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MBA Programme Handbook

Enhancing leaders and entrepreneurs

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CONTENTS

Welcome ........................................................................................................ 4

Meet The Team ................................................................................................. 5

Unit Leaders .................................................................................................. 5

Academic Support Officers ................................................................................. 6

Course Overview ............................................................................................... 7

Learning Outcomes .......................................................................................... 7

Areas of Study................................................................................................ 8

Options ........................................................................................................ 8

Assessment ................................................................................................... 8

Enhancing Your Skills ....................................................................................... 8

Projects and Experience .................................................................................... 8

Course Structure ............................................................................................... 9

Modes of Study ............................................................................................... 9

Full Time Mode (1 Year) ................................................................................... 10

Part Time (2 Years) ........................................................................................ 10

Course Content ................................................................................................ 11

Enhanced Leadership ...................................................................................... 11

Contemporary Organisational Behaviour ................................................................ 11

Financial Decision Making in Business ................................................................... 11

Financial Strategies ........................................................................................ 11

Enterprise and Entrepreneurship ......................................................................... 11

The Principles of Marketing ............................................................................... 12

Leadership for Innovation and Change .................................................................. 12

Managerial Economics ..................................................................................... 12

Global Financial Markets .................................................................................. 12

Entrepreneurial Marketing Management ................................................................ 12

Contemporary Operations Management ................................................................. 13

Strategic Management ..................................................................................... 13

Project and Research Skills ............................................................................... 13

Choosing Your Options ....................................................................................... 14

Course Assessment Strategy ................................................................................. 15

Performing At Masters Level ................................................................................ 16

Critical Thinking ............................................................................................ 16

Solent Online Learning (SOL) ............................................................................. 16

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Referencing ................................................................................................. 16

Online Submission .......................................................................................... 16

Getting Help and Support .................................................................................... 16

Access Solent ................................................................................................ 16

Suspending Your Studies ................................................................................... 16

Academic Misconduct ........................................................................................ 17

Group-work and Academic Misconduct .................................................................. 18

Aggregation of Marks ....................................................................................... 18

Graduate Success Stories .................................................................................... 19

MBA Entrepreneur develops blue print for success. ................................................... 19

What Graduates Thought Of Our MBA Programme ....................................................... 19

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Welcome On behalf of staff in

Southampton Business

School, I would like to take

this opportunity of

welcoming you to

Southampton Solent

University, whether this is your first occasion

for studying with us or you are rejoining for

a period of further study. We hope that

your time at the University will be an

enjoyable experience and that you will be

able to gain the maximum benefit from your

course of study, as well as establishing long

and lasting friendships.

As a university student you will need to take

responsibility for your own learning. Your

tutors will provide you with all the support

and guidance you need to successfully

complete your programme of study, but it

will be by your own efforts that you gain

maximum benefit from your studies.

A considerable portion of your study will be

given over to tutor supported, student

centred learning, during which time you be

expected to investigate and research subject

matter under the guidance of your tutors.

This guidance will keep you in the right

direction, but it will be by your own

dedication and application that you will

achieve the academic and professional

standards demanded of your course.

The reputation of Southampton Business

School is very much based on the high

standards expected of staff and the

achievements of our students. I hope that

you will be able to make your own personal

contribution to this partnership, and in so

doing enable us to continue enhancing the

good reputation we enjoy in the city, region

and overseas.

Although your academic studies will be

rigorous and demanding, I hope that you will

be able to develop a full social life, and take

advantage of the facilities the University has

to offer. You will of course need to find

that fine balance between the time you

devote to all forms of outside activities and

the academic demands of your course. To

help you achieve that goal you will have the

full support of a team of dedicated

academic and support staff who will try to

understand your needs and appreciate your

problems. However, please communicate

any difficulties to us as they arise, rather

than leave them to build up.

This student handbook has been produced to

help you familiarise yourself with the

Business School and the way the University

operates. Please read the handbook

carefully and use it as a future source of

reference. If you have any questions you

may find the answer here, if not, please ask

an appropriate member of staff.

I do hope that you enjoy your time as a

student in Southampton Business School. My

colleagues and I wish you every success in

your studies.

