7. Strategy Development

1. 7. Strategy Development Define keycompetencies Define competitive advantage Develop proposition Articulate key messages Why NU? Benefits for clients Simplify and focus communications Provide Supporting Evidence

2. X. Strategy Development • Lack of clear subject competitive advantage • except Nursing, Architecture, Sports Science, Art & Design, Social Work • Building on the 2008 “Research Assessment Exercise” • Submission in 12/67 UoAs • 9/12 @ 4* All areas 60% rated 2*, 3* or 4* • 89th to 75th from 2001 to 2008 • N- year planning horizon for B2B success • Input from product development • Graduation horizon • Next RAE results

3. 2008 RAE results 4* - Quality that is world-leading in terms of originality, significance and rigour.  3* - Quality that is internationally excellent in terms of originality, significance and rigour but which nonetheless falls short of the highest standards of excellence. 2* - Quality that is recognised internationally in terms of originality, significance and rigour. 1* - Quality that is recognised nationally in terms of originality, significance and rigour.  Unclassified - Quality that falls below the standard of nationally recognised work. Or work which does not meet the published definition of research for the purposes of this assessment.

4. 1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q X. Define desired positioning • Currently firmly in the middle of the pack with a 2nd & 3rd quartile offering: • Decide where you want to be • Whether you can get there • What rewards it will bring • In what areas Heath & Life Sciences Art, Design & Social Sciences Engineering & Environment Business & Law

5. 2Q 4Q 3Q 1Q X. Define core / desired competencies • Taking account of the strategic plan and needs-based B2B market analysis determine a realistic capability to deliver necessary competencies in the planning horizon and decide whether to: Engineering & Environment Heath & Life Sciences Art, Design & Social Sciences Business & Law Exploit? Develop? Develop or ignore? Abandon CUG Overall, Research and Graduate ProspectsRank 2013 • Nursing • Drama, Dance, Cinematics • General Engineering • Hospitality etc • Politics • Hist of Art, Arch, Design • Acct & Finance • Bus Stud • Comms & Media • Comp Sci • Education • Food Sci • French • Land & Prop Mgt • Sociology • Architecture • Sports Science • BioSci • English • Geog & EnvSci • Law • MechEng • Allied Medical • Building • German • Psychology • Town & Country Planning • Art & Design • Social Work • Italian • Elec & Electronic Eng • Iberian langs • Library & Info Mgt • History • Linguistics • Maths • Social Policy • Chemistry • Economics Source: http://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables 5

6. X. Define Key Competencies • Perceptions of Strengths & Weaknesses 6

7. X. Positioning in the Market • Currently firmly in the middle of the pack at best • Improving / demonstrating improvement takes time • Meanwhile the emphasis must be on • Designing the right offering • Delivering a strong message • Delivered to the right people / targeted audience • At the right time • when the offering is defined and ready • With the right content 7

8. X. Proposition & Positioning • Why choose Northumbria? • Proven • track-record • Innovative • approach Multi-disciplinary competencies Northumbria University - Improving your organisation's effectiveness • Depth & breadth ofknowledge & expertise • Practical and effective solutions Delivery of Real-world benefits • Inspired peopleand inspired thinking Support for implementation • Collaborative long-term partnerships

9. X. Proposition & Positioning • Why choose Northumbria? Possible alternative to square jigsaw above (only 7 pieces instead of 9) Northumbria University - Improving your organisation's effectiveness

10. Interface: Confusing & student/tuition focussed ? • Who should I talk to about … • Does anyone understand what I need? • Website headlines: • Outstanding student experience • Relevant courses • Academic excellence • Diverse international experience • Excellent Graduate prospects • Generous financial support

11. Interface: business focussed Student & tuition remit Commercial & Business Services • Client acquisition & development • Commercial management (pricing & accounting) • Needs-based multi-disciplinary product development Local, regional, national, European and global remit

