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Solent MBA Course Handbook
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1 | P a g e
MBA Programme Handbook
Enhancing leaders and entrepreneurs
2 | P a g e
CONTENTS
Welcome ........................................................................................................ 4
Meet The Team ................................................................................................. 5
Unit Leaders .................................................................................................. 5
Academic Support Officers ................................................................................. 6
Course Overview ............................................................................................... 7
Learning Outcomes .......................................................................................... 7
Areas of Study................................................................................................ 8
Options ........................................................................................................ 8
Assessment ................................................................................................... 8
Enhancing Your Skills ....................................................................................... 8
Projects and Experience .................................................................................... 8
Course Structure ............................................................................................... 9
Modes of Study ............................................................................................... 9
Full Time Mode (1 Year) ................................................................................... 10
Part Time (2 Years) ........................................................................................ 10
Course Content ................................................................................................ 11
Enhanced Leadership ...................................................................................... 11
Contemporary Organisational Behaviour ................................................................ 11
Financial Decision Making in Business ................................................................... 11
Financial Strategies ........................................................................................ 11
Enterprise and Entrepreneurship ......................................................................... 11
The Principles of Marketing ............................................................................... 12
Leadership for Innovation and Change .................................................................. 12
Managerial Economics ..................................................................................... 12
Global Financial Markets .................................................................................. 12
Entrepreneurial Marketing Management ................................................................ 12
Contemporary Operations Management ................................................................. 13
Strategic Management ..................................................................................... 13
Project and Research Skills ............................................................................... 13
Choosing Your Options ....................................................................................... 14
Course Assessment Strategy ................................................................................. 15
Performing At Masters Level ................................................................................ 16
Critical Thinking ............................................................................................ 16
Solent Online Learning (SOL) ............................................................................. 16
3 | P a g e
Referencing ................................................................................................. 16
Online Submission .......................................................................................... 16
Getting Help and Support .................................................................................... 16
Access Solent ................................................................................................ 16
Suspending Your Studies ................................................................................... 16
Academic Misconduct ........................................................................................ 17
Group-work and Academic Misconduct .................................................................. 18
Aggregation of Marks ....................................................................................... 18
Graduate Success Stories .................................................................................... 19
MBA Entrepreneur develops blue print for success. ................................................... 19
What Graduates Thought Of Our MBA Programme ....................................................... 19
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Welcome On behalf of staff in
Southampton Business
School, I would like to take
this opportunity of
welcoming you to
Southampton Solent
University, whether this is your first occasion
for studying with us or you are rejoining for
a period of further study. We hope that
your time at the University will be an
enjoyable experience and that you will be
able to gain the maximum benefit from your
course of study, as well as establishing long
and lasting friendships.
As a university student you will need to take
responsibility for your own learning. Your
tutors will provide you with all the support
and guidance you need to successfully
complete your programme of study, but it
will be by your own efforts that you gain
maximum benefit from your studies.
A considerable portion of your study will be
given over to tutor supported, student
centred learning, during which time you be
expected to investigate and research subject
matter under the guidance of your tutors.
This guidance will keep you in the right
direction, but it will be by your own
dedication and application that you will
achieve the academic and professional
standards demanded of your course.
The reputation of Southampton Business
School is very much based on the high
standards expected of staff and the
achievements of our students. I hope that
you will be able to make your own personal
contribution to this partnership, and in so
doing enable us to continue enhancing the
good reputation we enjoy in the city, region
and overseas.
Although your academic studies will be
rigorous and demanding, I hope that you will
be able to develop a full social life, and take
advantage of the facilities the University has
to offer. You will of course need to find
that fine balance between the time you
devote to all forms of outside activities and
the academic demands of your course. To
help you achieve that goal you will have the
full support of a team of dedicated
academic and support staff who will try to
understand your needs and appreciate your
problems. However, please communicate
any difficulties to us as they arise, rather
than leave them to build up.
This student handbook has been produced to
help you familiarise yourself with the
Business School and the way the University
operates. Please read the handbook
carefully and use it as a future source of
reference. If you have any questions you
may find the answer here, if not, please ask
an appropriate member of staff.
I do hope that you enjoy your time as a
student in Southampton Business School. My
colleagues and I wish you every success in
your studies.
