DYNAMICS OF BUSINESS CONSULTANCY - 2027/8

Module Overview

This module is designed to help students develop the social and professional skills required to work effectively in complex organisational settings. Students will explore how the ¿self¿ is managed in professional contexts, how to negotiate, how to navigate challenging social situations, and how to build relationships with key stakeholders. Rather than engaging with these skills only at a theoretical level, the module adopts an immersive and practice-based approach. 

Students will work in small teams as student consultants on a live project challenge with an external organisation. Together, they will critically analyse a genuine workplace problem and develop creative, evidence-informed solutions. The module encourages students to reflect critically on their own social behaviours, communication style, and assumptions, enabling them to understand how they influence others and how others respond to them. 

Through a combination of theoretical lectures, applied workshops, and live consultancy work, students will develop practical experience, enhanced self-awareness, and increased confidence in applying their skills within professional contexts.

Module provider

Surrey Business School

Module Leader

LANHAM-NEW William (SBS)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 7

Module cap (Maximum number of students): 75

Module Availability

Semester 2

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None

Module content

Indicative content includes: 

• Approaches to consultancy 
• Social situation constructs 
• Impression management 
• Personal brand 
• Emotional intelligence 
• Energy and chains of ritual 
• Dynamics of group work 
• Stakeholder management 
• Negotiation 
• Conflict management 
• Context specific subject briefings related to the consultancy challenge

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

Individual portfolio and video presentation.

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to evaluate students' ability to integrate theory, practice, and critical reflection within an authentic professional context. It aims to assess both the process and outcomes of students¿ learning by focusing on real-world problem-solving, professional communication, and reflexive practice. The strategy supports the development of professional judgement, resilience,  ethical awareness, and creative solution design while ensuring alignment with expectations of autonomy, complexity, and critical evaluation. 

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of

• Individual Assessment - Oral examination (LO1, LO2) 
• Group Portfolio (LO3, LO4) 
• Group Assessment (LO3, LO4, LO5) 

Formative assessment is delivered throughout the module as students engage with a range of learning activities. Students will be encouraged to reflect on their learning to take this learning forward into the next challenge and their second summative assignments. 

Students will receive written feedback on their summative assessment as detailed by the Code of Practice for Assessment and Feedback. An overview report will be shared with the cohort to highlight key metrics and themes found in the marking and feedback process.

Module aims

• To provide hands-on consultancy experience by engaging in a live project with an external organisation, enabling analysis of a real workplace problem and co-creation of practical, evidence-informed solutions.
• To develop advanced social and interpersonal capabilities, including impression management, negotiation, stakeholder management, and the effective navigation of complex social and professional situations.
• To encourage critical self-awareness and creative problem-solving through immersive learning, challenging students to reflect on their own social behaviours, assumptions, and perspectives while applying theory to real-world contexts.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to promote deep, experiential learning through the integration of theory, practice, and critical reflection. It aims to develop students¿ advanced social, analytical, and professional capabilities by engaging them in authentic problem-solving within a live organisational context. The strategy encourages active participation, self-awareness, and reflexivity, enabling students to critically examine their own behaviours, assumptions, and interpersonal practices. Through collaborative and client-facing activities, students are supported in developing professional judgement, ethical awareness, and creative approaches to complex workplace challenges. 

Learning and teaching methods include interactive workshops, lectures, and facilitated discussions focused on social interaction, negotiation, and stakeholder management. Students will work in project teams on a live consultancy brief provided by an external organisation, involving client meetings, problem analysis, and solution development. Structured reflective activities will be used to support personal and professional development. Formative feedback will be provided through peer review, tutor guidance, and client interaction. Independent study will be used to support research, analysis, and preparation for both group and individual assessments.

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: MANM614

Other information

Surrey Business School is committed to developing graduates with strengths in Employability, Digital Capabilities, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Sustainability, and Resourcefulness and Resilience. This module is designed to allow students to develop knowledge, skills, and capabilities in the following areas: 

Digital capabilities: Students develop digital capabilities through the professional use of digital communication platforms, collaborative project tools, and recorded media. These are applied in client engagement, team coordination, and the delivery of consultancy outputs, including the production of digital presentations and recorded professional responses. 

Employability: The module enhances employability by developing advanced interpersonal, consultancy, and stakeholder management skills. Students gain experience of working with a real organisation, managing professional relationships, analysing organisational problems, and communicating recommendations clearly and persuasively in professional formats. 

Global and cultural capabilities: Students engage with organisational problems that involve social, cultural, and contextual complexity. The module encourages critical awareness of how values, identities, and cultural assumptions shape interactions, decision-making, and stakeholder relationships in diverse organisational settings. 

Resourcefulness and Resilience: Through live consultancy work and reflective practice, students learn to manage uncertainty, respond to evolving client needs, and adapt their approaches in challenging social and professional situations. The module supports the development of resilience by encouraging learning from feedback, missteps, and real-world constraints.

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2027/8 academic year.