Belfast in the autumnof 2001, I began to think about how to apply some of my learning from thecourse to my operational work inNorthern Ireland.

I first met Professor John Benington,the MPA’s first academic director in thesummer of 2000 at an open day at WBSfor the MPA course and as a result of

the conversation that afternoon, I decided to apply to the programme.The hook had been the part of theconversation when John expressed hisenthusiasm for seeing theory used toimprove practice which in turn wouldlead to improved theory. This was justthe sort of education I was after, thesort that would help me perform moreeffectively in my professional life.

So here was such an opportunity; couldthe theory of adaptive leadership,developed by Ron Heifetz at Harvardand taught by John on module one ofthe MPA, be used to improve thesituation at Drumcree? The short andreassuring answer was a resounding‘Yes’. The longer and much morecomplicated answer formed part of myfinal dissertation.

Over the course of almost two and ahalf years, ‘Drumcree’ changed frombeing a situation dreaded by many inNorthern Ireland, especially in thePSNI, to a situation where it is nowover two years since the last stone wasthrown or the last police officer orcitizen injured. This is what ProfessorMark Moore, who teaches at Harvard

and Warwick, calls Creating Public Value;another bit of theory I learnt about onthe course. A key difference betweenpublic value created in the public sectorand private value created in the privatesector is the absence of a single agreedunit of measure for public value.

So while private value is measured inpounds, euros or dollars how canpublic value be measured? As yet, there is no simple answer to that butwith regard to ‘Drumcree’, no violence,no disorder, no damage to property and no injuries to people representworthwhile measures.

So that completes one side of JohnBenington’s cycle, of theoryimproving practice which in turnimproves the theory, but what about itscompletion? Well I now help to teachadaptive leadership on the MPA and inleadership masterclasses run byWarwick’s Institute of Governance andPublic Management (IGPM), helpingexplain, through a case study of‘Drumcree’, how I used the theory inpractice. This seems to me what worldclass graduate education should beabout.

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by Professor John BeningtonProfessor of Public Policy and Management WBS goes public

IGPM hosted Tessa Jowell,Secretary of State for Culture,Media and Sport, at Warwickfor two days in August. Sheused this as ‘sabbatical time’ to think through with us how theories of public value and the public realm mightcontribute to a strategicframework for the

development of culture,media and sport in the UK.We organised a small workingseminar of academics,policymakers and practitionersto act as a catalyst for herthinking, and then helped todraft some ideas on this themefor publication.

Tessa Jowell (centre), Secretary of State for Culture, Media andSport, with John Benington to her left and Dame Yve Bucklandto her right, together with other members of the IGPM

Warwick hosts Rt Hon Tessa Jowell MP

continued overleaf

WBS is set to become the leading

business school in the UK and

Europe to take an equal interest in

the private, public and third

sectors by taking a bold and

exciting initiative to strengthen its

commitment to research and

teaching in public policy and

management and governance of

the inter-relationships between

state, market and civil society.

An outstanding European scholar,

Professor Colin Crouch, has

been appointed to a new chair in

Governance and Public

Management to lead this new

initiative. We are not starting

from a blank sheet of course, but

building on a foundation of over

15 years research on these issues

within WBS. Existing research

centres will remain in operation

but the Warwick Institute of

Governance and Public

Management (IGPM) is expanding

to become the umbrella for all

WBS research and teaching on

governance, public policy and

management.

One of our key strengths at WBS

is translating theory into practice.

Therefore Professor Robin

Wensley will be forming a new

teaching group on Public

Management and Policy with a

core of around eight teaching

staff, working closely with the

nearest counties.

The new structure will include:

ResearchH Local Government Centre

(LGC) together with the Local

Authorities Research

Consortium

H Centre for Management

Under Regulation (CMUR)

H Economic and Social

Research Council (ESRC)

Centre for Skills, Knowledge

and Organisational

Performance (SKOPE)

H Warwick University Health

Services Partnership

H IGPM’s programme of

research and development on

Public Leadership and on

Health Services Management,

together with the Warwick

University Health Services

Partnership and the NHSU.

