6B002E - Avoiding Business Failure 01 Sep 2026 - 31 Aug 2032 | Version 1

Associated Module Information

Module Code: 6B002E
Module Title: Avoiding Business Failure
Faculty: Faculty of Business and Creative Industries
Faculty Group: Business Management
Faculty Sub Group: Business Management
Module Leader: Rachael Rees-Jones
Module Team: Liam Newton
First Intended Intake: SEP 2026 Final Year of Intake: 2031
Date Closed:
Credit Value: 30 Credit Level: 6
Language: English
Percentage of Module Taught in Welsh: 0
Equivalent Module:
HECOS codes: 100078 - business and management 100085 - human resource management
HECOS Code Weighting: 60 40

Document Version Information

Version 1
Valid From 01 Sep 2026
Valid To 31 Aug 2032

Module Aims

The main aims of the module are: 

  • To enable students to use business analytics to diagnose the causes of organisational failure and identify opportunities for recovery, resilience, and growth. 

 

  • To develop students’ ability to design and critically evaluate evidence-based change management strategies that build dynamic capabilities, with a particular focus on human resource management, leadership, and internal communication in adapting to technological and economic disruption. 

 

  • To cultivate professional and transferable skills in analytical reasoning, collaborative problem solving, and persuasive communication, preparing students to navigate uncertainty and contribute to organisational survival and success in the AI-driven economy. 

Content Summary

Every entrepreneur or businessperson aims to succeed – but not all of them end up doing so. This module explores one of the most pressing questions for modern businesses: why do businesses fail, and how can they adapt to survive and thrive in an age of disruption, innovation and continuous change. 

This module introduces students to the analytical techniques they will need to identify the root causes of underperformance and develops their skills to create data-driven interventions that can lead to improved business performance – particularly focussing on core competences of HRM, leadership and internal marketing. 

Through an exploration of case studies of both small and large businesses, by the end of this module students will have the confidence and ability to understand the root causes of business failure and take decisive action in uncertain and complex business situations. 

Learning and Teaching Methods

Activity Type Hours
Lectures 6
Practical Classes and Workshops 50
Groupwork 50
Guided Study 114
Formative Assessment 20
Summative Assessment 60
Total Hours Selected 300

Learning Outcomes

# Learning Outcome
LO1 Critically analyse organisational data to diagnose the causes of business underperformance and evaluate their implications for survival, resilience, and long-term success.
LO2 Design and appraise evidence-based change management strategies that build dynamic capabilities, with particular focus on human resource management, leadership, and internal communication, to support organisational renewal.

Module Requisites

N/A

Assessment Criteria

Assessment Category Assessment Type Description Duration Word Count Weight (%) Best of? Pass Mark
Synchronous Onsite Oral Assessment Presentation (Synchronous Onsite) 1 In their groups, students will then need to develop a presentation (followed by a Q&A session) detailing the causes of the underperformance and recommending interventions to improve the business performance 20 N/A 50 No 40
Asynchronous Assessment  Podcast/Video  Creative Digital Output (Video) Individually, students will need to take on the role of a senior leader of the company in question, and produce a video (5 minute maximum) communicating the business position and change strategy to employees of the company. 5 N/A 50 No 40

Assessment Matrix

Assessment Type Learning Outcomes
LO1 LO2
Presentation (Synchronous Onsite) 1
Podcast/Video 

Reading List

Week 1 – Introduction to Analytics and Change Management 

Essential 

  • Davenport, T. & Bean, R. (2023) Data-Driven Transformation: How to Create Business Value from Analytics. MIT Sloan Management Review. 

  • Burnes, B. (2021) Managing Change. 8th ed. Harlow: Pearson. 

Supplementary 

  • CMI (2023) 21st Century Leaders: Building Skills for the Future Workplace. London: Chartered Management Institute. 

 

Week 2 – Business Analytics Foundations 

Essential 

  • Provost, F. & Fawcett, T. (2013) Data Science for Business: What You Need to Know about Data Mining and Data-Analytic Thinking. Sebastopol: O’Reilly. 

  • Marr, B. (2021) Big Data in Practice. 2nd ed. London: Wiley. 

Supplementary 

  • Shmueli, G., Bruce, P., Gedeck, P. & Patel, N. (2020) Data Mining for Business Analytics. 4th ed. Hoboken: Wiley. 

 

Week 3 – Diagnosing Organisational Performance 

Essential 

  • Kaplan, R. & Norton, D. (1996) The Balanced Scorecard: Translating Strategy into Action. Boston: Harvard Business School Press. 

  • Slack, N., Brandon-Jones, A. & Burgess, N. (2022) Operations Management. 10th ed. Harlow: Pearson. 

Supplementary 

  • CIPD (2023) People Profession 2030: A Collective View of Future Trends. London: CIPD. 

 

Week 4 – Change Management Theories and Models 

Essential 

  • Kotter, J. (2012) Leading Change. Boston: Harvard Business Review Press. 

  • Hayes, J. (2022) The Theory and Practice of Change Management. 6th ed. London: Palgrave. 

Supplementary 

  • Hiatt, J. (2006) ADKAR: A Model for Change in Business, Government, and Our Community. Loveland: Prosci. 

 

Week 5 – Functional Interventions: HRM and Marketing 

Essential 

  • Armstrong, M. & Taylor, S. (2023) Armstrong’s Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice. 16th ed. London: Kogan Page. 

  • Kotler, P. & Keller, K. (2022) Marketing Management. 16th ed. Harlow: Pearson. 

Supplementary 

  • Ulrich, D., Kryscynski, D., Brockbank, W. & Ulrich, M. (2017) Victory Through Organization. New York: McGraw Hill. 

 

Week 6 – Integrating Analytics with Strategy and Innovation 

Essential 

  • Johnson, G., Whittington, R., Regnér, P., Scholes, K. & Angwin, D. (2020) Exploring Strategy. 12th ed. Harlow: Pearson. 

  • Tidd, J. & Bessant, J. (2021) Managing Innovation: Integrating Technological, Market and Organisational Change. 7th ed. Hoboken: Wiley. 

Supplementary 

  • McKinsey & Company (2022) The State of Organisations 2022

 

Week 7 – Assessment and Reflection 

Essential 

  • Moon, J. (2013) Reflection in Learning and Professional Development: Theory and Practice. Abingdon: Routledge. 

  • Rolfe, G., Freshwater, D. & Jasper, M. (2001) Critical Reflection for Nursing and the Helping Professions. Basingstoke: Palgrave. 

Supplementary 

  • Kolb, D. (2015) Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development. 2nd ed. Upper Saddle River: Pearson.