Jenny Anderson
Dean
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Meet The Team Programme Director
I would like to welcome
and congratulate you on
choosing the Southampton
Solent University MBA
Programme. We are
passionate about helping
you to achieve your ambitions, whether
those ambitions are to get that promotion or
to develop your own business venture.
As well as managing the MBA Programme, I
am a Senior Lecturer in Business Analysis,
teaching business, IT and marketing. I am
also the Company Director of an IT
consultancy company.
Tim Jackson
Senior Lecturer in Business Analysis
timothy.jackson@solent.ac.uk
Unit Leaders
The team has a wide range of skills and
expertise that they are ready to share with
you.
Bryn Parry is a Senior Lecturer in Strategy
and has a BSC from the University of Surrey
and a PG Diploma in facilities management.
He gained a Postgraduate Certificate in HE
Learning and teaching from Southampton
Institute which led to becoming a Fellow of
the Higher Education Academy. His research
interests are in the areas of Risk
Management, Complexity Theory/Quantum
Theory in Management systems, Event
Management, Dark Tourism / Thanatourism
and Destination/ Facilities Management.
Christine Fountain is a Principal Lecturer
with portfolio responsibility for Postgraduate
Provision. She has a MA in Personnel and
Development, a Postgraduate Diploma and
Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and
Teaching in HE. She is a Fellow of the Higher
Education Academy and Chartered CIPD. Her
research interests are in Psychological
contract, Employee Engagement, Blended
Learning Professional Development and
Ageing in the workplace. She has an
extensive record of Enterprise and Advanced
Professional Practice activities.
David Moxon is a Senior Lecturer and has a
MBA which he gained in 1991 from Sheffield
Business School. He also has a PGCert in
Research Methods and a PGCert in Learning
and Teaching in HE. He is a member of a
number of relevant professional
organisations and regularly presents at
conferences and events. His research
interest is focused on employability in which
he is studying for a PhD. He is particularly
interested in gaining a better understanding
of what employers actually value in their
graduate employees. He is also researching
his pedagogic interests, including the use of
blended learning with learning and teaching
and to develop articles in respect of
Financial Management interests and current
market events.
John Cross is a Principal Lecturer and has an
MA in Marketing as well as an MBA. He is a
member of a number of professional bodies.
His research interests include Strategic
Management and Marketing and has
published a number of papers on these
subjects. He has undertaken a range of
consultancy and external development
projects in addition to his role of External
Examiner at the Institute of Commercial
Management, Winchester University and
Bournemouth University.
Judy Finn is a Senior Lecture and has an MA
(Oxon) and an MBA. She also has a PGCLTHE
and is a member of the Chartered
Management Accountant (ACMA). She is
active in research and has published widely
6 | P a g e
on gender issues in SMEs and financial risk
management. She is currently an External
Examiner for the undergraduate
management accounting modules, at Bristol
Business School, University of the West of
England.
Peter Lycett is a Senior Lecturer and a
Doctor of Business Administration; his
doctoral dissertation explored the
organisational effectiveness in a college of
Further Education. In addition to his
External Examiner roles at the University of
Chichester and Wiltshire College, he has also
undertaken a number of consultancy
projects.
Robert Jackson is a Senior Lecturer with an
MBA and a PGC in Research Methods. His
research interests include managerial
cognition and organisational systems. He is
currently studying for an MPhil at
Southampton Solent University.
Harjinder Singh Virdee is a Senior Lecturer
and has an MA and BA (Hons) in Economics,
as well as PGCLTHE and is currently enrolled
on the PGC Blended Learning Course at SSU.
His research interests lie in the construction
industry as well as being active in property
development. He has been nominated as an
external examiner for Kingston University,
London, in the subject area of Economics
and will take up this role in 2011/12. He is
actively engaged with publishers where he
reviews new forthcoming economics
textbooks as well as preparing lecture
material, such as power points, seminar
questions, MC questions, etc. he also peer
reviews textbooks and has published
workbooks for the short courses on the stock
market and finance. He was part of a team,
along side the Director of Southampton
Solent Business School, to visit China to set
up partnerships whereby Chinese students
would complete their HND level 5 at SSU. He
has also attended a conference at Haaga
Helia University, Finland on teaching
students to become employable.