H ESRC/AIM research on

innovation and improvement

in public services

TeachingH Warwick MPA

(the public sector MBA)

H Postgraduate Diploma in

Local Government

Management, Public Finance

and Public Leadership and

Management

Close working relationships are

also being established with the

NHSU and research groups in

other parts of the University of

Warwick Social Science Faculty:

H ESRC Centre for the Study of

Globalisation and

Regionalisation (CSGR)

H Institute of Employment

Research (IER)

H Institute of Education (IoE)

H Institute of Health (IoH)

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon? We are delighted to welcome

Colin Crouch as Professor of

Governance and Public

Management, and as the first

chairman of the expanded

Warwick Institute of Governance

and Public Management (IGPM).

He was Professor of Sociology at

Oxford University from 1985–95,

and since then has been Head of

the Department of Political and

Social Sciences at the European

University Institute in Florence.

He is an internationally acclaimed

economic sociologist with a

special interest in governance of

the market, state and civil society.

He will lead WBS’s research and

teaching on governance, public

policy and management, and will

strengthen our European and

cross-national comparative work

on these themes.

A new WBS teaching groupon Public Policy and Management

is being formed in October 2004,

and will bring together the

Warwick MPA (with 50

participants per year), the

Postgraduate Diploma in Local

Government Management (with

150 fast track graduate entrants in

three cohorts of 50 per year) and

a range of public leadership

programmes under the umbrella

of the IGPM. Professor Robin

Wensley is standing down from

his role as deputy dean of the

Business School, in order to

concentrate on this public

management role within WBS.

Robin will lead this teaching

group as well as fulfilling his new

part-time role as National Director

for the ESRC’s Advanced Institute

of Management Research (AIM).

AIM is an ESRC initiative to

contribute to the quality of

management research

in the UK.

Alumni Association launchof Public Sector NetworkTo complement the above

developments, Warwick Business

School’s Alumni Association is

helping to launch a new special

interest group – the public sector

network. Open to all WBS alumni as

well as current students on the

Warwick MPA or PDLGM. This will

start on Tuesday 26 October with a

lecture by Professor Colin Crouch at

5pm followed by drinks and a social

event at 7pm.

Crisp thinking about theNational Health ServiceSir Nigel Crisp, chief executive of the

NHS, held an ‘audience’ with

members of the Warwick University

Health Service Partnership and the

Warwick MPA, at the new University

hospital in Coventry in June 2004.

The event was jointly chaired by

Dame Yve Buckland, programme

director for the Partnership and

Bryan Stoten, chair of the Coventry

and Warwickshire University

Hospitals Trust, and one of the

founding members.

The Warwick University Health

Service Partnership draws upon the

University’s research and expertise in

public policy and management,

linked to the work of WBS, Warwick

Medical School, Warwick Institute of

Health, the Local Government Centre,

the English Regions Network and the

NHSU.

NHSU is the new‘corporate university’ for the NHSWarwick recently bid successfully

to be NHSU’s principal national

academic partner and HQ.

cancer nursing onlineCancerNursing.org is an

innovative online learning

website developed by Ray

Irving and Stuart

Sutherland, e-learning

consultants at WBS, providing

free courses in cancer care to

nurses across the world.

Launched last year, the site

currently has over 4,000 learners

from over 70 different countries.

Ray explains, ‘My brother is a

cancer nurse specialist whose role

is to raise awareness of

oesophageal cancer amongst

nurses. When he told me staff

shortages make it difficult

to get nurses off the wards

for training, I asked why he

didn't provide the training

online. Six months later,

CancerNursing.org launched

with its first course authored

by Mark and a team from the

Northern Oesophago-Gastric

Cancer Unit, one of the UK's

leading treatment centres.’

The site continues to expand,

‘Ten new courses are currently

under development and we've

got authoring and peer-reviewing

groups spread around the world.

For example, we’ve got a team

developing a course in endoscopy

who are from the UK, New

Zealand, Australia, and the US,’

confirms Stuart.

This feedback from a nurse in

New Zealand is typical: ‘The

cancer of the oesophagus course

is absolutely amazing and most

convenient to be able to do over

the internet. The information

learned will be of benefit when

looking after any cancer patient

and I urge anyone who has

an interest in cancer nursing to

do this course.’

