Curriculum of the Degree Programme in Business Management 2007 - 2008

Basic studies

12B020 Personal Development, 3 cu

Objective and content: The objective of the course is to provide students with knowledge and skills required for a polytechnic study programme, with a focus on time management, autonomous and collaborative study methods as well as commitment and responsibility. Students will be able to assess themselves and others, identify their strengths and weaknesses and to overcome challenges. Moreover, the course will coach the students into gradually developing specialist skills in their field of studies. Furthermore, attention will be paid to learning environment, field of studies, learning practices and skills, personal curricula and portfolios, inner entrepreneurial skills and team work abilities.

Learning and teaching methods: In addition to contact lessons, students have individual counseling/tutoring sessions and personal interviews. Compiling a portfolio and active participation in (company) visits and lectures, use of the virtual learning environment and information retrieval from various sources are part of course activities. Self-supervised learning is emphasized.

Literature and other material: Study path information, on-line and other material will be indicated at the beginning of the course.

Assessment: Pass - Fail

Other: This basic course is a fundamental part of each study programme.

12B021 Communication Skills, 3 cu

Objective and content: The objective of the course is to provide students with in-depth knowledge and skills in international written business communication practices. Additionally, attention is paid to the etiquette of international business communication.

Learning and teaching methods: The course consists of contact lectures (during which students acquire skills by familiarising themselves with and writing different types of business messages) and a monitored written exam.

Literature and other material: Study materials are provided in class during the course. Elements from the book: Airas & Junkkari. 2001. New Business Friend 3. WSOY. will be used. Students will gather additional source materials for their tasks from the Internet and electronic databases.

Assessment: Scale from 1 to 5

Other: This course is a prerequisite for further studies and working career in international business life.

12B022 Basics of Information Handling, 3 cu

Objective: To give students a basic understanding of computing concepts. To make students acquainted with basics of the common business information technology.

Content:

• basics of computer hardware: students will familiarize themselves with the use of computer hardware
• operating systems: to introduce students to the most common operating systems
• desktop tools: students will learn the basics of word processing and spreadsheets
• network services - Internet: to introduce the student to the use of e-mail and world wide web (students will make their own home page)
• to provide students with good knowledge in using spreadsheets in financial and economical tasks
• Learning and teaching methods: lectures and assignments

Assessment: continuous assessment 30 %, test in computing skills 70 %

Literature and other material:

• hardware and software manuals
• additional material will be submitted during the sessions

12B024 Project: Small Business and I, 3 cu

Objective and content: To provide students with the platform to display and hone the skills they acquire in the fields of IT, business interaction, presentation skills and time management.

The contents involve sessions where students learn together in cooperation with their fellow students to draw up their personal development plan identifying present skills and shortcomings, to take responsibility for the outcome of the project. Students present the final results of the project to peers and supervisors. The project will be executed in English by teams of students in cooperation with local business life, the activities will be carried out by personal contacts with local entrepreneurs, for example, in forms of interviews and questionnaires in order for students to find places for themselves in the business world, where would they like to be and why.

Learning and teaching methods: The instructors will provide instructions and act as guides during the project.

Literature and other material: The instructors will proved the literature required for the project.

Assessment: in-class activities (25 %), compulsory participation in out of class activities, team work and compulsory up keep of team progress in the form of a personal learning diary (25 %), written reports including original plans of each team, personal SWOTs and field work (25 %) and final oral team presentations of the project with the help of power point (25 %). The above requirements must be met in order to successfully acquire a passing grade for the project. Students are encouraged to clear doubts and make queries concerning the project.

12B025 Small Business Marketing, 3 cu

Objective and content: To introduce students how small enterprises and their customers interact in the creation of value of solutions for these customers. To familiarize with alternative ways of interaction between business and customer specific to small business. To understand the importance of learning in small business-customer interaction.