Ruth McLellan is a Senior Lecturer in
Marketing. She has a BA (Hons) Business
Administration and a MA Marketing
Management from Nottingham Trent
University in 1994 and 2003 respectively and
a PGCE from the Institute of Education
(1995).She is currently working on her PhD.
Her research interests are in the areas of
Marketing Education, widening participation,
blended learning, equality and diversity. She
was recently awarded a HEA Teaching
Development Grant for a project titled:
“closing the graduate employability skills
gap: Development of a reciprocal skills
exchange framework for marketing students
and local marketing graduate employers”
and is very active conference presenter.
Simon Mouatt is a Senior Lecturer in
Economics and has an MSc in International
Relations from Southampton University
(1996). He also has a PGCE Economics, BA
(Hons) Politics and a PG Cert Research. His
research interests are in Political Economy,
Monetary Economics, Financial Markets and
Marxist Economics and he is currently
working on his PHD at Southampton Solent
University in the Subject area of Marxian
Political Economy of Money.
Whysni Basuki is a Senior Lecturer with a
PhD in Management, MBA and a PGC in both
Research and Blended Learning. Her
research interests include Entrepreneurship,
strategy in SMEs and Blended Learning, areas
in which she has published a number of
papers.
Academic Support Officers
In addition to our teaching team, we have an
excellent academic support team that help
to ensure that you have a very positive
experience at the university.
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Course Overview
Subject areas will focus on contemporary
business issues and develop your ability to
apply knowledge in a global business
context. Specialist options and a project will
allow you to explore areas that will enhance
your future employability or business
ventures. You will be supported to complete
a dissertation, management or consultancy
style project to focus on the area that best
suits your future aspirations.
Southampton Solent University recognises
that practising management in a global
market is demanding in terms of the
capabilities and variety of skills required.
Building on the four pillars of management -
marketing, operations, human resource
management and finance - this master‟s
qualification will ensure that you acquire the
diverse knowledge required to operate in a
global business environment.
Effective learning is facilitated by a
partnership between you and the tutors. We
use a variety of strategies, including
discussion, workshops, work-based projects,
case studies and live client briefs to build on
your existing knowledge and experience.
The course is delivered by teaching staff
with extensive industry experience, some of
whom still work in industry. We maintain
these links with industry to bring you real-
life examples in the classroom so that you
benefit from up-to-date material and can
learn about the latest professional practices.
You will also benefit from the university‟s
links with employers and may be able to
take advantage of placement opportunities.
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and Understanding
K1) Critically analyse business problems and
opportunities through reviewing
contemporary management theories and
practices to design a course of action to
meet organisational objectives.
K2) Evaluate the organisational and external
environment in which managerial functions
are undertaken.
K3) Select and apply appropriate
management theory based strategies to
support management decision making.
Cognitive Skills
C1) Research, critique and evaluate
management theories and concepts in an
organisational context.
C2) Synthesise information from a number of
sources in order to gain a coherent
understanding of theory and practice.
C3) Critically analyse alternative approaches
to management issues and problems.
Practical and Professional Skills
P1) Conduct complex analysis and evaluation
of both operational and strategic situations.
P2) Analyse a broad range of managerial
problems utilising appropriate techniques.
P3) Develop autonomy, creativity, team
working and leadership skills.
8 | P a g e
Transferable and Key Skills
T1) Apply problem-solving research based
skills to business management practices and
communicate the results using appropriate
methodologies.
T2) Select, justify and undertake a range of
research to inform professional business
management practice.
T3) Evaluate own academic and professional
development.
Areas of Study
Our MBA Programme contains the broad
range of subjects that you need.
Areas of study include:
Leadership and Management Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Innovation Marketing Finance Economics Law Operations Management Business Strategy Project and Research Skills
The subjects covered aims to equip you with
the broad range of knowledge and develop
the critical skills required to be successful in
the fast moving and competitive business
environment.
Options
Our MBA offers the flexibility to specialise in
an area that is relevant to you. We offer
options in Entrepreneurship and Finance.
Assessment
You will be assessed through a variety of
methods, including presentations, written
assignments, role play, business simulation
and live briefs. Live briefs give you first
hand experience of working with clients.
Enhancing Your Skills
You will develop skills in business and
strategic planning, making presentations,
critically analysing subject matter, managing
your time and planning your professional
development.
