A postgraduate course in Business and Management.

This MBA course will enable you to make a real difference within your management practice through active use of frameworks, theories and tools. It will help you to develop a good grounding in the theory and practice of managing and leading, covering the core functions and disciplines of management and helping you make the connections between them. The course provides a framework for a year-long process of professional development which challenges you to engage actively with a wide variety of ideas and to develop a repertoire of techniques and approaches best suited to your own situation and management context.

Register for the course

This course is available for study in the countries shown. Fees and financial support may vary by country.

What you will study

You will gain a better understanding of your own management practice in the context of learning about different management functions within organisations. You will gain confidence in understanding how they operate and in having successful conversations across these areas, including:

• managing people and organisations
• accounting
• marketing
• operations
• project and change management.

Over the course of a year’s study you will learn, develop and consolidate your understanding of the principal management functions. This will help you move successfully to strategic and specialist areas in your MBA studies.

The course aims to:

• develop your understanding of the core and current frameworks, theories and tools and to assess their relevance to the issues of twenty-first century leading and managing
• increase your awareness of different perspectives on, and approaches to, managing and leading in different organisational and cultural contexts
• develop your ability to engage critically with management frameworks, theories and tools helping you to select and adapt techniques and approaches appropriate to own management context, in order to have a real impact on your management practice
• develop your awareness of the wider global context in which business and management takes place, and increase your ability to work confidently across sectoral and national boundaries
• develop interpersonal and conceptual skills that will help you to use ideas and frameworks to make sense of, and to work with, organisational complexity
• challenge your own thinking and practice by reflecting upon it critically in the light of the ideas you encounter, and through debates with others
• enhance your ability to plan and implement change which will have real impact within your own organisational context.

Vocational relevance

The course is designed for professionals from a wide range of contexts and backgrounds who need actively to engage with the challenges of twenty-first century management, to develop their management skills and knowledge of management frameworks, theories and tools and to use these appropriately in order to make a real difference in their own practice.

Residential school

Satisfactory participation at a compulsory four-day residential school or 18-day online equivalent is required. The school is an opportunity to meet other managers and tutors and to work in small groups on cross functional management problems. Skills development includes problem solving, negotiation skills, applying course concepts to real situations and working on self development and professional development.

Both versions of the residential school (face to face and online) have been devised to deliver the essential learning outcomes for B716, however it is fair to say that past experience shows that the majority of students prefer to attend a face-to-face school if they can. The cost of the residential school (excluding travel) is included in the course fee. 

At the face to face residential school you will need to carry out online research and so you should endeavour to bring a portable device such as a laptop, PDA or smart phone to the school in order to participate in these activities.

Entry

This course is the first module in our Open University Business School masters degree programme. Normally, to register for this course you must have a UK honours degree or equivalent professional qualification, and have a minimum of three years’ experience in a managerial, professional or technical role. Usually this means that you are at least 25 years old as it is unusual (but not impossible) to be able to satisfy the ‘experience’ requirement under this age.

Experienced managers who do not meet the academic requirement can be accepted onto B716 if they first complete the Professional Certificate in Management (S01) (previously coded C31) which has open entry.

If you have the equivalent of a UK bachelors degree without honours you may be permitted to progress on to the MBA or other masters qualification by taking the first module of the Professional Certificate in Management, Managing 1: organisations and people (B628). If you wish to study this course outside the EU you will need to register on the online version BZX628. Alternatively if you have an official Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) score of 640 or above, and the equivalent of a UK bachelors degree, you will be allowed to progress directly on to the MBA. If you think either of these possibilities may apply to you, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.

You will also need an appropriate facility in English language, sufficient to be able to work effectively at postgraduate level; generally this means capability equivalent to an International English Language Test System (IELTS) score of 6.5. To assess your English language skills in relation to your proposed studies you can visit the IELTS website. If you are unsure whether your skill level in English is adequate you may find it helpful to look at our Skills for OU Study site.

If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.

