Undergraduate 

Business & Management MA(SocSci)/BSc/LLB/MA

Business Decision Analysis MGT2010

  • Academic Session: 2024-25
  • School: Adam Smith Business School
  • Credits: 10
  • Level: Level 2 (SCQF level 8)
  • Typically Offered: Semester 2
  • Available to Visiting Students: Yes
  • Collaborative Online International Learning: No

Short Description

MGT2010, Business Decision Analysis, is one of four 10-credit courses which comprise level 2 study in Business and Management. Students will complete all four courses (40 credits in total) in order to progress to further study in Business and Management subject to achieving entry requirements. 

 

Business Decision Analysis is directed at students in their second year who already have a basic knowledge of business decision making from MGT1023 Principles of Management.  The course introduces qualitative and quantitative approaches needed to obtain, analyse, and summarise data about an organisation's external and internal business environment, and the institutional context in which it is situated. The course explores how such information can be used and interpreted to in evidence-based decision making.

Timetable

Lectures in a blended format: 10 x 2h (10x1h on campus and 10x1h asynchronous/online anytime) (wks 1-5, 7-11).
Tutorials: 1 x 1hr tutorials x 5 weeks

Tutorials are held at various times and can be selected on MyCampus.

Excluded Courses

None.

Assessment

Intended Learning Outcomes

Main Assessment In: April/May

Course Aims

Aims

To develop an understanding of the types and uses of data for decision making in organisations based on the knowledge and skills acquired in MGT 1023. The course provides an overview of how qualitative and quantitative data can inform organisational decision-making and explore key questions such as:

 

1. What kinds of decisions do managers need to take for organisations to thrive and survive?

 

2. What are the types of data that managers require to use to make Evidence-Based Decisions?

 

3. How do organisations manage the risk and uncertainty that exist because of the limitations of data and information availability and accuracy?

 

4. How does decision-making work in practice in contemporary organisations?

The course also begins to raise key questions that underpin the core Junior Honours course MGT4023 Strategic Management. As such, throughout the course, we consider why management decisions concerning long term organisational survival are complex. This includes 'Connections with Practice' with a minimum of one guest practitioner discussing how decisions are made within their organization at senior & middle levels.

 

Intended Learning Outcomes of Course

By the end of this course students will be able to:

 

1. Analyse a business problem in context and identify the scope of the inquiry required to manage it.

2. Select data sources and identify potentially useful data from academic studies, industry, and business media reports.

3. Evaluate the feasibility and plausibility of alternative methods of inquiry when making Evidence-Based decisions.

4. Evaluate and assess the process of data collection, analyses and reporting in different industry, public sector and NGO contexts drawing upon both qualitative and quantitative data.

Minimum Requirement for Award of Credits

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.