Jenny Anderson

Dean

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Meet The Team Programme Director

I would like to welcome

and congratulate you on

choosing the Southampton

Solent University MBA

Programme. We are

passionate about helping

you to achieve your ambitions, whether

those ambitions are to get that promotion or

to develop your own business venture.

As well as managing the MBA Programme, I

am a Senior Lecturer in Business Analysis,

teaching business, IT and marketing. I am

also the Company Director of an IT

consultancy company.

Tim Jackson

Senior Lecturer in Business Analysis

timothy.jackson@solent.ac.uk

Unit Leaders

The team has a wide range of skills and

expertise that they are ready to share with

you.

Bryn Parry is a Senior Lecturer in Strategy

and has a BSC from the University of Surrey

and a PG Diploma in facilities management.

He gained a Postgraduate Certificate in HE

Learning and teaching from Southampton

Institute which led to becoming a Fellow of

the Higher Education Academy. His research

interests are in the areas of Risk

Management, Complexity Theory/Quantum

Theory in Management systems, Event

Management, Dark Tourism / Thanatourism

and Destination/ Facilities Management.

Christine Fountain is a Principal Lecturer

with portfolio responsibility for Postgraduate

Provision. She has a MA in Personnel and

Development, a Postgraduate Diploma and

Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and

Teaching in HE. She is a Fellow of the Higher

Education Academy and Chartered CIPD. Her

research interests are in Psychological

contract, Employee Engagement, Blended

Learning Professional Development and

Ageing in the workplace. She has an

extensive record of Enterprise and Advanced

Professional Practice activities.

David Moxon is a Senior Lecturer and has a

MBA which he gained in 1991 from Sheffield

Business School. He also has a PGCert in

Research Methods and a PGCert in Learning

and Teaching in HE. He is a member of a

number of relevant professional

organisations and regularly presents at

conferences and events. His research

interest is focused on employability in which

he is studying for a PhD. He is particularly

interested in gaining a better understanding

of what employers actually value in their

graduate employees. He is also researching

his pedagogic interests, including the use of

blended learning with learning and teaching

and to develop articles in respect of

Financial Management interests and current

market events.

John Cross is a Principal Lecturer and has an

MA in Marketing as well as an MBA. He is a

member of a number of professional bodies.

His research interests include Strategic

Management and Marketing and has

published a number of papers on these

subjects. He has undertaken a range of

consultancy and external development

projects in addition to his role of External

Examiner at the Institute of Commercial

Management, Winchester University and

Bournemouth University.

Judy Finn is a Senior Lecture and has an MA

(Oxon) and an MBA. She also has a PGCLTHE

and is a member of the Chartered

Management Accountant (ACMA). She is

active in research and has published widely

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on gender issues in SMEs and financial risk

management. She is currently an External

Examiner for the undergraduate

management accounting modules, at Bristol

Business School, University of the West of

England.

Peter Lycett is a Senior Lecturer and a

Doctor of Business Administration; his

doctoral dissertation explored the

organisational effectiveness in a college of

Further Education. In addition to his

External Examiner roles at the University of

Chichester and Wiltshire College, he has also

undertaken a number of consultancy

projects.

Robert Jackson is a Senior Lecturer with an

MBA and a PGC in Research Methods. His

research interests include managerial

cognition and organisational systems. He is

currently studying for an MPhil at

Southampton Solent University.

Harjinder Singh Virdee is a Senior Lecturer

and has an MA and BA (Hons) in Economics,

as well as PGCLTHE and is currently enrolled

on the PGC Blended Learning Course at SSU.

His research interests lie in the construction

industry as well as being active in property

development. He has been nominated as an

external examiner for Kingston University,

London, in the subject area of Economics

and will take up this role in 2011/12. He is

actively engaged with publishers where he

reviews new forthcoming economics

textbooks as well as preparing lecture

material, such as power points, seminar

questions, MC questions, etc. he also peer

reviews textbooks and has published

workbooks for the short courses on the stock

market and finance. He was part of a team,

along side the Director of Southampton

Solent Business School, to visit China to set

up partnerships whereby Chinese students

would complete their HND level 5 at SSU. He

has also attended a conference at Haaga

Helia University, Finland on teaching

students to become employable.