Ray and Stuart have now

established a registered charity,

Nurse Learning, to raise money

to cover the cost of current and

future projects.

w www.nurselearning.org

Oliver Bonser (MBA 2001–02),has been appointed ChannelMarketing Manager – Retail atCushman & Wakefield Healey &Baker, one of the world’s largestcommercial property firms.

Carolyn Dawson (MAOrganisation Studies 2000–03) hasaccepted a tailor-made graduatescheme with GSI Lumonics as aSupply Chain Analyst.

John Hynes (EMBA 1994–97)has joined Rolls-Royce as LogisticsDirector. John was formerlyGeneral Manager at Land Rover.

Colin Chew (MBA 1999–00) hasrecently launched his ownbusiness, Precise Property SearchServices. Please check out W www.preciseproperty.co.uk for details.

Manos Nikolakis (MBA2001–02) has joined Societé BiC,based in Athens, as Area AccountManager (EEMEA), responsible for business development in theMiddle East and South Asiaregions.

Zhen Yang (MBA 1995–96) haslaunched a company called VixMedia Technology Ltd, based inBeijing, to provide consulting and enabling services tointernational companies wishingto enter China. W www.vixmedia.com

Dave Cassidy (BSc ManagementSciences 1993) has been promotedto Vice President of the TurnerConsulting Group, based in theUS, with responsibility fordevelopment of new businesswith the US Federal government.

(Benjamin) Changqing Ye(MBA 1998–9) was recently madea partner in PricewaterhouseCoopersin China/Hong Kong. He willcontinue to specialise in advisingon cross-border mergers andacquisitions.

noticeboard

Stop pressWBS merchandise will be available online through the alumni

page of the web site in autumn 2004... please look out for it.

Once you’ve had a good look and made a purchase from the

current product range, do let us know if there are other items

that you would like us to stock.

continued from page 11

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WBS Executive Programmes workin partnership with a number ofhigh profile organisations fromboth the public and privatesectors. We provide tailoredmanagement developmentprogrammes which target specificorganisational needs. Dependingupon the scope of the project ourprogrammes can run from one or two days (short course) to an18 month accredited diploma.

In 2003 Coventry City Counciltook the decision to launch an in-house, managementdevelopment initiative and theychose WBS as their partner. With three cohorts of 30delegates, the programme drawssenior executives from all parts of the Council. Together wecreated a tailored version of theWarwick Diploma in AppliedManagement. This providespragmatic teaching and learningas well as balancing theoreticalconcepts with down-to-earth,real-life application directlyinfluencing the workplace.

Lasting 18 months, theprogramme helps participantsunderstand how to manage apublic organisation moreeffectively. Eight three-dayworkshops consider core topics of Finance, OperationsManagement, Marketing,Performance Management, HR and Strategic Thinking andPractice. Delegates investigate anddevelop how their managerialstyle and personal effectivenessimpacts their work environment.

One of the success factors of this programme is its use of work related assignments for each of the modules and a finalproject which brings togetherlearning from the whole Diploma programme, culminatingin recommendations andproposals to address identifiedorganisational issues.

Other partners for WBS Executive programmes include:TNT, HSBC, Peugeot, Royal Bankof Scotland, Severn-Trent Water,Jones Lang Lasalle.

executive education

toasting success

In April, WBS welcomed Mr Kouji Ohboshi

to campus to outline his vision of the

international mobile communications market

and to share DoCoMo’s success story. NTT

DoCoMo is Japan’s leading mobile

communications operator, with one of

the largest subscriber bases of any mobile

phone company in the world. Corporate

Advisor, Mr Ohboshi chose WBS from the

leading European business schools to mirror

a presentation he had given at Harvard

University.

Mr Ohboshi presented to an audience of

students, staff, alumni and friends on Mobile

futures: the creation of economic demand by

mobile communications and social reformation

by ubiquitous network.

Returning to Tokyo, he thanked Warwick

for welcoming him and remarked…

‘The students’ comments on my lecture were sharpand the occasion was veryenlightening and exciting for me. This experiencereaffirmed my belief thatWarwick Business School will continue to produceoutstanding leaders in various fields towards the future.’

The elegant Regency surroundings of theGrade I listed Institute of Directors’headquarters in Pall Mall set the scene for the second WBS Annual Dinner on 13 May.