Projects and Experience
Our Careers and Employability Service
provide you with support to reach your
career goals and gain work experience while
studying here. We use our extensive links
with employers to create placement
opportunities, which provide an excellent
opportunity to gain work experience in the
UK.
9 | P a g e
Course Structure
L7 MBA
CO
RE
Enhanced Leadership (15 CATS)
Contemporary Organisational Behaviour (15 CATS)
Financial Decision Making in Business (15 CATS)
The Principles of Marketing (15 CATS)
Leadership for Innovation and Change (15 CATS)
Managerial Economics (15 CATS)
Contemporary Operations Management (15 CATS)
Strategic Management (15 CATS)
Project and Research Methods (30 CATS)
OPT
ION
S (C
HO
ICE O
F T
WO
)
Finance Specialism
Financial Strategies (15 CATS)
Global Financial Markets (15 CATS)
Entrepreneurship Specialism
Enterprise and Entrepreneurship (15 CATS)
Entrepreneurial Marketing Management (15 CATS)
Modes of Study
Our MBA Programme was developed with your needs in mind and is designed to be flexible,
allowing you to study at a rate that suits you and your current circumstances.
The Full Time model allows you to complete the MBA in 1 Year while the Part Time model allows
you to spread the course over a longer period, typically two years, and is usually more
appropriate for students currently in work. Flexible modes of study that spread the course over
a longer period are available and should be agreed with the Programme Director.
10 | P a g e
Full Time Mode (1 Year)
Block Week Unit
1 1 – 7 Enhanced Leadership
Pro
ject a
nd R
ese
arc
h S
kills
Contemporary Organisational Behaviour
2 8 – 14
Financial Decision Making in Business
Financial Strategies OR Enterprise and Entrepreneurship
3 15 – 21
The Principles of Marketing
Leadership for Innovation and Change
4 22 – 28
Managerial Economics
Global Financial Markets OR Entrepreneurial Marketing Management
5 29 – 35
Contemporary Operations Management
Strategic Management
Part Time (2 Years)
Block Week Year 1 Units Year 2 Units
1 1 – 7 Enhanced Leadership Contemporary Organisational Behaviour
Pro
ject a
nd R
ese
arc
h S
kills
2 8 – 14 Financial Decision Making in Business Financial Strategies OR
Enterprise and Entrepreneurship
3 15 – 21 The Principles of Marketing Leadership for Innovation and Change
4 22 – 28 Managerial Economics Global Financial Markets OR
Entrepreneurial Marketing Management
5 29 – 35 Contemporary Operations
Management Strategic Management
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Course Content
Our MBA Programme contains the broad
range of subjects that you need.
Enhanced Leadership
This unit explores the complementary areas
of leadership and management in today‟s
business environment.
Effective leadership has always existed in
organisations, if only in isolated pockets.
What is key now is to identify, support and
nurture the knowledge, behaviour and
attitudes that can enhance the leadership
capability of all members of staff regardless
of their position in the hierarchy. The
challenge of continuous change in business
has renewed interest in the contribution
that leadership has to success. The
leadership element of this unit provides an
opportunity for in depth study of concepts
and the development of confidence in taking
on leadership roles.
The Management element will examine
theories and practice that are relevant to
management today. Students will have the
opportunity to critically evaluate methods
and techniques available to managers. The
evolution of these principles will be
examined so that they can be appreciated in
today‟s context. Case studies will be used,
as appropriate, to provide further reality
together with exercises to promote self-
awareness of personal traits.
Contemporary Organisational
Behaviour
This unit exposes the student to the theories
that have created advances in the field of
Organisational Behaviour (OB) by considering
examples and cases that relate to theories
and practices in exploiting and enhancing
competitive advantage.
The unit focuses on three areas of analysis:
the individual, the group and the
organisation and considers these in terms of
the „micro‟ and „macro‟ perspectives and
their roots in behavioural and social
sciences.
Financial Decision Making in Business
This unit requires the student to reflect
upon a range of relevant and reliable
Financial Decision Making in Business
theories, processes and practices, in order
to critically appraise and apply that
knowledge and understanding to complex
financial management decisions, of both a
short- term and long-term nature. The
appraisal of current issues in decision-
making and management accounting
developments will also be covered.
