Overview

Stephen Jones is a Senior Lecturer in Bangor Business School where he has been an academic since 1994. In addition to teaching undergraduate, postgraduate, and post-experience executive modules he serves as the School’s Director of Business Relations, the Director of BBS Executive Education, and is currently the interim Head of the Division of Business, Management and Marketing.

Having introduced the teaching of ‘international business’, ‘entrepreneurship' and 'e-business' at Bangor and being responsible for the School's links with businesses he is passionate about supporting students, executives and businesses both locally in north Wales and around the World.

As well as UK he has taught in China, Dubai, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, USA, Uzbekistan and Zimbabwe.

Over the years his scholarship interest has been in understanding and facilitating the contribution of individuals to develop regions, industries and organisations/companies. Most recently this has been incorporated into the needs of the north Wales tourism sector, and the challenges for financial institutions globally to support employees in complying with Anti-Money Laundering regulations – culminating in leading the development of degrees in fields new to the School - BSc Tourism Management and MBA Financial Crime and Compliance.

His longstanding commitment to the development of individuals extends beyond employment in the commercial arena to encompass the provision of support to students studying in different educational cultures, and in part-time/online modes of study, as well as to a diverse range of colleagues joining academia – early career individuals, doctoral candidates, adjunct faculty including industry practitioners.

Stephen has captured grant funding in excess of £2m — principally from UK/Welsh Government and Research Council sources for business development services; EU Interreg sources for management development programmes linking Wales and Ireland; and UK International Development sources for faculty development support to HE institutions in Eastern Europe and the Middle East.

Roles within Bangor Business School

Interim Head of BBS Division of Business, Management and Marketing, attending Senior Management Group, and Teaching and Learning Committee.

Senior Lecturer in Management Studies - postgraduate and undergraduate teaching, supervision, and pastoral care.

Academic Director of Executive Education including programme development and dissemination to industry practitioners.

Director of Business Relations, Bangor Business School.

Contributor to Leadership Development programmes (ION, Help to Grow) offered in cooperation with Swansea University and Cardiff Metropolitan University respectively. Member of ION Steering Group.

Co-ordinator of intensive Bangor-campus teaching provision for overseas collaborative partners, most recent expression involving placement of Italian students.

Academic supervision of Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs).

Qualifications

MBSc Business and Management, Manchester Business School

MSc Marine Geotechnics, UCNW

BSc Marine Biology and Soil Science, UCNW

PGCE

Scholarship and Teaching Interests

Stephen's continuing interests focus on the development of personal and organisational competency to operate in a VUCA world (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous). Resulting outputs have included new modules (eg. International Business Competency, Trends in Marketing); new programmes (HRM, Tourism Management); refocussing existing programmes (both UG and PGT) to emphasise sustainability, ethical behaviour, and creativity; co-supervision of PhD students working in industry.

Undergraduate Teaching

ASB-3122 International Business and Global Competency

ASB-3532 Trends in Marketing

ASB-2117 Marketing of Services

ASB-1206 Tutorials in Management

Postgraduate Teaching

ASB-4006 Marketing Strategy

ASB-4904 Applied Business Projects - International Business topic, and overall academic coordination of module.

ASB-9038 Marketing for Financial Services –optimising the Customer Journey

Activities

Examples of Stephen’s collaboration with other institutions (academic and professional, public and private) include:-

With professional bodies to provide globally unique, dual accredited academic offerings – new MBA Financial Crime and Compliance with Manchester CF of Canada; updating of existing Chartered Banker MBA with the Chartered Banker Institute, Edinburgh.

Within Bangor University — KTPs with Bio-composites Centre, Canolfan Bedwyr, Creative Studies and Media, and Electronic Engineering; joint development of academic programmes with Chemistry, Computer Science, Environment Natural Resources and Geography, and Modern Languages.

Within North Wales - as joint chair of the business and management subject group of the Community University of North Wales Partnership.

In Eastern-Europe and the Middle East -faculty development programmes funded by UK government for institutions in Middle East and Russia, concentrating on issues of pedagogy.

Elsewhere in Europe, Asia-Pacific and Central Asia - programme administration and programme content advice on taught modules and projects/dissertations, staff development activities, programme administration support including Quality Assurance and governance matters, joint EU programme activities.

Attendance internationally at External Exam Boards, Validation Panels, Quinquennial Inspection Reviews.

Links with industry

Stephen continues to build on prior senior management experience in the Middle East and SE Asia, which included a period as Corporate Representative in Beijing in 1987 for a Fortune 500 corporation headquartered in Massachusetts.

Examples of activities with industry have included the creation, delivery and quality assurance of cross-border business development programmes between Wales and Ireland, and Wales and Italy (with EU funding); and programmes for management development and Executive Education.

A major activity has been as academic supervisor on Knowledge Transfer Partnerships with individual SMEs. These engagements, funded jointly by the Technology Strategy Board and Research Councils with financial contribution from the company, place a graduate in the company to work on a project of strategic significance. A portfolio of 12 projects (typically each of two years duration) have been completed across the spectrum from physical goods to pure services, for organizations serving individual consumers and corporate clients, operating on commercial and not-for-profit bases. These strategic interventions have included internationalisation, application of Internet-based solutions, new product development, and organizational optimization initiatives. Particularly satisfying have been contributions to the Welsh economy, language. culture and society through projects focusing on Welsh book publishing, the Welsh music industry, Welsh creative industry incubators and community initiatives, support to Welsh language broadcasting, and the diversification of Welsh agricultural products.