12. 12. Recommendations • Be more commercial and adopt business mentality • Recommendation areas: • Process improvements and easier access • Sales (customer acquisition)strategy • Multi-disciplinary approach • Commerciality, market focus and prioritisation • Communications and brand strategy • Product and pricing • Capability training and development • Organisational/structural and cultural

13. 12. Recommendations • Process improvements and easier access • Develop process to simplify access and navigation around university • Increase responsiveness and proactivity • e.g. identifying and following up on leads • Establish systems and processes to support • Develop process for proactively identifying and securing opportunities internationally – and wider than current focus of student recruitment • Develop process for capturing successes and using to enter new target markets/sectors • CRM system and process: • Undertake relationship audit and hold contact info on system • Build database of research to support moves into new sectors • Review opportunities with % chance of winning

14. 12. Recommendations • (Customer acquisition) Sales strategy • Undertake audit of historic business to understand strengths and profitability, areas to develop further and sectors to penetrate further • Undertake stakeholder relationship mapping – optimise existing links • Check slide on sales strategy under situational analysis • Introduce concept of KAM (key account manager) • Single named individual as owner of client even if others also interact with the business • Establish joint ventures with universities to support expansion • Optimise London presence (supported by flexible course delivery) • Increase training and capability to enable effective prospecting & selling

15. 12. Recommendations • Multi-disciplinary approach • Undertake multi-disciplinary skills and capability training • enabler/introduced model providing access to champions/specialists • Develop a strategy based on NDC approach and using their core competencies and capabilities • Focus on the overall design process specific products • Develop case study material to focus on generic skills that are transferable across different disciplines/sector

16. 12. Recommendations • Multi-disciplinary approach • Undertake audit to identify future opportunities for cross-disciplinary/collaborative working • e.g. focus on companies with budgets • e.g. Forensics – encompasses different disciplines (IT, chemical/analytical, legal) • e.g. Design process/methodology • e.g. Forensics – encompasses different disciplines (IT, chemical/analytical, legal) • e.g. cyber security – psychology of (and Northumbria competency in), technology • e.g. nutrition – psychology, sports psychology, medical • e.g. engineering – currently limited capability but desire to build

17. 12. Recommendations • Commerciality, market focus and prioritisation • Define the global proposition and how best to communicate the benefits to target organisations • proposition from businesses perspective – addresses their needs • use industry terminology • Define priorities to focus resources on • undertake external audit re market trends & opportunities to inform • Define a priority matrix and undertake review • Target a minimum opportunity size (e.g. £20k) • Focus on demand led activity – not internal preferences • e.g. companies with budgets, petrochemical looks an attractive sector

18. 12. Recommendations • Commerciality, market focus and prioritisation • Undertake audit of where Northumbria’s successes are • Articulate specifically which capabilities and experience can be used to move into new sectors – develop plan to implement • Develop and implement strategies for priority areas • e.g. increasing number of taught postgraduate numbers • e.g. international recruitment and industry engagement • Appoint Commercial Manager with remit to focus on being more business oriented

19. 12. Recommendations • Commerciality, market focus and prioritisation • Business engagement • proactively source feedback on why lost (and won) bids • help businesses define their problem & develop approach to resolve • Set up educational partnerships/accreditations • Raise awareness of potential joint/co-funding opportunities • Ask businesses what they want and feed back/demonstrate incorporated • Government/third sector • help define their challenges & then address through e.g. coursework • Build national and international Government engagement • UKTi, BIS, British Council – push for more door opening/joint discussions

20. 12. Recommendations • Products and pricing • To complete…… • Develop checklist of capabilities and products to offer • Also acts as aide memoire for BDM customer conversations • Offer flexible course delivery options • E.g. digital lecture delivery plus mentor for international students • Bundle products into portfolio offerings for businesses • Identify opportunities across all products and develop plan to realise • Transfer skills across disciplines e.g. Student Law Clinic, NDC • Build in softer skills into offering e.g. student readiness for employment • Develop charging structure model – transparent, vfm, market based • Include accounting for “wooden dollars” re cross-disciplinary working