Champagne was served as WBS faculty, staff,alumni, students and guests gathered in theWaterloo Room, followed by dinner under themagnificent crystal chandeliers in the NashRoom, surrounded by portraits of the greatand the good. Conversation sparkled as oldclassmates exchanged news and currentstudents mixed with alumni from across theyears, going right back to the 70’s.

After dinner, the Vice-Chancellor, David VandeLinde addressed the gathering,with his thoughts on the development of the University and the role of WBS. Howard Thomas then proposed the toast to the continued success of the School.George Cox, Director General of the IoDcharted the progress of the Institute and led a lively question and answer session. Alumna Hedda Bird (DLMBA 1991–98) of 3C Associates confirmed, ‘I very much enjoyedthe dinner, with good company and good foodbut perhaps most importantly, a real sense ofthe WBS community. It seems the School goesfrom strength to strength.’

Kouji

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DoCoMo’s success at WBS

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fund for academic excellenceSince the last edition of Nexus and the launch of the Fund for Academic Excellence we have totalled over £30,000 in pledges and gifts. One alumna who is giving to the Fund is Julie Jones, whograduated in 1981 with a BSc in Management Studies.Currently a postgraduate student at the University ofPortsmouth, Julie explains why, ‘I feel privileged to haveattended Warwick Business School and experienced therigours and delights of a world class education. Both mysister and I were on full grants and fees were paid by thestate, so funding was not an issue. If we were applying today,I suspect university, and more so Warwick, would have beenout of our reach.’

‘It is easy to imagine talented students missing out for lack offunds or support and the institutions miss out too becausesuch students have so much to contribute. Lifelong learningand education for all is great, but academic excellence isessential for those with the talent. We may feel taxes shouldcover everything but only complain when they are raised.Recognising that I am one of the lucky ones, the variousalumni funds help others achieve their potential but theystill have lots of work to do. It’s so easy not to bother, butreally, I enjoy window shopping and know that secondbottle of wine leads to a hangover. Giving helps me savemyself!’

‘The support of Warwick Business School’s alumni andfriends is critical to our success,’ confirms Dean HowardThomas. ‘I would like to thank all those alumni who havealready given to the Fund for Academic Excellence, boththrough one-off gifts and through supporting the School on a regular basis.’

The Fund for Academic Excellence helps inthree main ways: enrolling and teaching thevery best students, recruiting and retaining thebest academic staff, and helping to developand maintain the highest quality facilities. We are not looking to the few – we are calling on all WBS alumni to consider giving to the School. With your help our vision can be ensured – to become the bestuniversity-based business school in Europe,advancing business knowledge and creating the leaders of tomorrow.

If you would like further details about the Fund, please contact Ben Plummer, Head of Development. T +44 (0)24 7652 4188 or e ben.plummer@wbs.ac.uk

graduation doubleWhen alumnus Howard Jacksongraduated with an MBA from WBSin 1983, his father GeoffreyJackson attended his graduationceremony. Over 20 years later,when Geoffrey graduated in Julywith a BA in History after six yearsof part-time study, it was Howard’sturn to be a proud guest at hisfather’s graduation.

Howard is now based in the States,where he has built a successfulcareer as Principal for Step 3Consulting, a company offeringhelp and services in turnaroundsfor manufacturing anddistribution organisations. He andhis daughter Arianna flew over tojoin in the celebrations.

Howard’s father Geoffrey Jackson,CBE, JP, is now retired and lives in Coventry. He was a member of the Foundation Committeewhen the Coventry Chamber ofCommerce proposed the foundingof the University of Warwick inthe 1960s.

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overseas events reviewsA special thank you to WBSfaculty and staff who havehosted overseas events on behalfof the Alumni Association andto the alumni who assisted withthe organisation.

SingaporeWBS Alumni Singapore chapter held its inaugural event in March, hosted by WBS Professor Bob Johnston, inRumpoles Bar at the Traders Hotel. A social evening of drinks andnetworking was well attended by ourSingapore based alumni, with manynationalities. Since March they haveheld events on a monthly basis in avariety of places ranging from theBritish Club to pubs such as CoyoteUgly – with Singapore’s latest crowdpuller, namely bar top dancing! The Chapter is co-ordinated by WBSalumni classmates Raymond Choaand John Howells (MBA 2000–01). To strengthen ties with other Britishalumni, they have also teamed up with the British Alumni (BA) inSingapore and the British Council. A series of planned regional events will offer alumni opportunities toparticipate in a wider range of activities.

