Catherine Cryan

2006 graduate, and now working for HSBC in change delivery

'I am currently working in the change delivery area of HSBC. This area is home for our organisation's project managers, business analyst and implementers. We provide services to other parts of the bank and are called upon to help with a number of specialist assignments. We see our clients as the parts of the business that use our services.

'While studying on the business information systems degree, I did a year long placement at William Hill. In my final year I gained a first and also won the British Computer Society prize. After graduating I gained a place on the GlaxoSmithKline graduate scheme which allowed me to work in a number of different departments while studying for an MBA. I spent a year on the scheme before moving back to Sheffield.

'Back in Sheffield I joined the IT department of HSBC and worked as a business and system analyst before moving onto change delivery. I feel the business information systems degree's focus on technology enabled change prepared me for working in any part of a large organisation that is involved in change, not just IT.'

Karimot Bamisedun

2007 graduate, and now segment and product manager for Stanbic

'I am currently the segment and product manager for personal and business banking with Stanbic in Nigeria.

'I graduated with a first in business information systems in 2007 and went on to complete an MSc in International Marketing at University of Birmingham. I won a full scholarship and completed the degree with a distinction in all modules.

'My dissertation focused on Strategies for Foreign Market Entry was recognised as one of the best in the UK in 2008 Mary Kay awards. I was offered a job with Microsoft in London as a business analyst but instead decided to use the knowledge gained completing my dissertation.

'Standbic is a South African bank that wanted to increase its share of the lower to middle retail banking segment in Nigeria. I accepted a job with Stanbic and was asked to develop a low cost operational model for banking the unbanked population of Nigeria.

'I started this work in May 2009 by winning an innovation grant of $1.5 million from EFINA (an organisation sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation). This funded the roll out of a biometric point of sale technology which allowed those in rural parts of Nigeria access to N1.2 billion in cheap funds. The technology uses biometric data for security and agents travel to customers. So far we have 800 agents and 45,000 new accounts. In November 2010 the system left project mode and is now a fully fledged business.'

Serena Shanker

2010 graduate, and now working on the GlaxoSmithKline graduate program

'I graduated with a first class honours in business information systems back in 2010. In addition, I also received the SPSS Award for outstanding achievement in data warehousing and mining in my final year.

'Having completed a sandwich degree I spent my placement year working at GlaxoSmithKline HQ as a service analyst where I was responsible for providing end user support and leading improvement initiatives for three major IT collaborative services that support over 100,000 employees worldwide.

'After graduating I returned back to GSK as part of the graduate programme as I have a keen desire to gain a breadth of experience in a wide variety of areas. I have recently completed my first year as a business analyst working to ensure project delivery of key IT initiatives that support the project and portfolio management of drug discovery projects within GSK.

'I am now working as a project manager within our commercial arena and my team's primary aim is to implement mobility and CLM solutions to global markets increasing sales force effectiveness.

'Each role has exercised my capability by providing me with the responsibility, challenge and learning required to grow. I have worked closely with numerous types of technology from infrastructure devices to IT systems to mobility devices and understand how critical all can be to ensure effectiveness of a global organisation. I thoroughly enjoy being part of an organisation that impacts society by saving people’s lives.

'My next steps are to continue with developing my skill set and after finishing the programme I aspire to achieve a managerial position within GSK.'

Colin Mann

2006 graduate, and now working for Airbus Operations

I graduated at Sheffield Hallam University in 2006, with a business information systems degree. Today I work for Airbus Operations GmbH, based out of Hamburg, Germany. My role within the corporate lean department allows me to coach two principle engineering environments in order that they can develop sustainable lean environments. Embodying the nature of the product we produce, my work allows me to work and travel across cultures and countries on a daily basis - and as such also allows me to visit customers based away from Hamburg.

'I entered Airbus Operations Ltd in 2006 through the direct entry graduate scheme - focusing on information systems. Here I worked in a series of different environments such as SAP development, spares, logistics and business development. These placements allowed me gain an understanding of the organisation and to choose which area I wanted to develop my career. Further to the scheme, I went onto to lead a team of information technology professionals. Later an opportunity arose to join the continuous improvement area of customer services engineering. I used these platforms as a basis for my career today.

'My placement year at Sheffield Hallam allowed me to work in the pharmaceuticals industry in Hamburg; if you know the city then it is no surprise I have decided to return to settle down!

'In the future I look to continuing my career path within EADS (European Aeronautic Defense Systems) - the parent company of Airbus. Based on the development opportunities available to me in my current role, accompanied by the structured approach of the Airbus development system, I can value what performance level I need to achieve the next level in my career.'

Paul Bakel

2008 graduate, and now a consultant for SAP

'I graduated from business information systems in 2008 and went almost straight into a role as an SAP consultant with a small primarily German company. At the beginning of the year I joined SAP themselves, still working as a consultant. This has unlocked access to some of the best people and training materials in the world, but a lot of the things I learned during my years at Sheffield Hallam still stand me in good stead today.

'My role involves working with customers to help them realise the full potential of their investment in the various products that we offer. Principally I work on UK based projects but at the time of writing I am involved in a project being conducted from the company’s famous headquarters in Walldorf, Germany.

'Travelling so much (flight out on a Monday, flight home on a Friday) of course has its perks but also its challenges. Again some of the values and skills that are ingrained as part of the business information systems course have helped enormously, not least being capable of managing workload effectively to make for a healthy work/life balance.

'As for the future I am quite happy with things at the moment, and the company offers a very clear and structured path to senior roles. Whether that will be the route for me remains to be seen, but at present I have to say I couldn’t think of another career path I’d be on.'

Waheed Khan

2006 graduate

'I joined Vodafone in 2006 after graduating with a 2.1 in BSc (Hons) Business Information Systems (BIS). My initial role involved working on a supply chain project with external consultants to migrate legacy systems to a new platform. It was great to be involved in such a large project as my introduction to the IT domain. The role provided a good insight in managing IT projects, identifying key stakeholders and communicating with them. The experience also enabled me to consider the generic risks and issues an IT project may encounter during initiation.

'After succeeding in my first two years in supply chain I then joined Vodafone Group mobile payments team as a business analyst. My role involved working alongside a team which created the most successful mobile payments platform in Kenya (M-Pesa) capturing market requirements to support the ongoing evolution of the payments platform and managing the deployment of major releases with market visits to both Egypt and Tanzania. M-Pesa allows customers to deposit, transfer and pay for goods and services via the mobile phone. From the success of M-Pesa in Kenya the project has since been deployed in other emerging markets such as Tanzania, Afghanistan and South Africa. This revolutionary service has improved the lives of so many by offering financial inclusion for all and driving positive and economic social change within the third world. Today M-Pesa has over 16 million registered users.

