BBA student wins national competition and an internship with PwC
Related Links:
Two University of Bath students have taken first prize in the Business Champions competition, organised jointly by PwC and student organisation Bright Futures. Pitched as ‘the ultimate live business game’, the duo beat off other student teams from all over the UK.
The competition challenged undergraduates to come up with a workable money-making idea and make it a reality. Teams were supported by the constant one-to-one support of a mentor from industry.
Baran Ceylan, a first-year BSc in Business Administration student and his friend and business partner Matt Manders, a BSc in Economics student, each won internships within the PwC Talent Academy and a cash prize of £250 each as seed funding for their business idea. They were also able to raise money for PwC’s chosen charity, the School for Social Entrepreneurs (SSE), which develops and supports social entrepreneurs via its unique action learning programmes.
Under the name of BC&M Technologies, Baran and Matt’s initial business idea was a new kind of pet ID tag.
They set about making enquiries with a number of different manufacturers in China before selecting one to produce their first product, Recollar, a voice-recordable pet ID tag which the team sold online. The Recollarproduct sold out quickly.
With some of the revenue generated, the pair were able to develop a second product called i-tag; a small SMS-enabled, geo-tracking device which allows you to track the location of the tag through your phone via a simple text. The i-tag holds wide market appeal, being suited to a range of uses such as keeping tabs on the kids, or for simply locating your handbag or car.
After being shortlisted to compete in the regional finals along with seven other university teams, the duo presented their idea to a panel of PwC directors, SSE charity members and Bright Future's employees at PwC’s offices in London. This resulted in a place in the national finals, representing the South alongside Cambridge and Exeter. At the national finals, all teams had to present their idea again, but this time with a film crew present and more judges.
Despite being one of the youngest – and smallest – teams, BC&M Technologies were announced as the overall winners of the competition and Baran and Matt were awarded their 6-week internships within the Assurance team at PwC in London.
Baran said:
“During the competition, we built a lot of great connections with many of the employees at PwC and Bright Future. The competition has given us a great insight into working at a big company, along with the experience of working alongside a mentor. It involved a few all-nighters but it was definitely worth it. The internship is very exciting as it will give us an opportunity to meet people in all areas of the firm and gives us the chance to prove our winning credentials.”
Baran and Matt are currently working on the development of a new iPhone app
Notes to Editors
The School of Management’s highly successful BSc in Business Administration is ranked 1st in the UK by The Sunday Times University Guide 2011 and is designed to prepare students for a variety of business-related roles.
The four-year programme has a number of distinctive elements including a broadly-based foundation in basic management in year one, the opportunity to specialise from year two onwards if desired, two six-month periods of professional internship with two different organisations, a practical group research project in year four, and the opportunity to spend a semester studying in a prestigious partner business school in Europe, the USA, Canada or Asia.
PwC are members of the School of Management’s Corporate Partners Scheme which enables organisations to work with the School and its students in a number of ways. If you are an organisation and would like to find out more about the Corporate Partner Scheme and how it might support your organisational goals, contact Stephen Rangecroft, Director of External Relations and Marketing.
For further information / press enquiries, contact:
Liz Alvey, Marketing Officer
School of Management
University of Bath
Claverton Down
Bath BA2 7AY
UK
Tel:+ 44 (0) 1225 383526
Email: pr@management.bath.ac.uk
General Notes For Editors:
The University of Bath School of Management has consistently achieved both top research and teaching ratings in the UK's Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) assessments. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), the School was rated 5th in the UK for management research.
We are one of a select number of international business schools accredited by EQUIS, the European Foundation for Management Development's quality inspectorate and the Bath MBA has been accredited by the Association of MBAs (AMBA) since 1976. The School is consistently ranked among the top UK business schools by The Times, The Sunday Times, The Financial Times and The Guardian.
The centrality of research to teaching is an essential feature of all our programmes. The School offers a full range of programmes from undergraduate to postgraduate up to PhD level and post-experience programmes including the world-ranked Bath MBA. The School also provides tailored executive development programmes for middle and senior management.
The School of Management has a faculty of around 90 teaching and research staff, including visiting academics, with a support team of around 70 managerial and administrative staff. Research income averages £2 million per annum. There are approximately 2,100 students in total comprising some 200 MBA students, 460 Master’s students, 210 full- and part-time research students, and over 1100 undergraduates following BSc degrees. The School also runs joint undergraduate programmes with Departments in the Faculties of Engineering and Design, Science and Humanities and Social Sciences.
