Undergraduate Course: Enterprise Consultancy Project (BUST10120)
Course Outline
| School | Business School |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This project based course provides an opportunity to apply, in an integrated fashion, the knowledge and skills acquired elsewhere in their degree programme, in the context of a new small but growing business. |
| Course description |
This project based course provides an opportunity to apply, in an integrated fashion, the knowledge and skills acquired elsewhere in their degree programme, in the context of a new small but growing business. It aims to develop inter-personal, analytical and presentation skills; to give detailed insights into the challenges and problems of a growing new business; and to gain practical knowledge in a live company of how these problems may be overcome and growth successfully generated.
There will be a period of formal workshops and preparation at the start of the course. These will introduce consulting, the consulting process and the skills and tasks necessary to successfully undertake a short-term consulting assignment in a new growth orientated business.
The central part of the course involves a consultancy assignment undertaken for the owner-manager of a new local business, to be recruited before the course starts. The businesses will be chosen under the direction of the course co-ordinator, who will also agree the briefs with the companies in general terms. Students will be assigned to teams of between three to six members. It then becomes the responsibility of the team to negotiate the details of the project with the client, to negotiate resources (such as office space, telephone, faxes etc.), to schedule meetings and to produce, and present, such interim reports as the client deems necessary.
The course will start with workshops on the consultancy process, research methodology, and advanced small business growth. Part two starting on Week 3 will be to conduct the consultancy research for the chosen company. Clinics will be provided to advise and mentor the students. Part 3 starting on Week 9 will conclude the project by providing workshops on presentation skills, report writing, and presentations to the companies.
PART 1
Week 1
Introduction to the course
What is consultancy? Special issues of consulting in small businesses The consultancy process.
Special issues in planning the growth of a new small firm.
Week 2
Consulting for small businesses and new ventures.
Week 3
Group work dynamics workshop
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Late afternoon/evening session - meeting the companies and discussing the briefs.
PART 2 The consultancy projects
During this period the group must maintain regular contact with the company, and with the course tutors at the project clinics.
Week 4
Process consultancy and client management.
Week 5
Understanding and researching the business environment.
Week 6
Presentation Skills and Report Writing.
Week 7
Project Clinics
PART 3 Concluding the Project
Week 8
Guest Speaker
Week 9
Times to fit into convenience of companies. Presentations to company.
Draft report to be ready by the start of this week .
Week 10
Final Report to be handed in to companies and for final assessment.
ETHICS
All research conducted in the project must be monitored by the course co-ordinators to ensure it conforms to the ethical standards of the University.
Student Learning Experience
Clinics will review progress and give the tutor an opportunity to offer suggestions and advice on any problems relating to the conduct of the assignment. It is not necessary for every member of the team to attend each clinic BUT at least one team member will be expected to report in.
Additional seminars on group work dynamics have now been included in week 4 and these are designed to prepare students better for working in groups.
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students must have at least 4 Business courses at grade B or above. This MUST INCLUDE one course equivalent to an Entrepreneurship course at intermediate level. This course cannot be taken alongside BUST08015 Innovation and Entrepreneurship. We will only consider University/College level courses. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Understand and critically discuss practical management and understand the problems faced by a real start-up company in planning and implementing business growth.
- Gain practical experience of undertaking business consultancy.
- Understand and critically discuss entrepreneurial growth processes in new and small firms.
- Demonstrate academic understanding and practical skills of the consultancy process.
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Reading List
Joe O'Mahoney & Calvert Markham. Management Consulting, 2nd Edition. Oxford University Press. Available at Blackwells on Clerk Street.
Other readings will be made available on LEARN.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Enhance academic understanding and practical skills of the consultancy process.
Enhance the career potential of students by developing consultancy skills.
Cognitive skills
On completion of the course students should be able to:
- Analyse different business situations where entrepreneurial growth opportunities are present or possible.
- Generate and assess critically growth options and strategies arising from their consultancy research briefs.
- Assess the resources required to implement growth plans effectively.
- Develop a business growth assessment and plan with others that can guide the growth process and access resources.
Transferable skills
Students will gain skills in:
- Working together in a team to deliver a multifaceted project to a tight deadline.
- Working with entrepreneurs and business managers in pursuit of common goals.
- Carrying out independent research.
- How to work closely with business clients in a professional manner.
- Learning how to present a live consultancy report concisely and professionally to a panel of clients.
- How to cost a consultancy project .
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| Keywords | ECP |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Ms Debbie Crompton
Tel:
Email: dcrompto@exseed.ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Rachael Tring
Tel: (0131 6)51 5467
Email: Rachael.Tring@ed.ac.uk |
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