'In 2010 I was requested by the senior management team in Vodafone Qatar to manage the deployment of the first mobile payments international remittance service. This project allowed customers to send money to international destinations via the handset as opposed to using exchange houses such as Western Union and Money Gram.

'By December 2010, with my support as the management consultant, Vodafone Qatar launched its first ever cross broader remittance service enabling expatriate workers from the Philippines to send money home via a mobile phone. After the successful launch of the project I was requested to extend my time in Qatar and support the business in delivering other high profile projects.

'I am currently working in Qatar as a programme change manager finalising a programme of changes enabling customers to migrate from our prepaid contracts to post-paid. Post-paid contracts are new to Vodafone Qatar and having a more sophisticated billing system will contribute to Vodafone’s success in the Middle East. My responsibilities involve working cross-functionally and managing teams of up to 20.
 
'I have had a lot of opportunity at Vodafone to apply my learning and work as a programme and project manager delivering technology projects that change people's lives. There have been many challenges but I have had a lot of training in project management and business analysis to help me. I have really enjoyed the business trips to a variety of countries and I will miss this when I return to the UK early in 2013.

'The knowledge and skills learned from the core modules of my degree course was invaluable during the early stages of my career. The academic theory I gained has enabled me to operate and succeed in a constantly changing environment. Over the years, the BIS degree has allowed me to grow more and become more.

'My advice to any prospective BIS student would be the effort and determination you put in is what you will eventually get out of the course.'

Nicki Beeston

2010 graduate, and now a project manager for Xerox

Nicki graduated with a first class BSc (Honours) in Business Information Systems in 2010.

What made you choose Sheffield Hallam University?
Sheffield was the ideal location for me – it was far enough from the parents to gain independence whilst still only being an hour away. Sheffield has loads of shops both in the city centre and at Meadowhall and a great nightlife especially on student nights!

Sheffield Hallam offered a great variety of business and IT courses. There was loads of different options for accommodation, and spending the first year in halls is an excellent experience! I also liked the idea of completing the placement year as this would provide me with one years experience which would help me to gain a graduate job after university.

If and how did Sheffield Hallam University meet your expectations.
The lecturers are all very friendly and always willing to help. I enjoyed the course and the variety within the six modules each year. Hallam also helped me to gain my placement year, which has now lead to my career. There are also lots of opportunities to meet new people and try new things.

What were the facilities like when you studied at Sheffield Hallam University?
The facilities were adequate whilst I was studying at Hallam; when deadlines were approaching it was difficult at times to find PCs in the library or PC rooms. The gym facilities are good however this also gets full easily, and can be expensive for peak time access.

What did you find most challenging about your course?
The final year was the most difficult – there was a high volume of work all with close deadlines, on top of the dissertation. Although there was only around 12 hours a week of lectures I would spend between 12-15 hours a day on university work. It was challenging and tested your time keeping skills, but definitely worth it being awarded a first on graduation day.

Which subjects did you enjoy the most and why?
I liked the subjects which helped to show where theory was actually put into practice. For example, we did a group project analysing Google; being able to apply the theory to a real business and make suggestions of ways they can increase their market share, only to find out the following week they’re already working on it! I also enjoyed the project management (second year) and managing change (fourth year) modules as this sparked my interest in project management and led me into my new career.

What role did Sheffield Hallam University play in helping you find a job?
The placement advice service at Hallam was great, they offered CV advice, mock-interviews, and always had a long list of placements available. It was simple to view the placements available and apply for them. The placement advice service team were always willing to make time to speak to you and help out when required.

Tell us a little about your job.
I came to Xerox on my placement year as a project co-ordinator. I then returned to Xerox after I completed my degree and after one year was promoted to project manager. The division of Xerox which I work in focuses on translation; so we will be provided a manual in English and requested to translate it into a list of target languages, by a specific deadline and within budget. I liaise with customers, suppliers, and internal teams to ensure these requirements are achieved.

Could you have got the job without your degree?
No, I could not have achieved this job without my degree, as Xerox ask for a minimum of 2:1 at degree level and project management experience.

Which of the topics that you studied were most relevant to your job?
The project management module during my second year was very useful, and managing change in my fourth year also helped build a stronger understanding. This led me onto completing my dissertation analysing project management methodologies used within IT projects.

Which knowledge/skills acquired on your course do you use the most often?
Throughout my day to day job I use my project management experience and general Microsoft Office skills. Microsoft Office skills help me in every stage of work every day. 

Any advice or tips that you would like to pass on to new students?
Live in halls for the first year – it is definitely worth it as you’ll meet so many new friends and enjoy the first year nights out before the hard work starts. Definitely take a placement year if it is an option as it increases your chances of getting a job after university. Manage your time wisely during your final year as every hour is precious.

Richard Grogut

2005 graduate, now working as IT director for Eli Lilly

Richard graduated with a first class BSc (Honours) in Business Information Systems in 2005.

What made you choose Sheffield Hallam University?
The University offered a number of computing degrees and one resonated strongly with me – business information systems! Whilst there were other universities offering computing degrees, not all offered the year in industry. Also, the lecturers and staff I met when I visited the University gave me confidence that they knew the industry very well, they were either working and tutoring part-time, or had a lot of industry knowledge from previous careers.

If and how did Sheffield Hallam University meet your expectations.
University exceeded my expectations. I found that the more I put into the experience, the more I got out of it. I switched from a science background at 'A' level, before I made the move to business information systems I was going to study biology! I had a point to prove, worked hard, and the rest is history.

What were the facilities like when you studied at Sheffield Hallam University?
The facilities were excellent. A lot of the buildings were new or were being built. Many of them were purpose-built computer labs with new equipment. The library is also a modern building with plenty of space to work and plenty of resources.

What did you find most challenging about your course?
The final year. This was a culmination of an eagerness to get back to work having had a great year out, and raising the bar again to strive for a first! The reward was worth the effort.

Which subjects did you enjoy the most and why?
Business modeling for emerging technology, business appraisal and infopreneurship, and business strategy were the modules I enjoyed the most.

What role did Sheffield Hallam University play in helping you find a job?
The placement office at Sheffield Hallam is great. There are dedicated staff on hand to advise you on your CV, interviewing, and most importantly they have good, long-standing relationships with companies that can help you make the most of the opportunities. My placement led directly to my job after graduating as I gained a place on the graduate scheme at Lilly.