Financial Strategies
This unit requires students to critically
reflect upon the relevance and integration
of strategic financial management
objectives, in terms of how the financing,
dividend and investment decisions
contribute to shareholders‟ wealth creation.
A range of financial management theoretical
approaches will be evaluated in terms of
their „value enhancing‟ or „value destroying‟
influences by evaluating the role and
relevance of financial theories to complex
strategic management objectives.
Enterprise and Entrepreneurship
This unit will develop the students‟
knowledge of enterprise and
entrepreneurship by identifying and then
conceptualising, planning and starting a new
business venture. Students will identify
opportunity in the market and carry out a
business analysis in which strengths and
opportunities are identified and a feasible
business plan and strategy are observed.
Students will also identify and understand
12 | P a g e
the role of risk management within a
business setting and how risk can be
managed.
The Principles of Marketing
This unit requires the student to reflect on
marketing theory and practices, in order to
critically appraise and apply knowledge and
understanding to organisational marketing
decisions.
Students will be encouraged to undertake a
variety of reading and research to enable
them to critically evaluate a relevant range
of marketing principles and practices that a
business could consider to support effective
marketing planning. Each unit topic will be
directed towards proposing research based
practical recommendations on marketing
problems that could be case study,
professional or work based. Tutorials will
involve a mixture of discussion, case studies,
and activities that support the students
ability to apply and evaluate marketing
concepts.
Leadership for Innovation and
Change
Leadership and innovation are interlinked.
Leadership always has some focus on
bringing about a better future. In this sense,
leaders are necessarily innovators. In
recognising opportunities for leadership to
act and influence others change is brought
about.
The challenge of continuous change,
creativity and innovation in business
demands development of far sighted
leadership capability and strategies for
producing the changes to achieve such
vision.
The unit focuses on the key areas of
leadership, change and the ability to
critically evaluate innovation options. The
unit will equip students with the ability to
critically evaluate the management of
change literature and innovation options.
Managerial Economics
This unit provides both a theoretical and
practical insight into how business makes
decisions based upon the economic
environment they find themselves in. To this
end, the unit will convey the importance of
understanding how the use of the tools of
economics analysis and enquiry can be used
to identify and understand the business
problem, in organising and evaluating
information to find practical solutions and or
alternatives.
Global Financial Markets
This unit investigates the international
financial system that forms the foundation
of the contemporary capitalist world order.
This begins with a historical and theoretical
analysis of the nature and function of
monetary systems and then traces the
development of the contemporary global
economy from the nineteenth century to the
present. This will emphasise the transition
of the Bretton Woods system into the
financial liberalisation of today. The unit
then considers the institutional framework
of the international financial system and the
functions/characteristics of the main
economic agents involved. The unit then
examines each individual international
market in turn and speculates on their likely
development. Finally, capital flows,
developing country debt and financial crises
are considered with reference to the current
discourse, literature and evolving
multilateral regulatory governance.
Entrepreneurial Marketing
Management
The unit will cover the nature of
entrepreneurship and innovation and the
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characteristics of entrepreneurial behavior.
There will be an emphasis on the financial
and planning aspects of business
development.
The unit is designed to give the student a
better understanding of the factors that lead
to success in entrepreneurial business and
will therefore demonstrate the ways in
which marketing management techniques
can be brought to bear on the key issues in
entrepreneurship.
Contemporary Operations
Management
This unit requires the student to reflect
upon a range of current, credible and viable
Operations Management theories,
techniques, processes and practices; in
order to critically appraise and apply that
knowledge and understanding, to a range of
complex Operations Management contexts.
Seeking to deliver a stimulating student
experience, characterised by intellectual
rigour, personal fulfilment and excellent
career prospects, thereby preparing students
to succeed in a fast-changing competitive
world, this unit takes a holistic perspective
of the global real-world systems within
which specific Operations Management
contexts occur.
Strategic Management
Strategic management is the name given to
the tools and techniques that enable an
organisation to adapt to changes in the
environment effectively, and build a
superior position in its chosen industry over
time. The academic literature that develops
and refines these managerial tools has
become more fragmented and esoteric, yet
the issues that the subject purports to
address remain intractable and problematic.
The expansion of the strategic management
literature has not been accompanied by
improved corporate performance, or even a
longer lifespan for business organisations.
