Winchester Business Excellence Awards 2012 - Deadline fast approaching for entries. (From Hampshire Chronicle)

Winchester Business Excellence Awards 2012 - Deadline fast approaching for entries.

in Hampshire Business

Winchester Business Excellence Awards 2012

WITH the March 9 deadline for entries to the Winchester Business Excellence Awards fast approaching, it’s time to look at the different categories.

This year two awards are being sponsored by Winchester City Council and the University of Winchester.

Entries for the award will close on Friday March 9. For more information, to enter or nominate someone for an award Click Here

Winchester City Council Eco Business of the Year

The council is committed to economic prosperity as one of its three main objectives. It is working towards achieving a dynamic and creative economy for the benefit of all who live, work and visit the district.

The council recognises that to achieve this, it also needs to develop greener ways of working. It only has finite resources, and risks losing the very countryside, heritage and character that attracts people to Winchester if more sustainable ways to live are not found.

So Winchester City Council is looking for innovators and entrepreneurs to set an example in the way they minimise their impact on the environment. Whether it is taking practical steps to reduce carbon footprint, or inventing new tools and techniques to make business practices more sustainable, this award recognises best practice and raises the profile of exemplar businesses.

Cllr George Beckett, council leader and portfolio holder for local economy, said: “Reducing the impact of a business on the environment is not always about making large scale changes to the way it is run.

“It is often the combined effect of a series of small improvements which ensure that the business remains both profitable and also a good neighbour. This award is important in identifying those businesses that embrace this ethos and set the standard for others to follow.”

The winner of this award must demonstrate a means to improved environmental impact and ultimate improvement in performance. The judges will be looking for:

• Evidence of the organisation’s commitment to improved environmental practices particularly in the reduction of carbon output
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• Demonstration of how imaginative solutions to the challenge of climate change have impacted on your business to drive new sales and increase your client base
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• How environmental awareness and creative methods to improve your company’s carbon footprint have shaped your business providing competitive advantage within your sector
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• Evidence of the green-enablement of your workforce.
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• Completion of a checklist of sustainability indicators for your business, to be sent to each entrant to the green innovation category separately.
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  The University of Winchester Entrepreneur of the Year

  The university is a values-driven institution which offers excellent programmes of study sustained by teaching and research of the highest quality. Its mission is ‘to educate, to advance knowledge, and to serve the public good’.

  More than 6,400 students study courses ranging from bachelor honours degrees to professional development, postgraduate masters and research degrees.

  In addition to business, programmes of study cover the arts, humanities, social sciences, education, health and social care.

  The university is keen to grow its role as an intermediary and partner in business, the creative and cultural industries and the community, helping to develop a thriving knowledge-based enterprise economy, locally and regionally.

  The Winchester Business School is interested to hear from employers wishing to employ a full-time business intern and its business consulting module enables postgraduate students to undertake short, part-time internships working on business problems. The school has experienced and well-qualified academic experts who are able to engage in consultancy assignments, either as individuals or in small teams, in a number of disciplines, including business, archaeology and sports.

  It also actively supports student enterprise and in addition to an enterprise society, enterprise courses and workshops, offers a business start-up scheme, open to final year students.

  Trish Kernan, business development manager, said: “We encourage entrepreneurship amongst our students with an Enterprise Society, enterprise courses and a business start-up scheme, and we seek to support enterprising individuals and organisations in the wider community through events and programmes run by the business school, talks and workshops by Wired Wessex and networks like Café Culture.”

  The aim of the award is to reward individuals for their vision, endless enthusiasm and a strong self-belief; creating a successful entrepreneur. This award recognises the achievement of such individuals in creating and growing successful local businesses.

  The judges will be looking for evidence of:

  • Entrepreneurship—either individually, in partnership, through collaborative work with others or within an existing business.
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  • Creativity, innovation and ‘thinking outside the box’.
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  • The ability to identify opportunities and develop them through initiative, strong leadership and organisational skills and the acceptance of risk.
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