ChinaWBS faculty member, Dr SimonCollinson, Senior Lecturer inInternational Business, held a series ofalumni seminar events whilst onsabbatical in China. Many thanks toKevin Ma (MBA 2000–01) whoorganised the morning seminar eventin Beijing on Saturday 17 April;Benjamin Ye (MBA 1998–99) andAlice Huang (MBA 2000–01) who co-ordinated a dinner talk evening inShanghai on Tuesday 20 April andNancy Chui (BSc IndustrialEconomics, 1987–90) Warwick’sInternational Representative in HongKong, who organised a most successfulafternoon tea session on Saturday 24April. The events provoked stimulatingdebate with the Beijing and Hong Konggroups focusing on the topic NewMultinationals: Expanding from the Asia-Pacific by Building ‘Firm-Specific’Competitive Advantages and Shanghai on Two Corporate Imperatives: Innovateand Internationalise (or Die?).

Thailand The evening of 16 March sawUniversity and WBS graduates meetingat The Face on Sukhumvit Road,Bangkok for an evening of drinkshosted by WBS Professor BobJohnston. A good time was had by all,with plenty of opportunity to meet oldfriends and forge new friendships.

GreeceOver 300 alumni attended the SpringReception at the British Ambassador’sResidence in Athens, hosted by theAmbassador and the University’s Vice-Chancellor on 15 April 2004.Members of the University’sDevelopment and Alumni Relationsteam were in attendance, along withCaroline Hughes, WBS’s AlumniRelations Executive, who reports: ‘There was a strong presence of WBSalumni, with representatives from mostof our undergraduate and specialistmasters programmes. The weather wasperfect and we were able to spill outonto the terrace of the Residence – a truly beautiful location.’

Pictures online at w www.wgaalumni.co.uk/events-photo.html in the WGA Photo Gallery.

USAIn New York in April, a group of WBSalumni gathered for an evening ofdrinks and networking at Etoile, 109East 56th St, hosted by ElaineHewens, Director of the WBS CareersDevelopment Centre, and member ofthe WBS Alumni Board. The eveningpresented an opportunity for alumni tofind out about new developments atWBS and relax at the end of the week!Many thanks to Ranan Lachman forassisting with the organisation.

WBS hosted a reception at this year'sAnnual Meeting of the Academy ofManagement on Sunday 8 August inNew Orleans, Louisiana. WBS alumniattending the AoM meeting, or whowere in New Orleans at the time wereinvited to La Galleries in the NewOrleans Marriott Hotel.

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connect with your networkNetworkingAs WBS goes from strength to strength,

we need the support of our alumni,

both as advocates and participants. We

would like to see more participation in

the existing ‘local’ groups as well as

the development of strong alumni

chapters across the world. Some of you

have already made great progress in

the UK and countries such as Greece,

Singapore, Hong Kong, China and

Thailand and this momentum needs to

be sustained. Our networking groups

are accompanied by a high profile

events programme. Log into our web

resources for alumni and students for

information about your nearest group

and our password protected Online

Directory available at

w www.wbs.ac.uk/alumni following

links to Networking. If there is not a

group in your area you might like to

consider setting one up – the Alumni

Office can help you with practical

support and advice. Make a difference

and get connected wherever you are

based across the globe.

Volunteer – get involvedThere are many opportunities to be

active and involved in the Alumni

Association. You might like to mentor

other alumni or current students; be a

contact for prospective students; host

an MBA or Masters project; speak at

or host an event; or get involved with

the Alumni Board. Whatever you

would like to do, please let us know

on e alumni@wbs.ac.uk

Careers advice and coachingThe WBS Careers Development Centre

will set up sessions for WBS alumni

with independent careers advisors

at discounted rates. For more

information about this service please

contact e MBACareers@wbs.ac.uk

Additionally all WBS alumni,

particularly graduates from their

first degree, are welcome to use the

University of Warwick Careers Service

for up to three years after graduation.

