MSc Innovation and Entrepreneurship - Extended

The rate of change in organisations is accelerating and increasingly the nature of that change is shifting from incremental to transformational. This changing landscape requires organisations and individuals to harness enterprise, creativity and innovation - to demonstrate a proactive and entrepreneurial mindset for change. This module explores the importance of entrepreneurial capability and the skills required for the role of a change agent to initiate and champion change within an organisation. You will study both the theory and practice of initiating and leading the change process, examining a number of topics linked to the process of delivering a change project, including: Evaluating change readiness, project planning, change frameworks, culture and resistance, change leadership and communication. You will develop your knowledge and skills to craft an enterprising change plan for an organisation of your choice. You will also have the opportunity to evaluate and reflect on your own enterprise and entrepreneurial capability and leadership skills to develop as a potential change agent, allowing you to enhance your self-understanding and identify areas for future development and self-improvement.

This module identifies creativity and innovation as key to all enterprise activities in ever more competitive markets. Innovation is at the heart of ensuring business success and long-term prosperity, throughout each of the sections the perspectives of SME’s and larger corporations are considered. The module comprises four sections which together define the nature, scope, impact and practice of creativity and innovation in business and how they underpin enterprise. Firstly, it examines the nature of creativity. Secondly it establishes the links between creativity, innovation and enterprise. Finally, the application of innovation is evaluated, as the module explores the tools and techniques that are implemented when transforming an idea into a commercially marketable product or service.

This module is designed to develop within students the postgraduate study skills which includes research awareness, business vocabulary, and local commercial acculturation.

Innovation is vitally important for modern enterprises in the development of products and services. Advances in technologies, changing customer behaviours and globalisation are all providing opportunities for new business models. This module explores ways of managing innovation and entrepreneurship and developing and creating new ventures. The module is concerned with the achievement of organisational objectives whilst making efficient use of its resources. This module will examine a wide range business operations management concepts in the production of goods or services, the module will also look critically at the strategic planning process by assessing both the internal and the external environment of an organisation, followed by selecting a number of strategic options, actions and choices to achieve organisational objectives. The module will help develop skills in identifying, formulating and solving business problems through creative and entrepreneurial processes. The ability to recognise the need for and initiate change will be developed through the use of business cases.

Effective leaders, managers, citizens and employees need to be capable of basing their decision-making on information and knowledge derived from research. The aim of this module is to contribute to the research knowledge and skills appropriate for a taught master's programme and relevant for careers in professional or management roles. The participant is required to produce a dissertation, at an advanced level, based on independent research. This should demonstrate an understanding of the philosophy and core principles of research (empirical or non-empirical) and show their competence in the design, execution and reporting of a research-based dissertation. In this way the participant’s ability is developed to carry out subsequent research, independently and to commission, manage and evaluate the research activities of others. Therefore, the knowledge and skills acquired in the module and of producing the project, will contribute to the student's effectiveness throughout her/his career.