Programme module · Kent Business College
Module 7: bring the six diploma subjects together in a practical executive challenge over 14 weekly online sessions. A KBC enrichment module without additional regulated credits.
Bring the programme together around a decision that crosses functional boundaries. The KBC Applied Strategy and Leadership Studio asks you to connect the customer proposition, financial case, workforce capability and implementation plan. Your final recommendation must explain how these parts support one another and what should happen if a central assumption changes.
Module 7 is delivered by Kent Business College UK through 14 weekly online sessions of two hours, with preparation and practical work between classes. The indicative sequence below develops a cumulative executive case. It gives you space to test earlier learning, respond to challenge and improve the reasoning behind a proposal before presenting it to a board-style panel.
Explore the focus and practical output of each teaching session. Open individual sessions below, or expand the complete plan.
A fictional professional-services business is considering expansion into a new market. Clarify what approval is being requested, why the decision matters now and which boundaries the recommendation must respect.
Practical output: A decision brief and initial success criteria.
Revisit evidence about the organisation and its environment. Distinguish an attractive market story from a capability the business can demonstrate, and identify the strongest challenge to expansion.
Practical output: A concise diagnosis and an assumptions register.
Develop options including a staged entry, partnership and improvement of the existing business. Agree comparison criteria before scoring options and explain trade-offs that a single total score could hide.
Practical output: An option comparison with an initial recommendation.
Specify the customer problem, buying context and proposed service promise. Identify the evidence needed to test willingness to buy and whether the organisation can deliver consistently.
Practical output: A proposition and a focused evidence-gathering plan.
Map how the service would be sold, delivered and supported. Examine handovers, supplier dependencies and decision rights, then identify where the proposed model could create delays or inconsistent quality.
Practical output: An operating outline and interface decisions.
Translate expected demand into roles, capacity and development needs. Compare recruitment, partnerships and redeployment, including the time required before people can perform the planned work.
Practical output: A workforce and capability plan linked to demand.
Connect volumes, prices, staffing and delivery costs in a transparent spreadsheet. Separate profit from cash timing and explain when the business would need funding to support the proposal.
Practical output: A checked financial model and funding profile.
Change demand, conversion, cost and ramp-up assumptions. Examine which variations alter the decision, and decide whether a small pilot could resolve uncertainty before a larger commitment.
Practical output: A scenario comparison and proposed decision thresholds.
Define the improvements expected, the starting position and the person accountable for reviewing each one. Distinguish completing launch activities from achieving customer or organisational benefits.
Practical output: A benefits review plan with practical measures.
Explore how the proposal affects current teams and customers. Prepare a difficult conversation about changed priorities, and select participation and communication approaches suited to the people involved.
Practical output: An adoption plan and a leadership practice reflection.
Bring the workstreams into a realistic roadmap. Identify dependencies, capacity conflicts and decision gates, then state what evidence is needed before moving into each larger commitment.
Practical output: An implementation roadmap with owners and review points.
Test whether staffing costs match the workforce plan, marketing promises match delivery capacity and milestones match the funding profile. Resolve contradictions and make remaining uncertainty visible.
Practical output: An integrated draft pack and consistency review.
Give a concise recommendation supported by the detailed case. Answer questions about alternatives, downside exposure and responsibility, and distinguish what you can evidence from what needs further work.
Practical output: A board-style presentation and challenge record.
Respond to the panel’s strongest objection and update the proposal. Reflect on how your judgement developed, then identify a useful application and review point in your own professional practice.
Practical output: A final decision pack and personal development commitment.
Apply the learning
Build one connected case for the fictional professional-services expansion, or agree a comparable workplace challenge. Begin with a choice rather than a predetermined solution. Carry the same demand, capacity and cost assumptions through the analysis, identify contradictions and decide what further evidence would justify committing resources. The result should help a decision-maker approve, stage, revise or decline the proposal.
Use anonymised, public or suitable synthetic material where workplace information is confidential. The issued assessment brief confirms the required evidence.
Teaching, assessment and completion certification for this studio are provided through Kent Business College UK. The studio is KBC enrichment within the seven-module learning package.
A finance model may assume immediate sales growth while the people plan requires months to recruit. A customer promise may rely on service capacity that the operating model has not funded. The studio makes these tensions visible through repeated cross-checks, so the final case tells one consistent story.
The board exercise also tests judgement under challenge. You may be asked what happens if demand arrives later, a supplier withdraws or the strongest option exceeds available cash. A sound response explains the implications, identifies the decision required and updates the recommendation when the evidence warrants it.
KBC’s programme book adds an applied integration studio to the six diploma subjects. It creates space to connect the learning through a substantial executive exercise.
Yes, where the challenge and information are suitable for the agreed assessment. A fictional case is available so access to an employer project is not assumed.
No. This is a KBC learning module. Any university progression, additional study and degree award follow that university’s separate requirements.
The learning assessment concerns the quality of your analysis and judgement. A well-supported recommendation to delay or decline an investment can demonstrate strong learning.
Further reading and programme references · reviewed 18 October 2026
