Postgraduate Course: Business Geographics (PGGE11210)
Course Outline
| School | School of Geosciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | This course is proposed to provide a broader range of experiences to our GIS students. Feedback from External Examiners, professional bodies and past students have suggested an extension of our activities in relation to industry. Current activity relates only to the core Research Practice and Project Planning course, which concentrates on project management (amongst many other topics). This course will be delivered by a successful businessman who has volunteered his services as an Honorary Fellow, based principally on an enthusiasm to teach this course and pass on his unrivalled experience. The course will introduce the students to business processes in the GI industry and beyond, the processes, etiquette and ethics of business. The drivers relate to (i) the lack of basic business skills in the current student intake and (ii) the demands of employers which increasingly expect students to have an understanding of the business environment and consequently (iii) the employability of the students. There is a clear need to deliver a range of theoretical and practical skills which relate specifically to the GI industry and we are lucky to have the offer from someone uniquely skilled in this area. |
| Course description |
This course provides an insight, experience and understanding of the business environment, together with skills sets identified as currently desirable to both the student cohort and employment sector.
The purpose of the course is three-fold. First, it will introduce students to the purpose, processes and etiquette of business. Secondly, it will review and understand how GIS data, software and techniques are used in business. Thirdly, it will review the state-of-the-market in terms of current business opportunities in terms of GI.
1. The what, why and how of business: What is a company, how to set up a company.
2. The use of GIS in business. Case studies of GIS projects, companies, business lifecycle. Projects-based working vs productisation.
3. Business processes. Business etiquette, ethics and professionalism. Business processes (SME perspective), contracting, sub-contracting etc . The tendering process, pricing, profitability. Finance and growth (organic vs capitalised). Client management (the good, the bad, the unprofitable), communications.
4. The role of the GIS expert in business. What is a consultant? Creating teams in business
5. Issues of the moment and future opportunities
* Data.gov, big data, obscure data, open software, software, what equipment do you need?
* Legals, licensing, copyright, data restrictions, patents?
* Societal issues / GIS & society, possible privacy issues
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2014/15, Available to all students (SV1)
|
Quota: 16 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Lecture Hours 20,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
78 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Business Organisation Summary (10%), Car Manufacturer advertising tender (30%), Consultant Project Rescue Scenario - Presentation to Government Minister (30%) and Social Media Data Collection Exercise (30%).
Coursework will be marked according to University's common assessment scheme as outlined in the PGTR and in accordance with the School of Geosciences guidelines. Provisional marks and feedback would be provided to the students on each assessed unit of work using the current feedback forms within the time limits requested by the School. |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- By the end of this course, students should have achieved and demonstrated, or be able to achieve and demonstrate, the ability to:
* Understand typical UK private sector Company structures, ownership and governance characteristics. - * Consider different models of shareholder ownership and professional responsibilities within business (and analogies within government/third-sector) through group work.
- * Set up a new business (Limited Company) or partnership (LLP) understanding rules and reporting responsibilities.
- * Understand the value of different types of geographic information in various settings and consider ways to exploit its use.
- * Encompass future possibilities for use/analysis of geographic information as it gets 'bigger', potentially more 'open' and certainly more pervasive.
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Reading List
Bahir, E., & Peled, A. (2013). Identifying and Tracking Major Events Using Geo-Social Networks. Social Science Computer Review, 31(4), 458-470. doi:10.1177/0894439313483689
Boyd, D., & Crawford, K. (2012). Critical Questions for Big Data. Information, Communication & Society, 15(5), 662-679. doi:10.1080/1369118X.2012.678878
Companies House. (2013). Incorporation and names. Retrieved from http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/about/pdf/gp1.pdf
Cottrill, C. D. (2011). Location Privacy: Who Protects? URISA Journal-Urban and Regional ..., 23(2), 49¿59. Retrieved from http://ares.lids.mit.edu/fm/papers/Cottrill.URISA.pdf
Crampton, J. W., Graham, M., Poorthuis, A., Shelton, T., Wilson, M. W., & Zook, M. (2013). Beyond the geotag: situating 'big data' and leveraging the potential of the geoweb. Cartography and Geographic Information Science, 40(2), 130-139. doi:10.1080/15230406.2013.777137
Credit Suisse. (2013). Big Data Taking a quantum leap. Retrieved from http://globalinvestor.credit-suisse.com/FlashApi/AssetDataView/ff5c4615-129e-417c-88c9-e8fb8ac5c422
De Souza e Silva, A. (2013). Location-aware mobile technologies: Historical, social and spatial approaches. Mobile Media & Communication, 1(1), 116-121. doi:10.1177/2050157912459492
Douglas, B. (2008). Achieving Business Success with GIS.
Chichester, England: Wiley.
Haklay, M. (Muki). (2013). Neogeography and the delusion of democratisation. Environment and Planning A, 45(1), 55-69. doi:10.1068/a45184
JISC. (2012). The Value and Benefit of Text Mining to UK Further and Higher Education. Digital Infrastructure. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/jisc-textm
Manyika, J., Chui, M., Brown, B., Bughin, J., Dobbs, R., Roxburgh, C., & Hung Byers, A. (2011). Big data: The next frontier for innovation, competition, and productivity. Retrieved from http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/business_technology/big_data_the_next_frontier_for_innovation
McKee, H. A. (2011). Policy Matters Now and in the Future: Net Neutrality, Corporate Data Mining, and Government Surveillance. Computers and Composition, 28(4), 276-291. doi:10.1016/j.compcom.2011.09.001
Public Accounts Committee. (2008). Report on Use of Consultants. Belfast: Information Office, Northern Ireland Assembly,info.office@niasembly.gov.uk. Retrieved from http://archive.niassembly.gov.uk/public/2007mandate/reports/report16_07_08r.htm
Rogers, R. (2012). Mapping and the Politics of Web Space. Theory, Culture & Society, 29(4-5), 193-219. doi:10.1177/0263276412450926
Warf, B., & Sui, D. (2010). From GIS to neogeography: ontological implications and theories of truth. Annals of GIS, 16(4), 197-209. doi:10.1080/19475683.2010.539985
Wilken, R. (2012). Locative media: From specialized preoccupation to mainstream fascination. Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, 18(3), 243-247. doi:10.1177/1354856512444375 |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Students will acquire and develop the following transferable skills:
1. Consider how and why ethics and professionalism are important whether as an internal or external GIS Expert or Consultant.
2. Project plan a number of scenarios involving open source, public sector and other types of geographic information.
3. Show extended communication, project management and interactive skills (including argument!) developed through group work making use of alternate organisational structures, pricing models or service delivery.
4. Locate, read and summarise relevant literature, from both traditional and electronic media, to extend understanding of topics. |
| Keywords | Business processes, finance, tendering, contracts, professionalism, business ethics, consultancy, la |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Adrian Tear
Tel:
Email: Adrian.Tear@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Lynne Mcgillivray
Tel: (0131 6)50 2543
Email: Lynne.McGillivray@ed.ac.uk |
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