Ruth McLellan is a Senior Lecturer in

Marketing. She has a BA (Hons) Business

Administration and a MA Marketing

Management from Nottingham Trent

University in 1994 and 2003 respectively and

a PGCE from the Institute of Education

(1995).She is currently working on her PhD.

Her research interests are in the areas of

Marketing Education, widening participation,

blended learning, equality and diversity. She

was recently awarded a HEA Teaching

Development Grant for a project titled:

“closing the graduate employability skills

gap: Development of a reciprocal skills

exchange framework for marketing students

and local marketing graduate employers”

and is very active conference presenter.

Simon Mouatt is a Senior Lecturer in

Economics and has an MSc in International

Relations from Southampton University

(1996). He also has a PGCE Economics, BA

(Hons) Politics and a PG Cert Research. His

research interests are in Political Economy,

Monetary Economics, Financial Markets and

Marxist Economics and he is currently

working on his PHD at Southampton Solent

University in the Subject area of Marxian

Political Economy of Money.

Whysni Basuki is a Senior Lecturer with a

PhD in Management, MBA and a PGC in both

Research and Blended Learning. Her

research interests include Entrepreneurship,

strategy in SMEs and Blended Learning, areas

in which she has published a number of

papers.

Academic Support Officers

In addition to our teaching team, we have an

excellent academic support team that help

to ensure that you have a very positive

experience at the university.

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Course Overview

Subject areas will focus on contemporary

business issues and develop your ability to

apply knowledge in a global business

context. Specialist options and a project will

allow you to explore areas that will enhance

your future employability or business

ventures. You will be supported to complete

a dissertation, management or consultancy

style project to focus on the area that best

suits your future aspirations.

Southampton Solent University recognises

that practising management in a global

market is demanding in terms of the

capabilities and variety of skills required.

Building on the four pillars of management -

marketing, operations, human resource

management and finance - this master‟s

qualification will ensure that you acquire the

diverse knowledge required to operate in a

global business environment.

Effective learning is facilitated by a

partnership between you and the tutors. We

use a variety of strategies, including

discussion, workshops, work-based projects,

case studies and live client briefs to build on

your existing knowledge and experience.

The course is delivered by teaching staff

with extensive industry experience, some of

whom still work in industry. We maintain

these links with industry to bring you real-

life examples in the classroom so that you

benefit from up-to-date material and can

learn about the latest professional practices.

You will also benefit from the university‟s

links with employers and may be able to

take advantage of placement opportunities.

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding

K1) Critically analyse business problems and

opportunities through reviewing

contemporary management theories and

practices to design a course of action to

meet organisational objectives.

K2) Evaluate the organisational and external

environment in which managerial functions

are undertaken.

K3) Select and apply appropriate

management theory based strategies to

support management decision making.

Cognitive Skills

C1) Research, critique and evaluate

management theories and concepts in an

organisational context.

C2) Synthesise information from a number of

sources in order to gain a coherent

understanding of theory and practice.

C3) Critically analyse alternative approaches

to management issues and problems.

Practical and Professional Skills

P1) Conduct complex analysis and evaluation

of both operational and strategic situations.

P2) Analyse a broad range of managerial

problems utilising appropriate techniques.

P3) Develop autonomy, creativity, team

working and leadership skills.

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Transferable and Key Skills

T1) Apply problem-solving research based

skills to business management practices and

communicate the results using appropriate

methodologies.

T2) Select, justify and undertake a range of

research to inform professional business

management practice.

T3) Evaluate own academic and professional

development.

Areas of Study

Our MBA Programme contains the broad

range of subjects that you need.

Areas of study include:

Leadership and Management Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Innovation Marketing Finance Economics Law Operations Management Business Strategy Project and Research Skills

The subjects covered aims to equip you with

the broad range of knowledge and develop

the critical skills required to be successful in

the fast moving and competitive business

environment.

Options

Our MBA offers the flexibility to specialise in

an area that is relevant to you. We offer

options in Entrepreneurship and Finance.

Assessment

You will be assessed through a variety of

methods, including presentations, written

assignments, role play, business simulation

and live briefs. Live briefs give you first

hand experience of working with clients.

Enhancing Your Skills

You will develop skills in business and

strategic planning, making presentations,

critically analysing subject matter, managing

your time and planning your professional

development.

Projects and Experience

Our Careers and Employability Service

provide you with support to reach your

career goals and gain work experience while

studying here. We use our extensive links

with employers to create placement

opportunities, which provide an excellent

opportunity to gain work experience in the

UK.

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Course Structure

L7 MBA

CO

RE

Enhanced Leadership (15 CATS)

Contemporary Organisational Behaviour (15 CATS)

Financial Decision Making in Business (15 CATS)

The Principles of Marketing (15 CATS)

Leadership for Innovation and Change (15 CATS)

Managerial Economics (15 CATS)

Contemporary Operations Management (15 CATS)

Strategic Management (15 CATS)

Project and Research Methods (30 CATS)

OPT

ION

S (C

HO

ICE O

F T

WO

)

Finance Specialism

Financial Strategies (15 CATS)

Global Financial Markets (15 CATS)

Entrepreneurship Specialism

Enterprise and Entrepreneurship (15 CATS)

Entrepreneurial Marketing Management (15 CATS)

Modes of Study

Our MBA Programme was developed with your needs in mind and is designed to be flexible,

allowing you to study at a rate that suits you and your current circumstances.

The Full Time model allows you to complete the MBA in 1 Year while the Part Time model allows

you to spread the course over a longer period, typically two years, and is usually more

appropriate for students currently in work. Flexible modes of study that spread the course over

a longer period are available and should be agreed with the Programme Director.

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Full Time Mode (1 Year)

Block Week Unit

1 1 – 7 Enhanced Leadership

Pro

ject a

nd R

ese

arc

h S

kills

Contemporary Organisational Behaviour

2 8 – 14

Financial Decision Making in Business

Financial Strategies OR Enterprise and Entrepreneurship

3 15 – 21

The Principles of Marketing

Leadership for Innovation and Change

4 22 – 28

Managerial Economics

Global Financial Markets OR Entrepreneurial Marketing Management

5 29 – 35

Contemporary Operations Management

Strategic Management

Part Time (2 Years)

Block Week Year 1 Units Year 2 Units

1 1 – 7 Enhanced Leadership Contemporary Organisational Behaviour

Pro

ject a

nd R

ese

arc

h S

kills

2 8 – 14 Financial Decision Making in Business Financial Strategies OR

Enterprise and Entrepreneurship

3 15 – 21 The Principles of Marketing Leadership for Innovation and Change

4 22 – 28 Managerial Economics Global Financial Markets OR

Entrepreneurial Marketing Management

5 29 – 35 Contemporary Operations

Management Strategic Management

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Course Content

Our MBA Programme contains the broad

range of subjects that you need.

Enhanced Leadership

This unit explores the complementary areas

of leadership and management in today‟s

business environment.

Effective leadership has always existed in

organisations, if only in isolated pockets.

What is key now is to identify, support and

nurture the knowledge, behaviour and

attitudes that can enhance the leadership

capability of all members of staff regardless

of their position in the hierarchy. The

challenge of continuous change in business

has renewed interest in the contribution

that leadership has to success. The

leadership element of this unit provides an

opportunity for in depth study of concepts

and the development of confidence in taking

on leadership roles.

The Management element will examine

theories and practice that are relevant to

management today. Students will have the

opportunity to critically evaluate methods

and techniques available to managers. The

evolution of these principles will be

examined so that they can be appreciated in

today‟s context. Case studies will be used,

as appropriate, to provide further reality

together with exercises to promote self-

awareness of personal traits.

Contemporary Organisational

Behaviour

This unit exposes the student to the theories

that have created advances in the field of

Organisational Behaviour (OB) by considering

examples and cases that relate to theories

and practices in exploiting and enhancing

competitive advantage.

The unit focuses on three areas of analysis:

the individual, the group and the

organisation and considers these in terms of

the „micro‟ and „macro‟ perspectives and

their roots in behavioural and social

sciences.

Financial Decision Making in Business

This unit requires the student to reflect

upon a range of relevant and reliable

Financial Decision Making in Business

theories, processes and practices, in order

to critically appraise and apply that

knowledge and understanding to complex

financial management decisions, of both a

short- term and long-term nature. The

appraisal of current issues in decision-

making and management accounting

developments will also be covered.

