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EM Normandie UK Ltd is fully committed to ensuring the success of all our students, and regularly monitors risks that have the potential to affect student outcomes through its ongoing processes of strategic planning, Risk Assessments and through regular up-dating of policies and procedures such as our Business Continuity policy, Health & Safety Policy and Covid/Lockdown Policy.
EM Normandie UK Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of a large, well established and successful French business school, founded in 1871. The parent organisation has charitable status, and all profits are reinvested for the benefit of students. Courses are accredited by international accreditations such as AACSB, EQUIS, EPAS and BSIS. The organisation is listed as one of the top 100 European business schools and as delivering one of the top 100 best Masters’ degrees in management world-wide by the Financial Times. The development of the site in Oxford is a strategic priority for the French parent organisation to which significant resources have been allocated. These resources, together with the measures detailed below will effectively manage risks to the operations of EM Normandie UK Limited in the years ahead.
Risk that the EM Normandie will cease to operate is low
From a financial perspective, the risk that EM Normandie UK Ltd will cease to operate is very low. The parent organisation has a five-year strategic plan which envisages continued growth with a budget of
EUR 40 million. EM Normandie UK Ltd plays an important part in this long-term strategic planning.
The school has adapted very well to post-Brexit circumstances. It has compressed its academic year into 6 months in order to allow students to stay withing the limits of visitor visa’s regulations.
Despite this, student numbers have increased year by year and additional premises had to be leased and to be refurbished to create 2 new classrooms, 1 classroom/smart lab as well as additional office space and a teacher room. Staffing levels have also increased and, from an administration point of view, the company now operates largly independently from its parent company.
The financial plan is monitored on a continuous basis by the Board and the Finance Committee which meet quarterly. The finance committee approves and monitors the annual accounts and monitors compliance with internal financial procedures. External audits of EM Normandie UK’s yearly accounts are carried out by KLSA in London.
Risk that the institution will close a location building or campus and cannot find a suitable location is low
We are currently located in purpose-built premises in central Oxford leased from City of Oxford College. This arrangement is well established and mutually beneficial. A second three-year lease has been in place since July 2020. The school is in negotiations with the college for additional teaching space on-site.
An additional approx. 300 sqm have been leased out in 2022 and fully refurbished and a new lease is being negotiated to start from July 2023.
Risk that EM Normandie is unable to deliver programmes in specific subjects is low
Once students are admitted to courses, EM Normandie UK Ltd is committed to providing those courses as specified at admission, as detailed in our statement on consumer protection. The French parent organisation acts as guarantor. It takes full responsibility for meeting the requirement and has the necessary resources to do so.
Recruitment of lecturers is now done entirely from the UK in the UK which has allowed the recruitment of more local teachers based in the Oxford area.
Risk that EM Normandie will be unable to deliver components of our courses is low
EM Normandie UK Ltd has significant depth of subject knowledge within its teaching body. Robust HR and other contractual arrangements are in place to ensure we have sufficient and highly qualified staff in place to carry out the delivery of all course components. EM Normandie UK Ltd is committed to delivering all programmes as advertised and to all students once admitted.
Risk that EM Normandie will be unable to staff its course is low
EM Normandie UK Ltd is a specialist provider of high-quality European Masters level business education, with an international outlook. The vast majority of our academic staff are UK nationals, familiar with and competent to teach in English to the standards expected for the delivery of programmes offered by EM Normandie UK and similar high quality business schools globally. The EM Normandie parent organisation has similarly qualified staff across its various campuses across France and Ireland and EM Normandie UK Limited would be able, if necessary, to draw from this group of highly qualified teachers. This is, however, a situation which has never presented itself.
The physical infrastructure of our site in Oxford is of high quality and is covered by an extensive range of risk management protocols and procedures, including business continuity processes which should ensure that disruption is minimized in the event of unexpected events such as fire or a major security incident.
Our lease of the premises provides an adequate notice period to enable preparation for an alternative site in the event that this lease is not renewed.
All new programmes must undergo an exhaustive process of pre-approval, covering business case analysis, and resource review prior to progressing to detailed design and academic approval (validation). This process ensures all courses meet demand in an effective way. External review mechanisms through the accreditations with EQUIS and AACSB also inform this process and insure the continued high quality delivery of all courses.
Once students are admitted to courses, EM Normandie UK Ltd is committed to providing those courses as specified at admission, as detailed in our statement on consumer protection. As stated above, the parent organisation takes full responsibility for meeting this requirement and has the necessary resources to do so.
EM Normandie UK Ltd mainly recruits within the UK but is also closely monitoring the development of UK government policy in respect of the mobility of lecturers and researchers from the EU and other countries to Oxford.
Any non-UK members of staff permanently based at Oxford have taken the appropriate steps to regularise their status in the UK from 1st January 2021.
ln the very unlikely event that we are unable to provide in full the programmes to which students have been admitted at our Oxford campus, we will fully comply with the requirements laid down by UK Consumer Protection law (see our detailed submission). All students are guaranteed an opportunity to complete their courses at another EM Normandie campus (Le Havre, Caen, Paris, or Dublin) at no additional cost. ln the event that such courses may not be available at other EM Normandie campuses (i.e. unique to Oxford) we will endeavour to transfer students to comparable courses at other institutions. Where changes to a programme are to be made these must be made following the established procedure which requires adequate consultation with students, and approval through the academic committee process. Compensation arrangements where applicable are as detailed in EM Normandie’s General Conditions for Training Services and available on EM Normandie UK’s website: https://em-normandie.co.uk
This Student Protection Plan will be publicised and communicated as follows: