Business: Mini MBA – Earlscliffe

Dedicated Academic Coaching
Benefit from one-to-one academic coaching designed to support your progression to higher education. Whether you’re refining your personal statement, preparing for interviews, or improving presentation skills, these sessions will help you achieve your academic and professional goals.

Time to Shine
Put your business knowledge into practice through collaborative group projects. Working with your peers, you’ll research, plan, and present your ideas in the end-of-week Time to Shine Ceremony — a chance to demonstrate creativity, teamwork, and confidence in a professional setting.

Fieldwork
Take your learning beyond the classroom with interactive fieldwork sessions. You’ll explore business concepts in real settings, observe how organisations operate, and apply theoretical knowledge to practical situations. These experiences help you develop analytical thinking and a deeper understanding of how business works in context.

English Language Development
Throughout the course, you’ll have multiple opportunities to enhance your English language proficiency. Build vocabulary for discussing business and economics, and strengthen your confidence in speaking, writing, and presenting — especially when preparing for your Time to Shine project.

Social Programme and Excursions
Enjoy a rich social and cultural programme with full-day excursions every Wednesday and Sunday. Past visits have included the historic cathedral city of Canterbury and vibrant Central London. These trips offer the perfect balance between academic learning and exploring British culture.

Course Report and Certificate
At the end of the programme, you’ll receive a detailed end-of-course academic report and an official certificate of completion. These recognise your progress, participation, and achievements throughout the course.

Shaping Tomorrow — Global Forum

Shaping Tomorrow transforms the school into a global conference where every student has a platform. Throughout the week, you’ll step into the role of a future thought-leader, developing ideas that could shape how communities live, work, and grow in the years ahead.

In the final showcase, Mini-MBA students take to the conference stage for keynote pitches. Each group presents a start-up as if launching a new company at an international summit. Presentations are structured, polished, and supported by slides, prototypes, or mock-ups. The goal is not only to explain the concept clearly, but to persuade the audience of its potential impact. Every student speaks, ensuring the pitch reflects the strength and cohesion of the whole team.

Design a Sustainability Start-Up

In the first week, students design a start-up that tackles a sustainability challenge. This might involve reducing waste, cutting energy use, or improving transport efficiency. Groups present a prototype or mock-up alongside a simple business model, demonstrating how their idea creates practical, measurable value.

Create a Global Wellbeing Venture

In the second week, students develop a company focused on improving global wellbeing. Ideas may address affordable healthcare, access to education, or digital connectivity. The challenge is to balance social impact with financial viability — presenting a venture that is both purposeful and realistic.

Build a Foundation in Business and Management
Gain a broad understanding of how organisations operate by studying key areas such as finance, marketing, operations, and strategy. You’ll explore how these functions work together to drive success and learn the fundamental principles behind effective business management.

Practise Entrepreneurial Thinking
Develop your entrepreneurial mindset by learning how to identify opportunities, design business plans, and create innovative solutions to commercial challenges. You’ll discover what it takes to turn ideas into successful ventures.

Apply Business Knowledge to Practical Scenarios
Engage in business simulations, case studies, and group projects that mirror real decision-making environments. These experiences allow you to apply theoretical knowledge to practical challenges, enhancing your problem-solving and strategic thinking skills.

Strengthen Leadership and Teamwork Skills
Collaborate with peers to develop, present, and defend business ideas. Through teamwork, discussion, and presentation practice, you’ll build confidence in leadership, communication, and negotiation — essential skills for future business success.

Module 1: Principles of Business and Management
Explore the essential foundations of business and management. You’ll study core functions such as marketing, finance, operations, and leadership to understand how organisations are structured and achieve their objectives. Using case studies from real companies, you’ll see how business theory applies in practice, while interactive discussions encourage you to analyse and solve management challenges.

Module 2: Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Develop your entrepreneurial mindset and learn how innovation drives business success. You’ll discover how to identify market opportunities, analyse competition, and design creative business solutions. Activities include drafting a business plan, exploring product development, and evaluating the role of innovation in fast-changing industries. By the end of the module, you’ll understand how to transform ideas into viable ventures.

Module 3: Strategy and Decision-Making
Examine how business leaders make effective strategic decisions in complex environments. You’ll study topics such as financial planning, risk assessment, and organisational strategy, learning how evidence and data guide decision-making. Through simulations and case-based problem-solving, you’ll gain experience in making informed choices under pressure — key preparation for future leadership roles.