14.08.2003
Figures from a survey of Britain's top 100 companies reveal that only one in five of their executive and non-executive directors have technical backgrounds or qualifications. And the figures also show that even the boards of major chemical and pharmaceutical companies are made up of mostly directors with non-technical backgrounds.
These findings are in direct contrast to countries such as Germany, where historically engineers and technicians have a greater representation in senior management.
Motivated by statistics such as these, the University of Brighton's Business School has launched an MSc in Business Process Management aimed at developing the business skills of graduates who already have technical or numerate degrees.
The new course represents a unique development in the UK, and aims to boost the profile of employees with technical backgrounds, giving them greater opportunities to climb the corporate ladder, and make more of an impression in the board room.
Kevin Turner, Principal Lecturer at Brighton Business School says:
"The Business Process Management course is an excellent way for technical graduates to gain a strong business advantage before entering the work place. Unlike an MBA, applicants are not required to have any work experience, so they can enter the programme as soon as they have graduated."
The year long course is split over two semesters and will provide students with a clearer understanding of business processes and strategic thinking by focusing on key areas of business practice including: business processes, operational research, management accounting, electronic commerce, managing people for high performance and supply chain management.
The University of Brighton has recognised that a combination of business knowledge with strong analytical skills will prove a great attraction to potential employers, particularly in industries such as financial services where quantitative and numeric skills are highly sought after.
Kevin Turner continues:
"Business Process Management will provide technical graduates with knowledge in a wide range of business processes. This includes examining the links between systems, technology and people as well as understanding how to deliver value to customers."
"Technical graduates and employees often suffer, because although they excel in their particular fields, they at times lack the understanding of business processes to successfully rise through the corporate ranks. This postgraduate course will go some way to addressing this and hopefully, produce boardroom members of the future."
The MSc in Business Process Management begins in September 2003 and takes on new students annually thereafter. If you are interested in any further details about the degree, including information on future graduates please contact Peter McCullen on 01273-642133 or e-mail p.l.mccullen@brighton.ac.uk.
Contact: Marketing and Communications, University of Brighton, 01273 643022
