Hacking the MoD (H4MoD) BUS5044

  • Academic Session: 2023-24
  • School: Adam Smith Business School
  • Credits: 20
  • Level: Level 5 (SCQF level 11)
  • Typically Offered: Semester 2
  • Available to Visiting Students: No

Short Description

This is a course offered in collaboration with the UK's Ministry of Defence and is project based and it involves students working in teams to assess of a real-world problem presented by the UK's Ministry of Defence. The students will benefit from working on a problem that is co-produced with the end-users of the research. The course will develop a series of higher-level skills for students operating in a demanding task environment.

Timetable

There are weekly sessions of between 90-120 minutes and these are carried out online. The timing of these meetings are agreed on an ad hoc basis with the student cohort and the MoD client.

Requirements of Entry

Students must be registered on one of the programmes listed below:

■ Master of Business Administration (MBA)

■ MSc Financial Technology

Excluded Courses

None

Co-requisites

None

Assessment

ILO being assessed

Course Aims

The aim of this course is to provide students with the opportunity to develop a range of advanced skills necessary to work with organisations in a consultancy context by utilising a range of tools (such as the mission model canvas and personal inquiry process) as a means of structuring the nature of the inquiry. Present a final report to the client about the potential solutions to the problem.

Intended Learning Outcomes of Course

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

1. Assess a key management problem within a military organisation using structured interviewing skills to frame a problem and recognise the key limitations and problems associated with such approaches.

2. Create and present a range of solutions to client-defined problems, demonstrating critical awareness of the challenges associated with high-level consultancy interventions and the problem-framing and intervention tools that are used in this context.

3. Use a range of methodological tools and approaches to address complex problems and demonstrate an understanding of the core management perspectives used within a real-world consulting context.

4. Assess the challenges associated with the provision of management advice from outsiders to the organisation and analyse the intellectual challenges associated with the activity.

5. Develop advanced communication, leadership and team-working skills in a collaborative setting.

6. Demonstrate skills in the use of information from multiple sources in dealing with complex ill-defined problem and critically evaluate the predictive validity associated with assessments where the burden of proof is limited.

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.