Falconbury's Executive Mini-MBA

In today’s demanding and rapidly changing environment taking time out for lengthy periods of study is a luxury that many individuals or organisations can ill afford.

The fully residential Falconbury Executive Mini-MBA is a concentrated way to focus on the core elements of an MBA; strategy and change, finance, people and leadership and marketing skills. It will provide real insights into current techniques and strategic thinking to re-energise your thinking and inject new vigour into your management style.

Who should attend?

The programme’s design is suitable for executives or managers from any function or business sector. It offers a rare opportunity for executives to learn with colleagues whose experience will be drawn from a wide array of different sectors, including:

• People who need a rapid executive summary of some of the latest thinking and concepts
• Executives who want to improve their general management capability and explore what the high performers of today’s commercial world are thinking and doing and how their companies are succeeding
• Time poor senior executives who cannot afford the time demands of full or part time MBA type programmes
• People who want to invest in their own intellectual capital and asset base
• Executives who want to secure some valuable thinking time about their business away from the day-to-day crises and pressures
• Executives who want to develop a wider business outlook and break out of any narrow functional perspectives

Why you should invest in this programme?

Focusing on key areas that determine real business results and rewards, this programme is full of practical tips, tools and techniques – all underpinned with tried-and-tested business principles.

Five intensive days of executive development will:

1 CHALLENGE your conventional business thinking around your current business model
2 FOCUS on the financials of your business and understand how to directly impact the bottom line
3 MAKE a direct impact on the success of your organisation
4 EMPOWER you to position yourself as a leader in your business
5 ALLOW you to set or contribute to the business or change agenda
6 AID you in getting the best out of yourself, your team and colleagues
7 PROVIDE an opportunity to think about the compass as opposed
to the clock

Style of working

• Interactive, engaging, thought provoking, informative, fun
• Provides real-life examples of corporate practice and management skills
• Presenters share business and consulting experience
• Provides a series of helpful frameworks and tools
• Team-based learning to benefit from the experiences of other attendees in an open learning environment
• Real life corporate examples will include: Dell, Nokia, Daimler Chrysler, AOL Time Warner, Ryan Air, BA, GE, Dyson, Marks and Spencer, Motorola, Enron, Wilmington Fine Papers and many more.

MODULE 1: Strategy and Strategic Change

In this module you will explore and develop your knowledge of core elements of strategic thinking and analysis. You will apply the vital strategic business models to analyse performance in your own and different businesses and industry allowing you to understand and develop a strategic plan that delivers your commercial objectives.

BUSINESS STRATEGY

Defining and demystifying strategy?

• Strategy as warfare
• Strategy as Ying & Yang
  • The creative and analytical sides of strategic thinking
• Developing the “Helicopter” competence as a business leader
• Differentiating strategy from operational excellence

The two different schools of strategy

• Deliberate versus emergent strategies
• Did we get lucky or was it planned?
• How far does strategy apply in today’s world?
• Managing complexity and discontinuity

The classic strategic planning process

• Formulation
• Definition
• Implementation and execution

Assessing industry attractiveness and profitability

• Applying Porter’s 5 Forces Model
• Degree of competitive rivalry
• Power of the buyers
• Power of suppliers
• Threat of new entrants
• Threat of substitutes

Low cost versus differentiated strategies – where are you?

Understanding growth – what is driving future growth?

Understanding Classic Portfolio Analysis – The BCG Matrix

Blue Ocean Thinking – Applying the disciplines

Understanding the competition

• Conducting a competitive analysis
• Building a competitive profile map

Strategy feasibility checklist

MODULE 2: Competitive Marketing

This module will take a look at the core topics, subject areas and the real purpose of mastering marketing today. You will be able to understand the role and contribution of marketing to business success in order to develop the best margins, profits and revenues.

What is marketing?

• Examples of different kinds of breakthrough marketing, the basis of their success and the impact on the traditional competitors
• Group discussion of the ways successful companies differentiate themselves and the lessons we can learn

Examining the new competitive environment

• Understanding the changing business environment and the pressures creating the imperative of market-driven strategy
• Examples of modern and traditional marketing strategies

Defining markets, segments and targets effectively

• Defining markets and market segments – the benefits of narrowing and broadening definitions of the market
• Creative segmentation as the route to dominance and virtual monopoly
• Different bases for segmentation and the supremacy of behaviour and benefits-based segmentation schemes
• Segments of one, one-to-one marketing and mass customisation

Positioning and the 4 P’s

• Positioning – the battle for your mind
• How positioning impacts the 4 P decision
• Current examples of clear and confused positioning

Product/service life cycles

• Managing through the life cycle, matching life cycle stages to behaviour-based market segments
• The cash flow implications of the life cycle and the creation of the Boston Matrix portfolio management tool

Customer life cycles and CRM

• Retention Marketing versus Conquest Marketing
• The economics of customer acquisition, retention, satisfaction and loyalty
• Creating a CRM philosophy

MODULE 3: Financial Management and Accounting

This module is designed to help you understand the language of business finance and to know what questions to ask your financial colleagues. The aim of the module is to provide you with a clear understanding of the key aspects of financial management from an operational perspective.

