Impact case study database

AMUL research has informed, and was disseminated through, a suite of postgraduate programmes. Since its inception, the programmes have been delivered to over 800 delegates, and 22 UK organisations, including the following.

• Four of the leading pub-restaurant chains in the UK: Stonegate Group (S01); Greene King (S02); Mitchells and Butlers ; and, Marstons.

• The UK’s largest hotel chain, Premier Inn.

• Builders’ merchants, including the UK’s largest, St Gobain (S03), and cohorts through the Builders Merchant Federation (S04).

• The UK’s largest land-based leisure gaming company, Rank Plc (S05).

• Other fast growing SMEs (including Oakman Inns S06).

Impacts from the cohorts which studied prior to 2014 are still being felt. Indicating the commercial sector’s confidence in the significance of this work, and willingness to pay accordingly, the programme generated income of £775,500 to the Business School over the REF period. Moreover, many clients had commissioned successive cohorts 2014-2020, thereby demonstrating the ongoing value that these companies attached to the unique content of the programmes.

4.1. Managerial Impacts

There are various AMUL models, which have impacted managerial practice. Most significantly, the conceptual ‘Effective MUL Model’ was formulated while researching at the outset of the programme, and published shortly thereafter (R01). It provides an overarching framework for participants in the programmes to enhance their practice and performance within industry (evidenced in 4.2 below). In a 2020 survey of participants (S07):

• 97% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that AMUL’s research was integral to the success of the AMUL programme; and,

• 94% of respondents acknowledged that their day-to-day management practice, as middle managers, continued to be informed by the knowledge and understanding gained from this research.

Respondents also pointed to the support this framework provided in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, benefitting them with the structure it provided. Significantly, 94% of respondents confirmed that their business impact and personal performance had improved as a result of participating in the research-informed AMUL programme (S07). Also, 85% of respondents agreed that attending the programme had enhanced their chances for progression. 57% confirmed that they had been promoted in this REF period, with 93% agreeing that the programme gave them greater levels of aspiration.

Other frameworks were used to good effect by organisations. For example, the three-fold-feedback framework has been adopted by 11 organisations, and 89% reported they used three-fold feedback often. All respondents stated that managers’ feedback had improved, with 77% reporting feedback had improved very much, or considerably ( S08, S09). This attests to the AMUL impacts on management practice.

4.2. Organisational and Sector Impacts

Written testimonials from the service chain clients of the MUL Programme — who commissioned a succession of multi-site manager cohorts from 2014-20 — also support its growth impact on their organisations.

The CEO of Stonegate (S01) stated that, from 2015-2020, the MUL Programme had ‘substantially strengthened the operational middle’ of the organisation (decreasing area manager turnover from 40%, to single figures). It had assisted their £69M to £145M EBITDA growth (growth in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization), which is a 15% compound annual growth rate. This placed Stonegate in a strong position for its subsequent £1.25Bn takeover of the Ei Group, making it the largest pub company in the UK.

The MD of Greene King stated that the Multi-Unit Programmes supported its ‘vital multi-site cohorts’. This enabled his company to outperform their ‘competitive set by up to 2% in like-for-like sales over the period’, adding that ‘without exception, I saw the individuals grow in both expertise and confidence, thinking and acting more strategically’ (S02). The CEO of St Gobain (S04) stated that the programmes had contributed to their ‘relative industry outperformance’ over the duration, with its Head of People Development and Career Management stating that the courses’ impact extended beyond developing staff, to ‘addressing issues vital for the company’, such as digitalisation (S03). In addition, the Chairman of the BMF stated that the programme ‘accelerated the growth ambitions’ of its member firms (S04).

The Chairman of Rank stated that the research-informed post-graduate programmes ensured ‘that we continued to outstrip the competition’ (S05). Also, the Operations Director of Oakman Inns maintained that the MUL Programme ‘greatly assisted the organisation’s growth from 8 to 24 units’ over the period 2015-2020. Furthermore, he added: ‘in my view the MUL Programme has been pivotal in increasing the ‘smarts’ of our multi-site leadership in Oakman Inns … It is the only programme in the UK that is focused on improving the capability and performance of multi-site operators — something that has had a very positive effect on the financial and unit growth of Oakman over the past five years’ (S06).

