BMAN10780 – Business and
Management Skills:
Role of Academic Advisors
Simon French
simon.french@mbs.ac.uk
Anna Goatman
anna.goatman@mbs.ac.uk
The Team
Simon French
Anna Goatman
Linda Whittle
You all!
What is Business and
Management Skills?
• A 10 credit 2-semester course
• A compulsory course for over 500 first year
management students
• A structured means of academic advisors and
students getting to know each other
– A replacement for the personal tutoring system
Core course on:
• BSc Management/Management (specialism)
• BSc International Management (IM)/International Management
with American Business Studies (IMABS)
• BA International Business, Finance and Economics (IBFE)
• BSc Information Technology Management for Business / with
Industrial Experience (ITMB/ITMBIE)
• BSc Management and Information Systems (MAIS)/BSc
Accounting Management and Information Systems (AMAIS)
4
Course Objectives
• To provide students with the knowledge to help them
monitor, review, plan and take responsibility for their
own learning and professional development.
• To provide a broad overview of business,
management and professionalism.
• To stimulate interest in current developments of
business and management.
5
Course Structure
• 3 strands of activity
a) Lectures
•
Simon French, Anna Goatman, + others
b) Timetabled seminars
•
•
Every other week (5 seminars in each semester)
Given by you (academic advisors) to your group of 15
students
c) Non timetabled small group work and some
individual support
•
Facilitated by you, face to face or electronically
Course Timetable – Semester 1
Week
Lecture
Freshers’
1
2
Introduction to Course
Introduction to Management
Research and Library Skills
3
Seminar
Seminar 1
Introductions
Multiple perspectives: taking a multi-disciplinary
PDP
view
Formative Essay
4
Group Dynamics and Management
5
Ethics and Management
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Reading week – No lecture
History of Management and the Professions
Management Processes 1
Management Processes 2
Director’s lecture
No Lecture
No Lecture
Seminar 2
Report writing and essay skills
Introduction of small group projects
Seminar 3
Presentation skills
Seminar 4
Students presentations (assessed)
Seminar 5
Exam/ Revision Skills
Course Timetable – Semester 2
Week
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Lecture
Introduction to the semester
Contrasting the Public and Private Sectors
No Lecture
Management Functions 1:
Operations Management
No Lecture
Management Functions 2:
Marketing
No Lecture
Management Functions 3:
Human Resources Management
No Lecture
Management Functions 4:
Information Systems Management
No Lecture
No Lecture
No Lecture
Seminar
Seminar 6
Reflections on Semester 1
PDPs
Seminar 7
Discussion of how to critique
academic papers.
Advisor’s academic interests
Seminar 8
No seminar – One-to-one individual
meetings
Seminar 9
Student Presentations (assessed)
Seminar 10
2nd year options
Assessment and Feedback
• Semester 1
– Individual 1000-word essay (formative)
– Group presentation on a current business issue (5 students
in each group) (45%)
• Semester 2
– Group presentation of a critique of current management
paper (45%)
– Development of individual personal development plan (10%)
What do Academic Advisors Do?
• Advise a group of 15 students
• Meet their group on a regular basis
– Lead seminars (every other week over both semesters)
– Assign students to smaller project groups for assessed coursework
– Hold one-to-one meetings in the second semester
• Advise their group on academic issues
– Signpost and offer support
• Support and assess the coursework done by their group
• Provide feedback to their group
What do Academic Advisors Get?
• The opportunity to work with a small group
• A chance to get to know the students
• A reminder about what it is like to be a first
year student!