Autumn 2014 KBSchronicle
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Inside:
AMBA Accreditation Awarded for MBA Programme
Gifted Kids at KBS KBS Partners in Irish Software Industry Study
Managing Product Development
KBS Winner of the gradireland National Student Challenge 2014
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From the Dean’s DeskWelcome to the fifth edition of the KBS Chronicle, where we have an opportunity
to review some of the major happenings in KBS over the last twelve months.
Our most significant achievement this year has been the progress we have made
in relation to international accreditation. Securing some of the more prestigious
accreditations is one of our major ambitions especially as it represents an
endorsement of the quality of our work and has the potential to distinguish us
from many of our competitors. For this reason, I am delighted that this year we
were awarded a five-year accreditation by AMBA, one of the so-called ‘triple crown’
of international business school accreditations. You will see more about this on
the next page.
The past year has been one of very strong growth for KBS in terms of student
numbers and profile: our BBS suite of programmes continues to be hugely popular and CAO points for our new BA
in International Business have increased dramatically, while at postgraduate level, our very attractive programmes
are in huge demand, and significantly, this demand is increasingly coming from international students. In addition,
our new online offerings in Project Management and Supply Chain Management are creating new markets for us
in locations that we would not previously have accessed.
So with genuine reason, we are looking forward to the coming years with confidence and enthusiasm. Our faculty
continue to produce teaching and research of the highest international quality and the demand for our graduates
is high. As the economy recovers we stand in a position to help businesses at local and national levels capture the
opportunities that emerge.
So as you will see in this edition, there is a lot happening in KBS. Thank you, again, for your support and please feel
free to contact me to discuss any of our events and how we might engage with you.
Dr Philip O’Regan
Dean, Kemmy Business School
Director, MBA Programmes University of Limerick
3Summer 2014
To subscribe to or comment on the KBS Chronicle, please contact the editor: [email protected] - w: www.ul.ie/business t: 061 234606
From the Dean’s DeskWelcome to the fifth edition of the KBS Chronicle, where we have an opportunity
to review some of the major happenings in KBS over the last twelve months.
Our most significant achievement this year has been the progress we have made
in relation to international accreditation. Securing some of the more prestigious
accreditations is one of our major ambitions especially as it represents an
endorsement of the quality of our work and has the potential to distinguish us
from many of our competitors. For this reason, I am delighted that this year we
were awarded a five-year accreditation by AMBA, one of the so-called ‘triple crown’
of international business school accreditations. You will see more about this on
the next page.
The past year has been one of very strong growth for KBS in terms of student
numbers and profile: our BBS suite of programmes continues to be hugely popular and CAO points for our new BA
in International Business have increased dramatically, while at postgraduate level, our very attractive programmes
are in huge demand, and significantly, this demand is increasingly coming from international students. In addition,
our new online offerings in Project Management and Supply Chain Management are creating new markets for us
in locations that we would not previously have accessed.
So with genuine reason, we are looking forward to the coming years with confidence and enthusiasm. Our faculty
continue to produce teaching and research of the highest international quality and the demand for our graduates
is high. As the economy recovers we stand in a position to help businesses at local and national levels capture the
opportunities that emerge.
So as you will see in this edition, there is a lot happening in KBS. Thank you, again, for your support and please feel
free to contact me to discuss any of our events and how we might engage with you.
Dr Philip O’Regan
Dean, Kemmy Business School
Director, MBA Programmes University of Limerick
3Summer 2014
To subscribe to or comment on the KBS Chronicle, please contact the editor: [email protected] - w: www.ul.ie/business t: 061 234606
4 Summer 2014
To subscribe to or comment on the KBS Chronicle, please contact the editor: [email protected] - w: www.ul.ie/business t: 061 234606
The Kemmy Business School is delighted to announce that its Corporate MBA programme has been awarded 5-year accreditation by the Association of MBAs (AMBA) on its first assessment (accreditation for 5-years is rarely awarded on first application).
Speaking on the announcement, Dr Philip O’Regan, KBS Dean, said “We are delighted with this achievement and are especially pleased to receive 5-year accreditation. We feel that this reflects the very high quality of our MBA programme. For MBA programmes worldwide, AMBA represents the highest standard of achievement in postgraduate business education. Its accreditation is earned only by the best programmes so it is fitting that our Corporate MBA is among these.”
The KBS has delivered the UL Corporate MBA since 1984 and has graduated in excess of 700 MBA students.
The AMBA panel of experienced assessors of MBA programmes worldwide visited the KBS in May 2014. In their report, the panel particularly commended the school on aspects of the MBA programme including: its close alignment and responsiveness to the needs of international companies in the region, the accessibility of academic and management staff to students and the collegiate nature of the School and environment in which the MBA is taught.
The programme www.ul.ie/mba is a part-time, two year offering which focuses on five themes: Internationalisation, Managerial Vision and Competencies, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Strategic Thinking
and Leadership. The programme attracts a strong and varied selection of high caliber professionals from both indigenous and international businesses and organisations.
