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BUSI44Y15: The Entrepreneurs Environment (Taught)

It is possible that changes to modules or programmes might need to be made during the academic year, in response to the impact of Covid-19 and/or any further changes in public health advice.

Type Tied
Level 4
Credits 15
Availability Not available in 2024/2025
Module Cap
Location Durham
Department Management and Marketing

Prerequisites

  • None.

Corequisites

  • None.

Excluded Combinations of Modules

  • The Entrepreneurs Environment (Online)

Aims

  • To provide students with a holistic appreciation of the environment within which entrepreneurial activities take place and the importance of interactions between them.

Content

  • Drivers and barriers in firm start-up and growth
  • Market failures and policy intervention
  • Hard and soft support measures - infrastructure, finance and training
  • Attitudinal and financial barriers monitoring an intervention to promote graduate enterprise
  • Policy support for growth
  • Policy and under-represented groups female entrepreneurship
  • Financial systems and capital access
  • Social capital: roles of networks nature and social capital
  • Corporate environment: clusters, and large-small firm relationships
  • Environmental context: regional dimensions of entrepreneurship
  • International environment
  • Personal task environment context
  • Managing the external environment

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:

  • By the end of the module, students should have a critical appreciation of how external structures and processes impact upon entrepreneurial opportunities and activity, and of the tools entrepreneurs can use in response to such environmental factors.
  • A cross-cutting aspect of the module is the policy dimension, and students will achieve an advanced knowledge and understanding of government and other support mechanisms available to entrepreneurs.

Subject-specific Skills:

  • By the end of this module, students should be able to:
  • analyse in depth the way in which elements of the wider environment interact with and impact upon entrepreneurial activities;
  • critically discuss strategies entrepreneurs can use in response to these contextual conditions.

Key Skills:

  • Written communication;
  • planning;
  • organising and time management;
  • problem solving and analysis;
  • 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 taught input, groupwork, case studies and discussion, supported by guided reading and specially-written self-study material.
  • The summative assessment of the module is designed to test the acquisition and articulation of knowledge and critical understanding, and skills of application and interpretation within the business context.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

ActivityNumberFrequencyDurationTotalMonitored
Workshops (a combination of taught input, groupwork, case studies and discussion), timetabled in blocks 24Yes
Preparation and reading126 
Total150 

Summative Assessment

Component: Written AssignmentComponent Weighting: 100%
ElementLength / DurationElement WeightingResit Opportunity
Assignment on management of the entrepreneurial environment3000 words100Same

Formative Assessment

Students receive feedback on their contributions in the workshops.

More information

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Current Students: Please contact your department.