NCHNAL470 Business Fundamentals Course Descriptor

Course Summary

This course will familiarise students 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 students 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. Students will have the opportunity to develop basic business literacy within an ethical context.

Course Aims

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

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of the course, students 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).

Students are required to attend and participate in all the formal and timetabled sessions for this course. Students 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:

● Learning and teaching (6 days x 8 hours) = 48 hours 

● Independent study = 102 hours 

Indicative total learning hours for this course: 150 hours

Assignments (see below) will be completed as part of private study.

Assessment

Formative

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

Summative

The summative assessment will be assessed in accordance with the assessment aims set out in the programme specification.

Feedback

Students will receive formal feedback in a variety of ways: written (via email or VLE correspondence) and indirectly through online discussion groups. Students will also attend a formal meeting with their Mentor. These reviews will monitor and evaluate the student’s progress.

Indicative Reading

Note: Comprehensive and current reading lists for courses are produced annually in the Course Syllabus or other documentation provided to students; 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

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

Electronic Resources

Students 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