Course Structure and Academic Considerations

UWIC BUSINESS SCHOOL

Course Structure and Academic Considerations

Introduction

This programme conforms to the institutional model for Master’s programmes consisting of:

Part 1:Six taught modules;

Part 2: Three dissertation modules.

Within part 1 four of the modules are core modules

• Management of People and Performance;

• Management of the Competitive Environment;

• Management of Information;

• Strategic Integrative Management Systems

You are then able to select two additional optional taught modules according to your individual preference. Both core and option modules are identical in the number of credits (20 per module) and the notional number of contact hours (currently 60 per module).

Course Structure and Map

The structure of the programme is shown in the table below.

Course Structure

PART 1

PART 2

For full time students the normal pattern of progression through Part 1 of the programme is shown below:

For part-time students progression through part 1 is normally as shown below:

Having satisfactorily completed Part 1, you would progress to Part 2 of the programme.

Optional module choices MBA

A selection of these modules will be available in each semester of the programme.

• Managing Change
• Management of Finance
• International Management
• Law of the European Communities
• Consultancy Management

• Finance of International Business
• Human Resource Development
• Independent Study
• International Marketing
• E-Commerce

Module Quality Assurance

Module evaluation questionnaires are given to both full-time and part-time students. The resulting data is analysed and acted upon by modular teams and the course committee to produce appropriate action plans.

Assessment, Assessment Regulations, Progression and Awards

Assessment

Aims of Assessment

Assessment will conform to UWIC’s Assessment Regulations and its regulations for Modular Masters degrees by examination and dissertation (see UWIC Academic Handbook) and will be used to provide:

• A means of judging the performance of a student in meeting course and module learning outcomes.

• Feedback to the students on their performance as well as an aid to learning.

• Feedback to staff on the success of their teaching and learning strategies.

Assessment Rationale

Assessments will relate directly to learning outcomes and one assessment will usually cover a range of learning outcomes. Candidates will be assessed in taught modules and by means of a dissertation.

In designing and deciding upon an assessment format for a module the following have been considered:

• The module learning outcomes and their level with particular emphasis on the student’s ability to:

Analyse, synthesise, evaluate and communicate information derived from module content

Apply learned knowledge and skills to industry/business problems

Approach problems in a systematic way and test approaches that could resolve those problems.

• Assessment performance criteria which will be communicated to the student.

• The validity and reliability of the assessment methods which will be monitored by module leaders and course teams via performance indicators.

• Time constraints and the need to ensure consistency.

• The use of a range of strategies through which a student can demonstrate what he or she knows, understands or can do.

• The need for assessment to allow for review and reflection by the student.

Monitoring and Evaluating Assessment

Course teams will use formal module evaluation data as well as a range of informal sources, including external examiners comments, to evaluate module assessment. Changes to the pattern of assessment need to be approved by the current external examiner and the Academic Standards Committee.

Implementation of Assessment

Introduction

You will be issued with an assessment programme for each module, detailing the balance between coursework and examinations, and the dates of any coursework assignments and examinations. The overall mark obtained from a module will contribute to the student’s performance. The following course regulations should be read in conjunction with those given in UWIC’s Academic Handbook. The methods of assessment have been selected by the module teaching team as being the most appropriate, and it is possible that some modules could be assessed completely by coursework while others could be assessed completely by traditional unseen examination. In practice most modules will be assessed by a combination of coursework and examination. Considerable care and thought has gone into the design of the assessment packages to avoid over assessment which can occur on some modular courses.

Amount of Assessment

One of the features of the course is allowing you to select modules that particularly interest you. It is therefore essential to try to ensure comparability of assessment between modules while still allowing teaching staff flexibility to decide upon the most appropriate assessment strategies.

To try to achieve a balance of assessment a module could be assessed either by a written 3 hour exam with no coursework, or by coursework equivalent to approximately 5,000 words, with no exam. A triple module project such as the Dissertation would therefore be assessed by coursework of approximately 15,000 words. In reality most taught modules combine both coursework and written examinations, typically therefore for a module with 50% coursework and 50% written examination, the assessment balance would be equivalent to 2,500 words coursework and a 2 hour exam. Modules with a different balance of assessment would operate on a pro rata basis.

Late Submission of Coursework

You will be advised in writing of the deadlines for submission of coursework. Because of the need to process marks as quickly as possible, the importance of meeting submission deadlines will be stressed.

It is your responsibility to ensure that you hand coursework in to the appropriate person and to receive written confirmation of acceptance.

Normally where students fail to submit work on time, the work will be given a zero mark.

Assessment Criteria

Assessment Criteria shown on a Table on page 5 which is a summary of those shown in UWIC’s Academic Handbook are used in assessing the standard of a students performance. It is to be noted that assessment takes place against the full range of marks (0-100%). Assessment Pro-Forma mark sheets are used to provide feedback on students’ work.

Progression

During Part 1 students will be given feedback on their progression with constructive comments at the end of each semester when module marks have been confirmed by an Examining Board and provided with academic counselling as appropriate.

Assessment Regulations

Are as given in the UWIC Academic Handbook under “Assessment Regulations” and “Regulations for Modular Masters Degrees by Examination and Dissertation”.

