Durham University
Programme and Module Handbook

Postgraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2020-2021 (archived)

Module BUSI45J15: Consulting

Department: Management and Marketing

BUSI45J15: Consulting

Type Tied Level 4 Credits 15 Availability Available in 2020/21 Module Cap
Tied to N2P109
Tied to N2P409
Tied to N2P209
Tied to N2P509
Tied to N2P609
Tied to N2P809
Tied to N5K609

Prerequisites

  • None.

Corequisites

  • None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

  • None.

Aims

  • To develop students' abilities to apply their knowledge and skills to explore problematic situations, and identify and gain agreement to actions to enable improvement.

Content

  • The role of the consultant;
  • The client relationship;
  • The engagement as a project;
  • Exploring the problematic situation;
  • Influencing change;
  • Evaluating an assignment and the team.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:
  • By the end of the module students should:
  • Have a critical understanding of the different roles of the consultant;
  • Have a critical understanding of a project framework as a way to structure a consulting engagement.
Subject-specific Skills:
  • By the end of the module students should:
  • Have the ability to apply a project framework to scope, plan and manage a consulting engagement;
  • Have the ability to apply knowledge to explore a problematic situation and identify opportunities for improvements.
Key Skills:
  • By the end of the module students should have:
  • Ability to think critically and creatively and to argue coherently;
  • Planning, organisational and time management skills;
  • Problem solving and analytical skills;
  • Skills of effective self-management including motivation, self-starting, individual initiative and enterprise.

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

  • The lectures and seminars will introduce a project framework and key elements of the project / consulting toolkit. They will also consider managing the client – consultant relationship.
  • The focus in the seminars is based upon ‘learning by doing’, so that participants can work in groups on simulated consulting activities that are representative of those undertaken by consultants in the business context.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity Number Frequency Duration Total/Hours
Lectures 10 1 per week 2 hours 20
Seminars 4 1 per fortnight 1 hour 4
Preparation, Reading, Data Collection and Independent Study 126
Total 150

Summative Assessment

Component: Individual Written Assignment Component Weighting: 100%
Element Length / duration Element Weighting Resit Opportunity
Business Report 2500 words (maximum) 100% Same

Formative Assessment:

Students will get formative feedback throughout their seminar-based work. The feedback will provided during the seminar and will take the form of a critique and review of the work that has been prepared and presented by the students. The feedback will be given in a manner that all of the cohort can benefit from the feedback and advice given to the group that has presented.


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