Program Overview

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2024/25 Part-time Postgraduate Short course and CPD

Award

This course contributes to the Postgraduate Certificate of Professional Development.

Faculty

Ulster University Business School

School

Department of Management, Leadership and Marketing

Campus

Belfast campus

Credit points

20

Start date

27 September 2024

We are the UK and Ireland University of the Year

Times Higher Education Awards 2024

Overview

This short course introduces students to the subject of management, organisational structures and strategy.

Summary

All business activities occur within an organisational context, and all organisations require effective and efficient management. This short course introduces students to the subject of management, organisational structures and strategy.

Students will develop a framework of knowledge from which they can understand and critically analyse the strategic goals of management, appropriate organisational structures and management's role in delivering strategic goals, as well as identify suitable strategies to enable future organisational growth.

About this course

About

Organisations are highly complex and dynamic goals-led open social systems, comprised of numerous interdependent and inter-related variables. This short course introduces students to the subject of management, organisational structures and strategy. Students will develop a critical knowledge and understanding of the structural configurations which organisations can assume, and the environmental and strategic factors which influence this structure. Students will explore management's role within organisations, as well as how managers can grow successful business within today's global business environment.

The aim of this short course is to provide students with a framework of knowledge from which they can understand and critically analyse the strategic goals of management, appropriate organisational structures and management's role in delivering strategic goals, as well as identify suitable strategies to enable organisational growth.

The following list of topics is indicative rather than a prescriptive guide.

• Theme 1: Defining the scope and purpose of management and organisations
  • The nature and characteristics of organisations, the reasons for their existence.
  • The emergence of large-scale organisations and the development of the management function.
  • The concept of the organisation as a 'goals-led open system' and the relationships between the organisation and the environment.
  • Structural configurations, and key concepts.
  • Examination and critique of dominant organisational structures and their suitability in certain environmental contexts.
  • Contemporary developments in organisational design
  • By the conclusion of this topic students should be able to identify the strategic fit between an organisation's goals, its structure, and the environment within which it operates.
• Theme 2: The purpose and functions of management
  • Fayol's Four functions of Management. / Mintzberg's Managerial Roles
  • Current issues impacting managerial roles
  • Mission, goals, and strategies
  • Conducting an external Analysis (PESTEL analysis, Porter's Five Forces Model, Competitors and markets analysis / Competitor Array, Assessing environmental uncertainty)
  • Identifying internal Strengths and Weakness (SWOT Analysis)
  • Formulating Strategies, Implementing Strategies and Evaluating Results (Corporate, Competitive, Functional strategies, the Role of Competitive Advantage, Porter's Competitive Strategy framework, Business Portfolio Analysis (BCG Growth-Share Matrix)
  • Contemporary Issues in strategic management
• Theme 3: Managing a successful business
  • Marketing strategies, pricing, and differentiation.
  • Business models and revenue streams.
  • Financial control measures
  • Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
  • Balanced Scorecard

Linked programmes

MSc Management, MSc Marketing, PgCertPD Professional Development.

Assessment

• Report (Coursework) [50%]
  • Students will be provided with an organisational case study on the assessment day.
  • Students will have to provide a diagnostic report explaining the organisation's current strategy, structure and business model. For example, the organisation's purpose/mission, the services/products it provides, the main revenue streams, the organisation's competitive advantage and the main strategies the organisation is pursuing as well as the rationale and effectiveness of the current organisational structure.
  • The report should not be longer than 2000 words.
• Report (Coursework) [50%]
  • Students will be provided with an organisational case study on the assessment day.
  • Within a second assessment session students will have to use a range of established techniques to undertake critical analysis of an organisation's strengths and weaknesses, the business environment in which it operates and creatively propose strategic recommendations from that analysis.
  • The report should not be longer than 2000 words.

Attendance

This course requires on-campus attendance, at our Belfast campus, during Semester 1, in 2024.

The course runs on Fridays from 09:15am - 5:00pm, on the following dates -

• Friday 27 September
• Friday 04, 11, 18 October

Entry requirements

Any undergraduate degree (second class honours or above).

English Language Requirements

Applicants whose first language is not English must meet the minimum English entrance requirements of the University and will need to provide recent evidence of this (certified within the last two years).

