Business Fundamentals Course Descriptor

Course Summary

This course will familiarise learners with the contemporary world of business. It introduces legal, political, ethical, and social citizenship foundations and theories that businesses and nonprofit organisations are built upon. The course exposes learners to the various business disciplines and the role these disciplines play in an organisation. Several quantitative fundamentals and tools for ethical and socially responsible business decision making are described. The course integrates critical issues affecting the world of business from both a national and international perspective. Learners will have the opportunity to develop basic business literacy within an ethical context.

Course Aims

• Train learners in current theories regarding business, government, & nonprofit organisations, how they work & how they are interrelated.
• Train learners in theories of human behaviour as they relate to global economics, corporate social responsibility, leadership & consumer behaviour.
• Give learners the tools to identify & describe moral, ethical & organisational elements of business.
• Give learners the tools to apply ethical theories in the context of business, government or nonprofit decision making.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of the course, learners will be able to:

Knowledge and Understanding

Subject Specific Skills

Transferable and Professional Skills

Teaching and Learning

This is an e-learning course, taught throughout the year.

This course can be offered as a standalone short course.

Teaching and learning strategies for this course will include: 

• On-line learning
• On-line discussion groups
• On-line assessment

Course information and supplementary materials will be available on the University’s Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).

Learners are required to attend and participate in all the formal and timetabled sessions for this course. Learners are also expected to manage their self-directed learning and independent study in support of the course.

The course learning and teaching hours will be structured as follows:

• Off-the-job learning and teaching (6 days x 7 hours) = 42 hours
• On-the-job learning (12 days x 7 hours) = 84 hours (e.g. 2 days per week for 6 weeks)
• Private study (4 hours per week) = 24 hours

Total = 150 hours

Workplace assignments (see below) will be completed as part of on-the-job learning.

Assessment

Formative

Learners will be formatively assessed during the course by means of set assignments. These will not count towards the final degree but will provide learners with developmental feedback.

Summative

Assessment will be in two forms:

Feedback

Learners will receive formal feedback in a variety of ways: written (via email or VLE correspondence) and indirectly through online discussion groups. Learners will also attend a formal meeting with their Academic Mentor (and for apprentices, including their Line Manager). These bi- or tri-partite reviews will monitor and evaluate the learner’s progress.

Feedback is provided on summatively assessed assignments and through generic internal examiners’ reports, both of which are posted on the VLE.

Indicative Reading

Note: Comprehensive and current reading lists for courses are produced annually in the Course Syllabus or other documentation provided to learners; the indicative reading list provided below is used as part of the approval/modification process only.

Books

• Needle, J., and Burns, J., (2019). Business in Context: An Introduction to Business and its Environment, Cengage Learning EMEA
• Wall, S., (2001), Introduction to International Business, Harlow; New York : Financial Times/Prentice Hall
• Jones, L. (2019), Introduction to Business Law, Oxford: Oxford University Press

Journals

Learners are encouraged to read material from relevant journals on business best practices and industry standards as directed by their course trainer.

Electronic Resources

Learners are encouraged to consult websites on business best practices and industry standards.

Indicative Topics

• Legal, Social Citizenship & Technological Foundations of Business
• Goods & Services and Quantitative Fundamentals for Decision Making
• Business Value Chain & Management Activities

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