Learning and teaching methods: case-based: Lectures, exercises, case studies

Literature and other material:

• Carter & Jones-Evans. 2000. Enterprise and Small Business. Chapter 20.
• Chaston & Mangles. 2002. Small Business Marketing Management. Chapter 4-5-6.
• Needle. 2004. 4th ed. Business in Context. Chapter 11.
• Dubois & Jolibert & Mühlbacher. 2007. Marketing Management. Chapter 1-2.
• Cranfield School of Management. 2000. Marketing Management. Chapter 2-18.
• Jobber. 2004. 4th ed. Principles and Practice of Marketing. Chapter 5.
• Cagan & Vogel. 2002. Creating Breakthrough Products. Chapter 7.

Assessment: active participation and groups assignments

12B026 Financial Accounting, 3 cu

Objective and content: To introduce the most common forms of business organization and to discuss the principal sources of finance. To understand the reasons why people need accouting information, the nature of accounting information and the role of an accountant. To enable students to understand how a balance sheet and a profit and loss account are prepared and to enable students understand the use of variousccounting adjustments and tteir effect on annual accounts. To enable students use information technology in accounting.

Learning and teaching methods: case-based: Lectures, exercises, case studies

Literature and other material:

• Ryan. 2004. Finance and Accounting for Business.
• Berry & Jarvis. 2006. Accounting in a Business Context.
• Gowthorpe. 2006. Business Accounting and Finance for Non-Specialists.

Assessment: exam, active participation and groups assignments

12B027 Small Business Management, 3 cu

Objective and content: To introduce students in the field of “running a small business through the pains of growth”. To construct an understanding how an entrepreneur must change as business growth and how changes affect structure, resources and strategy. To create an understanding of the role of leadership in entrepreneurial businesses.

Learning and teaching methods: case-based: Lectures, exercises, case studies

Literature and other material:

• Needle. 2004. 4th ed. Business in Context. Chapter 5-6.
• Stokes & Wilson. 2006. 5th ed. Small Business Management & Entrepreneurship. Chapter 11.
• Burns. 2001. Entrepreneurship and Small Business. Chapter 9-10-11.
• Carter & Jones-Evans. 2000. Enterprise and Small Business. Chapter 16-23.

Assessment: active participation and groups assignments

12B028 Logistics, 3 cu

Objective and content:

• to provide a necessary understanding of differencies between Supply Chain Management and traditional Logistics
• to develop the skills needed to make business logistics plans with SCM concept that provides a broader perspective across the supply chain than has been the traditional approach within logistics
• to achieve the competence to realize the need of active processes across the supply chain and how the development of supply chain relationships are characteristics of SCM.

Learning and teaching methods: problem-based learning

Literature and other material: article handouts during the course as well as

Essential reading:

• Christopher & Peck. 2003. Marketing Logistics.
• Harrison F. 2003. Supply Chain Management Workbook.

Recommended readings:

• Jespersen & Skjøtt-Larsen. 2005. Supply Chain Management in Theory and Practice.
• Menzer J. T. (edit.) 2001. Supply Chain Management.

Assessment: project exercises, presentations and active participation

12B029 Project: The Company and Its Functions, 3 cu

Objective and content: The aim of the theme focuses on the important functions of a small and medium business (=SME) that are crucial for its internal and external operations. Understanding the importance of these functions will provide the students with the skills and tools to lay a solid foundation for their future studies and it presents a first impression of the reality of SMEs.

The contents include the basics of marketing for SMEs, financial accounting, management and logistics are the courses for this theme. The project combines these disciplines into a marketing management plan for a small company.

Learning outcomes:

• The student in cooperation with fellow students will analyze the vision and mission of a chosen local company to acquire a better understanding of the reasons of its foundation.
• The student will identify different functions of the company.
• The student acquires knowledge about the activities of these functions and the interrelationship between functions.
• The student gains understanding of the relationship of the different functions of the company and the external environment of the company
• The student is able to develop and to present an outline of a marketing management plan for an SME.

