MSc Entrepreneurship and Business Development

Leeds Beckett University

Starting up and developing a new venture is an emotionally challenging and demanding process as the entrepreneur becomes extremely focused on building an established and successful business. This module will analyse your developmental journey as an entrepreneur. You'll develop a critical understanding of the principles of motivational and professional enhancement skills. This understanding will provide a foundation for you to critically reflect on the application of life skills. In addition, you'll review psychosocial models of critical thinking, problem solving, public speaking and decision making.

Traditional marketing principles have been a mainstay for the past four decades, but the theories behind them now have limited relevance for new ventures facing extreme uncertainty. To be successful, new ventures must deviate from these theories and rely on effective marketing planning. You'll learn how this strategy uses a different management process, focusing on iterative thinking, speedy action, principles of affordable loss, learning through failure, adjustment for emerging opportunities, cooperation with first customers, and a premeditated approach to market experimentation that creates instant feedback. You'll understand how this perspective can help new ventures be more successful, informed and fully understood.

Entrepreneurs need clear strategies to survive and succeed. This module will provide you with the tools, frameworks and ideas to help play a more effective role in contributing to strategic thinking. Design thinking is at the core of effective strategy. You'll use this to draw upon logic, imagination, intuition, and systemic reasoning to explore possibilities of what could be, and to create desired outcomes that benefit your customers.

Develop key techniques for managing complex business relationships and working with customers, suppliers, employees and business partners. This module teaches you the basic skills for developing one-to one rapport with other people. You'll explore the importance of emotional intelligence and group dynamics, providing you with a more granular outlook on long-term sales cycles and the decision-making process.

Study key areas of business practice, learning to examine the multi-faceted dynamics of financial markets through a global lens. This module focuses on issues including: the use of debt and equity; core considerations of the process; due diligence, purchase sale agreements and contractual governance; the role of the board of directors; ultimately asking why acquire a start-up business? We'll consider the views of equity holders, bankers, investment funds, grant institutions, management and society within the complex dynamics at play in the financial markets. You'll be presented with a global perspective highlighting the contemporary principles and trends of entrepreneurial finance. Alongside finance and legal aspects, you'll gain insights into entrepreneurial risk management (ERM). You'll learn how to develop an ERM framework, identify and define legal and financial risks, and understand various risk management approaches.

Examine the cultural and social context of entrepreneurship and discover an alternative view of enterprise development. Explore ethics, social responsibility and entrepreneurship which lies outside of commericial norms. You'll explore how leading organisations capitalise on complexity in today's environment and use creative approaches to disrupt and drive innovation. When organisations combine social mission with commercial activities, they create unfamiliar combinations where a supportive ecosystem may not yet exist. By researching both enterprising people and their social ventures, you'll see how creativity, innovation and persistence can lead to achievement. Finally, you'll analyse hybrid enterprises with dual social and for-profit motives, investigating the challenges they must solve to avoid 'mission drift'— a focus on profits to the detriment of the social good.

Gain an understanding of how decision-making at different levels within a digital business environment can be improved using behavioural research and information systems. You'll develop your ability to use business analytics methods and software to make data-based decisions for achieving operational excellence and business growth.

Performance and prospects of all corporations, domestic and international, depends on broader national or global economic considerations. Issues such as globalisation and inequality also have a critical economic aspect. This module will give you an understanding of the workings of a major economy subject to a constantly changing global environment, de-regulated financial systems, modern mass communication, and international monetary flows. You'll gain an insight into the unique problems and opportunities that both individual and corporate entrepreneurs face in translating innovative ideas into successful results. This could include anything from opportunity recognition to new venture creation.

AI has become a game-changer in the business landscape, with the potential to revolutionise traditional approaches to managing and optimising processes. In today's data-driven era, organisations need to harness the power of AI to extract valuable insights, automate tasks, and make informed decisions. This module addresses the growing demand for professionals, who possess a strong foundation in both business management and AI, to drive digital transformation and stay competitive in an increasingly AI-driven business environment. You'll focus on the practical application of AI techniques to enhance efficiency, effectiveness, and decision-making within organisations. You'll develop a deep understanding of the potential of AI in transforming various business processes. Additionally, you'll gain hands-on experience in utilising AI tools and methodologies.