Month: November 2018

My favourite Business Management module – ‘Business Challenges’

By Katie Bryant, BA Business Management

Out of all the modules that I’ve studied in my two years at Sheffield, one has stood out as being my favourite – Business Challenges. This is an optional module in first year, and is available to all undergraduate Management School students, whether you’re on Business Management, International Business Management or Accounting and Financial Management. Here’s why I think you should choose it!

What was this module?

This is a very different module as it has only one lecture and one seminar with a presentation. The rest of the seminars are mainly for students to meet, collaborate with their team members and successfully carry out a 10 weeks project work. Tutors will be present in all the seminars to help you with your queries but there will be no formal teaching. This is a very practical module where you learn by doing and there is very limited teaching involved.

Our Business Challenge

The Business Management Experience simulation is based on a realistic but fictional business, where you and your team members act as a board of directors. The simulation allowed my team and I to run a business over a period of time and to make decisions that made an impact on how much profit the business makes.

Our aim was to make as much profit as possible. We were also responsible for maintaining customer satisfaction and deciding on out investment strategy, especially in R&D (research and development), throughout the time we ran the business.

How the module was assessed

The assessment for this module consisted of a ten-week team project which was a PowerPoint with a voice over, critically analysing our groups performance throughout the project. We had to complete one reflective essay as a group and two individual reflective essays. It was great to have such a varied method of assessment throughout the module.

Why this was my favourite module?

  • I loved working in a group. Group work is great as you all bounce ideas off of each other in order to create the best possible outcomes. It is great to bond with people and work well as part of a team and ultimately produce a really good piece of coursework.
  • I found it brilliant that we could be creative within our module. Every week as a team we could decide how much money to invest into which part of the business and what to set the selling price of the products at. It was really interesting to be part of such a realistic simulation.
  • It was amazing to have freedom within the module. We could decide how we presented our final group project. The fact that we didn’t have lectures meant everything was down to us. We had to decide when we were meeting and get the work done without the reminder or help of lectures. It was great to essentially self-lead a module.
  • This was such a unique module, which gave me opportunities to learn that other modules didn’t. Business challenges allowed me to develop many of my skills including teamwork, communication, thinking on the spot and analytical skills.

I really recommend that you choose this module as it is the best module I have completed so far at university!

Five ways to spend your winter in Sheffield

By James Dylag, BA Business Management

Sheffield is a great city, full of events, activities and places to see – and although the weather gets cold, there’s still plenty to do here. So here’s my five things not to be missed in Sheffield in winter!

5) Peddler Night Market

Peddler Night Market is a monthly event held over in Kelham Island, that showcases the very best food and drink in Sheffield. Tie this in with live music from local DJ’s and bands – you’ve got yourself the perfect night! There really is something for everyone at Peddler’s, with food from just about every cuisine, and at reasonable prices, you have to go!

4) Take in some culture

When it’s freezing outside, it’s the perfect time to visit the many museums and art galleries that Sheffield has to offer. See the history of Sheffield at Weston Park Museum (only a 10-minute walk from the Management School) or catch the fantastic exhibitions shown at Millennium Gallery and the Graves Gallery. All of these have free entry, and let you take in some real Sheffield culture! If museums and art galleries aren’t your cup of tea, why not catch a film at the Showroom Cinema, which showcases everything from current blockbusters to foreign films and old favourites.

3) Winter Gardens

Sheffield’s Winter Garden is located right in the centre of the city, near St Paul’s place, and holds more than 2,500 plants from around the world. In winter, the garden is particularly useful to take refuge from the winter weather when you’re fed up with Christmas shopping. Simply dive in and enjoy a coffee and a relaxing walk around the greenhouse.

2) Meadowhall

Meadowhall is a massive shopping centre just outside of Sheffield, that houses every shop you could imagine (over 280 in fact). If you want to escape from the weather, Meadowhall is perfect, as there’s shopping, entertainment and food all under one roof. Get the tram to Meadowhall for less than £5, or the train for less than £3!

