BAM5072 - Case Studies in Business Enterprise

Objectives:

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:

1 analyse the nature of business enterprise and entrepreneurship from a variety of perspectives;
2 utilise effectively and appropriately a variety of sources of information on businesses including company reports, company accounts and business histories;
3 explain and apply a range of analytical approaches to business enterprise, especially the work of Chandler;
4 explain the importance of a variety of aspects of business enterprise including innovation, marketing, technology and organization, and explore their relationships to entrepreneurship;
5 conduct research into a specific industry or company in order to demonstrate and evaluate the importance of an aspect of business enterprise;
6 undertake a case study which demonstrates an aspect of business enterprise and present their findings using appropriate computer software packages.

Content:

The nature of enterprise and entrepreneurship. Alternative approaches to understanding enterprise from economics, business history and management.
Entrepreneurship in large enterprises. Enterprise and organisation.
Approaches to case studies in business; researching sources of information; the interpretation of company accounts; company histories.
Case studies in enterprise; the roles of innovation, marketing, production technology, organization, corporate culture; diversification. Cases may vary each year but examples would include:
Organizational change : General Motors and Du Pont
Mergers and corporate culture : Daimler Benz and Chrysler
Innovation : Microsoft
Production technology : Ford
Diversification : Virgin
Technology : Vodaphone

Learning and Teaching Information:

Delivery in semester 1 will be by a core of weekly lectures designed to introduce the main issues related to the content and objectives of the module, and a weekly small group tutorial. These tutorials will operate to a common programme consisting of specified reading and tasks; they will also provide student centred activity designed to develop relevant case study skills. In the second semester delivery will be by seminars; these will provide the vehicle for the student presentation of the findings of their individual case studies.

Lecture
Contact hours 12
Number of groups 1

Seminar/Tutorial
Contact hours 24
Number of groups 3

Assessment: