MMM156: International Applied Challenge

Module code: MMM156

Module provider: International Business and Strategy; Henley Business School

Credits: 20

Level: Postgraduate Masters

When you'll be taught: Semester 2

Module convenor: Dr Katiuscia Lavoratori, email: k.lavoratori2@henley.ac.uk

Module co-convenor: Professor Yelena Kalyuzhnova, email: y.kalyuzhnova@henley.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: No

Last updated: 28 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

The module provides intensive experiential learning in an international context, either virtually or via direct travel (following institutional decision). This is an opportunity for student groups to visit a particular country, institutions and particular business communities to explore sustainable and wider management issues and the methods the community has found for addressing these issues, and where possible, to assist these communities with possible applied knowledge. The module assists in creating a network of active young specialists who think globally and act locally to make business action happen. The country partner institutions play a key role in setting up the itinerary and hosting the visit. Students will work in multinational teams for up to 10 working days to develop international capabilities and build their global network.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. enhance their multicultural and international competence in a particular context /country, and demonstrate skills in critical and multicultural thinking for practice to support their educational experiences as well as to support sustainable management practice in a global world; 
2. give an account of the causal relationships between various economic, fiscal, political and technological variables, factors and conditions or local major institutions affecting management in that context and the behaviour of companies in a particular context; 
3. demonstrate teamwork skills as well as oral and written communication skills in an international context through experiential learning, and demonstrate a knowledge of the strategies involved in sustainability-oriented practices in business and wider communities in a particular country; 
4. Additional outcomes: Students will master the ability to discuss and influence progressive ideas for action towards issues of business, managerial capabilities, and human resources development in the context of a particular country. They will then develop the skills to make sense and meaning of the complexity of the international environment and will contribute to group ideas on what is possible given the discourse. In addition, students will also develop generic skills for accessing and developing an ongoing appreciation of issues related to an international context.

Module content

• Semester 1 and 2 classes will introduce students to general knowledge relevant to the international applied challenge. 
• The detailed programme of the time abroad should be provided to the students in Semester 2 prior to the visit based on the current circumstances and institutional policy/decisions.
• Students will have to sign a letter, stipulating some formalities with respect to the module, namely study tasks during the time in a particular country, conditions of confidentiality of information, which they may have access in relation to the company or its clients or staff (related to the company visits), the obligations outlined above extend to information contained in any documents, reports, spreadsheets or other materials produced by students regarding the placement in support of the module; data protection. 

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

Customised academic and applied presentations by faculty experts in the receiving university and local institutional leaders and experts. Students will be exposed to a variety of customised and generic group visits to various businesses and broader institutions that altogether form the “local cultural context” and norms.

Global context: 
The module is specifically designed to ensure that students have an opportunity to broaden and enrich their global perspective by studying and interacting with local firms/start-ups/organisations within a different international context.

Study hours

This module is a placement or study abroad module and therefore the teaching and learning activities will predominantly, or entirely, take place away from the University of Reading. Your host organisation will normally advise you of the associated hours of your placement or year abroad. If the module includes any in-person activities at the University of Reading, these will be confirmed to you before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 50% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Student teams will discuss their pre-departure reports, case study and pitch with the faculty involved in the module in the host and home universities/organisations. The formative feedback in the context of supervised time in studio/workshop while teams will be preparing their work. The formative feedback will enable students to reflectively adapt their group report and presentations which are the two assessed components of coursework in this module.

Reassessment

Additional costs