The Business Environment and Organisational Strategy
| Module title | The Business Environment and Organisational Strategy |
|---|---|
| Module code | BEM1036DA |
| Academic year | 2023/4 |
| Credits | 30 |
| Module staff |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 10 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 50 |
|---|
Module description
The business environment enables you to understand how projects contribute to businesses operating in local, regional, national and global economies. As well as enabling you to build the knowledge of the main UK business sectors and the parameters within which they operate.
The organisational strategy enables you to understand the totality of actions a company needs to take to achieve long-term goals and how the processes used by organisations are applied to develop strategic plans, as well as how programmes and projects enable organisations to achieve their short, medium and long-term strategies and how these can vary depending on the size of the organisation.
Module aims - intentions of the module
This module will equip you with the skills and knowledge required to fully understand the business environment and organisational strategies that drive the need for change and projects to make these changes, in both academic and employment context. This will be achieved be exploring the role and importance of strategic thinking and broader appreciation of the business environment, as well as processes and systems that ensure projects are delivered effectively to deliver the optimum outcome. You will also engage in practical, employability-orientated skill sessions focused on: strategic planning, key resource allocation, impacts on the budgetary profiling, risk management and management & control procedures. A broad approach to Stakeholder Management will also be included. Once completed, you will be able to recognise your own skills and the roles you can perform in ensuring that the project delivery outcomes are aligned and recognisable in supporting the business to achieve its strategy.
An example of an approach that you will explore is ‘The Golden Thread’ in connecting the high level vision of the business to the outcome deliverables of projects.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Explain how projects contribute to businesses operating in local, regional, national and global economies. (Knowledge 2)
- 2. Describe the main UK business sectors and the parameters within which they operate, in the context of initiating and running successful projects. (Knowledge 2)
- 3. Describe how organisational strategy is the totality of actions a company needs to take to achieve long-term goals and how the processes used by organisations are applied to develop strategic plans. (Knowledge 11)
- 4. Explain how programmes and projects enable organisations to achieve their short, medium and long-term strategies and how these can vary depending on the size of the organisation. (Knowledge 11)
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 5. Analyse the context, opportunities and challenges presented by projects in a range of organisational settings. (Skill 2)
- 6. Construct robust project business cases that demonstrate the benefits and value expected from the project deliverables. (Knowledge 1)
- 7. Assess the operating constraints that apply to projects including ethical, legal and regulatory considerations, in agreeing delivery outcomes. (Skill 2)
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 8. Explain and apply promotion of the vision, organisational/project purpose and values within projects. (Behaviour 1)
- 9. Apply collaborative techniques to build rapport and trust, develop networks and maintain relationships. (Behaviour 2)
- 10. Apply understanding of the bigger picture impacts and work enthusiastically and creatively to analyse problems and develop innovative and workable solutions to problems. (Behaviour 6)
- 11. Exemplify a solution focus, not a problem focus and be positive and adaptable, responding well to feedback and the need for change. (Behaviour 6)
Syllabus plan
Manage a project through an understanding of strategy and strategic processes.
- How to align a project to an organisation’s mission and vision (use of diagnostic management control systems and formal tools, including critical success factors, success criteria, key performance indicators)
- How to identify and exploit opportunities to influence organisational strategy (implementing interactive control systems, including bottom up approach and stretch goals)
- How to develop and ensure the ongoing validity of the business/organisational justification
- How to determine, assess and review critical success factors
- How to determine, assess and review key performance indicators
Influence and manage the alignment of a project to relevant standards and regulations.
- How to identify and ensure a project complies with identified and relevant legislation (including the legal policies of the organisation, contract law, employment law, intellectual property)
- How to identify and ensure a project complies with all relevant health, safety, security and environmental regulations
- How to identify and ensure a project complies with all relevant codes of conduct and professional regulation
- How to identify and ensure a project complies with relevant sustainability principles and objectives
- How to assess, use and develop professional standards and tools for a Project
Recognise the influence of internal and external culture on a project and integrate this into a project’s approach, objectives and processes.
- How to assess the culture and values of the society and their implications for the project
- How to align the project with the formal culture and corporate values of an organisation (such as Corporate Social Responsibility)
- How to assess the implications for a project of the informal culture and values of an organisation
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 34 | 60 | 206 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled teaching and learning activities | 34 | 4 masterclass days and 4 webinars |
| Placement | 206 | Project management in the workplace - Work activities including for example project team meetings, discussions, stakeholder engagement, project planning and implementation |
| Guided independent study | 60 | Reading, research, web-based activities on ELE |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annotated Bibliography (Researched by students in groups) with top 3 best sources | 1000 words | 1,2,3,4,6,7 | Verbal with peers in masterclass |
| Voice over presentation plan as individuals | 500 words | 1,2,3,4 | Written in ELE |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Case Study analysis to produce a full business case (written submission) | 50 | 3000 words | 1-6 | Written |
| Individual voice over presentation | 50 | No more than 10 slides with 20 minutes narration (+/- 10%), plus accompanying notes pages | 1-11 | Written |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Study analysis to produce a full business case (written submission) | Case Study analysis to produce a full business case (written submission) (3000 words) | 1-6 | 6 weeks |
| Individual voice over presentation | Individual voice over presentation (No more than 10 slides with 20 minutes narration (+/- 10%), plus accompanying notes pages) | 1-11 | 6 weeks |
Re-assessment notes
Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.
Referral – if you have failed the module overall (ie a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to sit a further examination. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of referral will count for 100% of the final mark and will be capped at 40%.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Basic reading:
- Dittmann K, Dirbanis K, & Meier T (2021) Project Management (IPMA) Study Guide for Level D and Basic Certification (GPM), Haufe Lexware
- Maylor, H. (2010) Project Management Harlow, Essex, Pearson Educations Ltd
- Burke, R. and Barron, S. (2014) Project Management Leadership: Building Creative Teams, J Wiley and Sons
- Newton, R. (2006) Project Management Step by Step, How to Plan and Manage a Highly Successful Project, Pearson Education Ltd
- Kersten Mik (2019 Project to Product: How Value Stream Networks will transform IT and Business: How to survive and thrive in the age of Digital Disruption with the flow, IT Revolution Press
- Smart, Jonathan (2022) Sooner, Safer, Happier: Antipatterns and patterns for Business Agility, IT Revolution Press
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
- ELE
- IPMA Level D Qualification | APM Exams
- Association of Project Management http://www.apm.org.uk/
- ISO 9000 http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_9000
- Prince 2 http://www.prince-officialsite.com/
- Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) https://scaledagileframework.com/
| Credit value | 30 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 15 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 4 |
| Available as distance learning? | Yes |
| Origin date | 14/04/2023 |
| Last revision date | 14/04/2023 |
