Work with University Students on the Digital Challenges of Your Business
The Covid-19 pandemic has provided a catalyst for digital transformation, with many businesses forced to find alternative ways of delivering goods and services. The imperative for businesses to adopt digital technology in order to compete, innovate and grow, has never been stronger. In response to this, Lincoln International Business School is recruiting SMEs in Lincolnshire to work with students on the UoL4.0 Challenge to tackle the digital challenges in their businesses.
How Does it Work?
UoL4.0 Challenge pairs teams of Operations Management students with businesses to explore how the use of technology could lead to the development of new commercial ideas and new ways of interacting with customers and suppliers. The students identify how this could be addressed, with a focus on digital solutions, and will present ideas back to you. There is a limited time commitment from the business, and all engagement with the students will be online. From the business’s point of view, it provides a fresh perspective on the business, new ideas to consider, and the opportunity to work with the University and to support students. Businesses will also have access to an advisor from the Business Lincolnshire Growth Hub to help implement solutions.
The Experience of Local Business – LCFC
Lincoln City Football Club (LCFC) took part in the UoL 4.0 Challenge Project at the start of October 2020. Being a small football club at the heart of the community, fan experience was one of the biggest priorities for the club, considering the newly imposed COVID-19 restrictions.
With matches not able to take place during the pandemic, the LCFC team focused on keeping fans interested in the life of the club. For example, LCFC would frequently host ‘Imps Rewind’ on their YouTube channel, giving fans the chance to re-watch previous games and evoking nostalgic memories of previous eras for the club.
LCFC’s challenge for the students was therefore centred on maintaining fan engagement through digital platforms:
Through situational analysis and close examination of the practices of LCFC’s competitors, the students proposed that LCFC consider a very current digital solution, Tik Tok. Tik Tok is a growing social networking platform used for making entertaining short videos.
Images capture Lincoln International Business students presenting their final solutions at our virtual awards ceremony
LCFC have listened to the students’ suggestions and were quick to implement Tik Tok. Jake Longworth, Head of Communications for LCFC, has acknowledged the contribution it has made to the growth of their brand. So far, LCFC have over 10.6K followers, 38.9K likes and 16 posts. These feature some of the team’s most iconic matches, a Q&A from the team members, and footage from behind the scenes.
You can view and follow their official Tik Tok channel here: https://www.tiktok.com/@lincolncity_fc?lang=en
If you are an SME in the region and are interested in taking part in the next cohort, please get in touch with Liz Price (lprice@lincoln.ac.uk) or Herbert Mapfaira (hmapfaira@lincoln.ac.uk). The project takes place throughout the year, running in two academic terms:
- 1st term: October- December
- 2nd term: February-May
