MA Creative and Cultural Industries

Year of entry: 2025

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Course unit details:
Business Strategies for Arts, Culture and Creative Industries

Course unit fact file
Unit code	SALC60072
Credit rating	30
Unit level	FHEQ level 7 – master's degree or fourth year of an integrated master's degree
Teaching period(s)	Semester 2
Available as a free choice unit?	Yes

Overview

This unit provides a comprehensive introduction to key processes, factors, tools and approaches involved in strategic and operational management of arts, cultural and creative industries organisations. Its content blends professional insight, case studies and grey material with theoretical approaches, to be delivered via blended learning through lectures, seminars, workshops and site visits. During the course, students will learn how to develop their business strategy portfolios including a pitch presentation, case study analysis, funding proposal, and business plan.

Aims

Introduce a range of relevant functions which support marketing, finance, business development, governance, resource development and fundraising in arts, heritage and cultural organisations.
Provide specialist advice and insight from cultural professionals on models and approaches to arts management, project management, and business development.
Explore the political, social and economic context and current environment for creative and cultural businesses and organisations.

Syllabus

Week 1 - Introduction - the Business of Creative and Cultural Industries

Week 2 - Project planning and management

Week 3 - Understanding risk and internal/external environments

Week 4 - Project Pitch

Week 5 - Finance I: Fundraising, financing and writing funding applications

Week 6 - Finance II: Setting up a budget and managing it

Week 7 - Strategic marketing, engagement and programming

Week 8 - Leadership and Governance

Week 9 - Diversity and the Arts

Week 10 - Finance, Risk and Business Planning and HR operations

Week 11 - Evaluating and Demonstrating Project Outcomes and Developing you Business Planning

Week 12 - Business Planning Surgeries

Teaching and learning methods

Weekly seminars, workshops and where possible site visits. There will also be directed reading and/or fieldwork tasks to develop your assessed work from week to week. Sessions will benefit from a range of expert practitioners who have been invited as guest speakers, and local organisations who are treated as case studies. Indicative reading is provided through the handbook with links to further resources which will also be provided via Blackboard.

Knowledge and understanding

Develop a critical understanding of theoretical and practical tools and relevant skills, practices and issues relevant to business development, planning, fundraising and project management in the arts, culture and heritage sectors
Demonstrate relevant knowledge of the context for the management and strategic development of arts and cultural organisations and be able to apply and adapt this knowledge in professional practice

Intellectual skills

Undertake self-directed learning and skills acquisition; conduct independent, critical fieldwork and develop appropriate methodological and analytical skills
Apply skills and ideas learned in one institutional context to another, while remaining aware of the complexity of the issues
Research, design and develop appropriate business strategies and planning processes for arts and cultural management functions (e.g. marketing, communications, branding, budgeting, business planning, fund-raising, human resources and performance management)

Practical skills

Communicate complex research findings through clear written and verbal articulation, supported by appropriate technological tools
Retrieve, select and critically evaluate information from a variety of sources, including libraries, archives and the internet

Transferable skills and personal qualities

Communicate information and ideas effectively in a professional, as well as an academic environment.
Critically evaluate personal performance through monitoring and analytical reflection.
Demonstrate independent learning ability suitable for continuing study and professional development.

Employability skills

Other: Students on this course will learn about and apply project management, resource development and business planning tools and strategies relevant to the arts, culture and heritage sectors. They will learn how to critical analyse the context, markets risk and quality controls for projects and organisations in these sectors, and will devise funding applications and business strategies which demonstrate their understanding and are ready to apply in real-world arts, heritage and museum management.

Assessment methods

Assessment Task	Formative or Summative	Weighting within unit	Length
Pitch presentation for funding application	Formative		3-5 minutes presentation of project plan
Funding application, including project/programme aims and objectives, audience/market analysis, business case, budget, schedule, evaluation framework	Summative	50%	1,500 words, plus appendices
Business plan document, including Mission, Vision, Fundraising plan, audience development plan, governance model, organisations structure and evaluation framework	Summative	50%	3,000 words, plus appendices

Feedback methods

Feedback method	Formative or Summative
Verbal feedback from lecturing staff and peers on pitch presentation of project idea	Formative
Written feedback on funding application proposal	Formative
Written feedback on funding application and business planning assessments	Summative

Study hours

Scheduled activity hours
Fieldwork	14
Seminars	36

Independent study hours
Independent study	238

Teaching staff

Staff member	Role
Abigail Gilmore	Unit coordinator

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