Post Graduate Diploma in Enterprise Creation
The Postgraduate Diploma in Enterprise Creation is the academic side of the Embreonix experience. The diploma helps embreonix students to acquire and improve their skills as start-up entrepreneurs - learning the essentials of business creation, planning, management and control.
This course replaces the previous Postgraduate Diploma in Entrepreneurship and has taken on board previous students feedback to ensure that it meets the needs of our embreonix clients.
The Aims of the Programme
The aims of the Postgraduate Diploma in Enterprise Creation are as follows:
- to provide participating students with the knowledge and understanding of the process and requirements of new enterprise creation up to and including the preparation of the business plan
- to deliver a learning experience that combines the development of intellectual and practical skills associated with the development and implementation of a new business idea;
- to develop a range of professional and personal skills, and an awareness of formal and informal, individual and peer-supported, means by which such skills can be continuously developed;
- to instill a highly developed ability to evaluate, refine and develop an initial idea, proposed by self or others, with an awareness of its drivers, constraints and emerging characteristics.
The Organisation of the Programme
The Programme is undertaken on a full-time basis over almost one year (mid Sept- end August) and is organised into six modules: four subject modules and two business project modules. The subjects studied in the programme are intended to provide graduates with an understanding of entrepreneurship and the skills to develop, create and manage a dynamic small business enterprise. A brief description of each module follows:
The Modules:
Fundamentals of enterprise creation - double module
The aim of this module is to provide the student with an applied and integrated knowledge of specialist areas fundamental to the formation of a business idea. The module content will include - Assessing business ideas, Profiling markets and customers, Initial financial decisions for new enterprises, Legal considerations for new enterprises and Analysing and developing business situations.
E-business and new enterprises
This module introduces students to the world of online business and gives them an opportunity to examine how e-commerce might support their new business venture. It will provide students with an applied understanding of the role of the Internet in contemporary business, and an opportunity to evaluate the prospects for the implementation of e-commerce within their own business. The module content will include E-business & E-commerce Fundamentals, Using the internet for marketing and promotion, Strategy formulation for e-business, Strategy Implementation, Website Development and Legal Issues.
Personal Learning Project
In this module students will, through personal reflection and action planning, identify and rectify personal knowledge and/or skills gaps, and reflect on their approach to continued professional development. The Module aims to provide the student with the ability to identify their skills and knowledge gaps in aspects of new enterprise creation, and to plan for and evaluate their own professional development. The module content includes Evaluating Knowledge Gaps, Creating Personal Learning Plans and Reflection and Revision of Learning Plans.
Developing Business Proposals - double module
This module improves the student’s ability to develop a venture idea into a comprehensive proposal, and to evaluate such proposals. The module provides the student with an integrated knowledge of the main areas and discipline associated with new enterprise development, and the ability to apply that knowledge to the formulation of, and critical reflection on, a business proposal. The content of this module includes Developing the marketing mix for micro businesses, Financial Management in New Ventures, Legal Issues in Business Enterprise Creation and Corporate Governance.
Buying Selling and Negotiation
This module provides students with the critical knowledge and skills associated with successful buying and selling, and negotiations. The module provides students with the knowledge and skills to evaluate, and implement in context, the processes and practices of buying, selling and negotiation, critical to the current and future success of a start-up organisation. Module content will include The basis of negotiation, Selling, Purchasing, Process management in face-to-face negotiations and Negotiating skills.
The Business Plan
This is a project-based module that requires students to synthesise their subject study and field research; to critically assess the potential for value creation and feasibility of their business idea; and to formulate an appropriate business plan to create a new venture. This module requires the students to apply critical skills and knowledge gained throughout the programme to develop a viable business plan for a new enterprise. The module will cover the critical content in business plans; styles and designs of business plans developed for a variety of stakeholders; making an oral presentation of a written plan.
Assessment
There are no formal examinations. Each module is assessed by coursework, in addition there is an oral examination at the end of the Business Plan module.
Updated 16th October 2006