Tell us a little about your job.
I am currently IT director within our Global Commercial Operations organisation, which is responsible for the global roll-out of our Cloud-based CRM system and the supporting data and reporting systems.

I manage a number of teams which are responsible for the implementation of a Salesforce.com CRM solution in America, Europe, Asia, Japan, China and South America, the foundational data systems that support the implementation and use of the system, the analytics for customer operations and sales, as well as the release strategy. I have had six different roles since leaving university, all for Lilly, progressing from business integrator, project manager, programme manager, IT manager, through to IT director accountable for delivery.

Could you have got the job without your degree?
Not only would I not have got my job without my degree, I would not have progressed as quickly as I have. I'm really lucky in that my work has been so closely related to my degree, I often refer back to a skill or methodology I have learnt at uni. 

Which of the topics that you studied were most relevant to your job?
Business appraisal and infopreneurship and business modelling for emerging technology are probably the most relevant to my job. Project management, from a practical perspective, has been very useful too.

Which knowledge/skills acquired on your course do you use the most often?
Team work, time management, project management, presentations, influence and negotiation are probably the skills I use most often that I developed or matured during my time at university. 

Any advice or tips that you would like to pass on to new students?
University is a great experience on many fronts, whether it's learning new technology, making new friends, gaining new experiences, or preparing yourself for the future – make the most of it!

BIS team building event

Starting university can be exciting and daunting in equal measures. One way of helping new students form friendships and to settle in is to hold a team building event. The last two years have seen first year students from BSc(Hons) Business Information Systems (BIS) benefiting from a visit to the Army in their first few weeks to undertake leadership and team building activities. This year we decided to do something different.

In their second week BIS first years were asked to meet outside Cantor Building for a 9:30am departure to a mystery location. Some had assumed they were going to visit the Army like previous cohorts, others suspected a long walk in the Peak District but no one guessed they would be taken to one of Sheffield's indoor climbing centre's to have a go at bouldering. 

The aim of the event was to provide a chance to do something challenging that would help bond the group. One student who felt it did all of this was David Wood. 'Going rock climbing was fun and challenging. It made me think about having an ambition, working in a team and enjoying the feeling of accomplishment when you succeeded in getting to the top.'

Other students have since made the connection between the team bonds that were forged during this event and working on group assignments in their first semester. Group work is a big part of the BIS course as it prepares you for working in teams and ultimately leading project teams as a project manager.

Course leader Mike Heselton was pleased that the students had such an unusual and fun welcome to the course and to Sheffield. 'Sheffield, because of its proximity to the Peak District, is a real national centre for climbers and we are blessed with four excellent indoor climbing or bouldering walls. What better way to welcome the first years to Sheffield than with a taste of climbing?'

Ben Brewster

Vesuvius

Location     Barlborough / Chesterfield / Tamworth
Date           4 July 2011 – 31 August 2012
Salary         £12,800 per year (£15,000 in total for the 14 months)
Job Title      IT specialist, applications and networks

`My role within Vesuvius was to provide first level IT support within the UK and Sweden. I was responsible for managing IT applications, hardware and infrastructure to ensure that the business could function on a day to day basis. The placement was very technical and I initially questioned its relevance to business information systems. However, I was soon able to see how my placement was helping me to appreciate how different aspects of IT systems were used by different areas and levels of the organisation. In the event of disaster it was my responsibility to manage and contribute to problem resolution. If I was unable to resolve an issue myself I was tasked with communicating the problems to third parties and global specialists to resolve, at the same time as communicating with site management and key users to ensure that the impact on the business was kept to a minimum.  

`The placement has helped develop my technical skills and my appreciation of how different hardware and software is used to support key business processes. I have gained first-hand experience of seeing how applications are used in the manufacturing, finance, customer services and management environments and how they all feed into international ERP systems which keep the business functioning day to day. I have learnt how to manage and troubleshoot a wide variety of problems which can arise from a broad variety of hardware and software components. This has included client applications like Lotus Notes, MS Office and native Windows applications to servers crashing and physical hardware faults with backup devices, laptops, desktop PC’s and thin client terminals. In addition to the technical and problem solving skills I have developed, I have also advanced my communication and organisational skills. I have gained confidence and an appreciation of how to converse and interact with users from all levels of the organisation and with a varying level of technical literacy.  I have learnt how to prioritise my work and how to re-organise and react to critical incidents so that I always make the best use of my time.

`As the only student working within Vesuvius IT infrastructure I was trusted with a lot of responsibility and treated as just another member of the team. I was able to travel around the country regularly to meet new people and approach a wide variety of problems and tasks.'

Carl Readman

Perkins Engines (Caterpillar subsidiary)

Location            Peterborough
Date                   4 July 2011 - 27 July 2012
Salary                £15,500
Job Title            Business Analyst

`I got the placement by completing an online application. I received a call to say that my application had been accepted and that I was to attend an interview, which turned out to be an assessment centre.

`I worked in the Global purchasing department. The team I worked in was responsible for buying engine parts for Caterpillar subsidiaries across the world. This meant negotiating deals with suppliers across the globe to get the best deal possible for the company and ensuring that the organisation always had a steady flow of parts coming in when needed. 

There were two key parts to my job
• creating reports on products, companies, trends to help aide the team with decision making
• analysing businesses using methods learned on the Business Information Systems degree such as porters 5 forces and SWOT analysis

`The biggest thing the placement gave me was a taste of business life. It's hard to understand how a global organisation works without being a part of one. Working in a team where people show determination and drive to make sure they hit their goals and work towards promotions has made me more determined to have a career in business. I've also gained a lot of personal skills such as timekeeping, communication skills, financial responsibility, working more effectively within a group, motivation as well as maturing as a person.

`Perkins are very eager to encourage their employees to get involved with the local community and volunteer whenever possible. This gave me lots of opportunities to have a more interesting placement. One of the activities I got involved in was Lego league which is a robotics program for 9 -16 year olds. I visited a primary school once a week to support children who wanted to program Lego robots to complete a set number of tasks. After this support period the schools then all competed against each other to complete as many tasks as possible in a set time. My team won the tournament meaning we got to take our school to the national finals in Loughborough.

`A placement at Perkins will give you many great opportunities and you will have a great team of colleagues around you to help whenever you need it.'

