Chapter 27: Creating a business clinic

This chapter will focus on how universities can engage with businesses through experiential learning, specifically business consultancy. The Business Clinic consultancy module is based at Northumbria University and is a capstone module offering Undergraduate and Postgraduate students an alternative to the traditional dissertation. Giving them the opportunity to work with real clients on a live consultancy project. The chapter explores the process of business engagement, beginning with the initial stages of engagement and expectation setting with a potential client, the student group formation and initial client meeting, the tutor and client role throughout the consultancy project, then final report and client presentation and finally, discussing the opportunity for future business engagement research and curriculum design. This exploration into the journey of client engagement through the process of the consultancy project allows an alternative perspective of developing successful professional relationships within an educational institution.