BLOG ARTICLE: 17 SEPTEMBER 2015
IS THERE LESS NEED FOR PLACES LIKE MANCHESTER BUSINESS SCHOOL?
Our team at Davenham Trade Finance attend a very interesting evening earlier this week hosted by Manchester Business School, The Sunday Times and PWC. The evening, called “Against the Grain” , featured two very successful entrepreneurs as guest speakers; Peter Hargreaves CBE co-founder of Hargreaves Landsdown and Jim Ratcliffe chairman of global chemicals company Ineos.
It was a fascinating insight to hear both views on how they had built two incredibly successful multi billion pound businesses, and the factors that got them to such a high level of success. With both speakers driven in their own and different ways they took questions from the floor, which came from a mixed audience of fellow businessmen and professionals, in addition to students from the business school. The varied mix of audience members reflected the range of the questions asked, from issues surrounding control and equity dilution to “text book” questioning relating to issues such as digital marketing. Both entrepreneurs had clear views on control, including the risks of allowing others to take control by default, namely debt providers – the banks.
We found the most interesting discussion was one surrounding unquestionably the most important assets of any business - people. The audience were keen to hear how Jim and Peter had built the highest performing teams around them, what advice they could give when it comes to making it as part of a team like that. We suspect some students may have be slightly disappointed to hear both speakers emphasise the need for experience and an inner ability to be a business person, as opposed to having just a business degree. This is a debate that has been ongoing for some time, with more and more young people opting to go straight into work or an apprenticeship and learn on the job, rather than going to university to earn their degree. With a growing number of opportunities available as an alternative to university and business school, such as the ability to ‘earn while you learn’ and to gain hands on industry experience has now become much more popular, with many questioning the need for a degree in comparison to valuable experience.
Peter explained that many of his senior management team had started as school leavers and despite this were some of the best people and team members he had ever come across. Peter went on to question the audience as to why places like Manchester Business School were needed, arguing that you can’t teach experience and how to have entrepreneurial spirit! However, as with everything, there is a balance and as both speakers emphasised, the key is to surround yourself with good and influential people - and that’s a balance of well-educated professionals and people with that entrepreneurial flair and drive.
Whilst unsurprisingly the views evolved into a lively debate, no one can argue the success of the brilliant panel so they must have got something right, with the consensus agreeing that perhaps there was a place for Manchester Business School in the future, with their extensive offering of industry-focused education to over 6,500 students globally and counting.
We would love to hear your thoughts on the degree vs experience debate, especially from students who can give a first-hand insight and opinion, so tweet us @SMETradeFinance with your opinion.
It was a fascinating insight to hear both views on how they had built two incredibly successful multi billion pound businesses, and the factors that got them to such a high level of success. With both speakers driven in their own and different ways they took questions from the floor, which came from a mixed audience of fellow businessmen and professionals, in addition to students from the business school. The varied mix of audience members reflected the range of the questions asked, from issues surrounding control and equity dilution to “text book” questioning relating to issues such as digital marketing. Both entrepreneurs had clear views on control, including the risks of allowing others to take control by default, namely debt providers – the banks.
We found the most interesting discussion was one surrounding unquestionably the most important assets of any business - people. The audience were keen to hear how Jim and Peter had built the highest performing teams around them, what advice they could give when it comes to making it as part of a team like that. We suspect some students may have be slightly disappointed to hear both speakers emphasise the need for experience and an inner ability to be a business person, as opposed to having just a business degree. This is a debate that has been ongoing for some time, with more and more young people opting to go straight into work or an apprenticeship and learn on the job, rather than going to university to earn their degree. With a growing number of opportunities available as an alternative to university and business school, such as the ability to ‘earn while you learn’ and to gain hands on industry experience has now become much more popular, with many questioning the need for a degree in comparison to valuable experience.
Peter explained that many of his senior management team had started as school leavers and despite this were some of the best people and team members he had ever come across. Peter went on to question the audience as to why places like Manchester Business School were needed, arguing that you can’t teach experience and how to have entrepreneurial spirit! However, as with everything, there is a balance and as both speakers emphasised, the key is to surround yourself with good and influential people - and that’s a balance of well-educated professionals and people with that entrepreneurial flair and drive.
Whilst unsurprisingly the views evolved into a lively debate, no one can argue the success of the brilliant panel so they must have got something right, with the consensus agreeing that perhaps there was a place for Manchester Business School in the future, with their extensive offering of industry-focused education to over 6,500 students globally and counting.
We would love to hear your thoughts on the degree vs experience debate, especially from students who can give a first-hand insight and opinion, so tweet us @SMETradeFinance with your opinion.
