2024/25 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

LUBS2410 Small Business Internationalisation and Growth

10 creditsClass Size: 120

Module manager: Xue Wan
Email: x.wan@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable

Year running 2024/25

This module is approved as a discovery module

Module summary

The module provides you with conceptual and practical understanding of the way small businesses start-up, internationalise and grow. You will learn how small firms with scarce resources are able to internationalise, the factors that influence small business growth and related policy implications. Theoretical knowledge is put into practice in seminar discussions.

Objectives

The objective of this module is to provide students with an understanding of challenges and opportunities small businesses face in the process of start-up, growth and internationalisation. It explores the factors explaining growth of a small business, methods of financing available to entrepreneurs and methods of internationalisation used by small businesses. Theories are covered to provide more in depth illustration of how a small entrepreneurial firm can internationalise, grow and sustain competitive advantage.

Learning outcomes
On successful completion of this module, students will be able to:

- explain why and how small businesses are able to grow and internationalise and how these attributes inform small business management practice;
- identify and apply in context theories related to small business growth and internationalisation;
- critically examine relevant government policy initiatives and their implications;
- evaluate strategies for financing, internationalisation and growth of small entrepreneurial firms.

Skills outcomes
Transferable:
- Analytical skills;
- Commercial awareness;
- Team working;
- Critical thinking.

Subject specific:
- Building and evaluation of business models;
- Building and evaluation of growth and internationalisation strategies.

Syllabus

The module covers theories explaining how small businesses start, succeed, grow, internationalise and sustain competitive advantage. The syllabus is structured into following topic areas:

- Factors of small business growth - factors of growth are identified and discussed. Theories explaining inception of entrepreneurial ideas, innovation and creating sustainable competitive advantage will be examined. Relevant practical tools will be provided.

- Financing - theories of entrepreneurial finance are covered to explain behaviour of entrepreneurs seeking finance, behaviour of financiers (such as banks, Venture Capital funds, Business Angels) and consequential implications for businesses.

- Internationalisation - methods of small business internationalisation are covered in this section. We will critically evaluate theories explaining the process and outcomes of internationalisation. Existence of 'Born Global' firms and relevant practical implications will be discussed.

- Small Business Policy - government policy initiatives and whether or not and how these assist small business internationalisation and growth will be discussed.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Lecture	11	1.00	11.00
Seminar	5	1.00	5.00
Private study hours			84.00
Total Contact hours			16.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			100.00

Private study

Preparation for seminars (10 hours), background reading (35 hours), and coursework at the end of the module (39 hours).

Progress Monitoring
- Formative feedback will be provided to students in seminar class discussions and as they work through practical exercises to test their understanding of module material.
- Students can also obtain feedback on a one-to-one basis from the module leader and class tutor outside the class setting.
- Students will be encouraged to discuss the answers to these practice questions with the module leader and class tutor in the final lecture of the module.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Your teaching methods could include a variety of delivery models, such as face-to-face teaching, live webinars, discussion boards and other interactive activities. There will be opportunities for formative feedback throughout the module.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Essay	3,000 words	100.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

The resit for this module will be 100% by 3,000 word coursework.

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 02/05/2024

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