Business Economics covers the basic principles of micro- and macro-economics. The micro element will provide a theoretical base, and thus allow for the study of organisational behaviour in the marketplace. The macro element will equip you with an understanding of the broader national and international environment in which business operates.

Introduction to Accounting and Statistics focuses on the development and interpretation of financial and statistics information to be used in the context of personal skills development and an understanding of business. The module introduces you to basic accounting statements including the statement of financial position; the income statement and cash flow statements and forecasts.

People and Organisations provides a comprehensive foundation to the study of management from both theoretical and practical perspectives. The module seeks to consider the conceptual frameworks relevant to the behaviour of individuals and groups in organisations and examine the issues which are raised in their management. The module focuses on three themes: rational modes of management, people strategies and contemporary issues in the workplace.

Operations Management is centred on the recognition that resources are scarce and that choices must be made between the alternatives available. The module outlines how organisations seek to ensure output is achieved as smoothly, efficiently and profitably as possible.

Marketing for Business equips you with an appreciation of marketing as one of the central functions of any business and at the heart of any organisation’s activities. Focusing on customers and successfully meeting their needs is central to the success of any business organisation. This module provides an introduction to marketing and demonstrates its importance to business decision making.

Business Start-Up is a review of entrepreneurial skills and small business development through theoretical concepts of enterprise, self-employment and small business management, evaluating differing environments within which enterprise operates. This includes the rise of the digital economy. The module will provide you with an awareness of emergent business types and their markets and the factors behind small business start-ups, entry routes, funding and barriers.

Statistics for Economics provides you with an understanding of, and an ability to apply, a range of mathematical and statistical concepts and techniques suited to a variety of economic situations. Descriptive statistics and techniques used for summarising and analysing data are fundamental to the work of business and economics professionals and will allow you to present information to a wide range of participants. This module primarily introduces statistical concepts and techniques associated with economics and business.

Information and the Organisation provides an insight into how organisations are creating, collating and making use of information for a range of purposes. Information has been described as the currency of the 21st century; unlike a physical good it increases not decreases in value as supply increases. The module will examine how businesses manage organisational processes, provide services, track the behaviour of consumers and forecast demand for products and services. This comes at a cost and you will also consider the ethical issues around a world where your movements, habits and hobbies can be quantified, anticipated, profiled and packaged for profit.

Designing for an Online Presence recognises that an organisation’s website is its virtual shop window and as such must be both appealing to consumers and effective in achieving marketing objectives, including driving sales. Web design is the art of creating websites that are attractive and easy to use whilst achieving the marketing objectives of the organisation. This module will provide you with an appreciation of the multiplicity of roles of a website and the range of audiences for which one must be designed.

Research Methods for Business are crucial to personal, academic and vocational development. Employers are increasingly looking for graduates who have specific skills, including those significantly developed through learning about methods of research. This module introduces these methods and considers how they are required to undertake specific academic projects, enhance knowledge and understanding, and address specific business issues and practical managerial problems.

Managing the Human Resource is concerned with developments in human resource management since the early 1980s and current people management practice. In keeping with the management discipline in general, there have been a number of significant developments in the management of people over the last few decades, not least with the move away from Personnel Management to Human Resource Management. The module will take a practical yet integrated approach, as required by today’s HR professionals.

Employability encourages you to contextualise and evaluate theoretical perspectives in a practical setting while at the same time providing an alternative learning environment which informs your future learning processes and outcomes. Workplace experience is increasingly seen as essential in contributing to graduate employability. It is an opportunity to hone employability skills, relate theory to practice and gain experience in a working environment. The module is designed to enhance your understanding, skill-base, personal development, aptitude for self-promotion and ability to reflect upon your experience in the workplace. It will also help familiarise you with professional business etiquette.

Graduate Enterprise enables you to experience running your own company with a number of your colleagues. You can create your own product or service, launch it into the marketplace and experience at first hand the issues faced by small business owners. You will be supported by your own business consultant who is on secondment from industry and the full resources of the Graduate Enterprise Company.

