📖Program Curriculum
Course modules
Compulsory modules
All the modules in the following list need to be taken as part of this course.
Managing Operations
Module Leader
Dr Abdelkader Aoufi
Aim
To provide the participant with an understanding of the Operations Management task and its contribution to organisational competitiveness.
An introduction to Managing Operations
Managing Operations Video
Syllabus
The module covers:
Strategic role of operations
Process design and layout
Managing the process experience
Tools and techniques of process improvement
Capacity management
Inventory management, lean and agile operations
Quality management and improvement
People in operations
Managing product and service innovation
Intended learning outcomes
On successful completion of this module you should be able to:
Examine the different types of operations employed by organisations and their distinctive characteristics.
Analyse the capabilities of different types of operation including the trade-offs involved.
Critically assess and select the priorities for operational performance improvement and how to implement them.
Organisational Behaviour: Application
Module Leader
Dr Chia-Yu Kou-Barrett
Aim
Organisations are run by and for people, and the success or failure of an organisation depends on the people in that organisation.
It is rarely an absence of planning that causes organisational difficulties; rather it is the failure of management in understanding and managing complex personal and interpersonal systems that can lead to significant problems.
Similarly an acute and critical understanding of these dynamic relationships can lead to profound and enduring success and benefit for the individual, the team, the organisation and wider society.
In this module students will be introduced to various aspects of people and organisations. This module combines models, theories and ideas from organisational behaviour, psychology, and sociology in order to provide students with a basic understanding in recognising, understanding and utilising what has been termed the "human factor" in organisations; including ways of conceptualising organisations and how people behave within them. We shall consider the impact of the external environment; and address notions of organisational change.
This module is necessarily an introduction; further suggestions of reading and of consequent activities will be provided.
It may also be that students will wish to undertake a project in this area; several of the faculty involved will be pleased to discuss this with you.
Syllabus
Culture
Development
Diversity
Emotional Intelligence
Individual and Organisational Change
Individual differences
Introduction to People and Organisations
Leadership
Learning
Motivation
Negotiation, influence & persuasion
Performance Management
Personality
Politics
Self Awareness
Stress, Resilience, Well-being
The Individual and the Team
Values
Intended learning outcomes
On successful completion of this module a student should be able to:
Understand and apply a number of different ways of conceptualising people in organisations, including communication, culture, diversity, leadership, politics, management and change.
Assess the importance of relationships at work, group dynamics, effective teams and leadership in achieving effectiveness and modify behaviour accordingly.
Critically engage with various relevant models, theories and ideas in order to enhance personal capability, including identification of gaps in knowledge, skills, and competence, linking to insights regarding one’s personal and professional development agenda, based on sound data and experience.
Strategic Management
Module Leader
Dr Will Lewis
Aim
Strategic Management is concerned with the direction and scope of the organisation. This involves determining the purpose of the organisation, establishing objectives and formulating strategies to achieve the objectives. It predominantly explores how an organisation positions itself with regard to its changing environment, and in particular its competitors, in order to gain and sustain competitive advantage. This means that strategic management considers how an organisation’s internal resources and capabilities can be developed to meet the changing demands of customers, in such a way as to achieve the expectations and objectives of its stakeholders.
An introduction to the Strategic Management module
Imran Zawrar
Syllabus
The module begins by focusing on strategy at the strategic business unit level. It is orientated around five key questions
1) where to compete?
2) how to gain competitive advantage?
3) what capabilities are required?
4) what capabilities do we have?
5) how do we change?
The module then explores corporate level strategy and the issue of strategy implementation and change. Throughout the module a range of tools and techniques for strategic analysis and choice will be introduced.
Intended learning outcomes
On successful completion of this module a student should be able to:
Identify the key questions and associated challenges to be addressed in formulating an organisation’s competitive and corporate-level strategies.
Evaluate how an organisation sustains competitive advantage though harnessing its internal resources and capabilities and reacting appropriately to changes in its external environment.
Appraise and differentiate between corporate, competitive (business unit) and functional strategies.
Critically apply a range of tools and techniques to illuminate the key questions of competitive strategy and corporate strategy.
Accounting and Finance
Module Leader
Dr Matthias Nnadi
Aim
The aim of the Accounting and Finance module is to introduce a number of traditional and contemporary accounting approaches that will increase the visibility of financial information and support management decision making.