Post Graduate Awards

Postgraduate Certificate

Following admission to an appropriate postgraduate programme of study, to qualify for the award of the Postgraduate Certificate you must:

Successfully complete or be credited with the equivalent of 3 single modules (compulsory and optional)

Postgraduate Diploma

Following admission to an appropriate postgraduate programme of study, to qualify for the award of the Postgraduate Diploma you must:

Successfully complete or be credited with the equivalent of 6 single modules (compulsory and optional)

Master’s Degree

Following admission to an appropriate postgraduate programme of study, to qualify for the award of the Master’s Degree you must:

Successfully complete or be credited with the equivalent of 9 single modules (compulsory and optional)

A distinction will be awarded for a performance resulting in an average mark of 70% for the taught component of the course and the dissertation. A recent amendment allows a minimum overall mark of 65% to be achieved in the taught part providing that the overall average with the dissertation is at least 70%.

Assessment Criteria

(Summarised from those identified in the UWIC Academic Handbook)

Facilities

IT Services – Colchester Avenue Campus

The Colchester Avenue Campus houses a large computer centre located on the fourth floor for student usage. Additional computers for student use are housed in the library. Desktop computing is provided in every office for staff use. The 400 computers on site are networked and controlled by seven file servers. Most PCs are either 486 or Pentium systems, many equipped with Multimedia capability. All computers run the Microsoft Office suite of programmes as well as many other industry-standard products. Access to E-mail and the Internet is available across the campus. A DEC Unix computer is accessible from many of the computers and supports Oracle and a number of other products. All of the computer laboratories and the library are equipped with laser printers. The Colchester Avenue Campus is also connected to the Institute’s Wide Area Network in order to provide staff access to its corporate systems. All Information Technology at the campus is coordinated by the technical support team which has expertise in various areas of IT.

Library and Learning Resources Centre

The four major campuses of the Institute have learning resources centres which provide study facilities and materials relevant to the academic work of each campus. All forms of media and a range of specialised publications designed to assist study are provided, together with equipment for recording, viewing and listening to audio visual items. The learning resources centres at Colchester Avenue and Llandaff have recently been extended and re-designed.

There is access to a wide range of computerised databases, and through the inter library loan service, to any books or journals which the Institute does not hold. All aspects of the service are computerised, and students are encouraged to use all of the Institute Learning Resources Centres. The support of technicians is provided through the ‘Copy Shop’ for students who need to make audio visual presentations as part of their studies and photographic, video and television facilities are available, as well as general audio visual services.

The television studio provides a colour facility with a modern electronic editing suite and comprehensive computer generated special effects. It is available for all sound, video, editing, copying and recording services, as well as full studio facilities.

Information technology facilities, including statistical packages and word processors are available for the production of projects and dissertations, together with photocopiers, micro-fiche readers, access a growing collection of material designed for self-study. Access is also provided to the Institute IT Services facilities, either from machines with the Learning Resources Centres or via separate facilities administered by the Learning Resources Centre.

The opening times of the library and IT services are:

Monday – Thursday9.00am - 9.00pm

Friday9.00am - 5.00pm

Saturday9.00am - 1.00pm

There is 24 hour computer access at the Cyncoed Campus.

MODULE DESCRIPTOR

CORE MODULES

• Models of HRM and contrasts with personnel management, management styles and strategies, Employee Relations, employee participation and involvement, recruitment and selection, training and development, reward systems, managing diversity;

• Operational modelling techniques of linear programming; network analysis and inventory analysis. Costs, strategies, applications, assumptions, approximations and limitations.

• Operational modelling techniques of linear programming, network analysis, costs, strategies, problem solving

• Principles of quality management, measuring organisational performance, audit review and self-assessment, quality management systems;

• Objectives of the firm; models of the firm
• Demand and supply; markets and market failure
• Demand elasticity; estimation and forecasting
• Production analysis and costs
• Market structures
• Macro-economic policy
• Marketing as a management orientation and a business function: the production, product selling, marketing and societal marketing concepts.
• The marketing mix, its elements, synergies and contemporary concepts

• The economic, social, technological, political and competitive environment

• Role of the marketing department in organising/implementing marketing programmes and evaluating/controlling marketing performance; interfaces
• Customer motivation and buyer behaviour in consumer markets

• The segmentation of markets using demographic, psychographic and geodemographic bases

• Marketing research, purpose, scope and ethical/legal considerations

• Marketing planning: product policy, new product development and the managing of products through their life cycle.

• Price, quality and value

• Marketing channels, the role of intermediaries and the management of physical distribution

• Marketing communications, promotional planning, advertising and direct marketing, public relations and sales promotion
• The marketing of services and product support
• Characteristics of industrial markets and organisational buying behaviour
• Marketing ‘not for profit organisations’
• ‘Green’ marketing
• Types of research design: exploratory research, descriptive research, casual research
• Data collection: secondary, primary data, data collection forms, attitude measurement
• Sample design and data collection: sampling procedures, sample size, field procedures and non sampling errors
• Analysis and interpretation of data: coding, tabulation, hypothesis testing, analysis, non-parametric measures, discriminant, factor and cluster analysis

• Research findings: form of written report, oral and graphic presentation.