At the opening ceremony, Professor Martin Liu, Interim Dean of Nottingham University Business School China (NUBS China) delivered a speech welcoming company representatives and students by providing an overview of NUBS China and its future development. He pointed out that because of the emerging digital economy, traditional production and lifestyles are facing new changes, resulting in business education also facing new opportunities and challenges. This requires that the university bring the latest scientific research results into the classroom to promote the digital transformation of curriculums and cultivate high-quality talents to remain on the cutting edge.
Ms Jasmine Wang, Regional Market Manager of Amazon Global Selling expressed that she is full of hope for the Digital Transformation Consulting Programme. She believes that through the linking of university and enterprise resources, the institutions of industry, the university, and research can be deeply integrated. She also hopes that this programme provides opportunities to leverage new insights from various industries and categories.
Ms Doris Ding, Seller Consultant of Amazon Global Selling also delivered a keynote speech entitled "From Chinese factories to world brands". The global trend of online consumption and diverse consumer demand has brought new opportunities for new brands and created new conditions for Chinese brands to go abroad. She hopes the Digital Transformation Consulting Programme can reinvigorate the branding of cross-border e-commerce firms in Ningbo.
Afterwards, eight local companies from different industries described their businesses and research requirements. The company representatives also expressed their expectations of the programme and were looking forward to tackling important business issues, such as marketing difficulties faced by cross-border e-commerce due to the COVID-19 pandemic and enabling enterprises to develop digitally with the help of ideas and vision from young people. The students then voted for their favourite projects to find the right match. After they successfully join the projects they are interested in, they will form a consulting team to carry out an 8-week marketing research project under the guidance of mentors to customise their marketing report for the company they join.
Relying on the teaching and research resources of NUBS China, the Digital Transformation Consulting Programme is based on recognising the needs of enterprises and enabling students to participate in and solve actual business problems encountered in the digital transformation of enterprises. The programme optimally combines in one project the finding of solutions to the weaknesses in enterprises with practical learning by students which forms a new method for universities to improve student employability and promote the digital transformation of enterprises.
"Through this module, we expect to enhance our students' skills and capabilities in business consulting. Meanwhile, we aim to enhance communication between the academia and the industries, and contribute to the exploration of digital transformation for Ningbo local organisations," explained the module convener, Professor Hing Kai Chan, Acting Associate Dean for Education and Student Experience, and Professor of Operations Management.