Financial Strategies

This unit requires students to critically

reflect upon the relevance and integration

of strategic financial management

objectives, in terms of how the financing,

dividend and investment decisions

contribute to shareholders‟ wealth creation.

A range of financial management theoretical

approaches will be evaluated in terms of

their „value enhancing‟ or „value destroying‟

influences by evaluating the role and

relevance of financial theories to complex

strategic management objectives.

Enterprise and Entrepreneurship

This unit will develop the students‟

knowledge of enterprise and

entrepreneurship by identifying and then

conceptualising, planning and starting a new

business venture. Students will identify

opportunity in the market and carry out a

business analysis in which strengths and

opportunities are identified and a feasible

business plan and strategy are observed.

Students will also identify and understand

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the role of risk management within a

business setting and how risk can be

managed.

The Principles of Marketing

This unit requires the student to reflect on

marketing theory and practices, in order to

critically appraise and apply knowledge and

understanding to organisational marketing

decisions.

Students will be encouraged to undertake a

variety of reading and research to enable

them to critically evaluate a relevant range

of marketing principles and practices that a

business could consider to support effective

marketing planning. Each unit topic will be

directed towards proposing research based

practical recommendations on marketing

problems that could be case study,

professional or work based. Tutorials will

involve a mixture of discussion, case studies,

and activities that support the students

ability to apply and evaluate marketing

concepts.

Leadership for Innovation and

Change

Leadership and innovation are interlinked.

Leadership always has some focus on

bringing about a better future. In this sense,

leaders are necessarily innovators. In

recognising opportunities for leadership to

act and influence others change is brought

about.

The challenge of continuous change,

creativity and innovation in business

demands development of far sighted

leadership capability and strategies for

producing the changes to achieve such

vision.

The unit focuses on the key areas of

leadership, change and the ability to

critically evaluate innovation options. The

unit will equip students with the ability to

critically evaluate the management of

change literature and innovation options.

Managerial Economics

This unit provides both a theoretical and

practical insight into how business makes

decisions based upon the economic

environment they find themselves in. To this

end, the unit will convey the importance of

understanding how the use of the tools of

economics analysis and enquiry can be used

to identify and understand the business

problem, in organising and evaluating

information to find practical solutions and or

alternatives.

Global Financial Markets

This unit investigates the international

financial system that forms the foundation

of the contemporary capitalist world order.

This begins with a historical and theoretical

analysis of the nature and function of

monetary systems and then traces the

development of the contemporary global

economy from the nineteenth century to the

present. This will emphasise the transition

of the Bretton Woods system into the

financial liberalisation of today. The unit

then considers the institutional framework

of the international financial system and the

functions/characteristics of the main

economic agents involved. The unit then

examines each individual international

market in turn and speculates on their likely

development. Finally, capital flows,

developing country debt and financial crises

are considered with reference to the current

discourse, literature and evolving

multilateral regulatory governance.

Entrepreneurial Marketing

Management

The unit will cover the nature of

entrepreneurship and innovation and the

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characteristics of entrepreneurial behavior.

There will be an emphasis on the financial

and planning aspects of business

development.

The unit is designed to give the student a

better understanding of the factors that lead

to success in entrepreneurial business and

will therefore demonstrate the ways in

which marketing management techniques

can be brought to bear on the key issues in

entrepreneurship.

Contemporary Operations

Management

This unit requires the student to reflect

upon a range of current, credible and viable

Operations Management theories,

techniques, processes and practices; in

order to critically appraise and apply that

knowledge and understanding, to a range of

complex Operations Management contexts.

Seeking to deliver a stimulating student

experience, characterised by intellectual

rigour, personal fulfilment and excellent

career prospects, thereby preparing students

to succeed in a fast-changing competitive

world, this unit takes a holistic perspective

of the global real-world systems within

which specific Operations Management

contexts occur.

Strategic Management

Strategic management is the name given to

the tools and techniques that enable an

organisation to adapt to changes in the

environment effectively, and build a

superior position in its chosen industry over

time. The academic literature that develops

and refines these managerial tools has

become more fragmented and esoteric, yet

the issues that the subject purports to

address remain intractable and problematic.

The expansion of the strategic management

literature has not been accompanied by

improved corporate performance, or even a

longer lifespan for business organisations.