12B030 Entrepreneurship, 3 cu

Objective and content: To familiarize students with the environment in which enterprises are being ventured, existing and growing , and are exiting. To understand the processes that lead to the venture, start-up and the early survival of “baby-businesses”. To introduce the different theories surrounding the concept of entrepreneur.

Learning and teaching methods: case-based: Lectures, exercises, case studies

Literature and other material:

• Deakins & Freel. 2006. 4th ed. Entrepreneurship and Small Business. Chapter 1-2.
• Stokes & Wilson. 2006. 5th ed. Small Business Management & Entrepreneurship. Chapter 1-2-3.
• Carter & Jones-Evans. 2000. Enterprise and Small Business. Chapter 5-6-8.
• Burns. 2001. Entrepreneurship and Small Business. Chapter 1-2-4.
• Lundström & Stevenson. 2005. Entrepreneurship Policy. Chapter 1.

Assessment: active participation and groups assignments

12B031 Law, 3 cu

Objective and content:

• to give students a basic understanding of legal orders, legal systems and legal terms
• to provide students with an introduction to the law of contract with an international aspect
• to provide students with an understanding of differences between the various legal forms that a business can take and how to protect them in Finland
• to give students an introduction to consumer law and it´s basis in Finland and internationally

Learning and teaching methods: lectures, written and oral assignments, oral presentations

Literature and other material:

• Pöyhönen, J. (ed.) 1993. An introduction to Finnish Law. Chapters 1 - 4.
• Stokes & Wilson. 2006. 5th edition. Small Business Management &
  Entrepreneurship. Chapter 10.
• lectures
• other reading material will be handed out during the course if necessary

Assessment: lectures, assignments and presentations 50 %, exam 50 %

12B032 Presentation Skills, 3 cu

Objective and content: The objective of the course is to enable students to express themselves in front of an audience using audio visual tools and to emphasize the interaction between the presenter and the audience.

Learning and teaching methods: lectures, in-class and out of class assignments, group discussion and presentations, group response/interaction exercises, hands-on use of audiovisual aids

Literature and other material: All study materials are provided in class or via the course environment. Students will gather additional source materials for their tasks from the Internet and electronic databases.

Assessment: Scale from 1 to 5

Other: This course is essential for any marketing and management courses and theme seminars.

12B0333 Economics, 3 cu

Objective and content:

Learning and teaching methods: lectures, assignments and presentations

Literature and other material:

• Bade, R. & Parkin, M. Foundations of Macroeconomics.
• Mankiw, G. Principles of Microeconomics.
• Boyes & Melvin. Economics.
• Begg. Economics.
• Gorman, T. The Complete Idiots Guide to Economics.

Assessment: exam 50 % and assignments and/or presentation 50 %

12B034 Project: Company Profile in The Business Context, 3 cu

Objective and content: 90 % of the established companies worldwide can be classified as SMEs. The conditions for these companies differ fundamentally from those for large companies. Furthermore, SMEs are major providers of employment and responsible for the creation of new jobs more than large companies. Consequently, understanding the key role of entrepreneurship and other important fundamentals such as law, economics and presentation skills introduces the next step in this curriculum.

Contents:

• entrepreneurial process
• creativity
• presentation of entrepreneurial planning
• legal principles and practise
• macro- and microeconomics of entrepreneurship

Learning outcomes:

• The student will understand the key role of SMEs in creating welfare and wellbeing in society.
• The student will analyze the necessity of promoting an enterprise culture to sustain local, regional and national welfare and wellbeing.
• The student will appreciate the role of creativity in the entrepreneurial process.
• The student will identify societal boundaries of entrepreneurship.
• The student will understand the role of cooperation and competition as a prerequisite for progress.

12B035 Product and Design Management, 3 cu

Objective and content: To introduce students in the field how businesses continuously and innovately create value for their customers. To identify the key drivers for such value creation and how businesses proactively and in interaction with customers stay ahead of the competition. To understand the relationship between innovation and realization of business vision and mission. To identify the necessity of internally and externally tuning of the functions of an organization.

