Developing Enterprising Individuals

Course unit fact file
Unit code MCEL60142
Credit rating 15
Unit level FHEQ level 7 – master's degree or fourth year of an integrated master's degree
Teaching period(s) Semester 2
Available as a free choice unit? No

Overview

The premise for this unit is firstly, to provide an understanding of who and what are entrepreneurs and to debate the bigger question, can entrepreneurs be created or are they born with innate entrepreneurial skill sets. Then secondly, to look at and learn from the various stories of how entrepreneurs have become successful; from this, students will look to understand how to practically develop and plan their own entrepreneurial development journey through the creation of a practical Roadmap for future career success. Students here will look at a number of personal developmental tools models and theories to enable them to undertake such tasks.

Aims

 

By the end of the first half of the unit students should understand who and what are entrepreneurs and their relative taxonomy; student will have identified and practically apply various theoretical models and frameworks to enable them to identify key characteristics and factors that go into the make-up of enterprising individuals. Students will practically explore many of these aspects through the lectures as well as the assignment.

 

By the end of the second half of the unit, students will have explored their own entrepreneurial aspirations, with the aims to better understand what they would like to achieve both personally and professionally. Students will use a range of practice and theory relating to the field of self-development and will then apply these to themselves and others. Students will identify their own entrepreneurial strengths and weaknesses which they will then be compare against model inspirational entrepreneurs to better understand how they can personally achieve their own goals and visions.

 

Learning outcomes

Knowledge & Understanding

  • Relate examples of enterprising / entrepreneurial behaviour explaining how value has been created and for whom; and the traits, behaviours and competencies that have made that possible.
  • Describe the commonly accepted theories as to what learning is, what the barriers and drivers to effective learning are, how individuals differ in their approaches in learning and the reasons why.

 

Intellectual Skills

  • Plan and undertake a programme of personal development based around individual learning requirements having analysed and identified the critical competencies needed to effectively undertake and complete a given activity.
  • Exercise reflective and original thinking.

 

Practical Skills

  • Demonstrate how IT can be used effectively in the context of research, analysis as well as personal development.
  • Communicate effectively; presenting ideas, evidence and arguments clearly, logically and accurately in a range of formats.

 

Transferable Skills and Personal Qualities

  • Reflect upon and take responsibility for the advancement of own learning.
  • Undertake effective time management and planning throughout the unit and its assessment.
  • Demonstrate information literacy; through the able to identify appropriate sources of information, employ a range of methods/tools to evaluate and interpret evidence and possess appropriate modes of thinking needed to convert information to knowledge.
  • Use feedback to improve personal performance, development and effectiveness

 

Assessment methods

Formative assessment: -

PowerPoint slides 0% 

 

Summative assessment:-

Assignment 1: a structured report 50%

Assignment 2: a structured reflective self-development roadmap 50%

 

Feedback methods

Formative feedback is the feedback given to help you to develop and improve students’ work with the unit of study, and summative work assessment is marked and comments will be returned to you via Blackboard as well as a hard copy of any feedback sheets made available from AMBS PG services

  • Additional formative feedback is available to you through the following means:
  • Attending lectures, joining discussions about case studies and doing short work tasks set within the lecture session.
  • Your lecturer will reply to brief individual questions at the end of each lecture session, if there are a few minutes to spare.
  • Your lecturer will provide brief replies to your e-mailed enquiry.
  • Your lecturer may feedback messages to the whole class via Blackboard if the point that you have raised could be of benefit to the whole class

 

Recommended reading

"Entrepreneurs: Talent, Temperament and Opportunity" Bill Bolton & John Thompson (2013) Routledge; 3 edition 0415631882

"Skills for success: The Personal Development Planning Handbook", Cottrell, S. (2003), Palgrave Macmillan, ISBN 1-4039-1132-0

"Entrepreneurship: From Opportunity to Action". Rae, D (2007), Palgrave Macmillan, ISBN-13: 978-1403941756Lowe, R & Marriott, S (2006), Butterworth-Heinemann, ISBN 0750669209

 

Study hours

Scheduled activity hours
Lectures 30
Independent study hours
Independent study 120

Teaching staff

Staff member Role
Jonathan Styles Unit coordinator

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