Syllabus
Interpretation of financial statements;
Exploring the relationship between accounting information, management decision making, financial strategies, and financial performance;
Applying traditional and contemporary accounting tools and techniques, which can be applied to support business management decisions;
Exploring the many cost trade-offs between business processes (Make v Buy).
Intended learning outcomes
On successful completion of this module a student should be able to:
To judge the effect of decisions, transactions and events on financial performance;
To create simple sets of accounts from basic information.
To understand the main variables affecting working capital management;
To interpret financial statements to support decision making, planning and control;
To apply an appropriate costing approaches to solve a range of business issues;
To apply a number of financial tools and techniques to appraise alternative capital investment opportunities;
To use financial information to make informed management decisions
Entrepreneurial Finance
Module Leader
Dr Stephanie Hussels
Aim
The aim of this elective is to make students familiar with the principles of entrepreneurial finance.
It provides students with an overview of the different sources of funding available across the entrepreneurial life cycle and equips them with clear guidelines on which type should be adopted at which stage.
In particular, debt and equity funding will be covered during class as well as new emerging alternatives such as crowdfunding.
Moreover, students will learn a variety of techniques for early-stage business valuation, and how to prepare a term sheet.
This is a very practical module, enabling students to assess business plans and develop a funding strategy for an entrepreneurial venture.
During and between classes students will be required to research information and complete application exercises.
Syllabus
Funding across the entrepreneurial life cycle: Bank vs equity finance.
Alternative sources of funding: Crowdfunding and other emergent channels.
Valuing early-stage businesses: Tools and techniques.
Term sheets: Content and structure.
Preparing an investment pitch.
Intended learning outcomes
On successful completion of this module you should be able to:
Identify, discriminate between and describe in detail the varied sources of funding available to entrepreneurs across the entrepreneurial life-cycle.
Apply company valuation techniques.
Grasp, evaluate and apply the essential components and structure of a term sheet for early-stage businesses seeking equity investment.
By completion, students will be able to assess business plans and identify the appropriate sources of funding for entrepreneurial businesses.
Demonstrate their ability to prepare an investment pitch to raise funding.
Managing Business Growth
Module Leader
Dr Oksana Koryak
Aim
Business growth is a natural extension of the in Management and Entrepreneurship’s initial focus on business start-up, and provides an integrative overview of the life-cycle of the entrepreneurial venture. It explores the transition from an informal, emergent organisational model to a sustainable, professionally-managed business which creates independent value for founder and other stakeholders. It thus links to theory and practice in the key areas of marketing, finance and human resource management.
The aim of this module is to familiarise students with the life-cycle of the entrepreneurial business post start-up through to exit via sale or succession. There will be a focus on high-growth, high-potential entrepreneurial businesses.
At each stage of development, a different set of challenges confront the founder[s] and the senior team leading the business. This module will explore these critical stages and the associated challenges that must be successfully addressed if the business is to achieve its full potential.
Students will emerge with a clearer idea of whether they would like to make a career in this business environment and, in particular, with high-growth businesses, or indeed aspire to found their own high-growth business.
Syllabus
The life-cycle and key stages of the entrepreneurial business
Identifying and overcoming barriers to growth
Building the foundations for growth – organisational structure
Building product portfolios for growth
Building entrepreneurial teams and relevant cultures
Achieving the entrepreneur’s personal goals
Intended learning outcomes
On successful completion of this module you should be able to:
Deploy a set of analytical tools and techniques for describing and analysing key challenges for the business and how these are overcome.
Differentiate high growth businesses – from lifestyle and income-replacement self-employment.
Define the transition points through which a growth business progresses to acquire value that is independent of the founding individual[s], and be able to quantify and articulate this through a range of valuation models.
Evaluate the critical management decisions that need to be taken during challenging moments in the growth of a business.
Entrepreneurship
Module Leader
Dr Oksana Koryak
Aim
The aim of the course is to provide students with knowledge and skills relevant for the management of new ventures across the entrepreneurial life cycle.
Watch an introduction to the Entrepreneurship module.