The programme is the only MBA in Europe with a specialist Aviation Management stream and is the only MBA in Ireland with a specialist Engineering Management stream. Students who opt for either of these specialisations follow core MBA subjects and take additional modules specifically tailored to the needs of the Aviation and Engineering industry sectors. These streams are particularly popular with senior technical people who are seeking to move into senior business roles within their sectors and who wish to integrate business concepts and skills specific to the dynamics and needs of their industry.
The UL Corporate MBA is delivered through 8 three-day lecture blocks on-campus which allow students to more easily plan around work and family commitments. MBA students first come together at a Foundation workshop, which enables them to adjust to the demands and opportunities of post-experience study. The learning process, including the formation of small groups, is also established at this early stage. The workshop content includes
an introduction to the first semester subjects as well as sessions on library facilities, communications and team building. The foundation workshop also incorporates the first teaching block.
This AMBA accreditation adds to a list of reputable accreditations awarded to KBS including:
EPAS accredited: BBS suite •of programmes and MSc in Human Resource Management programme.
Accredited by the prestigious •Project Management Institute’s Global Accreditation Center (GAC) are: MSc in Project and Programme Management, Master’s Degree in Project Management (MPM) and MSc in Project Management programmes.
Psychological Society of •Ireland (PSI) accredited: MSc in Work & Organisational Psychology/Behaviour
CIPD: As well as CIPD •accreditation for the MSc in HRM, KBS is the only approved CIPD centre in Ireland.
A number of our postgraduate programmes rank very highly in the annual Eduniversal best global masters rankings. Full details on the Corporate MBA programme and all our programmes can be found at www.ul.ie/business.
AMBA Accreditation Awarded for MBA Programme
5Summer 2014
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Recently awarded Best Business School in Ireland, the Kemmy Business School at UL has always been a popular destination for Irish students. As it becomes an increasingly sought-after destination by international students from the EU and worldwide it is clear that more and more students are looking to take advantage of what KBS has to offer.
KBS is a key part of a university which was voted the Number One university in providing the Best Student Experience, Best Student Support and Warmest Welcome in Ireland in a recent International Student Barometer™ survey. The attraction of KBS as a destination was summarised in the words of a visiting student “…in my mind the KBS is professional, versatile and really cares about the students - even the ones who spend there only a semester or two” (ERASMUS student, 2014).
UL welcomes over 2,000 international students each year and the KBS enrols many of these as either full time students or students spending a semester (via ERASMUS, Study Abroad or International Exchange programmes) on one of its range of undergraduate or postgraduate programmes.
KBS staff is committed, available and passionate about what they do. These strong features of the KBS make the experience of visiting students particularly unique and fulfilling:
The KBS also has a strong focus on the student experience and strives to incorporate and express its core values in all aspects of the student engagement. The KPS puts particular weight on business ethics and appreciation of diversity, both of which are important in the context of the visiting student body. In 2015, KBS will introduce its Summer School in Responsible Business for international students who wish to
undertake a semester abroad. Students at the school will have a choice of three module streams offered under the unifying theme of ‘Responsible Business’.
As well as its focus on the student experience, another distinguishing feature of what KBS offers is its extensive engagement with industry: all KBS undergraduate students complete a work placement in industry with up to 20% of students completing their placements with UL’s network of international employers across 25 countries.
You could say that industry engagement is part of the DNA of the school and is also reflected in such activities as student consulting projects, industry representation on course boards, the schools International Advisory Board and our Distinguished Speaker events where recent speakers have included Tony Smurfit (Group Chief Operations Officer, Smurfit-Kappa Group), Ms Josephine Feehily (Chairperson, Irish Revenue Commissioners), Tony Buzan (Inventor of Mind Mapping), Peter Sutherland (S.C. former EU Commissioner, Former Attorney General & Chairman of Goldman Sachs), Niall Fitzgerald KBE (CEO, Unilever & Deputy Chairman of Thomson-Reuters), Willie Walsh (CEO British Airways) and Michael O’Leary (Chief Executive, Ryanair Holdings).
To find out more about this wonderful destination, simply check out our range of programmes on www.ul.ie/business!
Destination KBS!
“…all of my lecturers were very
professional but what impressed me the most, was how excited they were about
their subjects” (ERASMUS student,
2014)
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The Centre for Academic Achievement (CAA) programme has offered a programme at DCU for students from socio-economically disadvantaged areas since 2006. In conjunction with the KBS, UL ACCESS Service and the Centre for Talented Youth Ireland (CTYI), the programme was expanded this year. In its first offering at the KBS, 159 high ability students (10-12 years old) took part in
university style subjects that included how to make a computer app, forensics, chemistry, engineering, horrid histories, zoology, medicine and more! The hugely successful programme was run at the KBS through the Department of Economics and Dr. Stephen Kinsella. Stephen has also secured support from Disney for two years to further develop the programme.
Gifted Kids at KBS
Winner of Best Business School in Ireland at the inaugural InBusiness Editor’s Choice Awards
6 Summer 2014
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A new Service Level Agreement was signed with Revenue which will see the National Centre for Taxation Studies (NCTS) at the KBS continuing to deliver and accredit the BA (Hons) in Applied Taxation programme for a further period of five years. A service level agreement for the accreditation of the centre’s Diploma in Applied Taxation is also in place. Combined the two contracts will result in funding of in excess of €5m over the duration of the contract.