Go to w www.warwick.ac.uk/careers

Thereafter the service remains free if

you are a member of the Warwick

Graduates' Association.

Vacancies and employers’ resourcesOur CV uploading facility was

launched this Spring and has

proved to be a very popular

way for WBS Alumni to display

their CVs to potential recruiters

online. This and all other career

based alumni services are

available at w www.wbs.ac.uk/alumni

following links to Careers.

Our graduates are highly sought after

and we are regularly contacted by

companies and recruitment

consultants. As an employer you can

submit job vacancies online free of

charge and job seekers can browse the

vacancies on our password protected

website. Employers can view the CVs

of current Warwick MBA students and

alumni at

w www.wbs.ac.uk/about/recruit

thank youWe would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our alumni who volunteer to assist WBS.

Whether to host projects or events, act as a speaker, co-ordinate alumni groups, as a contact for prospectivestudents or a mentor for students and alumni, we areextremely grateful for your support. If we haven’t takenyou up on your offer yet, then please be assured we have a note on file for the future.

stay in touchTo get the full benefits of your Alumni Associationmembership, please check your details are up to date byusing our online facility at W www.wbs.ac.uk/alumni andfollow the links for ‘Your membership’ or by emailing E alumni@wbs.ac.uk

Clive

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sailingWBS team in top six The 2004 ABC sailing regatta took place over a longweekend in June near Trieste on the Adriatic coast in Italy.With 14 teams from INSEAD, Imperial, Cranfield,Kingston, Instituto de Empresa, IMD, ISA/HEC, Rotterdamand Bocconi as well as Warwick and crew members fromall over Europe and further afield, this was a trulyinternational event.

A series of six Olympic style races took place off the coastof Istria over two days using identical ‘Solaris 36’ one-design racing yachts and crews of up to eight. WBS skipperMichael Sutcliffe (MBA 1994-95) reports: ‘Conditionswere light winds and glorious sunshine. Warwick racedvery consistently throughout, being placed 4th at the halfway stage; we eventually finished 6th, which includedgaining a place after the shore-based competitions.’

Well done to Mike and his crew: Tony Di Stefano, Ben Hobbs, Vicki Wright, Mark Thomas, Mel Dixon Lander, Chris Best and Caroline Watson.

events reviewMe

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There have been more opportunitiesfor alumni to get together so far this year, with the visit of Mr KoujiOhboshi to campus; the LondonEvening Seminar; the second WBSAnnual Dinner; and the Summer Ballin Stratford, as well as overseas eventshosted by WBS faculty and UKregional social events.

WBS hosted an evening for potentialMBA project sponsors in February,attended by alumni and students.Stuart Chambers, Principal TeachingFellow in Operations Managementmade a presentation on what isinvolved, with contributions fromprevious Nestlé sponsor, DanieleJungling and former MBA studentEirini Drakaki. Representatives from 17 companies attended, resulting inover 20 project offers.

Over 90 people attended this year’sLondon Evening Seminar on 24 March,

held at Governor’s House, theheadquarters of Prudential plc. Entitled‘Out of date model, could be risky?’ WBSProfessor of Financial Management,Stewart Hodges and Mark Salmon,newly appointed Professor of Finance,focused on new research related tomeasuring market risk.

Had a Ball!The MBA Summer Ball was aresounding success. Held on graduationday – Friday 16 July, at the StratfordMoat House Hotel, beside the RiverAvon, the evening began with a drinksreception on the terrace, followed bydinner and dancing to a live band and disco until the early hours. Theopportunity to win or lose a fortune onthe casino tables, be immortalised bythe caricaturist or amazed by the tablemagician, all added to the specialatmosphere of the evening.

