Durham University
Programme and Module Handbook

Postgraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2011-2012 (archived)

Module BUSI45N15: MANAGING IN THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT (Block Taught)

Department: Business School (Business)

BUSI45N15: MANAGING IN THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT (Block Taught)

Type Tied Level 4 Credits 15 Availability Available in 2011/12
Tied to N1KS17
Tied to N1KR17
Tied to N1KS14

Prerequisites

  • None.

Corequisites

  • None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

  • None.

Aims

  • To enable students to acquire and demonstrate a specialist knowledge and understanding of those elements of economic analysis that are relevant for managing in the global economy.
  • To develop students’ skills in the application of economic analysis in business decision making and planning.
  • To develop in students a critical understanding of key economic aspects of the global business environment and the impact of changes in that environment at national and international levels.

Content

  • Micro foundations for managing in the Global Environment.
  • Macro foundations for managing in the Global Environment.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:
  • By the end of this module, students should have a specialised knowledge and understanding of:
  • the underlying fundamentals of the market system;
  • the importance of, and interaction between demand, costs and prices at the level of the firm and the market;
  • the inter-relationship between the competitive environment and business decisions;
  • the macro-economic environment, at national and global level;
  • the internationalisation of firms and multinational activity;
  • the skills required to appreciate the highly complex nature of the economic system within which business operates;
  • the importance of corporate and social responsibility, including the sustainability of economic activity, both at micro and macroeconomic level.
Subject-specific Skills:
  • By the end of this module, students should:
  • be able to apply their economic understanding in management decisions in the global context;
  • have practised problem solving and analytical skills in relation to managing in the global environment.
Key Skills:
    Written communication; planning, organising and time management; problem solving and analysis; using initiative; computer literacy.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

  • Learning outcomes will be met through a combination of lectures, groupwork, case studies and discussion, supported by guided reading.
  • The summative assessment is in two parts. The first, a takeaway assessment, will involve a series of questions that test students’ knowledge and understanding of the subject-matter. It will be issued only a short time (i.e. several days) before the submission date, thus allowing students access to resources in order to provide answers, thereby reflecting the reality of answering questions in the workplace. The written assignment will further test students’ understanding of relevant concepts, and their ability to apply and interpret what they have learned to the analysis of a particular issue in depth.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity Number Frequency Duration Total/Hours
Workshops (a combination of lectures, groupwork, case studies and discussion) 35
Preparation and reading 115
Total 150

Summative Assessment

Component: Takeaway assessment Component Weighting: 50%
Element Length / duration Element Weighting Resit Opportunity
Takeaway assessment 2,500 words (maximum) in total 100%
Component: Written Assignment Component Weighting: 50%
Element Length / duration Element Weighting Resit Opportunity
Essay 2,500 words maximum 100%

Formative Assessment:

Classroom-based exercises involving individual and group analyses and presentations on specific business situations/problems relevant to the learning outcomes of the module. Oral and written feedback will be given on a group and individual basis as appropriate.


Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University