The unique partnership between UL and Revenue, the first of its kind for the Irish Civil Service, was initiated in 2004 for the accreditation of the Diploma in Applied Taxation. In 2006 a further agreement was signed for the delivery and accreditation of the final year of the BA (Hons) in Applied Taxation. The programme covers modules in Advanced and International Taxation, Economics, Law, Corporate Reporting, Risk Management, Governance, Social Administration, Revenue Law and a new module covering Data Analysis will commence in 2014.
Delivery of these programmes is managed by the National Centre for Taxation Studies (NCTS) in the Department of Accounting & Finance at the Kemmy Business School. To date, 532 Revenue Commissioner employees have graduated with a Diploma in Applied Taxation, and 212 with a BA (Hons) in Applied Taxation.
Speaking at the signing, UL President Don Barry acknowledged the dedication and commitment of faculty and staff from both UL and Revenue and said “I again want to say how very pleased I am to represent the University of Limerick as we announce the delivery of year four of the BA (Hons) in Applied Taxation. I wish this fruitful partnership every success and I pledge my personal commitment to this most positive venture”.
The Revenue Chairman, Josephine Feehily, noted the fundamental
importance to the State of the work undertaken in Revenue and the need to have a well-trained, qualified and professional staff. She noted that as an organisation Revenue must be able and willing to explore new ways of working and to be flexible in responding to changes in the business environment. She also noted that Revenue need to ensure that those who evade their tax and customs responsibilities are detected and penalised to maintain public confidence in the fairness of the system. She thanked all the personnel in both organisations in making the partnership such a success and looked forward to its continuing success.
The Director of the NCTS, Tom Collins, said “All of us at UL are very proud of this most successful and pioneering partnership with Revenue. We are delighted to have been associated with the educational development of such a dedicated group of students over the last 10 years and warmly appreciate the opportunity to renew our partnership. UL is well recognised as a University which meets the needs of industry and our partnership with Revenue is a shining example of this approach. I have no doubt that this partnership will contribute to the ever increasing professionalism and business focus of Revenue, who have been the outstanding achievers in our public service in the past decade.”
Details on the full range of Taxation programmes at the KBS are available on the KBS website www.ul.ie/business
KBS at UL and Revenue Extend Partnership
3rd KBS Business Breakfast with Tony Smurfit
The KBS Business Breakfast series, inaugurated in December 2012, delivers inspiring talks from top Irish managers about the ins-and-outs of doing business in changing conditions. The continental breakfast—speaker—Q&A format conveys speedy insight and plenty of networking opportunities.
The KBS was delighted to welcome Tony Smurfit, Group Chief Operations Officer of Smurfit-Kappa Group who delivered the 3rd KBS Business Breakfast in early 2014. Entitled “Adventures in Paper with Tony Smurfit”, this was a fascinating session which covered everything from turnarounds to growth to exporting and everything in-between.
Conall O’Morain, senior business broadcaster, was the event moderator. An economics graduate, Conall set up RTE’s Business News in 1984. He left there to become an institutional stockbroker with ABN AMRO for eight years. He now runs a successful broad-based communications company and has presented Today FM’s Sunday Business Show since 2007.
The KBS Business Breakfast was run in conjunction with Limerick Chamber and a recording of Adventures in Paper with Tony Smurfit is available to view from the News Centre on www.ul.ie/business.
7Summer 2014
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The Centre for Project Management (CPM) at the Kemmy Business School, University of Limerick is delighted to announce that it’s online MSc in Project and Programme Management has been accredited by the prestigious Project Management Institute’s Global Accreditation Center (GAC).
“This is an important milestone for our degree programme and for our students” said CPM Director John Kelly. “It confirms that our programme meets the highest quality standards and that it prepares students for success in project and programme management careers.”
The CPM’s innovative MSc programme has been gaining increasing popularity and credibility globally since its launch in 2011. The first cohort of students graduated in January 2014, and there are currently over 60 learners on the programme. These are based in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Africa and the Americas.
“The degree is delivered fully online and is aimed at busy project profes-sionals who study part time.” explained John Kelly. “They can access all their learning needs at any time through a state of the art learner management system, from anywhere in the world. Our students come from a wide range of sectors including pharmaceutical, information technology, oil and gas exploration, construction and the non-profit sector.”
Degree programmes that achieve GAC accreditation must demonstrate and meet the GAC’s rigorous global standards. These include an assessment
of the programme’s objectives and outcomes, faculty and student evaluations and proof of continuous improvements in the area of project management education.
This is the third programme offered at the KBS to achieve GAC accreditation. In January 2010 the School’s Master’s Degree in Project Management (MPM) was accredited, and this was followed by its full-time one year MSc in Project Management in May 2013. UL is the only university in Ireland that offers GAC accredited education programmes, and one of only seven universities in Europe to do so. In all there are 93 GAC accredited programmes worldwide.
The Dean of the Kemmy Business School, Dr. Philip O Regan, expressed his delight at receiving the GAC accreditation for another of the Kemmy Business School’s project management degrees. “Project management has long been an essential core element of our teaching at the Kemmy Business School and the University of Limerick, dating back to 1991. We are committed to providing essential project management competencies to our students in line with current best practices, and our programmes meet the needs of organisations that operate in challenging and fast-moving environments both nationally and internationally.
