“Peacewick University”

The people | The Business| The setting

Meet the People |Learn the Story

“Peacewick University” May 2022 P1 Case Study | IB BM

case study published by IBO
a visualization approach by Natalia Dadidou
ACS Athens May 2022
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Peacewick University | The Timeline
founded in “Country A”| 1935
as a Teacher Training
College
Specializing in
post-16 education
1992
PU becomes
a University

PU| Provides a a FULL

TODAY
range of subjects
Adriana Cortez has
ensured that PU has an
emphasis on meeting the
needs of the 21st Society

Oct 2019
One of most popular
universities in Country A. Jan 2020 Student Survey revealed
Ratio of applicants for each very high measures of
available student space 5:1 student satisfaction
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Adriana Cortez has ensured that PU has an emphasis

on meeting the needs of the 21st Society

⇒ Thus, PU has STRONG FACULTIES in

● IT
● BUSINESS
● ELECTRONICS Adriana Cortez | The President
● MEDICINE
● ENGINEERING
(ice Principal)
● MEDIA

⇒ Traditional subjects i.e. HISTORY are still taught EACH FACULTY HAS BOTH
but DO NOT have a HIGH PROFILE FUNCTIONS

RESEARCH TEACHING
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GROWTH in RESEARCH into AI

and MEDICINE
is impressive enabling the PU
to compete effectively with Adriana Cortez | The President
older, more established (Vice Principal)
universities
 lines 11-14

PU is a non-
for-profit
organization
ACADEMIC YEAR RUNS
FROM OCTOBER- TO JULY

BOARD of TRUSTEES
REPRESENTATIVES of the
COMMUNITY, EMPLOYEES,
BUSINESS AND GOVERNMENT
 CLARIFICATION

BOARD of TRUSTEES

What is a board of trustees?

It is an appointed or elected group of individuals that has
overall responsibility for the management of an organization.
The board of trustees is typically the governing body of an
organization and seeks to ensure the best interest of
stakeholders in all types of management decisions
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PU | FACES CHALLENGES that FORCE CHANGE

2020/21 External Environment Major Developments

Has entered an economic recession that may continue
Country A for several years.

SEPT 2021|
Catastrophic Accident in a Nearby
Chemical Plant
Severely affecting the nearby area.

IMPACT and Damages on PU

● Student Accommodation
● Lecture Theaters, and other PU buildings
● Teaching facilities unusable [may last for at least 2 years as
the clean-up operation is in process]
● Contamination of local water supplies | Not safe to drink
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PU | FACES CHALLENGES that FORCE CHANGE

CHEMICAL PLANT ACCIDENT

PU’s RESEARCH
FACILITIES are
located
on a separate
campus
PU’s TEACHING FACILITIES PU’s RESEARCH FACILITIES
WERE SEVERELY IMPACTED remained INTACT

Adrianna & the BoT

worked hard to assist
PU’s continuous
operation
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PU | FACES CHALLENGES that FORCE CHANGE

September 2021
● All on-site teaching ● PU had insufficient IT equipment for the
stopped for 2 months. lecturers.
● Some very limited ● Many Lecturers had inadequate IT skills to
classroom accommodation deliver high quality online courses.
was found elsewhere in the ● Many Lecturers found it very difficult to
city and on a separate teach without F2F contact.
campus. ● Many Students lacked the necessary IT
● For the rest of the equipment or internet connection to attent
ACADEMIC YEAR efforts online lectures.
were made to ensure that ● Some International Students had to return
courses continued to be to their home countries (accommodation
delivered in these damaged)
temporary classrooms and ● Some Students demanded compensation
online lectures were claiming that courses did not meet their
delivered. expectations.
● Some Employees were made redundant.
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PU | FACES CHALLENGES that FORCE CHANGE

CHEMICAL PLANT ACCIDENT

Adrianna & the BoT worked
hard to reduce the impact of
the problems
Thanks to the excellent work
from the PU employees the
impact on student learning
was minimized
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PU | The DISASTER BRINGS FUNDING

AFTER THE CHEMICAL PLANT ACCIDENT

@ PU’s TEACHING CAMPUS
● Some of the Research was suspended until the end of
2021/2022 academic year.