1) Christmas Markets

Every year in the middle of November is the Christmas light switch on in Sheffield, which also means the Christmas market. Find the town centre dotted with traditional wooden huts that house the shops. Inside the alpine huts you’ll find all sorts of quirky gifts and a wide variety of food, all of which is accompanied by ‘Thor’s Bar’ – a bar with log fires, wooden benches serving mulled wine and different types of cider. There are also plenty of local markets dotted around Sheffield, such as the Sharrow Vale market and Nether Edge Farmer’s Market, so be sure to check those out as well!

Guide to living on a student budget

By Katie Bryant, BA Business Management

Becoming a student means taking on a whole host of adult responsibilities that are completely new to most of us. So if you’re terrified of bills and rent and think that you’re rich when your Student Loan comes through, only to find that you’re broke at the end of the month, then follow my handy guide!

Create a Budget

It sounds very boring, but it really doesn’t have to take much time. Create an Excel spread sheet or use an app to help you calculate your monthly outgoings. Set an amount per week and make sure you don’t go over it. A Monzo card is a really good way of budgeting – it acts like a debit card and you can put a certain amount of money on it a week in order to help you budget.

Clothes 

It’s tempting once you get your loan to head straight to the shops but you’ll regret blowing your clothes budget in the first week. Save money by making the most of student discounts in shops and online by checking out deals on Unidays.

Food

It’s a myth that students live off baked beans, it is possible to eat normally and healthily whatever your budget. Prevent impulse buys in the supermarket by making a shopping list and sticking to it! Buying value products and supermarket own-brand also cuts your costs, while the products are virtually the same. It is not necessary if you don’t have the money to overspend on items such as tortilla chips when there is a cheaper, similar substitute. Another tip I’ve learned is to cook in bulk and freeze. This way nothing gets wasted, it works out a lot cheaper and you always have a back-up plan when the cupboards are bare! Another great tip is making packed lunches for cheaper meals on the go – those Tesco meal deals soon add up.

Transport

Whether it’s a bus to lectures (only £1.20 in Sheffield) or travelling back home for the holidays, you’ll need to factor in travel costs. To help, there are student travel cards out there to help you reduce the costs of getting around. My personal favourite is the 16-25 Railcard – you can get one of these for just £30 a year or free with a Santander student account. A railcard gets you a third off your rail fares – very useful if you’ll be travelling home on the train for holidays and weekends.

Textbooks

Don’t buy new books! They’re far too expensive, and can end up setting you back hundreds. Instead, look on sites like Amazon and eBay to buy second-hand. Also, countless numbers of students will be looking to sell their old textbooks for a reduced price. Websites such as I Swap Books and Uni Book Swap are also a good starting point for purchasing second hand material.

Entertainment

From freshers’ week to club subscriptions, student nights, gigs, fancy dress, sport or a quick coffee with friends, the cost of socialising can soon mount up.

Allocate yourself a certain amount for entertainment and try not to go overit. Being sociable doesn’t have to be expensive – think nights in with housemates, free events at your union or two-for-one cinema nights. If you’re going to go out partying, go in the week on a student night, not on a Friday or Saturday as everything is so much more expensive. Student-specific discount websites such as NUS Extra, Unidays and Student Beans offer deals on cheap days and nights out including theme park visits, eating out, and cinema and theatre trips.

Part-time job

Whether you’re looking for a little extra cash to ease those concerns over paying bills, or you want to indulge yourself, a part-time job is a sure way to receive a steady income. Not only this, but it can help to give you a variation from your standard university life while helping you to become a more rounded, dependable individual when you inevitably apply for a summer internship, placement or graduate job. Be careful not work too many hours a week though – the University recommends no more than 16. You don’t want it to distract you too much from your studies and extra-curricular activities.

NUS extra card

Purchasing a 1-year NUS extra card for only £12 will really save you costs over a variety of items. With an NUS card you can receive over 200 exclusive discounts across Fashion, Mobile, Food and drink, as well as a wide range of other fields.

Good luck with budgeting at University. Follow these tips and you will be an expert on budgeting!