Launchpad Outreach

Summary 

The role of design as ‘a core discipline for every liberally educated man’ (Simon, 1968: p83) encompasses four core areas: communications; physical objects; services; and complex systems or environments (Buchanan, 1992). Some argue that it has the potential to uncover solutions to major contemporary challenges and that it has become a major force in commercial practice (Kolko, 2015).

In this module you'll critically evaluate these claims in a contemporary business context. You'll consider challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy and its Four Grand Challenges, and a range of societal challenges (e.g. social care or automation). Specifically, you will: engage with Design Thinking as a promising theoretical framework; critically evaluate the claims of its proponents and consider its limitations; and consider how practitioners apply the theory in a practical context, assessing how useful it can be in solving problems in  our own contexts.

Through the completion of this module you'll gain a comprehensive appreciation of design thinking at both a conceptual and practical level.

Summary 

Indicative discussion topics are: digital technologies and their effect on business models, needs analysis in the digital world and marketing in a digital world. 

You'll be asked to apply this in two ways. First, you'll be asked to carry out a critical evaluation of a case study based around another company’s experience of some form of digital project. Second, you'll be asked to apply the same principles to a practice-based challenge of your own choice. This will relate to your own context and will contribute to the planning of your product launch or internal digital transformation. 

Through this approach you'll gain a comprehensive appreciation of digital leadership at both a conceptual and practical level.

Summary 

Second, we'll ask you to produce a report that relates to a work-based project of your own choice where you can apply your financial knowledge to assess a specific project or innovation. You'll choose your own context and, with the support of the faculty team, analyse financial information, which will most likely be related to your specific context.

Aim

To apply the full range of learning material and learning experiences from your degree programme to your real work-based challenge.

Summary

This is the culmination of your degree experience and is intended to round up everything you have worked on over the period. Your work-based business plan could be for a new idea of your own, a new division for your existing firm, or a proposed resolution to a significant challenge you currently face as a leader.

It is expected that you will employ design thinking principles to consider the nature of the problem and come up with solutions. While your solution may not be digital in itself, you will consider the extent to which your value proposition is subject to the risk of digital disruption and how you will use digital channels to reach your market. You'll evaluate your market opportunities using a range of statistics and market reports as well as your own primary data (focus groups, interviews or surveys). You'll present a robust set of financial information that can be used by stakeholders to evaluate the efficacy of your plan.

The module will be assessed through the submission of a business plan which will be directly related to your context. The submission will include all normal aspects of a business plan to industry standards and will be evaluated based on evidence of the extent to which you have exploited the skills you have developed as part of the MSc.