Achieving GAC global accreditation confirms that our programmes are world class and it facilitates the ongoing development and sustainability of these programmes in the years ahead.”
KBS MSc in Project and Programme Management
Achieves Global Accreditation
Structured PhD Programme at the KBS
The Kemmy Business School now offers a structured PhD programme combining the traditional research thesis with a bespoke portfolio of coursework, designed to meet the skill needs of each individual research student. The programme is now offered to all incoming PhD students in business, and allows each student and supervisor to select a unique set of courses, designed not only to meet the knowledge gaps of the student, but also to provide a wide range of transferable skills.
The traditional thesis accounts for at least 75% of the credits of the programme, with core, specialist and research methods modules making up the balance to a maximum of 25%. The core modules are Introduction to Doctoral Studies, Research Integrity, Philosophy of Science and a Generic and Transferable Skills Portfolio. A very wide variety of specialist modules is available, covering high-level technical skills and the full range of business disciplines. There is also an option to complete a PhD by publication at KBS.
At KBS, most students work with a team of two or more supervisors, and participate in peer-led research consortia based around their particular research methodologies or themes. Supports at many levels are available for academic writing, conference participation and career development, and PhD students participate in the research seminar series and visiting speaker series offered at School and Department levels, creating an atmosphere which is inclusive, and intellectually rich. For more detail, see www.ul.ie/business/research
8 Summer 2014
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A study of the Irish software landscape was conducted by Lero, the Irish Software Engineering Research Centre; the Kemmy Business School and the Centre for Science, Technology & Innovation Policy at the University of Cambridge. The report found that thousands of Irish software jobs could be forced overseas unless measures are taken to combat a skills and investment shortage.
The “Irish Software Landscape” study reported that companies surveyed have increased the numbers involved in software development by in excess of 30% in the past three years. However, given the shortage of suitably skilled workers in Ireland, there is a danger that thousands of jobs could be created overseas rather than domestically.
Professor Helena Lenihan of the Kemmy Business School said that the current shortage of suitably qualified Irish candidates has encouraged companies down the route of inward immigration.
Professor Lenihan expanded that
“Currently somewhere between 40% and 55% of jobs are filled in this manner. These immigrants make a major contribution to Ireland but more attractive tax jurisdictions may attract them home. It would be a real missed opportunity if the success of the Irish software industry had more employment significance for Eastern Europe than for Ireland.” Professor Fitzgerald of Lero said: “The Irish software industry has the potential to be one of the core engines of Irish economic growth, high income employment and exports but we need to address a number of critical issues including a skills shortage.”
The report found that access to venture capital funding especially to second round, the vital growth stage, remains challenging for many indigenous software companies.
The survey also highlighted a number of key technology platforms of increasing importance to driving the competitiveness of Irish-based firms, including cloud computing, data analytics and cyber-security. The report suggests that building Ireland into an internationally renowned global software centre may require understanding by policy makers that margin and sales growth are more important priorities to owners and investors than jobs. The full report, “Irish Software Landscape”, can be found on the KBS website www.ul.ie/business or on the LERO (Irish software engineering research centre) website here http://www.lero.ie
KBS Partners in Study of Challenges to Irish Software Industry
Professor Helena Lenihan
Department of Economics
Kemmy Business School
Professor Brian Fitzgerald, Chief Scientist, Lero
Irish Software Engineering Research
Centre,University of Limerick
KBS Wins Jennifer Burke Award
A UL-led project which uses prediction markets to simulate decision-making scenarios in business has won the 2013 Jennifer Burke Award for Innovation in Teaching and Learning awarded by the Irish Learning Technology Association.
The winning innovation, ‘Using Prediction Markets to Enable Active Learning’ involves the use of prediction markets to create decision scenarios based on real world events. This helps students to develop their decision making and information literacy skills in situations which mimic those they will face in their careers. The innovation has already been used successfully across a range of disciplines including risk management, tax and finance.
Team leader, Dr Patrick Buckley explained, “This application allows students to develop their decision making skills within a safe learning environment, allowing them to hone their skills and producing graduates who are confident and better prepared for the challenges of the workplace.”
The winning team was led by Dr Patrick Buckley (UL) and included Dr Elaine Doyle (UL), Dr John Garvey (UL), Dr Fergal O’Brien (UL) and Meave McCutcheon (UCC). The project was generously sponsored by Grant Thornton Accountants in Limerick and The Irish Tax Institute.
9Summer 2014
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The KBS, in association with the Business Studies Teachers Association of Ireland (BSTAI), celebrates and recognises excellence in Junior Certificate Business Studies each year. This year, over 260 Students from the mid-west region who received an A in Junior Certificate Higher Level Business Studies in 2013 were presented with Certificates of Achievement from the school.
This is the second year that KBS has held these awards ceremony in conjunction with the BSTAI. It is an event that KBS also invites the students’ parents, business studies teachers and school principals to attend. The students whose exceptional achievement was recognised represented over 40 individual schools from counties Limerick, Clare and Tipperary.
