A postgraduate course in Business and Management.

Social and commercial enterprises play an important role in today’s society, often in partnership with larger corporations and public sector organisations. This course provides rich, experience-based insights into the distinctive challenges of creating and developing entrepreneurial ventures. It helps you to gain relevant skills and underpinning knowledge. You will also develop a deeper, and more critical, understanding of entrepreneurial practices by connecting your experiences to relevant concepts and research evidence. As a result, you will be better placed to: develop your own venture, engage with other entrepreneurial organisations, and take part in wider debates about entrepreneurship in the twenty-first century.

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

This course is designed to be of interest to all MBA students. Although it assumes some background understanding of business and management functional areas such as marketing, finance and operations it does not require any detailed prior knowledge of entrepreneurship. BB846 extends many of the concepts introduced in the compulsory modules. The course is particularly relevant if you are considering an entrepreneurial career, either individually or as part of a new venture team. It is also has particular relevance for you as a manager engaging in corporate entrepreneurship (i.e. acting entrepreneurially within an existing organisation) in the public, private or voluntary sectors, and if your work brings you into contact with entrepreneurial individuals and organisations.

You will examine a wide variety of entrepreneurial activity in commercial and social enterprises around the world, with some opportunities to focus on areas of particular interest. BB846 also offers a critical perspective on entrepreneurial activity, addressing its constructive and destructive potential and the ethical implications for entrepreneurs. The course is structured around two assessments that address practical challenges associated with the creating and developing successful entrepreneurial ventures. One of the core themes is that entrepreneurial learning is not a one-off process (i.e. following a standard ‘recipe’), but an on-going cycle that can be supported in various ways. In order to promote your entrepreneurial learning, experience-based elements are combined with focused reviews of relevant theoretical concepts and research evidence. BB846 makes considerable use of case study illustrations and exercises. This enables you to consider, and reflect upon, the experiences of real-world entrepreneurs as they engage in key entrepreneurial tasks such as: gaining legitimacy, challenging incumbents, pursuing innovation and managing the growth process. Your tutor facilitates a number of practical activities and group discussions. The combination of experience-based learning and structured reflection gives you a real sense of the excitement, uncertainty, passion, and sheer hard work involved in creating and developing a new venture.

Vocational relevance

BB846 is relevant to any managerial career but has particularly relevance if you are considering an entrepreneurial career or if your managerial role involves interaction with entrepreneurial individuals and organisations.

Entry

This course is an elective module in stage 2 of the MBA (F61). You will need to have already completed MBA stage 1: management: perspectives and practice (B716) and the compulsory stage 2 module Corporate finance (B831). You should also have completed or be currently studying the compulsory stage 2 module The dynamics of strategy (B835).

The course requires 150 hours of study over six months.

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

BB846 is an optional module in our:

• MBA (F61)

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 and mathematical and scientific materials may be particularly difficult to read in this way. 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

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, a set of interactive tools to help you develop your management thinking abilities and access to the Open University library.

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

You will have a tutor who will help you with the study material and mark and comment on your assignments and whom you can ask for advice and guidance. You will contact your tutor by telephone, email or via your tutor group forum on the BB846 website.

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 assignment (TMA) and end-of-module assessment (EMA).

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.

How to register

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

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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