Firms still struggle to establish and sustain
competitive advantage and achieve strategic
fit with their environment.
In this unit, students will focus on using the
literature to identify and analyse strategic
issues and their associated organisational
problems. Students will critically evaluate
the strategic performance of organisations,
develop strategic alternatives and justify the
selection and implementation of both
corporate and business strategies.
The emphasis of the unit is on the tensions
between strategic analysis and strategic
actions. A combination of published case
studies and recent material presented in the
media will be used to maintain currency.
Project and Research Skills
This unit provides students with an overview
of different approaches to research for use
in investigating topics chosen for study,
together with an appreciation of the
ideological beliefs that underpin research.
The unit is divided into two parts: Research
Methods and the Project.
The first part of the unit is Research
Methods which provides students with
comprehensive knowledge and
understanding of the different research
philosophies and approaches. It also explores
the application of various research methods
and considers the organisation and
management of research and ethical issues.
The Research Methods part will be run in the
early stage of the course and students are
required to choose a topic and produce a
research proposal. The topic chosen must be
concerned with the investigation of
issue/problem which is: (a) of particular
interest to them and (b) is related to the
overall aims and objectives of their course;
that is to say, the issues / problems
14 | P a g e
addressed should be within business and / or
management, broadly construed.
The second part of the unit consists of the
Project where the student investigates and
produces a major piece of work on the
chosen topic that they chose at the early
stage of their course.
Where students are in employment, or
otherwise have access to a challenging „real-
world‟ management problem, they will be
encouraged to undertake a management
project. Here the problem is analysed within
suitable academic frameworks and specific
conclusions are drawn leading to realistic
recommendations. A letter of comfort from
the „owner‟ of the problem may be
required, offering access to relevant data
and other support.
Where the student is studying full-time, or
otherwise does not have access to a suitable
management problem, the more traditional
dissertation format may be more
appropriate. Here the focus is on analysis of
a particular business or management issue in
a broader context, using published sources,
and/or obtaining and analysing primary data
(for example through surveys, interviews or
observation).
All projects will contain a clear statement of
the problem, a robust literature survey,
clear methodologies, data collection and
analysis, the formulation of appropriate
conclusions, and a critical review of the
strengths and weaknesses of the work.
Choosing Your Options
Consider your options carefully, they may
well affect your future. Some of the things
you should consider are:
What do you want to get out of the
MBA?
What will help you more in the
future?
If you are going into employment,
what will your potential employers
look for?
If you are starting your own business,
what skills and knowledge do you
need to develop the most?
The Project and Research Methods unit,
although compulsory, is one that you should
start to give some thought to now.
You will be able to propose a project, which
could be relevant to your career or to your
future business venture. Students generally
produce better projects when it is very
relevant to them and something that they
are very interested in. The earlier you
identify areas of interest that you can
discuss with the unit leader, the more time
you will have to explore the relevant topics.
15 | P a g e
Course Assessment Strategy
L7 MBA CATS
Assessment Weighting
AE1 AE2 AE3
CO
RE
Enhanced Leadership 15 50% 50%
Contemporary Organisational Behaviour 15 50% 50%
Financial Decision Making in Business 15 40% 60%
The Principles of Marketing 15 70% 30%
Leadership for Innovation and Change 15 30% 70%
Managerial Economics 15 30% 70%
Contemporary Operations Management 15 100%
Strategic Management 15 60% 40%
Project and Research Methods 30 20% 60% 20%
OPT
ION
S (C
HO
ICE O
F T
WO
)
Finance Specialism
Financial Strategies 15 50% 50%
Global Financial Markets 15 50% 50%
Entrepreneurship Specialism
Enterprise and Entrepreneurship
15 25% 75%
Entrepreneurial Marketing Management 15 30% 70%
16 | P a g e
Performing At Masters Level
The MBA Programme requires you to perform
at Masters level. You will need to develop
and show critical thinking skills and show a
broad range of business knowledge in the
work that you produce.
Critical Thinking
You will learn to question and explore the
limitations and boundaries of management
theory. The ability to think critically is
fundamental to solving complex business
problems and applying theories effectively.
