BUSINESS STUDIES & ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Course Objectives

• Identify new venture opportunities and distinguish them from ideas.
• Understand the skills required for entrepreneurial success and build teams with the right attributes.
• Evaluate the viability of new ventures using analytical tools.
• Understand financing, marketing, management, and new product development fundamentals.
• Learn branding, operations, and the fundamentals of starting and operating a business.

Focus & Perspectives

• Interactive and experiential learning through cases, exercises, videos, company visits, and simulations.
• Understanding economic factors—competition, inflation, interest rates, taxation, income, demographics—and their effects on business decisions.
• Learning how macro- and microeconomic forces influence business strategy, marketing, and production.
• Gaining foundational knowledge in accounting and finance for business decision-making.

Course Materials

• Required: Bygrave & Zacharakis — Entrepreneurship (4th Edition).
• Additional Resources: Entrepreneurial magazines (e.g., FastCompany, Wired, Inc., Entrepreneur), online resources, and entrepreneurship portals.

Assessment Requirements

• Rocket Pitch (SWOT Analysis) — 20% (Week 1, Individual)
• Participation & Case Analysis (PESTL) — 20% (Individual, ongoing)
• Team Feedback Reports (Case Study Analysis 1) — 20% (Group, Weeks 6, 8, 11)
• Company Analysis: Marketing, Innovation, Strategy — 20% (Group, Weeks 7, 14, 15)
• In-class Tests + Final Exam — 20% (Individual)

Learning Outcomes — Knowledge

• Describe core concepts in business management and entrepreneurship.
• Define microeconomic issues related to production, sales, and cost structures.
• Discuss how macroeconomic policies affect firms and competition.
• Understand cost behavior, profitability, and break-even analysis.
• Identify sources of finance and challenges of early-stage investment.
• Explain how firms manage production costs and compete in markets.
• Understand the role of policymakers in regulating competition and protecting consumers.
• Gain insight into psychological and cultural factors influencing entrepreneurship.
• Understand global trade, fiscal/monetary policy, inflation, recession, and economic growth.
• Describe globalisation, MNEs, development issues, and poverty/aid relations.

Learning Outcomes — Skills

• Understand business strategies, marketing, and branding in entrepreneurship.
• Analyse the relationship between strategy and business success.
• Conduct market research and interpret economic and PESTEL data.
• Evaluate product innovation, R&D, and competitive dynamics.
• Understand consumption patterns and factors influencing consumer choice.
• Analyse cost structures, conduct break-even analysis, and calculate markups.
• Demonstrate analytical, numerical, and written communication skills.
• Understand HRM and its pivotal role in organisational success.