A partnership approach in undergraduate business education

1. ABSTRACT In the 21st century, organizations wiIl be faced with an increasingly competitive and uncertain global environment. This environment is one which has already seen unparalleled technological advances in areas such as global communications, and unimaginable political shifts for example, the collapse of Communism. The increased dependence on Information Technology (IT) will require appropriate human resource strategies to develop individuals, who wiII be capable of operating successfully within new organizational structures with reduced management layers and a requirement for teamworking. This paper illustrates how a universityindustry based partnership can develop the required combination of business, IT, organizational and management skills. The partnership revolves around a final year Group Consultancy project, in which students work with an external client on a live problem. In 1995, this activity gained a national award for developing management skills in undergraduate studies.