ENTR
Syllabus
Entrepreneurial Process
Idea Generation and Opportunity Recognition
Industry and Market Analysis
Strategy and Business Model Analysis
Entrepreneur and Entrepreneurial Team
Resourcing and Finance: preparing financial projections and funding the venture
Intellectual Property Protection
Business Planning
Pitching
Intended learning outcomes
On successful completion of this module you should be able to:
Identify and evaluate entrepreneurial opportunities
Explain how to plan, manage and resource (early stage) entrepreneurial businesses
Articulate the importance of business models and be able to develop an appropriate business model for an entrepreneurial venture
Assess the likely financial needs of the venture in preparation for fundraising
Evaluate, research, write and present business plans/feasibility studies utilising key relevant frameworks and concepts
Social Entrepreneurship
Module Leader
Dr Richard Adams
Aim
The aim of this module is to familiarise students with the concepts of social enterprise and intrapreneurism, and enable them to compare and contrast these phenomena with “non-traditional” entrepreneurship. Both business models overlap extensively with what is regarded as traditional entrepreneurship, but have distinctively different features: while being profit-or surplus-making, their aims typically embrace social outcomes and purposes, and their distribution or sharing of value created is frequently closely linked to these declared values.
Students will be introduced to the history and evolution of non-mainstream modes of entrepreneurship and will develop their understanding of how social entrepreneurs/social intrapreneurs and intrapreneurs create and operate enterprises/intrapreneurial activities in different environments. They will see how such enterprises fit within the spectrum of profit and not for profit entities, and how these are regarded by policy-makers and other stakeholders.
Students will emerge with a clearer idea of whether they would like to make a career in this business environment or, indeed, aspire to found their own social enterprise or pursue a corporate intrapreneurial initiative.
Syllabus
What social enterprise is: the history and evolution of social enterprise/entrepreneurship.
How social entrepreneurs compare with “mainstream” entrepreneurs.
Legal, commercial and financial structures of social enterprises.
Enabling environment for social intrapreneurism.
Compare and contrast: social vs non-social intrapreneurism.
Measuring the impact of social enterprise and intrapraneurism of all types.
Social enterprise and social intrapreneurism: how they are viewed by policy-makers and other key stakeholders.
Social enterprise, sustainable business and sustainable value creation.
Intended learning outcomes
On successful completion of this module a student should be able to:
Describe, analyse and categorise the drivers and motives of social entrepreneurs/social intrapreneurs and intrapeneurs.
Differentiate and delineate the salient features which distinguish these modes of entrepreneurial behaviour from other “mainstream” forms.
Define the factors, both environmental and intrinsic, which promote or hinder the development of both a free-standing social enterprise and social intrapreneurism within the corporation,
Apply the measures of impact used to define the effectiveness of social enterprises.
Explain and appraise the agenda of policy-makers regarding the role, purpose and economic value of social entrepreneurship
Family Business Management
Module Leader
Dr Stephanie Hussels
Aim
Family businesses make numerous, critical contributions to the economy and to family well-being both in terms of money income and such intangibles as time, flexibility, control, and personal expertise - if they work. When they don't, family businesses can be difficult to manage, painful experiences at best. The path to success for any business can follow many routes. Family businesses add the complexities of family life to business challenges, expanding the range of issues, personalities, needs and potential solutions for every decision. Knowing something about family types, communication patterns, managerial styles and the amount of support members can expect from their families may be as important to beginning entrepreneurs as knowing how to reach a market or managing cash flow.
The course addresses aspects of managing an established family business, on a day-to-day basis and planning for succession to the next generation: values, life cycles, growth strategies, succession, conflict resolution, governance and cultural change. Family business issues of new companies are a small part of the course content; because there are other modules in the Entrepreneurship and Management programme that concern entrepreneurship and small business management, this module will enable students to run their family businesses in an entrepreneurial manner.
Syllabus
Family business: Definition, nature, and significance
Life cycles of a family business
Growth strategies of family businesses: How to build family business champions
Succession planning and next generation management
Conflict resolution
Managing culture and change in family business
Governance in Family Business: Corporate, family and ownership governance
Intended learning outcomes
On successful completion of this module you should be able to:
Demonstrate their understanding and effectiveness of family firms (either in their own family’s business or someone else’s) and apply strategic planning skills in dealing with the issues of growth and regeneration of the family business.
