SM9700 - Global Business Environment

The module is delivered through a combination of online resources, directed learning, group learning and independent learning which is structured by the module tutors, through the Teaching and Learning Plan.
The taught sessions will adopt a range of approaches to learning and teaching including tutor-led input, group discussions, and case study discussion. The structure and content of the module are designed to develop your capacity and confidence as an independent learner, and therefore you will be required to engage in a substantial amount or directed and independent learning. The directed learning includes a range of additional activities or questions for consideration. Independent study will involve reading beyond the provided learning materials, reflection, and gathering relevant personal and organisational data. The module employs an experiential learning approach in which learning is applied to your own employing organisation or reflecting live business practice.

The module is delivered by an experienced teaching team and you are encouraged to discuss any issues related to the module directly with the relevant module tutor either in the taught sessions or outside of normal scheduled teaching by appointment or through the e-learning platform. At the start of the module you will be provided with a Teaching and Learning Plan that outlines the requirements for the module including detail on the assessment and directed reading. The module is supported by an online Blackboard site which includes the materials for the module.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

Knowledge & Understanding:
On completion of the module you will be able to:
1. Identify and critically examine the changes and challenges of today’s global environment in order to evaluate organisational responses to the external environment;
2. Demonstrate a critical understanding about a variety of advantages, issues and challenges for society derived by the complexity of global business environment.

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
On completion of the module you will be able to:
3. Demonstrate critical appraisal with regard to strategic issues and organisational growth.

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
On completion of the module you will be able to:
4. Demonstrate a critical awareness of multifaceted issues and challenges affecting countries, companies and communities at both global and local level.

Formative assessment: A number of activities will take place during the taught session and feedback will be given by the module team during the taught sessions.

Summative assessment: A 4000 word individual detailed report on an issue of strategic significance. The assessment is weighted at 100% and assesses all the module learning outcomes.

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The global business environment today is a complex network of relationships which ties different types of stakeholders. Governments, companies and organisations are constantly interconnected with the external environment, and these interactions constantly shape the forms and trajectories of different countries and blocs worldwide. The context in which these entities operate includes a diverse range of influences e.g. economic, social, political, legal, technological, which affect businesses and communities in a variety of ways. This module is designed to provide a foundation to better understand the global business environment and its evolution, and how this has implications for companies, economies and societies worldwide. The module explores and examines business activities (from input to output to consumption) and the distribution and consumption of output (e.g. goods and services), with the objective to understand how resources are managed and developed, and the derived implication for a different range of stakeholders operating at a global and local level.