Firms still struggle to establish and sustain

competitive advantage and achieve strategic

fit with their environment.

In this unit, students will focus on using the

literature to identify and analyse strategic

issues and their associated organisational

problems. Students will critically evaluate

the strategic performance of organisations,

develop strategic alternatives and justify the

selection and implementation of both

corporate and business strategies.

The emphasis of the unit is on the tensions

between strategic analysis and strategic

actions. A combination of published case

studies and recent material presented in the

media will be used to maintain currency.

Project and Research Skills

This unit provides students with an overview

of different approaches to research for use

in investigating topics chosen for study,

together with an appreciation of the

ideological beliefs that underpin research.

The unit is divided into two parts: Research

Methods and the Project.

The first part of the unit is Research

Methods which provides students with

comprehensive knowledge and

understanding of the different research

philosophies and approaches. It also explores

the application of various research methods

and considers the organisation and

management of research and ethical issues.

The Research Methods part will be run in the

early stage of the course and students are

required to choose a topic and produce a

research proposal. The topic chosen must be

concerned with the investigation of

issue/problem which is: (a) of particular

interest to them and (b) is related to the

overall aims and objectives of their course;

that is to say, the issues / problems

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addressed should be within business and / or

management, broadly construed.

The second part of the unit consists of the

Project where the student investigates and

produces a major piece of work on the

chosen topic that they chose at the early

stage of their course.

Where students are in employment, or

otherwise have access to a challenging „real-

world‟ management problem, they will be

encouraged to undertake a management

project. Here the problem is analysed within

suitable academic frameworks and specific

conclusions are drawn leading to realistic

recommendations. A letter of comfort from

the „owner‟ of the problem may be

required, offering access to relevant data

and other support.

Where the student is studying full-time, or

otherwise does not have access to a suitable

management problem, the more traditional

dissertation format may be more

appropriate. Here the focus is on analysis of

a particular business or management issue in

a broader context, using published sources,

and/or obtaining and analysing primary data

(for example through surveys, interviews or

observation).

All projects will contain a clear statement of

the problem, a robust literature survey,

clear methodologies, data collection and

analysis, the formulation of appropriate

conclusions, and a critical review of the

strengths and weaknesses of the work.

Choosing Your Options

Consider your options carefully, they may

well affect your future. Some of the things

you should consider are:

What do you want to get out of the

MBA?

What will help you more in the

future?

If you are going into employment,

what will your potential employers

look for?

If you are starting your own business,

what skills and knowledge do you

need to develop the most?

The Project and Research Methods unit,

although compulsory, is one that you should

start to give some thought to now.

You will be able to propose a project, which

could be relevant to your career or to your

future business venture. Students generally

produce better projects when it is very

relevant to them and something that they

are very interested in. The earlier you

identify areas of interest that you can

discuss with the unit leader, the more time

you will have to explore the relevant topics.

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Course Assessment Strategy

L7 MBA CATS

Assessment Weighting

AE1 AE2 AE3

CO

RE

Enhanced Leadership 15 50% 50%

Contemporary Organisational Behaviour 15 50% 50%

Financial Decision Making in Business 15 40% 60%

The Principles of Marketing 15 70% 30%

Leadership for Innovation and Change 15 30% 70%

Managerial Economics 15 30% 70%

Contemporary Operations Management 15 100%

Strategic Management 15 60% 40%

Project and Research Methods 30 20% 60% 20%

OPT

ION

S (C

HO

ICE O

F T

WO

)

Finance Specialism

Financial Strategies 15 50% 50%

Global Financial Markets 15 50% 50%

Entrepreneurship Specialism

Enterprise and Entrepreneurship

15 25% 75%

Entrepreneurial Marketing Management 15 30% 70%

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Performing At Masters Level

The MBA Programme requires you to perform

at Masters level. You will need to develop

and show critical thinking skills and show a

broad range of business knowledge in the

work that you produce.

Critical Thinking

You will learn to question and explore the

limitations and boundaries of management

theory. The ability to think critically is

fundamental to solving complex business

problems and applying theories effectively.

Solent Online Learning (SOL)

Our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE),

which is called „Solent Online Learning‟

provides an online space where you are able

to access course materials and interact with

both the teaching team and your fellow

students. The VLE is used extensively for all

units on the MBA.