Most of our courses require a minimum English level of IELTS 6.0 or equivalent, with no band score under 5.5. Trinity ISE: Pass at level III also meets this requirement.

Start dates

• 27 September 2024

Teaching, Learning and Assessment

Attendance and Independent Study

Attendance and Independent Study

As part of your course induction, you will be provided with details of the organisation and management of the course, including attendance and assessment requirements - usually in the form of a timetable. For full-time courses, the precise timetable for each semester is not confirmed until close to the start date and may be subject to some change in the early weeks as all courses settle into their planned patterns. For part-time courses which require attendance on particular days and times, an expectation of the days and periods of attendance will be included in the letter of offer. A course handbook is also made available.

Courses comprise modules for which the notional effort involved is indicated by its credit rating. Each credit point represents 10 hours of student effort. Undergraduate courses typically contain 10, 20, or 40 credit modules (more usually 20) and postgraduate courses typically 15 or 30 credit modules.

The normal study load expectation for an undergraduate full-time course of study in the standard academic year is 120 credit points. This amounts to around 36-42 hours of expected teaching and learning per week, inclusive of attendance requirements for lectures, seminars, tutorials, practical work, fieldwork or other scheduled classes, private study, and assessment. Teaching and learning activities will be in-person and/or online depending on the nature of the course. Part-time study load is the same as full-time pro-rata, with each credit point representing 10 hours of student effort.

Postgraduate Master’s courses typically comprise 180 credits, taken in three semesters when studied full-time. A Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) comprises 60 credits and can usually be completed on a part-time basis in one year. A 120-credit Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) can usually be completed on a part-time basis in two years.

Class contact times vary by course and type of module. Typically, for a module predominantly delivered through lectures you can expect at least 3 contact hours per week (lectures/seminars/tutorials). Laboratory classes often require a greater intensity of attendance in blocks. Some modules may combine lecture and laboratory. The precise model will depend on the course you apply for and may be subject to change from year to year for quality or enhancement reasons. Prospective students will be consulted about any significant changes.

Assessment methods vary and are defined explicitly in each module. Assessment can be a combination of examination and coursework but may also be only one of these methods. Assessment is designed to assess your achievement of the module’s stated learning outcomes. You can expect to receive timely feedback on all coursework assessments. This feedback may be issued individually and/or issued to the group and you will be encouraged to act on this feedback for your own development.

Coursework can take many forms, for example: essay, report, seminar paper, test, presentation, dissertation, design, artefacts, portfolio, journal, group work. The precise form and combination of assessment will depend on the course you apply for and the module. Details will be made available in advance through induction, the course handbook, the module specification, the assessment timetable and the assessment brief. The details are subject to change from year to year for quality or enhancement reasons. You will be consulted about any significant changes.

Normally, a module will have 4 learning outcomes, and no more than 2 items of assessment. An item of assessment can comprise more than one task. The notional workload and the equivalence across types of assessment is standardised. The module pass mark for undergraduate courses is 40%. The module pass mark for postgraduate courses is 50%.

Calculation of the Final Award

The class of Honours awarded in Bachelor’s degrees is usually determined by calculation of an aggregate mark based on performance across the modules at Levels 5 and 6, (which correspond to the second and third year of full-time attendance).

Level 6 modules contribute 70% of the aggregate mark and Level 5 contributes 30% to the calculation of the class of the award. Classification of integrated Master’s degrees with Honours include a Level 7 component. The calculation in this case is: 50% Level 7, 30% Level 6, 20% Level 5. At least half the Level 5 modules must be studied at the University for Level 5 to be included in the calculation of the class of the award.

All other qualifications have an overall grade determined by results in modules from the final level of study.

In Masters degrees of more than 200 credit points the final 120 points usually determine the overall grading.

Academic profile

The University employs over 1,000 suitably qualified and experienced academic staff - 60% have PhDs in their subject field and many have professional body recognition.

Courses are taught by staff who are Professors (19%), Readers, Senior Lecturers (22%) or Lecturers (57%).

We require most academic staff to be qualified to teach in higher education: 82% hold either Postgraduate Certificates in Higher Education Practice or higher. Most academic and learning support staff (85%) are recognised as fellows of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) by Advance HE - the university sector professional body for teaching and learning. Many academic and technical staff hold other professional body designations related to their subject or scholarly practice.

