Extending student reading with the Institute of Directors

The Institute of Directors produces a regular magazine for its members, which includes lots of articles and snippets that students might enjoy. Great reading for all students, particularly those taking A2 modules that require them to get a feel for decision-making, and involved in that all-important independent research. Just take a look at the items highlighted on the cover of the November edition: Turn Your Business into a Great Brand, The Collaboration Game - are your teamwork skills up to the job?, Setting up in Brazil, Why we need more Engineers in Government, and the key-note article is an interview with Sir Stuart Rose about strategy, self-doubt and why business must embrace change. There are also articles on apprenticeship schemes, the Guardian Small Business Network, the effects of the US election result for business, start-up funding for young entrepreneurs and the secrets of success of winners of the 2012 Directors of the Year, as well as lots of mini interviews and items that give a feel for every aspect of running a business.

They have a website at which you can select and view most of the articles, but to get the real feel for business management, I suggest the printed version. You may know someone who is a member of the IoD and who is prepared to pass the magazine on to you. However, depending on your budget, it can be fun to have one copy per set, put a 'distribution list' on the cover of each addition and get the students to take turns to read through it, sign their initials against the distribution list and pass it on to the next person - I have done this in the past and found that the students really enjoyed the sense of being a 'real business person' that this gave them. Alternatively, it might be possible to get groups of 4 or 5 to share a subscription between them. You can take out a subscription without being a member; this can be done via the website at £34 for the year, for which you get about 10 editions - they arrive roughly once a month although they tend to 'consolidate' with fewer editions in the summer months, which suits the school calendar quite nicely. They don't have a 'bulk order' discount, or a lower educational subscription - but perhaps, if enough of us enquire about this, we could persuade them to consider it!