Qualifications

B716 is a compulsory module in our:

• Postgraduate Certificate in Business Administration (C66)
• Professional Diploma in Management (D64)
• MBA (F61)
• MBA (Technology Management) (F03)
• MSc in Strategic Management of Information Systems (F54)

B716 is an optional module in our:

• Postgraduate Diploma in Computing for Commerce and Industry (C02)
• Postgraduate Diploma in Development Management (D37)
• MSc in Professional Science (F60)

In certain circumstances this module can also count towards the MBA (Life Sciences) (F38) and  MSc in Human Resource Management (F40).

Some postgraduate qualifications allow study to be chosen from other subject areas. We advise you to refer to the relevant qualification descriptions for information on the circumstances in which this module can count towards these qualifications because from time to time the structure and requirements may change.

Excluded combinations

Sometimes you will not be able to count a module towards a qualification if you have already taken another module with similar content. To check any excluded combinations relating to this module, visit our excluded combination finder or check with our Student Registration & Enquiry Service before registering.

Regulations

As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the Module Regulations and the Student Regulations which are available on our Essential documents website.

If you have a disability

Elements of this course are delivered online and include the use of real-time online discussions and an interactive whiteboard space; consequently time spent using a computer and the internet will be extensive. If you use assistive technology or have a hearing or speech impairment and have concerns about accessing this type of virtual environment and materials you can visit the system provider's website for information and contact the Open University to discuss it further before registering.

Written transcripts of any audio components and Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) versions of printed material are available. Some Adobe PDF components may not be available or fully accessible using a screen reader. Alternative formats of the study materials may be available in the future. Our Services for disabled students website has the latest information about availability.

Study materials

What's included

As well as the individual tuition provision you will have access to regular opportunities for engagement with other students, university library access, an extensive variety of specially-written resources presented in different media (print and online) and designed exclusively for this course, audio-visual material, published articles, case-studies and a set of interactive tools to help you develop your management thinking abilities.

Computing requirements

You will need a computer with internet access to study this course as it includes online activities, which you can access using a web browser.

• If you have purchased a new desktop or laptop computer since 2007 you should have no problems completing the online activities.
• If you’ve got a netbook, tablet or other mobile computing device check our Technical requirements section.
• If you use an Apple Mac you will need OS X 10.6 or later.

You can also visit the Technical requirements section for further computing information including the details of the support we provide.

Teaching and assessment

Support from your tutor

Your learning will take place within a tutor-facilitated group of approximately 16 students. Your tutor is responsible for providing individual tuition, professional advice and support, mentoring, assessment and regular feedback on your performance throughout the course. You will learn by working with your group and individually online in structured activities supported by a wide range of resources including specially designed books, a world-class online library and face-to-face opportunities including a residential school. Activities generally require asynchronous participation over 2 to 6 week periods and contribute to your reflective practice and your assessment.

Contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.

Assessment

The assessment details can be found in the facts box above.

You must use the online eTMA system to submit your tutor-marked assignments (TMAs).

Tutor-marked assignments are scheduled at regular intervals (approximately every six weeks) throughout the course and are based on the work you do during the relevant block. Extensive guidance is given on all assignments submitted.

Future availability

The details given here are for the course that starts in November 2013 and May 2014. We expect it to be available twice a year.

Students also studied

Students who studied this course also studied at some time:

• Managing 3: the integration challenge (B690)
• Managing 1: organisations and people (B628)
• Managing 2: marketing and finance (B629)
• Managing 1: organisations and people - online version (BZX628)

How to register

To register a place on this course return to the top of the page and use the Click to register button.

Student Reviews

Distance learning

The Open University is the world’s leading provider of flexible, high quality distance learning. Unlike other universities we are not campus based. You will study in a flexible way that works for you whether you’re at home, at work or on the move. As an OU student you’ll be supported throughout your studies – your tutor or study adviser will guide and advise you, offer detailed feedback on your assignments, and help with any study issues. Tuition might be in face-to-face groups, via online tutorials, or by phone.

For more information about distance learning at the OU read Study explained.

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