Our programs

VU's City Flinders campus

Our core programs are designed to enhance specific capabilities and learning for public and private sector directors, executives, general managers and senior managers.

They are also ideal for those wanting to progress their career, and enhance their value in the market.

After successfully completing one of our non-award programs, you can choose to undertake the related workplace assessment to gain recognition of prior learning for post graduate studies such as the MBA (Which was ranked sixth in the Financial Review's 2011 MBA Boss ranking), or other Masters programs.

Programs can be tailored to suit individual business needs, and can be delivered at your place of business, or within our centrally-located City Flinders campus.

The Executive Education Unit also offers:

• consultancy services to businesses and Governments
• customised Professional Development to businesses and industry
• think-tanks, seminars and workshops
• facilities hire to business and Government

Seminar series: HR in the Firing Line, Dr. Joe Griffin and Mr Les Pickett

This seminar gave an overview of the current status of standards for HR professionals, and their impacts in terms of resourcing HR in organisations, reporting and recruiting. The seminar generated debate around the value of professional standards for the HR profession. Download and view the 'HR in the Firing Line' presentation.

Strategy

Corporate Strategies for Sustainability

Course dates: 11 February 2013

Many executives understand strategy, but struggle to embed it within the organisation. This program explores new ways to formulate and implement strategy. Couched within emerging strategic imperatives around sustainability, participants will consider the relationship between strategy, culture and operations, and understand the increasing significance of stakeholders.

Program content

• Emerging frameworks for strategy formulation
• The sustainability agenda
• Internal and external engagement and participation for effective strategic understanding
• Execution barriers
• Organising for success

Participants will develop an enhanced capacity to

• understand the relationship between stakeholders, organisational culture, strategy and performance measurement
• appreciate the relationship between business and sustainability
• generate engagement with organisational strategy
• appreciate the connections between strategy formulation and strategy implementation

Download the Corporate Strategies for Sustainability program flyer
Download Corporate Strategies for Sustainability application form

Behavioural Marketing - the new way to Strategic Marketing success

Course dates: contact us for upcoming dates.

There has been a revolution in the way the consumer has driven the landscape of effective marketing. No longer does a product- or benefit-centric approach guarantee success, nor does targeting a specific segment. Behavioural marketing is the new way to structure strategic and operational planning to get results.

This program will challenge your thinking on marketing approaches. Get a complete roadmap and tool kit to build an elegant marketing plan that will get buy-in within an organisation and results in the marketplace. This 2 day workshop is geared to provide the tools for you to develop insights, create actions and outcomes that will deliver your marketing success. This course is for you if you know there must be a better way to market, or are looking for a kick-start in how to build a marketing plan that makes the difference. They say that 50% of all marketing doesn't work – find out why.

Program content

• Neuromarketing, psychological aspects of behaviour change and influence
• Applications of Innovation and creativity, activation and messaging principles
• Brand development
• Market analysis
• Marketing Plan template

Participants will develop an enhanced capacity to

• understand behavioural marketing, create deep customer behavioural insight
• change consumer behaviour – for your benefit
• use tools, models and processes that underscore great analysis of your business
• incorporate ROI and KPI planning into marketing to increase your marketing effectiveness
• develop a killer marketing plan template

Download the Behavioural Marketing program flyer
Download the Behavioural Marketing application form

Leadership and Management

Business Leadership

Course dates: contact us for upcoming dates.

Private and public organisations face continual challenges, making executives with vision, courage, and committed followers a necessity. This program enables senior executives to reflect on practices, self-awareness, and underpinning assumptions in a rapidly changing business environment. The program focuses on leadership and strategy in a complex environment.

Program content

• Challenges of leading organisations
• Leadership styles
• Planning for the future
• Effective communications
• Leading a changing environment
• Effective executives
• Action plans

Participants will develop an enhanced capacity for

• different leadership styles
• leadership during change
• global factors on a business's future
• communicating and effectiveness

Download the Business Leadership program flyer
Download the Business Leadership application form

Systematic Inventive Problem Solving

Course dates: contact us for upcoming dates.

The key characteristic of highly successful organisations is the way their people think together. The biggest killer of innovative ideas is when an organisation thinks in silos - us versus them, sales versus logistics, finance versus customer service. The ability to harness the whole organisation’s brain is key; the problem is so many innovation or creativity tools and techniques have become exclusively for the ‘creative people’ in the organisation and often marginalise the very people that know the most. This program introduces a unique inventive problem solving technique designed to get the whole organisation not only thinking differently, but thinking together, harnessing the latent innovation thinking power of the whole organisation.

