This module focuses on leadership and change practice, and has considerable potential to support employability. Its strong work-based and reflective enquiry component will help you explore how to initiate and carry through improvements and projects in your current work from an early stage. You will also develop skills to enable you to manage your learning in new work contexts. ‘Work’ isn’t just limited to paid jobs. However – for successful completion of this module – it’s very important to be involved in some ongoing project where you can influence others and initiate change.
What you will study
By the end of the module you will be able to:
- understand processes of leadership, influence and change within the day-day operations of organisations or other work contexts
- draw upon different, and often conflicting, academic ideas in order to develop your own skills and practice of leading and initiating change within the scope of your potential to do so
- use robust, practical and scholarly processes of research and reflection so as to evaluate the contribution of new ideas and practices to success within your work context
- plan, manage and communicate the processes and outcome of practical, work-based projects that require high-quality inquiry.
Vocational relevance
This module is for students who are currently working in either formal or informal settings. Its content is directly relevant to providing you with the skills to develop your ability to initiate and carry through projects and day to day work. Please note that involvement in a workplace and participation in online discussion forums will be important to the successful completion of the assignments. By ‘workplace’ we do not necessarily mean paid employment but a context where you are working with others, over the six- eight months of the module, to achieve some particular goal. This module will prepare you with practical skills that are in line with the QAA benchmark statement expectations for business studies.
Entry
This is an OU level 2 module and if you have no previous experience of studying business management, it is strongly recommended that you first study An introduction to business management (B100) (or an equivalent).
It is important to note that this module will require you to explore the subject content within a ‘work context’. By ‘work context’, we do not mean that you have to be in paid employment but the work-based nature of the module will require that you have some organisational context within which you can learn. This can include informal social groupings, voluntary, religious or sporting organisations.
If you have any doubt about the suitability of the module, please speak to an adviser.
Qualifications
B204 is a compulsory module in our:
B204 is an optional module in our:
It can also count towards most of our other degrees at bachelors level, where it is equally appropriate to a BA or BSc. We advise you to refer to the relevant qualification descriptions for information on the circumstances in which this module can count towards these qualifications because from time to time the structure and requirements may change.
Excluded combinations
Sometimes you will not be able to count a module towards a qualification if you have already taken another module with similar content. To check any excluded combinations relating to this module, visit our excluded combination finder or check with an adviser before registering.
If you have a disability
To study this module you will be expected to use online resources and participate in online forums and where appropriate tutorials. Tutors and students on this module have the option of using online tutorials. Your tutor will advise if they plan to use online tutorials as part of the teaching on the module. If you have any concerns about participating in online tutorials you should contact your tutor. If you use specialist hardware of software to assist you in operating a computer or the internet and have any concerns about accessing this type of material you are advised to contact us about support which can be given to meet your needs.
Written transcripts of any audio components and Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) versions of printed material are available. Some Adobe PDF components may not be available or fully accessible using a screen reader and musical notation and mathematical, scientific, and foreign language materials may be particularly difficult to read in this way. Other alternative formats of the study materials may be available in the future.
Study materials
What's included
Module books, readers, other printed materials, DVD, online resources and activities.
You will need
You will need a headset with a microphone and earphones if you wish to take part in online tutorials.
Teaching and assessment
Support from your tutor
You will have a tutor who will help you with the study material and mark and comment on your written work, and whom you can ask for advice and guidance. We may also be able to offer group tutorials (either face to face or online) or day schools that you are encouraged, but not obliged, to attend. How and where tutorials are held depends on the distribution of students taking each module.
Contact us if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.
Assessment
The assessment details for this module can be found in the facts box above.
You will be expected to submit your tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) online through the eTMA system unless there are some difficulties which prevent you from doing so. In these circumstances, you must negotiate with your tutor to get their agreement to submit your assignment on paper.
Future availability
The details given here are for the module that starts in October 2017. This module is expected to start for the last time in October 2017.
Regulations
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the academic regulations which are available on our
Student Policies and Regulations website.