Learning and teaching methods: case-based: Lectures, exercises, case studies

Literature and other material:

• Jobber. 2004. 4th ed. Principles and Practice of Marketing. Chapter 9-10.
• Keller. 2003. 3rd ed. Strategic Brand Management. Chapter 5. Product Strategy
• Trott. 2005. 3rd ed. Innovation Management and New Product Development. Chapter 11-12-13.
• Stokes & Wilson. 2006. 5th ed. Small Business Management & Entrepreneurship. Chapter 4.
• Cagan & Vogel. 2002. Creating Breakthrough Products. Chapter 1
• Chaston & Mangles. 2002. Small Business Marketing Management . Chapter 7.

Assessment: active participation and groups assignments

12B036 Financial Planning, 3 cu

Objective and content: To help students to understand the key issues invilved in the business planning process and the role of a financial plan, and to develop understanding of the ways in which performance is measures and reported in a firm.

Learning and teaching methods: case-based

Literature and other material:

• Drury. 2006. Cost and Management Accounting. Sixth Edition.
• Drury. 2005. Management Accounting for Businesss. Third Edition.
• Ryan. 2004. Finance and Accounting for Business.
• Berry & Jarvis. 2006. Accounting in a Business Context. Fouth edition.
• Gowthorpe. 2005. Business Accounting and Finance for Non-Specialists. Second edition.

Assessment: active participation and assignments

12B037 Business Applications, 3 cu

Objective: To give students the ability to use spreadsheets effectively and the ability to use most common business applications.

Content:

• presentation programs and computer graphics (PowerPoint)
• built in functions in spreadsheets !
• statistical tools
• pivot table
• use of solver application
• creating macros and programming with macro language (VBA)
• creating and using databases (Access)
• use of integrated applications in office work
• HTML

Learning and teaching methods: lectures 60 hours, assignments 60 hours

Literature and other material: will be submitted at the beginning of the lessons

Assessment: continuous assessment, test and assignment

12B038 Business Mathematics, 3 cu

Objective and content:

To familiarize students with basic concepts and specific skills in mathematics to address business problems and business applications.
Students will learn the mathematics involved in retailing, payroll, financial analysis, interest, and financial management.

Content:

• Percentages
• Simple and compound interests
• Mathematics of buying and selling (discounts and markups)
• Annuities and sinking funds
• Payroll applications
• House loans (mortgages)
• Depreciation and inventory valuation

Learning and teaching methods: Lectures coupled with solving practical tasks and exercises. Also, there will be one assignment.

Literature and other material: Miller, C. & Salzman, S. & Clendenen, G. 2003. Business Mathematics. 9th edition. Addison Wesley. Pearson Education.

Assessment: Students have to attend at least 80 % of classes. There is a final exam and one mandatory assignment in the course. Active participation in class sessions will affect positively the final grade.

Other: The course is important and necessary for all "Business Management" students. It provides an opportunity to learn the basic mathematical concepts widely used in different business applications.

12B039 Project: Getting Started in Business, 3 cu

Objective and content: Entrepreneurial ideas come into shape when they are transformed into a planning for the foundation of a business. Such planning outlines start, the ultimate goal and the way (-s) to get from the start to the goal. Many aspects of the business venturing have to be considered and decided upon before the entrepreneur has created the “go sign”.

Contents:

• product and design management
• financial planning
• computer applications in business
• business mathematics for decision making

Learning outcomes:

1. The student will identify the key aspects of a business venturing.
2. The student will understand the reasons for a systematic approach of a business venturing.
3. The student will appreciate the idea that a business planning is more a tool to attract and acquire investment capital than a guarantee for success.
4. The student will realize that business planning is a roadmap of skilfully deploying resources, even those one might not self-possess.