Introductory description

N/A.

Module web page

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

1 Investigating business - what is a business?
2 The importance of context and milieux for business development
3. Presentation skills
4. Identifying business opportunites and threats, both domestic and global
5. Business formats (franchises, owner-managers, business partnerships, conglomerates, multi-national corporations)
6. Business finance and the nature of commercial risk
7. Introduction to marketing, advertising and branding
8. Introduction to operations design and management
9. Business plans - marketing, operations and financial plans
10. People in business and the importance of networks for business growth
11. Business management and the role of incentives.
12. Leadership
13. Monitoring busines performance
14. Business failure

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Explain the main aims and objectives of profit and not-forprofit organisations.
• Identify key stakeholders and their needs.
• Appreciate the impact of broader social, environmental and ethical influences on business activities.
• Detail a range of internal and external sources of short-term and long-term finance available to businesses.
• Appreciate the importance of working capital and liquidity to a business.
• Demonstrate a broad knowledge of organisational structures, functions of management, and styles of leadership as they relate to business.
• Recognise essential indicators of business failure and key responsibilities and procedures for dealing with business failure.
• Demonstrate a critical awareness of different forms of business and their impact on ownership, control and financing.
• Use relevant techniques (e.g. budgeting, break-even analysis, ratio analysis), and models (e.g. 4Ps) to create business (marketing, operational and financial) plans and review business performance.

Indicative reading list

Hall D, Jones R, Raffo C and Anderton A (2009) Business Studies (4th ed.) Pearson Education
Marcousse I (2007) Business Studies (2nd ed.) Hodder & Stoughton

Subject specific skills

Explore aspects of business activity and performance using quantitative and qualitative approaches.
Distinguish between primary and secondary research.
Perform SWOT analyses to identify key influences (e.g. economic activity, social and ethical factors, regulatory and legal issues, and market competition) within the business environment and understand their impact on the ability of a business to set prices and establish/maintain/develop its position within a given market.

Transferable skills

Demonstrate competent communication (written and oral), presentation, data analysis, time management, IT, peer-review and groupworking skills.