2. Introduction
Northampton Business School (NBS) is renowned for high quality teaching and research,
supported by strong links with industry and commerce.
“With expertise in accounting and finance, business computer systems, marketing and entrepreneurship, Human
Resource Management, management development, leisure management and languages and strong links to
professional bodies and companies we provide excellent, vocationally orientated, accredited learning at undergraduate,
postgraduate and professional levels. The School is a regional centre of enterprise providing funded business start up
support, enterprise advice, research and consultancy. Through a strategy combining internationalisation, the continued
development of relevant employment focused courses and leading edge enterprise and research, NBS will further
enhance its competitive advantages and maintain its top quartile student satisfaction*.”
Ian Brooks
Dean, Northampton Business School
* National Student Survey 2009, 2008, 2007: NBS comfortably ranked in the top quartile of around 110 UK business schools for overall satisfaction with the programme
– an 85% approval rating.
“I went to several presentations and
exhibitions in Pakistan about studying in
the UK and found there was a wide range
of options available to me. After a lot of
research I chose The University of
Northampton because of its excellent
facilities and the generous scholarship
scheme. In my country it is regarded as
important to get a degree and once I get my qualification I will
be in a position to improve my career prospects in the corporate
world where it is important to have knowledge of different
cultures and nationalities.
The methodology of teaching here compared to South East Asia
is totally different. Here you have greater opportunity to interact
with the tutors and study the subjects in more depth.”
Muzammil Hanif, MA Management (Marketing)
3 Northampton Business School | Transforming lives, inspiring change
3. 9thfrom 123 UK business schools in the National Student Survey
(2010) based on the percentage of final year students who
were satisfied with the quality of teaching on their course.
85% In the National Student Survey (2010), Northampton
Business School received an overall course satisfaction
rating of 85% from its final year students.
“Outstanding” The international standard achieved
in some research areas in the UK
Research Assessment Exercise (2008).
Cottesbrooke, Park Campus. Home to Northampton Business School
Transforming lives, inspiring change | Northampton Business School 4
4. History
Since its formation, The University of Northampton
has seen over a 500 percent increase in the student
population from 2,000 in 1975 to well over 13,000
students from all around the world today.
This would not have been possible without the tremendous advances in both
the range and the level of courses we offer, and in the quality of performance
in nationally benchmarked teaching and research assessments. To cater for this
increased demand, a multi-million pound university wide investment in our
estates and facilities was needed. The result of which is that we can now offer
a fantastic learning and research environment for our future students.
Northampton opens new era of education, 1932
Facts and Figures
Growing Financial Strength of NBS: Turnover
Year £Turnover
2005/06 £8.5 million
2006/07 £9.4 million
2007/08 £10.6 million
2008/09 £12.8 million
2009/10 £15.3 million
Positive Student Feedback: National Student Survey (NSS)
Year % Overall Satisfaction Rank in UK Business Schools
2007 84% 17 / 110
2008 90% 13 / 110
2009 82% 10 / 104
5 Northampton Business School | Transforming lives, inspiring change
5. “It’s a good
feeling to be able
to put into play
the skills learnt
over my three
year course by
using them in real
life situations. The
course in Business Computing gave me a
fantastic foundation to build upon within
my current role and definitely gave me a
head start in finding a job.”
James Hiscott, Bureau Technician at
Aeriendi, BSc Business Computing 2006
Student Demographics
Student Numbers 2007 - 08 2008 - 09 2009 - 10
Full time, undergraduate 982 1145 1374
Part time undergraduate and postgraduate 891 901 974
Full time, postgraduate 336 260 335
Gender Geographical Make Up Ethnic Make Up
Male 49% UK 69% White 45%
Female 51% International 28% Asian / Asian British 20%
European Union 3% Black / Black British 14%
Chinese 15%
Age Breakdown
Other / Mixed 6%
Under 21 28%
Over 21 72%
Transforming lives, inspiring change | Northampton Business School 6
6. Our place in the
Community
At Northampton Business School we are immensely proud of our contribution to the economic
wellbeing of Northamptonshire.
We:
• Have strong links with local employers, helping them to improve their businesses;
• Work with local authorities and public sector organisations, developing their people and improving
their efficiency.
Regional Development / Funded Projects
Northampton Business School has established the Northamptonshire Enterprise Skills Agency (NESA)
to support new business and improve the local and regional economy.
