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 you with the opportunity to develop your business skills and to gain valuable work experience in your degree, which ensures that upon graduating with a placement you are better prepared for work beyond the University. This module not only provides opportunities for a placement, but it prepares your employability skills and professional profile ready for the application process and the practical experience. It also provides support with a dedicated Placement Advisor, and ensures that you consider your future professional development needs and career pathways.

Aims and Objectives

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding

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

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

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., communication with senior management;
appreciate the atmosphere and pace of industrial practice.

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.

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
Professional Behaviour
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
Peer support
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
Project supervision	2
Follow-up work	50
Tutorial	10
Lecture	4
Wider reading or practice	30
Preparation for scheduled sessions	12
Placement Hours	1120
Completion of assessment task	40
Total study time	1268

Resources & Reading list

General Resources

On-line Resources. The dedicated online resource where you will access all resources for this module will be held on blackboard. The placement module is practically-orientated. You will be directed to relevant resources and materials in preparatory classes and on blackboard to assist you in the development of your individual employability portfolio and reflective learning portfolio. You will be provided with an electronic copy of your placement handbook on blackboard.

Assessment

Formative

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

Individual employability 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%