Solent Online Learning (SOL)
Our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE),
which is called „Solent Online Learning‟
provides an online space where you are able
to access course materials and interact with
both the teaching team and your fellow
students. The VLE is used extensively for all
units on the MBA.
Referencing
Good referencing is of the upmost
importance. Failure to reference or indeed
reference correctly may lead to you being
placed in front of an academic misconduct
panel, where the consequences can be
severe and go all the way up to being
removed from the course. Obviously, we
don't ever want this to happen and therefore
we take time and great care giving you
guidance and support on how to reference.
This includes giving you access to the
Succeed at Referencing.
Online Submission
All assignments are submitted online using
Turnitin to make it easier for your to submit
and also allows you to check references. Full
details are available at Online Submission.
Getting Help and Support
It is important that you know where to get
support from if you need help at any time
during your time studying at Solent. We have
a Student Support Network in place to
provide advice and support on a whole range
of issues that you could face.
Each course is assigned a Student Support
Network Officer (SSNO). Make sure you find
out who your SSNO is so that you know who
to ask for help during the year. If in doubt
then you can always contact a tutor or your
course leader.
More information about getting support can
be found at Students 1st. Please visit
the Students1st website for more
information.
Access Solent
At Solent we offer individual support and
guidance to students on a whole range of
matters that may affect their learning
experience. For more information please
visit Access Solent
Suspending Your Studies
We understand that sometimes unforeseen
circumstances require people to change
their plans. If for some reason you are not
able to continue with the course, then
please contact the Programme Director as
soon as possible.
We can discuss any extra help and support
that you may require, or, if you would
prefer, to suspend your studies. If you do
not suspend your studies, YOU WILL BE
CHARGED. If you have any changes in your
circumstances, that will affect your success
on the course, then, please let us know
straight away and we will always do our best
to help.
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Academic Misconduct
Academic Misconduct is something that we hope doesn't happen but there are occasions where
cases of Academic Misconduct get raised. It is important that you understand what Academic
Misconduct is so that you don't accidentally do something wrong.
Full details of what constitutes Academic Misconduct can be found at
http://portal.solent.ac.uk/support/policies-and-procedures/complaints-conduct/student-
academic-misconduct.aspx.
All suspected cases of cheating will result in an inquiry panel.
Q. What sort of behaviour could be regarding as “Academic Misconduct”?
A. For the purpose of these regulations, academic misconduct will be defined as an attempt,
and shall be deemed to include allowing or assisting another student in such an attempt, to gain
unfair advantage in an examination or other mode of assessment by any device contrary to the
relevant assessment regulations.
The specific practices listed below will automatically be deemed to constitute academic
misconduct and include:
i. Plagiarism This is where a student incorporates another persons or body‟s work by
unacknowledged quotation, paraphrase, imitation or other device, in any work submitted for
assessment in a way which suggests that it is the student‟s original work. This can include
failing to acknowledge the source of a quotation by referencing properly.
ii. Collusion This is the collaboration without official approval between two or more
students, (or between a student[s] and another person[s]) in the presentation of work which is
submitted as the work of a single student; or where a student(s) allows or permits their work to
be incorporated in, or represented as, the work of another student.
iii. Falsification This is where the content of any assessed work has been invented or falsely
presented by the student as their own work.
iv. Replication This is where a student submits the same or similar piece of work on more
that one occasion for assessment to gain academic credit.
v. Taking unauthorised notes or devices into an examination.
vi. Obtaining an unauthorised copy of an examination paper.
vii. Communicating, or trying to communicate, with another student during an examination.
viii. Being a party to impersonation in relation to an examination.
Q. What penalties are imposed on a student where an allegation of cheating is proven?
A. Academic misconduct is a serious offence and in blatant cases can lead to the
termination of your course of study on academic grounds. Otherwise the penalty may be failure
of the unit or failure of the entire level of the course.
18 | P a g e
Group-work and Academic Misconduct
Many courses of study require you to work in a group, e.g. you are expected to work as a
cohesive unit and plan the work together as if you were a management team producing a
project report. It is each group member‟s responsibility to ensure the quality of the group
report, ie, if your name is on the report make sure that no group member has plagiarised
any section of your report for which the whole group will be held responsible.
Procedures relating to Academic Misconduct are now available on the Student Intranet –
http://portal.solent.ac.uk.