Over the last 5 years NESA has:
• Assisted 2,250 people to set up new businesses
• Assisted 3,540 people to get jobs with these businesses
• Led in the development of three new undergraduate and three new postgraduate programmes
• Set up and operated two entrepreneur incubation centres
• Established the largest University Enterprise Club in the country
• Spun off its own Social Enterprise
• Organised hundreds of paid work placements for students and graduates
To find out more about the work of NESA, please contact Professor Simon Denny at: simon.denny@northampton.ac.uk
7 Northampton Business School | Transforming lives, inspiring change
7. The University of Northampton Enterprise Social Enterprise
Club – bringing entrepreneurs together • NBS has set up its own social enterprise, 3e, to help unemployed
people develop new skills and secure new jobs.
Managed by Northampton Business School (NBS), the Enterprise Club:
• We lead the university's research into, and support of,
• Supports entrepreneurs throughout Northamptonshire
social enterprise.
• Gives new businesses the opportunity to interact with
• We deliver unique and practical undergraduate and postgraduate
established organisations
social enterprise qualifications.
• Brings students into contact with businesses
• Facilitates joint working and sharing of best practice
• Provides grant funding to individuals to start a business through
the Enterprise Inc programme
Entrepreneurial activities
NBS offers a range of support services designed to promote and
encourage individuals to explore self employment as a career option.
Whether you are just thinking about the possibility of setting up a
business or are a long way down the road of turning your ideas into
a real business we have services that can help.
Althorp House, Northamptonshire
Guildhall, Northampton Royal and Derngate theatre, Northampton
8
8. Links
with local
employers
We work with employers and professional bodies
to develop and support our curriculum and students.
Bespoke corporate programmes: what makes us different?
• NBS employs a team of successful academic and business practitioners
• We provide award winning and value added bespoke
management training
• All of our programmes are fully accredited
• Our study packages offer maximum flexibility to make it easier
to combine work and study
• We work in close partnership with clients around the world
• Our bespoke programmes deliver measurable, value added outcomes
• We implement rigorous evaluation strategies to constantly monitor
and review effectiveness
• Clients receive unique and exciting training programmes that are
tailored to their specific needs
• NBS incorporates cutting-edge theoretical knowledge with industry
leading best practice
“We have found the Foundation Degree in Leadership and
Management to be a very effective way of providing the right
development for our people. The work-based nature of the
programme is ideal for us and our company is already benefitting
from better skilled managers.”
Chris Dolby, Learning and Development Manager,
Norbert Dentressangle
Silverstone, Northamptonshire To discuss how we can assist your business with a bespoke corporate
programme, please call our team today on 01604 892036.
9 Northampton Business School | Transforming lives, inspiring change
9. Sir Digby Jones Gary Hoffman - visiting professor
Former Director General of the CBI CEO Northern Rock,
Former Group Vice Chairman, Barclays plc
Speaking at NBS, Sir Digby Jones said: “If we are to keep the
role of Universities at the value added, quality end of the “What is it that turns a competent manager into a
game, businesses should use and benefit from the facilities great leader? A leader should create and champion their
of their university to commission work and research.” organisation’s vision, and convey an inspired sense of
purpose behind it.”
Allan Fraser-Rush - visiting industry professor
Global Planner, Lowe International
“The simple reason for me involving myself more with the
academic programme at NBS is to bring to the students a
little of the real world. NBS does a great job in teaching the
theoretical base of any discipline and bringing as much of
the real world into their courses as possible, but the reality
is that it is different out in ‘Agency land’; we use our own
phraseology, we have our own processes and potentially
for a young graduate entering our business will be quite
terrifying. Without the partnership between Lowe International
(and formerly TequilaLondon) and NBS, students could only
imagine what life was like in an agency, what we have done
is shown them, not only how we work, but how we think,
the disciplines we cover and how we work with one another.
All of which should better position them to have a better
chance of securing that elusive marketing role they want.”
Transforming lives, inspiring change | Northampton Business School 10
10. Centre for
work-based
learning
We have a strong commitment to work based learning. Over 300 students annually take
the opportunity to integrate their ‘live’ work/business experience into their academic learning.
Many of our courses offer students the opportunity of a placement year in industry.