Referencing

Good referencing is of the upmost

importance. Failure to reference or indeed

reference correctly may lead to you being

placed in front of an academic misconduct

panel, where the consequences can be

severe and go all the way up to being

removed from the course. Obviously, we

don't ever want this to happen and therefore

we take time and great care giving you

guidance and support on how to reference.

This includes giving you access to the

Succeed at Referencing.

Online Submission

All assignments are submitted online using

Turnitin to make it easier for your to submit

and also allows you to check references. Full

details are available at Online Submission.

Getting Help and Support

It is important that you know where to get

support from if you need help at any time

during your time studying at Solent. We have

a Student Support Network in place to

provide advice and support on a whole range

of issues that you could face.

Each course is assigned a Student Support

Network Officer (SSNO). Make sure you find

out who your SSNO is so that you know who

to ask for help during the year. If in doubt

then you can always contact a tutor or your

course leader.

More information about getting support can

be found at Students 1st. Please visit

the Students1st website for more

information.

Access Solent

At Solent we offer individual support and

guidance to students on a whole range of

matters that may affect their learning

experience. For more information please

visit Access Solent

Suspending Your Studies

We understand that sometimes unforeseen

circumstances require people to change

their plans. If for some reason you are not

able to continue with the course, then

please contact the Programme Director as

soon as possible.

We can discuss any extra help and support

that you may require, or, if you would

prefer, to suspend your studies. If you do

not suspend your studies, YOU WILL BE

CHARGED. If you have any changes in your

circumstances, that will affect your success

on the course, then, please let us know

straight away and we will always do our best

to help.

17 | P a g e

Academic Misconduct

Academic Misconduct is something that we hope doesn't happen but there are occasions where

cases of Academic Misconduct get raised. It is important that you understand what Academic

Misconduct is so that you don't accidentally do something wrong.

Full details of what constitutes Academic Misconduct can be found at

http://portal.solent.ac.uk/support/policies-and-procedures/complaints-conduct/student-

academic-misconduct.aspx.

All suspected cases of cheating will result in an inquiry panel.

Q. What sort of behaviour could be regarding as “Academic Misconduct”?

A. For the purpose of these regulations, academic misconduct will be defined as an attempt,

and shall be deemed to include allowing or assisting another student in such an attempt, to gain

unfair advantage in an examination or other mode of assessment by any device contrary to the

relevant assessment regulations.

The specific practices listed below will automatically be deemed to constitute academic

misconduct and include:

i. Plagiarism This is where a student incorporates another persons or body‟s work by

unacknowledged quotation, paraphrase, imitation or other device, in any work submitted for

assessment in a way which suggests that it is the student‟s original work. This can include

failing to acknowledge the source of a quotation by referencing properly.

ii. Collusion This is the collaboration without official approval between two or more

students, (or between a student[s] and another person[s]) in the presentation of work which is

submitted as the work of a single student; or where a student(s) allows or permits their work to

be incorporated in, or represented as, the work of another student.

iii. Falsification This is where the content of any assessed work has been invented or falsely

presented by the student as their own work.

iv. Replication This is where a student submits the same or similar piece of work on more

that one occasion for assessment to gain academic credit.

v. Taking unauthorised notes or devices into an examination.

vi. Obtaining an unauthorised copy of an examination paper.

vii. Communicating, or trying to communicate, with another student during an examination.

viii. Being a party to impersonation in relation to an examination.

Q. What penalties are imposed on a student where an allegation of cheating is proven?

A. Academic misconduct is a serious offence and in blatant cases can lead to the

termination of your course of study on academic grounds. Otherwise the penalty may be failure

of the unit or failure of the entire level of the course.

18 | P a g e

Group-work and Academic Misconduct

Many courses of study require you to work in a group, e.g. you are expected to work as a

cohesive unit and plan the work together as if you were a management team producing a

project report. It is each group member‟s responsibility to ensure the quality of the group

report, ie, if your name is on the report make sure that no group member has plagiarised

any section of your report for which the whole group will be held responsible.

Procedures relating to Academic Misconduct are now available on the Student Intranet –

http://portal.solent.ac.uk.

