Essential Enterprise

Course unit fact file
Unit code UCIL22001
Credit rating 10
Unit level Level 2
Teaching period(s) Semester 1
Offered by University College for Interdisciplinary Learning
Available as a free choice unit? Yes

Overview

Commercial acumen, regardless of subject discipline, is essential for anyone who aspires to succeed in the world of business, or who wishes to understand the importance of enterprise in society. The philosophy behind this unit is to help you think like a business professional - in many situations, there is not a 'right or wrong' answer.

You will explore the principles that are key to success in enterprise. You will examine aspects of enterprise that support a range of different organisations, from business to charities, in order to understand how these create and deliver value to their customers. Topics include how the enterprise is organised, the assessment of technology, marketing, finance and risk factors. You will develop your information search and analysis skills by investigating existing companies, their products and services.

This unit forms part of the Enterprise Challenge.

Pre/co-requisites

UCIL units are designed to be accessible to undergraduate students from all disciplines.

UCIL units are credit-bearing and it is not possible to audit UCIL units or take them for additional/extra credits. You must enrol following the standard procedure for your School when adding units outside of your home School.

If you are not sure if you are able to enrol on UCIL units you should contact your School Undergraduate office. You may wish to contact your programme director if your programme does not currently allow you to take a UCIL unit.

You can also contact the UCIL office if you have any questions.

Aims

This unit aims to support graduate employability through improving awareness and understanding of key business and enterprise principles.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of the unit you will be able to:

  • Identify key business principles that inform contemporary business practice
  • Analyse elements of value creation across different organisations
  • Evaluate how innovation may be used to develop new, improved products and services
  • Create a structured business report, using the evidence base to support your case
  • Reflect on how the enterprise principles discussed in the unit will help with your own future learning and professional practice

Syllabus

Topics covered in previous years:

  • Enterprise, Intrapreneurs and Entrepreneurs
  • The External Environment
  • Searching for Information
  • Understanding Customers
  • Innovation
  • New Product/Service Development

Teaching and learning methods

The unit will be delivered as a series of lectures and workshops where you will be able to practically apply the different elements of enterprise.

 

  • 10 x 2 hour sessions - Weeks 1-5 inclusive, Weeks 7-11 inclusive.
  • Week 6 Reading Week.
  • Week 12 is set aside for final revisions to  Individual Report.
 
 

Knowledge and understanding

The philosophy behind this unit is to help you think like a business professional; in many situations, there is not a ‘right or wrong’ answer with respect to new product development. In this unit you will be judged on your ability to find information that is appropriate to the tasks at hand, the quality of your analysis, and your ability to draw conclusions and communicate your findings effectively. You will be given opportunities to undertake interdisciplinary group tasks which will enable you to discover complementary skills and abilities that should enhance your learning and that are applicable to employability.

 

Employability skills

Analytical skills
Group/team working
Innovation/creativity
Problem solving
Research
Written communication

Assessment methods

Method Weight
Report 100%

Feedback methods

  • Formative Individual Report (750 words) (Optional, but advised - 0% of final mark)
  • Summative Individual Business Report   2500-3000 words (100% of marks)

Feedback to students via:

  • In-class activities
  • Email correspondence
  • Blackboard discussion board

Formative feedback (individual and group)

Individual assignment feedback

Feedback from students via:

  • Staff-student committee
  • Feel free to email me to discuss any aspects of the course

 

 
 

Study hours

Scheduled activity hours
Lectures 22
Independent study hours
Independent study 78

Teaching staff

Staff member Role
Martin Henery Unit coordinator

Additional notes

This course unit is assessed by a 100% coursework final report.  The unit is organised so that the lecture materials and workshop activities support the construction of the final report.

The course unit convenor will be available at regular intervals each week for questions and students are encouraged to draft parts of the final report as the course unit progresses.

The formative assignment will provide indications of where improvements can be made.

 

 

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