FACULTY OF MEDICINE
Received a large amount of
GOVERNMENT FUNDING to RESEARCH MEDICINES
for REDUCING the impact of exposure to
DANGEROUS CHEMICALS on PEOPLE and ANIMALS

FACULTY OF IT
Received FUNDING from the founder of one of the world’s largest
SOFTWARE COMPANIES to RESEARCH the use of AI in DETECTING
CONTAMINATION
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PU | HIGH HOPES BEFORE THE DISASTER

BEFORE| 2021/ 2022 PU’s BUSINESS PLAN

PU’s HIGH HOPES
Originally Based on an Expected Increase in student numbers

BPlan included a
NEW BUILDING for the
FACULTY of MUSIC

Installation of
Renewable Energy BPlan included an
Sources on the IMPROVED PAY
PU campus STRUCTURE for Lecturers
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PU | THE PLANS WERE UNREALISTIC

AFTER| 2021/ 2022 PU’s BUSINESS PLAN

Student numbers for the
Academic Year 2022/2023 were
predicted to be MUCH LOWER
than originally expected

Many LOCAL STUDENTS

have decided to postpone
their studies for a year.

NOTE that: Many INTERNATIONAL

International Students
pay HIGHER fees to PU
than local ones
STUDENTS will not
return to complete their
courses and fewer will
enrol
 lines 56-60

PU | REVENUES and COSTS

AFTER| 2021/ 2022

PU COSTS REMAINED
CASH FLOW
PU FACED - Payroll
- Building ISSUES
A FALL in
Maintenance WERE HUGE
REVENUES [PxQ]
- General Expenses

ADRIANA ADRIANA
PU needed Further
made 10% of moved 20% of
to find ways operating
Teaching and staff to part-
to REDUCE costs savings
support staff time
OUTFLOWS were made
REDUNDANT employment
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PU | AGGRESSIVE MARKETING STRATEGIES

REMAINED
AFTER| 2021/ 2022
● Most universities were cutting marketing budgets because
of Country A’s economic recession
● Adrianna decided to maintain PU’s aggressive marketing
strategies (in contrast to other universities), despite the
recession even in the aftermath of the disaster.
Adriana:
● Marketing expenditure is a worthwhile investment
● The promotion emphasized PU’s achievements
[A] both in RESEARCH and TEACHING
[B] STUDENT SERVICES
[C] high levels of STUDENT SATISFACTION (remember
the survey)
[D] COMPETITIVE FEES
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PU | AGGRESSIVE MARKETING STRATEGIES

REMAINED

STATUS UPDATE| JANUARY 2022

(1) Standard of teaching returned to its HIGH QUALITY though in
different format
[New Format=Much of teaching were online, enabling lecturers to meet
smaller groups of students F2F]
(2) Fewer student complaints were made

HOWEVER
(3) Anxiety among the teaching staff remained
(4) Anxiety for some research staff (not involved in front line research)
remained too.
(5) Cash flow worsened
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PU | AGGRESSIVE MARKETING STRATEGIES

REMAINED
STATUS UPDATE| February 2022
THE FACULTY OF MEDICINE’s research into medicine is proving positive
following testing on the public [STRENGTH]. Financial support from
pharmaceutical companies could result in commercial production of the
medicines, once approved [CONDITIONAL OPPORTUNITY]

THE FACULTY OF IT has produced prototype equipment using AI that enables

improvements in the ability to detect and identify contamination
[STRENGTH]

- PU’s marketing (evidence suggest) was increasing - Student applications at PU remained

student interest for the next academic year. low.
- IT skills for some lecturers improved thanks to
training, thus less discontent among students
regarding the quality of the courses - There are still significant shortages of
- IT equipment provision for students and employees equipment, esp. for economically
through the Government and computer disadvantaged students
manufacturers.
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PU |ADRIANA’S LEADERSHIP- MANAGEMENT

AND BEYOND
CRITICAL ISSUES AT PU
REQUIRED HRM ISSUES
ADRIANA’S TIME & ENERGY
- RECOVERY
- CASH FLOW
- MANAGING RECOVERIES

ETHICAL ISSUES

DAY-TO-DAY ISSUES
REMAINED FOR
ADRIANA SUSTAINABILITY
ISSUES
 Adriana needs to sort lines 86- 100

HRM issues out before

causing further damage
to the faculty and PU
ADRIANA & HRM ISSUES
FACULTY OF HISTORY
High staff turnover. ALLEGED BULLYING
Resignations occurred despite by Jim Summerfield
the few job vacancies in the several cases
FACULTY OF HISTORY domestic economy.

