School may be out for summer – but we’ve got some Unfinished Business to attend to. This free programme of on-demand Zoom round table discussions will feature Kent Business School academics, current and former students and guests from the world of enterprise.
“Innovation – is it just solving the world’s problems?“
Tuesday 10 August
As we slowly emerge from the grips of a global pandemic, the world faces unprecedented change. Everything – from our schooling and education systems, the way in which we travel and even how we socialise – is unrecognisable from just over a year ago.
Now, more than ever, businesses are required to adapt, evolve, and some may say become more ‘innovative’ to suitably to meet the ever-changing needs of their customers. There is one buzz word that seems to signify the success of a business in the present day. That is ‘innovation’. Often elusive and hard to explain, type ‘what is innovation’ into Google and you get 69,600,000 results.
Here, a collection KBS academics well researched in the field, local innovative business owners and entrepreneurial students and alumni come together to uncover just what it means to be innovative and how all companies can inject a culture of innovation…
Participants
- Dr Eddie Luo, Lecturer in Marketing at Kent Business School
- Naveed Bhatti, Kent MBA alumnus and Co-founder and CEO of GenSpec Ltd
- Giovanni Morgan, Kent Business School BSc Marketing Student and founder of MGX Jeans
“Reinforcing Entrepreneurship as a path to employment?”
Tuesday 20 July
What has emerged from the economic and social turbulence of a pandemic and the general increasingly digital, global economy is that the world needs individuals ready to tackle emerging complex problems and challenges, spot fresh opportunities and start new and impactful ventures.
Entrepreneurship – the process of starting and managing new ventures – is at the heart of this idea. In today’s discussion, we consider how best to launch yourself into entrepreneurship, and how to manage some of the barriers relating to starting up new ventures.
Participants
- Gloria Appiah, Lecturer in Entrepreneurship, University of Kent
- Rebecca Smith, External Engagement Management, Kent Business School
- Emay Enemokwu, Alumnus and Founder of Jehu Cal
- Polo Lam, Alumnus and Founder of Deseo VR
“Covid – Has it Helped or Hindered Sustainability?”
Tuesday 29 June 2021
Sustainability. Once a word synonymous with creating a profitable business that thrives, it is now about ensuring the whole planet continues to thrive.
The Covid-19 pandemic has a huge impact on the environment and sustainability effort both for the positive and negative. From the greater use of single use PPE damaging the environment to the other side, less cars on the roads as people work from home and shoppers moving towards more local shopping.
The jury’s out on the green credentials of a pandemic that has shaken the business world to the very core. Has Covid helped or hindered the sustainability vision? Watch our free panel debate below.
Participants
- Dr Carmen Stoian (Senior Lecturer in International Business)
- Catherine Morris, (Environmental Adviser for the Safety, Health and Environment Unit)
- Suliat Alabi (Founder of Intentional Beauty Lab, and KBS Alumnus)
- Mercy Adeniji (founder of Vegate and winner of the Business Start Up Journey)
- Student: Syed (Zaid) Mahmood (Host)
Are we Minding the Gap and Digitally Proofing the Future?
Tuesday 8 June 2021
The UK is on the verge of a shortage of digital skills, with reports suggesting only half of employers currently able to provide the necessary training for employees to bridge this gap. The number of young people taking IT subjects at GCSE has dropped 15% since 2015 yet according to research from LinkedIn, the professional networking site, 150 million new technology jobs will be created in the next five years.
So will we have the people to fill them? The panel debates…
Participants
- Dr Catherine Robinson (Deputy Dean and compiled research around digital skills shortages in Kent)
- Dr Hirbod Assa (Senior Lecturer Fintech and tech expert)
- Lance Younger (Guest Speaker from Procure Tech)
- Lewis Squire (current student and CEO of Reality Rooms)
- Syed (Zaid) Mahmood (Host)
Unfinished Business is Kent Business School’s series of topical round table discussions. We hope you have enjoyed watching the series.