MG4E7
Business Fundamentals
This information is for the 2022/23 session.
Teacher responsible
Prof Amitav Chakravarti MAR 6.31 and Prof Om Narasimhan MAR 6.32
Availability
This course is compulsory on the MSc in Marketing. This course is not available as an outside option.
This is a non-assessed introductory course.
Course content
The aim of the introductory Core is to deliver some critical business prerequisites to incoming MSc Marketing students. Broadly, there will be four kinds of course materials covered during this one week: (1) Some modules are intended to strengthen participants’ analytical skills. These modules comprise sessions on microeconomics/business economics that enable participants to analyse firms and markets in more depth, and sessions that impart basic knowledge in analytics/statistics that is becoming absolutely essential in the current age of Big Data; (2) Some other modules will expose participants to the fundamentals of other functional areas like Accounting, Finance, & Controls, Leadership, Organizational Behavior, and Team Building; (3) Some modules will look deeper into one of the fundamental skills that marketing managers try to hone—understanding and eliciting consumer insights; and finally, (4) The remaining modules will assist in career planning, coaching for marketing problem solving (e.g., as is common in consulting and/or case study-based interviews), with a broad understanding of the numerous options for internships, employment, companies, functions, and roles.
Teaching
Roughly 12 hours of teaching over one week prior to the Michaelmas Term. Full details of this will be sent to offer holders as part of their offer pack. The schedule will also include a full programme of activities and talks designed to welcome you to the ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ and the MSc Marketing programme.
Formative coursework
No formal assessment.
Indicative reading
Statistics: Statistics: Anderson, D., Sweeney, D., Williams, T., Freeman, J., Shoesmith, E. (2009). Statistics for Business and Economics (2nd edition), Hampshire: Cengage Learning.
Huff (1991). How to Lie with Statistics. Penguin.
Accounting: Boakes, K. (2010). Reading and Understanding the Financial Times. (2nd edition), Harlow: FR Prentice Hall; and Parker, R. (2007). Understanding Company Financial Statements. (6th edition), London: Penguin.
Quantitative Skills: Hammond, P. and Sydsaeter, K. (2002). Essential Mathematics for Economi