Luke Frost

Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humberside NHS

Location          Rotherham   
Date                July 2011 - July 2012
Salary              £14,300
Job title            RDaSH technical support officer

`Rotherham Doncaster and South Humberside NHS Trust is a large organisation with thousands of employees and over 100,000 service users. It provides IT services to the NHS, primary care trusts, prisons and South Yorkshire Police.

`Working for the NHS gave me an excellent insight into the problems that ICT can cause, the effect on peoples working lives, and what I can do as a professional to stop this from happening. I want a career as a project manager. However my placement gave me a fundamental understanding of how the back end of ICT works and without this I would have no idea how these systems come together to give a business the leading edge.

`I was given the Blackberry and IPad projects to run and maintain. I had to write official documentation, speak to CEO’s, directors and CFO’s to deploy these devices into an NHS organisation. My placement was split into two parts for the first nine months I worked in Networking. This gave me exposure to Cisco infrastructure and Areohive wireless networking systems as well as IP telephony maintenance and management.

`I performed device management for I0S (Apple), Blackberry, Android and Windows mobile and ran a project to rollout iPads throughout the organisation. The last three months was spent in Infrastructure. I did trouble shooting for Windows OS and Dell hardware. These were the everyday tools that enabled colleagues to deliver strong health care, which is the core of what the NHS does.'

Claire Saunders

Eli Lilly

Location            Basingstoke
Date                  4 July 2011 – 20 July 2012
Salary                £16,500
Job title             Business integrator 

`The key part of my job was to support all the UK payroll systems.  I also implemented an epayslip system for all UK employees so that payslips were no longer on paper. I organised my team’s quality action plan so that we were at an audit ready status and the new systems could go live within the deadlines. I've worked on many different things including system requirements and validations, redesigning and managing new SharePoint collaboration sites and being an Outlook ambassador where I provided on site support to all employees in two of the three UK sites.

`I have been able to work in many different roles at Eli Lilly and the degree I am doing has helped me learn how to manage a project. I also learnt SQL in my second year which I used on the payroll databases.

`I have learnt how a successful and global business operates and how to portray myself to customers and other business partners, how to lead a team in a professional work environment and I have also improved my technical skills and system knowledge.

`The best part of my placement was the actual responsibility I was given. It was a real job and I was not treated as a student but as an employee. This gave me confidence to be able to speak up in meetings and examples of work place experiences that I can talk about in real work opportunity that I can use effectively in future interviews.

`Lilly was not just about work. I joined the sports and social club where I got involved in Zumbra and Pilates classes and there was always an event to go to. For example music concerts, plays in London, go karting, ice skating and nights out. This helped me to meet other people in the company that I would otherwise not have meet.'

James Middleton

TNT Express ICS

Location                     Atherstone, Warwickshire
Date                           18 July 2011 – 20 July 2012
Salary                         £12,500 (£1,000 bonus with final month)
Job title                      Data storage analyst

`It took me a while to get my head around what my role actually was at TNT but after a few weeks I picked it up. My department is responsible for backing up data from servers all around the world. The data we back up can be anything from employee details, financial information, or even applications that different departments use worldwide. We back all the data up to our storage centre in Atherstone which we monitor and this data is also replicated to a third party company which we employ in London and Coventry. If there ever was a disaster that wiped out all the data in Atherstone, we would be able to recover it from both of our locations in London and Coventry.

`TNT is a global company  that requires a lot of customer information as they deliver packages and letters each day. It is crucial that there is as little downtime of the system as possible. This is why we have disaster recovery tests three times a year which I was lucky enough to be involved with. These tests are used to make sure everyone is up to date with company procedure and in a disaster situation we would be able to recover the data not only correctly, but efficiently. On a day to day basis I would make sure that backups ran successfully in all the areas we support around the world. It would be my responsibility to find out why backups were not working and problem solve until the backups were back working.

`The best thing about Business Information Systems (BIS) is that it is wide open in terms of what the course covers. Some people could say that this course did not suit the role that I had as we do not cover data storage management in depth. However, the tools and skills that I was using within my role I have developed whilst at University and in my modules. For example, I used some of the programming skills that I learnt in my first year to develop some scripts for one of the robots in one of our tape libraries. I used a lot of soft skills that I had developed too such as my organisational and communication skills. I went into this role knowing that it was not something I would pick up straight away but with the knowledge I had gained from BIS I was able to apply them to certain aspects of the job and gain knowledge of what the role was.

`I gained so much knowledge whilst on my placement. I have learnt new skills in new programmes and developed my soft skills by going on company soft skills training. I have met new friends and worked with some really intelligent people that I have learnt a great deal from. I have gained independence as I spent the majority of my time at TNT living on my own in Atherstone. The most important thing I have gained from this placement is experience of working in global company. Not a lot of people will have this experience. I have witnessed the company make global changes and seen how this happens on a daily basis. I have been involved in a global merger, as TNT Express ICS has been bought by UPS and they begun their transition whilst I was still working there. It was really interesting to see how large companies work on a daily basis and meet people from all over the world.

`The hardest part of my placement was adjusting to office life and managing my time effectively. It was also hard to manage my work load at first. This was due to me being new to the job and taking some time to get used to what I would be doing on a daily basis. As time went by I was able to manage my work really well. If I had a lot on and my manager asked me to do a certain job, I was able to explain to him that I was really busy and we would discuss how important the job was and if I could delay certain tasks in order to complete his request. He really appreciated how I was honest with him about my work load and I think it is really important to be honest straight away. It could be really stressful if you try to keep everyone happy and take work on that you know you cannot complete in time.

`Overall, I really enjoyed my time at TNT and met a lot of interesting people that I will definitely keep in touch with. In most of the placements the companies take on more than one placement student so you will not be there on your own. I met a lot of students from all over the country and this meant that I had someone my own age, with similar interests, to talk to.'

Kayleigh Johnson

Airbus

Location            Broughton
Date                  July 2011 - September 2012
Salary                £14,500 
Job title             Business Integrator   

`Before I went on placement I had a lack of confidence which I felt hindered me in getting a placement. I applied to lots of companies and was asked to attend numerous interviews. I received encouraging feedback from them all but the one thing that kept coming up was that I looked nervous. My only way to overcome this was to keep pushing myself to attend as many interviews as possible. I was rewarded in April 2011 with an excellent placement opportunity at Airbus.

`I was based at Broughton, near Chester, in the UK Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS) Department. Airbus is part of a EADS, a European company, and
I spent my first week in Toulouse on a team building exercise where I was able to meet the HRIS French, German, and Spanish teams. I thought this was an amazing experience.