Identify the characteristics that differentiate family business from other businesses.
Examine and critically analyse the life cycles of family businesses from the perspective of business, family and ownership and develop governance mechanisms for each.
Learn methods to enhance communication ability and conflict resolution with family business owners, managers, and family members, including relatives.
Corporate Entrepreneurship
Module Leader
Dr Oksana Koryak
Aim
Corporate entrepreneurship (CE) is a practice of entrepreneurship in established organisations. The module is about (re)configuring existing organisations such that they are able to (continue to) identify, explore and exploit new growth opportunities.
Corporate entrepreneurship typically refers to a processes, practices and structures whereby an individual or a group of individuals, in association with an established company, (a) create a new organisation (i.e. engage in corporate venturing) or (b) instigate renewal or innovation within the current organisation.
Engaging into corporate entrepreneurship, be it through corporate venturing or less formalised efforts of identifying new growth opportunities through innovation, strategic renewal or business model reconstruction is key to organisational survival and growth. However, entrepreneurial efforts within existing organisations pose a set of nontrivial management challenges such as:
Would an existing organisation benefit from relying on bold, risk-taking individuals?
Is entrepreneurial behaviour consistent with the planned and controlled strategic direction of a company? To which extend would the shareholders be willing to let the management engage heavily into entrepreneurial initiatives?
How would established market presence and corporate reputation be affected by the performance of the new initiatives?
How can a promising corporate entrepreneurship initiative be executed effectively in the presence:
the entrepreneurial team’s limited formal power within the organisation;
the initiative’s needed to achieve legitimacy; and
the need to overcome internal inertia and resistance to change.
The aim of this module is to familiarise students with the concepts of corporate entrepreneurship and the way they can be applied to develop entrepreneurial management capabilities within existing organisations. We will examine the organisational architecture – i.e. leadership, culture, structure and strategies - needed to encourage creativity, innovation and the development of sustainable competitive advantage in larger, existing organisations.
We will focus on the skills and resources needed to promote and manage corporate entrepreneurship process which includes opportunity recognition, establishing internal and external legitimacy of the business concept, managing the implementation process and more broadly, achieving organisational ambidexterity (i.e. the ability to manage existing operations and generate new business effectively).
Syllabus
The “Entrepreneurial DNA”
Configuring Organisational architecture for entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial orientation
Structuring the company for entrepreneurship
Developing entrepreneurial culture
Fostering creativity and innovation within organisations
Leading an entrepreneurial organisation
Corporate strategy and entrepreneurship
Organising Corporate Entrepreneurship efforts – corporate venturing and strategic entrepreneurship
Business Model Innovation as a vehicle for corporate entrepreneurship
Intended learning outcomes
On successful completion of this module you should be able to:
Assess the entrepreneurial orientation of an organisation and evaluate the company’s ability to deal with the opportunities and threats it faces.
Appraise and recommend how an organisational architecture can be configured within an existing organisation to secure a sustainable competitive advantage.
Compare and contrast different forms of corporate entrepreneurship, both internal and external
Develop a way how an existing firm can organise its corporate entrepreneurship efforts directed at fostering and sustaining innovation, surviving disruption and initiating strategic renewal.
Strategic Marketing
Module Leader
Dr Marwa Tourky
Aim
This module presents a strategic perspective of marketing, whereby understanding of the needs and wants of customers is used to guide and direct the organisation. It focuses on the input of the marketing perspective across all functions hence prepares students for general management responsibilities. No prior knowledge of the subject is assumed.
Syllabus
Strategic marketing in context
The strategic marketing planning process
Mission statements and organisational objectives
The Marketing Audit and analytical tools
Market maps and market segmentation
SWOT analysis
The Directional Policy Matrix
Marketing objectives and strategies
Product and pricing strategy.
Intended learning outcomes
On completing this module, the following outcomes will have been achieved and students will be able to:
Understand the evolution and role of marketing and be able to evaluate the characteristics of a customer-centric organization.
Select and critically reflect on a series of marketing strategy tools and techniques which are applied to business opportunities and problems.
Have a critical understanding of the construction and evaluation of a strategic marketing plan.
Compose a written strategic marketing plan for a senior management audience.
Project Management for Entrepreneurs