What constitutes academic misconduct will be covered in the Spiral Induction Programme.

However, always discuss with the unit tutor, when assessments are issued, any specific

requirements and expectations e.g. identifying your contribution if it is a group assignment, and

ensuring you correctly reference any other published work used.

Remember that:

i. All work submitted must be your own work.

ii. The work submitted has not previously been submitted for assessment.

iii. Where material from other sources has been used it has been acknowledged correctly

by referencing.

Full details of the University‟s Procedures Relating to Academic Misconduct can be found on the

University Student intranet site – http://portal.solent.ac.uk

Aggregation of Marks

The assessment of a unit may include more than one element, such as assignment, presentation

or exam. The marks for these are normally combined (averaged) to give one overall mark for

the unit, and this is known as “aggregation” or “bonding” of assessment marks. Provided the

overall unit mark is at least 40% you will pass the unit even if a mark for one element is below

40. You must attempt every element of assessment though, e.g. hand in work, undertake

presentation or practical or sit exam.

However, for the units listed below you MUST GAIN A MINIMUM MARK of 35 for each element, in

addition to 40% for the overall unit mark. This is to satisfy the requirements of professional

bodies associated with the course.

19 | P a g e

Graduate Success Stories

MBA Entrepreneur develops blue

print for success.

It is often said that 'necessity is the mother

of invention' and the current economic

climate has led to an increasing number of

people discovering their entrepreneurial

side. Vanessa Shahani is one such student,

who is currently undertaking the MBA course

at Southampton Solent Business School.

Vanessa has been interested in life coaching

for a number of years, and while on the

course she decided to set up her business

'Mulberry Life Coaching'. Vanessa developed

her business plan as part of the e-business

unit and has already established a website

and started to develop her social media

marketing strategies.

The MBA course helped me set out my

business plan so I’ve now got a ‘blue print’

to follow. My lecturers helped me focus on

using Skype as the main method to deliver

coaching. I’m still in the early stages of

setting up my business so my next steps are

to manage the content of my website and

start to use Linked In and Twitter to both

advertise and get in touch with other

coaches to grow my networks.

Starting a business is the start of a journey

and a brand new learning curve and it is

inspiring to see more and more people rising

to this challenge.

What Graduates Thought Of

Our MBA Programme

Syed Mohiuddin studied an MBA course at

Southampton Business School in 2010. He

had great expectations about his university

studies in England when he arrived from

India. “I wasn‟t disappointed!” exclaims

Syed, “this university has given me a lot and

I really feel that I‟m a part of it now, I no

longer feel like an international student

anymore, I‟ve fitted in!”

“The MBA course is very demanding and

requires a lot of individual learning; it

develops critical thinking abilities that an

individual must have and the results will

depend on how much I am prepared to

invest in my studies. I found it hard to cope

with the pressure initially, but I soon felt

that I was part of the University and doing

well.

“The university has an amazing

infrastructure, when compared with my

previous educational background, this is the

best experience I‟ve ever had about

education, I was not disappointed, the

resources are very good and I would highly

recommend the MBA programme at

Southampton Solent University.”

"I enjoy studying so it was a simple choice to

do study Business Administration. With this

course I can develop my higher learning and

improve the skills I need to manage my

company."

The MBA course helped me set out my

business plan so I’ve now got a ‘blue print’

to follow. My lecturers helped me focus on

using Skype as the main method to deliver

coaching. I’m still in the early stages of

setting up my business so my next steps are

to manage the content of my website and

start to use Linked In and Twitter to both

advertise and get in touch with other

coaches to grow my networks.

Begin the journey to achieving your ambitions

20 | P a g e

East Park Terrace

Southampton

Hampshire

SO14 0YN

+44 (0)23 8031 9000

www.solent.ac.uk

MISSI ON

The pursuit of inclusive and

flexible forms of Higher

Education that meet the needs of

employers and prepare students

to succeed in a fast-changing

competitive world.

VISION

A vibrant, inclusive and

successful University that is well

known for the excellence of its

work with students and

employers and the effective

integration of theory and

practice.

A stimulating student experience

characterised by intellectual

rigour, personal fulfilment and

excellent career prospects.

Imaginative external partnerships

which develop the University and

make a significant contribution

to social justice and economic

competitiveness.