This Course Guide has been taken from the most recent presentation of the course. It would be useful for reference purposes but please note that there may be updates for the following presentation.
MGT B160
Business Management Fundamentals
Welcome to MGT B160 Business Management Fundamentals.
Business Management Fundamentals is a one-term, 5-credit foundation level course offered by the Lee Shau Kee School of Business and Administration. It is an elective course on several undergraduate programmes and is available for 'free choice' credits within most undergraduate programmes. This course is particularly useful for those who have never enrolled in any business-related courses.
In studying MGT B160 Business Management Fundamentals you will acquire basic business management skills and a broad and general knowledge of the business field. Don't worry if you don't have a business background or extensive on-the-job experience: the course is learner-friendly and free of technical jargon.
The main focus of the course is on the fundamentals of business management. You will be introduced to various external influences on businesses, such as the environment, the economy, and the law, and consider the nature of entrepreneurship. The main part of the course deals with the four basic business functions found in any business organization — marketing, accounting and finance, production and operations management and human resource management. Each of these functions has a unit to itself.
This course is made up of five study units. The study time for each unit will vary between three and four weeks. You will find more detailed information about the contents of each unit in the section of this Course Guide entitled 'Course description'.
This course uses a variety of learning media, including readings, activities, self tests, case studies, supplementary lectures (pre-recorded videos) and live online tutorials. The study units, textbook and exercises will help you master the topic over a period of about 16 weeks.
This course is supported by the Online Learning Environment (OLE). You can find course material and the latest course information from the OLE. Through the OLE, you can also communicate with your tutor, the Course Coordinator as well as fellow students. For details about the OLE and how to access it, please refer to the Online Learning Environment User Guide.
By now, you have completed other HKMU courses so you are well aware of the study skills required for distance learning and are now familiar with how HKMU courses are organized. Even so, you should read this Course Guide very thoroughly before proceeding to look at the study units or your set textbook. Much of the content will be familiar to you but some of the information is specific to MGT B160 Business Management Fundamentals.
The Course Guide tells you briefly what the course is about and how you can work your way through the material. It also suggests the amount of time you are likely to need to spend to complete the course successfully, and gives you a general guide as to when your assignments are due. For detailed information on your assignments, see the Assignment File. You will probably wish to refer to this Course Guide throughout the course to help clarify important points about studying with HKMU.
MGT B160 Business Management Fundamentals aims to introduce you to the general concepts, knowledge and skills you need to manage a business organization effectively. In general, this course intends to provide you with an overview of management's key business challenges and a basic understanding of each core business area, such as marketing, accounting and finance, operations and human resource management. Further, this course will introduce you to a wide discipline of study. At this introductory level the emphasis is on breadth rather than depth.
Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:
MGT B160 Business Management Fundamentals is composed of five study units. Each study unit consists of three to four weeks' work and includes readings, examples, learning activities and summaries of the main points covered. The activities and self tests, which appear regularly in every study unit, are designed to help you review and apply your knowledge of the material that you have studied and to gauge your progress. Each activity/self test should take 15–30 minutes to complete. There is also a case study, a section of which appears at the end of each unit, which integrates the themes and principles you are studying and demonstrates their application in a business situation. Together with assignments, the activities / self tests and case study will help you in achieving the course learning outcomes of the course.
The course overview below shows the titles of the five units and suggests the amount of time you should allow for completing them. The times are intended as a guide only. The time needed to complete the study units, work through the activities and assignments and complete the other work involved in this course will vary from learner to learner. You need to plan your own work and study schedule carefully. The estimated time, on average, that you need to spend on this course is about 7–10 hours per week. This estimate includes time for reading the study units, completing activities, case studies, and assignments, undertaking the suggested reviews, as well as attending the live online tutorials.
