Students will study a variety of topics normally associated with business studies:

- Types of business organisation
- How to form a business
- Business acumen and understanding
- National and local influences on businesses
- Marketing, Financial Planning and Budgeting
- Costs and profit-making activities in the legal environment
- Time management and best use of resources
- Work based learning through work placement
- Personal reflection and personal development planning
- Concepts of a team and effective team working

Whole group sessions: Students will attend sessions once per week for 1.5 hours over 30 weeks. (45 hours)

Work based learning: Students will undertake work in a legal environment for minimum 200 hours.

Individual self-directed learning and reading: 30 hours

Portfolio preparation: 25 hours

ESSENTIAL TEXT: Cottrell, S. Skills for Success: Personal development & employability (Palgrave Study Skills 2010)

ESSENTIAL TEXT: BPP Learning Media. Business essentials - organisation and behaviour (2010)

Pedlar, M. Bourgoyne J. Boydell, T. Manager's guide to self-development (MacGraw-Hill Professional 2006)

Moon, J. A Handbook of reflective and experiential learning: theory and practice (2004 Routledge)

Belbin, M. Team Roles at Work (Butterworth 2010)

Access to books and journals

IT facilities for online resources

LexisNexis and Westlaw

Study Centre daily information resources

Law Society/SRA website
Bar Council/BSB website
CILEX website
Legal Services Commission website
Justice website

Assignment 1: Personal Development Journal 65%. 2500 words. Students will be required to keep a journal over the course of the academic year recording their achievements on the course, skills they have developed, skills that require further development, future career plans, and research on possible career routes. Students will be expected to undertake an appropriate work placement. Achievement in the module is based on the quality of the student's reflection, which should be detailed and critical, and included in the Journal for submission. If a student has an unsatisfactory work placement experience - due to the failure of the student or the employer to engage fully with the work placement - this will not necessarily indicate failure in the module nor necessitate a further work placement. (Assesses Learning Outcome 4)

Assignment 2: Portfolio. 35%. The Portfolio should contain: typed and professionally presented lecture notes, with detailed reflection on these; materials given out in class (1250 words) (Learning Outcomes 1-3)

Both assessments must achieve a pass mark of 40%

Formative assessment: class discussions and debates provide opportunities for both tutor and peer feedback. Students will gain detailed individual feedback on pieces of written homework, completed worksheets, and on their findings to research activities. Individual tutorials provide additional opportunities to offer guidance and constructive feedback, to support learners in achieving their full potential.