Durham University
Programme and Module Handbook

Postgraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2012-2013 (archived)

Module BUSI56E30: ORGANISATIONAL APPLICATION

Department: Business School (Business)

BUSI56E30: ORGANISATIONAL APPLICATION

Type Tied Level 4 Credits 30 Availability Available in 2012/13 Module Cap
Tied to N1KE12
Tied to N2KE12
Tied to N2KF12

Prerequisites

  • None.

Corequisites

  • None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

  • None.

Aims

  • To provide students with the opportunity to put their knowledge and understanding into practice by conducting an audit of a local company.
  • To provide students with the opportunity to enhance their teamworking and interpersonal skills.

Content

  • Business Profiling: developing a framework for the efficient and holistic audit of an operating business. Students conduct the audit at a local company whose business issues are relevant to their own organisation and give a presentation to DBS staff and representatives from the company.
  • Learning and Development Planning: this element facilitates the awareness of students’ own values, strengths and areas for development through the acquisition of competencies in motivation; leadership; teamwork; communication; creativity and entrepreneurship; Emotional Intelligence; continuous learning; and delegation.
  • Applied Management Research: this element provides an overview of key research techniques including literature reviews; questionnaire design; interviewing; focus groups; case study research; structuring research methodology; analysing quantitative and qualitative data.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:
  • By the end of the module, students should be able to:
  • understand the concept of business holism;
  • understand the role and significance of congruency and consistency as attributes of business structure;
  • critically understand prevailing business and management issues within their own organisation;
  • critically understand their own strengths, challenges and learning approaches.
Subject-specific Skills:
  • By the end of the module, students should be able to:
  • develop a framework for organisational auditing;
  • develop a future learning plan;
  • appreciate how to transfer learning back into the organisation.
Key Skills:
    Written communication; oral communication; interpersonal communication; teamworking; 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

  • A variety of teaching and learning methods will be used, principally seminars, group work and facilitated discussion sessions. A central feature of this module is a company visit and audit, plus presentation of findings. All sessions have a high participation element, and an emphasis on action-learning.
  • Assessment of this module is by written group project, group presentation and individual learning commentary, designed to: test the acquisition and articulation of knowledge; test conceptual understanding and skills of application and interpretation within the business context; and test skills of oral and interpersonal communication and teamworking.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity Number Frequency Duration Total/Hours
Lectures 18 hours in total
Seminars 9 hours in total
Group work/company visits 9 hours in total
Preparation & Reading 264 hours
Total 300

Summative Assessment

Component: Written Group Project Component Weighting: 65%
Element Length / duration Element Weighting Resit Opportunity
Written Group Project 12,000 words 100%
Component: Learning Commentary Component Weighting: 25%
Element Length / duration Element Weighting Resit Opportunity
Individual learning commentary on the group project 1,500 words 100%
Component: Group Presentation Component Weighting: 10%
Element Length / duration Element Weighting Resit Opportunity
Group Presentation. All group members will be expected to participate in the presentation and all will receive the same mark. In the event of a student needing to resit this component, they will be required to submit an individual written assignment of 1000 words (maximum). All presentations will be video-taped. 30 minutes 100%

Formative Assessment:

Feedback on group and individual activities undertaken during contact hours.


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