Business Analysis

• The finance function – the role of the Finance Director
  • Identifying the links between strategy, business planning and financial control
  • Source and use of funds

• The business finance cycle and how we account for it
  • Revenue recognition
  • Accruals
  • Capitalisation
  • Depreciation

• Exploring the key information in financial statements and the annual report
  • What’s important?
  • What does it mean?
  • How can it be used?
  • Investigating capital structure and the links with operational gearing

• The vital aspect of cash flow – the one fact in all the data
• Traditional analysis of company accounts
• Using financial ratios as a measure of performance
  • Analysing the numbers

• Examining the financial indicators
  • Qualitative and quantitative decisions
  • Economic value added
  • Profit planning

• Mergers, acquisitions and divestments v the Stock Exchange

MODULE 4: Leadership and Managing People

This module will explore the different types of leadership style and their relative effectiveness. It will also help you identify your own motivational and leadership style and preferences. You will learn how to adjust your style to suit the needs of others in order to increase your influencing capabilities. The session will also explore what makes for success in building high performance teams.

• The new leadership challenges
• Reflecting on My Leadership Brand
• Concepts of Push v Pull Leadership Strategies
• The Compliance v Commitment dilemma
• Motivating and influencing people effectively
• Understanding your own individual preferences
• Managing and influencing others
• How to shape your style to suit:
  • Colleagues
  • Customers
  • Clients
  • Bosses
• Reviewing your Influencing Strategies
• Developing a flexible style
• Reviewing your approach to performance

Programme Director

MARK THOMAS is a highly successful international business consultant who has worked with some of the world’s major businesses in the fields of strategy, change management, human resources and executive development. He is a highly experienced speaker and business presenter who has worked in over 40 different countries around the world. As a consultant he has successfully sold major consulting projects and development initiatives. In addition to his consulting work Mark has authored several books and is a regular conference speaker on strategy, change management, people management and other organisational issues. Prior to becoming a Partner with Performance Dynamics, he worked for several years with Price Waterhouse Management Consultants in London. He is also a visiting faculty member at leading international business schools. He also advised on the business and organisational change issues arising out of strategic reviews and both private and public sector re-organisations.

Presenters

JOHN LEACH. After his undergraduate studies in Economics John started his career in marketing with Cadbury Schweppes in Birmingham, working on a range of products in the foods group of the company. He then returned to University to take a Master’s degree in Marketing at Bradford University Management Centre. After graduation he moved into Business to Business marketing with CPC (UK) Ltd, the leading supplier of starches and glucose. From there he moved into a quasi academic role at Huddersfield Polytechnic, where he specialised in working with part-time students and with in-company clients. At this time he was invited to become a visiting presenter at the Chartered Institute of Marketing, and this led to increased in–company work and in 1984 he resigned from the Polytechnic to become a self employed marketing consultant. In 1988,with an associate from the Institute of Marketing he set up a company offering training and consultancy across a range of managerial areas.

During the last 20 years John has worked for a variety of companies but has increasingly focussed on Business to Business, working for companies such as ABB, Ericsson, Xerox, Lexmark, Paroc, Hoganas Philips and Shell. During that time he has worked in more than 30 countries, eastwards as far as Australia and west to USA and the West Indies. He is a visiting lecturer at Bradford University and at Tias Nimbas Business School in the Netherlands. His interests include Cricket, Rugby and National Hunt Horse Racing, as a spectator, and food and wine where he is an enthusiastic participant.

GEORGE FILDES specialises in financial training and consultancy. With over twenty years experience in general management, George’s experience spans business management, logistics, customer operations and financial management. He has been involved with mature, turnaround and start-up companies. George works globally with organisations where he has developed a series of tailored business improvement programmes focusing on financial understanding for clients who include: SASOL, BBC, Exel, Thames Water, Portakabin, Calor Gas, Pfizer, Toshiba, 3M and HBOS. George is a charted management accountant (FCMA) with a Cranfield MBA. He also has a Diploma in Marketing and is an accredited finance tutor for the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) and Derby University.

ALISON KEMP is a highly experienced trainer and coach in interpersonal skills and communication techniques focussing mostly on technical professionals. She graduated from London Guildhall School of Music & Drama and is a Master practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), which covers key skills in personal and organisational development. Most recently Alison is also instrumental in developing and lecturing an online Post-Graduate Diploma in Creative and Innovative Leadership in Africa for Blake Hall Business School and works with Cass Business School on the Executive Development Programmes. With her combined experience in the arts and business world, Alison’s constructive and stimulating approach leads delegates

In today’s challenging commercial environment the organisation with a strong management team and a clear strategic direction are sure to succeed.

Falconbury’s In-House Mini ‘Executive MBA’ training is the most cost-effective way to train your senior management team. It focuses on the core elements of an MBA; strategy and change, finance, people and leadership and marketing skills but tailored to your teams needs.

Your next step is to call us now on +44 (0)20 7729 6677 or email us at info@falconbury.co.uk or use our contact form and find out how we can help. There are no commitments, and if we cannot help our advice and recommendations are free of charge.

Positive Persuading and Influencing Skills

The Mini-MBA

Influencing & Personal Effectiveness Skills

This course qualifies for the following CPD programmes:

• Cert: 0.00 hours

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