Management and Entrepreneurship for Biomedical Engineers

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• The commercial context for engineering processes and business models that are socially responsible and environmentally sustainable
• Manufacturing, projects and systems management, operations management and quality management.
• Legal systems relevant for engineering: contract law, intellectual property and tort.
• The nature, scope and impact of managerial roles, skills, ethics and decision-making, supporting effective project work, change management, appraisal methods, and evaluation
• Professional bodies, codes of conduct, conflicts of interest and other ethical dilemmas.
• Activity based costing, budgeting, financial control, investment appraisal, and calculations of commercial risks

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Critically analyse new products and technologies in light of management theory, professional, regulatory, social, ethical and legal obligations

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Recognise and explore key legal requirements for engineering including IPR, health & safety, privacy, and professional indemnity insurance.
• Assess market needs and contribute to marketing and pricing strategies addressing business opportunities and the achievement of customer satisfaction through innovation and entrepreneurship.
• Plan and manage project and manufacturing/service processes, taking into account personnel, budgetary requirements, and potential risks.

Managerial Decisions

Appreciating the nature, scope and impact of managerial roles, skills and decision-making, supporting effective project work and evaluation for continuous improvement. Introduction to business ethics and CSR.

Marketing

Introducing marketing – assessing market needs and contributing to marketing strategies, addressing market opportunities, price setting and management of product lines.

Entrepreneurship.

Entrepreneurial characteristics and behaviours stimulating creative approaches and innovation in large organisations as well as in start-ups; managing growth and change.

Project Management & Project Risk Management

Introducing factors affecting project implementation. Introducing project management techniques for coordinating resources, planning implementation, budgeting, assessing risks and achieving engineering goals within the context of developing internal capabilities and evolving ambitions reflecting the commercial, social, environmental and regulatory environment, and how these techniques are applied through engineering projects.

Engineering Decision Making

Defining cost categories and overhead cost allocation; Activity Based Costing; Budgeting and financial control; Relevant costs and Investment Appraisall Net Present Value. Commercial management of projects and manufacturing/service processes; Ethical management of measurement processes; limitations of financial analysis.

Law in Engineering

Introducing contract law with awareness of key legal requirements for engineering, including; legal responsibilities, intellectual property, formation of contracts, remedies for breach of contract and some main insurance law principles such as the duty of good faith and the cover provided by some specific types of insurance e.g. professional indemnity and contractors all-risks insurance.

Teaching and learning methods

Lectures and tutorials

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.