Study Guide

Objective

Having completed the course the student
- is able to define and carry out a customer project related to marketing
- is able to set objectives for the project together with the customer
- has skills in customer management, bidding, scheduling and communication with the project team and the customer
- is able to apply relevant marketing theories and practices in the the project
- is able to apply project management methods and teamwork skills in his or her work

Content

- planning, budgeting, scheduling, carrying out and presenting a customer project related to marketing
- reading literature

Materials

Learning materials are indicated throughout the:
- planning and implementation of trainings and reading circles
- Monday team meetings
- learning agreement
Selection of high quality readings is done at the beginning of the semester.

Teaching methods

Business Academy is a learning environment which building blocks are:
1. Training Sessions: Each team has training sessions twice a week. The contents and topics come from the team’s own business and learning goals. Training sessions are students’ active learning by innovative methods. The planning, preparing and implementation are students’ responsibility.
The coach supports and enhances the learning in the training sessions, in which knowledge is shared, built and deepened. The requirement level in training sessions grows as the learning progresses.
2. Reading Circles: Every students prepares for the Reading Circle by choosing the topic area as well as a book that boosts both the business and the learning. The book should be read and the relevant tasks should be done before the Reading Circle in which the lessons learnt are discussed and shared. The personal reflections are elaborated further and a common product that summarizes and supports the learning is made.
3. Learning Agreement: The Learning Agreement crystalizes student’s prior experience, current state, goals and ways to measure them. The students tries to actively reach the set goals and develops him/herself towards the chosen career.
4. Project Work/Running Business: The student team sets up a co-operative company and develop the business according to their own plans. Knowledge and skills are put to direct and immediate action. Continuous feedback helps the students to learn and develop further.
5. Markets/Customers: Student-teams operate in open business markets. Genuine customer contacts and co-operations with companies make it possible to apply the theories in action.
6. Networking: Students have excellent opportunities to build relationships and networks with business decision-makers, stakeholders and partners during their BusinessAcademy studies.
7. Coach: The students are supported in finding their best way of learning by their team coach. The basic role of the team coach is to support the team and its individual members to learn and develop themselves, so eventually everyone can find his/her own way. Hence the concept: guided self-organized learning. The team coach has the most important role in the educational program.
8. Team: The team is the most important learning unit. Team-learning gives possibilities to become a versatile business expert. The team starts a company creates its own business and is responsible for theoretical learning process. The coach supports and challenges the team which co-works with other teams.
9. Feedback, Evaluation and Continuous Development: Continuous feedback is part of BusinessAcademy best practices. Each project and learning situation is analyzed by using a four-square model. Based on the feedback and assessment learning is summarized and adjusting actions points and /or development ideas are agreed.
Teaching methods include:
- Problem based learning.
- Student centered flipped classroom.

International connections

Collaboration with CARPE members, with own campus Erasmus students, with Salo Campus Erasmus students. with the international affairs (e.g. international week). Working on import and export projects.

Completion alternatives

Course is targeted for students working at the BusinessAcademy. The student can specify in its learning agreement the importance of achievements done either individually or in the context of a team. Work may be achieved through the organization team or project sub-teams.

Student workload

On a 5 ECTS workload basis. on average, the workload unfolds as follows:
Lectures, project meetings: 45 h
Study Guidance: 20 h
Self-Learning, project work: 70 h

Content scheduling

Leading a client(s) Project(s) or participating as an active member in a Project(s) with a strong focus on marketing aspects. The roles involve planning, budgeting, scheduling, and executing tasks and presentations.

Further information

Academic studies in Business Academy model are based on active learning process as individual and as part of a team. The elements of the learning process are intertwined, i.e. both theory and tools are learned by activating methods in training sessions and reading circles. The theories are put in immediate action in each co-operative’s business. The reflections of business, continuous feedback and development enhance deeper learning and bring up new needs for further theoretical learning. Positive cycle and the flow-feeling of doing business yield more knowledge, skills and competences. In Business Academy model learning is both theoretical and practical.

Evaluation scale

H-5

Assessment methods and criteria

Students receive feedback on their activities from clients, team mates and coaches. He also makes continuous self-assessment and reflection on his activities. The assessment focuses on the student's activities in the team(s) and the projects. Students compile a portfolio of their activities and outputs. The portfolio includes his/her hourly records, book reflexion, and output from activities (documents, reports, pictures, links, videos, etc.). The student confirms his / her skills and learning with his / her portfolio and report.

The semester portfolio is an organized presentation of an individual's: acquired knowledge, developed attitudes, developed skills, and developed competences in the matter of evaluation, Concretely it is everything that has been thought-through, achieved, executed or learnt by the participant in the topic of evaluation.

Assessment criteria, fail (0)

The participant fails to commit to acquiring the knowledge, fails to developing the skills and attitude and consequently fails to building the competence in the topic. The participant is not able to demonstrate having acquired the necessary theoretical knowledge nor having developed the competence By the mean of individual achievement, training preparation, team collaboration or project work.

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1-2)

Grade approved (1-2), student can
- act as a marketing manager or other responsible role related to marketing planning or execution in a client project
- plan, monitor, execute and report on a client-approved project
- evaluate their own activities in the project and participate in the joint evaluation of the group.

Assessment criteria, good (3-4)

Grade good (3 - 4), student can
- professionally apply marketing tools in client projects.
- Manage communication towards target audience
- Manage risks related to marketing aspects
- Work proactively in relation to the marketing plan
- Resolve efficiently problems during the planning and execution of the marketing project

Assessment criteria, excellent (5)

Excellent (5), student
- Achieve high customer satisfaction and billing in the customer project
- Achieve objectives set in the marketing mix
- Can handle pressures in demanding situations
- Delivers significant value to customers.
- Work creatively with the team to develop innovative solution for the marketing plan
- combine theories, outcomes of training sessions and personal experiences during the marketing plan (in design and execution stages)
- anticipate problems relevant to the marketing plan and marketing mix