Entrepreneurship and Business BA (Hons)

You’ll explore topics ranging from financial principles and reporting standards through to budgeting, costing and analytical problem-solving.

You'll gain an understanding of accounting’s indispensable role in informing strategy and operations for organisations, and finish this module with the theoretical knowledge and practical skills to guide organisations towards financial control.

You'll finish this module better equipped to leverage data analytics for both strategic and operational decision-making.

The module introduces students to the concepts of debate and critical thinking (and associated skills/tools) which underpin academic study, while establishing linkages with the broader external environment in terms of employability, career management and progression planning.

Therefore, the module addresses UoP hallmarks 4 - 11. Resources including reading and other learning materials will be shared via Moodle, providing relevant tools, frameworks and concepts which will then be applied to practical situations in class. The assessments will provide opportunities for formative/summative feedback both in class and online between students and tutors both in class and online.

Seminar exercises engage students in formative problem-solving activities addressing all learning outcomes. Spreadsheet skills are developed in timetabled computer laboratories through the use of supported and self-paced materials. Resources are available online on the University of Portsmouth Virtual Learning Environment Moodle. Optional weekly drop-in support sessions are available.

It introduces theoretical knowledge in the area of entrepreneurship in relation to opportunity identification and value creation, captures a wide range of entrepreneurship domains to provide a basic understanding of the discipline, and engages students with a practical entrepreneurial activity. The Module draws on creativity, ideas generation, and exposure to the external business environment to explore the processes of opportunity recognition, transforming those into the value proposition, with its subsequent validation in the selected context.

A weekly lecture will be supported be a weekly group seminar which are designed to enable students to explore concepts raised in the lectures and have opportunity to apply them both individually and in small groups, through a variety of real world scenarios and case studies.

By exploring world class research and real entrepreneurial experience, you'll gain an understanding of essential issues in entrepreneurship and small business management.

You'll work with your fellow students in entrepreneurial teams, developing innovative business ideas, and using the experience to build a range of entrepreneurial and employability skills.

You'll examine entrepreneurship as independent business creation as well as the formation of corporate and social enterprises.

You’ll explore the evolving issues that shape startup theory and practice today. And with an emphasis on critical thinking, you’ll learn to draw conclusions aligned to current trends as you prepare for further self-directed study in this field.

Successful organisations rely on a continual stream of new and improved products/services to maintain the relevance and competitiveness of their brands. This module will examine contemporary issues affecting the successful development of new products and services. For example how do firms cope with the threat of counterfeit products? And what should be their response. In the Public Sector developing new products and services is equally critical. The process for so doing however is very different. What should organisations do? In addition there is the need for rigorous business analysis to ensure that new products are financially viable.

Develop core skills in financial and non-financial analysis, and learn how to critique everything from financial statements to market reports.

You’ll interpret intricate data sets and learn to identify meaningful insights to inform strategy and planning.

By blending lectures with seminars and completing coursework focused on real companies, you’ll evaluate data, identify issues and improve decision quality. With regular feedback, you’ll bridge the gap between theory and practice.

You'll finish this module ready to tackle problems with an analytical eye.

Gain hands on experience putting theory into practice, and using product management tools and frameworks to develop your own creative new product idea.

With assessments centered on analysing real organisations, you’ll evaluate decisions related to resourcing, positioning and launch - leaving you equipped to prepare watertight business cases for investment.

Upon completion, you'll have the strategic vision and product innovation skills to help brands create a portfolio of profitable new products.

You'll examine laws governing contracts, negligence and employment as you begin to graps sophisticated concepts and objective perspectives. Using case studies that mirror modern workplaces, you'll tackle complex analysis and communication as you research up-to-date legal sources, think critically and problem-solve. This immersive module prepares you to approach workplace legal dilemmas in an analytical yet nuanced manner, so you'll finish this module with skills that are attractive in future business managers and employment law professionals.

Explore emerging technologies from artificial intelligence to cryptocurrencies — and analyse models and strategies for online sales, marketing and operations.

You'll discover the intricate development processes, innovative models, and cutting-edge applications reshaping modern business landscapes.

By engaging in critical discussions on business-to-business and business-to-consumer e-commerce, you'll prepare to navigate the social, legal, and ethical dimensions shaping digital transactions.

You'll finish this module with an entrepreneurial spirit as you embark on hands-on projects by crafting dynamic websites that are tailored to real-world clients.

Explore event theories and planning models as you develop theoretical knowledge and hands-on skills for successfully planning, marketing and executing events.