Program content

• Inventive Problem Solving theory and tools
• Problem Identification techniques
• Systematic Inventive Thinking
• Idea Development
• Inventive Team Thinking tools

Participants will understand

• how focusing on problem identification can be a powerful driver of new, innovative thinking
• how using systematic thinking can uncover better, more relevant solutions than many of the creative tools, like brainstorming
• how problem-solving systematic inventive thinking can more effectively harness the whole organisation’s brain

Download the Systematic Inventive Problem Solving program flyer
Download the Systematic Inventive Problem Solving application form

Business Knowledge

Business Renewal Guidance

Course dates: contact us for upcoming dates.

Many organisations operate in periods of continuous change. Changes arise from external market conditions, or internal change initiatives focused on improving efficiencies and minimising costs. So how do you successfully manage in periods of continuous change? This program will cover the essential elements of any BRG program, including practical tips, and traps to avoid.

Program content

• Context and definitions
• Essential elements of Business Renewal Guidance, including:
  • Conceptual logic
  • Change Management
  • Governance
  • Foresight and Benefits Management planning
• Planning/Implementation – essential steps Case studies
• Business Renewal Guidance tips and traps

Participants will develop an enhanced capacity for

• identifying common reasons for change, and key elements of successful change
• guidelines for businesses during periods of significant renewal and change
• how to introduce robustness into planning, implementation and managing outcomes
• the role of dedicated change managers
• key questions executives and senior managers should ask when undertaking significant change

Download the Business Renewal Guidance program flyer
Download the Business Renewal Guidance application form

Supply Chain and Logistics Management

The Business Benefits of Smart Procurement

Course dates: contact us for upcoming dates.

All organisations procure items to support their business functions. These items can either contribute directly to finished products and services, or be used to support operations. How much businesses spend on procurement is directly linked to overall profit – every dollar saved adds to profitability. Procurement is linked to all aspects to the business – making adoption of smart procurement practices imperative.

Program content

• Why is purchasing so important to all businesses?
• Matching demand with supply
• The Total Cost of Ownership
• Managing Inventory

Participants will develop an enhanced capacity to

• use key inventory models
• use key Purchasing principles
• appreciate the impact of supply and demand match
• appreciate the Impact of cost minimisation and cost ownerships

Download the Business Benefits of Smart Procurement program flyer

Event Management

Professional Certificate in Event Management

VU is a long established and well-respected provider of award winning Events Management education programs. We have well developed links with the event industry and government policy makers. These cover a wide range of events, and at all levels of provision.

Whether you are involved in small or large industry events or conferences or larger public events, in the fields of business, the arts, community or sport, this series of event certificate courses offer an invaluable tool to build skills and aid your professional development.

We offer three separate professional certificate courses:

• Professional CERT. 1 (Live) Event Management: A One Day Professional Certificate Course in event management. ($830)
• Professional CERT. 2 (Online) Event Management: Advances in Producing the Event. From Marketing to Experience Management ($800)
• Professional CERT. 3 (Live/Online combination) Event Management: Advances in Producing the Event: Value Adding, Controlling and Sustaining ($850)

Participants of all the certificates will develop an enhanced capacity to:

• Understand the key principles for the design and management of an industry event
• Address key planning tasks for a successful event
• Address the needs of creative production and innovative design
• Address the management and evaluation of the event in a structured way
• Address risk management practices and mitigation strategies
• Understand and link social media strategy with core management and marketing needs
• Assist your event in becoming environmentally sustainable

In addition all participants will have access to:

• Cloud (online) and discussion resources (text and multi-media)
• Ongoing post-course news update (resources, market changes, what’s hot & what’s not)

Download the Professional Certificate in Event Management program flyer
Download the Professional Certificate in Event Management application form

Contact us

Discover how we can develop a program that meets your needs. We can also arrange a tour of our facilities for your next seminar or workshop.

Dr Joe Griffin
Executive Education Director
Level 14, room 14.21
City Flinders campus

Phone: +61 3 9919 1521
Fax: +61 3 9919 1551
Email: exec.edu@vu.edu.au