Tasty ‘Ice Queen’
results from cool
student challenge
Over the summer, some projects took on a more light-hearted, fun approach to
student learning. To get the creative juices flowing, one academic challenged
his students to develop a new ice-cream.
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NTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT and Leadership
students were set the task of developing an ice-cream
that represented the University. The question was posed:
“If Queen Margaret University was an ice-cream, what would
it be?”
The branding exercise involved the students taking into
consideration different elements of the University’s work as well as
its flagships in healthcare, sustainable business and creativity
and culture – QMU's areas of expertise.
Richard Bent, Director of MBAs at QMU, explained: “This was a
fun project but with a serious branding side to it. The students had
to think creatively about the different elements involved and how
they might link it with the University’s research and commercial
interests.
The combined effort resulted in ‘Ice Queen’. The new ice-cream
product combines honey, raspberries and oats with ice-cream from
the renowned Musselburgh business, Luca’s.
Richard continued: “The team of ten students finally agreed on
this wonderful combination which quite accurately reflects some
of QMU’s recent work. The inclusion of honey was a no-brainer.
QMU has become renowned for its pioneering research into the
antibacterial properties of honey. Recently, our research showed
that if used in higher quantities, honey from Portobello was equally
as effective in the fight against bacteria as the world-famous Manuka
honey. The inclusion of honey represents the University research
into food and its specialism in health sciences.”
Fruit and spice oat biscuits, from the Edinburgh firm Nairn’s, are
included to demonstrate QMU’s commercial support of small and
medium sized businesses. The spice also represents the spice trail
and the University’s international dimension.
The oat biscuits, raspberries and Luca’s ice-cream represents
Scotland’s rich natural larder and QMU’s particular interests in
Scotland’s food and drink sector.
Richard said: “We were delighted that Yolanda Luca from
Musselburgh’s Luca’s Ice-cream agreed to support the project.
Yolanda is a QMU graduate and the students wanted to include
Luca’s as it represents the University’s interest in family business
development and community engagement.”
Luca’s made the Ice Queen and the students and Principal,
Professor Petra Wend, taste-tested the first batch.
Richard concluded: “Our first batch of 80 pots went down a storm.
It was so delicious that we now hope to include it on our menu
at corporate university events. It would be hard to think of a more
fun, seasonal way to carry out a branding exercise. Now the only
decisions we have to make are whether we want tubs or cones?”❒
QMU hosts international hospitality conference
Scotland’s reputation for hospitality was tested when academics from all over the
world arrived in Edinburgh for an international hospitality research conference.
I
N MAY, QMU hosted the Council for Hospitality
Management Education (CHME) Annual Conference,
attracting academics from as far afield as New Zealand,
Nigeria, Turkey, Denmark, Switzerland and Germany.
Although the event was geared towards academics, the world
famous chef, Albert Roux, OBE and Legion d’ Honneur, himself
a QMU honorary graduate, shared his wisdom of the hospitality
industry with university experts from around the globe.
Now in its 22nd year, the conference was run by The Council
for Hospitality Management Education which represents UK
universities offering higher education programmes in hospitality
studies, hospitality management and related fields. The conference
allowed the academic members to share examples of best practice
which will contribute to the professional development and status
of hospitality management education in the UK.
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QMYOU / Sustainable Business
Chef Albert Roux OBE, head of the famous cooking dynasty
behind establishments such as Le Gavroche (first ever restaurant
in the UK to be awarded three Michelin Stars) and more recently
Greywalls in Gullane, Scotland, joined leading UK academics in
presenting keynote speeches. Alison Phipps, OBE, Professor
of Languages and Intercultural Studies at Glasgow University
has published widely in the field of modern languages, tourism,
intercultural studies and European anthropology. She addressed
the international conference of academics alongside Professor
Angela Roper, Director of the newly established International
Centre for Hotel and Resort Management at University of West
London, and Peter Ducker, Chief Executive of the Institute of
Hospitality.
Trevor Laffin, Head of QMU’s Division of Business, Enterprise
and Management, said: “We are very proud to have hosted such
a prestigious conference in Scotland and to be involved in a topic
of global importance to both developing countries and established
economies.” ❒