Through group projects that mirror the way you'll work in industry, you’ll explore a range of event types and tailor your marketing plans to suit their needs — whether for business, cultural, or sporting events.

Examples of past projects are: developing options for a bank for use of their banking halls for community financial education; creating a strategy for a facilities management firm to improve their marketing; helping a social enterprise to find ways to grow their user base with new service offerings. You'll develop skills in teamwork, project management, design thinking and consultancy, and learn to practically apply business concepts from across your degree studies. After an introduction to the organisation, your client will provide ongoing direction and guidance, and you'll be giving them regular progress updates. For most of the time, you'll be part of an independent, diverse team, managing priorities to achieve the project aims. You'll be supported throughout the module by your seminar tutor. Much of your learning will be off-campus, meeting key stakeholders and conducting tasks such as customer surveys and interviews. We encourage an experimental and entrepreneurial approach, and you'll learn key skills in the seminars and online lectures. The coursework is a mix of 60% group work and 40% individual assessment.

Exploring the models and best practices related to ideation, development and launch, you’ll understand the processes that bring ideas to market. 

Analysing factors from sustainability to globalisation, you’ll tackle the contemporary issues impacting development in the modern landscape. This module will equip you with understanding to give you a cutting edge in the jobs market.

With assessments focused on addressing real-world cases, you'll boost your strategic skills to manage initiatives smoothly from vision to rollout, leaving you prepared to champion disruption responsibly across industries ahead.

Complete activities to unlock your potential, clarify your strengths and address your key development areas.

With support from academic and industry mentors, you’ll build a career-focused portfolio that showcases your course learnings and key messages.

You'll learn to evaluate the opportunities available to you, empowering you to navigate uncertainty as an adaptable, ethical and life-long learner. You'll finish this module prepared to take advantage of emerging opportunities.

You'll employ primary investigative and scholarly techniques to illuminate issues - analysing internal dynamics alongside external forces to formulate actionable recommendations. This independent module enables you to manage issue scoping, solution proposals and communication of multifaceted recommendations, showcasing your contextual mastery, creative-critical faculties and the adaptable mindset needed to guide enterprises amidst changing times.

By appraising issues at business and corporate levels, you'll develop expertise in applying strategic frameworks to identify options.

You'll examine theory, weigh evidence and propose strategies as you develop practical skills for issue resolution and driving strategic change.

By the end of this module you'll be ready to evaluate propositions critically, and to recommend implementations to real-world challenges.

The Module makes use of case examples to review applicable theory and frameworks to illustrate the combined roles of Continuous Improvement (CI), Organisational Learning (OL), Change Management, and the importance of a Creative Environment (CE) as a springboard for innovation.

This module will develop your knowledge and understanding in the application of ideas, methodologies, processes, and techniques for improving and sustaining organisational performance. The module emphasises the operationalising of business and functional strategy and focuses on how to facilitate and sustain successful change.

The module evaluates the cultural, behavioural and human elements, and considers the role ¿people¿ have in leading and being part of successful and sustainable improvement.

It covers situations ranging from buying a house, salary negotiations and corporate take-overs to agreeing commercial contractual conditions. This course covers basic negotiation concepts such as distributive and integrative bargaining, two-party and multi-party situations as well as more advanced topics such as the impact of culture and psychology on judgement and decision making. There is an emphasis on practical skills and there will be extensive use of role playing and group based simulations.

Use flexible project management tools that meet industry standards, and learn to differentiate between transformative initiatives and business-as-usual processes.

By evaluating real-world cases, you’ll analyse the contextual factors and stakeholder dynamics that position certain projects as strategic investments. With an outcome-oriented mindset, you’ll appreciate how disciplined planning, communication and risk mitigation leads teams to mobilise resources for impactful delivery.

This module equips you with a versatile project management toolkit and a strategic perspective that is highly valued across sectors.

It explores the responsibilities and boundaries of businesses in a range of contemporary environmental and social issues and in the context of differing ethical frameworks. In this module we will also investigate how areas ranging from business ethics, law, politics, economics, strategy and management affect our understanding and practice related to responsible and sustainable business. Topics addressed in this module include, but will not be restricted to: foundation in business ethics, stakeholder theory, definitions and conceptions and practical applications of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and sustainability.

After your second or third year, you can do an optional work placement year to get valuable longer-term work experience in the industry.

We’ll help you secure a work placement that fits your aspirations, and you’ll get mentoring and support throughout your year of work.

When you graduate after successfully completing a placement year, your degree transcript and degree certificate will state that your degree is `in the sandwich mode'.