In a speech with references ranging
from Lady Gaga to Seamus Heaney, Dr Philip O’Regan, KBS Dean, said “We are delighted to be able to recognise this fantastic achievement of our young awardees – the region’s top Business Studies students in the Junior Certificate 2013. I congratulate all on their wonderful achievement and would also like to pay tribute to the commitment and dedication of their teachers in helping the students achieve such
excellence. I hope in time that I will have the pleasure of welcoming many of these awardees back to the University of Limerick as students on one of our range of business programmes.”
The KBS is one of Ireland’s leading business schools – recently awarded Best Business School at the InBusiness Editor’s Choice Awards – with a reputation for quality and employability of graduates. This event reinforces the important relationship between the KBS and the region’s second-level students, their schools and their business studies teachers.
Jennie Harrington, President, BSTAI, said “The Business Studies Teachers Association of Ireland (BSTAI) is delighted to be involved in partnership with the University of Limerick in hosting this ceremony which celebrates and recognises academic excellence in Business Studies at a young age. I’m confident that many of today’s award recipients will build successful careers in the business world.”
Kemmy Business School Recognises the Success of 260 Junior Certificate Business Studies Students
Students and teachers from Ardscoil Ris Limerick pictured with Dr Michele O’Dwyer, Associate Dean, KBS.
Students from Colaiste Chiarain in Croom with Dr Michele O’Dwyer, Associate Dean, KBS.KBS.
Students from Hazelwood College Drumcollogher with Dr Michele O’Dwyer, Associate Dean, KBS.
Students from St Caimin’s school in Shannon with Dr. Philip O’Regan, Dean, KBS.
10
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Summer 2014
KBS students studying on the MSc in Marketing, Consumption and Society programme have been commended for their recent highly creative and impactful live marketing campaigns promoting awareness of addiction to their fellow students.
This year’s live project, which is an integral part of the learning outcomes
of the module Marketing & Society, focused on smoking, alcohol, drugs and gambling in order to highlight the dangers of different types of addiction to UL students. Four competing student teams designed and ran highly creative and impactful campaigns on a limited budget, using print & electronic media, PR, promotions and events to raise awareness of addiction to UL students. As part of the evaluation process, the teams formally presented their campaigns to a panel of experts including representatives from Student Affairs, the Students Union and Student Counselling. The four teams also exhibited their campaigns to members of the UL wider campus community.
The winning campaign was around the theme of “Smoking Awareness”. Using the slogan “What’s Your Excuse?” MSc students Gavin O’Herlihy, Elaine Potter, Diana Allen and Barry Lenahan developed a highly imaginative and meaningful smoking addiction
campaign, questioning the excuses often used by people who smoke.
The campaigns were primarily funded by UL Student Affairs with Snap Printing contributing to the printing costs. The teams were further assisted by student volunteers from the Student Welfare Team in UL who contributed time and skills to running the campaigns.
Commending the work of the teams, Dr Deirdre O’Loughlin, Senior Lecturer in Marketing at the KBS said: “These live campaigns provide students with a wide variety of key marketing skills and practical experience and knowledge. They are not only highly innovative and creative but are also extremely impactful. Collectively, the four campaign teams produced more than 10 videos generating over 2000 hits on YouTube and over 1500 likes on their campaign Facebook pages all within a three week period”.
KBS Marketing Students Raise Awareness of Addiction to their Peers
Pictured are MSc students Gavin O Herlihy (Clare), Diana Allen (New York), Elaine Potter (Limerick) and Barry Lenahan (Limerick) who won the award for their awareness of addiction to smoking live campaign at the MSc in Marketing Student Exhibition
The KBS was delighted to welcome Professor Nicholas Phelps, University College London, to deliver the 22nd John Lovett Memorial lecture at the KBS in early 2014. The lecture was entitled “Inertia and Change at Multinational
Enterprise Subsidiaries”.Professor Phelps is Professor of
Urban and Regional Development at the Bartlett School of Planning.
Michael McDonnell, Managing Director, CIPD Ireland, chaired the
event. A number of Best Student awards were made on the night including the John Lovett Memorial Prize for best student on the BBS (Human Resource Management) and the Dermot Foley Memorial Prize for best student on the BA (Human Resource Management).
The Annual John Lovett Memorial Lecture Series is jointly organised by the Department of Personnel & Employment Relations, KBS, and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) in Ireland. The Series was established in 1993 in memory of John Lovett, former chairman of the CIPD in Ireland (then Institute of Personnel Management), Personnel Director and Trade Union Official. Further details on this event are available from Dr Jonathan Lavelle (061 233656, [email protected]).
22nd John Lovett Memorial Lecture
Pictured at the 22nd Lovett Memorial Lecture at the KBS are: Conor Lovett, Michael McDonnell, Mrs Phil Lovett, Prof. Phelps and Dr Philip O’Regan, KBS Dean.
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Summer 2014
Since the turn of the new millennium, the world has faced a number of key challenges: a global financial crisis; international political turmoil and uncertainty; recognition of the necessity for corporate responsibility; calls for debate among all stakeholders on critical issues related to global social responsibility and sustainability. KBS has taken up the gauntlet to address these challenges by becoming a signatory to the UN Principles of Responsible Management (PRME) in 2008; more recently, the KBS became a member of the PRME Champions, an international group of 25 leading business schools committed to developing a new generation of business leaders who are capable of managing the complex challenges faced by business and society in the 21st century.