The profiles of many academic staff can be found on the University’s departmental websites and give a detailed insight into the range of staffing and expertise. The precise staffing for a course will depend on the department(s) involved and the availability and management of staff. This is subject to change annually and is confirmed in the timetable issued at the start of the course.

Occasionally, teaching may be supplemented by suitably qualified part-time staff (usually qualified researchers) and specialist guest lecturers. In these cases, all staff are inducted, mostly through our staff development programme ‘First Steps to Teaching’. In some cases, usually for provision in one of our out-centres, Recognised University Teachers are involved, supported by the University in suitable professional development for teaching.

Fees and funding

Prices

• Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and EU Settlements Status Fees: £816.60
• England, Scotland, Wales and the Islands Fees: £816.60
• International Fees: £1,898.80

Fees information

Payment of Fees and Deposits

Information about how to pay for a course including different payment options is available at - payment of fees

Fees and Funding

Information and advice about course fees and a guide to budgeting for your living costs, as well as sources for financial assistance including hardship funding, scholarships, prizes and awards, is available at - fees and funding

Additional mandatory costs

It is important to remember that costs associated with accommodation, travel (including car parking charges) and normal living will need to be covered in addition to tuition fees.

Where a course has additional mandatory expenses (in addition to tuition fees) we make every effort to highlight them above. We aim to provide students with the learning materials needed to support their studies. Our libraries are a valuable resource with an extensive collection of books and journals, as well as first-class facilities and IT equipment. Computer suites and free Wi-Fi are also available on each of the campuses.

There are additional fees for graduation ceremonies, examination resits and library fines.

Students choosing a period of paid work placement or study abroad as a part of their course should be aware that there may be additional travel and living costs, as well as tuition fees.

See the tuition fees on our student guide for most up to date costs.

Sustainability at Ulster

Ulster continues to develop and support sustainability initiatives with our staff, students, and external partners across various aspects of teaching, research, professional services operations, and governance.

At Ulster every person, course, research project, and professional service area on every campus either does or can contribute in some way towards the global sustainability and climate change agenda.

We are guided by both our University Strategy People, Place and Partnerships : Delivering Sustainable Futures for All and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Our work in this area is already being recognised globally. Most recently by the 2024 Times Higher Education Impact rating where we were recognised as Joint 5th Globally for Outreach Activities and Joint Top 20 Globally for Sustainable Development Goal 17: Partnership for the Goals.

Visit our Sustainability at Ulster destination to learn more about how the University strategy and the activities of Ulster University support each of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Ulster University Business School - Sustainability in Focus

Learning and Teaching

We support and develop ‘Education for Sustainable Development’ within the Faculty’s Learning & teaching portfolio. We do so by providing bespoke staff training on ESD and curating an ESD Resources Hub.

All UUBS undergraduate and post-graduate course are mapped against the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), and students are actively involved in learning for sustainable development.

We seek to enhance the student experience by encouraging our students to become actively involved in sustainability initiatives, such as Carbon Literacy Training, the Big Spring Clean and collaborating with the Northern Ireland Resource Network.

Research and Knowledge Exchange

We develop, support and disseminate sustainability-themed research within the Faculty and beyond. Our annual sustainability research networking event creates new research strands within the Faculty’s research portfolio.

We actively support out PhD community to embed sustainability in their research and provide training on methods and critical thinking on sustainability.

We partner with other institutions, such as Queen’s University Belfast and Atlantic Technological University to broaden our sustainability research and create interdisciplinary research links.

Communications and Engagement

UUBS has a dedicated Sustainability Committee, tasked with developing dedicated internal and external communications and engagement activities promoting the sustainability work of the Faculty.

We host an annual Sustainability Business Breakfast, attend and speak at notable sustainability events, such as the SustainExchange Summit, the Belfast Re[Act] Festival and the NI Science Festival.

Our sustainability work is monitored on our bespoke UUBS SDG Dashboard on our dedicated UUBS sustainability webpages. Our sustainability performance team oversees the Faculty’s Academy Restaurant’s Green Academy programme and associated eco-certifications Green Key and Green Tourism Gold Award.