2024/25 Undergraduate Module Catalogue
LUBS1795 The Contemporary Business Environment
20 creditsClass Size: 260
Module manager: Nora Berghoff
Email: n.k.berghoff@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2024/25
This module is not approved as a discovery module
Objectives
The core objective of the module is to introduce students to the study of organisations, their management and the changing external business environment. The module aims to analyse the impact of the external environment upon the strategy, behaviour, management and sustainability of organisations. It will explore key concepts of business and management, the relationships between these and their application. It will prepare students for their subsequent exploration of the broad range of areas of business and management at Levels 2 and 3 of their programme.Learning outcomes
On completion of this module students will be able to:
- Discuss and outline modern management and the nature of the contemporary business environment
- Investigate and analyse real world businesses in the published literature
- Outline a number of key themes in contemporary management research
- Understand how organisations, management and the business environment inter-relate
Skills outcomes
Transferable skills:
- Critical thinking
- Ethical awareness
- Commercial awareness
Subject specific skills:
On completion of this module students will be able to:
Express and articulate key issues of the contemporary business environment in a company appraisal
Syllabus
Outline Content:
1. Why are firms in business? (And do you believe everything you read?) - Business mission and the articulation of business purpose.
2. Is CSR just window dressing or is it something real? CSR -PR or doing good?
3. In a changing world, does it make any sense to plan for the future? - How to make sense of the business environment.
4. Who are the competitors and do they matter? - Assessing competition and industries.
5. What is the meaning of business success? - Performance and measures of performance.
6. How can firms compete? - Competitive behaviour.
7. How can firms develop and grow? - Corporate behaviour and options.
8. Does it make sense to talk of "British industry" or a "British firm"? - Internationalisation.
9. Do "do-gooders" do good, and if so, what kind of good do they do? - Public sector and charities.
10. What's all this business? - Integrating an understanding of business and the business environment.
Teaching methods
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
| Lecture | 11 | 2.00 | 22.00 |
| Private study hours | 178.00 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 22.00 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200.00 | ||
Private study
This could include a variety of activities, such as reading, watching videos, question practice and exam preparation.Opportunities for Formative Feedback
You will have the opportunity to submit a 200 word draft of part of your report for formative feedback.Methods of assessment
Coursework
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
| Report | Project Report - 2,500 words | 100.00 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100.00 | |
The assignment will take the form of a company appraisal. The company will be an FT350 firm that is randomly assigned to each student. Each student will have a different company. A clear guide will be given to students showing what the appraisal should cover: this is not a test of their structuring skills, but of their investigative skills and attention to detail. This guide will be released week by week (see above) and then at the end of the module will be published as a whole. The guide will ask for a discussion of each of these elements, supported by a piece of published evidence as collected throughout the module: 1. Articulation of Company Purpose/Mission 2. CSR policies 3. Key environmental pressures – PEST, Industry, Market and future challenges 4. Performance 5. Competitive behaviour 6. Corporate developments 7. Internationalisation 8. Relations with public and third sector 9. Summary and prospects for the company The resit for this module will be 100% by 2,500 word coursework.
Reading list
The reading list is available from the Library websiteLast updated: 29/04/2024 16:16:20
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