21. 12. Recommendations • Communications and brand strategy • Develop promotional plan to build awareness and saliency with target audiences – compliment individual discussions/events • Articulate points of differentiation/competitive advantage v different competitor groups (high-end consultants, other universities etc) • Simplify communications – reinforce key messages consistently • Clearly articulate “why Northumbria university” • Ensure messages reinforce agreed brand attributes • Build perception and credibility • Explicitly demonstrate where providing valued/leading edge output • Multiple use of relevant research papers • Translate into business language & position as societal relevant, not just academic • Develop process to maximise “thought leadership” • Promote level of repeat business achieved and source testimonials/endorsements • Maximise awards and accreditations to build reputation

22. 12. Recommendations • Communications and brand strategy • Design communications material from customer/business perspective • Clearly articulate benefits to customer • Focus on capability and x-product offering – business considerations • Use business language • Tailor communications for each target audience group • Communicate what audience needs/wants – not what want to say • Think laterally in presenting capabilities • e.g. benefits of Student Law Clinic as approach to learning • Develop more flexible material e.g. web-cams, social media, virtual tours • Develop targeted campaigns to support BDM lead generation • Centralise campaign activity to ensure consistency of message and tone

23. Use of Research Papers 12. Positioning in the Marketplace • Example: Use of Research Papers Case Studies: brief reviews -> in-depth analyses Local media: societal relevance from the audience perspective Position as more than academic research Articulate and demonstrate industry and social relevance Focus on the thinking process Online media video clips, tours & interviews, blogs, forums, social media Disseminate key findings Translate to business accessible language Evidence real-world benefits: financial / productivity metrics Present at business conferences and events. Publish in business journals Identify and attract new research/spin-off consultancy opportunities Attract / engage new CPD / training opportunities International remit & focus

24. 12. Positioning in the Marketplace • Example: Use of Research Papers Use of Research Papers

25. 12. Positioning in the Marketplace • Example: Using Research Papers

26. Building awareness Communications Either this format or the next one? • Build base awareness • Generic brand messages • Expose evidence in support • Develop messages • Specific messages for specific audiences • Consistent with overall brand image • Contact process • Improve Interface with outside world • Centralised & co-ordinated, not faculty by faculty Spare box  Just here for the moment as it balances graphically Note: isn't this just rewording the previous material? Is that OK? • Brand attributes • Develop communication of enhancing brand attributes as capability increases • Targeted Campaigns • Designed to support lead generation • Broad remit: ‘new media’, networking, etc

27. 12. Recommendations: Brand Development Add brand attributes from competitive set where have parity/strength • Capability enabling communication

28. Utopia / Signs of Success • Benefits of Northumbria university recognised by target audiences on a global scale • Communications simple to develop and maintain • Well received and key messages understood by target audiences • Supports lead generation • Positive feedback and feeling when exposed to material • Easy to find the right people within the university • University heritage and style maintained, but also acknowledged as commercial, authoritative and understanding business • University has an improved reputation and standing in the market • Northumbria is the preferred provider/first port of call in chosen areas • Minimised wasted effort and optimised output • Focus on agreed priorities – more time to plan and make choices • Simple to identify and progress business opportunities

29. Utopia / Signs of Success • Demonstrate tangible benefits from B2B activities • revenue, margin, reputation etc • Supports university and faculty objectives • University staff feel knowledgeable about the business offering and how they contribute to its success • More: • Graduate employment – more outside region, more in ‘higher level’ positions in ‘better companies’ • Post-grads / researchers – more and better (whatever that means) • Broader customer base: across the disciplines, by customer type and location - outside the region, outside the country, outside the continent. • More, better quality media mentions, especially in business journals and international publications. • More media contact: e. G. BBC producers maintain a list of people /institutions to contact for comments on e.g. News stories. Be on those lists. • Invitations to speak at 'business' conferences. • Waiting list for specialist facilities (or at least a plump order book). • Collaborative working invitations from "top notch" universities, even if as junior partner. Especially if from abroad.