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Student achievement recognised by Fund for Excellence
Three students received prizes from the Loughborough University School of Business and Economics’ Fund for Excellence last week as part of the School’s ongoing mission to recognise and reward achievement.
The Fund for Excellence was established through the donations and sponsorship of School alumni to support current students and enrich the academic life of the School. The prizes were given for the best placement dissertation and the best Dragons’ Den presentation.
Winning an award for her Placement dissertation was Coleen Carter who spent her professional placement year with Kantar WorldPanel. The final year Management Sciences student worked for the company (a leading provider of syndicated consumer panels and market research solutions) in the 2010/11 academic year.
All undergraduate students studying business and management at the School undertake a Professional Placement in their third year and are required to write a dissertation reflecting on the experience. The prize panel felt that Coleen’s dissertation showed excellent depth of critical review and analysis, and said that her dissertation displayed a level of honesty in her personal reflection that went beyond the norm.
Coleen said the prize came as “a complete shock” to her, but added: “I am proud of the achievement. I am finding the course challenging and really interesting, especially now I have completed my Placement year, I am able to apply what I am learning in lectures to the real business world.”
Lelde Leoke and Lydia MacCormack were presented with the prize for their group report and presentation in the first year module Personal Effectiveness. The module focuses on skills development and enterprise, having at its core a group project relating to the research, analysis and presentation of a new product or service, pitched in the style of the BBC television series “Dragons’ Den”.
Lelde and Lydia’s group created a web-based business idea focused on the sale of multi-purpose children’s furniture. The assessors of their five-minute pitch and accompanying written report were impressed by the considerable research undertaken as well as the clear, concise communication of their ideas and the overall quality of their presentation. Their fellow group members Akilah Beason and Sophie Terry were unable to attend the prize-giving and will receive their certificates and prize at a later date.
Commenting on the group’s success, Lydia MacCormack said: “The Fund for Excellence prize means a lot after putting so much effort into our Dragons’ Den project. It is very rewarding to be given this prize for something that we worked so hard on. We really enjoyed the experience though, and, you never know, you might see our product on the market in the future.”
The winners were presented with certificates by Ian Stopps, a Loughborough University graduate and Chair of the School’s Advisory Board. Ian Stopps is Chairman of The McLean Partnership and Arundel Aerospace & Defence Systems. He was appointed CBE for services to the UK Aerospace and Defence Industry in 2003.
James Connolly, School of Business and Economics student and finalist in the RateMyPlacement National Placement and Internship Awards 2012, also posed for a photograph to celebrate his success. The Loughborough student was shortlisted in the Microsoft-sponsored category for “Best Placement Student” in the annual event held to recognise the contributions of students, employers and universities to undergraduate work placements and internships.
From the School of Business and Economics, Director of Learning and Teaching and Associate Dean, Dr Keith Pond and Placement Director Cathryn Hart were present to congratulate the successful students.
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