As part of this mission, in 2015, KBS are pioneering a summer school that will bring together expert lecturers and students to think critically about the global challenges that are faced by
governments, businesses, societies and individuals. This is a unique opportunity for students from across a variety of disciplines who want to understand more about responsible business while earning ECTS credits. Bringing together students from diverse academic and cultural backgrounds creates important opportunities for discussion, debate and sharing knowledge, experiences and worldviews.
For this inaugural study abroad programme, KBS presents three courses that are offered under the unifying theme of ‘Responsible Business’: International Financial Markets and Trading; Corporate Social Responsibility; and Business Tools for Social Projects. Both Corporate Social Responsibility and Business Tools for Social Projects are suitable for both business and non-business students, providing an introduction to business tools, challenges and solutions that can be applied in both business and non-business contexts. Students
taking the International Financial Markets and Trading course also have the opportunity to gain Bloomberg Trading Certification, a qualification that is internationally recognised. Students select one of these three accredited courses and the entire group will come together for occasional seminars, field trips and social events that relate to the ‘responsible business’ theme as a whole. Shared seminars address topics such as Ethics and Decision Making, the Economic Crisis from a European Perspective, Culture and Communication, Reputation Management and Crisis, and International Financial Institutions while field trips are carefully planned so as to maximise learning.
The faculty and staff of the Kemmy Business School, look forward to welcoming summer school students to our state-of-the-art facilities and to this dynamic and cutting-edge summer programme.
KBS Launches 2015 Summer School in Responsible Business
KBS STudEnT WInS STudEnT MArKETEr of ThE YEAr
Eoin Cahill, a fourth-year BBS marketing major was awarded Student Marketer of the Year by An Post at the Smart Marketing Awards held in May 2014. Eoin created a direct marketing campaign for the One4all Rewards Corporate Division consisting of a
creative design and full marketing strategy both online and offline. Eoin’s campaign focused around the theme of reciprocity and consisted of a gift box for mail delivery, optimised emails and an online microsite. As part of the award Eoin received an internship with Acorn Marketing in Dublin.
ShAnnon ConSorTIuM rEGIonAL TEAChInG EXCELLEnCE AWArd
Lisa O’Malley Kemmy Business School was announced as the winner of the Shannon Consortium Regional Teaching Excellence Award for 2013/14.
Established in 2007, the awards recognise outstanding teaching amongst the partner institutions and allow teachers to critically reflect on their practice, gather evidence to support teaching excellence and demonstrate how they have applied principles of international best practice as teaching professionals. Candidates are
either self-nominated or nominated by their peers and an external panel comprising teaching and learning specialists from the UK and Ireland review each candidate and select the overall winner. The Shannon Consortium is a collaborative alliance between UL, Mary Immaculate College and Limerick Institute of Technology, which aims to establish the Shannon region as a zone of excellence in teaching, learning and learner support.
Eoin Cahill receiving the Student Marketer of the Year Award by Michael Fennelly from One4all Rewards.
NEWS IN BRIEF
Dr Lisa O’Malley receiving her award from Professor Don Barry, UL President
12
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Summer 2014
The UL Enactus team was one of just eight finalists at the recent Enactus Ireland Competition.
Enactus (www.enactusireland.org) are a non-profit organisation that brings together student, academic and business leaders who are committed to using the power of entrepreneurial action to improve the quality of life and standard of living for people in need. Comprising of students from the KBS and Public Administration, the team was guided and mentored by their advisors Dr. Briga Hynes, KBS and Gabriella Harahan, UL, in creating
and implementing two community empowerment projects called Skillset and Chronicles of the Past.
Skillset is a partnership with Focus Ireland targeted towards young homeless men in the Limerick city area. The objective of the project was to design and deliver a foundation computer skills programme to equip participants with fundamental computer skills to help in gaining employment or returning to education.
The Chronicles of The Past project
focussed on connecting older people with younger people as a means of making older people feel part of the community. 15 students carried out 25 visits to Lakes Nursing Home speaking to residents and collecting their stories.
Enactus faculty advisor, Briga Hynes commended the students on their dedication and said that ‘Enactus provides a perfect tool for building relationships between universities and local communities and the examples above clearly demonstrate how students undertake a clear and tangible role in promoting our university as valuable member of the community’.
KBS Students in Enactus Ireland Competition Final
Pictured at the Enactus Ireland National Competition are the UL Enactus team with faculty advisor Dr. Briga Hynes and Dr. Philip O’Regan, Dean of the KBS.
UPCoMING CoNFERENCESIAM ConfErEnCE
The KBS hosts the 17th Irish Academy of Management (IAM) Conference in September 2014 with keynote speaker Professor Wayne Casico who holds the Robert H. Reynolds Chair in Global Leadership at the University of Colorado Denver. The title of the conference is Managing in a Changing Climate: Leading to new realities. The IAM conference theme facilitates a conversation about how organisations are managing the 21st century challenges in the context of a complex and interconnected global environment and how they can lead their organisations towards
new advantageous realities and a sustainable future. The Irish Academy of Management conference provides the ideal platform for advancing knowledge and management practices.
