Skip to main content
The Student Insider

Better business: staying on-top in a rapidly changing sector

Date

Written by
Lindsay Alexander

The Covid-19 pandemic has rocked the way many businesses operate and has played a key role in the rapid acceleration of digital transformation, innovation of business delivery models and signifying the importance of risk assessment and mitigation. The pandemic has highlighted the need for businesses to proactively assess challenges that could disrupt ‘business as usual’ and potentially lead to more drastic measures, such as complete closure.

A team looking over documents.

It has become vital for business managers to be adaptive, from retailers moving sales completely online to restaurants offering takeaway and drive-through services only. Almost every industry, ranging from retail, healthcare, hospitality, and education, will need to re-evaluate and transform their business models to remain viable post-Covid.

Businesses need to be prepared to embrace uncertainty, take calculated risks, stay ahead of changing business trends and optimise the latest digital technology. Although the focus on these principles has certainly been amplified by the aftermath of the pandemic, they are not new concepts for managing a successful business. A comprehensive understanding of business administration is key for businesses to stay on-top in a rapidly evolving landscape.

Successful managers can deal with complexity in a rapidly changing environment. Individuals must be intellectually prepared to analyse and contribute decisively to the resolution of these challenges to be ready for them.

The University of London and Member Institution, Royal Holloway, have developed a fully online BSc Business Administration programme that teaches students the fundamental and advanced business administration subjects required for success in today's world. The programme is delivered by Coursera, the world’s largest online learning platform, to provide an immersive learning experience.

Students can choose from two pathways: a general pathway and a specialist pathway in Human Resource Management. The research-informed curriculum and teaching are key components of what distinguishes the BSc Business Administration programme. Faculty delivering the programme also research and teach on campus. This provides an authentic experience with content comparable to what would be studied on a traditional campus programme at Royal Holloway, University of London.

Programme Director, Dr Paul Dudley, is a Senior Lecturer on Strategy. He explains how the programme can prepare students for navigating through challenges faced by today’s businesses:

“Successful managers can deal with complexity in a rapidly changing environment. Individuals must be intellectually prepared to analyse and contribute decisively to the resolution of these challenges to be ready for them. The BSc Business Administration degree helps students gain these insights and, as a result, understand issues from a variety of perspectives. The programme prepares students for these challenges by providing a comprehensive understanding and appreciation of business administration, as well as the key skill sets required to succeed in today's hyper-competitive worlds.

“The programme teaches students the fundamental and advanced business administration subjects required for success in today's world. We prepare students for this by providing them with the knowledge and skill sets required to be flexible, creative, and innovative in their approach to problems, or 'puzzles' to be solved, as I like to call them. As a result, students gain the ability to analyse and solve real-world and live business issues.”

Understanding the historical context for how we got to where we are today and how this might play out in the future is critical. This is about broadening our worldview both inside and outside of organisations and institutions

The modules are designed to be completed over a 22-week period, giving students enough time to learn at their own pace while also taking into account work and personal obligations. The activity-based learning approach with bite-sized learning is intended to make learning more enjoyable using a variety of activities, such as short videos, multiple-choice quizzes, discussion boards, and directed reading with pre-designed reflection questions. Regular multiple-choice quizzes and tests allow students to assess their progress, which aids in preparation for the final module assessment.

Royal Holloway is in the top 25 percent of UK universities for research rated ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ (REF 2021). Graduates from Royal Holloway’s School of Business and Management have gone on to work at leading global companies like Versace, Barclays, Nissan, Deloitte, Xerox, and Goldman Sachs.

“We take a perspectives-driven approach to subjects at Royal Holloway, University of London, allowing students to understand subjects and issues from a variety of points of view. Understanding the historical context for how we got to where we are today and how this might play out in the future is critical. This is about broadening our worldview both inside and outside of organisations and institutions,” says Dr Dudley.

“The faculty, in my analogy, are the ‘conductors’ who design and develop the activities into a learning journey that students, like the orchestra, undertake. When successfully completed, the melody hits all the right notes, resulting in students achieving their personal and academic goals.”

At a time when the business sector has had to respond to unprecedented challenges, this programme provides a relevant skillset for those looking to begin their career or seeking to further develop their knowledge in business administration. The BSc programme prepares students to succeed in a variety of industries and hierarchical levels, such as management, marketing, and human resource management. Students will learn fundamental workplace skills that show recruiters and hiring managers their value, as well as expertise that can be applied to any type of business.

“It may sound like a cliché, but everyone, including those in the public and private sectors, would benefit from this programme. The knowledge and skill sets gained will allow students to approach 'puzzles' with a fresh set of eyes to solve them.”

Learn job-ready applied skills and expand your career opportunities by earning a BSc in Business Administration.

This page was last updated on 15 February 2024