At a sectoral level, the Founder and MD of Propel, which organises the London Multi-site Leader Masterclasses (attended by hundreds of leisure executives), has attested that the books and industry-related articles produced by AMUL have ‘provided thought leadership at all levels of the (leisure) sector’ and its programmes have had a ‘ripple effect’ as many of the area managers ‘who have graduated from the courses … gravitate to the senior echelons of the UK food and beverage sector’ (S10). This overarching testimonial demonstrates the profound impact from the Academy for MUL on the sector, triangulating the evidence of research impact from participants and senior executives.

Research and ERDF funded interventions have provided SMEs with knowledge and support that improves growth performance. It has had substantial impact in the West Midlands, and the PSP model has been applied in the Alberta District and Calgary (Canada), with 396 SMEs participating ( S01, S02). In Indonesia, we have worked closely with the Institute of Technology Bandung and a Government Ministry to carry out PSP and SME interventions in five regions of the country, involving 351 SMEs ( S03). In the West Midlands, interventions were delivered in partnership with a number of partners identified in section 3.

4.1. Innovation Vouchers and Workshops

The Innovation Vouchers programme offer vouchers and workshops to help SMEs develop new processes and systems to improve efficiency and introduce new products and services. Within this programme, we have engaged with 339 SMEs, targeting improvements in the quality of their products and services. In the initial phases, between 2016 to 2019, 270 SMEs were assisted. In Innovation Vouchers 3, since June 2019, a further 69 businesses were supported, including through the COVID-19 Pandemic. This phase is scheduled to run to June 2022. The workshops use the individual reports and data from the PSP diagnostic to support SMEs, and 63% of participating respondents considered that they had improved the management of innovation within their business as a direct result of attending the workshops. SMEs reported that the most significant impacts were ‘improvements to the quality of products or services’ (reported by 93% of respondents).

The impacts of the first two phases of the whole programme were independently assessed, in May 2019, by Regeneration Action Ltd, in partnership with Research by Design (S04). The independent report was commissioned by Aston University, to undertake a summative assessment of the Innovation Vouchers project (phases 1 and 2). This was guided by a standard set of research questions contained within the summative assessment guidance, issued by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government. The report summarised the outcomes and impacts, for the project as a whole (including partners), as:

• Total GVA to the time of the summative assessment plus the GVA expected over the next 3 years was likely to be £14.9 million. This included £0.9 million at the time of the summative assessment and a further £14 million within 3 years.

• Gross jobs created estimated to be 532 over the next 3 years, with 114 created at the time of the summative assessment (in May 2019).

If GVA is split proportionately between this REF period and the next (since it spans the two), we can attribute an £8.2M contribution to GVA from the project up to December 2020.

The report also provides independent estimates (S04) of the specific impact of the Business School’s CEIG diagnostic and workshops. These are:

• £4.6 million GVA, with £0.3 million generated by the time of the summative assessment (May 2019), and a further £4.3 million expected within three years.

• 214 new jobs to be created as a direct result of the workshops. This includes 22.5 before the summative assessment, and a further 150 after three years.

If the economic contribution is split proportionately between this REF period and the next (since it spans the two), we can estimate our Innovation Vouchers impact to be a £2.5M contribution to GVA, with 118 jobs created as a result of our work, up to December 2020.

