Brief Encounter: The use of consultancy projects to enhance the learning experience of postgraduate Marketing students

There has been a trend towards embedding management practice into curricula and this is sometimes reflected in dissertations being replaced by consultancy projects. Consultancy projects allow students to meet instrumental aims... [ view full abstract ]

There has been a trend towards embedding management practice into curricula and this is sometimes reflected in dissertations being replaced by consultancy projects. Consultancy projects allow students to meet instrumental aims (input), bridge the gap between theory and practice (process) and develop skills and knowledge (output). Few studies explore the operation of consultancy projects within postgraduate Marketing education and this study examines client, student and staff perspectives through a series of interviews with clients and students and one staff focus group. We found evidence that organizational type is irrelevant and that instead the brief, staff support, team pre selection by staff are critical to project success. Students gain valuable skills, such as team working, cultural awareness, leadership and business confidence within a longer and more intense experience than that afforded within the classroom. Tensions between intrinsic aims and instrumental aims were not always evident, sometimes described as the theory/practice gap. Indeed, theory was occasionally used to support recommendations. Finally skills gained were reinforced through reflective and literature review assignments. Recommendations related to these findings are detailed in the paper however it must be recognized that the positive outcomes identified were only achievable with constant supervisor monitoring from experienced staff.