Business Challenge Week 2024

From 17-21 June, we are hosting a week of activities during which our master's students will address some real-world problems brought to us by partner organisations in the Brookes community.

We have many talented students at Brookes, across the full range of disciplines. The Business Challenge Week will allow a specially built team to crack a problem you have been wrestling with, or simply bring you new ideas and a fresh perspective.

Depending on the challenge, we can promise you:

• A thorough analysis of your problem or opportunity
• Background research and fact-finding
• A solution, prototype or action plan
• A short report on findings and recommendations
• An invitation to the end-of-week showcase on 21 June

Organisations large and small, profit and non-profit, can take part (social enterprises are particularly welcome).

You just need to have a challenge that a team of students can work on for three or four days, leading to some meaningful problem-solving and idea generation. This could be something strategic, like rethinking your business model; or it could be more technical, such as a sustainability plan. It could also be highly creative, such as developing ideas for a new product, service, event or public engagement.

No, it's absolutely free. You just need to be available (online) ahead of 17-21 June to brief the team. You’ll also need to be online on a day-to-day basis to provide input, advice and feedback as work progresses. Depending on the project, students may need to visit your premises. For more technical projects, you may also need to provide anonymized datasets for the students to work with.

4/5 agreed the students had met or exceeded their expectations. One partner noted the work had ‘significantly’ impacted their thinking about the future, with a further partner commending the students’ ‘valuable insights’ into applicable markets and countries. Another partner said this:

“Our team was fabulous - they brought fresh ideas to our marketing approach and helped us identify a starting target market. Their contributions were invaluable.”

Previous partners included a range of businesses and social enterprises, including:

• The business networking organisation B4, where students developed insights into issues and opportunities for market expansion
• Stephen Spencer + Associates, for which, in collaboration with Blenheim Palace, the students tested new frameworks for understanding customer journeys
• The Ashmolean Museum, where the students helped with work on a sustainability plan
• The educational company Edumenteach, for which the students helped to generate new ideas for a new service supporting a digital repository for academic and training certification