4.2. Enterprise for Success

Enterprise for Success is an ERDF programme delivered with local partners including local authorities across the GBSLEP (S05) and the regional Growth Hub (S05). Its aim is to enhance the leadership capabilities and marketing skills of local SMEs through providing them with business intelligence to inform decision-making. Participating SMEs complete the PSP diagnostic, and targeted interventions were identified by the team on this basis, with support including a workshop series and one-to-one assists. To date, 152 SMEs have been supported through the programme. Programme participants have attested to its value:

“The process was very beneficial; to have someone with an objective point of view helping work your way through the strategy proved priceless” (Managing Director, Pregnancy Bump Box)

“(the strategy was) a lifesaver. We now have a true framework that can steer us over the next 5 years, creating a road map for success: I no longer feel overwhelmed” (Managing Director, The Business Support Organisation)

Participants have talked about how the changes have assisted them to make the move from ‘busy fools’ to ‘strategic leaders’, taking their business to another level.

Formal evaluation of Enterprise for Success was delayed due to COVID-19, but if the GVA and employment effects are similar to those estimated independently from our Innovation Vouchers intervention (with 270 businesses), we could expect substantial impact from the 152 SMEs participating in Enterprise for Success. Variants on the Enterprise for Success model are presently being delivered in Canada (S01), with 396 SMEs participating in Alberta and Calgary. There is also support, at the ministerial level, for the series of workshops and diagnostics that have been delivered in Indonesia, with 351 SMEs participating in 2019-20 (S03). As observed by a Deputy Government Minister (S03):

“This collaboration … will improve the welfare of thousands of enterprises that aim to grow and develop their performance, leading to employment and economic benefits” (Deputy Minister, Ministry of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises, Republic of Indonesia)

4.3. Growing You

This programme delivered a locally focused and unique business support programme, helping entrepreneurs from the BAME SME community to find ways to overcome barriers to firm growth, and supporting them to develop their business towards sustainable success. In total, 139 SMEs from Birmingham accessed this programme and benefitted as following:

“Well over 100 SMEs from Birmingham accessed this programme and benefitted from the data and insight provided by the PSP diagnostic. Upon completion of the programme, each business was assigned a personal mentor by BCU, to guide and advise along the way, thus making it a truly sustainable initiative” (Growth Hub Operations Manager, Chamber of Commerce, S06)

4.4. Stakeholder Engagement

Birmingham City Council, Solihull Borough Council (S07), Sandwell Council, GBSLEP (S05), Growth Hub (S05), Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (S06), and the Black Country Chambers of Commerce have all engaged CEIG to work with them on the design and delivery of these programmes. Others, such as the Federation of Small Businesses (S08), and the Manufacturing Training Centre , have engaged with PSP, and endorsed it to provide support to their members.

“[the] diagnostic and research have been important in forming our own Growth Hub processes, helping us to identify growth businesses quickly and enabling them to get advice and guidance in a timely and effective manner” (Growth Hub Manager, GBSLEP, S05).

a. Enhancing international entrepreneurship education

BCU participated in the AHEAD project, 2017-2021. Our research changed the pedagogical approach to teaching entrepreneurship and social enterprise in 10 higher education institutions (HEIs) in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Based on our research, we co-created entrepreneurship education teaching materials, which are accessible for all educators, and included: (i) case studies of good practice (available in English and Swahili); and, (ii) an extensive body of teaching materials (available in English and Swahili). This work and materials were disseminated at a conference and at a transnational ‘training the educator’ workshop, hosted by BCU, to 40 senior staff from these institutions. A follow-up survey (S01) asked participants to: “think about the time since that workshop … [and] indicate how your entrepreneurship education provision has developed as a consequence”. Responses were gathered 12 months after the dissemination event, and found that:

• 96% of workshop participants had adopted Design Thinking or Human-Centred Design approaches;

• 75% had adapted provision to suit their local context;

• 92% said that “opportunities to teach experientially had increased”.

