School of Management, Unit Catalogue 2007/08 |
MN50226 Understanding the business context |
| Credits: 6 |
| Level: Masters |
| Modular: no specific semester |
| Assessment: CW 100% |
| Requisites: |
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Aims: Any successful organisation will have a keen awareness of the environment within which it is operating. This unit looks at the general workings of the economy, the business opportunities available and the incentives, or otherwise, created by government. In particular, it looks at competitor behaviour and methods of maintaining competitive advantage. This, in turn, means looking ahead and seeking to understand national, international and global developments.
Learning Outcomes: On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to: i. understand the economic, national and international issues that have a direct bearing on the performance of an organisation. ii. appreciate the importance of both customers and competitors. iii. utilise theories, concepts and ideas in order to analyse the opportunities and threats facing an organisation both today and in the future. iv. understand the importance of a multi-disciplinary approach to decision making. Skills: Students will have at least three years of professional career experience and, generally, be in full-time employment. Consequently, the following overall transferable skills will be enhanced by this unit (and the other five units making up the Postgraduate Certificate in Engineering Management). * Ability to design and complete a personal programme of study (F) * Ability to research learning material (F) * Team working with colleagues and communications skills(F) * Ability to apply reflective learning to their company and own personal circumstances (F) * Ability to challenge the status quo and find innovative solutions to business problems (F) Against this background, this unit will encourage particularly: * The intellectual skill to think clearly and logically about a range of contemporary business issues (T,F,A) * The professional skill to apply basic economic concepts to the structure of the industrial and commercial environment (F,A) * The key ability to exercise independent judgement and construct a reasoned argument in support of recommended action. (F,A) Content:
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