Events details
Free Support Programmes for SMEs and Social Enterprise
The SME Knowledge Network @ Bradford University School of Management, a World Class Business School.
With unprecedented investment from the Higher Education Funding Council for England via their Economic Challenge Investment Fund, we are able to offer more activity to help SMEs manage through these difficult and challenging times but beyond to growth in the future. This coupled with investment from the ERDF under the Enterprising Bradford Programme and Bradford Kickstart we are able to get right into the heart of social enterprise and community agenda and use cutting edge thinking in business and enterprise support.
Developing Innovation
11-12 January (2 day workshop)
Innovation isn't just a light bulb switching on. It is an idea that shapes and changes as it crosses organizational boundaries, as it bobs along in the flow and the words of a conversation. Along the way, parts of an idea have belonged to one person then to another, something has been added and something taken away and the idea continued on its journey. What works here? What ways and means can shape and capture this process and bring it within the grasp of an organization. What does it take to put innovation at the core? The Practices of innovation may just have the answers.
Influencing and Negotiation
26-27 January (2 day workshop)
The successful leader builds and maintains contacts within and outside the organization, challenges conventional thinking and introduces new perspectives. Influencing and negotiations have a lasting impact on organizational performance and culture. Yet, we tend to negotiate without preparation, resulting in poor outcomes and unworkable relationships. This workshop explores the need for effective influencing skills, considers influencing strategies and explores best practice negotiation practices. Key areas that will be addressed in the group are:
- Mapping your preferred influencing style
- Identifying strengths and limitations
- Preferred behaviour characteristics
- The negotiating process, including buyer and seller strategies and planning for negotiation
- Negotiation phases, including recognition signals
- Making and controlling concessions
- Managing the finish/closing the deal.
Building High Performing Teams: achieving more together
28-29 January (2 day workshop)
Learn the steps to establishing and maintaining the high performing team you
want and need
A few places left here for those of you who don't have it in your learning and development pathway.
- tap into the full potential of your team to ensure optimum performance and results
- ensure your team is congruently aligned behind your organisations purpose, values and goals
- accelerate the rate at which individuals form, bond and develop into a committed and fully functioning team
- transform your team into a high performing, results oriented unit in a series of simple steps
Marketing MOT (Evening Programme)
4 February, 18 February, 4 March, 18 March, 1 April, 15 April
A rare opportunity to give your business a thorough marketing MOT for the challenging year ahead. You will need to attend all evenings and the sessions run 6.00pm -9.00pm
Action Learning has been shown to be one of the most effective ways for SME owners and directors to undertake learning which can impact on their business. It involves reflection on action taken and leads to more effective decision making/ activity, rather than repeating previous patterns. Participants will have the opportunity to explore their own (and others) marketing issues in a small group setting. Places are limited to 8 participants and are therefore available on a strictly first-come-first served basis. Please apply only if you are able to commit to all 6 sessions.
These short but intensive workshop sessions combine thought-provoking content with practical guidance for those businesses who already have marketing activity but need to shape it more or perk it up a little. The course is run by Associate Lecturer Ros Walker, who operates as a mentor both at Think Business our incubator programme and here at the SME Knowledge Network. Areas where Ros might offer expert advice could include.
- the essential elements of an effective marketing plan
- market segmentation
- understanding your target customer
- achieving the right marketing mix
- managing the product life cycle
This workshops are designed for owner-managers of established businesses who want to take a fresh look at the fundamentals of their marketing.
Strategic Account Management
8-9 February (2 day workshop)
Strategic account management is about the mutual ownership for cost reductions, service improvements, productivity increases, continuous improvements, global competition, technological innovation, cross functional teams and other processes which will create shareholder value for both the supplier and major customer.
During this course you will learn best practice techniques that allow you to better engage with clients when negotiating and reporting. You will learn to consistently add value and effectively manage relationships with your key clients.
- What is SAM, and why is it needed?
- Using account planning - the "what", "why" and
"how" approach
- Applying the format - identifying solutions for the needs of corporates/individuals
- Contact management and communication
- Conflict management, negotiation and internal selling
- Account selection - the ten point check list/use of 80:20 rule.
New Product Development
9 February
Tuesday Evening Master Class
Heaton Mount, Bradford University School of Management
5.00 - 5.30pm registration, followed by the speakers and then a networking buffet
at 7.15pm
Presentations from Dr Rana Tassabehji (Bradford University School of Management) and Paul Wright (PAWA Consulting).
Human Resources
24 - 25 February (2 day workshop)
- Provide Simple tools and frameworks to use in a practical way
- Supplemented with organisational examples to aid understanding
- Provide an opportunity to ask questions/ share experiences of other delegates
- Output -Action oriented - Leave workshop with HR plan for own organisation
- Follow up feedback/ coaching available to participants
Content:
The Business Case for HR
- Current trends (economic/social)
- Aligning with the business/organisational Plan
- Key measures of HR effectiveness
- Overview of key areas of HR responsibility
HR Core Processes
- Performance management and organisational alignment
- Reward management (key methods)
Building Capability
- Resourcing (from profiling to selection)
- Training and Development
- Succession planning
Employee Involvement
- Recognition schemes
- Employee Surveys
- Employee Communications
Employment Law
- Statutory requirements
- Dismissal and Discrimination
- Key references
Workshop - Developing an HR Plan Aligned to own Organisations objectives
- Environmental scanning
- Business Imperatives/Key HR Process
- HR Action Plan/Stakeholder Analysis
Social Enterprise Programmes at the SME Knowledge Network
Facilitated by Saeeda Ahmed these programmes begin with two day workshops and continue with additional coaching to help embed the ideas developed in the workshop in the developing Social Enterprise. These workshops are focused on Social Enterprise in the Bradford Area.
If you are a social enterprise you can combine any of these activities with anything from the full offering of SME Knowledge Networks Programmes and services. Businesses can access either a single or a range of services and may develop a portfolio of interventions, which we call a 'Learning and Development Pathway' from the following services:
- Workshops
- Master-classes supported by networking
- Strategy/Venture Clinics for advice
- Coaching and Mentoring
- Consultancy or facilitation from academics or practioners in the Network
- Supported Research or student services
- Library resources - where appropriate SMEs might be given access to the University for example to help them develop their understanding of a given area or to use on-line journals and databases.
- Director Support Network places
(this is a process of small group working where peer directors offer structured questioning to help a fellow director unpack a problem or opportunity and build up a solution and implementation - the brand under which this operates is the Director Support Network)
Understanding Social Enterprise
25-26 January
To provide an overview of the social enterprise sector and social enterprises. This would look at the broader context that the social enterprise operates within and the strategic and operational factors that are relevant to it.
This will develop the understanding of social enterprise necessary for prospective and existing stakeholder groups such as directors, managers, employees, advisers, or consultants to a third sector organisations.
Entrepreneurship within a Social Enterprise (2 day workshop)
5 and 12 February (2 day workshop)
This workshop provides attendees with knowledge and understanding of entrepreneurship within the context of a social enterprise organisation. This is of particularly important as many people joining the social enterprise sector are more socially orientated than enterprise.
This would be of interest to individuals interested in setting up their own social enterprises or those that have been running community organisations that want to transform it into social enterprises.
Sustaining Social Enterprises
9 - 10 February
To provide knowledge on the factors affecting sustainability within social enterprises. This will help the social enterprises to assess their performance based on different factors and improve their sustainability. This will be of benefit to managers, directors or consultants of prospective and existing social enterprises that are interested in developing their sustainability strategy.