In-company student projects

In-company projects

A Vlerick in-company project offers your company the opportunity to carry out a strategic or a significant operational project that you might not normally be able to resource. For Vlerick MBA and Masters students, the project constitutes the important final stage of their studies in general, marketing or financial management. Through the project, your company can capitalise on the knowledge, skills and experience our students have acquired during their studies at our School (and prior to their Vlerick programme as well).

What

A team of Vlerick students analyses a specific business or strategic issue that your company is facing. The students then develop and present a practical solution, ready for implementation. Projects can be in any functional domain of management, including marketing, supply chain, finance, HR, strategy, ICT, and so on.

The deadline for submission is 15 March 2010.

Vlerick in-company projects largely fall into 4 broad categories:

Market research project:	Specific market research, comprising an analytical phase (research) and an action phase (specific recommendations) Timing: March-June (16 weeks) Team of 3 students (**) Fee: € 9,300 (*)
Marketing audit project:	Detailed analysis of a company’s entire marketing policy (including marketing environment, strategy, organisation and interfaces, systems, productivity and all marketing functions). Timing: March-May (12 weeks) Team of 6 students Fee: € 2,500 (*)
Financial or financial control project:	A financial or management control issue, such as a valuation, activity-based costing, investment analysis,  setup of reporting structure, total cost of ownership. Timing: May-June (8 weeks) Team of 3 students (**) Fee: € 9,300 (*)
General management project:	Any business issue related to company strategy, change management, HRM, business plan, operations, supply chain, etc Timing: May-June (8 weeks) Team of 3 students (**) Fee: € 9,300 (*)

(*) Prices are exclusive of VAT (21%). Please note that the company must also provide the students with the office space and computer facilities required during the project. Additional expenses that are directly related to the project (such as travel, and accommodation in case of travel abroad) must also be covered by the company.

(**) If the scope of the project is limited, the student team may be comprised of 2 students instead of 3, and the fee would be € 6,200.

Why hire our MBA or Masters students?

1. Immediate value to your company

As part of the assignment, our students must document their analysis and findings in a full report, with methodology, analysis and solution(s) clearly presented for implementation in your company. The project concludes with an oral presentation and defence of the solution, which your company is asked to critically evaluate for its usability and value to your company.

2. Academic support and guidance

Throughout the duration of the project, our students have the support and guidance of a coaching team, consisting of a senior representative from your company and a specialist member of the Vlerick faculty.

3. Excellence through teamwork

Your project is assigned to a particular team of students that is specially composed to draw maximum benefit from their educational and personal backgrounds and any past work experience. Our students all have solid university backgrounds (in a variety of fields – engineering, law, economics, etc.) and they represent over 30 different countries, cultures and languages.

4. Access to new high-calibre recruits

By interacting directly with our students, you get a chance to assess their abilities, personalities and skills - which is an excellent way to discover new high-potential recruits for your working environment.

5. Full confidentiality

As many projects involve access to confidential data, we guarantee complete client confidentiality. Each student signs a non-disclosure agreement at the end of the project; at the end of the project, all documents are returned to you company. One copy of the management report is archived in the School for legal purposes.

A few examples

A few examples of recently finished projects:

• Assessment of the European inventory management policy of a multinational
• Defining actionable target groups for a bank
• Strategic alignment of customer segment focus in an international service organisation
• Operational audit, focusing on plant lay-out and production processes, to improve efficiency and reduce costs.
• Net profitability insights for designing an activity-based costing system
• Market research, feasibility study, and action plan for the launching of a new product
• Assessing market potential in the nano- and biomaterials market
• Business plan for an Internet start-up
• Audit of a foreign branch in an international group. Examination of financial, commercial and production data.
• Business plan for the establishment of a joint venture.
• Investment analysis of a medium-sized business
• Service-led re-engineering applied to an international life insurance company

A few of the companies that have appealed to our participants in the past:

ABB, Alcatel, Amnesty International, Ahrend Repro, AXA Insurance, Barco, Belgacom, Brabo, B-Rail, Daiken Europe, Danone, DHL, eBay, Ecover, Eli Lilly, Ernst & Young, Fortis Bank, Glaxo Smithkline Biologicals, Honeywell, Industex South Africa, ING Insurance, InBev, Johnson & Johnson, Katoen Natie, KBC, Kinepolis Group, KLM, Lannoo, Kraft Foods, MD Careernet Boston, Master Card Europe, Mercator-Noordstar, Monsanto, Opel France, Pharma Consulting & Industries, Philips, Procter & Gamble, Samsonite, Schering Plough, Shell, Siemens, SN Brussels Airlines, Sony, Tabacofina Vanderrelst, Telindus, Tractebel Global LNG, Toyota, Tupperware, UCB, Whirlpool, and many others.