Business Placement | MANG2063 | University of Southampton

Module overview

Employers appreciate the skills and knowledge that graduates bring to organisations from academic study. However, employers increasingly value graduates who have undertaken a substantial placement as part of their degree. A structured placement provides students with the opportunity to develop their business skills and to gain valuable work experience in their degree, which ensures that graduates with a placement are better prepared for work beyond the University. This module not only provides opportunities for a placement, but it prepares students for selecting, applying, and working in a placement. It also provides support with a dedicated Placement Advisor, and ensures that students consider their future professional development needs and career path.

Aims and Objectives

Learning Outcomes

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

perform research and analysis in a commercial context;
apply problem solving skills in a business environment.

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

work independently and as part of a team in a professional organisation;
engage with jobs/processes not easily achievable in an academic institution e.g. latest technology, work behaviour etc.;
appreciate the atmosphere and pace of industrial practice.

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

critically reflect on personal performance and professional development.
contemporary business issues relevant to your degree programme;
how to apply theoretical knowledge into a ‘real world context’;

Syllabus

You will be supported in preparation for your placement in Parts 1 and 2 through an additional series of lectures and seminars, and an online placement preparation course. These classes will prepare you in applying for a placement and in working effectively in your chosen organisation. Due to the wide variety of experiences gained on a placement, each experience will be different, but the module content overall will include:

Choosing an appropriate placement
Preparation of an individual employability portfolio
Making placement applications
Development of a personal development plan
Teamwork
Negotiation skills
Communication skills
Problem solving skills
Workload management
Utilising constructive criticism
Ethics and responsibility in the workplace
Placement
Collecting relevant material to inform the reflective learning report
Post-placement reflective seminar

Learning and Teaching

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching methods include:

Lectures
Seminars
Online course
Visiting speakers
Private study through employability portfolio development
Mentoring from Workplace Supervisor

Learning activities include:

Development of individual employability portfolio
Critical reflection on personal workplace performance
Development of employability skills
Advancement of critical thinking through business practice
Placement
Enhancement of communication skills in a business context

Study time
Type	Hours
Wider reading or practice	30
Follow-up work	50
Lecture	6
Completion of assessment task	40
Project supervision	2
Placement Hours	1120
Preparation for scheduled sessions	12
Tutorial	10
Total study time	1270

Resources & Reading list

General Resources

On-line Resources. On-line Resources Up-to date resources can be found on www.soton.ac.uk/FBLAplacements and a dedicated online jobs portal. The placement module is a practically-orientated course. You will be directed to relevant resources and materials in preparatory classes and the online course to assist you in the development of your employability portfolio and reflective learning portfolio. You will be provided with a placement handbook and a blackboard site.

Assessment

Formative

This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.

Portfolio

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Report	100%

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Report	100%