Interview with Bangor Business School
In our quest to keep you up to date with the latest research in business education, we talk to John Thornton, head of Bangor Business School, about keeping innovation on the curriculum.
How does Bangor Business School keep up to date with the latest innovations in business and management?
The School monitors closely developments in business and management through constant review of relevant media, membership of professional associations, and direct contacts with the business sector.
How is this innovation integrated into your postgraduate and executive education?
The School has a procedure for regularly reviewing the suite of programmes it offers to ensure that they reflect these latest innovations.
How does Bangor Business School seek to best prepare the future business leaders of today?
We constantly monitor new developments in business and management and ensure that these are incorporated into our programmes. Our programmes also reflect the latest academic thinking, much of which stems from the research of our own staff. What’s more, our programmes include significant interaction with private business to give students exposure to real world business problems.
What do you think are the keys to being a successful leader?
To have vision, passion, to have the courage to take decisions, and to be a team builder.
Entrepreneurship is also increasingly important in today’s economic climate; how has this shaped your approach to postgraduate education?
Our programmes reflect the latest academic thinking, they are informed by our own work over many years with local entrepreneurs, they include inputs from leader business thinkers and practitioners, and seek to provide students with opportunities for work experience in an entrepreneurial environment – especially in the SME sector.
How does Bangor support and encourage entrepreneurship?
For many years we have run a very successful suite of programmes for local businesses – especially SMEs – that support and encourage entrepreneurship.
As a School you have a particularly strong reputation for innovative study in banking and finance; what makes your offerings in this field different?
We have researchers in this field that are second to none; our programmes are constantly reviewed to ensure they are relevant and timely; and we have close contacts with official financial institutions, policymakers and private sector institutions that inform our research and the programmes we offer.
Any final words as to what makes Bangor Business School stand out?
We recruit high calibre academics motivated to produce high quality research while delivering a student experience that (according to the latest National Student Survey) matches that of any institution in the UK.