MAnAGInG ProjECTS In ThE non-ProfIT SECTor
The KBS will host the first international conference on Managing Projects in the Non-Profit Sector on 20th / 21st October 2014. Under the conference theme, Delivering Social Good, academic and practitioner perspectives will be brought together to explore the challenges and
opportunities faced by the non-profit sector. Areas covered will include international aid, disaster preparedness and recovery, development, poverty reduction healthcare, education, environmental protection, human rights, community development, arts and culture. Key objectives are to develop and expand the network of project management practitioners working in the sector, to explore how cross-sectoral collaborations can help nonprofit organisations achieve their objectives, and to develop opportunities for future collaboration between practitioners and academics.
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Summer 2014
Fifty high achieving business and management students were honoured recently at the annual KBS/Northern Trust Outstanding Scholar Awards at the Kemmy Business School. This is the 10th year of the awards at which KBS recognises its most outstanding scholars in the academic year.
The students were presented with their award Certificates by Dr. Philip O’Regan, Dean of the KBS and Catherine Duffy, General Manager, Northern Trust, Limerick, at the 2014 awards
ceremony. The Dean of the Kemmy Business School, Dr. Philip O’Regan said at the event ‘This awards ceremony recognises truly outstanding student achievements across 29 different Certificate, Diploma, Degree, Graduate Diploma and Masters’ Programmes offered by the School.’ Also presented at the ceremony each year is the Louise Newman Memorial Prize, sponsored by the Insurance Institute Limerick.
Established in 2002, the Louise Newman Memorial Prize is in memory
of the outstanding business academic, Louise Newman, and reflects her previous active association with the Insurance Institute of Ireland who generously sponsor the prize. Louise lectured in the Risk Management & Insurance discipline for KBS from 1996 to 2001. The 2014 prize was awarded to Patrick Stritch, a BBS student majoring in Risk Management & Insurance, by Mr. Paddy Redmond, Deputy President, Insurance Institute Limerick.
2014 KBS/Northern Trust outstanding Scholar Awards
KBS / Northern Trust Outstanding Scholars
The KBS congratulates Ava Mahony, a final year Masters of Taxation student, who triumphed from a field of 60 of Ireland’s top students to become the gradireland National Student Challenge Champion. Ava came through on top in a series of gruelling tasks set by some of Ireland’s top graduate employers. In winning the award, she a marked a number of firsts as she becomes the first female gradireland National Student Challenge Champion and also the first such champion from UL and KBS.
Ava qualified for the final from a pool of over 4,100 students who registered to take the National Student Challenge
online. The online assessment put those students to the test, challenging their verbal reasoning; numerical reasoning; commercial competency and logical thinking. Once complete, students were ranked on a leaderboard, with only the top students qualifying to take part in the Final.
Finalists were then set a series of 6 challenges to complete during the course of the final. Challenges were set by gradireland in collaboration with Lidl, Boston Scientific, PwC, Jameson, SAP and EY, with the help of Irish psychometric testing company cut-e, and mirrored tests used by graduate employers in assessment centres, thus helping all students develop their employability skills. Ava and the other finalists were tested on Planning &
Organising; Commercial Acumen; Persistence; Constructive teamwork; Creativity; and Innovative Problem Solving, all key attributes that top graduate employers look for when recruiting for their graduate positions.
KBS Winner of the gradireland National Student Challenge 2014
Ava Mahony, KBS Taxation Masters student, receiving her gradireland award
© John McGarry Photography Ltd
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Summer 2014
The Irish Exporters Association and KBS have entered into a partnership to assist small firms internationalise their businesses. Under the umbrella of the Irish Exporter’s Association Asia Trade Forum (ATF), students on the Masters in International Entrepreneurship Management will assist a small firm by completing international market research and developing market entry strategies for Asian markets. Students participating on the programme will have the opportunity to work with professional ATF mentors who will share their knowledge of doing business in Asia.
This partnership was launched recently at a joint seminar held at the KBS - ‘Competitiveness through Internationalisation - how exporting will help you grow your business’. Speakers at this event comprised of industry experts from small and large organisations including Hugh Kelly, Chairman of the Asia Trade Forum; Mr. Simon McKeever, CEO Irish Exporters Association; Alan Keogh, Operations Manager of Vistakon; Liam Ryan, CEO of BMS; Ronan Burke Practice Leader EMEA, IBM and John Carr of Flextronics who shared their experiences of the challenges and opportunities offered in
far flung markets and in particular how to do business in Asia.
Mr. Huge Kelly Chairman of Asia Trade Forum indicated that ‘This is a great opportunity for the IEA to work with the students and staff of the Kemmy Business School and with local businesses to look at practical ways of helping companies enter new markets,’. The key focus of each project will be on entry strategies for a particular product or service into an Asian market,” said Hugh Kelly, Chairman of the IEA’s Asia Trade Forum.