The following table provides a general overview of the course structure.
| Units | Study time (weeks) | Assignments | |
| 1 | The business environment and trends in business | 4 | |
| 2 | Principles of marketing | 3 | |
| 3 | Managing accounting information and financial issues | 3 | Assignment 1 |
| 4 | The business of managing | 3 | |
| 5 | People in organizations | 3 | Assignment 2 |
| Total | 16 | ||
In addition to this Course Guide, the course has the following components:
Study units
Each of the five study units in MGT B160 Business Management Fundamentals consists of about three to four weeks' work. Although we have recommended the amount of time you should spend on each unit, you may prefer to study material in a slightly different way. You have to plan your own study schedule. But you must complete the activities and case studies, and submit assignments on time.
Each unit includes five different ways to help you study this course:
Set textbook
There is one required textbook for MGT B160 Business Management Fundamentals.
Pride, W M, Hughes, R J and Kapoor, J R (2019) Foundations of Business, 6th edn (Asia Edition), Cengage Learning.
Assignment File
Assignment details for this course are contained in the Assignment File. The nature of these assignments is described in the 'Assignments' section. The Assignment File gives you details about your assignments — how many marks each question is worth, approximately how much you should write, how to submit your assignment online and when you should submit the assignment (the 'cut-off-date').
Case study
At the end of every unit there is a short case study exercise, in which you will be asked to apply the theories and principles to a business situation. The case is a fictitious one based on a small company in Hong Kong. It is first presented in Unit 1 and develops throughout the subsequent units.
You will be asked to tackle various management issues by applying the different principles and skills introduced in each unit. This approach helps you understand what it is like to be faced with analysing and making management decisions. Remember that case studies usually do not have right or wrong answers. The important things are to form and express opinions and support them with good arguments.
Presentation Schedule
The Presentation Schedule for MGT B160 Business Management Fundamentals is available on the Online Learning Environment (OLE).
You should pay particular attention to this Course Guide and all instructions in the study units. Also you are urged to attend all your live online tutorials where you will meet other 'distant' learners; you will find that you have much in common.
Study units
You should read each study unit and assigned chapters of the textbook carefully. Each unit tells you what to do and how to approach any assignment related to the unit. If you do not read the study units carefully, you may miss important information. You must read the study units and the textbook.
It is also helpful to read as widely as possible. You should read articles in newspapers, journals, other books on the topic and related cases, if possible. The more widely you read, the better your appreciation and understanding of the subject will be.
Each study unit is organized into a number of sections:
The introduction shows how the unit fits into the structure of the course as a whole and explains the organization of the material within the unit. It will also enable you to understand what you should be gaining from each topic and help you to focus your attention as you work through the material.
The main topics deal with different aspects of the material in the unit. Within each topic there are a number of sub-topics which split the material up into short, well-focused sections. Most of the reading material is in the unit itself. Wherever there is a required reading, there is an accompanying guide or commentary in the unit.
The activities, self-tests and case study are designed to help you achieve the course learning outcomes. They also help prepare you for the assignments. You should do each self-test and case study as you come to it in the study unit whenever possible. Some require you to observe and take notes on something at work or elsewhere, in which case you should complete the self-test before you move to the next section of the study unit. The suggested answers for the self tests and case study are included at the end of the unit, but you should attempt to answer all the questions before looking at the answers.
The summary of the unit helps you remember the main points.
Checking understanding
Some of the concepts in this course will be new to you, and you may have to make an effort to understand them, though many of the exercises will help you apply them. Keep a note of your problems and raise them with your tutor as soon as possible. Be specific about the problem; your tutor can then help you much more easily.
Online Learning Environment
This course is supported by the Online Learning Environment (OLE). You can find course materials and the latest course information from the OLE. Through the OLE, you can also communicate with your tutors, the Course Coordinator and other students. For details about the OLE and how to access it, please refer to the Online Learning Environment User Guide.
This course is designed to assist you to move easily from the study unitsthrough the required readings, activities, and assignments. In the course assessment, you are expected to apply knowledge and skills introduced during the course. The non-assessed activities described previously help you to prepare for the assessed problems. They are designed to help you understand and apply the principles covered in the unit.
The following table shows the components of assessment for this course.
| Assessment | Weighting |
| Assignment 1 | 30% |
| Assignment 2 | 30% |
| Examination | 40% |
| Total | 100% |
To be assured of achieving a Pass result, you must pass (i.e. at least score 40) in both the continuous assessment (i.e. assignments) and the examination.
