The faculty of the Commonwealth Business School have all had front-line management experience of running complex organisations, of teaching in institutions throughout the world and in delivering major change programmes. They have conducted Action Learning programmes in organisations in major multi-national corporations such as Shell, Cummins Engine Company and Singapore Telecom to small organisations such as a hotel chain, a retail company and a government ministry in Barbados.  Their activities have been focused in the following five sectors.

The INFRASTRUCTURE SECTOR.

The Faculty have delivered 12 bespoke, Action Learning programmes in the electricity, telecoms, ports, water and construction sectors in the UK and other countries. These programmes featured technical and management inputs from specialists in the particular industry supported by directors of the client organisations. They led to 12-month Diplomas in Electricity Management (for example) accredited by the University of Cambridge (UCLES) or two-year MBAs from the University of Bradford. Those in the UK construction sector were part-funded by the National Construction Skills Council.

The Commonwealth Business School has expanded these programmes to include the waste, airports and urban regeneration sectors and subjects such as privatisation in general and public-private partnerships.

LEADERSHIP IN EMERGING MARKETS

Leadership in the world is in a state of crisis. Not only are many leaders failing to deliver on their promises, but there is a lack of understanding of what leaders should DO and what competencies they should possess. There is also confusion over how leaders are developed.

We do not subscribe to the view that leaders are born or the myth that leadership can be taught in a classroom. We believe leadership can be LEARNT within an organisational context, where challenges are created that force people out of their comfort zones into an environment where individuals learn from their mistakes and successes and where their behaviour and values are challenged.

As mentioned above, the School’s faculty have delivered 65 leadership programmes worldwide. The pinnacle of our bespoke programmes is working with top management teams in developing and cascading their strategies. We have done this in Barbados’ hotel industry and in the UK’s construction sector. We have also conducted leadership programmes in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, Barbados and Abu Dhabi.

The MANUFACTURING AND HOSPITALITY SECTORS.

The faculty have done programmes in major international manufacturing companies such as Shell, British Aerospace, Cummins and Verity and in hotel companies in Malaysia and Barbados, which led to Diplomas in Management accredited by Oxford University (UODLE).

The PUBLIC SECTOR.

Faculty members of the School have considerable experience of managing parts of major public sector organisations, such as the Greater London Council. They also have experience of designing and delivering development programmes for the Governments of Malawi, Botswana, Barbados, Abu Dhabi and Brunei, together with major parts of the UK Civil Service and National Health Service. In addition, they have been responsible for reviewing total civil services in the developing world as review commissioners.

All this experience has been channelled into a programme specifically designed for the cabinets and permanent secretaries of emerging market economies. This focuses on developing IMPLEMENTATION CAPABILITIES at the top and how the national plans can be cascaded effectively into the civil services and out into the wealth creating sectors.

The INTERNATIONAL TRADE SECTOR.

The globalisation of trade has created opportunities for domestic producers to grow their businesses, to create more jobs and additional wealth. It has also meant much stiffer competition. Governments and national wealth-creators need help to respond assertively to these pressures. We help governments develop and implement NATIONAL TRADE STRATEGIES aligned to their national plans. This involves ensuring the Ministry of Trade has the capacity to drive the implementation process and the infrastructure to facilitate the cost-effective movement of goods, which includes programmes to develop customs and revenue authorities.

What is needed is an integrated approach to developing the competence of both the public and private sectors, aimed at ensuring the country responds positively to the opportunities presented by trade liberalisation. That is, an effective, public-private sector partnership that produces and implements the national trade strategy. The School provides Action Learning programmes to build the capacity of Ministries of Trade, Customs and Revenue Authorities and consortia of SMEs in specific sectors of each economy, aimed at strengthening their trading capacity.

Many of these programmes have led to diploma, MBA, MSc and Doctoral qualifications awarded by the Universities of Oxford (UODLE), Cambridge (UCLES), London and Bradford.