Project Management allows you to consider project management concepts and practicalities such that the said concepts can be applied into a working environment. Project management is an area of study that recognises that resources are scarce and that choices must be made between the alternatives available in terms of bringing a project to a satisfactory finish, both on time and within budget. Progressing from basic economic concerns, the module considers the practical apportionment of people, time, finances and materials and outlines best practice for how organisations can ensure output is achieved as smoothly and efficiently as possible.

Quality Management provides you with an understanding of the importance of total quality management which is an essential aspect of every organisation, both manufacturing and service industries, in order to survive in a competitive environment. The essence of total quality management is a dedication to understanding what the customer wants and then employing resources including people to set up systems and processes to deliver products and services that ensure customer satisfaction and comply with government quality standards.

Managing People focuses on the drive to privatisation and marketisation that accelerated from 1979 in the UK and shortly after in the USA. The nature of work, as experienced by employees, also changed with significant increases in flexible work patterns and the increasing importance of service sector employment. Hence, the repertoire of skills required of those involved in managing people continues to expand. The purpose of the module is to provide you with a critical understanding of the changing nature of work, as well as raising your awareness of the practical strategies used by organisations to manage such changes.

International Business examines the UK in the global economy, both in terms of trade and investment. An understanding of the ways in which business operates globally is important in the 21st century. The changing economic situation and the development of major economies, economic models and cultures will be studied, as well as the institutional backdrop.

Global Corporate Social Responsibility examines how the global marketplace presents challenges for organisations to balance the social, economic and environmental components of their business, while building shareholder value. Organisations that choose to ignore this responsibility risk their futures, reputations and profits and it is therefore imperative that the modern manager is aware of the various ethical issues that may have an impact upon their organisation and devise mechanisms of regulation and control to deal with them. You will examine the pressures from various sources to engage in ethical behaviour. You will also consider ways in which companies can structure their response to these pressures and reflect upon the implications for both business and society of a business ignoring its ethical responsibilities.

Intermediate Economic Analysis enables you to develop a deeper understanding of economic concepts, such as supply, demand, price and elasticity. The module also introduces new concepts in both micro and macro-economic analysis. Crucially, micro and macro-economic analysis will be applied to business scenarios. Micro theory will be applied to goods, labour and financial markets. On macro, models of equilibrium in goods and money markets will be covered, as well as the development of analysis of the main economic indicators, economic policies and the wider economic situation.

Leadership Culture and Change explores the nature of leadership and management roles within an environment characterised by change and cultural and organisational diversity. At an organisational level, the module considers how far organisational culture and change can be influenced by leaders and managers. At a national level, it considers how national cultures influence leadership styles and the process of change. Both large-scale organisations and small and medium sized enterprises will be examined, including an analysis of contemporary trends in these areas.

Finance and Performance Management will develop your financial knowledge and examine the management of a business with a specific focus on the management of finance within the business context. You will investigate the processes used to develop information to inform managerial decision making. The module will examine how different business types use financial data in the measurement of their performance. It will also look at real time company information and decision making and evaluate the significance of the decisions. A key activity will involve investigating the measurement of financial performance of a business through analysing and comparing the models available.

Retail Marketing Planning recognises that effective marketing planning is essential for all organisations. This module offers you the opportunity to place tactical marketing activities in the context of the marketing planning process. Specifically, this module provides you with the opportunity to examine the complex nature of marketing planning for organisations in the retail sector which constitutes a dynamic and vital element of the British economy.

Branding: Integrated Digital Campaigns is designed to link brand strategy and positioning to the creative aspects of branding, thus preparing you for the marketing, marketing communications and branding industry by building a clear bridge between creative solutions and formulating strategy. The module requires you to examine the elements required to build successful brands and specifically the use of traditional and contemporary media.

Social Media Monitoring and Analytics equips you with an appreciation of the need for analytics in the market place. As companies are collecting large amounts of data, marketing decisions made by them have become more data-oriented. More and more companies are now heavily investing in marketing analytics. Therefore, analysing the ‘digital footprints’ in a meaningful manner is essential. Due to the unstructured nature of data, understanding behavioural patterns is complex. This module will provide a background understanding of analytics in relation to marketing strategy and communication.