Assignments
There are two assignments to be handed in by the due dates specified in the Assignment File. The marks from both assignments will be counted, and will comprise the total assessment. You will find the assignments in your Assignment File along with detailed instructions on how to complete them. Please be advised that you should adhere to the word limit specified in each assignment (if applicable). You must complete all assignments and submit them to your tutor for marking in order to gain credit for this course.
After your tutor marks and comments on your assignments, they will be returned to you via the OLE or Assignment Office. Do review the comments provided by your tutor as they are meant to help you improve your performance on any remaining assignments and on your examination.
How to submit your assignments
You must use word processing software (such as Microsoft Word) to prepare the assignments, and submit the assignments via the Online Learning Environment (OLE). All assignments must be uploaded to the OLE by the due date.
Failure to upload an assignment in the required format to the OLE may result in the score of the assignment being adjusted to zero.
Assignment submission extension policy
The assignment policy of the University as stated in the Student Handbook should be observed. You are required to submit assignments for this course in accordance with the dates communicated by your Course Coordinator. You may apply for a submission extension on the grounds of illness, accident, disability, bereavement or other compassionate circumstances.
Applications for extensions must be submitted online via the OLE. Please note the following:
After an assignment is submitted via the OLE, it is your responsibility to check that the assignment has been successfully submitted. Extension applications due to any problem with uploading will not be accepted. The University cannot accept any responsibility for assignments that are not received by your tutor due to any problem with submission via the OLE. As a precaution, you are advised to keep a copy of each assignment you submit.
According to the University's policy, no extension of the due date will be allowed for the final assignment. This policy will be strictly enforced. Any late submission of the final assignment will result in the score of the assignment being adjusted to zero.
Examination and grading
The final examination for MGT B160 is two hours long and has a weighting of 40% of the total course grade. Use the time between completing the last unit and the examination to review the entire course. You might find it useful to review the practice exercises, assignments and your tutor's comments on them, before sitting the examination. You will be advised of examination arrangements after you send in your examination registration card.
A specimen examination paper will be posted on the OLE in the early beginning of the term to give you an idea of the format and structure of the examination paper.
Live online tutorials
In general, there are ten hours of tutorials throughout the study period.
During the live online tutorial time, you will meet your own tutor. Tutors will review the key learning objectives and focus on the difficult concepts and ideas presented in your textbook and study units. He/she will provide further explanations and real-life examples from their work experience. You will also have opportunities to practice some exercises and case questions to ensure your understanding of the concepts. Of course, this is the time to ask questions and to clarify your understanding.
Tutors
Your tutor will:
Your tutor is your first point of contact with HKMU. If you need any information or have any problems, please speak to him or her before you contact your course coordinator.
Your tutor is able to provide you with considerable assistance. We urge you to make use of this guidance.
Tutors are required to start live online tutorial sessions on time. If a tutor fails to turn up 30 minutes after the scheduled starting time, students may assume that the session is cancelled and they should report the case to the Course Coordinator so that a make-up session can be arranged.
Self-help groups
You may be familiar with these study groups if you have taken other courses at HKMU. Whether you join a study group is entirely up to you.
Some good reasons for joining a self-help group:
However, in order to benefit from the self-help group, you have to do your homework and get yourself prepared before the meeting.
MGT B160 Business Management Fundamentals is intended to help you understand the basic concepts, knowledge and skills of managing a business. The course has a very wide scope and gives you a general knowledge of all the main business areas: it is not intended to help you become an expert in business management. Should you find a particular topic interesting, you can always read more about it by referring to the 'References' list at the end of every study unit, or you may pursue the topic area in greater depth by enrolling in a higher level course.
Good luck, and enjoy the course!
If you wish to defer your studies of this course until a later date, you should apply for deferment of studies. For the regulations governing deferment of studies, please refer to your Student Handbook. If you have applied for deferment of studies you should continue with your studies of this course and submit the required assignments until formal approval is given by the university.
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