Entry requirements

General entry requirements

Learning outcomes

The course aims to provide an understanding of the central problems and issues concerning enterprises, companies and other organisations and prepare the students for advanced studies in business administration. The students will be taught to independently and critically analyse business administration problems. The course covers two subject areas: marketing and organisation.

Upon completing the course, the student will be able to:

• independently and critically identify and analyse basic business problems,
• understand and explain basic connections between business idea, goal and strategy and how it affects the marketing and organisation of the company,
• understand and discuss how companies and organisations are affected by, and affect, their environment,
• understand, explain and independently apply basic concepts and models pertaining to marketing, including consumer marketing, service marketing and industrial marketing,
• understand, explain and independently apply basic organisational concepts and models.

An overall goal of the course is furthermore to develop the students' ability to carry out investigations on a scientific basis. This includes to independently retrieve relevant information and critically evaluate it, and answer questions relevant to business administration topics. The course also aims to develop the student's presentation skills, which refers to the ability to write an elementary scientific report. This also includes to critically review and comment on written work.

Content

This is a basic course in Business Studies which aims to give the students a broad introduction to central issues regarding business branches, companies and other organisations by introducing marketing and organisation theories. The course initially covers issues on company missions, goals and strategy which are areas common to both marketing and organisation theory.

Within marketing, the course covers different types of markets and basic marketing in consumer-, service-, and industrial markets. Within consumer marketing the course covers consumers, competitors and the surrounding environment as well as the companies' strategic and tactical marketing planning. Within service marketing, the marketing problems which are related to the characteristics of services are discussed, and within industrial marketing, the relationship-oriented perspective is contrasted with a transaction-oriented perspective.

Within organisation different aspects of organisations and organising are covered. Fundamental issues such as the division and coordination of work and management, control and leadership are covered. Different types of organisations, their characteristics and relations to the surrounding environment are described and problematised.

Instruction

The teaching activities are entirely web-based and are based on independent studies. Information about different activities, such as the work required and the dates for the submission of papers and other assignments, is available on the course's website. The teaching activities do not require any physical attendance - however, examination of modul 2 and 3 takes place physically on site in Uppsala. The communication between the participants and teachers occurs via the website. This requires that the participants have access to a good computer with internet access and other appropriate equipment. Further, this requires that the participants have adequate knowledge in using computer equipment.

Assessment

The examination consists of three modules:

1. Written assignment, 4 credits (U, G)
2. Written test 1, 5,5 credits (U, G, VG)
3. Written test 2, 5,5 credits (U, G, VG)

and one grade for the whole course, 15 credits.

Grading criteria are presented in the study guide that applies to the course section. The following grades will be used: pass with distinction (VG), pass (G), and fail (U). To receive a grade G for the whole course, the student must have achieved at least a grade G in all the three examination modules. In addition, to receive a grade VG for the whole course, the student must have achieved the grade G in module 1 as well as the grade VG in both module 2 and module 3. Examinations handed in late will not be assessed except under special circumstances. Any remaining supplemental work must be handed in by the deadline specified on the course home page.

A student who has not received a passing grade on modules 1 and/or 2 and/or 3 can without re-regestration do a make-up examination (module 1) and re-exam (module 2 and 3) at a future teaching period.

If there are special circumstances, an examiner may make an exception from the method of assessment indicated above and allow a student to be assessed according to another method. An example of special circumstance might be that the student has special needs certified by the University's disability coordinator.

Uppsala University does not accept cheating or plagiarism. Suspected incidents of cheating or plagiarism are reported to the Vice-Chancellor, which may issue a formal warning to the student or suspend the student from studies for a certain period.

NOTE: Only completed courses can count toward a degree.

Other regulations

In order to be able to follow the course, a computer connected to the Internet and any peripheral equipment according to the instructions on the course website are required. The exam is carried out in Uppsala.

The course deals with market and marketing related topics to the same extent as topics in the organisation area.

The course substitutes/overlaps among others: Introduction to Organising and Marketing 2FE160, Introduction to Marketing and Organising 2FE158, Introduction to Business and Organising 2FE157, Marketing and Organisation I 2FE150, Marketing and Organisation A 2FE152, Business and Enterprise 2FE007, Business and Markets II 2FE008, Business and Enterprise I 2FE015, Business and Enterprise II 2FE016, Business Enterprise, Networks and Technical Development 2FE021, Business Administration 1TG010, Management and Control 2FE824, Basic Marketing 1 2FE946, Organisation Studies I: The Individual, the Group and the Organisation 2FE947, Principles of Marketing 2FE913, Fundamentals of Management 2FE918.