In addition, following their lecturers’ participation in the Birmingham workshop, survey participants indicated that this had shaped EE which supported over 1260 new student/graduate business start-ups (S01). Our research helped shape the institutional policy of all of the participating institutions. For example, one respondent stated:

“The workshop has been very useful in the review of the curriculum at the institution. Entrepreneurship training is now part of every curriculum in the School of Business, where I am the Dean” (S01).

b. Materials for social enterprise educators in 8 HEIs across 6 EU countries

As part of the BEST project (2014-17), the School developed a novel set of learning materials that provided a framework for teaching entrepreneurship within the context of social enterprise (S02, S03). The project was developed in response to the problems following the economic crisis (particularly austerity), with social entrepreneurship and corporate social responsibility emerging as key policy priorities in the EU. It was recognised that “business and economics education and training does not adequately reflect this trend” (S05). The teaching materials developed sought to address this gap. These materials have been translated into six further languages, were available globally via the BEST project Moodle site, and adopted by HEIs in Bulgaria, Greece, Lithuania, Spain, Portugal, Turkey and the UK. Universities varied in size from 8000 to 20,000 students, and materials included:

• A series of case studies (S04) which are accessible and used by educators throughout the EU (available online to anyone);

• The creation of a six-chapter social enterprise curriculum (available in seven languages) focussing on entrepreneurship education within the context of social enterprise, climate change and sustainability.

c. Improving micro-finance opportunities for entrepreneurs in Ghana and Pakistan

Our work influenced microfinance institutions in a number of countries, leading to lending-policy change. For example, in Ghana, one SME lending institution changed as follows:

“from your findings … we have now made a policy change …especially, mechanisms have been put in place to involve husband and wife in the KYC [‘know your customer’ is a banking term] process … It has enabled a better understanding … reducing the number of delinquent loans” (S06).

This new policy focus on supporting and facilitating shared, household-ownership of decision making, as a result of BCU research, reduced risks associated with lending to women, while increasing their access to micro-finance. The research demonstrated the societal benefit of this in decreasing the possibility of family breakdown.

Acknowledging a similar need in Pakistan, BCU academics used research to co-design a programme of ‘train the educator’ workshops to support SMEs. Educators, in this context, are now better equipped to instruct learners and SMEs in how to gain access to finance, ensure sustainability of businesses, and maximise growth opportunities. This activity has so far resulted in the training of 87 SMEs leaders, 47% of whom reported increased turnover, with an estimated 236 jobs created as a result (S07).

d. Practice and financial literacy in the UK

Our research enabled Aston Reinvestment Trust Business Loans (ART) “to reposition our business in the light of the new Government start up loan programme … We have revised and better prepared our literature and website” (S08). This has assisted in informing potential applicants as to ‘what information is important’, helping guide entrepreneurs to provide key information then enables ART to more effectively evaluate business proposals. Its Chief Executive stated:

“research carried out by academics at BCU, with ART, has informed policy and practice, specifically in relation to better preparing potential entrepreneurs at start-up and expansion stages” (S08).

e. Providing a framework for social mobility through entrepreneurship education

Working in collaboration with a UK national Housing association, our research led to a new (more nuanced) understanding and approach to supporting women who are long-term unemployed tenants, when developing their entrepreneurship training needs. In addition, it led to a greater awareness of the role of the housing association within the entrepreneurial ecosystem, supporting entrepreneurship in some of the most deprived wards of Birmingham:

“This better understanding helped inform our wider recognition of local enterprise needs and challenges facing our communities. As a result we have developed a more sensitive and tailored approach to community grant management and procurement within the New Initiatives Team, this has been particularly evident in relation to our delivery of the Hall Green Neighbourhood Network Scheme and Hall Green Families and Early Help” (S09).

f. Inclusion of our best practice in leading EU guide for Entrepreneurship

BCU’s work is used as an exemplar in the leading EU Framework for EE. EntreComp was established to address the European Commission’s policy objective to create a ‘sense of initiative and entrepreneurship’ as one of the key competencies for lifelong learning. Specifically, the BCU EntreComp case study used the experiential learning approach developed through BCU’s research and applied teaching guidance (S10). EntreComp has been widely adopted, globally, by entrepreneurship educators. In the UK, EntreComp is recommended by leading policy makers and HEI EE support networks, including Entrepreneurship Educators UK, and the National Centre for Entrepreneurship Education.