Business Environment
This is the main course introducing students to the world of business Management and its constituents. Students are advised to take this course first because, without a fundamental understanding of the business environment's scope, it will be hard to cope with changes and challenges in future.
Successful businesses are those that understand that they do not operate in a vacuum and will need the cooperation of other stakeholders to succeed. This course is designed to provide students with the in-depth theoretical knowledge and critical understanding of what constitutes a business’ internal and external environment, dissecting these elements and examining the impact of each of them on operational success. Greater emphasis will be placed on how to react to environmental changes and tactically and conveniently adapt without losing business as the 21st century business environment keeps changing.
1.Understanding Business:
2 The purpose of business:
3. EVOLUTION OF THE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT
4. THE MAIN BUSINESS GOALS
5. How a business is established
6. Why study the Business’ Environment?
7. HOW TO ANALYSE THE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT:
8. BUSINESS GROWTH:
9. CORPORATE GOVERNANCE, SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND BUSINESS ETHICS
10. Environmental stakeholders of a business:
11. BUSINESS ETHICS
12. THE INTERNAL ENVIRONMENT
13. THE EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT
14. The Micro-environment
15 The Macro Environment
On successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- demonstrate a critical awareness and understanding of Business Environment at the master's level that provides a basis for developing and/or applying new ideas, often within a research context.
- apply knowledge, critical understanding, and problem-solving abilities in new or unfamiliar environments within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to their field of study (Business Environment)
- assimilate knowledge and formulate opinions with incomplete or limited information, but that include a reflection on social and ethical responsibilities.
- communicate their assumptions, and knowledge regarding Business Environment and the rationale underpinning these, to specialist and non-specialist audiences clearly and unambiguously.
- use the acquired skills to allow them to continue to study in a manner that may be largely self-directed and autonomous.
- integrate knowledge from other courses of the master program and practical business and formulate critical judgments with incomplete data.
The course is offered as self-study in e-learning. The learning material is provided in the form of lectures, literature, and lecture notes. Independent learning is required. In the case of paper submissions, further research is expected in compliance with the given scientific standard. LIVE course sessions are offered to support the students with questions regarding the content. Students are supported in their scientific work by corresponding online seminars.
All lectures and learning materials are made available in the online campus GHU Campus. All lectures are recorded and are available for download 24/7. The lecture notes, as well as additional material provided by the lecturer, can also be accessed in the GHU Campus.
Documents for exam preparation consisting of lectures and lecture notes. Additional material provided by the lecturer serves as independent files and can be used to work on the exams. The examination comprises theory questions, reflection, and case study and is intended to confirm all learning objectives.
The assessment consists of a 5000-word Business Environment report and assesses all learning outcomes. As a master-level assignment, the report requires a command of a complex and specialized area of knowledge and skills. This implies that, in addition to demonstrating a sound grasp of the ideas and concepts relevant to the topic of thereport, students will show that they can evaluate aspects such as conventions of approaches, their internal consistency, relevance, and applicability, as well as strengths and weaknesses.
To reach an assessment, students will consider competing approaches and draw on critiques put forward in scholarly literature. The position adopted in the assignment and any claims made must be based on a careful, coherent, and logical arguments, need to be appropriately supported with evidence from relevant scholarly sources, and should be presented in a coherent piece of writing. Sources must be referenced appropriately in-text and in a quote/reference list as set out in the GHU Referencing Guidelines.