`My initial role was to support the project management office activities for the Time project. The aim of the Time project was to deploy an HR tool across the whole of EADS. This project had already been running for about a year when I joined and was at the pilot stage in one of the business areas. It involved lots of reporting, training of people on the shop floor and creating my own Time tool for the apprentices as they were unable to use the original one. It was a really good experience. I was able to enhance my technical skills as well as my soft skills and my confidence has grown immensely as a result of the presentations I undertook. 

`There were some real bonuses as well, I attended the opening of the new northern factory by David Cameron and also met Kris Akabusi when he came to give a motivational speech to the HR department.

`In my final week I was able to go back to Toulouse to celebrate the success of the Time project. The celebration included tours or the region and wine tasting. This was the perfect end to my placement and I am very grateful for the experience.'

Peter Arnott

Royal Mail

Location             Rowland Hill House
Date                   20 September 2011 – 30 August 2012
Salary                 £16,500 + bonuses
Job title              Data readiness lead

`I had applied for a few placements before this one and had been successful in securing an interview in the majority however I was very specific about the experience I wanted to gain from my placement, as I aspire to be an IT project manager.

`Throughout my placement application process I received a great deal of individual support and group advice from, not only the Professional Experience and Employment Unit (PEEU) office, but from lecturers and fellow students. This support increased my confidence and enabled me to perform to the best of my ability.

`When I arrived for my interview I was welcomed into the building by my ‘now’ line manager and taken to the interview room. They were friendly and welcoming, putting me at ease, giving me time to think and organise my thoughts before I answered. I was then offered a job on the project the following week.

`Throughout my placement I had to work to aggressive pre-set deadlines, communicating efficiently and accurately across the project hierarchy.

'My role was to
• plan and implement the training needed to complete the data collection process
• report on its progress to the project's stakeholders
• identify potential risks or threats to the project and plan,design and co-ordinate contingency plans
•  validate data quality and guarantee the overall success of the data collection process.

`Working on this project has taught me how to implement a contingency plan efficiently and effectively, whilst tracking current risks and identifying new risks and threats to the project. I believe this is an invaluable skill, which I will not only take forward in to my future career, but use in the final year when planning and completing assignments.

`I thoroughly enjoyed my placement. It has given me the experience and business insight to identify and practise the skills I have learnt in my degree in a live company where my decisions impacted on all the aspects of the company.'

Rebecca Murray

Intel

Location        Swindon
Date               July 2011 – August 2012
Salary            £14,500, plus bonuses.
Job title          IT Business analyst

`My job mainly consisted of communicating with business users to understand IT requirements, communicating these requirements to technical development teams and developing business processes.

`The main thing I got out of my placement was confidence! I was required to communicate with various stakeholders, and present to many different audiences which greatly improved my knowledge and ability to communicate effectively.

`I enjoyed working as a team with business professionals who treated me with the same respect as experienced members of the team, as well as being given real responsibilities and having complete ownership of projects.

`There are typically 60 interns every year so there is also a great student social scene. It is inevitable that you will gain a number of valuable friendships over the year!

Rachel Wright

CEVA Logistics

Location                Ashby de la Zouch
Date                      July 2011- July 2012
Salary                    £18,000
Job Title                Business Analyst

`The employability unit within the ACES faculty provides outstanding support for students seeking placement, however it is possible to find your own placement providing there is sufficient and relevant work for you to complete. Having previously worked for CEVA, I submitted a CV and covering letter to their head office, following this I was asked to attend a face-to-face interview at the head office and within a week I was given confirmation of a placement with the Business Development function.

`As a member of the Business Development team my daily activities varied significantly.  I carried out market research for potential customers and developed Microsoft Excel and macro based IT tools for use by the department. My other tasks included data analysis, costing up solutions and creating sales presentations or proposal documents. After discussion with managers about extending my knowledge into other departments, I completed the testing of a new website for the Information Systems department and helped out with the Graduate Assessment centres for the new intake.

`During my time at university I have developed a number of key skills that were transferrable to my role as a Business Analyst. Report writing and presentation skills have all been put into practice during my placement year, producing numerous presentation slides and summarising analysis results in reports for customers, managers and colleagues.

`One of the main modules from my degree that has been applied within my placement is programming and the use of visual basic. Whilst at university this was not one of my favourite modules. However when it came to applying this to real life situations within the workplace I thoroughly enjoyed using visual basic to create macro driven tools. These have saved my team and the company time and money. For example, after an analysis of invoicing for a new high street customer, it was identified that we were invoicing them incorrectly due to manual errors. I developed, in liaison with a commercial manager, an invoice calculator system which saved an hour of work a day and saved the company £30,000 a year.

`I am really pleased I got the chance to do a placement as I gained confidence through being given responsibility within the Business Development team. I built on existing skills and developed new ones, met new people and explored a new area of the country. I also learnt more about a specific industry and how global companies operate in general. It has opened a number of doors for the future.'

James Swift

Eli Lilly

Location          Basingstoke
Date                4 July 2011– 31 August 2012
Salary              £16,500
Job title            Business Integrator, Global CRM CoE

`Eli Lilly is a global pharmaceutical company employing roughly 35,000 people.

` I worked within the Global Customer Relationship Management (CRM) organisation. The goal of the CRM solution is to gain insight into the way Lilly manage their interactions with their customers, the health care professionals. More specifically, I worked within the CRM Centre of Excellence, the top tier of support for the CRM solution, providing business critical support for over 16,000 users across 125 countries.

`During my time on placement, the Global CRM organisation was transferring a customised in-house solution to a new cloud-based solution called Veeva. This provided me with the opportunity to support the implementation of Veeva in America, Australia, China, Europe and Japan. The solution was implemented on many platforms including Blackberry, iPad and Tablet PCs. I also created and improved global business and IT processes, working with key business partners and stakeholders, in order to further improve the efficiency of the business.

`Business Information Systems (BIS) is the perfect course for this type of role where understanding the business, in order to support it from an IT perspective, is key. The BIS degree teaches a wide range of skills which are easily transferable to many roles that encompass aspects of both business and IT.

`Lilly was a great company to work for. I was given lots of responsibility within the first couple of months of my placement. I was asked to work on many interesting and challenging projects which had a real impact on the success of the CRM organisation and on the business as a whole. I would definitely consider working for Lilly as a graduate.

`The technical skills taught at university are a great foundation for a successful career, but it's important to build personal and professional skills too. I don't think this is possible to simulate at university, which is why a course with a placement year in industry gives you a huge advantage over other graduates when competing for jobs.