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MidlandsMidlands group events have been wellsupported. In January, ProfessorGerald Noone MBE, Severn-Trent’sSales, Marketing and CommunicationsDirector, gave a fascinating talk on‘Marketing the Unmarketable’ at theirBirmingham offices. Our thanks toDavid Gordon (EMBA 1998–01) fororganising this event. In March,Stuart Chambers, Principal TeachingFellow, Operations Management’sinteresting and topical presentation onSmall & Medium-sized Enterprises wasenthusiastically received when theMidlands group visited campus.Contact E clive.south@btinternet.com

LondonVenues around London are selected by First Friday group organiser KevinEngelbretson for their regular andincreasingly popular social gatheringsheld every two months. The Mezzo inWardour Street and Chez Gerard inCovent Garden Plaza have both hostedrecent First Friday evenings. ContactE kevinengelbretson@yahoo.co.uk

OxfordThe Lamb & Flag pub at St Giles is theinformal meeting place for the Oxfordgroup to get together before heading offto a local restaurant for dinner. ContactE alexanderdnclark@hotmail.com

Check out the events calendar on w www.wbs.ac.uk/alumni/forthcoming.cfm for details offuture events.

Marathon cycle rideEarlier this year WBS undergraduate Tim Smith (BScManagement Sciences 1997–2000) returned to Englandafter completing a four month marathon cycle ride fromSingapore through seven countries to reach Hong Kong – a colossal distance of 3,300 miles.

‘It was definitely an experience of a lifetime,’ said Tim.‘Most of the time I was cycling through towns andvillages which rarely see westerners and the local peoplecouldn't have been more friendly. It hasn't been easy,though – some days I had to cycle nearly 100 miles toreach the next town before dusk.’

Tim endured both extremes of cycling in tropical heat of 40°C in Thailand, when he suffered from severedehydration and then for the final two weeks in China,even five layers of clothes were no match for strongwinds, cold and rain.

This epic journey was to raise money in aid of The Cambodia Trust charity to fund their work withlandmine amputees.

To find out more about Tim’s trip and the work of theCambodia Trust, check out…w www.justgiving.com/cycling-se-asia

RegionalRegular meetings of the Midlands, London and Oxford groups havecontinued to take place during the year.

cycling

40 years of innovation at WarwickAlthough undergraduate teaching at WBS didn't start until 1967 the Universityhas been around a bit longer than that. It received its Royal Charter andwelcomed its first intake of undergraduate students in 1965. This means thatwe are celebrating our 40th Anniversary next year. You can get involved bycontributing to the University's oral history, planning an event, coming backto visit or anything else that takes your fancy. Tell us your idea, or get more information, by contacting Claudie Combelas, Alumni Projects Officer on t +44 (0)24 7657 5506 or at e claudie.combelas@warwick.ac.uk

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If you would be interested in starting a group in your area, then please contactCaroline Hughes in the Alumni Office. e caroline.hughes@wbs.ac.uk

If you feel your company could host an event or perhaps you could speak at an eventor have ideas for topics, then we would love to hear from you. e alumni@wbs.ac.uk

For details of forthcoming events: w www.wbs.ac.uk/alumni/forthcoming.cfm

Online directory of alumni

Access to Harvard Business Review

Calendar of forthcoming events

Latest school and alumni news

Volunteer alumni mentors

Career resources and vacancies

Networking

To log on to view the directory or to access library

information you will need your alumni number.

This is your old student number and is printed on the

address and update sheet enclosed with your magazine.

Alternatively you can contact the alumni office,

e alumni@wbs.ac.uk, who will supply it to you.

www.wbs.ac.uk/alumnia wwwealth of information

Alumni Association

Warwick Business School

University of Warwick

Coventry CV4 7AL

United Kingdom

T +44 (0)24 7652 2813

F +44 (0)24 7652 3719

E alumni@wbs.ac.uk

w www.wbs.ac.uk/alumni

Pam Barnes

Alumni Publications Officer

T +44 (0)24 7652 4396

E Pam.Barnes@wbs.ac.uk

Sue Cresswell

Events Co-ordinator

T +44 (0)24 7657 3967

E Sue.Cresswell@wbs.ac.uk

Caroline Hughes

Alumni Relations Executive

T +44 (0)24 7652 8487

E Caroline.Hughes@wbs.ac.uk

Emily Jamieson

Development and

Alumni Relations Assistant

T +44 (0)24 7652 2813

E Emily.Jamieson@wbs.ac.uk

Photography by John Weatherly

and Derek Cooknell

Nexus is the magazine of

the Alumni Association,

Warwick Business School

T +44 (0)24 7652 4306

The views contained in Nexus are

those of contributors and not

necessarily those of Warwick Business

School or the University of Warwick.