MAC Tools employed their first ever “During my placement year I developed a
business placement student around seven variety of new skills; I am a lot more
years ago. Harry Lakhani had a highly confident when meeting people and have
successful placement year and returned really improved my communication and
to work part time during his final year. After organisational skills. Having been in a work
joining them as a graduate, he progressed environment the theory I’d been learning
through the company and is now Marketing now makes total sense and I have a variety
Manager for MAC. This initial trial has lead to the recruitment of of skills that I can use for my final year and dissertation. I would
placement students every year from this point with two additional describe my placement year as invaluable; I’ve paid off my student
students being offered permanent positions on graduation loan, gained lots of good friends and have job prospects when I
as a result. finish university.”
MAC Tools (Part of the Stanley Group) Shelley Rowland, BA (Hons) Business
Milton Keynes Council
11 Northampton Business School | Transforming lives, inspiring change
11. “At Hotel Chocolat we hosted Catherine Freestone, a placement “The tasks I undertook during my year
student for a year and from the very beginning proved to be a very enabled me to develop valuable time
valuable asset to the team. The Buying and Merchandising team management and organisational skills,
was looking for someone who could ‘hit the ground running’, I have built my confidence significantly
understand the Hotel Chocolat brand and be able to take on tasks and feel confident in many business
and run with them, with very little direction from the Buyers. situations including presentations.
Catherine managed to achieve all of this very effectively. Taking a placement year was one of
the best things I could have done, I earned good money whilst
Having a placement student working in the department has proved gaining a wide variety of skills."
to work really well. We get a fresh set of eyes every year to bring
new ideas and creativity!” Catherine Freestone, BA (Hons) Business Studies
Hotel Chocolat
Teresa Peck
Buyer, Hotel Chocolat Ltd
"I worked at Cisco Systems in Dubai as a Finance
Analyst training to become a Finance Manager.
During my time there I gained international
business exposure, developed my presentation
skills, worked with people across the board from
a variety of different cultures and learnt the
importance of governance and collaboration
with a multi national corporation."
Vishal Shah, BA (Hons) Business Studies
Transforming lives, inspiring change | Northampton Business School 12
12. Research
We boast two thriving research centres at Northampton Business School, and can offer our expertise
to businesses and the public sector through both consultancy and knowledge transfer. The quality
of the research we contribute is considered to be of international standard, with some fields ranked
as outstanding by the UK Research Assessment Exercise (2008).
The Centre of Entrepreneurship, Enterprise and Governance (CEEG)
Research Centre specialises in the study of: “Studying at The University of Northampton
was one of the most memorable years of my
• Corporate governance
life, I achieved so much. As a student at The
• International relations University you are treated as an individual
• Entrepreneurship and the advice I was given was specifically
• Human Resource Management tailored for me. Coming from a background
in fashion and running my own business in
• Leadership
Sri Lanka, I decided to enrol on the MBA programme to build on the
The investment has enabled us to support enterprise through: experience I already had as a business woman.
• Business creation Since completing the course I have improved my decision making
• Social enterprise skills and feel more confident in exploring new business ventures,
turning failures into new beginnings and facing new challenges.
• Business incubation
I am putting into practice the skills I have learnt into my business
The China and Transitional Economics Research Centre is dedicated to in Sri Lanka and I’m already seeing the results.”
research in: Niroshani Leanage, MBA
• The political economy of China
• Chinese environmental protection
• Agriculture and rural development
• Issues of property rights
• Corporate governance in the transitional economies of Eastern
Europe, Russia and China
The Centre provides consultancy and research to both public and private
organisations in the region as well as a number of international
collaborations with universities in China, Russia and Poland.
13 Northampton Business School | Transforming lives, inspiring change
13. Sir Bobby Charlton
Patron of the China & Transitional Economies Research Centre
Internationally renowned footballing legend Sir Bobby
Charlton was installed as the new Patron of The University
of Northampton’s China & Transitional Economies Research
Centre at a special ceremony in March 2006.
“As a nation that is increasingly leading the world’s
manufacturing and export/import agenda, China is
a country that interests me greatly and one to which
I am particularly attached.”
Transforming lives, inspiring change | Northampton Business School 14
14. International
reach
Northamptonshire is serviced by six international airports. The county is home to a large
number of global companies and over a quarter of the school's students and many staff
come from India, China, the Middle and Far East, Africa, the Caribbean and Europe.
15 Northampton Business School | Transforming lives, inspiring change
15. NBS values the richness and diversity that
international students bring and we regularly
receive applications from students in over
70 countries.
In addition to attracting students to Northampton, the Business
School works with partners overseas in teaching and research
including:
• China (Shaoguan and Beijing)
• Sweden
• Australia
• USA
• Poland
Ian Brooks, (Dean of Northampton Business School) with a cohort of students who completed the
MA International Human Resource Management course in Dubai.
