FSB Consulting Project: Enhancing Market Presence Through Portfolio

This business consulting project focuses on Fairfield School of Business (FSB) and its goal to expand its course portfolio to gain a competitive advantage. The project requires a competitive analysis of FSB, an environmental analysis of its current market segments, and a proposal for new professional qualifications that are not heavily offered by competitors. The deliverables include a market research report and clear strategies to grow market awareness and increase student applications. The project emphasizes understanding FSB's business and brand, effective communication, and timely delivery. The outcome of this project is intended to provide meaningful and realistic data that the management of FSB will consider for implementation.

Business Consulting Overview
Brief 1: Marketing – Portfolio Management and Market Presence
This form is designed to give the students on this module enough information to understand your company and an
overview of the project which you would like delivered. They will then be creating a pitch to ‘win’ your business as a
consultancy team.
The students will be available to you for a minimum of 3 hours per week each and they usually operate in teams of 5
students. This means access to 15 hours per week of talent – in exchange for a little guidance and mentoring
from you. Please complete the form below.
Each box is able to expand as you type to include as much information as you are able to include
Company Fairfield School of Business
Department Marketing
Main Contact This will be provided in class by the Module Lecturer
Contact details This will be provided in class by the Module Lecturer
Second contact This will be provided in class by the Module Lecturer
Contact details This will be provided in class by the Module Lecturer
Background to
company
Fairfield School of Business (FSB) is a community-based learning providers located in the
heart of Croydon, with a newly established teaching location in Digbeth, Birmingham.
We are an independent, private higher education institution and we pride ourselves on
offering a truly diverse and multicultural learning experience. In line with the growing
demand of business orientated skills, FSB places a direct emphasis on providing
vocational education for those with an entrepreneurial flair.
Student fees are paid via the Public Purse and specifically via the Student Loan Company
where students need to apply for eligibility.
The college’s mission statement is:
The School’s mission is ‘to provide a supportive and inspiring student experience that is
inclusive, seeks to reduce barriers to learning and equips students with the knowledge
and skills they need to progress into further study or employment’.
Background to clients
(person or persons with
whom the students will
have most contact)
This will be provided in class by the Module Lecturer.
Information to be made
available to the
students
The senior management of the organisation has now decided to increase its product
(course) portfolio and introduce in the next academic year’s professional qualifications.
An assumption can be made that the College has the internal capabilities, but not
necessarily the Human Resources needs for any professional specialist qualifications,
such as ACCA or CIMA that may be adopted in specialist areas, should a proposal be
made to adopt such specialist qualifications.
On the other hand, although LSST is one of the biggest colleges in the UK in the

segments it operates, in the last couple of years there have been numerous entrants to
the point that the market is in danger of being proliferated by competition.
Consequently the requirement of this brief is to receive a proposal as a result of
research and relevant data collection in order to advise the senior management of the
college on the merits of adopting and developing professional qualifications that
competitors do not offer in order to achieve relative competitive advantage over
competition. This will also enable the College to increase its market segments by
entering areas with relative lower barriers to entry and attract more clients (students)
having enhanced its products (course portfolios).
Known project
objectives at this point
in time
Undertake competitive analysis of (company) with emphasis on market positioning.
Project tasks
(subject to change)
 Conduct environmental analysis in the college’s current segments.
 Propose additions to the product (course portfolio) in relation to the
current product offer of the college and in the light of the analysis
conducted, so that the proposal of the additional courses on the portfolio is
either not in direct competition with other providers or competition is
relatively low.
Deliverables – what do
you expect to be left
with at the end of the
project?
 Market research report
 Clear strategies to grow market awareness and increase student
applications
Expectations of the
client about the student
team
 To be familiar with FSB business and brand
 To be able to place FSB within the industry
 To communicate effectively
 To deliver in a professional and timely manner
 Group formation
What the student team
can expect from the
Client
 To communicate effectively and professionally
 To provide constructive comments
Nominated university
supervisor and contact
details
To be completed after project has been allocated.
How much contact time
and resources are you
planning to commit to
this project
 3x Written Communication.
 3x Face to Face or Webinar Meetings.
What would you
estimate would be the
commercial value of
this project if you were
actually paying for it?
Not yet decided.
How likely are you to
actually implement
ideas presented to you?
This is a ‘real life’ project that the management of the college is particularly interested
in and should the data be meaningful and realistic, they will be considered by
management.
Legal issues
Are all insurances in
place for this project to
proceed?
Are there any
constraints that may
hinder progress?
 There are no particular legal and regulatory issues involved with this
project.
 Consultants will not be permitted access to any data that is not already in
the public domain.