`Lilly generally employ around 30 students each year across a number of disciplines which makes for a great atmosphere in the office. There is also a 'Lilly Sports and Social Club' which regularly arranges events such as nights out, go-karting, sporting events and the famous Lilly Summer Football Championship.'

Dr Jacob Habgood

Senior Lecturer in Games Development

My background is in the games industry working as a programmer and project-manager for Gremlin, Infogrames and Sumo-Digital over a period of 14 years. During this time I worked on over a dozen published games for the PlayStation 1 and 2, XBox, Gamecube and DS.

I teach mainly on the third and fourth years of the game software development degrees in game-specific subjects relating to 3D graphics programming and console game development (all using C++). I'm also the author of a series of books on hobbyist game development using Game Maker, which I use in my teaching to explore game design concepts.

I am studio manager of the Steel Minions Game Studio based in Sheffield Hallam's Science Park. The studio is an official PlayStation minis developer and provides a commercially licensed environment in which students can bring games to market through the PlayStation Network (PSN). The studio currently has a couple of PSP titles in development, including a reworking of the classic 90's game Zool, which was originally created in Sheffield.

I have a PhD in game-based-learning and I conduct research into the effective integration of digital games and learning content. This research was originally presented at the International Game Developers Conference in San Francisco and has recently been published in the Journal of the Learning Sciences. I have also written various articles for Gamasutra and Develop magazine.

Graham Coyne

Senior lecturer

I teach on five modules - computer technology for business; ICT infrastructure, information systems, information systems methods and organisations, and web-based information systems.

My academic background is in physics and computing. I mainly worked in the area of information systems for the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK and Eire in roles covering the whole of the software development life cycle. The NHS is a rich, complex and interesting domain which is often underestimated by suppliers of information systems.

For the last ten years or so I have been teaching mostly undergraduates at Sheffield Hallam, on courses covering information systems, analysis and design, computing fundamentals, and communications in a business and organisational context.

I hope that the internet and other emerging technologies may be used to promote an inclusive and healthy society.

Nick Williams

Senior lecturer in enterprise and strategic management

I teach on the supporting entrepreneurial ventures module taken by BSc Business and ICT, BSc IT with Business Studies and BSc IT Management students.

Before joining Sheffield Hallam University I worked as a researcher, completing research and evaluation projects for central, regional and local government bodies as well as the private sector. My work included evaluations of enterprise policy (including cultural aspects such as enterprise education), business support and cluster strategy.

My interests are in entrepreneurship, competition and economic development. I am currently working on a number of research projects, mainly related to entrepreneurship in uncompetitive regions and in deprived urban neighbourhoods.

Ann Norton

Subject leader, strategic management

I teach on the BA Business Studies, BSc Business and ICT and BSc IT with Business Studies courses.

The first part of my career was spent working for a major UK bank, primarily in the area of marketing. After 11 years in banking I moved on to work for a research and consultancy company, undertaking research for European financial service institutions.

In 1992 I joined Sheffield Hallam as a senior lecturer and course leader for the MBA Financial Services, and later as programme leader for the European MBA. I became a principal lecturer in 2002, taking on the role of subject leader for the strategic management subject group. My teaching is primarily in the field of strategic management, organisational change and strategic human resource management, delivering on postgraduate, undergraduate and professional programmes.

My expertise and research interest is in the contribution and relationship of human resources (HR) strategy with business strategy, and the impact on organisational performance. I have co-authored a number of text books on organisations and management, and have undertaken consultancy work on the design and implementation of HR strategy, policies and practices, both for blue chip companies and small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

In addition to my University roles, I work for a number of professional bodies including the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, the Charted Institute of Bankers, the Institute of Directors and the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators.

Peter Mulvihill

Senior lecturer

I teach on the managing business finance and supporting entrepreneurial ventures modules taken by BSc Business and ICT, BSc IT with Business Studies and BSc IT Management students.

After studying for a BA (Hons) in Business Studies at Nottingham Trent, I went on to work in accounting in industry for around five years. I then spent nearly three years as a professional drummer. After this, I returned to study a PGCE in Business and Finance at the Bolton Institute of Higher Education. I then went on to work in further education for the next six years.

I came to Sheffield Hallam in 1990 as a senior lecturer, teaching various accounting modules on professional, degree and higher national courses. I am currently the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) course leader.

My area of expertise is financial accounting, with a particular interest in small businesses. Although I have been involved in some research during my academic career, I am principally a lecturer and teacher.

Graham Coyne

Senior lecturer

I teach on five modules - computer technology for business; ICT infrastructure, information systems, information systems methods and organisations, and web-based information systems.

My academic background is in physics and computing. I mainly worked in the area of information systems for the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK and Eire in roles covering the whole of the software development life cycle. The NHS is a rich, complex and interesting domain which is often underestimated by suppliers of information systems.

For the last ten years or so I have been teaching mostly undergraduates at Sheffield Hallam, on courses covering information systems, analysis and design, computing fundamentals, and communications in a business and organisational context.

I hope that the internet and other emerging technologies may be used to promote an inclusive and healthy society.

Anita Whitworth

Portfolio manager for BSc Business and ICT, IT with Business Studies and BSc IT Management

I am a non-teaching member of staff whose role is to support students in their studies. I have worked at the University for several years supporting students on computing and business and enterprise courses.

After gaining a degree in American studies/history I moved into the travel industry where she gained managerial experience before moving to Sheffield Hallam University in 2004. I have since gained a Masters degree in history from Sheffield Hallam.

My work interests lie in looking at ways of making students' experience at Sheffield Hallam as positive and enjoyable as possible. In order to facilitate this I have undergone training in counselling, coaching and mentoring and helping students with learning difficulties, particularly Aspergers syndrome.

Kiefer Lee

Principal lecturer in marketing

I teach on the marketing planning and management module taken by final year BSc Business and ICT, BSc IT with Business Studies and BSc IT Management students.

I specialise in strategic marketing management, developing market innovations, international/global marketing and strategic alliances. I am currently programme leader for the undergraduate business and management courses. I am also an elected member of the Faculty Academic Board and the Academic Development Committee at the Business School.

As a practitioner, I am a professionally accredited Chartered Marketer, having spent a number of years in project management and business development roles in the healthcare sector, managing international marketing activities for a number of small and medium-sized companies. I am highly committed to publishing and disseminating good practice. I am the lead author of 'Global Marketing Management: Changes, New Challenges and Strategies' published by the Oxford University Press.

