Steve James | Alexander Associates
Upon completing the MBA at Bournemouth University, Steve has been managing local structural engineering consultancy firm, Alexander Associates. In recent years, the skills and knowledge he gained from studying on the part-time route has led to him becoming a partner in the company.
What was your background before you started the MBA?
I had a degree in Civil/Structural Engineering and initially taught Physics for four years. This progressed into consulting engineering and then building site management for Southampton on projects such as the Bargate Centre, the Town Quay and the Novotel and Ibis hotels. In 1990, I returned to running consultancies. I am also a Chartered Civil Engineer through the Institution of Civil Engineers and a Corporate Member of the Institution of Structural Engineers.
"The Bournemouth MBA has helped me look at the bigger picture, regarding not only my business, but the industry in which it is set."
So what benefit did you think an MBA would give you with your background in engineering?
I felt that I needed to augment my business knowledge, largely obtained in an ad-hoc and random manner, through running an engineering consultancy. I like learning and an MBA seemed the ideal way of getting to grips with running a business effectively and better understanding the business environment.
Why BU?
I chose Bournemouth as the location was ideal, being close to work, and because of the part-time route.
How did you manage the study/work/life balance?
Studying hard in my own time was not too difficult, although there are always pressures from family and work that can sometimes conflict, particularly when there are deadlines to meet.
The most difficult aspect for me was the writing of relatively long essays. I'm used to preparing succinct reports, often for the legal profession and a short word count was often necessary to ensure that the whole report was read. This was in marked contrast to an MBA assignment or project which, whilst having to be carefully constructed and argued in order to answer the question raised, nevertheless required a much greater word count.
What does your current role entail, and how has the MBA benefited your position and development?
Alexander Associates is a structural engineering consultancy with clients ranging from large facilities managers looking after the Ministry of Defence (MOD) estate to domestic clients wanting a single steel beam designed. The Bournemouth MBA has helped me look at the bigger picture, regarding not only my business but the industry in which it is set. This is particularly useful at a time when the construction industry, as a whole, is facing hardship.
"My confidence in running the business has grown, knowing that my decisions are based on the knowledge and skills gained from the MBA."
My confidence in running the business has grown, knowing that my decisions are based on the knowledge and skills gained from the MBA. Additionally, my learning style has carried through in that I am more critical of things that are said in the industry.
It also has taken some of the mystique out of being a manager, making me look at the business in a strategic manner rather than focussing too much on the day-to-day minutiae which can so often obscure a profitable business.
What have been the best aspects of gaining the MBA?
Learning not only from the lecturers with their various expertise, but from my fellow professional students with their different backgrounds and ages, so completely different from my own.
I found the whole programme to be useful in different ways ranging from the ability to access accounts, to understand and interrogate them, through to understanding different aspects of marketing. The MBA made the clear distinction between the operational aspects of running a business and the strategic aims for the longer term.