Dr. O’Regan, Dean of the KBS indicated that ‘This partnership of the Business School with IEA is a proactive initiative that allows us to collectively assist in a more targeted manner local small and medium firms navigate their internationalisation journey in a more effective manner’
Mr. Kelly concluded that the overall objective is that the joint programme will equip a future generation of exporters with the skills to expand into new markets and to build a sustainable export base.
Further details on the programme can be obtained from Briga Hynes 061-202619, [email protected] and Yvonne Costin 061-204613 or [email protected]
KBS and The Irish Exporters Association Collaborate in Export Preparation
Hugh Kelly Chairman Asia Trade Forum, Simon McKeever ,CEO Irish Exporters Association, Dr Briga Hynes, KBS, Dr Philip O’Regan, Dean of the Kemmy Business School, Gerry Ennis, Ulster Bank and programme sponsors, John Carr, Flextronics and IEA Director Mid-West region.
NEWS IN BRIEFKBS WInS fIrST SEvEn WEEKS TEAChInG AWArd
John Heneghan, from the Department of Accounting and Finance at the KBS, is the 2013 winner of the First Seven Weeks teaching award. The First Seven Weeks is an initiative at the University of Limerick designed to provide strong, enhanced and targeted support to students during the very early weeks of their time as UL students.
honorArY APPoInTMEnT
Prof Paddy Gunnigle was recently appointed as Honorary Visiting Professor in Industrial Sociology at Rhodes University, South Africa. Paddy currently holds Visiting Professor appointments at Sorbonne Université Paris II (Pantheon-Assas) and Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.
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Summer 2014
Since being the first business school in Ireland to sign up to the UN Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) in 2008, the KBS has sought to reflect the values inherent in PRME in its own practice as a business school. PRME are six principles which act as a guiding framework for corporate responsibility and sustainability in business education, drawing on the values in the UN Global Compact.
As part of its activities under PRME, faculty from Kemmy Business School have customised the UN-sponsored Sustainability Literacy Test for Ireland, and launched the test for postgraduate students within KBS and across the
University of Limerick. The Sustainability Literacy Test is a short multiple choice test targeting a range of issues related to sustainable and responsible behaviour. The questions are both global and local in scope, and allow students to test their knowledge against tens of thousands of their peers worldwide.
“Everyone realises now how important it is to educate our students in the basics of sustainability and personal and organisational responsibility”, said Dr Philip O’Regan, Dean of the Kemmy Business School. “We take that very seriously at Kemmy, because of our commitment to the UN Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME). What this test does is give us a measure of the extent to which we are succeeding in that ambition”.
KBS is one of only 30 University Business Schools worldwide to be designated as a Champion of the UN PRME, and it is through that network that the School was chosen to customise the questions for Ireland. The test will allow researchers at KBS to establish a trend, applying equivalent randomised questions year on year, and tracking areas which need attention. The test also links particularly well to the UL Graduate Attributes of being responsible, proactive and articulate.
This is one of the most comprehensive attempts to map the outcomes of Irish university education to best international norms in the areas of sustainability and responsibility. More information on the test is available at www.sustainabilitytest.org
Sustainability Literacy Test launched under PRME
International Product Development Management Conference 2014 (IPDMC)
The KBS recently hosted the 21st International Product Development Management Conference (IPDMC). Co-chaired by Dr Ann Ledwith, UL’s Di-rector of Continuing and Professional Education (CPE) and Dr Regina McNally, Senior Lecturer in KBS. The prestigious conference was attended by over 170 delegates from more than 21 countries, including the USA, Japan and New Zea-land. ‘Innovation through Engineering, Business & Design’ was the theme of the 21st IPDMC, and was highlighted by the two keynote speakers Leon-ard Hobbs and Amos Winter. Leonard Hobbs, Head of Research at Intel Ireland, stressed the importance of product de-velopment within the information and communication technology (ICT) sec-tor. Intel is now one of only three firms globally that dominate semi-conductor manufacturing. He described the rapid growth of technology development in this sector, where mobile phones are now more numerous globally than toothbrushes! Amos Winter, Professor
of Mechanical Engineering at Massa-chusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), demonstrated how understanding deeply the science of potential solu-tions, as well as user requirements that include severe pricing constraints, can lead to radical innovations for those living on subsistence incomes around the world. Professor Winter conducts research targeted at developing radi-cal innovations; his Global Engineering and Research (GEAR) Lab focuses on the marriage of mechanical design the-ory and user-centred product design to create simple yet elegant technological solutions. These are used in highly con-strained environments to address such urgent global needs as wheelchair mo-bility over rough terrain. Papers from a range of disciplines, including market-ing, management, technology man-agement, organisational psychology and design are presented at IPDMC. Yet, many influential researchers have their roots in engineering and technol-ogy, thus providing the inspiration for
this year’s theme. This year’s conference focused on the collaboration between the various disciplines within business and engineering that are involved in new product development. The con-ference has become the focus of im-portant networking among innovation and product development manage-ment researchers and is yet another example of the institution’s relevance to the local, national and international community.
Pictured with the IPDMC co-chairs, Dr. Regina McNally, Kemmy Business School UL and Dr. Ann Ledwith Director Continuing & Professional Education UL was Amos Winter, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering at MIT.
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For further information on all our programmes, please visit: http://www.ul.ie/business
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Summer 2014
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