The document describes a competition and workshop being organized by Kent Connects and Kent Business School to stimulate innovation in public services. Students will advise digital entrepreneurs on developing prototypes into viable businesses. The workshop will: 1) have students work with entrepreneurs to develop business plans for prototypes; 2) include demonstrations and feedback; 3) provide mentoring and simulate challenges. The goal is for students to gain experience advising entrepreneurs, and for innovators to develop prototypes into marketable ventures.

1. Transformed by You – Competition
Kent Business School MBA Students Workshop
Background
Kent Connects and Kent Business School set up a joint MBA Cohort Programme in
Spring 2011 to enable councils and other public services to access a range of
expertise from the students – and provide students with invaluable practical
experience of the public sector
These projects are providing a collaborative approach for students to grow tangible
business connections, gain a deeper understanding of the challenges public sector
organisation face, as well as sharpen their leadership skills.
Competition
Kent Connects are organising a competition to stimulate public services,
entrepreneurs and communities to develop innovative ways of using technology to
improve their neighbourhoods. This builds on the Transformed by You programme
conducted with entrepreneurs and students1. The competition will run as such:
1. People will be able to submit and rate ideas online on how technology could
help improve their neighbourhoods
2. Groups will discuss and refine the highest rated ideas at “ideas workshops”
3. Digital entrepreneurs will be able to submit and rate prototypes they want to
develop that build on the top ideas on specific challenges
4. Digital entrepreneurs will develop their prototypes at an event with others to
try and win the competition
5. Students from KBS will advise entrepreneurs on how to take prototype
products and services to market
Aim
Building on lessons learned from challenge-based approaches developed both by
Kent Connects Partners and recommendations by NESTA2, we propose to design a
workshop to provide
o Students with real-life work experience of advising entrepreneurs on how to take
prototype products and services to market
o Digital innovators with entrepreneurial expertise from the students so their
prototypes can be developed, tested and evaluated into viable ventures
o Public service commissioners and researchers with a better understanding of
how innovations with the potential to serve the public can be taken to market
This will provide the Kent Connects and Kent Business School partnership with
another opportunity of working together to stimulate local entrepreneurs and inform
the development of future Kent MBA projects.
1. How will the workshop run?
The digital innovators/developers and small groups of students will work through the
brief below on their prototypes.
1
http://www.kent.ac.uk/stms/news/stories/2010/kcc.html
2
Vicki Purewal, Social Challenge Prize Guide, http://bit.ly/lN3Xe7, NESTA, December 2010

2. The questions that will form the brief for the students at the Kent Business School
Kent Connects Workshop will build on both the questions that will have been asked
to the prototype developers in the submission form (see Annexes) and the review by
the Judges of the Competition.
Stage Questions Advice to Related Kent
Prototype MBA Module
Developers
Market Research What is the Analysing market Marketing Analysis
and Business customer need and opportunities for and Planning
Modelling market the prototype
opportunity? (including
customer &
competitor
analysis)
What Working through Applied Business
methodologies, any complex Modelling
materials and tools decisions needed
will we use to to develop the
conduct the business model
research? for the prototype
How are we going Developing a Strategic
to develop the strategy to take Management
strategy? the prototype to
market
Design and How are we going Identifying and Managing
Delivery to take forward the appraising Processes
development of the process and
prototype? operational issues
and suggesting
solutions to these
What resources are Financing and Accounting and
needed to develop budgeting of the Financial
the prototype? prototype Management
(balance sheet,
forecasting and
investment)
How are we going Identify the Strategic Supply
to manage the drivers for a Chain
supply chain? potential Management
approach to
managing the
supply chain for
the prototype to
be delivered
How are we going Identifying, Entrepreneurship
to appraise the formalising and
options? pitching

3. entrepreneurial
opportunities to
further develop
the prototype
Project
Management
Managing People
How are we going Managing a team and Organisations
to set up the team? of people to
develop the
prototype
Who are the Identifying Managing People
stakeholders and stakeholders and and Organisations
how are they to be understanding
engaged and what how to influence
are their issues? them
Who would be a Identifying Managing People
suitable sponsor stakeholders and and Organisations
for the project? understanding
how to influence
them
How are we going Determine Marketing Analysis
to plan the marketing and Planning
marketing and objectives and
communications? develop marketing
strategies based
on analysis of the
market and an
understanding of
buyer behaviour.
Marketing & What marketing Develop creative Marketing Analysis
Communications and solutions to and Planning
communications marketing
activities are challenges for the
required? prototype
2. What will be the different stages of the workshop?
o Each group will require a maximum of six students and the presence of the
prototype developer/s of the prototype selected
o The students and developers will work together to complete the above brief
o Get key advisors to support, advise and challenge the groups on taking the
prototype to market (with their own individual experiences and tips)
o During the workshop, facilitators will advise each group and simulate
"unexpected events" that could affect the prototype as it’s taken to market
o At the end of the workshop, each group will showcase and "walk through"
their innovation with opportunities for feedback from other participants
o The content produced for the business propositions will be edited and
packaged and distributed to students and developers

4. Introduction of the day
o Refreshments and introduction of the agenda of the day
o Speed networking session to introduce students to developers
Morning session
o Introduction of prototypes
o Group workshops
o Lunch
Afternoon session
o Showcase by each group, feedback and next steps
3. What actions will be offered to the students for the workshop?
Actions Resources Start Date Finish Date
provided
Select which type of mentor you Brief 25
wish to be description of role November
of mentor
6 February
Review brief for the workshop Brief for the 30
workshop agenda January
Review the background content Submission put 30 6 February
for the prototype forward for the January
prototype
Analysis by the
Judges
Prototype
(including web
link)
Participate in the workshop and Brief checklist W/C 6
work with the prototype prototype developer February
developer/s to develop a
business and community
proposition for it

5. Annexes
1. Contribution to the skills developed by students relevant to the Kent
MBA Programme
Intellectual skills
o Analytical skills necessary for the analysis of problems and the identification
of appropriate solutions.
o Ability to plan, work and study independently and in a group and use relevant
resources in a way which reflects best current and anticipated future practice.
Subject specific skills
o Ability to initiate and manage change by development of an awareness of
threats, a perception of opportunities and a readiness to reconsider current
practices rather than simply repeating past patterns.
o Ability to integrate academic frameworks and understanding with the practical
environment of business.
o Ability to identify business opportunities.
Transferable skills
o Effective performance in a team environment.
o Enhance the interactive skills needed to communicate, negotiate and mobilise
people in organisations.
o Effectively apply numeracy and quantitative skills including the use of models
of business situations; qualitative research skills.
o Apply the ability to identify, manipulate, evaluate and communicate
knowledge relevant to business and management issues to the development
and management of organisations.
2. Submission Form for Prototype Developers
Submission Questions Judging Criteria
What is the name of your Evidence of creativity
prototype?
What idea/s are you developing Evidence of prototype building on an idea put
your prototype on forward in the Ideas Competition
How are you going to develop it? Evidence that the prototype can be used by a
member of the public
What datasets are you using? Evidence of use of data available from
www.openkent.org.uk
What tools and techniques are you Evidence of ability to use tools and techniques
going to use to develop the in an innovative way and that are accessible to
prototype? all
How would you take your idea Evidence of ability to engage people to use the

6. forward? prototype and sponsors to fund its development
Selecting the idea
What stage are you at
in Researching market & resources needed
prototyping? Planning the development of the prototype
Developing the prototype
Testing the prototype
Turning the prototype into a viable product
What type (and level 1-3) of Time/Technology/Research/Investment/Training
support do you need to take
forward your prototype?