“My quest for an MBA institution
providing good facilities, an educational
atmosphere enriched with recreational
activities and suiting my financial needs
ended when I logged onto The
University of Northampton’s website.
The helpful International Office staff
guided me through the admissions
procedure and before I knew it, I found myself at the University,
staring at the emblem above the front gate of the reception.
I had made it and I could not believe it.
The University is amongst the finest institutions in the UK.
It has a beautiful campus with lush green gardens, sports
facilities, state of the art IT labs and numerous communities
that I could join and keep myself busy. The town itself provides
a fantastic atmosphere with occasional events and carnivals
and a variety of part-time jobs for students.
The MBA degree was very challenging and it tested us
at every stage. A team of dynamic and highly professional
lecturers helped us throughout our course with their own
practical experience. The result is that I am now working
in a leading global energy firm, AREVA, as a Regional Sales
Performance Analyst in Dubai, UAE and I can proudly say that
my MBA from The University of Northampton was the best
decision in my life so far.”
Shahneel Baray, Business Analyst,
AREVA T & D, Dubai, UAE, MBA
Transforming lives, inspiring change | Northampton Business School 16
16. Our core
teaching
We know that there are demands on the time of ambitious people, which is why our study
packages offer maximum flexibility; it couldn’t be easier to combine work and study.
Full time undergraduate courses are Full time masters Part time /Distance Learning/
offered in the following subjects: courses are offered in: professional courses are offered in:
Business and Management Accounting Accounting
Business IT Service Management Business
Economics Human Resource Management Business Computing
Human Resource Management Management Human Resource Management
Management Marketing IT Service Management
International Development Leadership and Management
Management
Accounting and Business Computing Marketing
Accounting and Finance
Financial Services
Business Computing Systems
Marketing and Leisure
Advertising
Marketing
Travel and Tourism
Events Management
Languages
French
German
English as a Foreign Language
Full course listings can be found on our website at www.northampton.ac.uk
17 Northampton Business School | Transforming lives, inspiring change
17. “Leaving my full time job to improve my
education was the best decision I have ever
made. I completed a HND, followed by a top
up year to BSc Business Computing, at The
University of Northampton. I thoroughly
enjoyed my career and am continuously
learning and building on the theoretical
and practical skills I learned at University.”
Heidi Lightfoot, Applications Developer
at East Northamptonshire Council,
BSc (Hons) Business Computing
“I knew the great reputation of the University
when I made the decision to study at
Northampton. The University has a first class
undergraduate and postgraduate provision,
and the campus is such a great place to be -
almost in a countryside setting but within
a few minutes of Northampton town centre.”
Jason illiams, Information Systems and
Sports Studies undergraduate and Business
Computing postgraduate
“I really enjoyed my course, especially
the modules on retail which were very
comprehensive and interesting. My degree
has helped me to get an amaLing job in the
fashion industry. I joined FULLCIRCLE,
a London based fashion brand, as a Marketing
Assistant. I’ve always wanted to work in the
fashion industry and now I live in London, work
for a great company and am doing really well.”
Clarissa Atkins, Marketing Assistant at
FULLCIRCLE, BA (Hons) Fashion Marketing
Transforming lives, inspiring change | Northampton Business School 18
18. Where we are
Situated in the heart of England, Northampton
is a lively and vibrant town with excellent
sports, leisure and entertainment facilities.
EDINBURGH
Northampton is only one hour travel time from
London and Birmingham and is served by six
international airports and excellent road and MANCHESTER
rail links to all parts of the UK and Europe. BIRMINGHAM
NORTHAMPTON
CAMBRIDGE
LONDON
NETHERLANDS
GDANSK, POLAND
MOSCOW, RUSSIA
VANCOUVER, CANADA
NORMANDY, FRANCE
BEIJING, CHINA
SHANGHAI, CHINA
HONG KONG
SINGAPORE
SAO PAULO
Park Campus, Northampton Sol Central, Northampton Northampton Countryside All Saints Church, Northampton
19 Northampton Business School | Transforming lives, inspiring change
19.
20. Northampton Business School
Park Campus
Boughton Green Road
Northampton
NN2 7AL
United Kingdom
Telephone: ( 44) 1604 892036
Fax: ( 44) 1604 893537
Email: business northampton.ac.uk
'eb: www.northampton.ac.uk