What constitutes academic misconduct will be covered in the Spiral Induction Programme.
However, always discuss with the unit tutor, when assessments are issued, any specific
requirements and expectations e.g. identifying your contribution if it is a group assignment, and
ensuring you correctly reference any other published work used.
Remember that:
i. All work submitted must be your own work.
ii. The work submitted has not previously been submitted for assessment.
iii. Where material from other sources has been used it has been acknowledged correctly
by referencing.
Full details of the University‟s Procedures Relating to Academic Misconduct can be found on the
University Student intranet site – http://portal.solent.ac.uk
Aggregation of Marks
The assessment of a unit may include more than one element, such as assignment, presentation
or exam. The marks for these are normally combined (averaged) to give one overall mark for
the unit, and this is known as “aggregation” or “bonding” of assessment marks. Provided the
overall unit mark is at least 40% you will pass the unit even if a mark for one element is below
40. You must attempt every element of assessment though, e.g. hand in work, undertake
presentation or practical or sit exam.
However, for the units listed below you MUST GAIN A MINIMUM MARK of 35 for each element, in
addition to 40% for the overall unit mark. This is to satisfy the requirements of professional
bodies associated with the course.
19 | P a g e
Graduate Success Stories
MBA Entrepreneur develops blue
print for success.
It is often said that 'necessity is the mother
of invention' and the current economic
climate has led to an increasing number of
people discovering their entrepreneurial
side. Vanessa Shahani is one such student,
who is currently undertaking the MBA course
at Southampton Solent Business School.
Vanessa has been interested in life coaching
for a number of years, and while on the
course she decided to set up her business
'Mulberry Life Coaching'. Vanessa developed
her business plan as part of the e-business
unit and has already established a website
and started to develop her social media
marketing strategies.
The MBA course helped me set out my
business plan so I’ve now got a ‘blue print’
to follow. My lecturers helped me focus on
using Skype as the main method to deliver
coaching. I’m still in the early stages of
setting up my business so my next steps are
to manage the content of my website and
start to use Linked In and Twitter to both
advertise and get in touch with other
coaches to grow my networks.
Starting a business is the start of a journey
and a brand new learning curve and it is
inspiring to see more and more people rising
to this challenge.
What Graduates Thought Of
Our MBA Programme
Syed Mohiuddin studied an MBA course at
Southampton Business School in 2010. He
had great expectations about his university
studies in England when he arrived from
India. “I wasn‟t disappointed!” exclaims
Syed, “this university has given me a lot and
I really feel that I‟m a part of it now, I no
longer feel like an international student
anymore, I‟ve fitted in!”
“The MBA course is very demanding and
requires a lot of individual learning; it
develops critical thinking abilities that an
individual must have and the results will
depend on how much I am prepared to
invest in my studies. I found it hard to cope
with the pressure initially, but I soon felt
that I was part of the University and doing
well.
“The university has an amazing
infrastructure, when compared with my
previous educational background, this is the
best experience I‟ve ever had about
education, I was not disappointed, the
resources are very good and I would highly
recommend the MBA programme at
Southampton Solent University.”
"I enjoy studying so it was a simple choice to
do study Business Administration. With this
course I can develop my higher learning and
improve the skills I need to manage my
company."
The MBA course helped me set out my
business plan so I’ve now got a ‘blue print’
to follow. My lecturers helped me focus on
using Skype as the main method to deliver
coaching. I’m still in the early stages of
setting up my business so my next steps are
to manage the content of my website and
start to use Linked In and Twitter to both
advertise and get in touch with other
coaches to grow my networks.
Begin the journey to achieving your ambitions
20 | P a g e
East Park Terrace
Southampton
Hampshire
SO14 0YN
+44 (0)23 8031 9000
www.solent.ac.uk
MISSI ON
The pursuit of inclusive and
flexible forms of Higher
Education that meet the needs of
employers and prepare students
to succeed in a fast-changing
competitive world.
VISION
A vibrant, inclusive and
successful University that is well
known for the excellence of its
work with students and
employers and the effective
integration of theory and
practice.
A stimulating student experience
characterised by intellectual
rigour, personal fulfilment and
excellent career prospects.
Imaginative external partnerships
which develop the University and
make a significant contribution
to social justice and economic
competitiveness.
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