Services and Experiential Marketing examines the implementation of marketing concepts, theories and practices to organisations operating in today’s increasingly competitive environment. As the number of products and services increases, the marketplace as a whole becomes increasingly competitive and crowded. This, coupled with the shift from manufacturing based economies to largely service-based economies, has resulted in a raft of new challenges for today’s marketers. You will develop an understanding of the nature and role intangible elements play in creating value for consumers, critically analyse the major differences between the marketing of services and physical goods, and apply and evaluate a range of relevant services marketing and experiential marketing theories and tools to organisational situations.

Consumer Behaviour considers the factors that influence what, where and when consumers buy and what they buy. Understanding the factors that affect buying behaviour enables marketers to predict the response of customers to marketing strategies. This knowledge can then be fed into the design and innovation process for new products and marketing campaigns. In addition, you will examine the issues of increasing consumerism and addictive shopping behaviours.

International Economics will help you to develop a deeper understanding of international economic concepts, including theories pertaining to trade and international investment as well as currency. The theory will be analysed in respect of trade and foreign direct investment (FDI) flows and movements in currency markets. Major players in the international economy will be examined in terms of their development and economic models. The role of institutions such as the EU, World Trade Organisation and International Monetary Fund will also be considered.

Law for Business develops your understanding of some of the key principles of law, in terms of how they relate to business and commerce, and apply these to problem situations within a typical business environment. An understanding of some basic legal principles is important to managers, in particular the rules relating to contract, consumer protection, corporate liability and employment.

Loyalty Generation and CRM centres on how Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is about building relationships with customers in order to develop and build loyalty and so keep customers for longer. This drives higher profits and keeps competitors out. The module introduces CRM, its impact on business strategy, users’ activity, and firm process and functionality. You will also examine CRM commercial packages.

Strategic Management explores the process of strategy formulation and implementation and considers how the decision making process influences the choices made by those involved in deciding the strategic direction of organisations. You will gain a critical understanding of how psychological, political, economic, social, cultural and technological factors influence decision making and the subsequent formulation and implementation of strategy in a range of different types of organisations.

Dissertation enables you to produce a key piece of evidence that shows your development over the degree and how you are now equipped to apply graduate level skills. The module requires the design and implementation of a research project in an area of marketing and/or advertising and should include some element of original research, for example interviews or a questionnaire. Support during the dissertation is given by a specified tutor although you will have overall responsibility for managing the process.

Extended Business Project provides an opportunity for you to undertake an in-depth research project for a sponsoring organisation on a topic of common interest. The nature of the project will be negotiated between you, your supervisor and the sponsoring company.

Taxation develops tax computation skills and also provides more complex tax scenarios. You will gain technical skills relating to taxation, including the tax computations for individuals, sole traders, partnerships and incorporated companies. The module will guide you in how to calculate capital allowances, capital gains tax computations and value added tax and requires you to undertake tax planning that draws on several areas of tax legislation. You will investigate new opportunities to reduce tax liabilities, challenge the notion of contemporary fiscal management and debate innovative applications of tax computation and the development of tax avoidance schemes.

Strategic Financial Management introduces some of the techniques used in financial decision making. An understanding of the financial implications of decisions is vital for managers. The module provides an insight into the complex issues involved in the financial appraisal of long term projects and allows you to gain a deeper understanding of the theory and practice of strategic financial management.

Seeing the Future – The Next Decade of Commerce questions where the challenges of the next decade will come from and explores the changing face of commerce. Capitalism is an evolutionary process where new industries, new mechanisms and new ways of working continually emerge overturning the existing status quo. In this module, you will be asked to explore and decide for yourselves where the big changes of the next decade will come from and how it will impact upon the world you will graduate into.

Business Strategy and Digital Goods examines the implications of the internet and the rise of ubiquitous mobile devices that are changing business and society. Specifically, the module will explain how a new economy of creativity, opportunity, connectivity and content has been created. You will consider this ‘digital economy’, the key concepts underpinning commercial activities and investigate how the application of existing theories of competitive advantage and added value can be applied to, or are changed by, digital goods and services that have no physical form.

