Introductory description

The two weeks of Business in Practice will expose students to close-to-real life experience in leading a business function in an organisation.

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.

• Review of key business functions: Strategy, Marketing, Operations, Finance, HR and Innovation.
• Experience leading a business function in a simulated environment.
• Experience complex interactions and interplay across business functions.
• Gain personal skills, for example, decision making, sales, courageous conversations and creative problem solving.
• Perform real-world simulation activities (sales pitch and a client meeting).
• Evaluate personal performance in group work.
• Evaluate performance of business.

Learning outcomes

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

• Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the role of a firm's primary functions and their impact on performance.
• Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of industry competition and industry dynamics.
• Critically appraise a variety of approaches to management.
• Reflect deeply upon and make sense of own behaviour and its impact on other people.
• Reflect upon and challenge concepts and models presented in the course and to be able to appreciate the way functions and industries impact on performance.

Indicative reading list

Each academic session will have specific readings focused on each function Strategy, Marketing, Operations, Finance, HR and Innovation.
Broader readings to support skills development:
Beer, M and Nohria N (2000), Cracking the Code of Change, Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
Covey, S. (2013) The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. London: Simon & Schuster.
George, B. (2003) Authentic Leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Goffee, R. and Jones, G. (2006), Why Should Anyone Be Led by You? Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
Goleman, D. (2017), What Makes a Leader? in Harvard Business Review, Nov-Dec, pp. 93 – 102
Goleman, D. (2021) Emotional Intelligence.London: Bloomsbury.
Heifetz, R., Linsky, M. and Grashow, A. (2009) Practice of Adaptive Leadership. Boston: Harvard Business School Press. Hodgkinson, G. P. & Sparrow, P.R. (2002) The Competent Organisation: A Psychological Analysis of the Strategic Management Process. Open University Press.
Kansi, G (2002), Measuring Business Excellence, London: Routledge.
Katzenbach, J. and Smith, D. (2003), The Wisdom of Teams. New York: Harper.
Kotter, J. (1990), What Leaders Really Do, Harvard Business Review, May - June 1990, pp.103-11
Oakland, JS (2003), Total Organizational Excellence, Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.
Paroutis, S., Heracleous, L. & Angwin, D. (2013) Practicing Strategy: Text and Cases. Sage: London.
Stone, D., Patton, B. and Heen, S. (2011) Difficult Conversations. New York: Viking Penguin.
Thomson, B. (2006), Growing People, Oxford: Chandos Publishing.

Research element

Reflect deeply upon and make sense of own behaviour and its impact on other people.

Reflect upon and challenge concepts and models presented in the course and to be able to appreciate the way functions and industries impact on performance.

Subject specific skills

Define, frame and propose solutions to corporate problems.
Collect and analyse data on real organisations and interpret these data effectively and to develop credible solutions and recommendations.

Transferable skills

Demonstrate effective communication skills, including listening, questioning, playing
back and voicing, feedback.
Time management skills.
Articulate personal strengths, weaknesses, motivations and values.
Identify clearly their personal approach to and style of managing.