In this module, learners will:
- Learn about the functions and inter-dependencies of different departments in an organisation including Marketing, Sales, Operations, R&D, etc.
- Understand the various activities and resources that come together to create a successful department
- Experience the challenges of working for a business and the consequences of conflicting decisions
- Explore team-based decision-making scenarios through pre-designed online simulations
- Develop skills to identify the impact of strategic decisions on company finances and staffing
- Produce a group presentation demonstrating their understanding of business building
- Produce a written assessment based on their experiences of business simulations, reflecting on the influence of team dynamics.

Online sessions (18 hours: 9 sessions of 2 hours each)
There will be 18 hours of class related teaching, which will include lectures and practical skills development.

Online assessment clinics (2 hours)
To help learners develop the assessment there will be a 2-hour clinic where learners can discuss progress, share a draft of their work and receive formative feedback.

Independent Learning (180 hours)
The tutor will provide resources through the virtual learning environment which will include videos and presentations as well as links to useful websites. Other academic learning will be achieved through reading around the subject area. The tutor will suggest useful texts, though many others will be suitable and can be found in our e-library. If you require help understanding any of the concepts, you may contact the tutor for assistance.

1. Group Presentation (50%) – This 20-minute group presentation will involve outlining an overview of the business building process, including strategic decision-making stages, and using examples from industry. (Learning Outcomes 1 and 3)

2. Individual Written Assignment (50%) – This 1500-word assignment will reflect on your experience of the business simulation process, including the influence of team dynamics on the strategic decision making of your simulated organisation and the impact of the strategic choices on the outcome. (Learning Outcomes 2, 4 and 5)

The learning strategy for this module is based around learners committing a total of 200 hours of activities towards achieving the learning outcomes. These will be split between 20 hours of direct contact with a tutor and 180 hours of directed, guided and self-study, together with preparation for and completion of the assessment tasks. Learning support material will be provided for the module.

The module will draw upon a mixture of activities including lectures, web-based activities, case study analysis, relevant videos and in-class discussions, individual and group problem solving and self-directed learning.

1. Demonstrate a critical understanding of the strategic choices available to start-ups and established organisations.
Knowledge & Understanding
Learning

2. Critically evaluate the impact of strategic choices on influencing the growth of an organisation. Application
Analysis
Problem solving

3. Evaluate how activities and resources within different departments are linked and how they lead to achieving the high-level goals of an organisation.
Application
Analysis
Enquiry

4. Make informed business decisions based on business data generated from simulation games and communicate this information effectively.
Communication
Analysis

5. Reflect on how team dynamics influence business building decisions.
Communication
Reflection

VLE learning support material to be provided for independent /self-directed learning
Module handbook
Academic journals and industry magazines
Selected contemporary problem/practice-based case examples

Argyres, N. S. & Silverman, B. S. (2004). R&D, organization structure and the development of corporate technological knowledge, Wiley-Blackwell.

Barney, J. (1995). Looking inside for Competitive Advantage, JSTOR.

Churchill, N. C. & Lewis, V. L. (1983). The Five Stages of Small Business Growth, Harvard Business Review Press.

Coff, R. & Kryscynski, D. (2011). Drilling for Micro-Foundations of Human Capital–Based Competitive Advantages, SAGE.

Cope, J. (2011). Entrepreneurial learning from failure: An interpretative phenomenological analysis, Elsevier.

Costin, Y., O’Brien, M. P. & Slattery, D. M. (2018). Using Simulation to Develop Entrepreneurial Skills and Mind-Set: An Exploratory Case Study, ISETL.

Dew, N., Read, S., Sarasvathy, S. D. & Wiltbank, R. (2009). Effectual versus predictive logics in entrepreneurial decision-making: Differences between experts and novices, Elsevier.

Dolan, R. (1997). Note on Marketing Strategy, HBS Publishing. How entrepreneurs acquire the capacity to excel: insights from research on expert performance, Wiley-Blackwell.

Hyams-Ssekasi, D. & Caldwell, E. (2018). Experiential Learning for Entrepreneurship: Theoretical and Practical Perspectives on Enterprise Education, Palgrave.

March, J. (1991). Exploration and Exploitation in Organizational Learning, Organization Science, JSTOR.

Messick, D. M. & Bazerman, M. H. (1996). Ethical leadership and the psychology of decision making, MIT Sloan Management Review.

Nohria, N. & Bernstein, E. (2016), Note on Organizational Structure, HBS Publishing.

Pando-Garcia, J., Periañez-Cañadillas, I. & Charterina, J. (2016). Business simulation games with and without supervision: Analysis based on the TAM mode, Elsevier.

This module is primarily designed for SME employees, students and graduates who are interested in learning more about strategic decision making within organisations. The module is also relevant for people who feel that they have strong knowledge of one business area but lack essential exposure to other business areas to become a strong general manager or business owner.

You don't need to have a background in simulations or strategy to succeed in this module. This module will equip you with all the knowledge and skills required to plan all basic activities and allocate relevant resources within an organisation.

Participants of the module will experience the life of a general manager or business owner. They will work within the secure environment of online simulations to make tough decisions and learn from mistakes.

Through interactive discussions, individual tasks, group activities and simulated online work scenarios, we will take the participants through several aspects of business building and highlight the key statistics that managers need to monitor to make the business survive and grow.

This module is simulation based, so you will be expected to apply the knowledge gained through this course to practical scenarios.