Patricia Hughes
TAKES PU TO COURT Jim Summerfield
claiming unfair dismissal head of History Faculty
after complaining to the
university newspaper Adriana discussed with faculty and found:
about the management -Low morare
Patricia Hughes of the faculty -Anger on how Patricia was dismissed
former History Lecturer -Fear about further redundancies
- Some Sexist and Racist attitudes
-Adrianna is surprised by Jim’s attitude. She knows him flourished DESPITE PU’s equality policies
since the establishment of the faculty. being in place
- Jim had a reputation of one of the best historians and - Jim became more controlling expecting
managers the faculty had department’s members to do as they are
-Faculty rumours claimed that Jim’s personal problems told and rarely consulting anyone
had caused his behaviour to change
 Allegations in Social Media lines 100- 117

and National Newspapers that

PU fails to achieve some of its
Mission’s articles
PU’s MISSION STATEMENT | Articles
INCLUSIVITY, EXCELLENCE, PERSEVERANCE,
COMMITMENT, RESILIENCE, AMBITION and
CREATIVITY
ADRIANA & HRM ISSUES
One of the Companies funding PU’s medical
research has been accused of exploiting
LDCs by OVER-PRICING medicine there and
SELLING medicines that have NOT been
approved in the EU or the US

Di Jones
recently appointed as a trustee of PU
- The MN IT Company funds some of Pu’s ITresearch.
- Her appointment raises controversy since political activists have discovered
that Di descends from a family that used slaves on their sugar plantation back in
the 19th century. THEY ask for her being removed from her role as a PU trustee.
Di Jones
Director of a MN IT Company| PU Trustee

-Has invited a guest speaker who has been accused in the past of
having antisemitic views in one of his books.
- The society argues that freedom of speech should be held
- Other groups (including students and lecturers) though argue
that PU should no be a platform for intolerant views
PU’s Student Politics Society
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ADRIANA & SUSTAINABILITY ISSUES

PU’s CSR
Is partly related to ECOLOGICAL SUSTAINABILITY
The disaster caused by the accident, has UNEXPECTEDLY reduced resources
used by PU . These are the consequences:

● Having FEWER Employees and Students on PU campus

⇒ has led to significantly Lower Energy Consumption, Less Waste, Less use of Water, Less
Pollution, reduced PU’s Carbon Footprint.
● ALL PU’s electricity for the first time, is coming from SOLAR PANELS installed on some
unused land near the research facilities.
● Greater use of Online Teaching
⇒ has increased PU’s energy use of Computer Servers and Broadband.

Adriana
-Wants to MAINTAIN the MOMENTUM of CHANGE to ENSURE that PU continues to
improve its SUSTAINABILITY as it returns to more normal operations.
-Thinks that ecological issues are NOT the only issues suitable for sustainability policies.
- PU has an opportunity to continue its sustainability programmes by rebuilding the
damaged part of the PU campus.
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Even in hard times, PU should not
stand still. She wishes she could see
what the future would bring- The
decisions then would be so easy.
PU | The Way Ahead
PU’s Future| Remains Uncertain - Some PU FACULTIES
Adriana: Adriana thinks that in the SHORT TERM would have to be
- Is waiting to see if STUDENT 1. PU needs to revise its Employment reviewed
- Research suggests that
NUMBERS increase again Contracts to try to restore morale to
the # of Students studying
- Knows that the accounts (financial) the teaching staff following HISTORY & INTERNATIONAL
are a cause of CONCERN redundancies. LANGUAGES has
- The successes of some of the 2. The IT training programmes need to DECREASED in the last
Research Projects suggest FURTHER continue and be expanded as new few years. This trend will
GROWTH and INVESTMENT in those ways of working are introduced. continue. This decline PU
PU areas (Research Function) 3. PU cannot continue as it did in the faces reflects falling
- PU would like to GROW its TEACHING past student interest for those
(a) Many PU facilities remained subjects in schools.
PROVISION (Teaching Function) - Some trustees have
underused outside term time.
(b) Lecturers often travelling around suggested NO longer
- PU’s LONG TERM PLAN INCLUDES the world to attend conferences OFFERING these subjects
and using the subsequent
(A) Refurbishing teaching facilities that (c) PU relying too much on the
savings to EXPAND further
were damaged by the accident HIGHER FEES paid by
provisions to the
(B) Open a CAMPUS in COUNTRY B INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
FACULTIES of MEDICINE
and IT
This was the Story line by line| Now we need to come up with
possible IB P1 style questions and answer them. Let’s work
towards having an effective revision.
Enjoy the ride!