Global Logistics and International Trade examines, in a global context, the set of processes required to strategically manage materials and product flows from suppliers through to the final customer in order to achieve competitive advantage. The module looks at the theoretical background of logistics and considers the practical perspectives of logistics from an international trade perspective. You will consider how effective logistics and procurement systems can become key business enablers and contemplate how international supply chains must form a significant element of the strategy of any organisation operating on a global basis.

Development Economics discusses the key economic, social and political factors responsible for economic development and growth. In particular, the module provides an insight into economic theories analysing the development patterns across different countries and explaining differences. You will consider what factors effectively enhance or hinder economic growth and explore the relationship of economic development with national and international institutions, macro-economic policy and foreign direct investment. The role of civil society and the environment on economic development will also be examined, as will socio-economic issues such as poverty and inequality.

Contemporary Issues in Economics provides you with an understanding of, and an ability to critically analyse, contemporary issues in economics. Economic theories and understanding established earlier in the programme will be utilised to analyse contemporary economic situations and policies. The module will cover current, significant economic events both nationally and internationally, in respect of both the economic situation and policy. All issues will be considered from the perspective of business and management.

Strategic Human Resource Management critically investigates how far human relationships are central to Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM). The module takes a cross disciplinary approach making content as relevant to health and education as it is to sport, events management or any other organisational setting which requires people management. We will place the module inside the globalised context with a focus on developments in cross industry, cross continent context where the ‘soft’ rhetoric of people as an organisation’s greatest assets often collides with the ‘hard’ reality that ‘people’ constitute only a part of an organisations strategic thinking and are used like any other asset or resource.

Organisational Misbehaviour takes a critical position in reflecting on why it seems almost inevitable for institutions and their employees to misbehave. Topics covered will include institutional racism, policitians’ expenses, and the Libor interest rate scandal. We will critically review such instances of personal and institutional misbehaviour to understand why it appears so difficult for organisation’s and their employees to act in a way which is both ethical and aligns with the moral norms we expect from our principal institutions.

Global Marketing Management encourages you to develop an informed appreciation of international marketing in the context of emerging world markets and increasing globalisation. The module provides you with the means to integrate aspects of operational marketing within a strategic and international perspective. In particular, you will study how and why companies choose to operate internationally, the entry strategies available to them, globalisation and the international marketing environment.

Marketing and Society will help you to define and understand how marketing in society is utilised as a tool for public services such as charities, government and the health service. This will involve the study of the business and social environments in terms of their target audiences, resources, planning, education and current changes. The module will familiarise you with key models of behaviour change and the role of stakeholders, values, beliefs, emotions and lifestyles in influencing such change, with emphasis on environmentally sustainable behaviour. You will also be introduced to a practical and reflective campaign process that supports the use of social marketing to achieve behaviour change.

Advertising in Marketing Communications enables you to study the role of advertising in online and offline integrated marketing communications strategies. You will drill into the elements that comprise individual adverts and consider how the range of online and offline media vehicles available to deliver them have blurred the boundaries between advertising and other elements of the promotional mix. It is important that you understand the strategic role of advertising and the rationale that underpins the design and development of individual adverts. In addition, you need to understand the place of advertising within the marketing communications techniques available to marketers, whilst understanding the effects advertising has on the consumer and the debates that emanate from those effects.

Marketing Simulation is designed to provide an understanding of marketing management and planning and to engage you in the marketing decision-making process via the use of a marketing simulation package. Working in a group, you will analyse the marketing environment, undertake competitor analysis, manage the marketing mix, and decide the positioning of your product portfolio.

Entrepreneurship and Innovation considers how to turn a good idea into a successful market-leading product. Entrepreneurship and innovation go hand in hand and involve the development and release of a new product/service or the repacking of an existing one to provide competitive advantage or even create new markets. This module explores a variety of concepts around strategic entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship. We will examine the difference between an idea, an invention and an innovation and provide you with a case-led understanding of the process in action, from creation to implementation. Moreover, it provides you with a number of tools and techniques to critically evaluate success and build on your previous experiences of work-based learning or enterprise education.

A Language module is now available as a Year 3 option, providing Language modules were studied in Years 1 and 2.

BUS3044 Entrepreneurship and Innovation (20 credits) replaces BUS3026 Strategy and Innovation as an optional module in Year 3.