I am passionate about learning, teaching and assessment (LTA). I am particularly encouraged by the prospect of taking leadership and making contribution to enhancing LTA, enthusing and motivating others to do the same. I am highly committed to the development and delivery of innovative learning experiences that truly engage students in the process of constructing their own knowledge. I see this as a valuable opportunity to be exposed to the latest thinking in LTA development, and to engage in research-led reflection.

Fiona Hollis

Senior lecturer in management strategy

I teach on six modules - understanding organisations, managing resources, strategic planning, organisation management, work-based learning, and management project.

I originally studied French and Spanish at Sheffield University, and after gaining a Diploma in Education, taught for several years in secondary schools. In 1990, I studied here at Sheffield Hallam and was awarded a Certificate in Management.

I started lecturing at Sheffield Hallam in 1991 and am a member of the strategy group. I am currently module leader for the Level 4 module understanding organisations taken by first year BSc Business and ICT, BSc IT with Business Studies and BSc IT Management students.

Lynne Dawson

Senior lecturer

I have a BSc Mathematics with Computing from the University of Bath (1989), a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Warwick (2005) and am a Chartered Mathematician with the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications.

I teach on the BSc Computing and BSc IT Management routes. I have worked at Sheffield Hallam for ten years and teach across all undergraduate levels. My main area of expertise is IT service management (based around the ITIL Framework), and I am certified in ITIL at Foundation and Intermediate level. I also teach topics such as computer technology, and architectures for enterprise applications, as well as being the co-ordinator for final year projects.

My industrial experience includes working as a front-line IT support analyst for a variety of financial institutions in the City of London, and as an IT consultant, specialising in designing and implementing highly available IT solutions for clients such as Vodafone, Transco (British Gas), Telewest, Walkers Crisps, and local governments.

Sue Marriott

Principal lecturer, strategy and enterprise

I teach on the BA Business Studies, BA Business Studies and Enterprise Management, BSc Business, ICT, BSc IT with Business Studies and BSc IT Management courses.

Before joining Sheffield Hallam in 2002, I worked in a number of private and public sector organisations. Originally a civil servant in the Department of Employment, I worked on the Enterprise Allowance Scheme and on Business Growth Training Programmes monitoring the progress of small businesses. I then joined a private sector organisation that offered training for start-up businesses and also engaged in consultancy work in the public and private sectors.

Returning to the public sector in 1993, I worked for Sheffield Training and Enterprise Council managing their development team. This involved designing, piloting, and securing funding for a range of initiatives designed to encourage • enterprise in small businesses, and • individuals to engage in lifelong learning. From there I moved to Business Link South Yorkshire, developing a range of services for business start-ups.

My current interests are still firmly in the enterprise field, mainly focused on individual and organisational competitiveness, but I also have an interest in business ethics.

Dr John Bunning

Principal lecturer and placement tutor for BSc Business and ICT, IT with Business Studies and IT Management

After studying for a BSc at King's College, University of London, I obtained a teaching qualification and then worked in a secondary school for three years, before studying for a PhD at Leeds University. Following this, I worked as a post-doctoral research assistant at the Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, and after a short spell of teaching in further education, obtained a lecturing post at Nottingham Trent Polytechnic.

I came to Sheffield Hallam in 1989 and have been involved with degrees in the business and enterprise area for many years, particularly teaching the practical elements of the courses, along with year tutor duties, overseeing placement selection and visiting students on their industrial placements. In addition to these activities, I am the quality enhancement coordinator for the Department of Computing.

My areas of expertise lie in physics education and materials teaching. Research interests are in the field of liquid crystals, particularly their structural and physical properties. I have carried out research resulting in many publications and supervised and examined PhD students in this subject area over many years.

Dr Peter O’Neill

Associate lecturer and acting module leader for programming for computing

I joined Sheffield Hallam University in 2008 as an associate lecturer in Visual Basic to first year undergraduates. In 2009 I extended my role and became the acting module leader for programming for computing, as well as supervising undergraduates with their final year BSc projects and postgraduates with their MSc projects.

In addition, I work at Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Sheffield and I also run my own company called Madhouse Software Productions Ltd, developing software applications in the domain of electronic assistive technology (EAT), for the elderly and disabled, the research areas I obtained my PhD.

Prior to the above employment, I worked for the Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering Department at Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, undertaking research in the enhancement of the prescription of integrated EAT (IEAT). For example, communication aids (speaking on behalf of the users), environmental controls (turning the television, lights etc., on and off in the users home) and mobility (driving an electric wheelchair), all of which were controlled by a single personal computer. During this time I also lectured at Barnsley College, teaching students to program in C / C++.

My main area of interest and focus is single switch-based EAT) That is the creation of software applications, to improve the prescription of assistive technology (AT) and the use of these technologies, to enhance the user's quality of life.

Steve Brierley

Senior lecturer and first year tutor for BSc Business and ICT, IT with Business Studies and IT Management

I teach on the information systems and ICT infrastructure modules.

I graduated from Sheffield University in electronic engineering in 1970 then took a Masters course in control systems. Following this, I worked in the steel industry for 26 years, and then ended up as the IT manager for the Stainless Division before leaving in 2000. I have extensive experience in management and technology.

I joined Sheffield Hallam in 2001 as an associate lecturer, and latterly as a full-time lecturer. My areas of expertise are knowledge management, business applications architecture, data modelling, information systems, online learning and database design.

Mike Heselton

Senior lecturer and admissions tutor

Mike is a senior lecturer in information systems, and is also an admissions tutor.

Mike joined Sheffield Hallam University in 2003 and has worked on final year undergraduate modules of the business information systems (BIS) degree and postgraduate modules in IT project management.

His specialist area is project management and he spent 13 years as a senior project manager in large organisations such as British Steel, Cap Gemini and Royal Mail. The bulk of his time was spent managing large, complex projects that were often multinational and with multi-million pound budgets.

Outside the University Mike sits on the Information Systems Examination Board (ISEB) panel for IT project management and is also an examiner for project management on the British Computer Society's Professional Diploma. As an approved membership assessor he is involved in process of awarding CITP recognition to those applying to become chartered IT practitioners.

Mike is passionate about the role of BIS in preparing young people for careers as managers within the IT departments of large organisations. He has led a programme of promoting BIS to schools and colleges and works with employers to help shape improvements to the BIS degree.

Bob Steele

Principal Lecturer

I have a long teaching and research career at Sheffield Hallam, working in the areas of concurrent processes, human computer interaction, multi-media systems and, more latterly, interaction design in computer games.

