BA (Honours) BUSINESS ENTERPRISE

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1 BA (Honours) BUSINESS ENTERPRISE

2 BA (Honours) BUSINESS ENTERPRISE en.ter.prise, (noun) from entrepreneur the factor that marks out those who will lead and those who will follow in business, the creative industries and management The BA Business Enterprise pathway has been developed to address the changing world of work. In today s fast-paced, dynamic environments it is recognised that entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial organisations and entrepreneurial people are essential to economic, social and environmental prosperity. Informed by cutting-edge research and input from successful entrepreneurs responsible for starting and growing successful Scottish, UK and global organisations, the Business Enterprise pathway has been designed to work with students to explore, release and develop their entrepreneurial potential. Simply put, the pathway seeks to produce entrepreneurial graduates with the motivation and ability to contribute to economic and social sustainability in Scotland, the UK and internationally. The pathway provides opportunities for students to research, explore and learn from and about entrepreneurs, entrepreneurial leaders and entrepreneurial organisations across all sectors: private, public, third. Importantly, the pathway engages students to consider entrepreneurship in its broadest sense, both as an activity involving the creation of new ventures as well as an approach to business and organisations which places emphasis on opportunity recognition, innovation, creativity, flexibility and a commitment to learning. The Business Enterprise pathway equips students effectively for employment, providing them with a competitive edge in the graduate labour market through the development of skills such as: identifying opportunities employing resources and championing new and growing ventures taking decisions and acting strategically under high risk and uncertainty managing and effectively leading new and growing ventures and entrepreneurial teams promoting, maintaining and leading entrepreneurial performance over time Why Study Business Enterprise at Strathclyde? Strathclyde is unique among Scottish universities. It is the home of the Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship, an internationally renowned centre for teaching, research and knowledge exchange, endowed by Scottish entrepreneur Sir Tom Hunter. The Centre is embedded within a valuable network of leading entrepreneurs, entrepreneurial organisations and entrepreneurial leaders who work with the teaching team to inform the content and delivery of the Business Enterprise pathway and to support its intention to translate useful learning into entrepreneurial action.

3 While located within the Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship, the Business Enterprise degree draws on disciplines from across Strathclyde Business School. This allows students to combine a number of relevant business subjects in the first year of your degree programme. Real Career Skills The BA Business Enterprise pathway is committed to translating useful learning into entrepreneurial action and works with students to develop their entrepreneurial skills and to equip them with learning relevant to today s competitive graduate labour market. Supporting this is a focus on identifying, evaluating and effectively responding to opportunities for economic and social sustainability. This core theme extends throughout the BA Business Enterprise pathway which combines research with exposure to entrepreneurial practices to ensure that BA Business Enterprise graduates possess knowledge and skills relevant to engaging in a range of entrepreneurial behaviours including the creation of new ventures including social enterprises and the leadership and growth of existing entrepreneurial organisations competing within private, public and third sectors. Fundamentally, BA Business Enterprise involves learning practical, real-world entrepreneurial skills and attitudes that can be applied to a range of settings, identifying graduates as attractive entrepreneurs, entrepreneurial employees and future entrepreneurial leaders who have more to offer than a qualification. Degree Structure The duration of the BA single or joint Honours degree is four years. All students are admitted as potential Honours students. Students may exit with a BA degree at the end of Year 3 if they have achieved the required standard. Year 1 You will be introduced to the core themes in Business Enterprise, combining the theory of entrepreneurship with practical exercises and group work. The highlight of the first year is the Value Challenge, where groups of students invest a small amount of seed capital and start mini enterprises. The groups compete to add the most value to their investment, which is donated to charity. Years 2 & 3 You will develop the fundamentals of entrepreneurship. You will be examining entrepreneurial processes and enterprising skills in different contexts. Topics explored include creativity, new venture planning, entrepreneurial finance and resources, and venture management, strategy and growth. Students are supported in putting the theory into practice through generating business ideas, developing business plans and pitching ideas. You also have the opportunity to work on a group consulting project with a local business, specifically related to growth of the enterprise.

4 In addition to the core element of Business Enterprise you have the opportunity to choose to study other business subjects or subjects in other disciplines. In Years 1 to 3 all Business School students also take part in the School s Management Development Programme (MDP) which focuses on key skills in the use of IT, problem-solving, leadership, negotiation, decision-making, business ethics and strategic management. Year 4 In the Honours year all students explore Issues and Trends in Entrepreneurship with the option to study other classes in Family Business and International Entrepreneurship. You will also undertake a dissertation on an aspect of enterprise. Single Honours students have the opportunity to explore what it is like to manage an entrepreneur-managed business and to explore the issues that affect business success through working on a one-to-one basis with a local entrepreneur. This is achieved through a feel, taste and touch oriented process where individual students work for businesses on a specific and focused business development and growth-oriented project. Being involved in the Enterprise Vertically Integrated Project has allowed me to create enterprise events for students, and given me opportunities to gain experience, build my network and interact with both entrepreneurs and business professionals. When I graduate I will have the skill set, as well as the knowledge and experience required in the workplace. Cara Pleym BA (Honours) Business Enterprise

5 Flexibility Business Enterprise can currently be studied to joint Honours level in combination with the following subjects: Accounting Business Analysis and Technology Business Law Economics Finance Hospitality and Tourism Management Human Resource Management Management Marketing Teaching and Assessment First-year classes are mainly taught as interactive lectures, supported by tutorials. In subsequent years classes tend to be smaller with greater opportunities for interaction and often involve mini-lectures, class discussions and class activities and computer learning packages supported by labs. An important aspect of all classes offered as part of the BA Business enterprise degree is the involvement of entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial leaders who contribute by providing guest lectures, company visits, and live projects and case studies. Given the nature of the topic and the high level of interactivity intended, students are expected to take an active role in class discussions and group projects. Study Abroad The Business School offers you access to various international exchanges in countries, such as France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, the USA, Canada and Australia. Studying abroad is an excellent opportunity to benefit from a different cultural perspective, learn how business is conducted in international contexts or develop competence in a foreign language all of which will enhance your CV and increase your attractiveness to potential employers. Business Enterprise in Other Degree Business Enterprise can also be taken within the following degree course, offered by the Strathclyde Business School. For details about this course, please refer to separate leaflet and the current Prospectus. BA (Honours) in International Business Masters in International Business and Modern Languages Reflecting the practice of entrepreneurship, exams are kept to a minimum and performance is assessed by a combination of individual, project and group coursework.

6 Careers Reflecting the diversity of entrepreneurial actions and contexts, graduates of the BA Business Enterprise degree have gone on to many interesting and variety careers. Many of our graduates have started their own businesses, joined family ones or taken up employment in both large and small organisations. Business Enterprise students have been successful in gaining entry into graduate schemes with companies such as Accenture, Thales, Proctor and Gamble and British Sugar. Contact For advice on admissions and subject choices please contact: SBS Undergraduate Office t: e: Specific enquiries regarding Business Enterprise should be directed to the Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship: t: e: Find out more... visit the University website at the place of useful learning University of Strathclyde Glasgow G1 1XQ Information current at August Please consult the University website for the most up-to-date information. The University of Strathclyde is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, with registration number SC