This month, the Bournemouth University Business School held Shaping the Future of Work as part of the Master of Business Administration (MBA) conference.
As part of the MBA unit of the same name, Shaping the Future of Work explored how the workplace is currently experiencing unprecedented change through influences such as digitalisation, machine learning, and artificial intelligence, alongside demographic changes and the emergence of new ways of working.
The conference featured guest speaker Ben Oghene, Director of Digital Solutions at PwC, who discussed a range of topics from leveraging data science to identify global talent, whilst aiming to remove unconscious bias, to the application of virtual reality (VR) for learning purposes. He discussed PwC’s In My Shoes, a VR environment where leaders can experience the virtual shoes of their team members.
Ben said: “I enjoyed the rich discussion and high level of engagement from the students. I wanted to speak at BU to raise awareness regarding the technologies shaping the future of work. I hope it will help some students decide what to focus on in terms of their future career plans.”
He continued: “I would like students to understand the potential societal impact of artificial intelligence, brain-computer-interfaces, extended reality, and other technologies which are being developed at an exponential rate.”
Deb Taylor, MBA Director at BU, said: “The conference is always a fantastic opportunity for students to think about the changes in the workplace which will affect the way in which they lead in the future. Our MBA students asked challenging questions and really focused on some of the ethical issues that will arise in future workplaces.”
Sharon Kajotoni, MBA student at the BU Business School, said: “The invitation of industry speakers into our lectures has been one of my favourite experiences as an MBA student. Not only do we get to hear real-life experiences from experts, but it also gives us a chance to shift from theoretical perspectives into a more pragmatic learning style. It's always fulfilling to know that what we have been taught are facts that are being applied in the real world. Not to mention the potential of networking, which is so vital in life.”
Find out more about studying Master of Business Administration at BU.