Together with Paul Parry, I have led the development of the MSc Game Software Development courses and has taken an active role in establishing working relationships with games companies and the regional trade association, Game Republic. I took the lead in the creation of the Academic Game Network as an academic arm of Game Republic, with the aim of creating more formal academic/company relationships in the region. I also developed the initial proposal for a national accreditation scheme for computer games courses and undertook the research and development work on behalf of Skillset for the creation of the accreditation criteria.

I have acted as external academic adviser on validation panels for computer games courses at several UK Universities, including Abertay, Portsmouth, Coventry, UCLAN and Hull. I am an external examiner at the Universities of Coventry and Lancaster.

In 2010 I instigated the proposal for the creation of the Steel Minions studio and negotiated with the University on its establishment.

I continue to deliver teaching in the areas of interaction design and approaches to games design. I have a particular interest in the development of innovation in teaching involving getting programming and arts students to collaborate on joint project work.

Paul Henderson

Senior lecturer

My main teaching areas are project management, system design, and database implementation (Microsoft Access)

I teach preparatory year, first year and second year students, both foundation degree and named degree. I am interested in the analysis and design processes that lead to database implementation and am keen to show students the usefulness of Microsoft Access.

I worked for many years in various roles in the computer industry and try to use that experience in my teaching, where appropriate.

Dr Simon Clark

Head of Business and Enterprise Group

I teach on the BSc Business and ICT, BSc IT with Business Studies and BSc IT Management courses.

After studying for a BSc at Reading University, I worked for several years as a product manager for a research company specialising in the development of communication technologies. I subsequently studied for a PhD at Cardiff University and then went on to be a research fellow at Barcelona University.

I came to Sheffield Hallam in 1994 as a senior and later principal lecturer. I currently lead the business and enterprise group.

My areas of expertise lie in the fundamental principles that underpin ICT and its strategic application to business, combined with the development of enterprise teaching and learning (see http://venturematrix.shu.ac.uk/). My research interests lie in nanotechnology, focused on developing the next generation of satellite, mobile communication and display systems.

I have authored over 60 research articles, supervised many PhD students and carried out research with a number of European universities, and telecoms, communications and automotive organisations in Germany, Japan, Taiwan, Korea and China.

Pascale Vacher

Course leader for BSc/MComp Games Software Development

My interest and expertise lie in the field of programming, including object oriented design as well as implementation and programming for games. I specialise in teaching programming, especially C++ and DirectX, to students on all years of the game software development and software engineering courses, at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

As the course leader for the game software development undergraduate degrees, I am the main academic contact for students on these courses. I am involved in teaching students from their first week, to the day they graduate and mentor them throughout the course. Whenever possible I aim to facilitate communication between groups of students across years and related courses and between students and staff teaching on the course.

I organise extra curriculum events such as industrial visits, student competitions and professional training courses, including Games Republic, Creative Spark and ADOBE ACA certifications courses (Flash, Dreamweaver). I coordinate activities related to the organisation, development and accreditation of these courses and have successfully led the validation (and subsequent revalidation) of these two courses.

Dr Paul Parry

Subject group leader in business computing

Until very recently I was the postgraduate study area leader in the area of art, design, media and computer games where I was responsible for the strategic planning of postgraduate courses, quality and procedures, resourcing and operational issues. As such I have been instrumental in setting up many of the links between the PG and UG Game Software Development courses.

I deliver core teaching on the games courses in the areas of programming and games, including C++ programming, project management, DirectX and 3D graphics. In my teaching I have promoted the collaboration of students from the disciplines of games programming and digital animation, allowing them to work together on shared projects in an attempt to mirror the way the game industry works.

I have developed working relationships with computer games companies such as Sony Computer Entertainment Europe and Sumo, as well as with the regional computer games company's trade association, Game Republic.

Alongside my teaching and course management responsibilities, I continue to conduct research in the area of computer graphics and software requirements engineering. I have published and presented several refereed conference and journal papers.

Dr Peter Collingwood

Subject group leader in software engineering, graphics and multimedia

I have had a long academic career at Sheffield Hallam University, during which I have used my background in mathematics and control theory to underpin my lecturing and research activities in the areas of distributed computer systems and the behaviour of multiprocessor systems, mobile robotics, intelligent agents and genetic programming.

My main teaching input on the course is on programming (especially scripting languages such ActionScript and Python) and the technology of distributed systems for online gaming.

I currently occupy a senior role in the academic structures within the faculty of ACES, being the subject leader for the software engineering, graphics and multimedia group.

I was engaged as an external examiner for games courses at the University of Lincoln (Computing & Games related BSc/BA modules) and the University of Teeside (MSc/MA Games & Animation) and have also acted as an external moderator for the BSc/MComp in Computer Games Production at the University of Lincoln, and BSc in Games Application Development at the University of Abertay.

Dr Andrew Hirst

Senior lecturer in enterprise and business development

I teach on three modules - new venture creation, managing a growing business, and supporting entrepreneurial ventures (taken by BSc Business and ICT, BSc IT with Business Studies and BSc IT Management students).

I gained a PhD from Loughborough University in marketing research. I specialised in multivariate data analysis which include techniques such as conjoint analysis, regression/discriminant analysis, factor/cluster analysis and was a post-doctoral researcher in relationship management and new product development.

My academic career has so far resulted in publications in prestigious marketing journals and conference proceedings, such as European Journal of Marketing, Marketing Letters and the proceedings of the European Marketing Academy. I have practical research experience in marketing research and this work included focus group, interviews, data analysis, eye tracking studies, location planning and forecasting.

I also have a blue chip career background working at companies such as British Aerospace, Experian, Tesco, Gala Group, IDmagasin and Business Link. I have worked with over 200 SMEs and been a consultant to a range of market sectors that involved project working for Coca Cola, Warburton's, KwikSave, TSB, Orange Telecomms, and major banks.

Dr Rod Apps

Principal lecturer

I teach on the BA Business Studies, BSc Business and ICT, BSc IT with Business Studies and BSc IT Management courses.

After completing degrees in economics, I undertook research and teaching in economics at the Universities of Durham and Manchester. Since joining Sheffield Hallam, I have emphasised teaching in the areas of business strategy and financial services. I teach on a range of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, and additionally supervise dissertations on many of these courses.

Most of my career has been within academic institutions, including periods in Switzerland and (more recently) in China. My research interests are in the areas of the strategy formation processes within organisations, and the development of the fund management industry.