Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Enterprise Development MSc

This module introduces the student to the concepts of entrepreneurship and the role of the entrepreneurial mindset. It explores important entrepreneurial characteristics associated with successful entrepreneurial behaviour and process. Students will also explore the concept of opportunity identification and exploitation through live work with a chosen charity where they will fund raise for it using their mindset and business acumen.

This module introduces the student to the concepts of design thinking. It explores systematically the approach to innovation and problem-solving. Students will explore strategies to generate new ideas through practical in-situ and online exercises, both individually and in teams. The module will show students the importance of combining empathy, creativity and rationality to analyse different business contexts and identify solutions that fit specific contexts. The whole module is developed around a structured approach for driving innovation in the organisation.

This module introduces the student to the main marketing research methodologies and some basic techniques for data description and inference. It explores how to identify data needs and how to collect and examine raw data to support organisational decision-making, both quantitatively and qualitatively. Furthermore, this module will teach students how to generate relevant business questions to fill business gaps and enhance competitiveness in light of existing market evidence. Students will gain knowledge of data collection practices, both quantitative and qualitative, used commonly in the industry to gain insight into consumers’ preferences and attitudes to products and brands.

This module introduces the student to the concepts and role of creativity in innovation. It explores creative techniques to develop creative and thinking skills with a view to make students better learners, through practical application and activities, both individually and in teams. The module shows students the importance of team engagement and individual contribution to successful team creativity and innovation within an organisation. The unique value added for this module is to introduce experiential team learning philosophy into a unique disruptive model of creativity enhancement, that weaves together hands-on learning through real world problem solving through business challenges in collaboration with entrepreneurs. Team entrepreneurship is central to this module, creating a powerful learning journey that transforms individuals into collaborative entrepreneurs and team innovators.

This module introduces the student to the concepts of lean scale-up and entrepreneurial audit, which include a comprehensive examination of a ventures/business’ entrepreneurial and innovation activities. Students will learn to critique core business models of ventures/businesses and their ability to respond to environmental opportunities and threats. Students will engage with an external organisation of their choice and will answer the following question: How innovative, risk-taking, and proactive is this venture? Students will explore the importance of the learning organisation in sustaining the entrepreneurial ecosystem and will analyse the process of utilisation of resources. Students will also learn how organisational efficiency and effectiveness help to maximise profits by limiting waste.

This module looks at the origins, emergence, and current state of innovation in the context of the digital economy. It explores a wide range of issues such as the sources, nature, and effects of digital innovation, the emergence of key sectors of the digital economy, the strategies that established players have already adopted (e.g. Amazon, Apple, Assos, Google, Netflix, Spotify, Uber, Zalando, Wikipedia), the strategy battles between incumbents and digital start-ups in various sectors (e.g., automotive, fashion, financial services, retailing, etc.), the emergence of digital innovation ecosystems (e.g. app stores), the management of global value chains of digital innovation, the management of new digital sources of innovation (e.g. crowdfunding, crowdsourcing, user innovation), and the role that government plays, for instance, through innovation policy. It weaves these issues together to shed light on the link between digital innovation, the competitiveness of firms and national economies, as well as on the darker aspects of digital innovation, such as democratic accountability, economic inequalities, environmental sustainability and ethical issues.

This module provides students with the opportunity to experience the real-life process of designing, planning and implementing an entrepreneurial activity that may facilitate the launch of a new venture. Students are expected to integrate their knowledge gained from the programme with their personal experience. Examples of the types of projects that students may wish to develop include (but they are not limited to): Raising capital for their ventures, prototyping of products/services, developing new business models for existing organisations, just to mention a few. All these activities will help students to add value to their own creative projects capitalising on the cognitive and professional skills acquired throughout the programme. This is the ultimate experience for students to develop their own business with the full support of supervision.

If entrepreneurship forms the essence of a business, marketing embodies its tangible manifestation. This module aims to offer an entrepreneurial perspective in analysing marketing strategies and practices, particularly in response to dynamic environments, emerging innovations, and global challenges. It emphasises the distinctive needs and entrepreneurial orientations for marketing initiatives aimed at sustainable and impact-driven value creation, whether pursued by nascent startups or established corporations venturing into new markets from inception. It is important for students to gain an understanding of how entrepreneurial marketing concepts are applied to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), startups, and corporate venturing contexts. These applications diverge from traditional marketing ideas and operate within a distinct continuum.